Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue May Not Be Available at Wal-Mart

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is one of America's best-selling magazines every year, but this year it probably won't be available at America's No. 1 retailer.

Wal-Mart is not planning to stock this year's Swimsuit Issue -- or a lot of other magazines -- because it's currently in a dispute with the magazine publishing industry over a plan by publishers to charge an extra 7 cents a copy to deliver their magazines to retail stores.

The New York Post reports:

Unless things change dramatically, copies of the popular issue won't go on sale in more than 3,000 Wal-Mart stores as a result of an ongoing battle between magazine publishers and wholesalers.
The Wal-Mart stores, along with grocery-store chains Kroger and Safeway, are getting caught in the crossfire over two wholesalers' demand that publishers pay a 7-cent per copy surcharge for delivery of their magazines to retailers.

"It's a nightmare, an absolute nightmare," said one industry executive.

I'd have to agree that an inability to buy the Swimsuit Issue is a nightmare, but I have a feeling this is all going to get resolved by the time the Swimsuit Issue is rolled out next week. Wal-Mart doesn't like to cave in when it comes to cutting costs, but no retailer wants to go without the Swimsuit Issue.