Wal-Mart Getting Fancy With New Electronics Area

[mdillenbeck]

Will I shop at Wal-Mart? No. I try really hard to avoid big box stores and look for local guys (difficult to do in this age of mega-chain stores). I prefer to shop locally and keep more of my money circulating in region.

However, I am glad Wal-Mart will be doing this. After CompUSA's and Circuit City's collapse, there is no real competitor to Best Buy in my area. "Big Blue" needs someone to keep them in check. Who knows, maybe Target will join in on the fun and create multiple competitors.

 

[Regected]

Walmart Walmart is our store; we shop there because we're poor

In all seriousness, bying electronics at Walmart is only good if there is a huge sale, or you are in a pinch. Their prices are generally 10-20% higher than real electronic stores, and their inventory is normally dated. Heck, a couple of weeks back I saw a P4 system on sale for $600. Talk about old and over priced.

 

[RussellHertz]

I'm curious what their return policies will be like. Right now it is a 'no questions asked' money back policy. Comp USA and Circuit City (rip) have restocking fees regardless of your reason! Anytime my wife or me are disappointed with their merchandise, she drives to the nearest (10-15 miles away) Wal-Mart and returns it! You can't beat that. I think there is real potential here.

 

[ravewulf]

The only electronic products I get there is the "light" stuff: blank DVDs, cords & cables, etc

 

[Caffeinecarl]

Sorry, I prefer real local stores with an actual knowledgeable staff.

 

[joemamasmurf]

[citation][nom]doomtomb[/nom]I don't think Walmart is the worst thing in the world. More competition.[/citation]
Exactly. What this will accomplish is making chains such as Best Buy step their game up to retain or regain consumers. So even if you do not shop at Wal-Mart you might still benefit from this.

 

[tacoslave]

i buy from them if they can beat newegg service and prices. which i have yet to find.

 

[Onus]

I've bought consumables there, and HP inkjet printers, and at least one Linksys router. It's like any other place; if you know what you're getting (and not getting, like competent tech services) beforehand, it's fine.

 

[Guest]

I wont buy from them. Got a netbook that broke 20 days later and wanted to exchange it for a working one. They said they have a 15 day policy and I had to send it in for warranty repair. I could have bought it at target for a buck more and been able to return it up to 90 days later; newegg is also more generous. Why would I take such a risk with an expensive TV?

 

[tenor77]

Alright let's ramp up the censorship!

Maybe they can turn my farts into Steven Wright jokes.

 

[bill gates is your daddy]

"...are you willing to shop for your electronics at Wal-Mart?"

No.

Local CompUSA has way better prices than what wallyworld would post.

 

[Robert17]

Never bought electronics there. I call it "shopping". Can always find a better deal somewhere. Buy most of my paper products and canned goods there though. Never meat. Some veggies. Forget the shoe aisle. T-shirts and undies, thumbs up.

 

[AdamB5000]

If Walmart carried good televisions, like Panasonic's top line of plasmas, Samsung's mid and upper end LCDs, etc, I'd certainly buy from there if the price was right.

 

[monkeysweat]

when i buy electronics, i research what i'm looking for before I buy it,,,usually walmart is more expensive for one,,,for another if there is a product or deal I wasn't aware of, a walmart employee isnt going to tell me about it,,,if I have a question about the product, I'm not going to get an answer, if I have a problem with a product, I'm not going to get any help,
but hey, I can go to walmart now get some dog food, high def TV, maybe even eat some McDonald's,,too bad its all garbage

 

[theangrygimp]

First, not everyone has internet, in fact, most of the population of the world does not. So if your one of those people who can not afford internet, why would they shop at a more expensive store just cause you have conspiracy theory crock-pot in your head.
No, their employees are not well educated in most of the electronics areas, but for $6 an hour and no bonus for sales, do you really expect them to? Most people who work at walmart only work there cause they couldn't find another job with the benefits and long term employment that walmart in their area had. Who else is going to hire senior citizens to just smile and say "hello" when you walk in? Manny of those people would not have employment at all, if not hired by wally-world. Would you rather them starve or loose there medical, just so you can "feel" better at night?

I wish some of these gated community rejects would get a clue that they are living better than 95% of the rest of the world, stop acting like spoiled brats. Just be grateful you were not born in a country that changes governments overnight, while the kidnapped, brainwashed teens rape their former mothers with bayonets
(It really happens, sadly). Some people have NO idea how lucky they are to even have been born in a civilized area, let alone have a reasonably clean/cheap place to shop in almost every city. For people who can afford not to, and don't want to, then don't shop there. Its great that WE have those choices, and we do.
Sorry for long post. I am personally glad that they are updating the electronics area. I really hope to see some competing 120hz+ TV's. Been waiting for one that does 120hz well, and has a good dejudder option without artifacts. Been wanting to try a game on those to see if its helpful or hurting the image quality of games.

 

[lolwuut]

I would never ask for help from a Wal Mart associate outside of "Can you take that off the shelf?"

As I have done with with electronics in the past, I will continue to educate myself and make my decision on the product that I want, then shop for the best price. If it's Wal Mart that has that price, I could subject myself to their normal clientele and terrible service; should I save enough, that is.

 

[jameshan2k]

Whether it's electronics or household repairs or anything, there are other stores that may offer a better selection, customer service, or pricing.

The main benefit of Walmart is they're open 24/7 – If I need a cable, printer cartridge, webcam, a shower head, or whatever…I can run into Walmart in my PJ’s and grab it in a pinch.

 

[HolyCrusader]

I actually used to like shopping at my local Wal*Mart. I had friends that worked there, and there was actually people in Electronics that knew their stuff. However I've since learned that this store was an exception to the rule, and eventually I stopped shopping there with how I was treated on a few occasions.

The straw that broke the camel's back was when fired the one guy that I could rely on to explain things to me and give me an *honest* answer on just about anything I could come up with. The reason they fired him? Not being a hard enough worker. Apparently, running around half the store helping customers in other departments all the time was not considered productive. However they kept the guy that sat back and stocked the shelves that was both rude to me, and even LIED to me about something once.

Lesson learned: Dishonesty is acceptable as long as you stock the shelves.

Now my local Wal*Mart is like any other - an ugly store with clueless associates, and not-that-spectacular prices. I only go in there now a days if I absolutely have to.

 

[maaksel]

Most people on this site shouldn't be buying from a retail store anyway... Granted, I will go to bestbuy to pick up things that are only ~10% cheaper than online - but for the rest of it, there is newegg/tiger/mwave/insert company here/etc.

I have no guilt shopping at walmart like some of you do. "Omg, they drive other business out of the market!!"... yeah, no duh. That is the point of a capitalist economy! Heaven forbid a company do a GOOD job at something a mom and pop shop cannot, right?

Good for walmart expanding its electronic section. Will I ever buy from there? Probably... movies, games, maybe even a network adapter or a small part along those lines. a TV? Most likely not... but then again I do a ton of research on large purchases - if they have the model I want for a price that is reasonable, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it.

 

[kittle]

[citation]are you willing to shop for your electronics at Wal-Mart?[/citation]
nope.
Fry's is MUCH closer than wally world.

for cheap stuff, wallmart is good. but for something im going to invest some $$ into - i want it from a reputable place.