Another Walmart Empty Ipad Box!

[rdowns]

Better yet, they should stop selling at Walmart.

Yes, that's a brilliant idea. Let's stop selling our products at the world's largest retailer.

 

[ftaok]

Better yet, they should stop selling at Walmart.

Yeah, because this only happens at Walmart.

The real problem is stores are accepting "unopened" returns and putting them right back on the shelf. This B&S scam wouldn't happen if the reseller opened all return items while the shopper was in the store.

 

[dfweyer]

That has to be an inside job, even if you paid cash they'll ask for an ID or something when you return a high priced item.

 

[Gomez315]

http://www.cultofmac.com/want-a-free-ipad-ask-a-walmart-clerk-to-put-it-aside-for-you/108435

That city is about 10 minutes from where I live. I have been seeing a bunch of cheap iPad 2s for cheap on craigslist, but I keep thinking they are a scam. Maybe its them

 

[chrono1081]

Sounds like a bait and switch thing going on.

Its definitely not bait and switch. Bait and switch is what Circuit City did with their "ad corrections" (I worked there I know).

They would advertise something in their flier, people would flock into the store to get it and they would see a sign above that item that said something like "We apologize but this item was marked incorrectly in the advertisement. The real price is blah blah blah, we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you, our valued customer."

There were about 6 of these items each week and one employees job was to go around and ensure all of the "ad corrections" were up before the store opened on Sundays. The items were always shown with some sort of rebate to ensure managers couldn't simply mark the item down.

That, is bait and switch.

The Walmart thing is simply an internal theft issue (possibly) or more likely a customer who bought the iPad and returned a "brick in the box". The associate receiving the item for return never opened to check it and it gets put back on the shelf for sale.

 

[akdj]

Without China you wouldn't even have an iPad 2, and if you did you'd be paying over $1K. Can't blame China on this, USA has just become too dependent on others, especially oil.

....as has Great Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Hungary, Romania, and on and on and on and on....

The ENTIRE world runs on oil, my friend. Not JUST the US...without petroleum products, China wouldn't have been able to build the iPad2 either


J

 

[cdavis11]

everything old is new again

I remember this happening with Nintendo Gameboys when I worked for (redacted big box store name) years and years ago in the early 90s.

We'd find juice boxes, reams of paper - just about anything to duplicate the weight.

The more sophisticated of them would reheat the shrink wrap with a heat gun or hair dryer and make the boxes look unopened.

 

[Thedeathbear]

Hmmm...why don't they check things when they are returned? Most people don't have the awesome shrink wrap things at the store. If they do, it only leaves employee theft.

 

[Acorn]

I was in walmart once and i was walking to the electronics section to look for an xbox 360 game. As I was making my way there I notice a couple of shirts that had fallen off the rack as I kept walking I watched a walmart employee kick the stuff out of the way rather then pick it up. I pretty much havent gone back since. The place makes me want to take a shower after i leave.

when the nintendi wii came out i heard of people getting wii boxes with just a block of wood in em. thats pretty ballsy. I mean how would you feel if you brought in to the store a wii box with a block of wood in it and for some reason they decide to open it and look inside. how do you explain yourself.

 

[YEEZY]

Thankfully, I never encountered something like this. It looks really bad on the stores, but I guess most places are lenient on returns like that.

Sucks though, but people are getting smarter with theft nowadays.

 

[El Kabong]

Thanks all.

Seems like things are OK now. The reason it wasn't immediately opened is because the purchaser was my 83 y/o father in law, who is not tech-savvy and needed our help to get it up and running. Besides, it's not the first thing you think of when you make a purchase like this. One is used to purchased items actually being in the box when you get them home...

I can see the craigslist angle. It'd be an easy way to unload it for cash and be able to dodge any tracing risk. The problem is passed to the person who bought it from them.

In any event, things worked out and I'm not going to blame any international trade policies, particular businesses, or the like. I'm going with Occam's Razor here - employee theft, experienced thieves, or some combination of the two. I was lucky enough to find the other posting about this and took it with me to WalMart as supporting evidence. If it happens to anyone else (hopefully not) perhaps a Google search will net the results and help others get their issue resolved without hassle.

Thanks for everyone's responses.

 

[LanEvo]

This is why whenever you purchase things off CL, especially electronics, always get original box or some type of documentation to show it was not stolen.

 

[scarboni21]

new apple iPad

 

[jaimeastin]

I quit Walmart 2 years ago when I realized how much better Target is overall. I'm always shocked at the customer service, cleanliness and appearance for such a commercial high volume store. I feel like I need to take a warm bath anytime I visit the Wally World.

I hate to say it, but I feel the same. I used to get upset when people chose one over the other as to me they were all stores... Boy did I eat my words. I HATE to go to walmart... I usually go just for the sporting goods/fishing stuff when I need to restock... It is almost not worth it... No one around, checkout is slow, employees really have no clue... it is sad, I hate to avoid the store due to the people but man... customers and employees........ I will stop before I say something bad.


Lets just say the bad rep is bad for a reason...

 

[Mattstkc]

I hardly ever check my purchases but when I spend $100 or more on something electronic in packaging where I can't see the product, I take video of the unbox first showing the unbroken seal through to the final inspection of the product for defects. return policies suck because of (edit: (politeness)) ******s who return boxes of rocks.

 

[dustinl4m3]

I shudder at the thought of Walmart employees operating machines that emit ionizing radiation- but maybe the Walmart return counter needs an X-ray machine?

Want to return that iPad? Sure, no problem. We'll hold your driver's license while we x-ray your return.