Walmart To Sell Laptops Cheaper Than Netbooks

**DJRider** · 07-23-2009, 02:12 PM

http://www.usatoday.com/money/indust...-walmart_N.htm

Reboot? Wal-Mart hopes deals make it a 'laptop destination'

By Steven Senne, AP

Slumping sales at electronics and office-supply chains gives Wal-Mart an opportunity in selling low-end laptops.

By Byron Acohido, USA TODAY
Wal-Mart (WMT) hopes to reboot the retail market for computers Sunday by selling beefy laptops for less than you'd pay for a pint-size netbook.

The retail giant is stepping up itscampaign to become a more prominent PC retailer, a move that could accelerate a broader trend toward lower computer prices.

"Other retailers will be watching closely to see if they need to respond by dropping prices for comparable products," says David Daoud, IDC tech industry researcher. "It could potentially trigger a price war."

Wal-Mart recently renovated PC displays in 1,200 of its 3,600 stores to make them easier to navigate — more like Best Buy (BBY) than, well, Wal-Mart. It plans to refurbish more stores, broaden product selection and do a series of rock-bottom-pricing promotions.

"We believe we can move the needle for us as a laptop destination," says Gary Severson, Wal-Mart's senior vice president for entertainment.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Wal-Mart | Hewlett-Packard | Best Buy | Acer

For example, it will sell a Hewlett-Packard-made laptop, running Windows Vista with 3 gigabytes of memory and a 160-gigabyte hard drive, for just $298. Or for $548, you can pick up an Acer-made Vista laptop with an eight-hour battery, 3 gigabytes of memory and a 320-gigabyte hard drive.

Slumping sales at electronics and office-supply chains give Wal-Mart — which has prospered as the recession made consumers more price sensitive — a ripe opportunity.

"They're looking for growth opportunities wherever they can find them," NPD analyst Stephen Baker says. "Attempting to increase their share of consumer electronics makes sense."

PC sales have not declined quite as steeply as experts projected. Consumers are gobbling up low-end laptops and netbooks, although businesses still aren't buying many new computers.

"At the moment, price competition and extreme promotions are spurring the market," says Jay Chou, PC industry analyst at IDC.

"We're seeing the average guy on the street holding up PC sales pretty well."

The challenge for Wal-Mart is to attract more than finicky bargain hunters.

A recent IDC survey of 1,000 consumers shows PC buyers much prefer in-store and online shopping at computer and electronics stores, or buying directly from the PC manufacturer. Knowledgeable sales staffs and follow-up customer service are major considerations.

Even Best Buy, the leading electronics retailer, has struggled to shape a satisfactory in-store shopping experience for PC buyers, Baker says.

"Wal-Mart is a big supermarket for everything," Daoud says. "I'm skeptical that it is going to be able to sustain this over time, because you need a totally different infrastructure."

SprintMamba · 07-23-2009, 02:27 PM

$298 is a great price for a simple laptop

**bball1011** · 07-23-2009, 06:37 PM

Durnit I just got a netbook for $248 from there last week. I guess I have to return it for a that HP. Awesome prices

SprintMamba · 07-23-2009, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bball1011

Durnit I just got a netbook for $248 from there last week. I guess I have to return it for a that HP. Awesome prices

Yea you better return that then buy the Laptop!

**Whiteboy182** · 07-24-2009, 06:47 AM

I was just at Wal-Mart the other day and I was surprised how cheap some of their laptops were. I didn't see the $300 Hp but there were like 3 other laptops there going for less than $500. Needless to say I was not expecting that. The build quality of those machines seemed a little cheap but the hardware seemed pretty solid. I had been planning on picking up a netbook for my wife's b-day in November but if regular laptop prices keep coming down like this I should actually be able to get her a pretty decent laptop for the same money.

For what it's worth I stopped by Best Buy too and they had also quite a few fairly nice laptops for right around $500. I think the whole industry is finally realizing that computers are becoming so ubiquitous that they shouldn't be expensive. Unless you are looking for a machine to do some serious gaming most people aren't willing to pay more when all they need are basic features. I think Netbooks are mainly to thank for this trend, their wild popularity showed these manufacturers that people are more than willing to sacrifice power for price. Especially if the vast majority of computer users just need something simple to store movies, music, Pictures and surf the net. It doesn't take a machine with a bleeding edge graphics card and processor, a terabyte hard drive, 8 gigs of ram, etc... to use Facebook and Twitter.

***ZiggyZ*** · 07-24-2009, 07:25 AM

WOW. I am looking for a new Laptop as well..:-) SWEET!

