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 |  Reuters -
Nov-07-2009UPDATE 1-Mexico's Walmex Oct same-store sales up 5.1 pct(topic overview)
CONTENTS:
- Not all retailers appear to be engaging in the tug of war, as Best Buy Co., Barnes & Noble Inc. and Borders Group Inc. all had higher prices for some of the DVDs Friday. (More...)
- All three companies also sweetened the pot by offering free shipping for the DVDs being sold. (More...)
- Real estate agents always talk about location, location, location. (More...)
- Town leaders were hoping to decide Wednesday whether to settle a lawsuit filed by Wal-Mart. (More...)
- The company's shares began trading on OTC markets in 1970, and were listed on the New York Stock Exchange two years later. (More...)
- Walmart, the mega-retailer that helped put energy consumption on the agenda for corporate executives, said it will use light emitting diode lights from Cree in new stores and retrofitted ones. (More...)
- Irsik said the new store will be 150,000 square feet and will be designed to improve the customer experience. (More...)
- Homegrown businesses like the Future Group have more than a decade's head start. (More...)
- "Stay away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick," the Wal-Mart site recommends. (More...)
- Walmart is selling the Xbox 360 Arcade console for $199 this Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, but the package includes a $100 gift card -- shazam! "If you were thinking about purchasing an Xbox 360 this. (More...)
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Not all retailers appear to be engaging in the tug of war, as Best Buy Co., Barnes & Noble Inc. and Borders Group Inc. all had higher prices for some of the DVDs Friday. That might cost them some sales, but also might not be a bad idea. Hood said it is important for some of Wal-Mart's rivals to remain competitive on price, but that trying to undercut Wal-Mart, with its huge scope and buying power, is a losing game. The retail giant sells enough products in enough categories to make up for any losses on individual items that it uses to pull people into stores or onto its Web site. "On an everyday basis, customers expect Wal-Mart to be the benchmark or standard for pricing," he said. Wal-Mart, which generated more than $400 billion in sales last year, has been aggressively trying to stake its claim online. The DVD discounts and last month's book discounts are part of a series of maneuvers the retailer has taken to draw shoppers to its Internet home. Wal-Mart's book price war with Target and Amazon.com in October saw the companies lower the online preorder prices on titles such as "Under the Dome" by Stephen King and "Ford County" by John Grisham. [1] NEW YORK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is upping the ante heading into the holiday season, trimming the online preorder prices of some upcoming DVDs following last month's price cut on books. The move led rivals Amazon.com ]] Amazon.com Inc. and Target Corp. to reduce the prices of some online preorder DVDs, which pushed Wal-Mart to take a few more cents off its offerings. The world's biggest retailer said late Thursday that it would lower the online prices of new DVDs such as "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" and "Star Trek" to $10. When Amazon reduced some of its DVD prices to $9.99, Wal-Mart shot back by lowering its DVDs to $9.98 as of Friday morning. The retailer, which generated more than $400 billion in sales last year, was embroiled in a book price war with Target and Amazon.com last month that saw the companies lower the online preorder prices on titles such as "Under the Dome" by Stephen King and "Ford County" by John Grisham.[2] NEW YORK (Reuters) - Target is offering its top 10 pre-order DVD movie titles at $10 and free home delivery on the discounted DVDs in a bid to match Wal-Mart Stores price cuts ahead of the all-important holiday season. The latest move from Target comes on Friday, a day after larger rival Wal-Mart announced plans to offer the same 10 movie titles at just $10 and free home delivery on its entire assortment of DVD and Blu-ray titles. Target.com said on Friday its offer includes popular movie titles such as "Star Trek XI" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." Target has already expanded the number of items that qualify for free shipping on its website and rolled out the shipping promotion two weeks earlier than last year.[3] NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc is offering its top 10 pre-order DVD movie titles at just $10 and free home delivery on its entire assortment of DVD and Blu-ray titles in another move to win holiday sales. Walmart.com said on Thursday the offer includes popular movie titles such as "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" and "Julie and Julia".[4]
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. extended its holiday price war into new territory Thursday by slashing online prices on 10 hotly anticipated DVDs, including the new Star Trek and Harry Potter releases, to $10. Within hours, Amazon.com Inc. and Target Corp. matched some of Wal-Mart's online prices on pre-orders of the DVDs, and Wal-Mart lowered its price by a penny to $9.99, reprising the scuffle that broke out last month when Wal-Mart launched an aggressive $10 book promotion. Walmart.com Chief Executive Raul Vazquez has declared Walmart.com will roll out a series of similar price promotions heading into the holidays to underscore its claim to be a low-price leader online. "We remain committed to offering our customers the lowest prices online at Walmart.com, and will continue to adjust our pricing accordingly on these movie titles," said Walmart.com spokesman Ravi Jariwala.[5] And, once again, competitors Amazon.com ]] Amazon.com ]] Amazon.com and Target scrambled to match the prices. It's the latest salvo in an ongoing online push by Wal-Mart designed to make sure everyone knows it intends to be the low-price leader on the Web, as well as in stores. The retailer, based in Bentonville, Ark., said late Thursday that it would lower the online prices of new DVDs such as "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" and "Star Trek XI" to $10. When Amazon reduced some of its DVD prices to $9.99, Wal-Mart shot back by cutting its DVDs to $9.98 as of Friday morning.[1]
Promotions to sell new movie releases close to or below cost in order to drive customer traffic are already common in retailing. Just this week, Wal-Mart was advertising "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" at less than $14, which is less than analysts believe retailers pay for such titles. Target spokeswoman Kelly Basgen said the retailer, which had lowered its price on "Star Trek" by early Thursday evening, would counter on all 10 movie discs by Friday morning. "We are planning to match," she said, adding that Target would resume standard pricing once the DVDs begin arriving in stores.[5] Amazon.com (AMZN) and Target (TGT) have matched the move, prompting Wal-Mart to snip prices another penny to $9.99. As Pali Research analyst Richard Greenfield notes in a blog post this morning, the cut-rate DVD pricing for hot titles comes at a time when the movie business is struggling to cope with the rising popularity of $1-a-day rentals from kiosk operator Redbox, a unit of Coinstar (CSTR). Greenfield says at a $10 price the retailers are absorbing a hit on every sale; he says average wholesale pricing is around $18 apiece.[6] NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) said Thursday it is now offering its top 10 pre-order DVD movie titles at just $10 each online, signaling retailers continue to see the Internet as a major shopping vehicle. While retailers reported mixed results for October same-store sales, those that break out Web purchases saw a significant surge in Internet sales, and Andrew Lipsman, an analyst at ComScore Inc. (SCOR) said online retail sales are expected to show some growth this year after their.[7] NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Attention Wal-Mart shoppers: Cree Inc. light-emitting diodes will soon be lighting up the retail giant's stores in various aisles. Durham, N.C. -based Cree said Wednesday that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) signed a deal with the company to buy two kinds of its LED lights, which the retailer will install in 650 of its stores in the first year. Although the companies wouldn't disclose the value of this deal for Cree, or exactly how many lights Wal-Mart bought, this move has larger implications for the LED lighting industry and Cree. "I think it's an important milestone in what we've.[8] Like managers of winning baseball teams, the first speakers at the 99th annual conference of the Association of National Advertisers urged attendees on Friday morning to pay attention to the fundamentals of marketing, particularly as they grapple with the recession. '''You know what? The fundamentals work,''' said Stephen F. Quinn, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Wal-Mart Stores, who outlined how his company recovered after having '''lost its way''' when the booming economy led executives to believe that chasing the trend of '''mass affluence''' was the right thing for Wal-Mart to do. '''I'''m actually a little embarrassed about this work,''' Mr. Quinn said, referring to slides he showed of ads Wal-Mart ran '''as late as three years ago''' in magazines like Vogue that sought to present the retailer as a purveyor of trendy, higher-priced clothing.[9]
