Wal-Mart making move for Circuit City's old slice of the pie, prepping for Apple sections, Pre sales and higher-end electronics

While Wal-Mart will always be our hot spot of choice for picking up a mixed assortment box of granola bars and meeting other thrifty, outdoors-loving singles, the retailer is on a course to upping its electronics game, in light of the void left by Circuit City's closure -- about $11.1 billion in annual revenue just there for the taking. The store is rolling out new boutique sections for Apple and Nintendo products to some of its electronics departments this week, is adding to its selection higher-end Sony and Samsung televisions, will be expanding its Blu-ray equipment and selection, is nabbing some Studio One 19 all-in-ones from Dell next month, and obviously is getting the Palm Pre next month as well. Apple has been traditionally slow to offer up its higher-end products to Wal-Mart shelves, so hopefully this means that not only will Wal-Mart be doing Macs "right," but perhaps Apple will give a little in return and offer some more sub-$1000 macs beyond the Mac mini and low-end MacBook -- some Laptop Hunters fare, if you will.

[Via AppleInsider]

[bandigolo @ May 19th 2009 4:26PM]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

[chispito @ May 19th 2009 4:39PM]

Is it the store, or the people who shop there, that bothers you most?

[fieldcar @ May 19th 2009 4:44PM]

Walmart, the quasi-hippie kryptonite.

[Drew -- PS360: uphillbothways @ May 19th 2009 4:59PM]

For me, it's the people who work there. I've never seen such a group of neaderthalic drones.

And not the type that you can start a revolution with, Lars.

[paul @ May 19th 2009 5:13PM]

It's the fact that their stores don't offer fair wages and promotions to women and minorities.

[bandigolo @ May 19th 2009 5:17PM]

Without question it's the Wal-Mart's clientele that I despise the most. But the tasteless Bible-thumping money machine that is Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. isn't much better.

[Brdystyls @ May 19th 2009 5:25PM]

I don't know where you live but the walmarts I live near, almost all the management and upper staff members are female Mexicans. Plus you can make $10 an hour as a cashier. I live in denver, maybe it's different where you live. Secondly if you can't adapt to a innovative business model like walmart does/ has, your company will die. This is just business. If you can't keep up with competition, your not going to make it. All these f'd up companies suing other companies because of a new way of doing business and complaining that they can't keep up it. Then go out for Government hand out, deserve to die. Chrysler, I am talking about you. I am not for this capitalistic based system we are in, but we are so deal with it. I would love a resource based system, but we are all too greedy for that. I guess humans just love "mine is bigger than yours" type of wars.

[mickey @ May 19th 2009 5:31PM]

I know one thing for sure. Wal-Mart's customer assistance can't be any worse that Circuit Schitty

[MegaBite @ May 19th 2009 6:01PM]

but we're not talking about chrysler

[The Angry Intern @ May 19th 2009 6:03PM]

walmart is one of my favorite places to go Mullet-hunting

[r3loaded @ May 19th 2009 6:07PM]

I guess humans just love "mine is bigger than yours" type of wars. - that's what she said!

[bandigolo @ May 19th 2009 6:20PM]

You think Wal-Mart will replace Firedog with Firebird? Smokey and the Bandit FTW!

[Don @ May 19th 2009 10:12PM]

At first glance i thought she was giving a handjob to Bill.. lol
think i'll go in search of some pron now

[whowhatme @ May 20th 2009 1:25PM]

my dad has been a cashier at wal-mart for 8 years and he still only makes $20,000 a year, so STFU about fair wages brdystyls

[Valicore @ May 19th 2009 4:27PM]

Yeah, because everyone knows Mac users get all their other electronics at Wal-Mart. Blech.

[fieldcar @ May 19th 2009 4:57PM]

Walmart overprices most of their computer accessories, so apple will fit right in. JK...

But seriously, its only gonna help apple get into more rural areas of the country and that's a good thing.

[The Angry Intern @ May 19th 2009 6:19PM]

This is the kind of Mac users that will be buying at Walmart.

http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comic.php?d=20021126

[Will @ May 19th 2009 7:31PM]

Don't be the typical smug Apple fanboi.

[kal326 @ May 19th 2009 10:12PM]

@ the angry intern

Since when is an adult with a third grade education and the possible desire to bang their own sister a good spokes person for a product? Lets just hope condoms are as intuitive to use.

[FyreFlareon @ May 19th 2009 4:29PM]

Well, there's always Micro-Center and BestBuy ?

[mugupo @ May 19th 2009 4:29PM]

This sound interesting

Walmart back Apple?

Bestbuy back Microsoft?

[Nelagster @ May 19th 2009 4:35PM]

Walmart backs Microsoft too?

