'Best of' Wal-Mart's world

Hannah Montana devotees better line up at your local Wal-Mart. The retail giant will be selling the "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" CD+DVD set starting next week (March 11). And you won't be able to buy it anywhere else for the next month. Fans can pre-order their copy now.

These exclusive deals are cropping up lately, from Starbucks becoming the sole vendor of albums by the likes of Bob Dylan to Victoria's Secret keeping that new Spice Girls album all to itself.

I review movies. I don't do business reportage. But this trend should concern consumers. I can see the benefit for the companies in question, but how does it help the Hannah Montana fan that he/she can only buy the character's product at one venue?

(Photo: Hannah Montana, aka Miley Cyrus, lets a fan sing a song verse during the "Best of Both Worlds Concert.")