MEXICO CITY, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Retailer Wal-Mart de Mexico said on Friday its October same-store sales rose 5.1 percent from a year earlier, helped by an extra Saturday and its ability to keep prices low in tough economic times. Results were in line with analysts expectations, according to a Reuters poll this week. The company, known as Walmex, ( WALMEXV.MX ) recorded a slight 0.2 rise in the average ticket, or the money spent by customers on every visit they make to its stores or restaurants. Same-store customer traffic rose 5 percent in October, meaning its low-price campaigns are giving good results while keeping clients' loyalty.[10] With sales exceeding $400 billion it is six times larger than Procter & Gamble ( PG - news - people ), the largest consumer products company. Its revenues are more than the GDP of at least 144 nations. When a company is this big, the people running it are difficult to please and equally difficult to impress. One July morning this year the CEO of Wal-Mart ( WMT - news - people )'s international operation, Doug McMillon, was mighty pleased. He was visiting his newest baby--a large, month-old store on the fabled Grand Trunk Road just outside Amritsar in Punjab.[11]
Wal-Mart operates in three business segments: Walmart U.S., International and Sam'''s Club. The Company'''s Walmart U.S. segment accounted for 63.7% of its net sales, during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2009, (fiscal 2009), and operates stores in three different formats in the United States, as well as Wal-Mart'''s online retail operations, walmart.com. As of January 31, 2009, its International segment consisted of retail operations in 14 countries and Puerto Rico. This segment generated 24.6% of the Company'''s net sales in fiscal 2009. Its Sam'''s Club segment consists of membership warehouse clubs in the United States and the segment'''s online retail operations, samsclub.com.[12]
Prices dropped as low as $8.98. As books in the price war have come to market, prices have gone up, though the sellers are still discounting them heavily. Wal-Mart has been cutting costs and using those savings to lower prices for its shoppers, thereby pumping up its sales. The retailer knows that while the economy has been improving, consumers are still worried about the high unemployment rate heading into the holidays and will likely want to duplicate some of the bargains they experienced last year. Wal-Mart's DVD price cut follows its announcement late last month that it would reduce prices weekly on top-selling items from bananas to board games and hold those cuts through the holiday season.[2] Shortly thereafter, Wal-Mart lowered to $9.99 per DVD. The DVD price war, much like the book price battle held previously between Wal-Mart and Amazon.com, has resulted in prices that guarantee retailers would lose money on the sales with such narrowed margins.[13]
Prices dropped as low as $8.98. As books in the price war have come to market, prices have gone up, though the sellers are still discounting them heavily. Wal-Mart's DVD price cut follows its announcement late last month that it would reduce prices weekly on top-selling items from bananas to board games and hold those cuts through the holiday season. It is also offering more than 100 toys at $10 during the holidays. Aside from the discounts, Wal-Mart has tried to drive people to its Web site with a massive boost to its online product offerings.[1] Just as Wal-Mart did earlier this week, Amazon.com and Target.com are offering pre-orders of some of their most anticipated new DVDs at $10, with free shipping on the discounted DVDs. "This holiday season, and every day of the year, we are committed to ensuring that our guests know they can find outstanding values at Target.com," said Steve Eastman, president of Target.com. The $10 DVDs at both sites are Nov. 17 releases Star Trek and My Sister's Keeper ; Nov. 24 releases Angels & Demons, Four Christmases and Santa Buddies ; Dec. 1 releases Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and Terminator: Salvation ; Dec. 8 releases Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Julie & Julia ; and Dec. 15 release G-Force.[14] The top 10 pre-ordered DVDs are now available for $10 via Wal-Mart's Web site, saving consumers up to $20 off the list price, the No. 1 DVD retailer unveiled Nov. 5.[15]
Walmart.com has started to offer DVDs which are likely to be''hot sellers for only $9.99. Most have retail prices of $25 to $30, so the world's largest retailer is not likely to be making money on them. It is part of Wal-Mart's strategy to get people in the "door" and then sell them other items.[16] Amazon and Target dropped prices on DVDs which are likely to sell well to $10 within a few hours after the Wal-Mart move.[16] Greenfield says the lower prices will likely drive higher volumes for Viacom (VIA), with the Star Trek movie, Time Warner (TWX), for the Harry Potter movie, and News Corp. (NWS), for Night at the Museum 2. He adds that moving prices down to $10 will make it harder to persuade consumers to spend $15-plus on new releases in 2010 - let along $20 for Blu-Ray titles. "While the economy is recovering and certain DVD titles have performed well in the early part of Q4 2009, we believe consumer spending on DVDs will almost certainly decline again in 2010, with (less-profitable) rental continuing to grow its market share at the expense of retail DVD sales," Greenfield writes.[6] Wal-Mart cut its prices on 10 DVDs, which includes the new Star Trek and Harry Potter movies, to $10.[13] Bargain hunters, rejoice. As the Wall Street Journal notes this morning, Wal-Mart (WMT) has cut the price for 10 highly anticipated new titles - including the most recent Harry Potter and Star Trek movies - to $10.[6]
NEW YORK — First it was books. Now it's DVDs. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. started another price war Thursday, trimming the online preorder prices of some upcoming DVDs following its price cut on books last month.[1] Online Price War Moves To DVDs; 200 Waldenbooks Will Close Wall Street Journal, Detroit News The holiday price war moved to another front yesterday when Wal-Mart cut the online prices on 10 hot holiday DVDs and Amazon and Target quickly joined the battle.[17] Wal-Mart has chosen books and DVDs ''' two of Amazon's signature products ''' to launch the online price war. Of course, there's a lot of discounting that goes on online as part of the holiday shopping season, but Wal-Mart, Amazon, Target are selling these particular books and DVDs at prices that are guaranteed to lose them money. It will be interesting to see where the cat-and-mouse game moves next.[18] While Wal-Mart is the nation'''s biggest brick-and-mortar retailer, it faces big online competition from Amazon, which has steadily expanded beyond books to include all kinds of merchandise. Wal-Mart has also said it'''s slashing prices on its top 200 books by 50 percent or more online. It will be interesting to see if the price war expands to more books ''' and products '''as we head into the holiday shopping season.[19]
As the DVD titles come out, the prices will go up, but will probably be discounted less than what you would find in a Best Buy or any other brick-and-mortar location that sells DVDs. The AP story goes on and says that "Wal-Mart's DVD price cut follows its announcement late last month that it would reduce prices weekly on top-selling items from bananas to board games and hold those cuts through the holiday season." I am all for this competitive nature amongst online retailers.[20]
Wal-Mart is being challenged by book publishers for trying to create a monopoly in book sales. Low prices mean that it is harder for book companies to sell titles brought out at future dates at the normal $20 to $30 per copy''that they have traditional received.[16] The holiday price war is rippling through the publishing industry, where some are already concerned about Amazon'''s policy of pricing new release books for Kindle at $9.99. It seems Wal-Mart has something to prove, after a recent story about Amazon becoming '''Wal-Mart of the Web.'''[19] Now, we're seeing signs of a new round of heavy discounting on DVDs. As with the books, Wal-Mart started this one, and is following the same pattern: offering the top ten pre-selling DVDs online for about $10.[18] Wal-Mart yesterday slashed the price of online pre-orders on top-selling books to $10. Then Amazon lowered its price on those books to $10.[19] In response Amazon.com and Target also reduced the prices of some online pre-order prices. Now Wal-Mart's trying to up the savings ante, even it's by a few cents. $10 becomes $9.99 becomes $9.98.[20]
When Wal-Mart, Amazon.com and Target started getting into an online price war over top-selling books, it seemed only a matter of time before the battle moved to other products. Wal-Mart and Target are trying to pump up their ecommerce efforts across the board, not just with books.[18] Amazon and Target matched Wal-Mart's prices on select titles, and Wal-Mart shaved a few more pennies off. Wal-Mart seems to have something to prove after a recent New York Times story asked if Amazon, which has been steadily expanding its product selection, is becoming " Wal-Mart of the Web."[18]
