Wal-Mart Preparing to Offer iPad

[MacAddict1978]

What business school did you go to as that's totally not factual? (American Labor is what almost killed Levis) and is Totally not the same thing. You still cannot buy "Levi's" at WM. It's the "Levi Strauss" line that's a cheaper product and of far less quality. People who know labels know those are the generic jeans.

The perception of merchandise at wal-mart is that it's usually lesser quality (because it usually is.) Even their computers and televisions usually have different specs than the ones at Best Buy or another retailer. Sure that lap top is $100 cheaper... and has half the ram and smaller hard drive...

I do agree with 250 stores, getting the product into more people's hands is a good strategy. It's not like mac. The i-pad is much more accessible to the masses. Still, WM cheapens the image of mostly every thing they sell.

That kind of snobbery almost destroyed Levi Strauss. They refused to let Walmart carry their jeans and their business fell off a cliff.

Today, that episode is a classic business school case study.

Go where your customers are. The iPad is a consumer electronics gadget. Lots of people buy lots of consumer electronics at Walmart.

 

[ovrlrd]

What business school did you go to as that's totally not factual? (American Labor is what almost killed Levis) and is Totally not the same thing. You still cannot by "Levi's" at WM. It's the "Levi Strauss" line that's a cheaper product and of far less quality. People who know labels know those are the generic jeans.

The perception of merchandise at wal-mart is that it's usually lesser quality (because it usually is.) Even their computers and televisions usually have different specs that the ones at Best Buy or another retailer. Sure that lap top is $100 cheaper... and has half the ram and smaller hard drive...

I do agree with 250 stores, getting the product into more people's hands is a good strategy. It's not like mac. The i-pad is much more accessible to the masses. Still, WM cheapens the image of mostly every thing they sell.

Why do you care about image? It is the same iPad you can buy everywhere else, so why does it matter? I think Apple does plenty to keep the image of their products as feeling high quality and not cheap, being available in Walmart won't change that in the slightest.

 

[bruinsrme]

Totally not the same thing. You still cannot by "Levi's" at WM. It's the "Levi Strauss" line that's a cheaper product and of far less quality. People who know labels know those are the generic jeans. And yes, WM always sold their product. They just used to be called "Riders."

The perception of merchandise at wal-mart is that it's usually lesser quality (because it usually is.) Even their computers and televisions usually have different specs that the ones at Best Buy or another retailer. Sure that lap top is $100 cheaper... and has half the ram and smaller hard drive...

I do agree with 250 stores, getting the product into more people's hands is a good strategy. It's not like mac. The i-pad is much more accessible to the masses. Still, WM cheapens the image of mostly every thing they sell.

I stopped buying levis because of the price and inconvenience in availability. Dickies and carhartt at walmart is my choice of brand. Levis lost a customer to convenience and being over priced for equal or less quality than other brands. If they were made in San Francisco I would buy them because of made in the USA. But like apple their products are made in other countries.

 

[Dillenger]

Asking for a sales guy to explain what you just named by its name and then when he can't just leave ? That's badgering right there. The guy works in a big surface store with literally thousands of products, you can't expect him to know each and everyone. If you want that kind of special personalized service, you don't shop at Wal-mart.

Maybe your example was poorly phrased, but if I know a product by its name and want it, if the sales guy can't do a short speech about it, I don't walk out. In fact, if he tries to "tell me anything about it", I'll just cut him off and tell him to get the box.

And yes, I did find negativity in your post. If you don't care, why did you take the time to bash Wal-mart's sales services (ie, their non-existent floor sales) ?

The bottom line is most employees, whether Wal-Mart, K-Mart Any-Mart could give a rats hairy butt about finding out very much about the products they sell, especially electronic products. So you want accuse me of bashing them, but you "just cut them off and tell them to go get the box" Yep, I'm bashing them, and you are just plain rude to them.

 

[RalfTheDog]

The problems I have with Walmart are:

1. Product quality. Walmart coerced Levies into selling a lesser version of their clothing at Walmart. The "Select" branding is trash.

2. My time has value. The time of the people who shop at Walmart does not. I do not need to spend my time or money in a place where everyone walks, talks and thinks slowly. The extra time I spend in line or trying to get around people standing in the isles talking cost far more than the trivial amount saved by their slave labor prices.

That said, if Apple can sell more stuff by selling it at Walmart, they should sell it at Walmart.

 

[HLdan]

The problems I have with Walmart are:

1. Product quality. Walmart coerced Levies into selling a lesser version of their clothing at Walmart. The "Select" branding is trash.

2. My time has value. The time of the people who shop at Walmart does not. I do not need to spend my time or money in a place where everyone walks, talks and thinks slowly. The extra time I spend in line or trying to get around people standing in the isles talking cost far more than the trivial amount saved by their slave labor prices.

