# Kindles available at Walmart -- combined thread



## SilverMaple (Oct 20, 2010)

Ugh, just saw this....

http://www.kindlepost.com

I HATE Walmart. Hate it. Love my Kindle, but Amazon may lose me to the Nook when I am due for my next e-reader because of this.

Anyone else really disappointed in Amazon due to this decision?


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

Don't have to shop there.


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## Eltanin Publishing (Mar 24, 2011)

The only thing that concerns me is that they will only sell the K3 3G, and K3SO - not the $139 wifi version. I know stores have limited shelf space, but I hope this doesn't mean that Amazon will discontinue the $139 kindle. There certainly are plenty of people who don't want the ads and don't need (or can't afford) the 3G.

I'm not a fan of Walmart, but you can't blame Amazon for wanting to sell in as many stores as possible.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Yeah. . . . .Walmart is just a retailer; the kindle is just a product. . . . I'm not a _fan_ of Walmart; really I have no strong feelings one way or another. There isn't one convenient to me to shop at anyway. But there are stores I won't shop in for one reason or another. Still, I look at it this way: if I was unwilling to buy any product from any company that has it's products sold in <enter name of store> . . . well, I'd probably be hungry and cold. 

It does let people get a look at it in person;they're trying to get the thing in the front of as many eyeballs as possible, after all. I, personally, would still recommend buying directly from Amazon, (which I've recommended from the first 'brick and mortar' outlet the Kindle showed up in) but for those who see it and want instant gratification, well, there it is! 

I am mildly surprised only because it's already in Target, which is a pretty direct competitor to Walmart, and it's interesting that they aren't 'exclusive' to one or the other.


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## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

SilverMaple said:


> Ugh, just saw this....
> 
> http://www.kindlepost.com
> 
> ...


I know. Irrational hatreds are painful. When I visited the U.S. a few years ago most of my friends were hating WalMart. When I asked why they didn't pull out a list of talking points but they might was well have. So, I went to the nearest WalMart quite early one morning. I spent two hours visiting with employees and chatting.

I met two young men with Downs Syndrome. Both were delighted to be working and one commented that he'd tried to get jobs in other businesses but WalMart talked to him and hired him.

Then there follow a long line of women. Mostly middle-aged, high school graduates, and recently divorced. WalMart was their first foray into gainful employment. They all earned more than minimum wage--talking point one down--and most had health insurance--talking point two down--and none, not one, was planning a career as a sales person at WalMart. A couple had plans to move up within WalMart as friends of theirs had and even more planned on using the experience at WalMart to find other jobs as friends of theirs had. One woman launched into all the things she'd learned since she started working there and said she was writing it all down for her resume.

So, if you manage to shake free of the watchers, celebrate WalMart helping spread Kindles and giving poor people jobs. I'm just hoping the Kindles spread to Sam's Club in Mexico where I live.


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## Book_Worm (Feb 25, 2011)

SilverMaple said:


> Ugh, just saw this....
> 
> http://www.kindlepost.com
> 
> ...


Wow, there are a lot of products you should not buy, if this is how you honestly feel. And I wouldn't buy the Nook either, because I'm sure they will soon be sold in WalMarts too.

Having known several people who have worked for Wal Mart, I can tell you that they are no worse of a place to work than Best Buy, or Target, so if you shop there, you better think twice! Best Buy, as one example, recently fired it's entire IT department to outsource to a contract angency. Some of the department was offered jobs by the new agency, but for less pay and benefits. Work at a Best Buy store, and you'll make about as much as a Wal Mart employee (which where I live is about $9, which is competitive to not only Target, but two major grocery stores, that are union by the way).

Yes, I fully realize that Wal Mart has put local retailers out of business, much the same as Amazon has put local bookstores out of business. It sucks, but people demanded lower prices, and that can only be provided with the economics of scale.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

As they say, be careful what you wish for.

Not that long ago, I remember seeing endless posts on this board (and at another discussion forum, y'know which one) begging for the Kindle to be sold in a brick & mortar store. I think the prevailing rationale was that people didn't want to plunk down a bunch of money to buy something they had never seen or handled.

There were also endless posts begging for the price to drop to something "reasonable." The definition of reasonable varied but it seemed to be quite a bit less than $399 (what I paid for my very first Kindle).