Employees with more than three absences in a six-month period will be disciplined, and four demerits in six months leads to warnings that can lead to dismissal. A fifth absence, even if it's a sick day, will result in "active coaching" by management, according to the NLC report, and a sixth occurrence will activate a "Decision Day" when an associate can either be fired or put on a year-long trial period where they can be fired for any infraction and promotions are not allowed. Wal-Mart employees who call in sick don't get a sick day on their first day off, although they can use a vacation or personal day, meaning they won't be paid for that first sick day, according to a New York Times story.[21] The policy is leading to Wal-Mart employees coming in to work sick all of the time, according to the NLC. The irony there is thick because this summer Wal-Mart offered to help the U.S. Centers for Disease Control give H1N1 virus inoculations at its stores. On its Web site's frequently asked questions about swine flu, Wal-Mart says to follow the CDC recommendations and stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities.[21] At around 4:45 p.m., Wal-Mart employees began to evacuate the store, telling people there was an electrical problem inside, according to customers who were in the store at the time.[22] Target wrote on Nov 5, 2009 10:09 AM: " I know, I use to work for wal-mart for a few years and I use to hate how other employees treated other people or customers.[23] Holiday Season wrote on Nov 4, 2009 7:35 PM: " I worked at Wal-mart for one year which included the holiday season, after watching the way customers transform into hateful people around Christmas I now dread going to stores during the holiday season.[23]
LAS VEGAS (Legal Newsline)-A final settlement in a major class action against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. received final approval this week in federal district court in Las Vegas. The wronged workers in the case can expect to receive anywhere from $25 to $300, depending on their length of service and number of incidents claimed, while lawyers for the workers will receive one-third of the settlement -- up to $28 million. "The court finds that class counsel has achieved an exceptionally favorable result for the members of the settlement classes by diligently pursuing this complex litigation for years despite the substantial risk of no recovery." U.S. District Court Judge Philip Pro wrote in his 16-page ruling.[24] Live better.''' Wal-Mart is investing in a makeover of its private-label brands, Mr. Quinn said, under the Great Value name, and spending '''billions of dollars''' on improving the shopper experience through methods like making store aisles less cluttered. Wal-Mart is also introducing advertising campaigns offering advice, he added, like commercials that tell car owners how easy it is to save money by changing their own oil ''' with oil they buy at Wal-Mart, of course and how by eating one breakfast a week at home with Kellogg'''s cereals and other foods instead of eating out, a family of four could save an average of $900 a year. Wal-Mart is also stepping up its social and cause marketing, Mr. Quinn said, because '''the future is about standing for something good.'''[9]
In the early morning on the day after Thanksgiving 2008, Jdimytai Damour, a temporary employee of a Wal-Mart store in Valley Stream, N.Y., was trampled by a frenzied crowd of more than 2,000 early-morning shoppers. Wal-Mart and other chain stores heavily promote their specials for that day each year, hoping to lure large numbers of free-spending shoppers.[25] I have been to the Wal-Mart - Giant shopping center in Whitehall and it is a MESS 365 days a year! Cars are constantly either skidding to a hault to avoid another car or people. It's a cluster! It's not worth it to get a deal on Toilet paper people! And, Wal-Mart is the worst of them! They made the news today about not giving days off for employees who have the swine flu (H1N1).[26] Never Again wrote on Nov 5, 2009 7:55 AM: " Over a year ago, I had a Wal-Mart cake disaster. I ordered the cake 4 days before I needed it.They called me an hour before I was supposed to pick it up to tell me they didn't have the kit to make it. After going to the bakery to discuss the issue, the bakery manager rolled her eyes, laughed, supported her employees in the same behavior, was childish and obnoxious. Upper mgnmt. starred right through me while I explained their behavior.[23] L Wapnowski wrote on Nov 5, 2009 8:50 AM: " My dad was the 1st general mgr of the original walmart that was opened in 1988.At that time, Sam was still alive and the company still lived by his standards.When Sam passed, it all went to h-ll.My dad continued to work for the company for 22 years and, ultimately, in my heart of hearts I know the stress is what killed him.I, too worked as an auditor for them for 8 years and can attest to the horrible working conditions that many of the employees are under.However, if you don't like your job,[23] LMG wrote on Nov 5, 2009 8:34 AM: " I have been in line several times waiting to get checked out while the cashier and another employee are talking. First I thought it was work realted but by the time I approached the register to pay for my items they were talking about this person doing that and this with language that my children certainly did not need to hear.[23]
LocalGal wrote on Nov 4, 2009 11:22 AM: " I agree with you too, although my experiences have been different from yours. I would love to have other affordable shopping alternatives, but often it's the employees that are the problem, not the company itself. A grouch is a grouch is a grouch, no matter where they work. The good ones? It's just a shame their attitudes aren't contagious[23]
In 2002, a federal jury found the company forced Oregon employees to work unpaid overtime between 1994 and 1999. Wal-Mart has said that these complaints were filed years ago and are not representative of how the company now operates.[24] After 18 years at Wal-Mart McMillon knew the company is the best when it comes to retailing. It had never attempted a pure wholesale format anywhere in the world, including in the U.S. If anything, it has only played with hybrid models like Sam's Club, which caters to both bulk buyers and retail shoppers. The closest it had come to making a format like this work was something called Maxi in Mexico. That wasn't a pure business-to-business model.[11]
Its wall-to-wall influence in America may be waning, but Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is pushing its cart harder than ever to find its square inch in India. S Robson Walton, chairman of Wal-Mart Stores, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Wednesday, in what is seen as an effort by the world's second-largest company to press its demand for permission to invest in multi-brand retail.[27] NEW DELHI India's Trade Minister Anand Sharma said Friday Wal-Mart Stores Inc. wants to expand its operations in the country.[28]
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ( WMT - news - people ) no longer reports figures on a monthly basis.[29] Megaretailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to use LED lights inside 650 new and renovated stores.[30] The lighting retrofit comes as part of Wal-Mart's Project Impact, which will see through a remodeling and repositioning of many locations. Wal-Mart already has remodeled about 30 percent of U.S. stores and plans to have remodeled or built out 70 percent of its stores to the new standard by 2012.[30]
About 20 people took advantage of the open house in the first 30 minutes last night, including Robin Webster, an area resident who recently presented city council with a petition against Wal-Mart. Webster isn't against the store's expansion plans, he said, he just wants Wal-Mart to address concerns such as noise, bright lights and garbage.[31] Wal-Mart was founded in 1962, with the opening of the first Wal-Mart discount store in Rogers, Ark. The company incorporated as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Oct. 31, 1969.[12] Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 7,800 retail units under 55 different banners in 15 countries.[12] Sam Walton wrote on Nov 4, 2009 3:50 PM: " "Each Wal-Mart store should reflect the values of its customers and support the vision they hold for their community."[23] DMiller wrote on Nov 6, 2009 12:39 AM: " I may have run across one or two cranky or downright unfriendly employees while shopping at Wal-Mart, but overwhelmingly the cranky, rude and inconsiderate awards go to the customers.[23] The last day for past or current Wal-Mart employees to submit a request for a payment under the settlement is Nov. 9.[24] Wal-Mart employees who miss one or more days due to sickness or other reasons, including caring for a sick child, earn a demerit point and lose eight hours of wages.[21]
Dale, I gave my all to big blue Wal-mart for 8 years, the sick policy is bogus, and after Wal-Mart I never worked in a "Union Shop" the policies at my jobs since seem more in line of logic concerning sick days. if I'm sick I call in, I recieve 8 hours pay for each day i'm sick if I have sick time acrued,currently I have a mini vacation in sick time because I never know when it will be needed, I don't need to call in sick for a paid holiday because we have those and personal days ect. if I remember we had personal days at Wal-Mart too so there was no need to cheat to get off work.[21] You'll notice that staying away from work was included in that list. Wal-Mart told the New York Times that it has policies to make it easy for its workers to stay home sick, and that it insists that workers with H1N1 stay home. It's a tough call when you have bills to pay, but businesses that promote staying home if you're sick shouldn't hang the possibility of being fired over a worker's head for having to make that difficult decision.[21]