**88jr** · 07-24-2009, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bball1011

Durnit I just got a netbook for $248 from there last week. I guess I have to return it for a that HP. Awesome prices

How did you get one for $248? Was there a sale? Mine just has an Acer or Asus (forget) for $297.

kelcha · 07-24-2009, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 88jr

How did you get one for $248? Was there a sale? Mine just has an Acer or Asus (forget) for $297.

i got a Dell Mini 10.1 inch for $299-$75 coupon, so it is vey possible.

**Ronkh** · 07-24-2009, 09:59 AM

Thank you !

Great information!!!

**bball1011** · 07-24-2009, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 88jr

How did you get one for $248? Was there a sale? Mine just has an Acer or Asus (forget) for $297.

The 10.1" Acer costs $298, but I decided to go with the 8.9" Acer and that's the one that cost me $248. I'm not sure if it was a sale, just think it was less because of the smaller screen.

**tbakergobuck** · 07-25-2009, 04:07 AM

even though this is a refurb I thought $420 was a great deal for this powerful Laptop. You get 30 days and you can buy a extended warranty.
http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=188482

**Dan** · 07-28-2009, 09:00 PM

The store in Niagara Falls had 70+ on Sunday with a line and sold all that morning. I was in there tonight and they have them in the glass case, no signs up about them, but if you ask they have at least 10 in stock as of 8pm.

The electronics dept is open 24 at the new store, so if your in the area and want to get one, they have some in stock!

***DviceDude*** · 07-29-2009, 06:44 AM

I hit Walmart last night and scored this Toshiba. Based on the variety of systems they had available, this unit was the best choice based on price and specs.

07-23-2009, 02:12 PM	#1
DJRider Grandpa Misfire! Mood: Join Date: Feb 4, '05 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 6,596 Phone: HTC EVO Trades: 4 Thanks: 142 Thanked 125 Times in 99 Posts SU$: 66,034	Walmart To Sell Laptops Cheaper Than Netbooks http://www.usatoday.com/money/indust...-walmart_N.htm Reboot? Wal-Mart hopes deals make it a 'laptop destination' By Steven Senne, AP Slumping sales at electronics and office-supply chains gives Wal-Mart an opportunity in selling low-end laptops. By Byron Acohido, USA TODAY Wal-Mart (WMT) hopes to reboot the retail market for computers Sunday by selling beefy laptops for less than you'd pay for a pint-size netbook. The retail giant is stepping up itscampaign to become a more prominent PC retailer, a move that could accelerate a broader trend toward lower computer prices. "Other retailers will be watching closely to see if they need to respond by dropping prices for comparable products," says David Daoud, IDC tech industry researcher. "It could potentially trigger a price war." Wal-Mart recently renovated PC displays in 1,200 of its 3,600 stores to make them easier to navigate — more like Best Buy (BBY) than, well, Wal-Mart. It plans to refurbish more stores, broaden product selection and do a series of rock-bottom-pricing promotions. "We believe we can move the needle for us as a laptop destination," says Gary Severson, Wal-Mart's senior vice president for entertainment. FIND MORE STORIES IN: Wal-Mart \| Hewlett-Packard \| Best Buy \| Acer For example, it will sell a Hewlett-Packard-made laptop, running Windows Vista with 3 gigabytes of memory and a 160-gigabyte hard drive, for just $298. Or for $548, you can pick up an Acer-made Vista laptop with an eight-hour battery, 3 gigabytes of memory and a 320-gigabyte hard drive. Slumping sales at electronics and office-supply chains give Wal-Mart — which has prospered as the recession made consumers more price sensitive — a ripe opportunity. "They're looking for growth opportunities wherever they can find them," NPD analyst Stephen Baker says. "Attempting to increase their share of consumer electronics makes sense." PC sales have not declined quite as steeply as experts projected. Consumers are gobbling up low-end laptops and netbooks, although businesses still aren't buying many new computers. "At the moment, price competition and extreme promotions are spurring the market," says Jay Chou, PC industry analyst at IDC. "We're seeing the average guy on the street holding up PC sales pretty well." The challenge for Wal-Mart is to attract more than finicky bargain hunters. A recent IDC survey of 1,000 consumers shows PC buyers much prefer in-store and online shopping at computer and electronics stores, or buying directly from the PC manufacturer. Knowledgeable sales staffs and follow-up customer service are major considerations. Even Best Buy, the leading electronics retailer, has struggled to shape a satisfactory in-store shopping experience for PC buyers, Baker says. "Wal-Mart is a big supermarket for everything," Daoud says. "I'm skeptical that it is going to be able to sustain this over time, because you need a totally different infrastructure." __________________