So know we have the Kindle for sale in Target and Staples. The price has dropped to $114 (for the version with ads). Is anyone *really* surprised about WalMart coming online as a sales outlet? I'm not.

Like I said, BCWYWF and as someone else said, if you don't like WalMart, don't shop there. (I'm also boycotting Target, but that's another story.)

L


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## AppleBlossom (Jul 9, 2009)

Book_Worm said:


> And I wouldn't buy the Nook either, because I'm sure they will soon be sold in WalMarts too.


Too late...the nook was advertised in this Sunday's Walmart add...


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## Book_Worm (Feb 25, 2011)

AppleBlossom said:


> Too late...the nook was advertised in this Sunday's Walmart add...


Using the rational originally provided, there isn't much that person CAN buy. Walmart sells EVERYTHING, and carries most major brands, if not all.


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## AppleBlossom (Jul 9, 2009)

Book_Worm said:


> Using the rational originally provided, there isn't much that person CAN buy. Walmart sells EVERYTHING, and carries most major brands, if not all.


Completely agree with you. With gas prices as they are, Walmart is my one stop shop when I need a variety of things.


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## ak_popsicle (Dec 4, 2008)

Boycotting a product because it's sold in Wal-Mart seems... really impractical. Do people really do that?


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## ValeriGail (Jan 21, 2010)

There are still a good many places in the US where the only big store is Walmart.  I live in one such area.  We have two little grocery stores and Walmart.  So, for places like where I live, I see this as awesome.  I don't understand the thought process behind keeping the kindle in a "Segregated" state.  Get them in stores and sell them.  More Kindles out there, more ebooks start showing up from back lists and unavailables, and soft ware updates continue to happen!  Its a good move.

Now, how do I feel about walmart?  I worked for a high end walmart (there are levels, depending on local demographic) and I hated every single minute of those two years.  They over work their employees and stretch their staff force as far as they can with out legal issues (and sometimes it was bordering badly).  Does the knowledge I received while working there keep me from walking in their doors?  No.  We all have to shop whats available.  And, for a good amount of Americans.. its Walmart.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

> We're excited to announce that starting this week, Kindle will be available in over 3,200 Walmart stores nationwide. Most stores will have a Kindle on display so you can check out all the features before you buy. Walmart stores will be selling both Kindle 3G and Kindle with Special Offers.
> 
> Walmart is the latest in a growing list of retailers offering Kindle, including Target, Best Buy, and Staples, among others. Happy reading!


I saw this quote (above) on Facebook (from the Kindlepost).

I suspect that the Wifi-only Kindle is on a fast-track to being history. If you hate ads, you'll have to pay a premium for the 3G/Wifi model.

This is a moot point for me since I love the 3G convenience and paid for it on my Kindle and iPad. But that's me.

L


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

ak_popsicle said:


> Boycotting a product because it's sold in Wal-Mart seems... really impractical. Do people really do that?


Good question. I'm boycotting Target because of some corporate donations and decision making during the last election which boils down to corporate policies that I disagree with. It has nothing to do with what they sell. It's hard for me because I actually used to like shopping in Target but I haven't set foot in the store since last Sept/Oct.

L


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## B-Kay 1325 (Dec 29, 2008)

Actually I believe that Wal-Mart has been selling the Nook in their stores for some time now.  I agree with the other comments here, you don't have to buy from Wal-Mart if you don't want too, there are a lot of other places to purchase a Kindle, I personally have only bought them from Amazon but I do look at them in the stores when I see them.  I usually end up talking to a sales rep or two about them and giving them a few pointers that they don't know about. lol


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

I just don't like the other Wal-mart shoppers. Visit http://www..com to see what I mean. And yes, I know they're everywhere but it seems more concentrated in Wal-Mart. Plus Daddy worked for K-Mart for 25 years so Wal-Mart is the "enemy", but its OK for me to shop at Target. I don't get it...

Related more to the thread, I think its great that Kindle is being sold at more brick & mortar stores. I was a little hesitant to purchase electronics I'd never held or even seen in person, especially since I wasn't impressed with the e-reader our public library had gotten a few years before the Kindle. But the Kindle love here convinced me that it was worth it.


