During the 1970s and 1980s, there was much skepticism about Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT). Could the company keep up its growth? What about the huge amounts spent on technology, distribution, and logistics? And, could the company compete in urban locations?

Interestingly, another game-changing retailer -- Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) -- has been facing the same kinds of criticism. Yet, the company keeps proving its detractors wrong. After all, during one of the worst Christmas seasons last year, Amazon.com posted a strong performance.

Have your eye on an Ionic Breeze air cleaner, a top-of-the-line massage chair, or an interactive droid? You may be out of luck if you were counting on using your Sharper Image gift card. The retailer of whimsical electronics and housewares recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, rendering these cards essentially useless.

Brian Riley -- senior analyst with research firm TowerGroup -- told MarketWatch that unused Sharper Image gift cards could amount to as much as $25 million. Sales clerks are telling customers the plastic cards are no longer valid for use in stores or online. A company hotline says that shoppers can inquire again in mid-March, as company officials are still trying to determine if the cards will ever be honored.

Additionally, Sharper Image rival Brookstone is offering a 25% discount for any shopper who turns in a (worthless) Sharper Image gift card when making an in-store purchase.

The truly disgruntled gift-card holders can investigate filing a petition in court, but the time and costs required would likely outweigh the gift card's value. Federal law indicates that the holder of the card may have a claim against the bankruptcy estate, but it's likely a worthless endeavor and Riley notes "There's a good chance the dollars will be lost."

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

Welcome to the 27th installment of The Wal-Mart Weekly, a column dedicated to bringing you insight, wit, facts, results, opinions and just a bit of everything else when it comes down to a very hot topic these days: Wal-Mart.

This past week, I discussed Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) possible move away from the "do it all" Supercenter and toward smaller and more customizable stores. Customers are wanting a more personal, customized experience when shopping these days, and the "circus bazaar" shopping feeling a standard Wal-Mart Supercenter gives off is falling out of favor.

But, that's been Wal-Mart's bread-and-butter recipe for growth since the early 1990s -- and the retailer shouldn't alter this successful recipe just because it's growth has slowed. Tell that to investors, though. The market continually clamors for more growth, and this is causing Wal-Mart to look at other store formats to make that growth happen.

For those of you who just aren't sated by the daily one-hour program, the monthly magazine, occasional feature films and made-for-TV movies, and the radio content available at XM Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: XMSR), you'll be relieved to hear that a one-stop shop for all things Oprah is in the works.

Oprah Winfrey's privately held company, Harpo Inc., released a statement indicating that construction has started on a store carrying Oprah merchandise. The boutique will be located catty-corner from the Harpo Studios building in downtown Chicago and will be one story and 4,500 square feet. Many details, including an opening date, have yet to be worked out.

The queen of the entertainment world already sells some products through an online store. Oprah fans can pick up a $14 iPod cover with the Oprah logo, DVDs, and African apparel and artwork. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that these and other Oprah-related merchandise will also be available in the retail store. Know a co-worker or friend that's expecting? The $36 'O Baby' velour jogging suit could be the perfect gift.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

The Wall Street Journal today covers Steve Job's retail strategy for Apple, that has succeeded beyond Wall Street's wildest dreams -- and, in fact, was roundly dismissed as a bad idea when Jobs first came up with it five years ago. Apple believed its computers weren't being merchandised appropriately, especially when compared to PCs running the ubiquitous Windows operating system. Why not open Apple retail stores? Jobs thought.

Of course, there are lots of reasons why not, starting with cost and continuing on through the headache of managing retail employees and ending with pissing off your retailers. Although the first few concerns seem to be far outweighed with the fantastic success of the Apple stores ($2.35 billion in revenue for fiscal 2005, 17% of Apple's total sales), the last continues to be an issue. Several retailers have sued the computer company, claiming that Apple gives its own stores preference for hot new products.

Even more than sales, Apple stores seem to be a flashpoint for the company's avid (or would "avid" be a vast understatement?) customers and feature unique and iconic only-in-Apple designs. With Friday's upcoming unveiling of Apple's second Manhattan store under the GM building, the company will be stepping into 24-hour retail and certainly will become even more of a mecca for Apple enthusiasts everywhere. Doubting Thomases should only look to the company's stock price (up $0.25 on a bad day for the market) to see whether the market believes Jobs can pull off yet another unusual success.

[Photo of Manhattan Apple store Patricio00]