[DavidW @ May 19th 2009 4:37PM]

Actually Best Buy has been the only retailer (aside from apple stores) allowed to sell Macs for some time now :)

[futurepastnow @ May 19th 2009 4:37PM]

Best Buy backs Apple, too. Some of them have what amounts to a wee Apple store inside them.

[Chad @ May 19th 2009 4:57PM]

@DavidW

That's funny. The Micro Center down the street has sold Apple since they opened over ten years ago.

[Templarian @ May 19th 2009 7:28PM]

Yea, the Best Buy I go to has a full mini center setup for apple products. It actually blocks out the PCs, but they have a pretty high markup so.

[wako @ May 19th 2009 7:30PM]

@DavidW


CompUSA was selling Macs since 1997... Only retailer? maybe in small town america where you live?

[Mark Anderson @ May 19th 2009 4:29PM]

What a ridiculous article. We've seen the discounts Wal Mart offer on Apple products when they released the iPhone - about $2.

[futurepastnow @ May 19th 2009 4:38PM]

Here comes the $597 Mac mini!

[AlDeezy @ May 20th 2009 12:49AM]

Obviously this is apple's way of wal-mart not destroying the sales at their apple stores. If wal-mart could sell the iphone or ipods cheaper they would.

[Britboyj27 @ May 19th 2009 5:01PM]

Way to dilute the brand.

[elijahblake @ May 19th 2009 4:32PM]

I thought the whole idea of walmart was to save customers money? Look out Walmart, you're not too big to FAIL.. Look at GM!

[htd @ May 19th 2009 4:32PM]

what's with that picture? that advertisement is so not true.

[Zak @ May 19th 2009 6:47PM]

But the Laptop Hunters ads are pinnacles of truth and unbiased information?

[neodorian @ May 19th 2009 11:23PM]

I want to make another version of that ad that goes the other way.

OK, all Macs over $1000 step aside
(90% leave)
All Macs with quad core CPUs and over 2GB RAM step aside
(the remaining Macs leave)

/written on a sub-$900 PC that has never crashed or had a virus. Does have a quad core and 4GB RAM though.

[K.F. @ May 19th 2009 4:50PM]

I refuse to buy my Apple products at Wal-Mart. It is the exact opposite of an Apple store.

[Drew -- PS360: uphillbothways @ May 19th 2009 5:05PM]

"The exact opposite of an Apple store."

Soooo..... they buy stuff from you?

[bifikus @ May 19th 2009 6:12PM]

Cowboys go to walmart, people just leave apple stores walking like cowboys...

[bandigolo @ May 19th 2009 6:23PM]

Both funny responses. But seriously, K.F., don't be a pretentious douchebag. Wal-Mart and Apple stores are both about one thing and one thing only: making money. That's not exactly "opposite."

Apple fanboys and Wal-Mart shoppers, however... yeah...

[John @ May 19th 2009 4:34PM]

Somebody's getting a macbook box filled with rocks for Christmas.

[Roman @ May 19th 2009 5:56PM]

Already happened at BestBuy last month, Unibody MacBrick Pro...

[Keegan.comstock @ May 19th 2009 4:35PM]

Well there goes my job at best buy...

[DavidW @ May 19th 2009 4:40PM]

Dude I know...fortunately the Wal-Mart next to my store is HORRIBLE so I'm not too worried....

[Saad Rabia @ May 19th 2009 4:36PM]

No hate or rage, but that picture/thumbnail is stupid.

*sigh*

[fieldcar @ May 19th 2009 5:09PM]

But Saad, its supposed to be funny because they stereotype us as losers... Why are we calm again?

Oh, now I remember.

Despite apple and its followers being the "cool, smug, and condescending", they also drive competition with their high end products, and that's why I like apple.

Apple inspired the Zune, and I love that. Capitalism 101 my friends.

[Zak @ May 19th 2009 6:57PM]

You're right Saad, a screen cap of an ad that features somebody that's going to buy a Mac is entirely irrelevant to an article about a large chain of stores that is about to start selling Macs.

Oh wait... no it isn't. You're an idiot.

[ronald.raygun @ May 19th 2009 7:18PM]

@ zak what do your feet taste like? read his post again, he said stupid not irrelevant.

so im guessing you are now the idiot, eh?

[Zak @ May 19th 2009 7:38PM]

I'm sorry ronald, you must be mentally challenged. That picture in particular is stupid why, exactly? It is completely relevant to the article, therefore not stupid. I'm sorry you couldn't put two and two together and come up with four.

[Rocketboy @ May 20th 2009 11:22AM]

Your avatar/icon is stupid.

[Alex @ May 19th 2009 4:38PM]

Gahh.. I hate the Apple section of Best Buy. It's so pretentious.