07-23-2009, 06:37 PM	#3
bball1011 Planet Orange Baby! Mood: Join Date: Jun 11, '08 Location: Yuma, AZ Posts: 2,049 Phone: 700p Trades: 3 Thanks: 12 Thanked 45 Times in 44 Posts SU$: 20,609	Durnit I just got a netbook for $248 from there last week. I guess I have to return it for a that HP. Awesome prices __________________

07-24-2009, 06:47 AM	#5
Whiteboy182 Sprint User Mood: Join Date: Jul 16, '07 Location: Chesapeake, VA Posts: 231 Phone: Palm Pre Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts SU$: 1,814	I was just at Wal-Mart the other day and I was surprised how cheap some of their laptops were. I didn't see the $300 Hp but there were like 3 other laptops there going for less than $500. Needless to say I was not expecting that. The build quality of those machines seemed a little cheap but the hardware seemed pretty solid. I had been planning on picking up a netbook for my wife's b-day in November but if regular laptop prices keep coming down like this I should actually be able to get her a pretty decent laptop for the same money. For what it's worth I stopped by Best Buy too and they had also quite a few fairly nice laptops for right around $500. I think the whole industry is finally realizing that computers are becoming so ubiquitous that they shouldn't be expensive. Unless you are looking for a machine to do some serious gaming most people aren't willing to pay more when all they need are basic features. I think Netbooks are mainly to thank for this trend, their wild popularity showed these manufacturers that people are more than willing to sacrifice power for price. Especially if the vast majority of computer users just need something simple to store movies, music, Pictures and surf the net. It doesn't take a machine with a bleeding edge graphics card and processor, a terabyte hard drive, 8 gigs of ram, etc... to use Facebook and Twitter. __________________ "The nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools." - Thucydides

07-24-2009, 07:25 AM	#6
*ZiggyZ* I'm Kind Of A BIG Deal... Mood: Join Date: Jul 19, '05 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 2,641 Phone: HTC EVO Thanks: 21 Thanked 11 Times in 10 Posts SU$: 5,034	WOW. I am looking for a new Laptop as well..:-) SWEET! __________________ Sprint Customer Since 3/24/1999 Go Vote for Tapatalk support for Sprintusers NOW! http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=208119

07-24-2009, 09:59 AM	#9
Ronkh Evil Kraut driving mod Mood: Join Date: May 5, '03 Location: CT Posts: 13,472 Phone: EVO, Tour Trades: 1 Thanks: 5 Thanked 14 Times in 8 Posts SU$: 42,180	Thank you ! Great information!!! __________________ http://www.facebook.com/sprintusers?...11863442163452

07-23-2009, 02:27 PM	#2
SprintMamba Account Inactive Join Date: Jun 4, '09 Posts: 189 Phone: Curve Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts SU$: 800	$298 is a great price for a simple laptop

07-25-2009, 04:07 AM	#11
tbakergobuck PHONE TESTEROUTER Mood: Join Date: Dec 2, '02 Location: Ohio Posts: 15,828 Phone: SeXy EvO!!! Trades: 9 Thanks: 78 Thanked 46 Times in 37 Posts SU$: 71,404	even though this is a refurb I thought $420 was a great deal for this powerful Laptop. You get 30 days and you can buy a extended warranty. http://www.sprintusers.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=188482 __________________

07-28-2009, 09:00 PM	#12
Dan Playoffs baby! Mood: Join Date: Feb 6, '05 Location: western NY Posts: 20,919 Phone: HTC Touch Pro 2 Trades: 1 Thanks: 16 Thanked 395 Times in 336 Posts SU$: 101,349	The store in Niagara Falls had 70+ on Sunday with a line and sold all that morning. I was in there tonight and they have them in the glass case, no signs up about them, but if you ask they have at least 10 in stock as of 8pm. The electronics dept is open 24 at the new store, so if your in the area and want to get one, they have some in stock! __________________ Touch Pro2, another Touch Pro2 and a BlackBerry Curve 8530 active. And a plan that doesn't suck either!

07-29-2009, 06:44 AM	#13
*DviceDude* Access Denied Mood: Join Date: Nov 8, '08 Posts: 427 Trades: 2 Thanks: 1 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts SU$: 1	I hit Walmart last night and scored this Toshiba. Based on the variety of systems they had available, this unit was the best choice based on price and specs. __________________

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