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Wal-Mart to Sell iPhone Starting Sunday

2strokedude said:
Sorry for the misspelling of Wal-Mart. Luckily where I live in Santa Monica they would never allow them to build one. Even near me in South Central L.A.
the people that live there voted against them building one there. Even they get it enough to know about what the store is really about.
When you have all 5 of the living members of the Walton family in the top ten richest people in America, you know something is wrong.
Number 4-8 all Waltons

Helen #4
S Robson #5
John T #6
Jim C #7
Alice L #8
http://www.forbes.com/2002/09/13/rich400land.html
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Dunno. Does everyone working at Wal-Mart have jobs? Is the company profitable? Does the stock hold value for the shareholders? (many of which are middle class Americans invested in the stock either directly or through a 401K/Mutual Fund/etc. for retirement purposes.) I'd say they're doing something right, and they're being financially rewarded for it. I have no problem with that. Who the heck SHOULD be the richest Americans? The CEO of a failed bank? George W. Bush? Bill Clinton? Michael Vick?

I'm very curious where you shop and what you buy. For example, what brand of deodorant do you use, and where do you buy it? Do you own an iPod or any Apple hardware? Where were they made? Have you done an in-depth analysis of every item you consume, and a complete analysis of the places you buy these things? i.e. who owns and operates the stores you shop at? Do you ever eat at resturants? If so, which ones? Who owns it? Have you toured the kitchen to observe working conditions? Do you know where the restaurant gets its food?

None of those are rhetorical questions. If you're going to imply how great of a person you are and how moral your community is, I think we need to see if it is for real, or if you are just picking on Wal-Mart because it is the fashionable thing to do.
 
This is obviously good news for those who don't live near an Apple store.

However, I'm puzzled that Apple is willing to let their brand be diminished by selling the iPhone there.

Best Buy isn't exactly top of the line, but at least they're all about electronics.

walmart seems to be attempting to go upscale and must have lobbied Apple extensively to be able to sell the iPhone.

I would love to know what went on behind the scenes of this misalliance.
 
bobbleheadbob said:
It is a big deal when you consider the additional distribution channel Wal-Mart represents. Like it or not, many more people shop at Wal-Mart than the ATT or Apple stores.
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Yeah, but the people who shop at Walmart are NOT the demographic that supports Apple products because they can't afford them. Have you ever been to a Walmart and noticed the people pushing their carts around? If not, go do that and come back here and explain how you think they will be able to afford the monthly service fees. Most of the people who go to Walmart so they can buy cheap crap. If they need a phone they are going for the pay-as-you-go type deal because that's all they can afford. Especially since they are only giving a measly 2 bucks off.
 
I shop at Walmart at least twice a week. I rent and return at the Redbox in the store. I sometimes see a DVD movie worth having in the $5 bin. I like cooked turkey legs and Rubbermaid products.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5F137 Safari/525.20)

this is to put the iPhones in front of the masses on a daily basis.

This will triple apples sales.



Impulse buy is now in play for the iPhone.
 
mozadek said:
There are wal-marts in China, I remember reading an article about the only wal-mart in Germany closing because the people didn't shop there because they didn't want there to be a wal-mart.
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I lived in Germany off and on over the years and there is a Walmart in Rosenheim that I visited rarely and only for absolute last-minute emergencies. Most the of townspeople hated that store yet I found it interesting that the store always had a lot of customers in it. The store is still there.

What got Walmart in hot water in Germany IMHO is that they tried to rewrite the employee rules by extending store hours and trying to cut back employee vacations and benefits to model that in the U.S.

German employees start with six weeks of paid vacation in addition to quite a few holidays. It's a government thing and not subject to negotiation. After 6:00pm, they close down like all businesses do there so that all the workers can be with their families.

What a concept eh?

One can understand why Walmart would be upset.

I personally think the iPhone at Walmart (as an AAPL owner) is a good idea due to the market penetration. However, I personally avoid entering a Walmart store unless I have no other option of using a more local store. What they were trying to do in Germany and after watching the movie "Walmart - The high cost of low prices" cemented my belief about that corporation.

just my 2 cents.
 
fendol said:
Finally half of the rumor is confirmed, iPhones are going to be sold on Wal-Mart at $197... for $2 less than their original price. Groundbreaking... :D:apple:
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The other half of the rumor:

January 5th - Phil Schiller: Introducing 32GB iPhone for 299, and 16Gb for 199 -the rest of the 8Gb for 99.
 
