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Beyonce gave away a fraction of her wealth to scores of delighted fans and Christmas shoppers at a US branch of Walmart, handing out $50 gift vouchers at the store. Merry Christmas indeed.
The move comes as a mark of gratitude from Beyonce, as Walmart is among the stores that will be selling her self-titled fifth album after Amazon and Target refused to do so as a result of her releasing the album as a digital exclusive via iTunes.
She attended the Walmart in Tewksbury, Massachusetts on the evening og Friday 20 December 2013, where she handed out $50 gift certificates to store customers.
Watch Beyonce attending Walmart below
The 14-song, 17-video album is now available through a variety of retailers after a week of being exclusive to iTunes, but Amazon are reportedly unhappy with the preferential treatment given to Apple. Amazon is carrying the MP3 version of the new record and physical versions can be purchased on from third party sellers in the Amazon marketplace.
The online retail site have also refused to give Beyonce's album a big show on their website and it can actually only be found once searched for as it's hidden from the Amazon homepage. Amazon are also reported to be furious that they were forbidden from pre-selling Beyonce's LP as Sony Music Entertainment sent out an edict to all retailers in order to protect the iTunes exclusive release.
Target also seem more than a little bit bitter that they didn't have a slice of the action.
"While there are many aspects that contribute to our approach and we have appreciated partnering with Beyoncé in the past, we are primarily focused on offering CDs that will be available in a physical format at the same time as all other formats," said Target spokesperson Erica Julkowski in an interview with Billboard.
"At this time, Target will not be carrying Beyoncé’s new self-titled album Beyoncé."
Below: The 17 best bits of Beyonce's new 'visual' album