That said, if Apple can sell more stuff by selling it at Walmart, they should sell it at Walmart.

Then you might as well keep out of the Apple store as well. That's exact experience most people get when they visit the almighty kingdom that creates the iPad. Really man, how can you write such horrible stuff? Where do you get off saying that Walmart shoppers don't value their time? Absurd post. I run an insurance business and I certainly shop at Walmart without prejudice. I care about my money as well as my time. I don't walk around with my head in the sky like my crap don't stink, but I see that some people here do and it's sad, just really sad.

 

[oliversl]

With all these new distribution channels, the holidays sales can make another iPad sales record.

 

[RalfTheDog]

Then you might as well keep out of the Apple store as well. That's exact experience most people get when they visit the almighty kingdom that creates the iPad. Really man, how can you write such horrible stuff? Where do you get off saying that Walmart shoppers don't value their time? Absurd post. I run an insurance business and I certainly shop at Walmart without prejudice. I care about my money as well as my time. I don't walk around with my head in the sky like my crap don't stink, but I see that some people here do and it's sad, just really sad.

If you walk into an Apple store like you want to buy something and you want to do it now, the Apple people will jump to get you what you want. If you walk into a Walmart like you want to buy something and you want to do it now, people will intentionally get in front of you and walk slowly. People at Wallmart stop to look at something with their shopping cart blocking the isle.

The checkers at Walmart are nice people and they do their best, but there are never enough of them. It is not uncommon to spend 10 minutes getting the stuff you need followed by 45 minutes waiting in line. Walmart could double their bandwidth without adding 10% to the final price. If your time is not worth more than that, you probably need to rethink your priorities.

 

[JAT]

Nice collection of ignorance you got there.
...

I don't know of a single case of Wal-Mart's existence negatively impacting a business that was not very poorly run in the first place.

Way to carefully pick one thing to believe, and claim I'm ignorant.

Walmart created the world's best vertically integrated business (supply chain), I'll give them that. But they repeatedly dropped prices well below even their own industry-leading cost in order to kill other businesses. For. No. Other. Reason. Claiming that means the competition was "poorly run" is the epitome of choosing blindness rather than facing facts. Their tactics should have been considered an illegal monopoly, time and time again.

 

[Caliber26]

Then you might as well keep out of the Apple store as well. That's exact experience most people get when they visit the almighty kingdom that creates the iPad. Really man, how can you write such horrible stuff? Where do you get off saying that Walmart shoppers don't value their time? Absurd post. I run an insurance business and I certainly shop at Walmart without prejudice. I care about my money as well as my time. I don't walk around with my head in the sky like my crap don't stink, but I see that some people here do and it's sad, just really sad.

I agree 200% with you! It's no secret that Apple gear is not for the average, common folk. Most of us on here work hard for what we have and because we appreciate the 'magic' of Apple. Most of us have good jobs and an education. Too bad, though, that despite the affluence and education that is abundant in these forums, CLASS isn't one of those attributes. People with any amount of class or dignity, would NEVER be so vocal about their opinion of Wal-Mart and its patrons. People with class are often blessed with a little something called couth.

The haters and 'superior' morons you see posting absurdities on here are more than likely frustrated nerds who never amounted to much during their high school and college days and now seek redemption thru the safety of internet anonymity. And in real life, despite their Macbooks and BMW's, they're still socially-awkward losers who settle for buying nice things since social acceptance doesn't have a price tag.

 

[BJMRamage]

not reading through all of this thread....but, walmart/target/etc for an iPad is absolutely FINE! why not?

They sell iPods too, and iPhones. An Apple computer is something that "needs" someone to help with converting an old to new computer, etc. An iPad and Pod/Phone etc. is a buy off the shelf no need for brains item of Apple. you grab a box and basically go and it is all there ready. A computer "can" be a bit rougher with transferring files, and setting up your software, but the App Store and Phones/Pods/Pads are Touch and Play.

if you hate walmart (I somewhat do) then don't bother going there. some people don't mind going there. Bluray peeps love WM sometimes crazy prices.
We've picked up a few things at the nearest WM but tend to hit the Target next door for 98% of what we could get at Walmart.

 

[JAT]

Snort. I've traveled to places still too small for a wal-mart. I find it very amusing that people actually pine for those businesses that stock the same mass market stuff at high prices and contribute next to nothing to the local economy because they employ few others than the family, complete with zero benefits to the few employed. Cry me a river. Of course, I shop at the original big box store, Meijer, so I'm probably part of the problem.

Another one missing the point. It's not about those small businesses and their individual issues. I've never lived in a small town, that really has no impact on me. It's about Walmart's tactics, some of which I mentioned just a couple posts above. They disgust me. Calling me elitist for having morals also disgusts me.

