Wal-Mart to Offer Components for DIY Computers

FearTheFrail writes "Reuters reports that Wal-Mart is preparing to put "build your own computer counters" in 1200 of its 3200 stores, with plans to do so in at least 1400 by the end of the year. Maybe this will bring on an influx of new hardware enthusiasts, along with plenty of horror stories about attempted computer assembly. Do you think this will have an effect on the OEM parts market? And what about the operating systems to be offered? Will Wal-Mart shoppers migrate to Linux in order to save a hundred bucks or more, or will they even have the chance?"

Comments

I hope prices drop!

[Anonymous Coward]

Could Wal-Mart as a hardware vendor significantly reduce hardware prices, or is that unlikely?

Re:I hope prices drop!

[Anonymous Coward]

Could Wal-Mart as a hardware vendor significantly reduce hardware prices, or is that unlikely?

It will reduce quality, but keep up the prices. A win-win situation for everyone*.

* Except for the poor sods known as customers.

Re:I hope prices drop!

[SoCalChris]

And on that same note...

Just because someone shops at WalMart, doesn't mean they're poor.

For some disposable items, such as baby formula & diapers, the WalMart brand is every bit as good as name brand items, costing nearly twice as much.

Re:I hope prices drop!

[HappyDrgn]

Heck yeah, WalMart Diapers have saved me at least $1,000!! They hold "baby droppings" just as well as Huggies too!

Formula I always bought at Costco though, it's even cheaper there...

All that being said, I think that shows that computers won't drop in price just because WalMart stocks them cheaper. After all, diapers never got cheaper at the grocery store because of WalMart. Some people will still go to Dell or whomever for their high priced low quality systems.

Re:I hope prices drop!

[James_G]

Do you really think that every bulk purchasing or cheapo store has their own brand of, say, baby formula? Is it logical that they'd develop and sell their own version of every single generic item in their store? Of course not..

What you're seeing is market segmentation. The companies which make the "branded" formula sell it under their brand at every possible location, and at full price, and then license it out to the people like Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam's Club, etc.. to sell as a generic, at a much lower price. Given the choice between not selling it at all at the full price to a section of the market, and selling it at a lower price, they're going to go for selling it at a lower price every time. You can read an interesting explanation of this technique in the context of software over here.

The same is true for most of the "generic" items you're going to find at these stores. If you can get over the fact that you're not buying the branded item, you can save a boatload of money while not sacrificing quality one iota.

Re:I hope prices drop!

[homer_ca]

Have you tried their store brand cola, the Sam's Choice? It's pretty crappy and flavorless. I'm not being a brand snob. Even the Shasta cola from the 99 Cent store tastes a lot better. Walmart beats their vendors so far down on price that quality inevitably suffers, and if it's some name-brand item that can't be made cheaper and differently from the ones sold in other stores, the Walmart price usually isn't that great.

I've never had a problem with the supermarket or Costco store brands. The Kirkland stuff from Costco beats the quality of many name brands.

Re:I hope prices drop!

[James_G]

It's an interesting point.. Probably the beverage market is big enough that there are several crappy choices which they can sell as generic. It's when you look at much more speciality items like formula and diapers (to pick 2 items which have featured heavily in my life for the last 9 months) that you're getting basically re-branded versions of the real things. This is definitely true for Costco, at least.

Re:I hope prices drop!

[nolife]

My kids are a lot older now but I still remember arguing with my mother-in-law about why I should buy "baby" apple juice. It was like $1.50 for a 8 oz glass bottle of Kerber Apple juice for babies. The ingredients were Apple juice from concentrate and filtered water. I could buy a damn gallon of regular premium 100% pure apple juice for $2.50 and add my own filtered water to reach the same concentration level of the baby version. My estimate was the baby version was 75% Apple juice and 25% water based on my unscientific color and taste tests. I probably could have busted out my deluxe pool water test kit and ran a series of pH, alkalinity and total dissolved solids tests on my mixtures and got more accurate results but I gave up trying to convince her.

Re:I hope prices drop!

[kabz]

Woo Hoo !!!! $8.88 Hard Drives !!!

Sweet!

Re:I hope prices drop!

[VanessaE]

The same is true for most of the "generic" items you're going to find at these stores. If you can get over the fact that you're not buying the branded item, you can save a boatload of money while not sacrificing quality one iota.

This isn't always the case! One example of this not working to the customer's advantage is the 1/2 pound bar of Jaques Belgian chocolate Wal*mart used to sell. Months ago (probably over a year by now, I've lost track), they suddenly stopped carrying it, replacing it with a generic "Sam's Choice" thing.

Since chocolate is one of those things you just do not skimp on, I decided immediately not to bother trying it, at least for a while. The thing is, it wasn't until I got a (very quick) reponse to my email to the Jaques chocolate company, that I learned that that generic chocolate was in fact Jaques brand. The representative said that they had signed a contract with Wal*Mart so they could continue selling it for cheap, or some such.

It was at that point that I started buying the generic. It was introduced at the same price ($2/pound) as the branded version, but now, ironically, the generic-labelled version is about 76 cents a pound more expensive, at least in this area. So much for prices going down when you go generic!

Re:I hope prices drop!

[Beer Moon]

Sort of hard to describe it as a "coin", when the one side (lower quality items) is much more prevalent than the other side (same quality-lower price).

Think about it. If the company could AFFORD to sell their product for a lower price, why do it just for WalMart? Why not lower their price in EVERY STORE EVERYWHERE, and increase their profits by making it more affordable to everyone, not just WalMart shoppers?

The reason this doesn't happen, is that companies are ALREADY selling their products for the lowest amount possible. If they want to make the product cheaper, they need to use cheaper materials, or pay the people who make those products less (fewer benefits, etc).

Wal-Mart is not a magic low-price fairy, they're the demons of low quality, low wage, no-benefit society. By buying stuff at Wal-Mart, you encourage companies to cut benefits to their employees, and move to countries with fewer worker rights - creating even more people who are poor and think they need to shop at Wal-Mart.

Re:I hope prices drop!

[jahudabudy]

is that companies are ALREADY selling their products for the lowest amount possible.

