Peak Walmart?

[imoldernu]

Peak Walmart... A blog that I thought might be interesting.
http://www.oftwominds.com/blogsept13...lmart9-13.html
It's a discussion of the general merchandising business, the suggests that alternate stores are competing for the super store business, by opening in areas that are closer to the customer or serving certain classes of customer.

It also addresses the Walmart foray into internet sales ala Amazon. If you haven't been there, you'll be amazed at the number of items available through Walmart that aren't in the stores. Judging from some of the items I've checked, such as furniture and electronics... many times the number of SKU's available in the average store.

For general interest only... You might find the statistics for the various competitors enlightening.

[travelover]

It is also worth noting that Walmart retail stores and Walmart.com have different prices, even though they are drawn off the same stock in the stores. So I buy stuff off Walmart.com and pick it up at the local store. They are essentially competing with themselves.

[MooreBonds]

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelover It is also worth noting that Walmart retail stores and Walmart.com have different prices, even though they are drawn off the same stock in the stores. So I buy stuff off Walmart.com and pick it up at the local store. They are essentially competing with themselves.

Walmart.com should have lower prices because it draws from a more efficient warehousing compared to the retail stores (lower rent, more efficient stocking, etc.). Also, I wouldn't say that walmart.com 'competes' with walmart retail - walmart.com is competing with other websites (target.com, amazon.com, etc.), with the added bonus that some people who pick up in their store will also decide to browse and buy something else while they're there.

If someone is willing to price shop warlmart.com for price comparisons, odds are they aren't the type that would have blindly gone to walmart retail otherwise (and thus, spent more money than for what they paid on-line). Walmart.com shoppers probably would have gone to amazon.com or other internet websites instead, so the degree of cannibalization is lower.

[harley]

Walmart.com is a total PITA in my opinion. I've used it 4 times to buy things not available in the store. I've had the items shipped to the store to save on shipping. When I buy something from Amazon I usually get it within a couple of days, sometimes as fast as next day (with no special shipping paid). Walmart.com takes a couple of weeks to ship to the store. Then when you go in to pick it up nobody is at the desk. I tap the screen to notify whoever that I'm waiting. Once out of four times somebody showed up without me having to go find them after waiting 5 mins or more (two different Walmarts). Twice they weren't able to find the items, and I had to go back into the store room and find them myself.

For a company that has taken over the world, they don't seem to have a clue about the online world. Why not hire a VP or something from Amazon to guide the online part of the company?

Also, I can't wait to see how they implement their plan to have customers deliver online orders. It should be a blast. Exclusive: Wal-Mart may get customers to deliver packages to online buyers | Reuters

[daylatedollarshort]

I usually buy most household items from Amazon. They generally have very good prices and deliver items right to my door, sometimes the next day.

I did buy a dish set from Walmart last year and I think it took 3 weeks to arrive at the store. I decided after that to stick with Amazon after factoring the cost of my time and mileage on the car. Amazon is the next best thing to having a replicator. I decide what I want and it appears at my door.

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by harley Also, I can't wait to see how they implement their plan to have customers deliver online orders. It should be a blast. Exclusive: Wal-Mart may get customers to deliver packages to online buyers | Reuters

Yow, the liability with that is astronomical.

I can see the headline now: "Mother of three murdered by Wal-Mart delivery guy"

That'll go over well.

[grasshopper]

Last week I ordered a HDMI cable from WM.com. Paid 97 cents to have it send to my New Mexico PO. They spent $2 more than they charged me on the total purchase amount to have it shipped priority mail and insured. Don't know how long they can keep this up.

[samclem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by harley Also, I can't wait to see how they implement their plan to have customers deliver online orders. It should be a blast. Exclusive: Wal-Mart may get customers to deliver packages to online buyers | Reuters

I sure can't see how that's going to work. But I wonder if they could offer a deal to their present employees--they presumably live in neighborhoods served by the store, and in suburban areas most drive a car to work. Maybe some would like to pick up a few bucks by delivering packages in their neighborhoods/on the way home. Walmart has lots of workers, and if they cut the FT folks to 30 hours/week to allow them onto the health care exchanges, it would produce even more available delivery trips.

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walt34 Yow, the liability with that is astronomical. I can see the headline now: "Mother of three murdered by Wal-Mart delivery guy" That'll go over well.

Or, possibly, "Walmart delivery guy murdered by mother of three..."

[daylatedollarshort]

I don't know how Amazon does all their deliveries, but sometimes it isn't UPS or any official delivery service - just people in regular street clothes, no uniform, driving compact cars.