Looks like the propaganda machine sucked you in good. The fact that walmart would even consider giving any benefits to those employees is amazing. The waitstaff at you local, "family owned", diner works ten times harder and has zero benefits. If it wasn't for walmart, those small town employees would have no place to work, let alone one that pays them that well and with some benefits. I hustled my way in a pizzeria when I was younger. Not a person in the place had benefits, not even the managers. We worked harder than any walmart worker ever has. It's the nature of those types of jobs.

The propaganda machine? Which one would that be? My favorite store is Costco, and I don't recall any anti-Walmart ads from them. Your pizza anecdote means nothing to Walmart or this discussion, btw. At least learn some debate tactics that make sense on the internet.

I'm from England and therefore maybe missing something here, but why such negativity from certain people about the fact that Walmart sells stuff cheap? Over here that would be considered a good thing, who wouldn't want to save money? Also, who cares where you buy your iPad from? I bought my iPhone 4 from the Apple Store on launch day because it was only place I'd be likely to get one but if the local supermarket had stock I would have preferred to have bought it from there to save travelling.

As has been mentioned before, Walmart is not simply the lowest priced place in the USA. Many times other stores around here (Minneapolis is fairly large metro area, plenty of large stores) have lower prices on many products. Or, Walmart has the .97 thing to "beat" the .99 at Target, which isn't what I'd call "lower". (actually, here it's usually .96) When times were tough when gasoline hit $4/gallon, my wife convinced me to go there for some of the prices. There were several items I bought there for a few months, but then they raised the prices to just about exactly the same as other stores in the area. No price benefit for me.

if you hate walmart (I somewhat do) then don't bother going there. some people don't mind going there. Bluray peeps love WM sometimes crazy prices.
We've picked up a few things at the nearest WM but tend to hit the Target next door for 98% of what we could get at Walmart.

Exactly. Ditto.

 

[airplaneman]

If you walk into an Apple store like you want to buy something and you want to do it now, the Apple people will jump to get you what you want. If you walk into a Walmart like you want to buy something and you want to do it now, people will intentionally get in front of you and walk slowly. People at Wallmart stop to look at something with their shopping cart blocking the isle.

The checkers at Walmart are nice people and they do their best, but there are never enough of them. It is not uncommon to spend 10 minutes getting the stuff you need followed by 45 minutes waiting in line. Walmart could double their bandwidth without adding 10% to the final price. If your time is not worth more than that, you probably need to rethink your priorities.

*shakes head* - what HLdan said.

 

[KnightWRX]

The bottom line is most employees, whether Wal-Mart, K-Mart Any-Mart could give a rats hairy butt about finding out very much about the products they sell, especially electronic products. So you want accuse me of bashing them, but you "just cut them off and tell them to go get the box" Yep, I'm bashing them, and you are just plain rude to them.

You're right about the bottom line. So why even comment on it. That's how big surfaces are.

And what's rude about "Sorry, I already know about this product, can you just get me a box please ?" Cutting off someone doesn't mean you have to be rude to them, just stop them from wasting their saliva.

If you walk into an Apple store like you want to buy something and you want to do it now, the Apple people will jump to get you what you want.

Really ?

Maybe you look important enough, but for the most part, going to buy something at the Apple store means getting in line behind 50 other people there to buy something, and sometimes waiting for 15-30 minutes for an specialist to get to you, even if all you want is that darn Macbook box from the back store.

The checkers at the Apple Store are nice people and they do their best, but there are never enough of them. It is not uncommon to spend 10 minutes getting the stuff you need followed by 45 minutes waiting in line. The Apple Store could double their bandwidth without adding 10% to the final price. If your time is not worth more than that, you probably need to rethink your priorities.

Fixed that there for you.

It's no secret that Apple gear is not for the average, common folk.

Hum, yes it is. Why do you say something like that and then go on to bash people with a feeling of superiority ? You just demonstrated the same with this comment. Apple gear is just that, gear with an Apple on it. It's marketed to common folk, it's bought by common folk, and it's used by common folk.

Are you seriously going to try to tell us you need to be special to own an iPod or a Macbook ?

 

[burgundyyears]

Another one missing the point. It's not about those small businesses and their individual issues. I've never lived in a small town, that really has no impact on me. It's about Walmart's tactics, some of which I mentioned just a couple posts above. They disgust me. Calling me elitist for having morals also disgusts me.

Don't stick words in my mouth. I never said or even implied you were elitist in my post.

Regardless, the fact that you have had zero experience living rurally tells me you have zero appreciation for the godsend Wal-mart was to many areas that heretofore were served with nothing or grossly overpriced local businesses. I'm glad you probably have 5 or more major retail and food options perhaps a short walk, bus ride, or drive away. So do I. Not everyone is so lucky. Wal-mart is basically a gigantic economic efficiency engine, which makes it very unpopular with sectors of the economy that thrive on inefficiency.