That is true in a few very highly competitive markets, but for the most part, companies sell their products for the HIGHEST amount possible. This means the price point where raising the price loses them money due to lost sales. Name brand recognition plays a huge factor in a lot of people's willingness to purchase. A lot of people will gladly pay $75 for a shirt with a cool logo on it, but will never purchase the identical shirt for $25 w/o the logo. Of course, clothing in an extreme example of this particular phenomenon, but it exists in a watered down version in a lot of different product markets.

Re:I hope prices drop!

[brooke_nobody]

I just can't fathom many computer building enthusiasts using Wal Mart parts in their machines. Unless they start carrying top brand names like Intel/AMD for CPUs, nVidia/ATI/Sapphire/BFG/EVGA/etc. for video cards, ASUS/ABIT/etc. for motherboards, Corsair/Crucial/OCZ/etc. for RAM, yaddi yadda, most hardcores won't buy their components there. If they do start carrying these brand names and slash prices, it'll really stir up the DIY scene and places like Newegg will probably feel it. Competition like that may reduce prices for the common customer but it will probably hurt the economy. Lets have more people with degrees working at Walmart because they can't find well paying jobs (or any job for that matter) elsewhere...

Re:I hope prices drop!

[vux984]

The trouble is, sometimes the name brand really is much better. I've paid 45 bucks for a "brand name t-shirt" and seen "the identical shirt for $15 w/o the logo" ... and some times it IS the identical shirt, but as often as not, after your wash them 3 or 4 times the $25 shirt has practically disintegrated, while the good version still looks brand new.

It may have looked the same, but the dye quality, cotton quality, stitching quality etc were vastly different.

In other cases, the name brand and generic brand are made at the same factory, but are not the same product. For example, film is supplied by the same company to both Fuji, and a generic brand... but they AREN'T the same product.

In yet other cases, the generic brand will be marginal product; made by the brand name company, but within looser specifications. Where the best batches are brand name, and lesser runs are generics. Soaps and detergents might be more variable in terms of strength, and ph than what gets labeled as brand name, etc.

Or it might be the 'same' product, but without the same Quality Control or where QC has looser guidelines. Sometimes its the same, but sometimes its not, as units that would have failed for brand name labelling are ok for generics.

When you buy a generic, you just don't know. Its often not just straight up artificial market segmentation. Most of the time generics will skimp on quality or materials, because they can get away with it, the unanswered question for most products is just how much??

Re:I hope prices drop!

[AK Marc]

even cheaper than formula and disposable diapers, try breast feeding and reusable cloth diapers

From the data I've seen, cloth diapers aren't cheaper than disposables. With cloth, you have to pay energy and water, plus detergent to get them clean, or pay a service to care for them. Disposables are no worse and much more convenient.

Re:I hope prices drop!

[HappyDrgn]

Agreed, my sister-in-law tried, and still uses cloth diapers. The increase in their electric bill was equal to, and sometimes exceeding, my monthly cost of diapers.

Re:I hope prices drop!

[Bloke down the pub]

It was introduced at the same price ($2/pound) as the branded version, but now, ironically, the generic-labelled version is about 76 cents a pound more expensive

Perhaps they worked out that pounds are different to kilos?

Oh no

[saskboy]

I can see it now:
Customer - "The computer memory won't upgrade."

Walmart - "What was the problem?"

Customer - "I put it inside the CDROM drive and didn't get any more hard drive space."

Walmart - "Alrighty then."

Re:Oh no

[0racle]

So nothings going to change.

Re:Oh no

[July 21, 2006]

The Walmart employee making minimum wage with no health care or retirement plan would have actually said, "Sounds like you followed the directions precisely. Must be defective. Take it up with the manufacturer."

Re:Oh no

[foundme]

Well, I think most joe users are sick of jokes like this. Whenever something goes wrong, it's always, always the users' fault!

Why can't companies make more user-friendly products, so if you do put a memory module into the CDROM, it will install it for you, and spit out the old stick if there isn't enough room.

Re:Oh no

[rhendershot]

that's in version 3.0 and will be released before the holidays. promise!

Re:Oh no

[SkeeZerD]

Well personally, I am sure I could get every computer in the world to function perfectally, if only I could get rid of the dang users.

Re:Oh no

[CastrTroy]

The walmart employees in Canada have healthcare. What? You expect a corporation which has shareholders to keep happy to provide healthcare to employees?

Re:Oh no

[cayenne8]

"The Walmart employee making minimum wage with no health care or retirement plan..."

So...go out and get a REAL job. Jobs like this are for the HS and college kid crowd.

If you've over 30 and still wear a 'name tag', you've made some SERIOUS vocational errors along the way...

How odd...

[penguinstorm]

For years, we shipped assembly off shore to factories where people would work for 20 cents an hour. From these economic theory, Wal-Mart was born.

Now, they're shipping the labour back here.

Perhaps in future, Wal-Mart will offer sew-it-yourself clothing as well? They could market it as a sweat shop tourist attraction!

Re:How odd...

[geoffspear]

Wal-Mart already sells fabric, sewing machines, and patterns.

I don't believe they have any sweatshop-related marketing for them, though.

Re:How odd...

[MrShaggy]

You might want to watch 'the high cost, of the low price of Walmart'. It is a very insightful and educating look at walmarts practices.

Re:How odd...

[Chanc_Gorkon]

And it's very negative too. Walmart is just A STORE! It happens to be the biggest store, but its no worse then when Kmart was much bigger then it is now. Hey...by the way....MOST stuff here in the states,,,,sold in Walmart or Target or wherever was probably made in China. Walmart did not pioneer that process. :P

Re:How odd...

[MrShaggy]

I am assuming that you have seen it? It isnt just how they treat their foreign workers, but how they treat thier North-American ones as well. They spend all this time and money on market research. They know where and how close together to make the store sell. Every store makes well over a million dollars in sales a year. The only store that they closed, was one in Quebec. They said that it was no longer profitable. The real reason is that people were able to start a union in that aparticualr store. Doesnt that seem odd?

Re:How odd...

[garvon]

They do! Most have a cloth and sewing department.

Re:How odd...

[ChrisA90278]

Wallmart is not moving the labor back inside it's store. All a customer does when he "builds" a computer is select a few major parts. "Build" is not the right word. "Custom Asembly" might be better. Nobody will be folding sheet metal, spot welding, soldering or stack disk platters in the store. This is smart for Walmart. It lets them offer a wide range of configurations with a smaller inventory.

the interresting part will be to see what software they buy if they have to pay and nothing comes bundled.

