Yahoo! News / Reuters: Walmart.com to Let Customers Review Merchandise. Shoppers will be able to review and rate the merchandise sold on Wal-Mart Stores Inc’s Web site beginning on Thursday, as the retailer works to expand its online capabilities.

Finally. My two main sources of online reviews are Consumer Reports and Amazon.com. Consumer Reports offers authoritative, independent reviews based on objective product testing. Great for comparing across brands or product lines. Amazon.com offers more anecdotal reviews.

The weakness of online reviews is that they are online. Before I bought my Apple iPhone, if I spotted a product I was interested in at a retail store, I had to go home and look it up. Now, I can read the review while I am still inside the store. If only Wal-Mart will publish their online reviews INSIDE their retail stores, then all shoppers can benefit from our collective experience. That’s an idea!