My Visit to the 3g Display in Walmart

[Shawn D]

Hey guys I just wanted to do a little write up on my visit to my Walmart after the new 3g was made available there. First off as you can see in the Photos there weren't many brochures in the kiosk so either they are going quick or they didn't get many in. I was also able to remove the sim card and use it to place calls in my phone Edit: I then placed the card back in the display phone , I am sure this is going to present a problem with people stealing the cards and using them for free 3g access . You would have thought that they would have made a case around it to prevent this. I also asked employees in the electronic section if they knew anything about the iPhone and they said and I quote "I don't know anything about the iPhone" So I don't know what happened to the Three week training but I wasn't able to get any information from the employees. Assuming I was a new iPhone buyer I certainly would not have made a purchase because of the lack of employee knowledge on the product they are carrying.

Here are the photos:

 

[Rayfire]

-snip-

I was also able to remove the sim card and use it to place calls in my phone, I am sure this is going to present a problem with people stealing the cards and using them for free 3g access

-snip-

Now why would you want to do that?

Correction:
Why did you do that?

 

[Shawn D]

Now why would you want to do that?

Correction:
Why did you do that?

To see if they would actually put a sim card in the phones they are letting people play with everyday in a Walmart, Just seems anyone could go in and grab a free sim card.

 

[Auzburner]

Not to be stereotypical of WalMart, but it does not surprise me that the employee's know nothing about their products. From the pictures, it makes me a bit unsettled that Apple would let their product be stooped down to the small corner table of a WalMart electronics section. It just doesn't fit right. I understand they are trying to reach a broader market, but jeesh I don't know what it's all worth - I guess money...

 

[Shawn D]

Not to be stereotypical of WalMart, but it does not surprise me that the employee's know nothing about their products. From the pictures, it makes me a bit unsettled that Apple would let their product be stooped down to the small corner table of a WalMart electronics section. It just doesn't fit right. I understand they are trying to reach a broader market, but jeesh I don't know what it's all worth - I guess money...

Yeah I was actually surprised to hear he knew nothing, Didn't point me to a brochure or anything.

 

[eplchamps0304]

Not to be stereotypical of WalMart, but it does not surprise me that the employee's know nothing about their products. From the pictures, it makes me a bit unsettled that Apple would let their product be stooped down to the small corner table of a WalMart electronics section. It just doesn't fit right. I understand they are trying to reach a broader market, but jeesh I don't know what it's all worth - I guess money...

What do you care, you are not going to buy from them so why do you care. I dont care. Why do you care who sells it or who does not. Does it affect you in some way?

 

[davyreins]

What do you care, you are not going to buy from them so why do you care. I dont care. Why do you care who sells it or who does not. Does it affect you in some way?

I don't really care, but I can see why some people find it a bit unsettling. Walmart is a place where you can by a lot of cheap crap...and now iphones.

 

[Shawn D]

What do you care, you are not going to buy from them so why do you care. I dont care. Why do you care who sells it or who does not. Does it affect you in some way?

Yeah I couldn't care less if they sold it, I think it will bring new users into the iPhone community

 

[Andrew K.]

I have a sim ejector tool on my key ring, looks like I'm going to walmart

 

[CocoaPuffs]

Didn't think people are actually bore/dumb enough to steal sim card from a display phone...

 

[Demosthenes X]

Has anyone ever bought a cell phone from Walmart? If the staff have zero knowledge about the iPhone, I imagine they have even less knowledge about AT&T's rate plans.

IMO, exposing your product to a broader audience does little good unless there's some present that can actually answer a consumer's questions.
Sounds like activation will be done at home, not through Walmart, too?

Sorry, the phone might cost $2 more at an AT&T store, but for that $2 you get: knowledgeable staff (comparatively, at least), immediate activation, and answers.

I guess some people would still buy an iPhone at Walmart, but personally, if I went into a store and asked "what do you know about this product", and the answer was "nothing", I would look elsewhere. Hell, it might even turn me off the product in general... :/

 

[NotFound]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that people who want to spend hundreds of dollars of their hard earned (not earned?) money will do some research on their own and have a general gist of what they want before they walk into a store. I don't think its a huge deal. A lot of the people who buy the iPhone already get what it is, somewhat of what it is capable of, or are just buying it because they want to look cool so they really don't care what it does.

 

[Sehnsucht]

Didn't think people are actually bore/dumb enough to steal sim card from a display phone...