More than a hundred people were lined up at midnight. EBay Settles Skype Suit New York Times EBay has officially settled the litigation around its sale of Skype. The founders of the online calling service say they'll drop their lawsuits against the company and a consortium of buyers whose bid to purchase 65% of Skype was announced. Twitter Eyes Better Trend Targeting Venture Beat Twitter is doing it best to clean up its "trending topics" feature by returning more relevant results when uses look up popular keywords that other users are tweeting about.[17] NEW YORK -- Summary of sales at stores open at least a year in October for discount chains, with percentage increase or decrease over the same month last year. These sales are a key indicator of a retailers' health because they exclude sales at newly opened stores.[29] Walmex, as the country's biggest retailer is known, said total sales last month rose 12.8% from October 2008 to 21.72 billion pesos ( $1.62 billion ), helped by the opening of 30 new stores during the month.[32]
Despite gains in fellow luxury retailers Saks and Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus continues to struggle. The company said it has over $300 million in cash on hand and no borrowing outstanding on its credit facility. Though year-to-date same-store sales are 8.4% lower than they were a year ago, the luxury retailer managed to post solid gains in October.[33] With fiscal year 2009 sales of $401 billion, Wal-Mart employs more than 2.1 million associates worldwide.[12]
Wal-Mart purchased the former Cub Foods property from Supervalu Inc. for $3.6 million last year.[34]
Wal-Mart remains a strong, long-term company for the U.S. and will be sticking around for years to come.'' This stock may be a good buy on any weakness that brings the stock down to the $49 level.''[35]
In a New Yorker blog post this week, James Surowiecki questioned the American Booksellers Association's "dubious" claims about "illegal predatory pricing" by Wal-Mart (WMT) in its Book Price War with Amazon.com (AMZN). Here's more : " here's just no reason to believe that Wal-Mart is cutting prices now in order to raise them later: the company's entire history has been one of perpetual cost-cutting, even after it's become the country's dominant retailer."[36] Update: Wal-Mart cut the online price on the top-selling books by a penny. They'''re now $8.99.[19] Then Wal-Mart went down to $9 on the books, and Amazon matched the price cut.[19]
Wal-Mart has slashed the online pre-order prices of some hit summer blockbusters by more than half. This comes after the megastore cut prices on books during the month of October.[20]
"Our model revolves around scale. and offering good quality products at prices lower than others," says Raj Jain. "If we can't have that scale for whatever reasons--legal, financial or anything else--by and large we don't succeed in those markets. Let's be clear about this: If we enter India, we have a vision to be big." Which is why, when faced with two options--wait for the law of the land to change before setting up shop or gamble on the wholesale opportunity--it chose the latter. In spite of having the option to come in on its own, Wal-Mart chose to partner with Bharti Enterprises for the cash-and-carry wholesale business. It wasn't willing to repeat mistakes it had made in other parts of the world because it couldn't figure out local nuances early enough. It helped. As Sunil Mittal told FORBES INDIA a few weeks ago, "I went to Amritsar and they showed me some stores.[11] "We have a $4.8-5.3-billion fund earmaked for our international business. India can use as much as it wants," he had said. Wal-Mart announced its alliance with Bharti in 2006, but has opened only one cash-and-carry wholesale store since.[27] The constraint is more about how many cash-and-carry units can you get to open from a real estate perspective." What he really meant was that Wal-Mart is ready with a $5 billion-plus war chest for its international business. That if the Indian team, headed by Raj Jain, can find enough land to set up more stores of the kind operating in Amritsar, he can double the stakes.[11]
Wal-Mart responded the same day that it holds 35% stake in Trust-Mart and the companies are operating normally, as independent entities, said the report. Reports earlier this week said that Wal-Mart had suspended its plan to restructure Trust-Mart stores.[37] In just a few trading days America'''s behemoth of a retailer, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) is expected to deliver earnings.[35] According to analysts, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) is projected to post a third-quarter gain of 81 cents a share, which is right on target with the estimate 90 days ago.[35]
The chart for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) does not lend itself well to good technical analysis interpretation at the moment as the price is right in the middle of the upper and lower trend lines (blue and purple line in chart below).''[35] Comments from Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer, as well as from a host of smaller stores, will be of vital importance to investors trying to judge the recovery's pace.[38]
More than ten years down the line it lags French retail chain Carrefour, which, unlike Wal-Mart, gives greater autonomy to local store managers. To be fair to Wal-Mart, it's learned its lessons well.[11] Wal-Mart should see earnings of 81 cents per share, compared with 77 cents a year earlier, when it reports results on Thursday, according to analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. Kohls also will give its quarterly scorecard on Thursday. Higher-end department stores probably won't fare as well as their discount cousins.[38] Wal-Mart, which reports Thursday, is expected to see a slight profit improvement from a year earlier. Posting results are department stores Macy's Inc. (M) on Wednesday; Kohl's Corp. (KSS) and Nordstrom Inc. (JWN), both Thursday; and J.C. Penney Co. (JCP) on Friday.[39]
The fun of Black Friday shopping was marred last year when a Wal-Mart staff member was trampled to death as customers rushed to enter a Long Island, N.Y., store in search of holiday bargains.[25] Old Saybrook, Conn. -- Wal-Mart is getting ready for its Christmas rush on Black Friday. This season, the retailer is taking extra precautions after a man was trampled to death at a store on Long Island last year.[40]
Wal-Mart attorney Erich Schock said the township zoning ordinance requires the parking area layout to take into account vehicular traffic on and off the site, traffic within the site, loading areas, pedestrian patterns and any drive-through facilities. He argued the ordinance is vague and does not specify that a driveway cannot be placed in front of the store. Schock and Newton showed images of several other big-box retailers in the area, such as Target in South Whitehall Township and Wegmans in Allentown that have driving areas in front of the store.[26] Traffic is allowed to traverse the front of the store at that site. ''Those pedestrian patterns have, in practice, been found to be safe,'' Schock said. Zoning board solicitor Steven Miller said Wal-Mart officials could compare other retail sites with the plans for the Schnecksville store, but they could not refer to them as the ''industry standard'' and declare them to, therefore, be safe. Newton said other Wal-Mart sites that his firm has worked to design, in Lehighton and Trexlertown, also have driveways that cross the front of the store.[26] In 2005, Wal-Mart announced it was interested in buying a 22-acre site on Ruppert Road near the Iowa City Airport to build a 214,000-square-foot store. Iowa City Stop Wal-Mart sued to stop the purchase, and Wal-Mart dropped its plans when the lawsuit became lodged in the Iowa Supreme Court.[34] Wal-Mart is scaling back plans for a supercenter that will be built at the site of its current store along Highway 1 in Iowa City.[34]
City staff have supported Wal- Mart's application, but city council has been split between Wal-Mart's plan and a Loblaw plan to build a No Frills grocery store on the northeast corner of Chemong Rd. and Milroy Dr.[31] Wal-Mart welcomed residents to Northminster United Church to show measures it has taken or plans to put in place to curb complaints from neighbours. Wal-Mart wants to increase the floor space of its store to 190,000 square feet from 134,000 square feet. Most of the expansion would be used to increase the size of its grocery store space.[31] Plans designed by Wal-Mart engineer Bud Newton call for a looped driveway that would allow cars to circulate the entire parking area, including the paved area immediately in front of the store.[26]
Wal-Mart will offer a menu plan to serve eight people a Thanksgiving meal for $20.[17] Well, if people aren't going to buy legit DVDs from Wal-Mart at $10 a pop, the movie industry can't complain about piracy.[41] According to people familiar with the matter, Mr. Walton impressed upon the prime minister the benefits an organised retailer like Wal-Mart can bring to farmers as well as small and medium enterprises and in job creation.[27] The retail sector is considered to be the top job-creator in developed economies--Wal-Mart alone employs 2.1 million people globally--and leading international retailers have also helped in the creation and sustenance of a large chain of manufacturers in India, which export apparel and many other household items to developed economies. "We're stepping up growth in our international operations to take advantage of growing economies and opportunities in emerging markets such as China and Brazil," Wal-Mart executive vice-president and chief financial officer Tom Schoewe said in a statement two weeks ago.[27] The meeting between Mr. Walton and the Indian Prime Minister is, therefore, a significant move to the entire foreign retailers who want to enter into the Indian retail market. In August 2007, Wal-Mart entered into India with an agreement with its Indian partner Bharti Enterprises Limited to establish a joint venture Bharti Walmart Private Limited for wholesale cash-and-carry and back-end supply chain management operations in India.[12] The $404-billion Wal-Mart, which has a joint venture with the Bharti group that runs the country's largest telco for cash-and-carry wholesale trade and a franchise agreement for front-end retail, has been lobbying hard with the government for permission to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail. Rob Walton, the eldest son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, who took over as the chairman of the board of directors at Wal-Mart in 1992 following his father's death, is credited with the retailer's successful expansion in international territories.[27]