Re:How odd...

[gfxguy]

The only store that they closed, was one in Quebec. They said that it was no longer profitable. The real reason is that people were able to start a union in that aparticualr store. Doesnt that seem odd?

In defense of WalMart, it is certainly quite possible that the workers becoming unionized and demanding more could make a store not profitable. It's debateably what is causing the headaches some of our domestic auto producers are having.

Meanwhile, my Honda was built by Americans in East Liberty Ohio by non-unionized workers. It's better quality, higher resale value, more dependable then the Ford built in Mexico, and the Honda workers are better paid and quite happy. Just a mini-rant against unions... I simply don't think they serve a purpose anymore.

Besides, WalMart is obligated to no one to even give a reason for closing a store. What difference would it make if they simply came out and said "we didn't want a store with a union?"

That said, in offense of WalMart, the problem I have is they sell inferior products. Even the brand names often make lower quality products to satisfy WalMart's price demands or risk getting locked out of the largest retailer in the country. As an example, Sears sells Levi Strauss jeans, but WalMart sells Levi Strauss "Signature Series". An unsuspecting customer might think he's getting the same product for less... or hey! "Signature Series!" Maybe it's even better! But those jeans are lower quality for volume retailers like WalMart.

Every once in a while Sam's Club will have $25 Rebocks. For some reason they don't last as long as the $35 pair I got at the Rebock outlet store... about half as long.

Electronics are the same way.

Yes, some of the products are the same thing, and might sell for cheaper, but they are subsidized by all the lower priced crap that is actually making Walmart a larger profit. I am a member of Sam's club, and bought several cheap HP PSC printers there... they all broke or were not functioning 100% correctly within a year after purchase. I only have one left and it won't scan anymore. So I spent twice as much on a Cannon printer from Newegg that's been running great. From now on, at Sam's, I will stick to things where quality either doesn't matter, or when I know it to be a like product.. things like books and PS2 games.

So I have a feeling we'll be seeing the same thing. A DVD ROM drive that only works until the warranty expires, cheap fans that will give out before a year is up (possibly ruining other components). Repackaged IBM "Deathstar" drives WalMart got for next to nothing. Power supplies that will cause major headaches when the user can't figure out why his computer randomly locks up.

And like many others what I've noticed is that, for many things, buying the more expensive product saves you money in the long run... so WalMart really is taking advantage of the people who don't know any better.

Re:How odd...

[Anonymous Coward]

Only a million? Phht, that's pathetic. I work at a store that runs $120 million in sales per year, and we are only "in the top 20". Oh, and I am a "North-American" worker, and have no problems with the treatment. (Actually, I think I am treated pretty well, and I am only an hourly associate). Sheesh, everybody complains how badly Wal-Mart Associates are treated. I'll let you in on a secret, they aren't holding a gun to my head. If I wanted to quit, I could.

Re:How odd...

[Rary]

Besides, WalMart is obligated to no one to even give a reason for closing a store. What difference would it make if they simply came out and said "we didn't want a store with a union?"

The difference is simply that it shows that they're assholes who are happy to screw over their employees. Which, in turn, might mean nothing to some (possibly most), but to others (like me) it means they won't get my money.

Re:How odd...

[kabz]

Sew it yourself clothes are really nothing new.

This linkie shows ClothKits, a 70's UK phenom. The very word strikes fear into me, bringing back memories of scarily ornate padded waistcoats.

I suspect kids today would throw themselves off tall buildings rather than wear that stuff.

Re:How odd...

[JourneyExpertApe]

"You might want to watch 'the high cost, of the low price of Walmart'."

I don't think I want to watch a documentary recommended by someone who can't grasp basic spelling and grammar. Note the misplaced comma, the lack of capitalization, and the use of single quotes instead of italics. Not to mention the fact that you spelled the name of the company wrong.

Re:How odd...

[MMMDI]

This makes the third time someone has allowed me to pimp this link out:

My thoughts on Wal-Mart: The High Cost Of Low Price.

Re:How odd...

[pete_norm]

Besides, WalMart is obligated to no one to even give a reason for closing a store. What difference would it make if they simply came out and said "we didn't want a store with a union?"

Concidering all the pro-union laws in the province of Quebec, i'm not sure that they legally have the right to close a store for that reason.

Re:How odd...

[neuromancer2701]

And that is the wonder of the American/Capitalism system, If Walmart was truly screwing everyone then people would not go there. The basic lower middle-class family loves walmart because it saves them so much money, if they shop correctly. I personally like being able to go to Walmart get a 1/2 Gallon of Milk(Organic), a quart of Oil and a t-shirt or PS2 game. It saves me time and money. Their product is not very good but you get what you pay for if you don't like it go somewhere else(which is what my wife does.) Walmart/Best Buy forces business to specialize in something to succeed. I worked at a computer shop last spring for about 9 months. There is no way we can compete with Best Buy/Dell/HP on Computer Builds as opposed to the late 90s when it cost $2100 to make a PC, but now it has turned into a service industry,especially with the advent of SPYware. Dell and Best Buy actually send us customers. Dell buy making crappy computer with propriety parts and Best Buy sends them to us directly because they don't work on those kinds of issues.

Walmart is starting expand into china(40 stores), man that is going to be a money maker, Time to buy some stock.

Re:How odd...

[gfxguy]

Since when does a company have to justify closing a store at all?

Re:How odd...

[Chanc_Gorkon]

I have bought plenty of stuff from walmart and sams and had it last and last. What in heck are you doing to your printers to kill them in a year?? I have a Simpletech USB drive I bought many years ago that still works fine. I have many other things I have bought there: clothes, a graphics card, a camera and many other things that are still going strong long after I thought they would. If you take care of your things, then they will last. If you just beat em around, well...to each his own.

Only thing I really do have a problem with Walmart and it's NOT just Walmart....other stores have this too...many stores have merchandise that's only available there and I am not talking about store brands. I bought a luggage set at Walmart. It's American Tourister. It's good stuff. However, one of my pieces was stolen. I called up American Tourister and asked if I could purchase a replacement and they said it wasn't possible as that set was made ONLY for Walmart. So what am I to do? Buy a whole nother set I guess....luckily they ain't expensive.

