The German Cartel Office ordered Wal-Mart and two German competitors to raise prices because other stores might otherwise not be able to match them. The relevant law was enacted in 1933, eight months after Adolph Hitler came to power, and was designed to protect small shopkeepers against the spread of large, often Jewish-owned, department stores.

[Ed.: In June, 2001, Germany abolished another Hitler-era law that limited store discounts and banned "buy two, get one free" offers.]

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