I bought the iPhone 5 for $127 ( 2 year ATT contract) at Wal-Mart during the holidays, and there were plenty in stock.
I am grateful for Wal-Mart. I went to medical school in the Caribbean (Antigua) where there was no Wal-Mart. All the local "mom and pop" stores had horrible inventory and exorbitant prices since they had no competition. Wal-Mart has done a lot of good by saving people money. Best Buy is a dinosaur that will go out of business soon.
My local Best Buy had iPad mini's leading up to Christmas BUT you had to ask for them. None on display. In fact in the iPad display out of the 4 full sized iPads, only 2 worked and they were filthy. The 2 non working had broken power cords that prevented them from charging so they had dead batteries. This was not a one time thing but was the same from through the last 2 weeks prior to Christmas.
The reason I was given as to why the iPad minis were not on display - "we don't have time to bring them out". I was told this 3x over 2 weeks.
If you asked to see a tablet they took you to competitors, not iPads.
As for the Mac display selling iMacs and MacBook Pros, half of those were not working either. Though all the inexpensive windows systems were running.
Good for Wal Mart - they have the know-how to maximize traffic in their stores. Best Buy could capture these same customers but they fail to display and market Apple Products through shoddy displays and steering customers to other tablets and computers
Best Buy is claiming they lost $65,000 profit price-matching Walmart because of lower pricing. Note that Best Buy has approximately 1150 stores. That claimed loss averages $56 per store. Or, slightly more that the price match differential for one phone.
Yes, Walmart's alleged advertising practices are wrong.
But, don't lose perspective. Best Buy isn't a saint either. This is a turf battle.
I never knew you could sue a competitor for having a sale.
Also, I'm curious what day this happened. I went to Best Buy the week before christmas to buy an iPhone 5 for a gift, it was on sale for $50 off. I didn't have to ask for a price match, they were having a sale. They were out of stock for the 64 gig model so I had to get the 32 gig model. I tried to get a price match at Verizon for the 64 gig model, they said they would lose money if they sold them at that price, so wouldn't price match.
Best Buy is claiming they lost $65,000 profit price-matching Walmart because of lower pricing. Note that Best Buy has approximately 1150 stores. That claimed loss averages $56 per store. Or, slightly more that the price match differential for one phone.
Yes, Walmart's alleged advertising practices are wrong.
But, don't lose perspective. Best Buy isn't a saint either. This is a turf battle.
Put the practice in perspective. If Walmart was in fact engaged in misleading advertising, and the complaints aren't just about iPhones, the AGs and possibly the Feds, should come down on them like a ton of bricks, a) to punish them and b) to make an example of them. Misleading advertising isn't just an unfair business practice, it's also an injury to consumers. If these allegations prove to be true, there ought to be a clear message sent that this sort of thing won't be tolerated, even if, say, BestBuy, lost $0.01 per store as a result. It doesn't matter who is or isn't a saint, it's about letting companies know they can't play fast and loose with the law and get away with it.
I wound up happily not having to set foot into a WalMart, and ordering directly from Apple with free next day shipping, plus I was able to have the AppleCare placed on the phone from the start. (I believe you have 14 days to bring physically bring an iPhone into an Apple store after purchase if you want to add AppleCare after buying the phone elsewhere.) I always recommend that my non technically savvy friends buy at an Apple Store because of the better customer service.
You can get AppleCare anytime before the standard warranty expires. That goes for Macs as well as iDevices.
And I got Best Buy to price match so out the door with a new phone for my wife for $136 and change. They did call Walmart next door but no one answered. In the end, at Best Buy it would have been $149 plus tax (if Walmart picked up the phone in electronics) but the savings got the otterbox from Amazon and my wife is happy.
So you got Best Buy to price match them to $127 and then didn't even buy the Otterbox there as a "thank you"? Ruthless
Best Buy says it was forced to match Walmart's advertised price, even though the retailer claims Walmart did not have enough iPhone 5 inventory to meet demand.
Best Buy and other stores were not "forced to match Walmart's advertised price" by anybody other than their legal obligation to uphold their own store policies. It sounds like they have a flawed policies. How about either scrapping the price matching policy or alter it to where they price match if the nearby stores have the product in their inventory?
Cry me a river. This is best buy not getting their employees to follow their own policies which is checking to see if local competitor has in stock. I would like those employees to transfer and work at my local best buy. Mine will do whatever they can to NOT give you a price match, even on their own items.
I don't remember Walmart guaranteeing stock like they did with the iPad on black friday and give out rain checks.
It is definitely worth writing about. It's not about Best Buy, it's about Walmart's use of its massive market power to disrupt the markets and put smaller companies out of business. In our thirst for ever cheaper products, we've created a monster. It has already largely destroyed Main Street, USA. It is well on its way to destroying even major competitors. And it has done enormous damage to our national economy (at one point, something like 30% of all products on Walmart shelves came from China).
A manufacturer has no choice but to deal with Walmart and accept their draconian supply requirements.