Re:How odd...

[NUBlackshirts]

Maybe they will let us use the bays at Wal-Mart's Tire and Lube Express to do our own oil changes.

Re:How odd...

[Chanc_Gorkon]

I know plenty of people who work for Walmart who have NO complaints. The "stories" I have seen I have not seen PROOF! It may be ONE store that has an issue. You CAN'T paint the whole company as bad just because one store manager is an asshole.

Re:How odd...

[pornking]

Why does your luggage need to match?

Re:How odd...

[Richy_T]

Every once in a while Sam's Club will have $25 Rebocks. For some reason they don't last as long as the $35 pair I got at the Rebock outlet store... about half as long.

News for you: Many brands make a special, lower quality "outlet store" line too. They may be better quality than the chain store line but they're all part of the "Milk the brand name" marketing scam.

Re:How odd...

[rtechie]

In defense of WalMart, it is certainly quite possible that the workers becoming unionized and demanding more could make a store not profitable. It's debateably what is causing the headaches some of our domestic auto producers are having.

This is total crap. Wal-Mart closed the store mere DAYS after it unionized, months after the CEO made statems saying he would never allow a Wal-mart to unionize. Since then, Wal-mart has had to accept unionization in Canada and elsewhere, where their strongarm tactics (death threats, etc.) aren't tolerated.

That said, in offense of WalMart, the problem I have is they sell inferior products. Even the brand names

You are learning the sad truth "you get what you pay for". Wal-Mart sells cheap crap. If I want cheap crap, I shop there. If I don't want cheap crap I shop at a more reputable retailer (which is almost anyone except the dollar stores).

Re:How odd...

[AK Marc]

Just a mini-rant against unions... I simply don't think they serve a purpose anymore.

I think that unions are usually bad for the workers. However, they are worse for the employers. The fear of unions is a motivation for corporations to treat their employees well, lest a union start. So I'd put it in the category of "necessary evil" since corporations are more evil.

Re:How odd...

[AK Marc]

Since when does a company have to justify closing a store at all?

When the obvious reason is illegal.

Re:How odd...

[Bob Uhl]

It's not screwing their employees--they are quite free to work somewhere else. If anything, unions screw employers because they provide (or attempt to provide) a monopoly on labour.

Re:How odd...

[gfxguy]

Well... it's not really "news" to me, it's exactly the point I was making...

Re:How odd...

[gfxguy]

There's no such thing as illegally closing a store! Government has no right to force a retailer to keep a store open!

Moreover, there's no such thing as an illegal "reason", only an act can be illegal. You can't perform a legal act and be punished because your "reason" was illegal. Either the act was legal or it wasn't, and closing a store is not illegal.

Now, "immoral reason" would point out what bastards the people who run Walmart are, but it's still not illegal.

Re:How odd...

[MrShaggy]

I am a unionised employee and I work in the entertainment industry. I know first hand the diffference between one building that is union and the other that isnt. The union is there to protect the rights of the workers. Its also there so that the employer needs only to deal with a union rep, not 1000 employees. If a company goes union, there is a reason for that. The employees feel that there is a reason. There must be so,ething wrong with management, if they feel the need. Accroding to the video that I saw, the only reason they caught people doing things to people in parking lots, was ecause of their anti-union practices. the only cameras that are present are to watch out for the union activity. If the companyu spends so much time and money to keep a union out of its store, means a lot to me. According to most of the attitudes on this site, is that if it is a failed business model, then the company must improve it, or fail. (Most of the MPAA-RIAA posts are explicit in this nature) So, if a store that makes 20 million a year per outlet can t afford anymore to pay anymore then minimum wage, then why should this store exist ? Is it not a failed business model to drive your competition out of business with low prices, and keep all your employees down? And to froce distributers to work within your narrow vision? Sounds a lot like microsoft to me. I can buy a dollar store can opener, it will work for 4 or 5 cans. Then I need a new one. Or I can buy a treally nice one for 12 dollars, and never have to worry. Where is the savings ?

Re:How odd...

[sp0rk173]

That is the worst grammar troll I've ever seen. Full of grammatical errors itself. Moron.

Re:How odd...

[MrShaggy]

The problem is that it isnt store managemnet that is the issue. Its head office. As far as it goes, you can google walmart and look past the first few entries, and look a little fuiuther, and start to see how many issues people are having with the store. http://www.walmartworkerscanada.com/ http://walmartwatch.com/ http://www.aflcio.org/corporatewatch/walmart/ http://www.1worldcommunication.org/Walmart.htm (boycot walmart in bangledesh) http://www.labourstart.org/wal-mart/ http://www.walmartmovie.com/facts.php (facts in the movie) i could go on

Re:How odd...

[What is a number]

no really, in Canada it is illegal to close just to avoid a union.

Re:How odd...

[JourneyExpertApe]

That should be, "walk out in front of a moving bus, Grammar Nazi." If you're going to insult me, at least do it with proper punctuation.

Re:How odd...

[JourneyExpertApe]

Show me one error. Sieg! Heil! Grammatik!

Re:How odd...

[poopdeville]

Interesting. Homocide can be both legal or illegal depending on your motives.

Care to give us some more of your brilliant legal insights?

Re:How odd...

[AK Marc]

Moreover, there's no such thing as an illegal "reason", only an act can be illegal.

So a guy in Austin plowed into a crowd on 6th street. He ended up killing a few people. The "reason" he killed people was that he was old and fell asleep. Another person crashed into a McDonald's. He killed people. The "reason" he killed people was that he thought his wife was in there and he wanted her dead.

Because of the "reason" the two acts of driving cars into crowds were different, the first was declared to be a legal killing of people (no prosecution by the government and declaration by the police and DA that no prosecutable homicide was committed). The second was declared to be illegal. All because of the differences in reasons. And yes, both are real incidents, though they are at least 10 years old. The legality of actions changes based on "reason."

There's no such thing as illegally closing a store!

Well, based on your legal insights up to this point, I'm not sure I trust your opinion. There are a number of actions that are illegal when dealing with unions. It's illegal to fire someone just because they join a union. If the store was closed for the sole purpose of firing everyone working there because they unionized, then yes, it is illegal to close the store. Again, the "reason" does have a material effect on whether it is legal or illegal. Perhaps you need to learn a little more law before you run around giving legal opinions.