The company has over 8,000 retail units under 53 different banners in 15 countries and sees emerging markets as a significant source for growth. This is Mr. Walton's first visit to the country. It highlights the importance of India, the second-fastest growing economy after China, in Wal-Mart's scheme of things.[27] Indian newspaper Economic Times reported that the world'''s second largest company (Wal-Mart) has demanded for permission to invest in multi-brand retail in India which is currently not allowed by the Government of India.[12]
Wal-mart'''s office in Bangalore, southern Indian state of Karnataka, serves as Wal-Mart'''s Global Procurement (GP) hub for the sourcing of merchandise from India and Sri Lanka to Wal-Mart stores and Sam'''s Clubs globally.[12] Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Wal-Mart) operates retail stores in various formats worldwide.[12] Officials of Wal-Mart Stores East appeared before the township Zoning Hearing Board on Tuesday to request a zoning interpretation or a variance from the zoning officer's determination that the area in front of the store should be reserved for pedestrians.[26]
Wal-Mart is not the only one! Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, General Doller offer all kinds of merchandise in their stores.[23]
Q+A Douglas Ferguson How will we consume media in five and 10 years' time? Ferguson: When everything is digitized and libraries offer materials, we will have access to anything and everything whenever we choose, at a trivial long-tail price. Q+A Lance Broumand How will get your news in a few years? Broumand: I think it's one page that looks a lot like what the Drudge Report looks like right now.[17] Like the book war, which led the retailers to offer titles such as Stephen King's "Under the Dome" and Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue" at prices below wholesale cost, the DVD battle resulted in prices that guaranteed the retailers would lose money on the movies.[5]
The list, in order, includes Star Trek (Nov. 17), Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Dec. 1), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Dec. 8), Angels & Demons (Nov. 24), Four Christmases (Dec. 15), G-Force (Dec. 15), My Sister's Keeper with digital copy (Nov. 17), Santa Buddies (Nov. 24), Terminator: Salvation (Dec. 1) and Julie & Julia (Dec. 8). The retailer is also advertising free shipping to the home or consumers' local store for both new and catalog DVD and Blu-ray Disc titles.[15] New DVDs of Star Trek, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Julie Julia can be found for $10 or less. Now these savings are only applied to single disc titles. Those who like your DVD releases with all the extra bells and whistles will have to fork over more money.[20] The entire list of $10 pre-order DVD titles is available on walmart.com/movies.[4]
All three companies also sweetened the pot by offering free shipping for the DVDs being sold. The goal of such tactics is to drive higher volume, said BMO Capital Markets analyst Wayne Hood. He noted that some businesses like Wal-Mart and Target can afford to lower their prices and still be profitable because of their low-cost distribution models. [1] Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) is not satisfied challenging rivals like Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Target (NYSE:TGT) in the e-book and toy businesses. Its program to take the lion's share of the modest number of consumers likely to come out during the end-of-recession shopping season has been extended to DVDs.[16]
Though Wal-Mart, Amazon and Target always compete feverishly with aggressively priced promotions, the latest skirmishes, heading into a holiday season in which recession-scarred consumers are searching for bargains, have been especially cutthroat.[5]
Wal-Mart's stock fell 29 cents to $50.99 in afternoon trading, while shares of Target shed 7 cents to $49.63.[1] Traders kicked Wal-Mart'''s day off with a 13-cent gap up open to $50.51 a share.''[35]
Wal-Mart faced similar lawsuits in several states. In Pennsylvania, for instance, workers won a $78.5 million judgment in 2006 for working off the clock and through their breaks. In California, a $172 million verdict was entered in 2005 against the company for denying workers their lunch breaks.[24] Rumours of a final bill of over $1 million are out there -- all over, basically, where Wal-Mart should set up shop.[42]
CBS Interactive Reports Earnings Drop Of 15% Reflecting a weakened display advertising market, CBS Corp.' s third quarter Interactive revenues declined 15%, the company said on Thursday. That amounts to $121.3 million -- down from $142.3 million during the same quarter last year.[17] The company, which reports earnings next week, said that online sales remain strong, up 35% in October, even as total sales for the year were down 7.8%.[33] Year-to-date the company's sales are down 20% compared to last year, as the retailer continues to struggle amid the economic downturn.[33] U.S. stock markets are open although bond markets and government offices will be closed Wednesday for Veterans' Day. The world's largest retailer is among the companies posting results next week after retailers this week reported a modest gain in same-store sales for October, the second increase after a year of declines.[39]
The largest U.S. media company by market value cut costs along with the rest of the industry as ad sales slumped and consumers sought news and entertainment on the Internet.[39] The warehouse chain said the Midwest, Southeast, Northeast, Texas and Northern California were the strongest regions on the U.S. Nonfood improvement continued into October, but deflationary pressures still are being seen in prices of food and sundries. (Same-store sales change is for U.S. and excludes gasoline.) Both the company's high- and low-end chains performed well.[33]
Set up in a joint venture with Sunil Mittal's Bharti Group and called Best Price Modern Wholesale, they had signed on close to 35,000 members in the first couple of weeks (a number that has since ballooned to 70,000), bean counters at the store told him. They included small shop owners, hotels, restaurants, schools, colleges, the police force and even the Indian Army. Sales, they told him, exceeded expectations by almost 70%. Their only concern was whether stocks could cope with demand.[11] The Southwest region and the Home business were the strongest performers. The parent of Victoria's Secret said sales at those stores dropped 6% in the month, while La Senza posted a 7% drop. But, Bath & Body Works had a better month, posting a 2% increase in same-store sales.[33]
Going China wrote on Nov 4, 2009 11:49 PM: " The solution is simple; Don't shop at Walmart. It may be an inconvenience to shop at other stores, but at least they appreciate you business. I remember the days when most of Walmart products were made in the USA. Now, like all the dollar stores, ninety percent of their stuff comes from China or some other third-world country. We're killing ourselves by supporting these not-so-local merchants[23] TO Diana wrote on Nov 4, 2009 10:29 PM: " There are a lot of rude workers at walmart I will have to agree. If the store wants to keep customers I do believe they need to rethink who they hire and fire those who cannot make the customer happy.[23]
WMAssociate wrote on Nov 5, 2009 9:17 AM: " I love how the associates are getting pegged as the "cranky" ones. I am one of the MANY nice associates we have at this store. I smile, am courteous, and always ask how the person is doing and what I can do for them.[23]
Call Home Office wrote on Nov 4, 2009 9:50 PM: " Yes, call the 1-800-WAL-MART number with any and all complaints. That is the only way in which things will change in the store.[23]
The Indian retail landscape is filled with newcomers still trying to find a grip on the fast-evolving market. Future Group, India's largest retailer, runs several retail formats under the Big Bazaar, Home Town and eZone stores, while India Inc's big names Reliance Retail and Aditya Birla Group have their own chain of stores under brand names Reliance Fresh and More, respectively.[27] The Indian market, too, is crucial for Wal-Mart but current Indian laws don't allow foreign retailers to open multi-brand stores.[27] The technology to build Bharti's network of retail stores, Easyday, is licensed from Wal-Mart.[11] Walmart store managers are asking to hire local police to control crowds for the predawn Christmas rush on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Managers in Old Saybrook would not comment about the findings that they plan on hiring as many as four police officers for security on the busiest retail shopping day of the year.[40] Walmart also provides 2 days of personal time per year as well as vacation time to use for first day sick days, then you may use up to a weeks average hours worked as sick time which accumulates yearly if unused.[21] Ecommerce Declines For Two Consecutive Years For The First Time Ever During the third quarter of the year, ecommerce spending was down 2% year-over-year to $29.6 billion, according to new comScore research.[17]