I just LOVE all these righteous comments about how Walmart will bring down the Good Apple name and how Apple is too good for Walmart and their customers.

Hello? The frickin fart apps are dominating the App Store right now! Selling the phone at Walmart was only the most appropriate next step by Apple. Some people around here have to get off their high-horse and realize Apple's just trying to make more money (surprise, surprise).
 
sflocal said:
I lived in Germany off and on over the years and there is a Walmart in Rosenheim that I visited rarely and only for absolute last-minute emergencies. Most the of townspeople hated that store yet I found it interesting that the store always had a lot of customers in it. The store is still there.

What got Walmart in hot water in Germany IMHO is that they tried to rewrite the employee rules by extending store hours and trying to cut back employee vacations and benefits to model that in the U.S.

German employees start with six weeks of paid vacation in addition to quite a few holidays. It's a government thing and not subject to negotiation. After 6:00pm, they close down like all businesses do there so that all the workers can be with their families.

What a concept eh?

One can understand why Walmart would be upset.

I personally think the iPhone at Walmart (as an AAPL owner) is a good idea due to the market penetration. However, I personally avoid entering a Walmart store unless I have no other option of using a more local store. What they were trying to do in Germany and after watching the movie "Walmart - The high cost of low prices" cemented my belief about that corporation.

just my 2 cents.
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wow, six weeks of paid vacation? Nice, closing at 6 seems a little early but I forgot stores close up early in Europe. Wal-Mart was wrong to try to close later because when you're in another country you have to adjust to their customs, not the other way around. Here is a nice article about wal-mart's failure in Germany.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2112746,00.html
 
Smart move Wal-Mart

One stop shopping! I can guarantee you whoever walks into Wal-Mart to buy the iPhone will leave with MORE than the iPhone, can't really say that about the Apple store or AT&T. What I can say is that customer service is horrible at all THREE! :D
 
Max E Verde said:
I wouldn't recommend buying it from Walmart unless you live nowhere near an Apple Store, AT&T store, or Best Buy. Like already said, the associates will know jack squat about the phone.
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AHEM...Walmart associate here...I know everything there is to know about the iPhone and then some. :D Several other associates here already have iPhones and love them. I took the iPhone training test for associates a couple of weeks ago and passed with 95% accuracy. Although I'm fairly certain that our Connection Center associates know how to use an iPhone, it's the customers I worry about. :D The ones who aren't immediately scared away by the $199 price tag have asked me some pretty...um...interesting questions about it. You should have seen this guy's eyes glaze over when I explained the technical reasons behind not being able to jailbreak the iPhone for use on Verizon's network. I explained that the iPhone is a GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA phone, which uses a SIM card, whereas Verizon's network is CMDA 1xEVDO, and doesn't use a SIM card.

The guy just stared. :D :D :D :D
 
Ugg said:
This is obviously good news for those who don't live near an Apple store.

However, I'm puzzled that Apple is willing to let their brand be diminished by selling the iPhone there.

Best Buy isn't exactly top of the line, but at least they're all about electronics.

walmart seems to be attempting to go upscale and must have lobbied Apple extensively to be able to sell the iPhone.

I would love to know what went on behind the scenes of this misalliance.
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hey here is another wishfull idea....


.... Maybe AT&T wanted the iPhone in more stores for more mindshare?


Apple (steve) laughed and said sure but lets end our contract so we can sell to other carriers?


yeah again I doubt it




side note - I have no issues with Wal-Mart hell I shop at one at least once a week.
 
You're kidding right? I shop at Wal Mart on occasion and if they sold MacBooks and iMacs I'd probably buy them there to avoid the pretentious ***holes at the Apple store.

Count me as part of the demographic who shops at Wal-Mart but also include me as a supporter of Apple products since I own an iMac, MacBook Pro, iPhone and 2 Apple TV's.