More DIY plans to follow soon

[nizo]

I wish Walmart would start selling self-assembled microwaves for $10. Talk about a quick way to clear out some of the genetic driftwood in this country.

Re:More DIY plans to follow soon

[no_pets]

Okay, I realize you are being funny but your comment made me think of something that, although slightly humorous could actually have a ring of truth to it.

Wal-Mart took the middle-man (distributors) out of the equation by having their own distribution centers. So, perhaps, now the middle-men are the manufacturers so Wal-Mart begins to just sell parts in order to cut manufacturers out of the equation.

Let's just hope it doesn't start including microwaves as you mentioned.

Re:More DIY plans to follow soon

[Beer Moon]

Some of the most talented people in history were depressed/alcoholic/etc.

None of the most talented people in history shopped at Wal-Mart.

Re:More DIY plans to follow soon

[elrous0]

quick way to clear out some of the genetic driftwood in this country.

Just poison all the beer at the next NASCAR race. That'll put a little chlorine in the old gene pool.

-Eric

Re:More DIY plans to follow soon

[sp0rk173]

Very rarely were they diabetic fatties, either.

Not worried about not getting windows

[RLiegh]

Wal-mart already offers computers without windows (with linspire, last I checked), so that's not an issue. What is an issue is that everything that wal-mart sells is on the, shall we say, low-end. I strongly doubt that Wal-mart will offer any hardware that people who are DIYers will find compelling, and if by some chance they do, the DIY crowd will probably look at other, cheaper outlets where they can get quality hardware for less than what walmart offers it (assuming, as I've said, they offer it at all).

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[Oriumpor]

Wal-mart will buy in such large bulk that they can afford to retail their hardware at a very low profit margin. If the DIY idea doesn't fly, they'll use them as a loss leader till they run out of stock. The gear will no doubt be bottom of the line, but I doubt anyone who can't buy 1m+ units will be able to compete on pure cost.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[swillden]

the DIY crowd will probably look at other, cheaper outlets

So you think Wal-mart is going to lose on price? That's the one area where they pretty much never lose.

Assuming they really do this, I'd expect them to be pretty much unbeatable for low-end parts. You'll probably be able to get parts cheaper on-line, but not much cheaper by the time you factor in shipping.

I'm not sure how much typical mom and pop computers stores make off of low-end stuff, vs how much of their profit comes from the higher end. If they make a lot on the low end, I think this is going to spell trouble for them, assuming Wal-mart actually devotes enough shelf space to it.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[stone2020]

I can only think of one brand that would work at Walmart. ECS. People know ECS sucks and they still buy it because its cheap. Just like everything else at Walmart.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[RLiegh]

You just re-made my point, though. No, walmart won't be beat on price simply because they'll be offering (in your words) low-end parts for super cheap. Parts that I don't see the DIY crowd bothering with. Hell anyone who wanted to save on price would probably not bother with a DIY computer and would instead either get a pre-built, or a used one (either from a shop or from someplace such as retrobox.com).

As far as I can tell, anyone who wants to build their own would probably know enough to want better parts, and also know where to get them too.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[swillden]

Parts that I don't see the DIY crowd bothering with.

But I build my own specifically in order to get the machines as inexpensively as possible, and I use the cheapest parts that I think can do the job adequately. I'm just one anecdote, of course, but I think there are plenty of DIYers who DIY in order to keep the price down, rather than to have the most pimped out box possible.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[utlemming]

Maybe not for the computer nerd. But for the nerd that is fixing someone else's computer this may be a dream come true. In smaller towns where there isn't a computer shop, or where the computer shop charges such outrageous fees, it could provide a cost effective, fast way to fix a computer. I can think of countless times that I have been fixing a friend's computer and the computer places are closed. Half the time I fix someone's computer I throw in a component that I wouldn't use in my own computer -- i.e. a low end video card, etc. With Wal-mart providing the low end components that your looking for, at a cheap price, why not?

But I would seriously expect the products at Wal-mart and the small business guy not to compare well. Big-box stores like Wal-mart, Home Depot, etc, are known for playing games with margins. For example if your looking at items like garden products, there is a product for Wal-mart and one for everyone else -- don't believe me, go into your local nursery and look at the Scott's lawn fertilizer, and then go to Wal-mart. The products will compare differently on ingredients, volume, percentages and prices. But they packaging will look nearly exactly the same, except for the declarations which will be different. For real kicks, ask the nurseryman what the difference is between what Wal-mart has and the nursery. So if Wal-mart can take something that is really expensive out or reduce it, then Wal-mart can lower the price and kill competition on margin. When I was working at as a Garden Center manager I wouldn't even compete with Wal-mart on anything they sold. The products would look exactly the same, but when you looks at the specs, they are very different. But Joe Sixpack doesn't know the difference and half the time care. So why would I carry something that will be twice as expensive as Wal-mart if the customer doesn't care enough to find out why I was more expensive? Wal-mart pushed me to carry high to elite-end (i.e. golf course grade) grade products and it allowed me to make the company a lot of money.

What I found was that Wal-mart carrying the low end products brought me more business. People would stop there, and then come and see me. I attended a workshop that says that Wal-mart and other big box stores will actually increase business in the long run if the small business can survive the first three years. After the first three years, business will bounce back. But the key is that the small businesses need to provide an expert that people can talk to.

I could see the same thing happening in computer parts. Some joe who wants to do computers, stops at Wal-mart and figures out the guy behind the counter couldn't care less. Since they already have the thought about doing computers, they go to the shop that knows what they are doing. If the shop doesn't have the elitist attitude and is willing to help the guy learn a small business could make a lot of money of Wal-mart's idea.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[fireboy1919]

These things are always worth getting cheap (IMHO, ones about as good as another):
    -ethernet card
    -sound card (unless you're keen on recording, like me)
    -memory readers
    -bluetooth cards

These things are easily commodity (cheaper but not lower quality if shipped/manufactured in bulk):
    -memory
    -CPU fans
    -power supplies
    -cases

And CPUs are generally each their own little niche market, so people will get them at Walmart at the same quality as anywhere else. But it could be *slightly* cheaper because Walmart's shipping model is about the best there is.

