Liberty Tax & Wal-Mart: Making Up for the Kids

About five years ago, Walmart decided it really only needed two major tax preparation firms to satisfy the needs of its patrons, H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt. Before this decision, Liberty had operated 30-40 seasonal kiosks in Walmarts around the country. In a crazy game of tax-franchise “wife-swapping,” Jackson Hewitt recently assumed all of the Sears stores from H&R Block. Did this have something to do with Walmart letting Liberty back in the family fold? Who knows. What can be said for certain is that this does show that tax prep kiosks are not just a trend but a strategic placement for brand appearance with little regard for actual financial profit. Have you ever seen someone getting their taxes done at these kiosks? I have not, but I see the kiosk, see the name and logo, which may be just as beneficial for brand awareness.