Wal-Mart, which is brilliant at logistics, would have a lot to teach any economic planner. Info from the cash registers goes to HQ within an hour of sale, which supplies not only re-order/inventory info, but which also provides immense amounts of data about consumer preferences. Even my beloved, who (as they say in Bentonville) makes a living criticizing Wal-Mart, is highly impressed.
Doug
^^^^^ CB: Speaking of _Imperialism_, one thesis there is that monopoly organization prepares the way for socialist organization. Lenin does not propose breaking up monopolies, as some might think. Rather they are to be transformed to being publically rather than privately owned.
Wouldn't it be funny if Wal-Mart helped to refute the Hayekian claims on the impossibility of planning.