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## Book_Worm (Feb 25, 2011)

Leslie said:


> Good question. I'm boycotting Target because of some corporate donations and decision making during the last election which boils down to corporate policies that I disagree with. It has nothing to do with what they sell. It's hard for me because I actually used to like shopping in Target but I haven't set foot in the store since last Sept/Oct.
> 
> L


And that's a rational thing to do. I know many who are doing the same thing. Boycotting a store, merchant, etc because you don't like them hurts the store. Boycotting the product because you don't like the store just hurts yourself. If you don't buy a Kindle at WalMart, but instead buy it at Amazon, then Wal Mart doesn't make a dime. Alternatively, for many, Wal Mart is the only store they ever set foot into. Not having the Kindle in a Wal Mart is a lost sale for Amazon, and likely a sale to a competitor.

Good business move by Amazon.


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## EydieG (Mar 4, 2011)

patrickt said:


> I know. Irrational hatreds are painful. When I visited the U.S. a few years ago most of my friends were hating WalMart. When I asked why they didn't pull out a list of talking points but they might was well have. So, I went to the nearest WalMart quite early one morning. I spent two hours visiting with employees and chatting.
> 
> I met two young men with Downs Syndrome. Both were delighted to be working and one commented that he'd tried to get jobs in other businesses but WalMart talked to him and hired him.
> 
> ...


I have two more points in Wal-Mart's favor, at least our local Wal-Mart. First, our local Wal-Mart donates a lot of items to a Charity I have been involved with called Kids Yule Love, that gives underprivileged kids toys and clothes and second, we are a military family and Wal-Mart donates a great deal of phone cards to our overseas military members so they can keep in touch with family back home. Do I agree with everything they do? No, but I am happy to support them by shopping there.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Oh, I love Wal-Mart. It's my home away from home. The first thing I do when I visit a new town is check-out where their Wal-Mart is. I like how they're all arranged similarly so if you've been in one you've been in them all. Keeps me from getting homesick in unfamiliar towns. 

At Wal-Mart I'm never a stranger. A nice, senior citizen "greeter" greets me at the door when I go in and gives my kids smiley face stickers. I can shop for my groceries, clothes, and prescription meds at the same time I'm buying gardening supplies. If I ask for help the employees drop whatever they're doing and practically lead me by the hand to wherever I need to go. The restrooms are clean and the check-outs fast. What's not to love? Other than all the shoppers who show up in their PJs and houseshoes I mean?  

I'm actually pleased to see Wal-Mart and similar stores selling e-readers. It can only mean they're increasing in popularity and for e-book authors that's a good thing, right?


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

I admit I don't like Walmart, and I find their history of discrimination in promotions very troubling, but a lot of people do shop there. I don't know that I exactly "boycott" them, but I choose to spend my money elsewhere. Here in Oregon they have a hard time with towns successfully keeping them out. They have a heck of a lot of stores though, so I don't know that it's hurting them much.

Kindle being sold in b&m stores so people can actually handle one and experience the screen and the print has to make a big difference in sales. Anyway from a purely selfish point of view, the more people who own ebook readers the better it is for me as a indie author. Obviously, it helps all authors to have a larger audience.


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## BlondeStylus (Jan 28, 2011)

I'm for anything that gets this country to read more.  Think how excited a kid will be to see that Kindle at the Walmart and put it on his Christmas list!  I think the more places it is sold the better.  Read, America!!!


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

Definitely not a problem for me.. It would take more effort for me to brave a Wal*Mart Parking lot and find the section and check out than to just order on Amazon, and get on with my life.. Kindle probably arriving the next day.


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## SilverMaple (Oct 20, 2010)

Let me clarify...

My main problem with Walmart is that once they have a product in their stores, the quality of that product tends to plummet in order to keep up with Walmart's draconian pricing strategies.  I'd hate to see the Kindle go that route.

Some of you must have some nice Walmarts, because the ones here are awful.  Crappy products, unhappy employees, dirty stores, etc.  I avoid Walmart if at all possible.

The Kindle is already available in Target, Staples, and online.  I really don't see how putting it in Walmart is really all that great of an idea...


