Wal-Mart Is Deleting the Kindle From Stores

[jsr]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/21/business/wal-mart-stores-dropping-amazon-kindle-tablets-and-e-readers.html

Wal-Mart Is Deleting the Kindle From Stores
By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD and JULIE BOSMAN

Wal-Mart Stores, the nation’s largest retailer, said Thursday it was dropping Amazon’s Kindle tablets and e-readers, a sign of how seriously it views Amazon as a competitor in the consumer goods market.

Target said in May that it would stop selling Kindles, though other stores, including Best Buy, Staples and Office Depot, said Thursday they would continue to carry the devices... Physical retailers have been worried about customers who browse in stores and then buy from online competitors instead. Displaying the new Kindles encourages that behavior, analysts said.

“The Kindle Fire is the Trojan horse,” said Andrew Rhomberg, the chief executive of Jellybooks, an e-book recommendation site. “It’s a shopping platform that covers so many more categories than e-books. It affects Wal-Mart in a different way than the early Kindles and e-readers did.”...

“Every time you pick up your Kindle, they’re trying to get you to buy patio furniture” at Amazon, Mr. Gillis said. “If I were Wal-Mart, I certainly would not be encouraging my customers to go down the path of owning a Kindle and buying things from Amazon.” ...

[Grateful for Hope]

1. A Kindle buyer has the option to drop ads for $15.00

Considering how inexpensive they are making their products, this is a small price to pay.

[ohheckyeah]

2. I'm not surprised.

I buy amazon gift cards to buy Kindle books with and the last time I tried to buy one at Walmart they didn't have them. I was told they wouldn't be carrying them any more.

[marlakay]

16. You can buy them easily online

My daughter has a kindle and I get them for her...through amazon website...

[ohheckyeah]

17. The whole point of getting the gift card is to not

use a credit card. I could purchase them with a debit card but I never use my debit card online.

[marlakay]

18. I have my checking account set up with them

As well as credit card. Been this way for many years, never had a problem.

[ohheckyeah]

20. Frankly, that would scare me.

I'd be screwed if someone ripped off my checking account.

[tammywammy]

23. I've seen Amazon gift cards at the grocery store.

In their gift card display.

[Warren DeMontague]

3. Ooooh, Wal-Mart is getting beaten by someone's competitive business practices?

Well, ain't that a kick in the pants.

[Newest Reality]

4. Poor, poor

Wal-mart!

Can't handle some competition? Can't bestow a little friendly and open edge to another company?

Nope! No you can't. You can't do that for your employees either. Yes, you are bound to that legal obligation to shareholders, blah, blah, (even though we know that the major shareholders are the Kings and Queens of Walton Blood).

Nope. Screw everybody and everything! The Walton family is still not rich enough to do anything but compete, screw and conquer more. It's more like a holy war than a capitalist venture.

How about:

Wal-Mart announced today that it would continue to sell Amazon's Kindle even though it represented a potential threat to sales. A spokesperson for Wal-Mart said, "We feel it is time to promote cooperation and more open and fair marketing. Who knows, maybe Amazon will find a way to reciprocate. Wal-Mart has achieved its goal of world domination and so, we don't feel threatened at all. In fact, we feel like spreading wealth and success now that we have accomplished our goals."

Then, Wal-Mart went on to illustrate their new and amazing employee packages.

[DJ13]

5. I think the Amazon thing is an excuse

Remember, Walmart worked really hard to get Apple to let them sell iPads and iPhones.

Apple is beginning to lash out against competitors since Jobs died, I wouldnt put it past them to sweeten the deal to gain Walmart's loyalty.

[mythology]

7. I will bet that even with Apple's cut, there's still more retailer profit on the iPad and iPhone

than on a Kindle Fire. Apple's selling on their name. Amazon is on their ability to sell you further goods and services. Yes Apple does this too, but the iPad is twice as much as the Kindle Fire. Additionally Apple is somewhat limited in the things they directly sell. Music and movies mostly. Amazon sells everything. There's a far greater cross over on high margin items like other electronics via Amazon than the Apple store.

But Apple may have had something to do with it. They did already illegally conspire with publishers to keep electronic book prices high. Although that was at Steve Job's request as is Apple's attack on Android. Steve Jobs was not only a marketing genius; he played rough in business.

[MicaelS]

9. Sorry, you're wrong.

Retailer profit on actual Apple products is low. Less than 10% of the retail price, sometimes it's only 5%. Apple strictly controls the price points that the retailer is allowed to sell at. They have strict MAPs (Minimum Advertised Price) in place. The most discount you will see on iPads or iPods is about 5%. Finally, retailers make very little from "residuals" when they sell an iPhone, compared to other companies cell phones. Residuals are the monies that the cell companies pay to carriers when they sell a particular phone with contract. The longer and more expensive the contract, the higher the residuals to the retailer from the cell carrier. Apple gets most of the residuals from iPhone sales.