THX1139 said:
Yeah, but the people who shop at Walmart are NOT the demographic that supports Apple products because they can't afford them. Have you ever been to a Walmart and noticed the people pushing their carts around? If not, go do that and come back here and explain how you think they will be able to afford the monthly service fees. Most of the people who go to Walmart so they can buy cheap crap. If they need a phone they are going for the pay-as-you-go type deal because that's all they can afford. Especially since they are only giving a measly 2 bucks off.
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Almost four years ago, Apple started selling the iPod mini at Wal-Mart and people were upset, saying things like:

vwcruisn said:
..."wow, if thats true, i just lost a lot of respect for apple."
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The same happened when Wal-Mart started selling the lower priced iPod shuffles:

narco said:
A deal with the devil. Everyone knows you can't buy anything "cool" at Walmart. I don't think this is good news.
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And now here we are again, this time being presented with our beloved iPhone. Will I lose my respect for Apple? Will Wal-Mart degrade the iPhone image?

Last I checked, Wal-Mart probably helped Apple much more than it ever hurt them. The quality of Apple products is a reflection of Apple -- people know they're purchasing a good phone (or iPod, for that matter), regardless of where it is bought.

So the question for you, Apple fans everywhere, is this: Are you willing to sacrifice the "cool" factor of carrying around an iPhone, just as you sacrificed the same "cool" factor four years ago with the iPod? Are you willing to give it up so that we may see our favorite company do even better and produce even better products in the future?

For me, it all comes back to the Mac. Whatever will expose more people to the Apple brand will come back to the Mac.


nagromme said:
I'm sure the Wal-Mart deal is good for Apple. More sales, more halo effect, and ultimately, a good thing for the Mac platform.
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As quoted... four years ago.
 
Wal-mart be all people have access to.

Some people don't live close to an ATT store or an Apple store.

Some people who have never been to an Apple store or an ATT store might pass by the iPhone display in Wal-mart and be curious.

The more eyes that get a chance to see an iPhone on display and have an opportunity to touch one, the better.

There are NO advantages to buying an iPhone at Wal-mart, but there are huge advantages to Apple to have all those people pass by the iPhone display.

Not everybody lives in a big city or on one of the coast.
 
an iphone is an iphone...doesnt matter where you buy it from....as long as its a real apple product..its all good.


walmart is a perfect place to buy toothpaste, toothbrushes, cotton balls, etc... i guess now an iphone too. Although it just feels cooler buying it from an apple store....
 
Sedulous said:
Is there some sort of advantage to buy it at Walmart?

I would imagine this will certainly kill the aura of "exclusivity"
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What a snobbish quote. The advantage is clear. More stores may equal much more marketshare. However, I imagine the elitist side of Apple fans will rear its ugly head on this forum. Lately, I'm almost embarrassed to own a Mac because of diehard Apple fans.
 
it is almost too funny to watch the wal-mart discussion.

I agree with those that see wal-mart as a poster child for what has gone wrong in the modern world - aka consumerism above all, with no thought to its impact.

I was not going to say anything until I saw the post saying the person wanted quality in some things like electronics, and low prices on things like food.

This is where I start to feel ill. Your health is the most important thing. Of all things one demands quality in, number one should be food, in my view.

As for apple products in wal-mart, i agree with those saying it will increase apple's exposure and thus potentially increase sales - sales being the number one thing any company cares about. Image is important, but only important in regards to the sales it generates. Thus is the way of the consumption driven society, something wal-mart has become a master of.
 
DeepDish said:
Some people don't live close to an ATT store or an Apple store.

Some people who have never been to an Apple store or an ATT store might pass by the iPhone display in Wal-mart and be curious.

The more eyes that get a chance to see an iPhone on display and have an opportunity to touch one, the better.

There are NO advantages to buying an iPhone at Wal-mart, but there are huge advantages to Apple to have all those people pass by the iPhone display.

Not everybody lives in a big city or on one of the coast.
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Which is exactly what is going on. Smart move to + market share IMO.
BTW child labor in China starts at 10 not 8.

Will have 0 impact on Apple Stores/at&t stores. I'd also say the "exclusivity" thing is a little overated these days. :apple:
 
internetmachine said:
Low prices mean they are of poor quality. PCs are cheap but are of low quality, you have to continually replace them. So in the long run it's better off buying a super reliable Mac instead. Similarly, you and America are better off not buying at cheap garbage from Wal-Mart.

Since Wal-Mart sells only cheap garbage for the average joe, everyone will associate Apple with cheap garbage. And I want to think and be different, by not being associated with the average joe. That's what Apple is all about.



Apple is a privilege. You should be proud of owning an Apple product. If you are embarrassed then you no longer deserve to be in the Apple community.
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How is the box of cereal I buy at Wal-Mart any less quality than the box I buy at another store?
 
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