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## matt youngmark (Jan 11, 2011)

I definitely understand why people choose not to support certain stores for social or political reasons. But if that's your criteria for your ereader purchases, the Nook might not be the device for you either. 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nook-with-WiFi-by-Barnes-Noble/15231527


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## malligator (Jul 1, 2010)

SilverMaple said:


> Let me clarify...
> 
> My main problem with Walmart is that once they have a product in their stores, the quality of that product tends to plummet in order to keep up with Walmart's draconian pricing strategies. I'd hate to see the Kindle go that route.
> 
> ...


I'll give you that Walmart carries the lower end of different manufacturers' product ranges and that some manufacturers make lower end devices expressly for Walmart, but I've never seen an established product go down in quality because of Walmart.

Products such as the Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, iPod, and *Nook* are exactly the same as they've always been even though they are sold at Walmart.


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## GrouchoKindle (Apr 14, 2011)

This should be greeted as good news for all Kindle owners. The more of there are, the better...and the more likely we'll get a Kindle version of the many many books that still haven't been published in the format yet ("To Kill a Mockingbird", anyone?)

I think it would be impossible to boycott all products sold by Walmart, given the scope of their selection.


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## 2leelou (Feb 24, 2011)

patrickt said:


> I know. Irrational hatreds are painful. When I visited the U.S. a few years ago most of my friends were hating WalMart. When I asked why they didn't pull out a list of talking points but they might was well have. So, I went to the nearest WalMart quite early one morning. I spent two hours visiting with employees and chatting.
> 
> I met two young men with Downs Syndrome. Both were delighted to be working and one commented that he'd tried to get jobs in other businesses but WalMart talked to him and hired him.
> 
> ...


Yea for you to actually check things out instead of just jumping on the 'let's hate WalMart' bandwagon. We have a Super WalMart in our town and it provides about 300 jobs to our area. Something badly needed after the logging industry went bad. Also, it pays a decent wage, more than minimum as well as insurance for not just full time but part time employees as well. Employees can get stock and scholarships. Not only that, they donate a lot of money to the Children's Miracle Network as well as local services. My mom who is now 70 has been working there for over 5 years. It's not easy to get a job at that age but you will see many seniors working at WalMart. With costs of living so high and social security so lacking it's great to have an emplyeer that provides jobs to everyone. And I always love how people talk about how big WalMart is, well I suppose anyone who starts a business dreams of it becoming huge and getting rich. Isn't that what WalMart did and isn't that the American Dream?


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## 2leelou (Feb 24, 2011)

By the way Silvermaple, they sell the Nook at WalMart.


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## BlondeStylus (Jan 28, 2011)

I just hope Amazon is prepared for the influx of sales.  I know they weren't around Christmas with the K3.


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## MoonStarRaven (Mar 4, 2011)

Oh yeah! Hopefully when they start selling Kindles they'll start carrying Kindle Accessories as well!


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## geko29 (Dec 23, 2008)

malligator said:


> Products such as the *Xbox 360*, Wii, PS3, iPod, and Nook are exactly the same as they've always been even though they are sold at Walmart.


It's probably not the best idea to use the XBox 360 as a paragon of product quality, and I say that as a fan of the platform almost since launch. But I agree that Wal-Mart can't be blamed for the first few generations of 360s having a 68% failure rate. Units bought at Wal-Mart were just as crappy as the ones sold by Amazon and Best Buy.


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## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

Leslie said:


> Good question. I'm boycotting Target because of some corporate donations and decision making during the last election which boils down to corporate policies that I disagree with. It has nothing to do with what they sell. It's hard for me because I actually used to like shopping in Target but I haven't set foot in the store since last Sept/Oct.
> 
> L


Then you should be delighted with the White House ordering bidders for government contracts being required to donate both corporate and personal political donations. That way the government can use that information in deciding who will get contracts.

It must be hard to live a life based on talking points.

If I didn't go to Sam's Club every Sunday morning to buy a week's worth of groceries for a poor family, I would now, just out of spite.


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

Of course you realize that with all of these new Kindle outlets we need to down-play Oberon covers or we'll be having wait times that are weeks long!


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## Larry45 (Feb 7, 2011)

Well, there is a sticker on my Kindle box that says, "Assembled in China," so I guess it only makes sense that Walmart would carry them.  I personally can't stand Walmart; their clerks are the slowest and rudest of any store, anywhere...