Media Decoder is an insider'''s guide to the media industry that tracks the transformation of the movie business, television, print, advertising, marketing and new media. It's a showcase for the extensive media coverage throughout The New York Times and a window on how the business of connecting with consumers is changing in the digital age.[9] Q+A: Adam L. Penenberg Adam L. Penenberg is a journalism professor and assistant director of the Business and Economics program at New York University. His latest book, Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today's Smartest Companies Grow Themselves (Hyperion), will be on shelves in October. In the book, he explores trends. Q+A Lloyd Braun Who controls the media, and how (if it changes at all) does this control change? Braun: The consumer controls media.[17]
Like the book war that. Study Suggests DTC Drug Ads Don't Work Well; Others Dissent Business Week Market research firm Verilogue listened to 12,500 conversations between patients and physicians and came to the conclusion that direct-to-consumer drug advertising, controversial as it may be, isn't all that effective. Bottom line: Those consumers who actually do ask their doctors. DM Tip of the Week: Get Potential Customers To Dial YOU Forbes In an article titled "How To Take Your Business To The Next Level," Christopher Steiner suggests that entrepreneurs looking to acquire customers open a phone book and start dialing the numbers of other establishments in their field.[17] The Age of Consent Consumers may find it intrusive if not downright creepy, but marketers, under immense pressure to meet quarterly goals, depend on behavioral targeting to squeeze digital dollars out of dimes. The question is: Can it be done in such a way that is beneficial to everyone? DOA Q&A: Philip K. Dick At a time when the whole world feels like it's falling apart, who better to talk to than someone who suggested that might be the case? Church & State Can the news business survive once-sacred walls toppling? Work with me on this, because you, the reader, are an integral part of this story. I want you to pick up this magazine.[17]
Real estate agents always talk about location, location, location. It comes with a price when you buy a home, but location really comes with a price -- and this time for taxpayers -- if Wal-Mart takes you to the OMB. [42] Introducing lehighvalleytraffic.com -- a new site dedicated to helping you navigate around the Lehigh Valley! Get mobile alerts, live drive time updates, customizable traffic cameras, track area gas prices and more.[26] With an average delivery of 19.4 million viewers, the six-game World Series outdrew last year's. Gannett's 'Buzz' Services Attract New Advertisers Editor & Publisher USA Today reports that offerings on its offshoot Web site -- the Buzz Bureau -- represent around 1% of its advertising revenue, so far.[17] Smartphone, Ahem, 'Converged Device' Sales Continue to Climb Smartphone sales continued to hum along in the third quarter, with worldwide shipments up 4.2% in the period compared to a year ago, according to new data from technology research firm IDC. The total of 43.3 million smartphones, which IDC calls "converged devices," also increased 3.2% from the.[17] The 5.1% rise in same-store sales, excluding stores opened in the past year, was the result of a 4.9% increase in the number of customers and a 0.2% increase in the average receipt per customer, Walmex said. With the opening of five supermarkets so far this month, Walmex has 1,363, supermarkets, clothing stores and restaurants in operation.[32] The flagship Gap stores, however, posted a 6% drop in same-store sales. Despite struggles in recent months as the shine of gear from the teenage vampire movie "Twilight" begins to fade, the young-adult retailer said earning will be at the high end of its previous guidance.[33] Top-line revenue performance will be key in judging to what extent business is creeping back.October retail chain sales showed half of retailers fell short of Wall Street's expectations -- another blow for hopes of a widespread recovery for the holiday season."[38]
The Norwalk Fire Department doesn't want it to happen here, and Thursday held a holiday safety program for local stores in response to the tragedy. "Based on the events of last year's Black Friday, we decided to do this early enough so that retailers could look into their plans and make any changes if they wanted to," said Michele DeLuca, deputy director of the department's Office of Emergency Management. "This way, they know we're here to talk with them if they have any questions."[25] In the first year, that will come to 650 stores alone. The stores will replace ceramic metal halide lights, those honkers you see in the ceiling of big box retailers.[43]
Unsurprisingly, discount retailers are expected to do better. Wal-Mart and Kohls Corp are both expected to post slightly better third-quarter earnings than a year ago.[38] Professor Anil Gupta, who has tracked Wal-Mart's progress around the world and teaches strategy at the University of Michigan, says, "I spoke with senior executives from Wal-Mart a couple of years ago, wanting to find out how global the company's mind-set is. I had an instrument to do this. They said, 'Don't give it to us.[11] Our global mind-set is below zero--we are a U.S. company doing business abroad, not a global company.'" Under its current CEO Mike Duke, Wal-Mart has made big strides: In 2007 more than 50% of Wal-Mart's assets were abroad.[11]
"Wal-Mart's future is clearly outside the U.S.," says Gupta. Its experience in other parts of the world has been patchy. In Mexico, when it started out in 1991, it set up a huge American-style parking lot outside its discount store.[11] The only one that tried was Germany's Metro--the world's largest wholesale operation. It never quite figured out India. It isn't that Wal-Mart was clueless of the India opportunity. After China, this is the only country where it sees enough potential to plant at least 1,000 stores.[11] Wal-Mart has been sourcing a variety of products from suppliers in India for more than 20 years.[12] Last year, the city council amended the multi-business zoning to allow for Wal-Mart to build just a single business at the site, which also includes the former Cub Foods and Staples buildings.[34] The Iowa City Council cleared the way for the Wal-Mart to be built when it voted 6-1 to amend the existing zoning agreement to allow for just a single business to occupy the site.[34]
Explore new technologies that are driving the future of the publishing business. Fill out the following information and click on the Send button in order to send this post, Wal-Mart Pricing Not Predatory?, to a friend.[36] Wal-Mart is the world's second-largest company after ExxonMobil ( XOM - news - people ).[11] My husband had a video camera and I had a little camera, which we used to take pictures of the joyous event. We both (as well as many other people) got yelled at by Wal-Mart employees, telling us that picture-taking was against policy in Wal-Mart.[23] Wal-Mart is notorious for abusive and skirt the law employment practices. Like most big greedy corporations, they care only for the bottom line and consideration for the well being of their employees doesn't even enter the picture.[21]
Rude, Hateful customers is what changes the mood of employees, If you dont believe me go to Wal-mart the day after Thanksgiving and watch the fights[23]
I'm sorry but Wal-marts sick pay 1 day no pay second day we will pay actually causes more cheating of the system why bother going back on day 2 or 3 even if I'm better? I'll actually get paid for being out. sorry no reason for Union bashing.[21] Okay, you apparently have never worked at walmart. A person that lives in my household works at one of the walmart stores and he can tell you that NO it does not count as just one sick day.[21] We were all punished the same!! And by the way. If we were out more than 3 days, we too had to come back with a Dr note but guess what??? That Dr's note DIDN'T stop them from writing us up. Get off that crap as to "why" companies have these rules/polices because until YOU try to work for a company like that, you have NO IDEA what it's like and how frustrating it can be!!! And YES, Walmart IS CONTRADICTING itself.[21]
"I'm not so much opposed (to expansion). I think they should fulfil obligations on the first part before they get approved for the second part." Chemong Rd. resident John Hunter said Wal-Mart had addressed some of his issues, but said he was skeptical because the company had made promises in the past it didn't keep. "It's pretty hard to fight Wal- Mart. They will get what they want in the end, they usually do," he said. "They have done work to address most concerns. I'm interested to see if they follow through."[31] Years ago, when the first Wal-Mart came to town, my youngest daughter and I went with excitement to shop. I wanted some fabric, and while we were waiting for it to be cut, the saleslady was really cranky.[23] A leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity, Wal-Mart ranked first among retailers in Fortune Magazine'''s 2009 Most Admired Companies survey.[12] Indian law prevents foreign retailers from selling directly to consumers. If they intend to take the wholesale route, though, they're welcome to open shop. But Wal-Mart had a lot of thinking to do before it took the plunge.[11] U.S.-based Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has a joint venture in India.[28] Wal-Mart's key executives have been visiting India in a bid to test the local political and business climate. With the arrival of Mr. Walton, it seems Wal-Mart is stepping up its efforts.[27] Rumors began circulating on November 5 that Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT ) plans to sell its stake in China's Trust-Mart hypermarkets, reports Beijing Business Today.[37] Wal-Mart announced plans in 2008 to build an 189,000-square-foot supercenter at 1001 Highway 1 W. with a target opening of early 2011. To do so, it would demolish its existing building at the address as well as the former Cub Foods and Staples buildings nearby.[34] Unlike many other communities, the City of Stratford isn't vowing to keep Wal-Mart out at all costs; it is merely saying what areas of the city are currently available for that sort of development. That certainly seems reasonable and well within the jurisdiction of a fairly elected government that did its due diligence before drawing up its official plan and, by extension, that decision.[42]
