On the wall beyond the checkout lines, the faces of 16 Wal-Mart employees, their photos arranged in an inverted pyramid, smile down at paying customers.

结账线旁边的墙上是沃尔玛十六位雇员的相片。他们被镶嵌在倒置的金字塔里，微笑着面对结账地顾客。

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Critics claim that Wal-Mart has simply seen the writing on the wall and sees the initiative as a way of improving its public image.

批评者指出，沃尔玛只是做表面功夫并且将这一项倡议作为提升公众形象的手段。

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Brian Sozzi, an analyst at Wall Street Strategies, notes that "one key thing in [the Massmart] deal for Wal-Mart is to gain market share through increased volume which comes from lower prices."

来自华尔街的行业战略分析师布莱恩·索兹（Brian Sozzi）提到“对沃尔玛来讲，这次购并的一大关键目的是要通过压低价格来增加销售额，进而扩大（在非洲的）市场份额。”

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Although the Wal-Mart's fourth-quarter earnings were exactly in line with Wall Street's expectations, its first-quarter and full-year guidance range were on the wrong side of analyst's predictions.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Ahead of the results, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that U.S. consumers increasingly question whether Wal-Mart does, indeed, have the lowest prices.

FORBES: Wal-Mart Watchers Obsess Over U.S. Growth, But How About Intl' Margins?

Despite the many busted growth stocks of the past two years, investors still haven't shaken their infatuation with certain Wall Street darlings that are priced as if each was going to be the next Wal-Mart.

FORBES: Priced For Perfection