I'm sure that there are others that people can think of, but these are the reasons I'd go to Wal-mart for my parts. I think they'd have stuff that I'd like in those categories because they fit into those categories. I should also mention that fans and power supplies wear out on their own. It'd be nice to be able to pick up new ones there.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[merreborn]

The walmarts around the Sillicon Valley area already sell ATI and NVidia cards, although they're all in the $40 - $100 range -- you won't find the newest quad SLI cards, or anything of the sort.

They also sell a few wireless network cards, both PCI and PCMCIA.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[novus ordo]

Not only that, but they can then muscle suppliers with threats to buy the large volume of units from their competitor unless they bend over and take it like a smiley face.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[DoninIN]

"Mom & Pop" type shops, don't and basically can't much if anything off low end computers. I was the computer tech/sales/support/connectivity/everything for an office equipment place, very much a mom & pop shop, and while once upon a time we made nice money on building & selling them ourselves by 2000 it had gotten to the point where you were slicing the margin terribly thin and building junk to get down to the "entry" level price point for a Dell or Gateway etc, you could then, and still can make money making something that kicks butt, but there's no realistic way to make enough to cover your labor building a generic machine that's in the same price range as a low end Dell or Gateway, nevermind the same price range as whatever generic piece of junk is at the very bottom end of the price scale.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[swillden]

So it shouldn't affect small computers stores much, even if Wal-mart does this in a pretty big way. That's good.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[Firehed]

And the DIY market might be able to get that low-end crap they need for a home filserver (obviously going online for the drivers) or some friend's Word computer on the cheap. I know for a fact that my 2.53GHz Celeron residing in my fileserver is overkill to the nth degree, but it's the cheapest proc available that works in a board with 4 SATA ports. Knocking $5 off the price would have been a good 10%.

I just hope, for the love of humanity, that there's a very obvious "if there's any indication of not having followed the installation instructions, your warrantee is null and void" disclaimer. If nothing else, it'll make people finally RTFM.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[crossmr]

I don't buy this. I've price compared generic crap at wal-mart to quality stuff at various local PC stores, and the PC stores always have them beat, usually by a ridiculous amount too.

I'm not sure what Wal-marts probelm is in that department, but at least around here their hardware prices are not good.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[alc6379]

What's your beef with ECS?

I've got 2 ECS-based systems, and they work just fine. One's been running now for over 4 years.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[onecaribou]

You'd be surprised at all the items Walmart loses money on. During my first job/Wal-Mart experience (setting up the token ring network at a new store) I learned they lose money on cigarettes, diapers, formula and many of the promotions people tend to stampede over.

Just watch.. Walmart will help kill of the remining local mom and pops too. Take a look what Best Buy, Circuit City and Comp USA have done so far. Locally we lost 2 great mom and pop shops within couple years of the big box stores arriving.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[gfxguy]

The key words are "that I think can do the job adequately."

I'm the same way, but that means I don't get the cheapest parts possible.. I look at ratings and try to get the best value for my money, and sometimes that means spending a little more.

For example, power supplies are often under valued by consumers - WalMart will sell $20 boxes with 350W power supplies. Would you really want one of those? I buy the cheapest case I can find, and that helps offset the cost of buying a quality power supply. It's give and take...

I mentioned in another post that WalMart often coerces vendors to supply items at a specific cost, forcing vendors to manufacture lower quality products. So what you're likely to see, for example, where you see an ATI Radeon 800X elsewhere, you'll see an ATI Radeon 800X-plus at WalMart. The plus means slower memory and cheaper parts that will burn out before a year is up.

When they do offer the exact same thing, it won't be priced significantly lower.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[Andy Dodd]

My experience has been similar to yours. Most likely, Wal-Mart will offer:

Cheap hardware of inferior quality
Good quality hardware that can't compete in price with that which is available at major electronics retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City
Good quality hardware that can't even remotely compete in price with NewEgg.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[westlake]

Wal-mart already offers computers without windows (with linspire, last I checked), so that's not an issue.

You'll find OEM Linux at Walmart.com. Using a magnifying glass.

The line-up has shrunk to three or four desktops priced at a level that poses no threat to Dell or Windows.

Walmart has discovered that there is no more room at the bottom. The chain wants to see healthy after-market sales. It needs to reclaim the middle class shopper that has defected to competitors like Target.

Linux doesn't figure in that equation.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[Reziac]

Not necessarily. Frex, for a while WalMart was one of only two stores in this area (the other was Staples) where you could buy a genuine USR *HARDWARE* modem. Everyone else carried only those worthless software modems (in both USR and lesser brands).

However, my gripe with WalMart and computer parts is that while there is a posted 7-day return policy on "electronics", I asked the store manager specifically about PC components, and was told there was a zero-returns policy for computer parts.

Consequently, I opted to walk across the street and pay $5 more at Staples, who have a no-hassle return policy.

BTW, not all WalMarts are created equal. We have four in this immediate area, and they are nothing alike. Frex, the brand-new Super WalMart is a royal PITA and stuff is priced higher there; conversely the ancient scruffy WalMart has lower prices and is a pleasant place to shop. (Which is probably why it's the highest-grossing WalMart in the U.S. Unfortunately, it's slated to be replaced with a Super WalMart.)

On a third hand, the local Sam's Club is overall the best place in town for price, quality, and value, and is also one of the most pleasant stores I've ever been in.

Re:Not worried about not getting windows

[BootNinja]

I find it hard to believe that Wal-mart loses money on cigarettes. Even when I used to shop at wal-mart, I didn't buy my cigarettes there, because they were at least $.50/pack more expensive than just about anyplace else.

I don't get it

[Loligo]

Why wouldn't Wal-Mart customers "have a chance" to install Linux? Do they connect to a different internet than everyone else? Are they banned from entering computer and book stores?

Or are you asking if Wal-Mart will be carrying boxed RedHat distros?

It's never been about consumers having a CHANCE to install Linux, it's been about them having the CHOICE to, and like it or not, most consumers CHOOSE not to.

  -l

Re:I don't get it

[Loligo]

I still don't get it: This article is about people buying DIY parts at Wal-Mart, not about you buying a laptop at Best Buy.

Then again, as someone already pointed out earlier in this same article's discussion tree, WalMart already sells systems with Linspire.