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## Rainier (May 9, 2011)

When I drive by the Walmart I say to myself......just a big store built on cement selling plastic items from China that will eventually be sold at a garage sale....that's my take on Walmart. They are really not nice, nor are they fair to their employees. Everyone works part-time so no one has bennies....so many Walmart employees have 2 or 3 jobs. What's so great about that? But, if you like the Kindle, I bet the price is right........if your only decision is saving a buck.....there you go.....but I drive by. They have hurt many towns. The new one in our town is so huge, the parking lot is a mess and the old location sits there empty - for 8 years now. Thanks so much for that Walmart!


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## MacLarens Pub (Apr 19, 2011)

ak_popsicle said:


> Boycotting a product because it's sold in Wal-Mart seems... really impractical. Do people really do that?


Haha, impractical & irrational.

My father decided to never buy Heinz ketchup ever again, and his reasoning behind it was "never wanting to give a penny towards John Kerry." Kerry I guess married someone in the Heinz family.

It's ridiculous, and I'm glad my bias doesn't reach to those lengths. But as for not buying a product JUST because it's sold by Wal-Mart? That's like taking a vow to swear off every brand name and start growing your food, and making everything in your house out of wood, using tools that were forged by a blacksmith instead of a brand name that also sells their tools at Wal-Mart.

But come on. It's Amazon. They're just trying to broaden their demographic, like any legitimate business.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

SilverMaple said:


> Ugh, just saw this....
> 
> http://www.kindlepost.com
> 
> ...


The Nook is already at Walmart, has been sinced October. Which is lucky for you since it's (IMO) a far less functional reader than my K2.


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## ErinLindsey (Jan 18, 2009)

I saw the Kindle at WalMart yesterday...along with the Nooks, and Sony's and the Kobo. 

Being a little bit evil, I was looking at some of the books on the Kindle demo, and looked to see if the TTS was available on any of them....and then turned it on and left it.  Went to sit down and rest on a bench in Action Alley (the area along the middle of most stores, between the clothing departments, and the electronics departments) because I use a cane, and rested there and watched the WalMart employees try to figure out where the noise was coming from. 

I dont think any of them had looked at a Kindle before, because they thought it was the Nook that was "talking".


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

ErinLindsey said:


> I was looking at some of the books on the Kindle demo, and looked to see if the TTS was available on any of them....and then turned it on and left it.


Now we know what those people who drive in the left lane at 5mph under the speed limit do with their spare time.


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## Sofie (Dec 30, 2008)

Do you arrogant people realize that some people who read these threads actually work at Walmart, Target, K-Mart, Best Buy, etc. It is people of your caliber that make the job less enjoyable.   

I have kept my mouth shut long enough and have tried to avoid this thread and others.


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## VujaDe (Oct 2, 2010)

I was at Walmart yesterday and they had a few of the $114 Kindles under the counter in the electronics department.  None were out on display so, you'd have to ask for them.
If anyone is interested....


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## caseyf6 (Mar 28, 2010)

ErinLindsey said:


> I saw the Kindle at WalMart yesterday...along with the Nooks, and Sony's and the Kobo.
> 
> Being a little bit evil, I was looking at some of the books on the Kindle demo, and looked to see if the TTS was available on any of them....and then turned it on and left it. Went to sit down and rest on a bench in Action Alley (the area along the middle of most stores, between the clothing departments, and the electronics departments) because I use a cane, and rested there and watched the WalMart employees try to figure out where the noise was coming from.
> 
> I dont think any of them had looked at a Kindle before, because they thought it was the Nook that was "talking".


I hope you really did this...not to be mean to the employees (honestly, we have good Walmarts here) but because it's stinkin' funny.


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## ErinLindsey (Jan 18, 2009)

Yes, I really did it. A customer turned it off for them, and then showed the WM associate how to turn the TTS on and off. 

I wasnt exactly trying to be mean to the employees. (I used to work at WalMart) but wanted to see what people would do when they heard the Kindle talking.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Yeah, really funny, unless you work there. Its like those folks that think its hilarious to pull stuff just randomly off the shelf and drop it all over the store so the employees get to stay longer after their shift is over to clean up the mess. Or have to waste time fixing someones joke while their manager is waiting for them to finish something else so they get yelled at again. 

Yeah, really funny. 