Town leaders were hoping to decide Wednesday whether to settle a lawsuit filed by Wal-Mart. After an attorney for the retail giant presented a new settlement draft, council members said they need another month to review the changes. [44] The difference between books and movies is that the largest studios have more financial clout than book publishing houses do. It will be a Merry Christmas for people who want to buy DVDs''from the most popular movies. Maybe those people will buy a new Blu-ray player of flat screen TV to go with their DVDs. And, maybe they won't.[16] The retailer is slashing the online price of 10 big-buzz books to $9 each.[41] SNL: Online Radio Revs Grow 12% In '09 Bad economy or no, online radio is poised to boom. Total online revenues are expected to grow 12% in 2009 to $441 million, according to a new forecast from SNL Kagan, followed by 20% growth in 2010, when they should top $530 million.[17] In yesterday's online poll, we asked readers if they thought Peterborough Regional Health Centre could have reached a deal to sell the former St. Joseph's Hospital to developer Shahid Kamal for $2.7 million -- 79% said yes, 21% said no.[31]
By taking out the light bulbs in the coke machines on the premises, the company saved $1 million a year.[43] Everyone complains and then keeps coming back and spending money to the tune of $80 million per year[23]
Last December, the Bentonville, Ark. -based retailer agreed to pay as much as $640 million to resolve 63 class action lawsuits involving wage and hour violations across the nation.[24] CKX Revs Dip as 'Idol' Loses Luster 9 hours ago CKX, the company behind "American Idol," saw operating income drop 50% to $11.0 million in the third quarter -- mostly from weaker advertising sponsorship.[17]
I have been guilty of supporting Wal Mart for quite a while, but when I started not being able to find items and then almost insulted for asking the whereabouts, I decided that the Walton's (and China) didn't need what few pennies I have to spend. Leave a message and someone from this store HAS to call you back within 24 hrs. they will invite you in to talk to mngmt and HAVE to offer you a $25 gift card to appease you. if they dont call within 24hrs, they HAVE to offer you a $50 card. if they pay out enough, they'll make some changes. no matter what the complaint, rude staff, no checkouts, etc[23] Debate on the $1 trillion health-care overhaul bill is set to start Saturday morning, with hopes for a vote late in the day. Democratic leaders said liberal members of their party won't be given time to offer an amendment for a government single-payer health-insurance system.[39] From time to time, we will send you e-mail announcements on new features and special offers from The Wall Street Journal Online.[8] Real Time Economics offers exclusive news, analysis and commentary on the economy, Federal Reserve policy and economics.[33]
Amazon has been very aggressive about price matching items found in weekly circulars or on the web. They read bargain website forums and try to match offers the best they can. One of the best carrots they offer is no sales tax (depending on the state in which you live) and and no shipping costs. Both are a good thing in this turbulent economy.[20] EA's MLG Live Event Could Rev Declining Sales Electronic Arts has partnered with Major League Gaming to offer online and live video game competitions. This weekend the companies arrive in Anaheim, Calif., to build bonds with gamers.[17]
Alice wrote on Nov 6, 2009 4:50 AM: " Yes, picture taking is forbidden inside of Wal Mart's walls. They do not want their competition to perhaps see a newly set mod that they could reproduce and take sales away from their multibillions. Wal Mart worships the false idol of money and it comes before EVERYTHING else including treating their associates like human beings.[23] Many large retailers reported their October sales numbers this week, with most of them coming out the morning of Thursday, Nov. 5.[33]
The company saw strength in apparel sales last month, and noted that despite the drop in same-store sales, there was an increase in store traffic.[33] The company continues to buck the weakness in the retail sector, with same-store sales up 20% year-to-date.[33]
The AP has a story today about the upcoming holiday season and what it could mean for DVD sales.[20]
Target Unveils 'Snackable' Videos For The Holidays Brandweek Video clips running 15-20 seconds on the Target Web site offer lighthearted takes on the holidays, commenting on the likes of crazy family traditions, Brian Morrissey reports. "It's snackable content," says the agency that created the spots, which Target also.[17] FCC Looks at Plan for First-Run Movies on Cable Bloomberg U.S. regulators say they are "actively" working on a request from Hollywood to use anti-piracy technology so studios can offer first-run movies over cable and satellite services.[17] Luxury auto brand Infiniti is launching a new marketing campaign that celebrates the brand's 20th anniversary in the U.S., while offering leasing and financing offers.[17]
As the adoption of video platforms proliferates beyond the realm media and entertainment, Brightcove and Ooyala remain the vendors to beat, according to a new Forrester Research report. The two, "lead the pack with their end-to-end product offerings that target organizations of all sizes," according to Forrester senior.[17] NEW YORK (Reuters) - As unemployment in the United States edges above 10 percent, anxious investors will look to earnings reports from major retailers for signs of life in the beaten-up consumer.[38] I guess that's not really so surprising, is it? The Great Outdoors Consumers are spending more on outdoor living items, giving a much-needed boost to category retailers and marketers this year, according to Research and Markets' "Outdoor Living Trend Report 2009," released Sept. 1.[17]
The company's shares began trading on OTC markets in 1970, and were listed on the New York Stock Exchange two years later. [12] Metro New York continued to be the strongest region for the company, while Southeast also performed well.[33]
Walmart, the mega-retailer that helped put energy consumption on the agenda for corporate executives, said it will use light emitting diode lights from Cree in new stores and retrofitted ones. [43] That Walmart in Safford is a joke. They sure also love catering to the nearby reservation also. Every time my wife and I shopped there employees had attitudes and only 3-4 checkout lanes would be open so why have over 20 of them? Good luck Safford and Thatcher residents with that store[23] If the store is filled with rude employees like yourself is presenting to be, then no one will shop there and the store will close. Therefore you'd loose your job anyway. If you cannot be nice, then simply smile and walk away or find an employee that can be nice and let them do your job[23]
Traffic lanes around the perimeter of the building provide direct emergency vehicle access along all sides of the building without obstruction. This is "industry standard" for big box stores. Look around, these areas are typically designated "FIRE ZONES". This sounds like the zoning officer, Ken Nicholson, is trying to stir up trouble as usual. He looks problems that don't exist, and then he hides when it's time to support his constantly changing views.[26]
In Germany Wal-Mart couldn't match up to entrenched players like Metro and Aldi. It finally took a billion-dollar hit, sold to Metro and got out. Its first foray into Asia was in Hong Kong. It was unlucky with its partner.[11] AGREE 100 wrote on Nov 4, 2009 1:54 PM: " I agree! A while back I was in Wal-Mart and started putting my items on the counter. An elderly lady in front of me put up the little plastic divider so they could be divided.[23] To Johnb wrote on Nov 6, 2009 1:16 PM: " You should have left and gone over to Ace Hardwares paint department, the employees that work there are always asking if you need help and know exactly what they're doing.[23]
I shop at Dollar General and Bashas'. They both have friendly helpful employees, and I feel they appreciate my business. A lot of their prices are very competitive also.[23] GalleyCat has been tracking the stock performance of the major companies that influence the bookselling business. We created this chart with eight publicly-traded publishing stocks hand-picked by our readers--including company name, symbol, current stock price, and price increase or decrease at week's close.[36] "We remain committed to offering our customers the lowest prices online at Walmart.com, and will continue to adjust our pricing accordingly," a company spokesman tells the Wall Street Journal.[41] Amazon.com ( NASDAQ:AMZN ) and Target Corp. ( NYSE:TGT ), not to be outdone, followed suit hours later lowering online prices on some pre-orders of DVDs.[13] When I lived in Tucson I always shopped at Target even though the prices were slightly higher. It was worth it to me to have friendly service, clean stores, and shorter lines[23]
