After hearing the complaints of countless patrons, Wal-Mart has begun rolling out special covers for four racy women’s magazine titles sold at check-out lanes. The four magazines that will have covers are Cosmo, Glamour, Redbook and Marie Claire.

The decision comes one month after Wal-Mart announced it would discontinue selling the sexually-charged men’s magazines Maxim, Stuff and FHM altogether.

AFA Chairman Don Wildmon said the women’s magazine covers carry salacious headlines and provocative photos that are inappropriate for checkout lanes. “We’ve been communicating our concerns to Wal-Mart for over two years. We believe this decision shows their desire to do the right thing,” he said.

Wildmon said he understood that Wal-Mart has one ear to the ringing of the cash register. “The good news is, the other ear is bent closely to hearing the concerns of its customers,” he said, adding that he hoped major supermarket chains will follow Wal-Mart’s example of corporate responsibility.

The covers will conceal both the left and right sides of the magazines where the questionable wording and headlines are usually located. The customer will be able to see the magazine title and most of the center of the magazine cover.

Wal-Mart said it will take several weeks for the rollout to be completed. The special covers will be in all stores nationwide.

Wal-Mart made the decision after testing several different concepts earlier this year. A senior vice-president told AFA, “Our hope is that this will strike a reasonable balance for our customers who choose to purchase these magazines, and our other customers who are not comfortable with seeing these covers at the check-out lanes.”

Wildmon suggested that customers who are happy with the new policy simply contact their local Wal-Mart and thank the manager, rather than flooding the national office with calls.