As someone that has worked in retail for many years I have seen this high and mighty attitude about Walmart and other retailers, their employees and customers again and again. Its the snooty folks that look down their nose at those working there.

I didn't even work at Wal Mart, they had such a back log of applications I couldn't get in. I ended up working for 5.15 an hour at a large Hobby chain while those at Wal Mart started at 7.20. All of retail has some of the same issues, but only Wal Mart is picked on. 

Wal Mart was the first store I shopped in when I moved to the United States. I had $300 dollars to buy everything. I mean everything you would need to start a household. All I had was clothes. I paid $289 at the register. I'll never forget it. It took me 4 hours to find everything as I had no clue on American products. I had employees help me, they could not have been nicer. I'll never forget them or that day. I even had a vacuum for crying out loud in that budget  

Many folks work in retail, Wal Mart and others. Some of them post here. Its a really hard job, physically and mentally. A little kindness goes a long way. 

And the Kindle is now available to even more people, how is that a bad thing.


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## ErinLindsey (Jan 18, 2009)

Geeze Atunah, chill...The TTS was probably only on for a couple of minutes, and the employees seemed to think it was cool that it could read out loud once they knew about it. Apparently they didnt know it could do that. The customer that showed them how to turn it on and off looked all happy to tell the employees how cool the Kindle was too. 

It's not like I went and switched all the shelf labels around like people used to do to me when I worked in the fabric department at Walmart. Which was less annoying than finding boxes of melting/melted ice cream in the yarn wall, and the packaging for everything under the sun stuffed behind the silk flowers in the floral craft aisle every time someone shoplifted something. 

I'm not picking on WalMart, I happen to like shopping there.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Ooh cool. I'll have to check my local Wal-Mart and see if they've got them.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

Dad tells the story of some leather coats getting stolen from his Kmart. They were tethered to the rack, but the smarty stole a pair of lock-cutters to cut them loose. They left the packaging from the tools under the coat rack.

And lets not get started about the toy aisle in any department store, especially around Christmas. I swear, I think parents dropped their kids off and just let them play while they shop.


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## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

Some people in the U.S. really do see working class people as a lower form of life which should just shuffle along and listen to the elites. I shop at Sam's Club in Mexico and hope we get Kindles, too.


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## Me and My Kindle (Oct 20, 2010)

Nice! I thought they were only going to offer the regular Kindles, so it's nice to see that there's going to be a choice.  It's the cheapest Kindle available.  And if I ever end up with some kind of "$15 off coupon" at Walmart, it'll mean I can actually pick up a Kindle for just $99!

Plus, there's 3,200 Walmart stores in America -- so that's got to help increase the sales of the Kindle quite a bit!


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## hodad66 (May 9, 2011)

the downside..... local taxes...


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## Sussie Reader (May 9, 2011)

Great! Now I don't have to wait for shipping. Although, I don't think i'll need another kindle for a while.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Too bad they're not on display but I think a lot of people will feel more comfortable buying one if they can hold it and check it out first.


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## tiggeerrific (Jan 22, 2010)

I didnt know Wal-mart sold kindles I thought it was Target


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

Walmart just started selling them recently.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

tiggeerrific said:


> I didnt know Wal-mart sold kindles I thought it was Target


Kindle is available in a number of "brick and mortar" retail outlets including Staples, Best Buy, Target, and, most recently Walmart. They also sell the $189 model in ATT stores.


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## 2leelou (Feb 24, 2011)

It's nice to see some of you sticking up for those of us who have to work with customers.  I find that if I respect the employees at a place they will respect me.  If you go in expecting the cashiers to be slow and rude you'll probably find them that way.  

As far as letting the employees 'figure out' how to turn off the TTS feature, it may be everyone doesn't know about each and every product but they will usually try to get help for you when you have questions. I've seen plenty of posts here asking questions about how to operate different features of a Kindle from Kindle owners. Why would you expect an employee to know just because he/she works at Walmart and that product is carried there? 

It's frustrating to see how many times people are lumped together as idiots, rude, slow, etc just because they work in a place.  I wonder what kind of professions we have among the members of this board and what could be said about them? Would it be accurate? I doubt it.


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## laurie_lu (May 10, 2010)

Seems silly to buy in stores since you end up paying sales tax.