 

[ghostface147]

No one else thinks that the sign that says low price is funny? It's the standard price, not some deal Wal-Mart offers.

 

[Caliber26]

Hum, yes it is. Why do you say something like that and then go on to bash people with a feeling of superiority ? You just demonstrated the same with this comment. Apple gear is just that, gear with an Apple on it. It's marketed to common folk, it's bought by common folk, and it's used by common folk.

Are you seriously going to try to tell us you need to be special to own an iPod or a Macbook ?

No. You're twisting my words. I am not bashing people at all. All I meant by that is that if you put forth the time, money and effort into buying an Apple product, chances are you've done some research and are tech-savvy. And let's face it, Apple stuff is NOT cheap at all. The average person is interested in an attractive price point and, as often stated here, doesn't really spend time reading these tech blogs and could care less about specs. Most of us on here do our homework and research product cycles and are true followers of all things Apple. The majority of people who frequent MR are well-educated folk with good jobs. An education and good job typically suggest a set of manners and some couth, and given the disturbing comments I've seen in this tread, it is clear that many people on here are lacking in those areas, if they're so horrified that the Holy iPad is now being sold at a place like Wal-Mart.

And you're right, Apple gear is just stuff with a freaking fruit on it. These days, everyone walks around with their iPod and/or iPhone. By no means is Apple a brand for the elite. What I really meant to say, I guess, is that we (the readers of MR) are not the average Apple shopper. We don't just stroll into a local retailer and snatch an iPhone simply because it's a popular item. For the most part, we're educated people with a love for Apple stuff because we appreciate the company's ideals. I guess I'm wrong to associate education with CLASS.

 

[sunan]

Can you tell me how much Apple's share of global market?

 

[cvaldes]

Which product category?

For media tablets, it's probably close to 98% right now.

For personal media players (i.e., MP3 players), it's something like 85-90%. For something like the iPod touch, it's probably 99.5%. The iPod touch really has no competitors.

For cellular handsets, it's something like 4%, although Apple is taking 40%+ of the industry's profits.

For computers, it's about the same percentage (3-5%), although Apple reaps about 90% of the revenue of computers selling above $1,000.

 

[kirky29]

I love the Low Price sign!

 

[2992]

whoaaahhh....

Low Price!
Only $499... and ONLY $829!!! Only eight hundred and twenty nine US dollars! Now that's how a Low Price should look like...
Go buy them all, it's a bargain!

 

[ranReloaded]

Monday morning should come very soon to the US timezones... Please save us from the most boring, weekend-long top-page news in MacRumors history!!!

I mean, what's the big deal? Never been to the US of A but is it so different from BestBuy!?

 

[ovrlrd]

Monday morning should come very soon to the US timezones... Please save us from the most boring, weekend-long top-page news in MacRumors history!!!

I mean, what's the big deal? Never been to the US of A but is it so different from BestBuy!?

It's like BestBuy, but for anything you can possibly buy. Need a gun? They sell them, and ammo too. Need a car battery? Sure thing. How about some frozen food and snacks? You name it, they got it.

The whole "trashy" image that people have about Walmart really only comes from the fact that they have low prices and literally every walk of life shops there, so there are bound to be some characters.

 

[Dillenger]

You're right about the bottom line. So why even comment on it. That's how big surfaces are.

And what's rude about "Sorry, I already know about this product, can you just get me a box please ?" Cutting off someone doesn't mean you have to be rude to them, just stop them from wasting their saliva.



Really ?

Maybe you look important enough, but for the most part, going to buy something at the Apple store means getting in line behind 50 other people there to buy something, and sometimes waiting for 15-30 minutes for an specialist to get to you, even if all you want is that darn Macbook box from the back store.



Fixed that there for you.



Hum, yes it is. Why do you say something like that and then go on to bash people with a feeling of superiority ? You just demonstrated the same with this comment. Apple gear is just that, gear with an Apple on it. It's marketed to common folk, it's bought by common folk, and it's used by common folk.

Are you seriously going to try to tell us you need to be special to own an iPod or a Macbook ?

After reading through your cut and pastes of mine and other comments, I've come to the conclusion that it appears you just like to take issue with what others say. My original post was to be a bit of humor, and you call it bashing. I'll move on now so you can pick apart others postings as I have more important things to do. Oh, I'm off to Wal-Mart to bash some more employees.

 

[macbookpro13]

Holy crap, what is with all the negativity towards this?

Are you crazy Apple obsessed fools so emotionally attached to the idea that your stupid little toys are so elite that a place like wal mart has no business carrying them? Are the type of people you think shop at wal mart not good enough to lay their plebeian hands on your precious little toy? Grow up you stupid kids.