Re:I don't get it

[saskboy]

I have a feeling AOL will release a LiveCD distro that gets the user online right away, and of course it's only AOL that can work on the computer. People might wonder why they can't play games in the CDROM drive, but many won't.

Re:I don't get it

[moo083]

Author is asking whether they will have a choice, when buying the parts, of which OS they use, or if Windows is bundled with the parts. It doesn't seem to make sense as the whole point of DIY is that you can always swap out parts later, so you buy one at a time, but I think thats what he means.

Re:I don't get it

[stinerman]

Are they banned from entering computer and book stores?

Well, "book learnin'" never was the forté of many a Wal-Mart customer.

Re:I don't get it

[Christopher Rogers]

I took it to mean that perhaps Microsoft will pressure Wal-Mart to only offer Windows installations, saying that the people who go with Linux will most likely go home and install a pirated copy of Windows over it. I'm pretty sure there was a story on here recently about something along those lines.

Re:I don't get it

[Doytch]

They don't get the CHANCE to CHOOSE.

Re:I don't get it

[fastgood]

article is about people buying DIY parts at Wal-Mart, not about you buying a laptop at Best Buy.

It won't take much to beat Best Buy's part selection -- what little stock they carry
seems to be more available to the Geek Squad guys than to customers. I told them:

1. "I have more PATA drives in my 4 computers than Best Buy has in the whole store"
2. "I've got more DDR memory sitting unused in my garage than is carried on the shelves"
3. "They have 30 different mice/keyboards, but don't stock 30 total units of drives/RAM"

Wal-Mart just has to show up to the game. They'll win the battle without firing a shot.

Re:I don't get it

[grammar fascist]

Well, "book learnin'" never was the forté of many a Wal-Mart customer.

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that you're an elitist snob. I'm not sure how to put that nicely, nor how I could qualify it further to make it more understandable. Your comment is nothing but bald prejudice. It takes a place like Slashdot to mod that up.

Re:I don't get it

[vtcodger]

***Why wouldn't Wal-Mart customers "have a chance" to install Linux? Do they connect to a different internet than everyone else? Are they banned from entering computer and book stores?***

Reason 1 -- WalMart may not want most customers using Linux because Linux hardware support and detection still is somewhere between Windows 95 and Windows 98 in terms of maturity. That's not all that good. Poor Plug and Play means returns and that costs money. Maybe, if they make it clear that they do not support equipment not purchased from WalMart, they can offer a Linux distribution that is tested with the hardware they sell.

My last experience with Installing Linux -- Slackware 10.2

• The display, mouse, and keyboard actually installed and worked right without tweaking(The second time this has happened. Progress IS being made).
• BUT
  • NIC (an NE2000 clone) wasn't detected and had to be insmodded
  • HP 3670 Scanner not supported
  • INTEL QX3 microscope detected, but the option to control the lights doesn't work. And when I finally got around to installing Web camera software to use the imaging, that doesn't work either.
  • Sound Card -- detected and makes noises, but they aren't remotely the right noises.
  • CUPS -- The network aspects work, but would surely be impossible for a non-geek to configure. Of more importance to me, it generates a garbled PCL header that causes my HP-IIP to demand A4 paper. However, the printout is truncated to A4 size (unusable), not scaled to A4 size (which would be not quite as bad).. And, BTW, this whole idea of using HTTP to configure things really needs more work before it is turned loose on unsupecting users. e.g. turn page caching of the configuration pages OFF dammit.
  • SAMBA -- I got it running without a lot of trouble, but I think a non-geek would probably be in real trouble.
  • I somehow ended up with a 4mb swap file. This produced a truly spectacular swapping storm when I installed KDE and started up a few tasks. This particular problem may have been self inflicted in some fashion that a non-geek wouldn't blunder into.
  • I was able to detect, mount, and use USB flash memory pen drives, but the process wasn't even remotely a Windows plug and play experience.

IMO **ANY** of the above except maybe the Intel QX3 which is a discontinued product that a non-geek probably wouldn't expect to work would be enough to think twice about selling non-geeks Linux over the counter.

Reason 2 -- Boxed software products like TaxCut, games, mapping programs often won't run on Linux even if it has WINE. Explaining to customers why not would be painful and many wouldn't understand. Why ask for pain?

I'm not against selling Linux to non-geeks, but I think that the right place to start is single purpose machines -- e.g. A real cheap web browsing PC with a bundled printer.

Re:I don't get it

[rm69990]

You do realize what a DIY computer is, right? They generally don't come with anything installed, considering they come in pieces in seperate boxes and all :-P

Re:I don't get it

[stinerman]

I just call them as I see them.

If that is snobbery, I'm guilty as charged.

Re:I don't get it

[rtechie]

I think the point is moot since Wal-Mart is CURRENTLY selling desktop PCs with Xandros and Linspire installed.http://www.walmart.com/search/browse-ng. do?ics=12&ico=0&ref=125875.126125+500500.429429600 3

They don't appear to sell any boxed distros (at least I haven't seen any), but they sell lots of Linux books that include distroshttp://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?p roduct_id=4324056.

I'm not a big fan of Wal-Mart, but they are simply NOT "anti-Linux". If anything, their emphasis on minimal cost makes them Linux-friendly .

Re:I don't get it

[sp0rk173]

My last experience with Installing Linux -- Slackware 10.2

Unfortunately, that's what you get when you install slackware. It's a wonderful distribution if you want a solid linux server, but it sounds like it's about half a year to a year behind the curve. Of the issues you mentioned, i can only agree with you on CUPS, Samba, and the Microscope. On my arch linux box, all the modules I need are autolaoded via udev (which now has built in hotplug support - which means plug and play). USB Memory stick pops up on my gnome desktop right after I insert it. Sounds works without effort. My cups difficulties are mostly because of the shoddy LaserJet 1012 driver, which really is just a problem with the printer being a fake laser printer more than anything (that is, it works...but large print jobs end with the printer spitting out one page that says "Unknown Device Personality: PCL" or something like that. I can't comment on the Scanner, as I don't use one. Anyway, to summarize:

- Module autoloading works.
- Sound works.
- Automatic Detection of USB pen drives works.
- Other issues are *almost* edge cases.


Sounds like you need a more modern, desktop-oriented distro if you're going to judge linux on the desktop.

