Wal-Mart Warning! (1 Viewer)

[Travis_W]

If any of you like to go to Wal-Mart early in the morning around midnight or so you may notice something. Countless Wal-Marts mark the new DVDs for $19.74 and up...until the department manager comes in at his regular time and calls around to other stores to see their prices. Wal-Mart basically poses off of other store's prices but neglect to tell the earlybirds who get the disc at a whopping price (compared to other stores anyway).

I know this because it's happened twice now. The first time was with Hulk, I went in at 7:00 am and regretfully bought it for $19.74 since I did not have an ad and did not want to waste gas to go to Circuit City. Today I went to another Wal-Mart, far out of town and went at 7:00 am like last time and had to buy Bruce Almighty and X2 for $20 a pop when CC has both for 15. I talked with the clerk and this is apparently a store policy save for the managers who actually change their prices at midnight or just take a guesstimate and save their customers money.

You may think this is just a few stores and it could be but from what the clerk was saying it sounds pretty common around the country. In fact, I even saw a clerk just change the price on Two Towers Extended last week after a man bought it for two bucks higher.

I understand noone is holding a gun to my head to shop at Wal-Mart for my discs (it's rare that I do anyway since they're not a staunch supporter for widescreen as CC) but I go out of convienience. Now I guess you can just wait until later on in the day and get it for cheaper but some of us do like to go early...consider this a warning to the earlybirds.

 

[Ed O'Neill]

This is a common wal-mart practice. They charge by supply and demand.

Here is and example:
When my son was born formula at the wal-mart store near my house store was cheaper than the store near my work. The price was at least 3 dollars higher.

Now as for DVDs the wal-mart near me always has the cheapest price because of competition from BB and CC.
Example
Nemo 15.3? BB- 15.99 CC -15.99

Signed
Ed

 

[David Lambert]

That is not the practice at the Wal-Marts near me. Perhaps it is a local (District- or Regional-Manager thing), but here the stores take a Sunday newspaper and collect all the ads from it. On Monday they determine which advertised DVDs are being carried by their own Wal-Mart (items already in-stock or thought to be coming), and list them out. They find the lowest advertised price and determine what 95% of that price is. That becomes their price.

This has always been determined by mid-day Monday as long as I can remember. They cheerfully tell me what those prices will be, if I ask someone I know. I can buy those items at those prices right at midnight if I so choose. I usually buy them between 5:30 AM and 7AM, on my way into work.


I guess this is a "Your Milage May Vary" situation. I'm sorry that your location of Wal-Mart isn't as good as mine. By the same token, my local Circuit City and Best Buy are both very bad compared to stories I hear from other HTFers.

 

[Justin1]

THis is a common practice at Wal-Mart. With their market share at such a high level, they can afford to give away DVDs for virtually nothing. Target routinely beats them in pricing, but Wal-Mart will find out quickly and lower their price by 10 to 20 cents less to save face (typically done Tues. morning). This is why many retailers don't specifiy their new release prices in print via the Sunday ad (Target, Best Buy, etc.). Typically, they just state "Low Price" or something similar. Putting that price in print that early just gives Wal-Mart that much of an easier time to price match. So, Wal-Mart just prices high for the midnight to 8 AM time frame because no one else is open yet. When the competitors open, Wal-Mart price matches and beats via their corporate office and the price is changed very quickly throughout their stores. It's kind of a cheesy way to compete, but whatever works.

 

[Erwin]

My Wal-Mart is pretty much what David said. They cut the Sunday paper Ad out with that price and stick it next to the DVDs being sold and reduce it slightly lower than the store. At times and rarely at times, I have to show them an add. Like the Eckerds Ad with Indiana Jones Trilogy, but I am sure it was missed due to what most of us would do (go to the Circuit City, Target, Best Buy Ads only, and not even consider Eckerds).

 

[JustinCleveland]

Good to know, but this probably belongs in the retail feedback forum. Sorry to thread crap.

 

[Chris Duran]

Travis if that's the case at your Wal-Mart all you have to do is tell the cashier that this DVD is at (instert name of store here) for (x amount of dollars) and they should give it to you no questions asked, with or without the ad. It's company poilcy.