And, in the end, what do we get? Lots of minimum wage jobs with no benefits, no security, and violation of equal protection laws.
But at least we get to buy cheap stuff.
This is EXACTLY the problem. This country is a disaster of "free market" lies and exploitation.
My dad offered to help me with an iPad purchase (don't get jealous; i'm poor and he's offering just a nudge to get me to the amount I need). He called me up to tell me about the sale at Walmart. I told him I don't give Walmart my business. He didn't have any complaint.
Now I'm even more content with my choice to wait and continue to save my pathetic money.
Put the practice in perspective. If Walmart was in fact engaged in misleading advertising, and the complaints aren't just about iPhones, the AGs and possibly the Feds, should come down on them like a ton of bricks, a) to punish them and b) to make an example of them. Misleading advertising isn't just an unfair business practice, it's also an injury to consumers. If these allegations prove to be true, there ought to be a clear message sent that this sort of thing won't be tolerated, even if, say, BestBuy, lost $0.01 per store as a result. It doesn't matter who is or isn't a saint, it's about letting companies know they can't play fast and loose with the law and get away with it.
I didn't address the issue of misleading advertising. In fact, I said the alleged practices were wrong.
Boy, what great "savings" mentality, supporting a terrible company like Walmart for what essentially comes down to less than one monthly phone and data plan that will come with the iPhone for 24 months. And that is the pure service cost, nothing to show for at the end of the contract other than the iPhone itself.
It is definitely worth writing about. It's not about Best Buy, it's about Walmart's use of its massive market power to disrupt the markets and put smaller companies out of business. In our thirst for ever cheaper products, we've created a monster. It has already largely destroyed Main Street, USA. It is well on its way to destroying even major competitors. And it has done enormous damage to our national economy (at one point, something like 30% of all products on Walmart shelves came from China).
A manufacturer has no choice but to deal with Walmart and accept their draconian supply requirements.
And, in the end, what do we get? Lots of minimum wage jobs with no benefits, no security, and violation of equal protection laws.
But at least we get to buy cheap stuff.
It's called predatory pricing. A term you love to throw around yet neglected to do so this time.
I didn't address the issue of misleading advertising. In fact, I said the alleged practices were wrong.
A lot of companies, including Apple (more than once), have settled charges with the FTC for deceptive advertising. Flipping thru a few it doesn't look like the government comes down very hard on them. Most are allowed to accept Consent Agreements without specifically admitting guilt.
A lot of companies, including Apple (more than once), have settled charges with the FTC for deceptive advertising. Flipping thru a few it doesn't look like the government comes down very hard on them. Most are allowed to accept Consent Agreements without specifically admitting guilt.
On the other hand, if you have other companies with money complaining about it, the Feds might be a little less eager to sweep it under the carpet than they are for consumer complaints. And no one, including Apple (although, of course, they aren't really involved in this complaint in any way, despite GG tossing their name in there gratuitously), should be allowed to get away with it.
Add it to your shopping cart during the checkout process when you purchase your new iPhone.
Buy it within 30 days of your iPhone purchase at Apple Retail (requires inspection of the iPhone & & proof of purchase). Your iPhone purchase date is the date we ship and charge you for your order.
Comments
I am grateful for Wal-Mart. I went to medical school in the Caribbean (Antigua) where there was no Wal-Mart. All the local "mom and pop" stores had horrible inventory and exorbitant prices since they had no competition. Wal-Mart has done a lot of good by saving people money. Best Buy is a dinosaur that will go out of business soon.
The reason I was given as to why the iPad minis were not on display - "we don't have time to bring them out". I was told this 3x over 2 weeks.
If you asked to see a tablet they took you to competitors, not iPads.
As for the Mac display selling iMacs and MacBook Pros, half of those were not working either. Though all the inexpensive windows systems were running.
Good for Wal Mart - they have the know-how to maximize traffic in their stores. Best Buy could capture these same customers but they fail to display and market Apple Products through shoddy displays and steering customers to other tablets and computers
Best Buy is claiming they lost $65,000 profit price-matching Walmart because of lower pricing. Note that Best Buy has approximately 1150 stores. That claimed loss averages $56 per store. Or, slightly more that the price match differential for one phone.
Yes, Walmart's alleged advertising practices are wrong.
But, don't lose perspective. Best Buy isn't a saint either. This is a turf battle.
I never knew you could sue a competitor for having a sale.
Also, I'm curious what day this happened. I went to Best Buy the week before christmas to buy an iPhone 5 for a gift, it was on sale for $50 off. I didn't have to ask for a price match, they were having a sale. They were out of stock for the 64 gig model so I had to get the 32 gig model. I tried to get a price match at Verizon for the 64 gig model, they said they would lose money if they sold them at that price, so wouldn't price match.
Quote:
Originally Posted by macaholic_1948
Put the numbers in perspective.