The real money comes from selling non-Apple branded accessories. The markup on docks, cases, skins, screen protectors, keyboards, earbuds and the like can be several hundred percent. Retailers actually make more money off the accessories than the do the actual iPhone, iPod or Mac.

[librarylu]

6. Oh, phooey!

I was ordering DVDs and books and even computers from Amazon years before I got my first Kindle. They have what I want that Walmart never heard of but I stop at Walmart and Best Buy on the way home for groceries, clothes and a microwave I need right this minute.

I didn't know Walmart even carries Kindles.

I know I don't like Walmart's politics now that I know about them but the convenience helps me to nevermore buy gas from Exxon.

[Speck Tater]

8. I bought my first Kindle at Walmart. I guess I'll buy my next on direct from Amazon.

They are cutting off their own nose, as the saying goes...

[Egnever]

10. Why would you buy a kindle when you can get a nexus 7 for the same price

with no need to pay to get the ads off it?

[librarylu]

11. Because....

....I got a Kindle Fire first. There are no ads on it and they're sold below cost. I love it for games, NatGeo, books with color illustrations, music, movies, posting on message boards and occasionally for a quick e-mail.

My second Kindle is a basic that I use for reading only when I don't want reflections or my hand to get tired. It can get the Internet but I don't use it for that. It has ads when I first turn it on but the ads go away with a click and the $20 I saved went to books on evolution and climate change.

I got free shipping and no sales tax on both thus saving enough money to buy yet another Kindle book. I have many that are free or ridiculously cheap.

I have no complaints.

[Egnever]

22. Well the new kindle fire does have ads on it.

You have to pay to have them removed.

The free shipping comes with an amazon prime membership, That cost $79 per year. You can use your prime membership on any device for the free shipping.

If you are happy with the device that is what counts. I guess I just dont understand purchasing a crippled device when you can get one that is fully functional without adds and supported directly by google for the same price.

To each their own I guess.

[Politicub]

12. Me-ow! Kitty's got claws

I'm a huge fan of Amazon. But Walmart... not so much.

[DisabledAmerican]

13. Don't worry walmart has worse things to worry about

It's employees for one. At the store I was working at Walmart is hiring Tempt services to cut back on Regular employee hours. It is hurting everyone who works there. Not to mention the fact that the walmart I worked is going to have to worry about a Federal Case. After I was suspended until further notice with my on the job injury there I am letting the federal government know that walmart violated my ADA accommodation rights. I was forced to be wheelchair bond and they did some very bad things that the federal government is just thrilled to take my case. Plus I'm still going to press charges with the Manager who caused my suspension. I've contacted the FBI on him. Not to mention because CMI denied my legit workmen's comp claim I have a workmen comp lawyer going after them as well. The funny thing walmart doesn't realize is when it violates employee right and the law they make it easier for us average disable people to turn them in. Can you believe their Manager that tried to have me arrested said I was being to needy.

[onethatcares]

14. are they hiring

temps from companies they control?

[DisabledAmerican]

15. yes

It's also the future Mitt Romney wants for all of you to only have the rights a tempt worker has. Walmart was hiring tempts and cutting normal workers hours. The Tempts are still there. They used the excuse on us that the budget wasn't there for the hours, but we all had this done to us last year there was a problem in the back room so they used certain workers and then all of our hours were cut to make up for that help.

[Honeycombe8]

19. I don't shop at brick & mortar stores then buy from Amazon. I've bought a lot of stuff fr Best Buy.

They have great sales and reasonable shipping rates (sometimes free shipping). I may look at products at Best Buy beforehand, but then I'll buy from Best Buy online (that way I get delivery to the door, or maybe they don't have the stock or color that I want in the store).

I love Best Buy. Their staff are helpful, too. Then, if I need to return it, I can return it to a brick & mortar store just blocks from my house.

I've also bought a few things that way from WalMart, but I'm trying to break free from shopping at Walmart, now that I've heard all that awful stuff about the store and how they treat the employees.

I buy books & DVDs from Amazon. I don't like to buy electronics or small appliances from them...it's a pain to return those things to Amazon.

I bought two Kindles...both of them from Best Buy. They were having a great sale. I found the Kindle covers I wanted at Best Buy, too. The ones I wanted were sold out at Amazon.

[reformist2]

21. I like showrooming. I wish these stores would come to some agreement. :(

Maybe the brick and mortars can offer you a coupon after you look over a floor model that you can then use when you buy the item online, with the brick and mortar store getting a kickback as well.