 Apple Boutique in Best Buy |
Wal-Mart’s move to overhaul the electronics departments in many of its retail stores with Apple-designated shopping areas is being seen as a sign that the mega-retailer is making a pitch to eventually carry Apple’s line of Mac personal computers.
The Bentonville, Arkansas-based discounter began revamping the electronics departments in approximately 3,500 of its stores this week — including 2,600 Supercenter locations — in a bid to capitalize on a large slice of the big-screen TV market vacated by Circuit City, which shut down its operations after filing for bankruptcy in November.
As part of the renovations, which should provide for a more spacious and interactive shopping experience, Wal-Mart will also be rolling out specialized in-store boutiques for popular brands such and Nintendo and Apple, similar to the Apple store-within-a-store layouts found in Best Buy retail stores.
Ben Reitzes, an analyst with Barclays Capital, sees the move as a precursor to Wal-Mart extending its reach beyond iPods, iPhones, and accessories to Apple’s Mac line of computers.
“We believe Wal-Mart is actively pitching Apple to carry more products,” he said. “With Wal-Mart improving its retail displays, we believe that the mega-retailer could eventually earn the right to sell select Mac products without diluting Apple’s brand…”
That said, the analyst doesn’t see the existing Mac line as a particularly good fit for the discount retailer outside of the $599 Mac mini and $999 MacBook offerings, but said he believes the company is working on more sub-$1000 products that may eventually appeal to Wal-Mart’s customer base.
Har!
As the only Authorized Apple Sales and Service shop in the Four Corners area with a Supercenter a couple miles away,….let me be the first to say…this sucks. AND..if you buy it at Wally World, you’re going on the back burner buddy! Ha!!!!!
Get in line.
#1 And then Apple pulls your “Authorized” status.
#1 – Well, you could be selling Vista.
This will certainly be a contrast over the Apple store. I just had a vision of 3 or 400lbs. of cellulite on one of the little motorized carts reeking havoc in that area of the store. Well, maybe not since only fat, ugly people buy Windows. JFC, I’m only kidding…
#3. Wrong, we are allowed to service our customers first. It’s called business, we’re a VAR not an Apple Store.
#4. We sell IBM, Lenovo, HP also. So, yes, Vista, not a problem.
I shop at Walmart pretty often. I would buy a Mac at the Apple Store though. If you are paying the same amount, you may as well buy it from Apple anyway. Apple offers people ready to serve you, they are knowledgeable about Macs, and they are better dressed. (Okay, that last one is prejudice, but yesterday Mr. Fusion said I am a hateful bigot, so who cares?)
At Walmart, you have to search the area larger than five Apple Stores to find one sales person to help you find anything. It’s okay if all you want is a cart of groceries and maybe camping or fishing gear, but if I want a computer, then Walmart is not the place to buy one.
I’ll believe it when I see it
You know when a product is not hip anymore… it’s when you can buy it at Wal-Mart. I guess the yuppies and designers will have to jump onto the next trend… how about Linux? Still not crowded.
Walmart is going to sell Apple? Where next Cosco? I guess Apples are not a chic as the used to be, the fan-boys must be pissed.
#6 Read your agreement real close. There was an Apple VAR I was friends with who almost lost his status for just this reason. He kissed butt and promised to sin no more.
This was several years ago so the agreement may be different now.
#11. It is. We have gone to battle over this. Apple does not protect VAR’s from the likes of Wal-Mart or Apple stores in a region, we have to honor the warranty, but we don’t have to set aside our customers for theirs. Sorry…been doing it for many years. Our loyal customers appreciate it.
A better question is why should we? Our prices are the same, so why would someone want to purchase from a big box store that cannot address issues? There is a saying in this business….they get the sales we get the problems.
#12 – McCullough – …why would someone want to purchase from a big box…
They buy it there out of convenience. Prepare yourself for the onslaught of white trailer trash.
#13. Fortunately Wal Mart types tend to buy the $399.00 bargain basement PC. Unfortunately they STILL bring me their problems…..
#14 – McCullough
Sort of what I meant… well, look at it from the bright side… you get plenty of repeat customers. Perhaps you could sell Nascar shirts and signed photos of Nascar drivers on the side?
#15. Note to self….widen the doorway. Stock NASCAR crap.
#16 – McCullough – widen the doorway
LOL
There’s also ipod, ipod touch, ipod shuffle, ipod nano, an upcoming H264 decoding ipod for movie downloads, etc.
Yeah, I don’t really see the typical WalMart customer as being in the market for a $1500 MacBook. And I’m personally glad that Apple isn’t the type of company that needs to bend to the demands of WalMart to provide special, cheap versions of their products to get shelf space there.
I just don’t get the issue. What’s the matter with WalMart selling Apple products? Is this some sort of class issue? Seriously. I don’t get it.
#20 They hate Walmart. The answer is simple. I see no more fat people in Walmart than other places. As for Nascar, that is more of a regional thing than a poor thing.
But like I said, Walmart employees are too lazy to help me with computer issues. It is the same price, so I may as well buy my Mac at the Apple store. I will have a better experience there.
# 21 Benjamin said, “But like I said, Walmart employees are too lazy to help me with computer issues. ”
I thought Apple’s computers didn’t have “issues”…
#20. I could give a shit where people buy their Mac disposable products. We make an avg. of $17.00 off an iPod. There really is very little markup. So buy it from WalMart, it’s not a serviceable item. You have a problem with it you send it to Apple. The difference as Benjamin says, when you are buying something a little more technical, you may want to speak to someone who may actually have to service it if it breaks.
And yeah, Mac’s do break…contrary to popular opinion. And when they do, expect to pay a huge premium if you don’t have Apple Care. The parts really are 2-3 times more expensive, and the system are non-standard so harder to perform the repairs. When people buy from us, they get support, file transfers, training if needed, software advice. Most of it done as part of the sale. Our prices are the same, so why would you want to shut out the small business owners who provide this valuable add on service over the big box stores that only deal in volume sales?
That way of thinking is one of the reasons this country is screwed. If the small VAR goes under in this region, you will ship your system to Apple or drive 300 miles to an Apple store and get in line. Most people do not want to be without their computer for a day, much less weeks.
Yesterday a customer came in that purchased online. After she checked her computer in, for repair, she leaned over the counter at the clerk and told her to “make it snappy”. She has 8 computers ahead of her.
# 23 McCullough said, “Most people do not want to be without their computer for a day, much less weeks. ”
Then you have nothing to worry about, if what you just wrote is really true…
I’m a Wal-Mart supercenter employee and I can testify that my location is indeed resetting the computer department. Looks like we’re adding WD MyBooks at competetive prices. But, I’m skeptical that our “clientele” will warm up to any Apple products, less the iPod. I imagine most will pick up the better-priced PC boxes.
As a Wal-Mart employee I would love to see this. It will be great to see how little training anyone will get for this. There are only 3 out of the 25 of us around that area that know anything about computers and only 2 of those 3 that know anything about Macs. Oh well at least we have an Apple store less than a mile away. On the plus side the majority of our customers will not be interested due the previously mentioned price difference.
Couldn’t be any worse than Fry’s.