Best Buy is claiming they lost $65,000 profit price-matching Walmart because of lower pricing. Note that Best Buy has approximately 1150 stores. That claimed loss averages $56 per store. Or, slightly more that the price match differential for one phone.
Yes, Walmart's alleged advertising practices are wrong.
But, don't lose perspective. Best Buy isn't a saint either. This is a turf battle.
Put the practice in perspective. If Walmart was in fact engaged in misleading advertising, and the complaints aren't just about iPhones, the AGs and possibly the Feds, should come down on them like a ton of bricks, a) to punish them and b) to make an example of them. Misleading advertising isn't just an unfair business practice, it's also an injury to consumers. If these allegations prove to be true, there ought to be a clear message sent that this sort of thing won't be tolerated, even if, say, BestBuy, lost $0.01 per store as a result. It doesn't matter who is or isn't a saint, it's about letting companies know they can't play fast and loose with the law and get away with it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacCentric
I wound up happily not having to set foot into a WalMart, and ordering directly from Apple with free next day shipping, plus I was able to have the AppleCare placed on the phone from the start. (I believe you have 14 days to bring physically bring an iPhone into an Apple store after purchase if you want to add AppleCare after buying the phone elsewhere.) I always recommend that my non technically savvy friends buy at an Apple Store because of the better customer service.
You can get AppleCare anytime before the standard warranty expires. That goes for Macs as well as iDevices.
Quote:
Originally Posted by icoco3
And I got Best Buy to price match so out the door with a new phone for my wife for $136 and change. They did call Walmart next door but no one answered. In the end, at Best Buy it would have been $149 plus tax (if Walmart picked up the phone in electronics) but the savings got the otterbox from Amazon and my wife is happy.
So you got Best Buy to price match them to $127 and then didn't even buy the Otterbox there as a "thank you"? Ruthless
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
Best Buy says it was forced to match Walmart's advertised price, even though the retailer claims Walmart did not have enough iPhone 5 inventory to meet demand.
Best Buy and other stores were not "forced to match Walmart's advertised price" by anybody other than their legal obligation to uphold their own store policies. It sounds like they have a flawed policies. How about either scrapping the price matching policy or alter it to where they price match if the nearby stores have the product in their inventory?
Cry me a river. This is best buy not getting their employees to follow their own policies which is checking to see if local competitor has in stock. I would like those employees to transfer and work at my local best buy. Mine will do whatever they can to NOT give you a price match, even on their own items.
I don't remember Walmart guaranteeing stock like they did with the iPad on black friday and give out rain checks.
It was a 1st come, 1st serve no rain check sale.
This is EXACTLY the problem. This country is a disaster of "free market" lies and exploitation.
My dad offered to help me with an iPad purchase (don't get jealous; i'm poor and he's offering just a nudge to get me to the amount I need). He called me up to tell me about the sale at Walmart. I told him I don't give Walmart my business. He didn't have any complaint.
Now I'm even more content with my choice to wait and continue to save my pathetic money.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andysol
So you got Best Buy to price match them to $127 and then didn't even buy the Otterbox there as a "thank you"? Ruthless
Yup...they were $49.99 instead of $23.99. It is my money and I save what I can.
It's called predatory pricing. A term you love to throw around yet neglected to do so this time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by macaholic_1948
I didn't address the issue of misleading advertising. In fact, I said the alleged practices were wrong.
And I, in response, said the numbers don't matter.
Quote:
Originally Posted by macaholic_1948
I didn't address the issue of misleading advertising. In fact, I said the alleged practices were wrong.
A lot of companies, including Apple (more than once), have settled charges with the FTC for deceptive advertising. Flipping thru a few it doesn't look like the government comes down very hard on them. Most are allowed to accept Consent Agreements without specifically admitting guilt.
I scored two iphone 5's from Best Buy, even though I hate those basterds.
They gave me 140 each for iphone 4's and the 5's was on sale for 150.00 ea.
Total cost for 2 brand new iphones 5....twenty bucks.
FU BEST BUY
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gatorguy
A lot of companies, including Apple (more than once), have settled charges with the FTC for deceptive advertising. Flipping thru a few it doesn't look like the government comes down very hard on them. Most are allowed to accept Consent Agreements without specifically admitting guilt.
On the other hand, if you have other companies with money complaining about it, the Feds might be a little less eager to sweep it under the carpet than they are for consumer complaints. And no one, including Apple (although, of course, they aren't really involved in this complaint in any way, despite GG tossing their name in there gratuitously), should be allowed to get away with it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andysol
You can get AppleCare anytime before the standard warranty expires. That goes for Macs as well as iDevices.
Not for iPhone, at least from Apple:
http://store.apple.com/ca/product/APP_IPHONE_PLUS_AUTO-110480/applecare+-for-iphone
How to get AppleCare+
Add it to your shopping cart during the checkout process when you purchase your new iPhone.
Buy it within 30 days of your iPhone purchase at Apple Retail (requires inspection of the iPhone & & proof of purchase). Your iPhone purchase date is the date we ship and charge you for your order.