At the Wal-Mart where I work, shoplifters steal anything and everything they can get their hands on. They'll take CDs to the restroom, open the packages, pocket the goods and leave the empty cases in a big stack behind the toilets. I've seen women filling their purses with makeup, keychains, lingerie, CDs, and anything else small enough to fit in. The boldest ones will grab 40" HDTVs (yes, that's what I said) and run out the fire exit with them, where there'll be a getaway car waiting. As soon as our store's iPhone display is finished, I'm pretty sure shoplifters will steal not only the iPhones themselves, but also the display cabinet and the floor tiles it's sitting on. And my Wal-Mart isn't even the most ghetto store in the area.

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

One reason I go to the Apple Store to buy stuff. You spend 2 bucks more, but get quality service. That's something I can splurge on.

 

[Shawn D]

At the Wal-Mart where I work, shoplifters steal anything and everything they can get their hands on. They'll take CDs to the restroom, open the packages, pocket the goods and leave the empty cases in a big stack behind the toilets. I've seen women filling their purses with makeup, keychains, lingerie, CDs, and anything else small enough to fit in. The boldest ones will grab 40" HDTVs (yes, that's what I said) and run out the fire exit with them, where there'll be a getaway car waiting. As soon as our store's iPhone display is finished, I'm pretty sure shoplifters will steal not only the iPhones themselves, but also the display cabinet and the floor tiles it's sitting on. And my Wal-Mart isn't even the most ghetto store in the area.

I thought it might become a problem where someone who wanted a phone badly enough would steal the sim ad then they could have a number. It's sad people like this don't just get a job like the rest of us.

 

[alphaod]

Most people are not knowledgeable enough to take the SIM card out of the phone [or know how to].

 

[buccsmf1]

At the Wal-Mart where I work, shoplifters steal anything and everything they can get their hands on. They'll take CDs to the restroom, open the packages, pocket the goods and leave the empty cases in a big stack behind the toilets. I've seen women filling their purses with makeup, keychains, lingerie, CDs, and anything else small enough to fit in. The boldest ones will grab 40" HDTVs (yes, that's what I said) and run out the fire exit with them, where there'll be a getaway car waiting. As soon as our store's iPhone display is finished, I'm pretty sure shoplifters will steal not only the iPhones themselves, but also the display cabinet and the floor tiles it's sitting on. And my Wal-Mart isn't even the most ghetto store in the area.

The other day i go in to walmart to buy nightmare before christmas. when i get to checkout the lady notices that the packaging has been opened and asks me if i wanted to check to make sure everything is still inside. i was caught a little off guard, and said no. but a few seconds later i remembered that i was shopping at walmart so i said, "yea, i better make sure everything is still in there." i opened up the dvd case and about 5 different dvds fell out onto the floor. some idiot had stuffed this thing with 5-6 different movies and at the last moment i guess, decided not to steal it. my first thought was, holy ****, **** lady is going to think i'm trying to steal these, but luckily i volunteered to open it so everything was ok.

i hate walmart. the only reason i was shopping there in the first place was because we're on a tiny island right now in north florida and that was the only place on the island that sold dvds....

 

[Robby9279]

Didn't think people are actually bore/dumb enough to steal sim card from a display phone...

Really man? If you're directing this toward the OP you're being quite rude. He said he just wanted to check if it was possible that they had working sim cards in the phone, and if they worked with other phones. He also stated that he put it back in the phone. Now I do understand you're directing this to the general public though, but don't think we should go and bash the OP for toying with this.
If you meant it in general then forgive me, but I think/thought you were stating this toward the OP.

 

[8767092]

Most people are not knowledgeable enough to take the SIM card out of the phone [or know how to].

It isn't the people that are not knowledgeable enough that they are going to need to watch out for.

I can just imagine someone knowledgeable enough using one for free international calls to some country that most people have never even heard of until the bill gets so large that at&t deactivates it.

 

[gadgetdad]

The other day i go in to walmart to buy nightmare before christmas. when i get to checkout the lady notices that the packaging has been opened and asks me if i wanted to check to make sure everything is still inside. i was caught a little off guard, and said no. but a few seconds later i remembered that i was shopping at walmart so i said, "yea, i better make sure everything is still in there." i opened up the dvd case and about 5 different dvds fell out onto the floor. some idiot had stuffed this thing with 5-6 different movies and at the last moment i guess, decided not to steal it. my first thought was, holy ****, **** lady is going to think i'm trying to steal these, but luckily i volunteered to open it so everything was ok.

i hate walmart. the only reason i was shopping there in the first place was because we're on a tiny island right now in north florida and that was the only place on the island that sold dvds....

Nightmare before christmas...how ironic

 

[Shawn D]

It isn't the people that are not knowledgeable enough that they are going to need to watch out for.

I can just imagine someone knowledgeable enough using one for free international calls to some country that most people have never even heard of until the bill gets so large that at&t deactivates it.

Exactly what I was afraid of hah