Oh that sneaky Wal Mart...
3Taking on Amazon....
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/business-of-the-holidays/wal-mart-tells-store-managers-match-amazons-online-prices-n247846
- 7 comments, 18 replies
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Taking on Amazon....
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/business-of-the-holidays/wal-mart-tells-store-managers-match-amazons-online-prices-n247846
Not directly related, but it is mentioned in that article...
Can we just stop it with stores having these stupid sales earlier and earlier? Just stop it. Soon enough it'll be OMG SUPER PRE BLACK FRIDAY SALE!!!! BEGINS NOVEMBER 1st AT 12:01AM!!!!!!!111
Having worked retail during the holiday season many times in the past, I can say from experience it's awful and terrible. Just let these people be with their families.
@JonT The real question is, what will meh have for Black Speaker Dock Friday? 30,000 white speaker docks bundled with black sharpies?
@JonT But isn't it the consumer's own fault for going to the sales ? If no one shows they won't have them. I think it is a sad statement about society's priorities in general.
@JonT I love Black Friday. As a day-sleeper, i think its awesome to have the malls open at midnight once a year.
@JonT for President!
@JonT I agree. No amount of pre sales or early opening times are going to increase your total sales volume. People only have so much money and need to buy so much stuff for the holidays. Making people work rather than be with their family is terrible. I would never shop on Thanksgiving.
@JonT My wife and I were talking about this earlier today. Actually, if I remember correctly, there was a retailer that offered a "Black Friday in July!" sale this past summer. It's crap. The sales last longer, and the discounts aren't as high. I normally finish my shopping by the end of October anyway. I hate crowds
@JonT Agreed. There are a lot of people who respond by saying that it works out for people who want the extra pay - but they aren't the only ones working! It's mandatory to work BF for may retail employees, and if the store opens Thurs night, they have to be there, too. It's ridiculous.
@LadyLeela not to start an internet pissing contest or anything, but you're wrong. Traditional Black Friday sales (the big "door busters" that people wait in huge lines for) target two types of sales. The first is the consumer who is willing to wait in a huge line at an inopportune time to but something at a really big markdown. This consumer is willing to make the big sacrifice because they couldn't or wouldn't buy that product at retail prices. This is the limited quantity consumer electronics stuff. The second type of sale is the impulse buy. You already have to wait in line to check out, might as well pick up some stuff for the rest of the family while you're here and "only do this once". Besides, everything's on sale, right? It makes sense to me that retail stores would want to compete for these types of sales the most, so to do this they have their events earlier and earlier in the season. Thanksgiving creates this artificial limit to the holiday season, so all the events butt up against it. It may very well be that there is a limited number of consumer dollars that will be spent in a season (debatable) but stores (and manufactures) still have to compete with other stores (and manufacturers) to see who gets them.
@JonT But, at least arguably if stores want to curtail the riot-like behavour that Black Friday is infamous for, isn't spreading out the sales over time at least arguably a good thing? Not that stores are necessarily doing a good job of it or anything, but I can see the logic of trying to avoid midnight riots in one's store.
@TaRDy DUCKS! SPEAKER DUCKS!
@LadyLeela I disagree. It matters a lot to Walmart if people spend their money at Walmart or at Amazon. Otherwise they wouldn't bother to pricematch.
@JonT I contact stores that steal Thanksgiving from their employees every year, and decline to shop there over the holidays.
@JonT I refuse to shop on Wednesday or Thursday. If I miss a good deal, it wasn't worth as much as time with my family.
But wait. I think we're going in the other direction. Walmart's starting it with the week before Black Friday. They're spreading it out. Some stores are opening Thursday morning. And some have the same sales going on online even before Black Friday. A few more years and all of them might be doing the whole week and end up closing Thanksgiving Day.
@pooflady TSC starts on Wednesday.
I remember when 4AM was an early start to black friday...
I echo Paris Hilton.......what is Walmart ?
Working for Best Buy during college... had to get to the store for 1 am to start prepping. I think the doors opened around 3 am. It had snowed that night... and was very close to being below zero when I had my sister drop me off. My "job" before the doors opened was to pass out vouchers for all of the doorbusters to people in line. YES! THERE WERE PEOPLE IN LINE AT 1 AM IN FREEZING TEMPERATURES TO BUY A CRAPPY $70 KODAK CAMERA THAT WAS TOTAL CRAP! Worked until 1 pm....
Years later I went to work for a Sears Tire Center... except my first day was going to be on Black Friday. And not in the Tire Center, but loading large stuff into peoples cars. It was that morning that I decided that working Black Friday and retail, in general, was not for me. I called in and quit over the phone.
Yeah... not the greatest thing to do on my part... but my retail spirit had been broken. I've never looked back since. AND I DON'T GET UP AT MIDNIGHT TO GO FREEZE IN LINE OUTSIDE WHATEVER STORE FOR CRAPPY GARBAGE THE STORES TRUCK IN AND SELL FOR A GIGANTIC MARKUP DISGUISED AS A SALE! I've been there and I feel for everyone who at some point is or has had to work retail on Black Friday.
@sanitarium90910 Don't feel too bad. Years ago on my first day at new job, I told them I was going to lunch and never went back. Just felt I couldn't handle the job.
@ABitterWoman I had a temp assignment doing something, and the other person who started that day with me did the same thing- took a never ending lunch.
@sanitarium90910 - Standing in line at 1 am in freezing temperatures on Black Friday to buy a crappy $70 Kodak camera that is total crap personifies the Christmas spirit. Humbug.
@ABitterWoman a job can be terminated by either party without notice. I would not feel bad at all.
I've only gone to one Black Friday type sale, and that one was actually Thanksgiving night- It was at a local craft supply store. The store opened at 9 PM, I think. I went after our family Thanksgiving was done. The employees were all in good spirits, the ones I asked said they had already had their family day and were happy to be getting holiday pay for working that night. So I didn't feel bad for shopping. Got some killer deals on my supplies to make Christmas ornaments for the family. :) But ain't no way in hell I'll ever line up in the freezing cold in the middle of the damn night for some electronics deal or whatever. Ugh. Screw that.
I have only truly done Black Friday shopping one time. In 2007, I really wanted to get my wife a new laptop for Christmas. I stood in line for an hour at Office Depot for a $499 Toshiba. They handed out vouchers before they opened the doors to keep people from stampeding in. I went straight to the counter, and handed the voucher to the cashier. She rang me up and said "$825.00".
"Huh? It's supposed to be $499!?"
"Oh, sorry -- it's probably not updated in the system yet since it's still before 6am"
She adjusted the price and said "$525".
I handed her my card and she swiped it and handed it back to me with the receipt. "And here's your rebate form"
I figured it was a $50 rebate -- nope. It was a $300 rebate. The sale paper read $499 after rebate"
I turned to the cashier and started to say something, but she winked and said "Happy Holidays!". She knew, but obviously didn't care and I was a poor newly-wed with a baby on the way (next day actually).
I even got the rebate about 4-5 weeks later.
Even with the deal I got, I still have little to no desire to drag myself out into the cold for Black Friday Doorbuster sales.