Twinkies Return: Walmart To Offer Hostess Snack Three Days Prior To National Release Date

While Twinkie fanatics rejoice for what is being heralded as the "sweetest comeback in the history of ever," recent developments indicate that the cream-filled sponge cake may be arriving earlier than expected.

Walmart Stores, the nation's largest grocer, announced Friday that it will sell Twinkies in all of its domestic U.S. stores starting Friday, a full three days earlier than the Monday date when Hostess snacks, out of production for more than seven months, will be rolled out nationwide. While some stores will be carrying the snacks as early as Friday, Walmart promises every store in America will be fully stocked by Sunday, with each Twinkie wrapped in collectible packaging.

Hostess closed its doors and went into bankruptcy court in November after conflicting with demands from workers unions, putting more than 18,000 people out of work. In March, private equity firms Apollo Global Management and C. Dean Metropoulos & Co., owner of Pabst Brewing Co., scooped up the unit for $410 million, pledging to start producing the yellow creme-filled cakes as soon as possible.

News of production came in early June after a local Georgia news outlet reported that the Dolly Madison bakery facility was being prepped to produce Twinkies and other snack products again as early as July.

As some might wonder why Walmart got the jump on the exclusive deal with Hostess, it is said that the retailer is Hostess' largest single customer.

Walmart said that it will hold Twinkie comeback events in 3,000 stores nationwide. About 100,000 stores will be carrying the product after the full release. Hostess says it plans to have Twinkies in 160,000 stores by year-end, doubling the amount of stores where they were available prior to the discontinuation.