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## Tippy (Dec 8, 2008)

laurie_lu said:


> Seems silly to buy in stores since you end up paying sales tax.


Totally agree. Plus, love waiting for and receiving packages.


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## teralpar (May 18, 2010)

laurie_lu said:


> Seems silly to buy in stores since you end up paying sales tax.


My thoughts exactly. This past Saturday I looked at a K3 w/SO at Target, then went home and ordered one online from Amazon!  I know that sounds crazy that I waited 3 days to get it just to save $7.41...


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## Figment (Oct 27, 2008)

teralpar said:


> I know that sounds crazy that I waited 3 days to get it just to save $7.41...


Not really. $7.41 will buy you at least one book...perhaps as many as seven!


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## laurie_lu (May 10, 2010)

Or that money saved could be put towards a nice case or skin.


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## hodad66 (May 9, 2011)

and don't forget to factor in the cost of gasoline.......


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## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

tooley said:


> It's nice to see some of you sticking up for those of us who have to work with customers. I find that if I respect the employees at a place they will respect me. If you go in expecting the cashiers to be slow and rude you'll probably find them that way.
> 
> As far as letting the employees 'figure out' how to turn off the TTS feature, it may be everyone doesn't know about each and every product but they will usually try to get help for you when you have questions. I've seen plenty of posts here asking questions about how to operate different features of a Kindle from Kindle owners. Why would you expect an employee to know just because he/she works at Walmart and that product is carried there?
> 
> It's frustrating to see how many times people are lumped together as idiots, rude, slow, etc just because they work in a place. I wonder what kind of professions we have among the members of this board and what could be said about them? Would it be accurate? I doubt it.


My ex-wife was whining to me that people in stores treated her badly. I muttered, "What goes around comes around, doesn't it?" Of course, I got a, "What? What? What did you say?" The morning I spent chatting with people working in Wal-Mart I found them to be as friendly and as gracious as, well, I try to be. I also talked to two supervisors who were curious about why I was talking to employees and when I told them they were happy to tell me their story, too.

So, I'll keep buy groceries for Jacinta and her five sons, two of whom are adopted nephews, at Sam's Club.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Hey folks. . . I've just merged a couple of threads on the same topic. . .sorry for any confusion. . . . .


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## RiddleMeThis (Sep 15, 2009)

laurie_lu said:


> Seems silly to buy in stores since you end up paying sales tax.


There are plenty of people who pay sales tax on amazon.com. (Including myself)


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

And lets not forget shocking as it might seem, there are still a lot of people that don't buy stuff online. They want to go to the store, touch it, feel it and then buy it. That is still a huge segment of shoppers as seen every weekend around here in the stores  . 

Wal Mart is in places around the country where there might not even be a Best Buy or even a Target. So this is great.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I'm afraid if I go in a WalMart I will end up on that WalMart shoppers website.

My only real story about them is that the first one I ever went into, in northern Minnesota, was full of banners saying that they proudly sold mostly American made products. Sam Walton was still alive back then.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

There are barely any factories left in America making stuff. Not really an option anymore for most stuff. I was shocked though the other day I bought a cheap small bucket at my local HEB (grocery store) and it says made in USA on the bottom.  . 

You can't buy it if it doesn't exist. Heck, I even tried to support that American Apparel company that makes their stuff in LA I think. The quality is utter carp. Not cheap either. One wash and all turned around, few washes and holes everywhere. I have shirts I bought off Walmart.com over 2 years ago for $3 each and they still look just like the day I bought them. Many washings. 

Where stuff is made has stopped meaning anything to me. As long as its doing what I want it to do I don't care anymore. 

The times have changed beyond the point of return I am afraid.


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

laurie_lu said:


> Seems silly to buy in stores since you end up paying sales tax.


Um, ya know that technically, the sales tax you don't pay to Amazon, you're supposed to pay to your state...
Technically.
And we're all law-abiding citizens here, right?


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

RiddleMeThis said:


> There are plenty of people who pay sales tax on amazon.com. (Including myself)


I always have to pay sales tax, because Amazon has a physical presence in my state.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

As Thumper suggested, most states have laws that say you are supposed to pay the sales tax, even if Amazon is not required to collect it at the time of sale.


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## hodad66 (May 9, 2011)

Oh, I feel so ashamed.......


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