Wal-Mart Gets Halal Makeover

Tahini, olives and frozen falafel line the shelves in a new Michigan Wal-Mart in Dearborn that caters to local customers: in this case, the nation's largest Arab-American community. The 200,000-square-foot megastore, which opens today, even has a section for Halal meats culled in accordance with Islamic law, Newsweek reports.

Wal-Mart conferred with local Arab-Americans to learn what to offer—Arab-speaking staff was a must, but headscarves a no-no—and vowed not to undercut small ethnic shops on prices. "In the past, Wal-Mart has been pretty cookie-cutter when it comes to merchandise," said the store's manager. "But this time, we really got to know the community. We're blazing a trail here." (More Walmart stories.)