 

[Nick T Robot]

had to buy Bruce Almighty and X2 for $20 a pop when CC has both for 15

You know big movies will be selling for around $15, I wouldn't go to a store without knowing the price there or having an Ad with me with a price that looks good. (You are in this forum and have access to posts about the prices)

I would never buy a 1 or 2 disc DVD for $20.

 

[Juan Castillo]

Hell, I picked up X2 at my local rural Walmart last night for 15 bucks, by using Targets Sunday ad that didn't show a price for that movie, but 14.99 for the one next to it.

Most Wal-mart employees (at the stores I've been to) don't give a darn or are not bright enough to investigate whether or not the price comp is legit.
I could have used Walmarts own Black Friday ad for Matrix Reloaded at 11 bucks if I had it with me.

 

[Chris_Morris]

and they should give it to you no questions asked, with or without the ad. It's company poilcy.

Not true. Company policy is that they will match the price if you have the ad with you. It is up to each individual store as to how strick they want to be with this.

There are 2 stores near me, one will usually price match, no questions asked. The other (and I was told this by high level management) said they will follow the policy to the letter, no ad=no price match.

Chris

 

[ChrisMatson]

What Nick said! We are all educated consumers. Thanks to Dave's hard work each week (THANKS!!!) we know where the best deals are. If you bring an ad with you to stores that price match, you are all set. You can even get a better deal online on certain items.

Caveat Emptor!

 

[Chet_F]

I have Walmart on speed dial. I call prior to leaving work to see IF they have lowered them. I have known about this selective lowering for months. I thought it was common knowledge. Lately they are ALWAYS the lowest price at 4:30PM. But I ALWAYS call because I've been burned a few times. I HATE wasted trips. I figure for spending 2 minutes to call I save 15 minutes of driving. But to each their own but whether you drive there in the morning at 7AM or 4PM it's the same amount of miles. Just go after work and save a few $$$s.

 

[Chris Duran]

Not true. Company policy is that they will match the price if you have the ad with you. It is up to each individual store as to how strick they want to be with this.

Not true at all, anyone who works at Wal-Mart can verify this for me, as we just recently had to take new CBL (Computer Based Learning) and on one of them the customer doesn't have the ad and wants to do a price match, we are advised to believe the customer and do the price match no questions asked.

 

[Chris_Morris]

Then please tell your manager to call the manager of the Bedford, Va store and explain this to them.


Chris

 

[Chris Duran]

Then please tell your manager to call the manager of the Bedford, Va store and explain this to them.

I wish I could. If they ever give you any slack just tell them to do there CBL's with the guy wanting to ad match Target for a bookshelf, they will probbaly look at you funny, knowing what you know. That is if they were a good manager and actually did their CBL's.

 

[dave_brogli]

I wanted to buy eternal darkness for the GC and the online walmart said 20.00 (players choice) and I went to wal mart and they wanted 50.00 they explained that each walmart prices different, and even if i showed her proof they still would charge me full price....

 

[Travis_W]

For Hulk I told the cashier repeatedly about CC offering it for $15.99, that I saw numerous ads on TV and everything. No luck. They had to have an ad. Then she told me they'd probably lower it later on that day.

So Wal-Mart's the cause of the ridiculous LOW PRICE thing, huh? Just one more reason for me to hate them.

 

[Shawn_Sek]

this is why i have never understood people getting so excited about stores breaking street date on DVDs, unless the extra couple of bucks dont matter to you, i prefer to wait and get the best price rather than get a DVD 2 whole days early.

as far as i know, most stores will give you the price difference if something you bought has lowered in the 30 days since you bought it.

as for the LOW PRICE things in ads, i believe it is because the DVD companies dont want a DVD advertised below a certain price determined by the company.

 

[Scott Strang]

..... i have never understood people getting so excited about stores breaking street date on DVDs...... i prefer to wait and get the best price rather than get a DVD 2 whole days early.

I normally agree but one title in particular was Superman The Movie. I went into a newly opened nationally known rental chain to check out their selection and noticed it on that Friday afternoon.

It was still only $20 and I got to see it that weekend instead of the following weekend.