Irsik said the new store will be 150,000 square feet and will be designed to improve the customer experience. [34] To ensure a safe experience for shoppers and retailers, the fire department suggests that stores stage Black Friday drills beforehand, set up barricades to reduce the risk of crowd surge and maintain adequate aisle widths for customers.[25]
Now the retailer plans to build a smaller, 165,000-square-foot store that would be open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. On Wednesday night, several residents said they worried a Walmart would bring more traffic, noise and crime to the neighborhood.[44] "We will roll it out rapidly," says Jain. The plan is to set up at least 15 such stores across the country in the next two years.[11] The company plans to exit from Chapte/r 11 bankruptcy protection early next year.[17] U.S. District Judge Denny Chin set the deadline last month, about a year after Google announced a settlement aiming to resolve separate lawsuits that the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers filed against the Internet giant in 2005. The lawsuits claim the company's book- scanning efforts violated their copyrights. That settlement, which was years in the making, is being redesigned amid growing criticism. Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives are planning to have the chamber vote this weekend on health-care legislation, then take a week-long break.[39]
Jeff Zucker Is Not Going Anywhere Jeff Zucker, CEO and president of NBC Universal, has been trying to turn digital dimes into digital dollars for years. Currently he's delivering tv programs online through Hulu, transforming nbc tv stations into hyper local Web destinations, and selling tv advertising based on the Internet's automated, targeted model. Jonathan Miller Preaches the Agnostic Gospel of the Cloud Jonathan Miller is more determined than ever to crack interactive media's money-making code in his new job as News Corp.' s digital chief. He's got plenty of learning experience to draw from, both as a partner at venture capital firm Fuse Capital and as the chairman and CEO of.[17] The nyc Wine and Food Festival had taken over half the Meatpacking District for the weekend, putting the focus. Trim Marks Original online video took a beating this year, but the shine hasn't quite worn off yet. Despite a string of high-profile broadband start-up flops earlier in the year, media companies like Alloy Media + Marketing, studios like Generate and Web destinations such as the Sony-owned Crackle continue to.[17]
Homegrown businesses like the Future Group have more than a decade's head start. Others like Reliance and A.V. Birla have learned from their mistakes and are now looking to regroup their strategies. That is missing the trees for the forest. All of them cater to a $20 billion organized retail opportunity. [11]
Some worried that it would set troublesome new customer expectations on bestseller prices and even affect the amount of future advances publishers could afford to pay writers.[5] An Amazon spokesman did not immediately return requests for comment. Company executives previously have downplayed competition with other retailers, even as they quickly adjusted their prices.[5] The world's largest retailer has already lowered prices on items ranging from flat-screen TVs to popular toys and groceries as it tries to woo shoppers ahead of Thanksgiving and the holiday shopping season.[4]
The city's official plan says that any new significant retailers need to set up shop somewhere else: downtown or the west or south ends.[42] Your source of news on brands, retailers, distributors, new products, innovation, business deals from all over the World.[12]
Updates from Facebook and Twitter are now central to people's information networks, much like bulletins from news wires or major dailies.[17] At the walmart I worked at we DID actually have people die at work. There was also 1 lady who asked to go home early because she didn't feel well.They told her no,and when she got off work,she drove home parked her car and collapsed dead in her driveway. It is true,the walmart in sylva nc.July 2008.[21] Well I had to wait untill the sales assts. stoped complaining about another asst. then butted in to get one question answered. It's not my problem' if they don't like one of their co-workers,,and it's deffinately not my business.Neadless to say I didn't buy anything[23] Popular titles like "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" and "Julie and Julia" are all included in the sale.[45]
"Stay away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick," the Wal-Mart site recommends. [21] The thing most people don't know is now we are also threatened with termination for calling in sick. Nothing is excused even with a doctors note!! We have all been waiting and hope some of the things they are doing now would be brought to light. Since they know how bad we need our jobs some stores are using threat tactics on a daily basis.[21] With the infusion of investor capital, the company grew to 276 stores in 11 states by the end of the decade. In 1983, the company opened its first Sam'''s Club membership warehouse, and in 1988 opened the first supercenter -- now the company'''s dominant format -- featuring a complete grocery in addition to general merchandise.[12]
Walmart is selling the Xbox 360 Arcade console for $199 this Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, but the package includes a $100 gift card -- shazam! "If you were thinking about purchasing an Xbox 360 this. [21] "We are anticipating about 500 people at 5 a.m.," said Aref Ahmeg, assistant manager of P.C. Richard & Son on Connecticut Avenue. "We will make sure of what's going on around us and will be communicating with employees and customers to make sure they are as safe as possible."[25]
SOURCES
1. The Associated Press: Deja vu: Wal-Mart, Amazon, Target in DVD price war
2. The Associated Press: Deja vu: Wal-Mart, Amazon, Target in DVD price war
3. Target fights Wal-Mart with $10 offers on DVDs | Entertainment | Industry | Reuters
4. Walmart.com offers top 10 pre-order DVD movie titles at $10 | Technology | Internet | Reuters
5. Wal-Mart, Amazon, Target Battle Over DVDs - WSJ.com
6. Online Price War Spreads From Books To DVDs - Tech Trader Daily - Barrons.com
7. Wal-Mart Offering Top 10 Pre-Order DVD's For $10 Online - WSJ.com
8. Cree To Light Up 650 Wal-Mart Stores' Aisles With LEDs - WSJ.com
9. A.N.A. Hears Marketers Stress Fundamentals - Media Decoder Blog - NYTimes.com
10. UPDATE 1-Mexico's Walmex Oct same-store sales up 5.1 pct | Reuters
11. Wal-Mart Comes to India - Forbes.com
12. FBD: Wal-Mart Chairman meets Indian Prime Minister
13. Wal-Mart Moves on from books, Launches DVD Price Battle (WMT,AMZN,TGT) - Comtex SmarTrend Alert
14. Amazon.com, Target.com Hold $10 DVD Sale | homemediamagazine.com
15. Wal-Mart Offers New-Release Movies For $10 | homemediamagazine.com
16. Wal-Mart (WMT) Drives Price Wars To DVDs 24/7 Wall St.
17. MediaPost Publications - Home of MediaDailyNews, MEDIA and OMMA Magazines
18. Retailers' online price war moves to DVDs: What's next?
19. Who will blink first in book price war? | Ethiopian News - EthioPlanet.com, Ethiopian Politics, Entertainment, Ethiopia
20. Inside Pulse Movies | DVD Price Wars is Where It's At
21. Wal-Mart's sick leave policy risks spreading swine flu
22. News: Wal-Mart evacuated following bomb threat | wal, store, mart : ENCToday - WAP
23. Opinion : Customer tired of cranky Wal-Mart employees - Eastern Arizona Courier
24. LegalNewsline | Judge approves Wal-Mart class action settlement with workers
25. Firefighters hold holiday safety event - NewsTimes.com
26. Wal-Mart's traffic plans worry North Whitehall -- themorningcall.com
27. Wal-Mart's New India Push - BusinessWeek
28. India Min: Wal-Mart Wants to Expand Business - WSJ.com
29. Discount store sales comparisons for October - Forbes.com
30. Wal-Mart Adding LEDs to 650 Stores Environmental Leader Green Business, Sustainable Business, and Green Strategy News for Corporate Sustainability Executives
31. Wal-Mart shops for support - Peterborough Examiner - Ontario, CA
32. Wal-Mart De Mexico October Same-Store Sales Up 5.1% On Year
33. October Sales: How Retailers Fared - Real Time Economics - WSJ
34. Wal-Mart proposes smaller store | press-citizen.com | Iowa City Press Citizen
35. Wal-Mart Earnings Anticipation | WallStNation.com
36. Wal-Mart Pricing Not Predatory? - mediabistro.com: GalleyCat
37. JLM Pacific Epoch - Wal-Mart Rumored to Sell Trust-Mart stake
38. Stocks Eye Retailers as Jobless Ranks Swell - ABC News
39. US EQUITIES WEEK AHEAD: Retailers Report, Sept Trade Deficit
40. Store Looks To Police For Holiday Help - Connecticut News Story - WFSB Hartford
41. Retailers Sell Flicks Online at Less Than Cost - Business News Summaries | Newser
42. Yes, Wal-Mart's OMB appeal is still being heard - The Beacon Herald - Ontario, CA
43. Greentech Media: Walmart to Outfit New, Renovated Stores With LEDs. 650 Stores in First Year | Green Light
44. Town leaders say they need more time to review draft settlement -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
45. Wal-Mart Offers Top 10 DVD Pre-Orders for $10 Each (WMT) - Comtex SmarTrend Alert
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