Re:I don't get it

[westlake]

I'm not against selling Linux to non-geeks, but I think that the right place to start is single purpose machines -- e.g. A real cheap web browsing PC with a bundled printer.

How many companies have tried to make a go of the web appliance and failed?

Walmart doesn't even pretend to service this market anymore. What it wants is the higher margins and aftermarket sales that come with Windows MCE.

Walmart.com did have a closeout sale of 900 MHz IBM thinkpads, refurbished, $300, with Win XP. If you are thinking cheap, there are other ways to go than DIY Linux.

errr... yeah...

[atarione]

but i'd have to step foot into a wallmart....which i'd never do!!!!

additionally i'm willing to guess that the Wallmart employees will make the guys at compUSA look like NASA scientists if you actually had a question?

considering how well some of the online suppliers do at getting me what i want at a very good price (newegg/ mwave / ..etc) i'll be in no big hurry to wade thru the chubby walmart customrs to get a motherboard and proc.

Read the Article Idiots...

[Caeda]

Walmart is going to sell Towers, Monitors, Keyboards, Mice, and Speakers seperately. Not the individule hardware pieces of the tower. Can't anyone read articles before posting them?

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[spun]

But how will we get our frosty pists if we are reading the article? Much better to come up with some ill-informed off the cuff remark based on a cursory glance at the summary.

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[kfg]

Can't anyone read articles before posting them?

I don't know. Maybe it's the geek version the gentleman joke.

What's the definition of a gentleman?

Someone who knows how to play the banjo/bagpipes/accordian/viola, . . . but doesn't.

KFG

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[kaptron]

From TFA:"Such components include central processing units -- the brain of the computer that powers its basic functions -- as well as monitors, keyboards and mice that customers can combine to create customized packages they can load in a shopping cart and take home right away."

Yeah, it sounds like you will be able to choose very basic things like processor--excuse me, computer brain--speed, which will probably be part of some pre-defined tower set up like a preconfigured Dell, Compaq, etc. The summary definitely has it wrong, OEM parts and Linux aren't going to factor into Walmart's version of "DIY".

Plus, Walmart + Linux = lol.

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[Isaac-1]

I have read the article to me it sounds more like a limited customizing shop. Think 1 hour photo counter, not rack of parts. They would not use the term Counter if it did not mean there would be someone behind the counter to do 90% of the work. Wal-Mart has had a limited assortment of internal computer components for years (hard drives, internal modems, over priced memory upgrade kits, etc), this is something new. You can train a reasonably typical person to assemble a computer from parts in a few hours, it is not all that hard, certainly no harder than training someone to operate and maintain a 1 hour photo lab. Imagine 2 or 3 base barebones systems, add processor, pre-installed hard drive, video card, and ram, then choose the external add on parts where the "sales associate" can talk you into double prints ^H^H^H^H^H^H monitors, wireless keyboards, etc.

Ike

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[oscartheduck]

If you read the article before posting, you notice it says "Such components include central processing units -- the brain of the computer that powers its basic functions -- as well as monitors, keyboards and mice that customers can combine to create customized packages they can load in a shopping cart and take home right away."

THe fact that CPUs are mentioned as separate components to be purchased has me thinking that they're talking about being able to purchase separate parts as well as towers etc.

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[aweinert]

Then again, I've heard many computer illiterate call the tower the CPU. It always makes me cringe.

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[kaptron]

I didn't say anything about it never happening... it's just the combination of Walmart, the face of American mass-market consumerism, and Linux that makes me chuckle. Not that I have anything against Linux gaining exposure, but my image of the average Walmart customer is someone who will be very confused upon seeing (and/or unknowingly purchasing) something like that Linspire laptop in the store.

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[StikyPad]

Actually, the article is rather ambiguous: Such components include central processing units -- the brain of the computer that powers its basic functions -- as well as monitors, keyboards and mice that customers can combine to create customized packages they can load in a shopping cart and take home right away.

It could be that the article was written by/for someone unfamiliar with buying computers by the component, or it could be that the program is as you say. I'm more inclined to believe they're actually going to sell individual components, since picking a monitor isn't exactly new to computer sales. What they really need to do is beat Fry's to the east coast (if they're not there already) by stocking a similar selection of products. If not Wal-Mart, then Fry's needs to get its ass in gear. There's no reason there shouldn't be one in every metropolitan area.

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[oscartheduck]

Agreed. It's more depressing when I hear people who are reasonably knowledgeable about computers use this terminology just to get the idea across. I figure we're not doing ourselves any favours.

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[Pulse_Instance]

I've spent years trying to convince my Mom and a couple of her friends that the tower is not the CPU, I've mostly given up but I still cringe when I hear it. To them it doesn't matter that the CPU is a piece inside of the tower, what does matter is that it is the central processing unit. It even makes sense why they think that, all of the wires go to it, you plug in the input devices and the output devices, your inputs are sent to the central processing unit where they are processed and the outputs are sent to the output devices.

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[epp_b]

Walmart is going to sell Towers, Monitors, Keyboards, Mice, and Speakers seperately. Not the individule hardware pieces of the tower. Can't anyone read articles before posting them?

And that nullifies the validity of these posts how?

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[Schraegstrichpunkt]

it's just the combination of Walmart, the face of American mass-market consumerism, and Linux that makes me chuckle

If you've used Linspire, you'll see that there's no contradiction there.

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[epp_b]

"And that nullifies the validity of these posts how?" Maybe you should read the posts? They're all about buying hard drives and ram and video cards? Moron?

The formatting of your post demonstrates quite nicely why you didn't understand the joke.

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[mashade]

From elementary school, I recall diagrams of a basic computer layout. The labels on the diagram invariably read:

- Monitor
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Printer
- CPU

-----------------

I think that's where the mass misuse of the term originated. In the late 80s and early 90s, when all this stuff was coming to a mass-marketed head, many people were taught the incorrect term.

Are you going to use the term 'computer' or 'box' in the diagram? It seems redundant or inprecise to call the box a computer, when the diagram on a whole is of a computer system. I guess it was thought that it would cause confusion.

Now we're stuck with people calling the box itself a CPU. Drives me nuts, too. I think people would feel sillier calling it a box, though. The whole point is that they are trying to be at least a bit technical about it. Calling it a box or tower might cheapen it to them.

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[Pieroxy]

If you actually begin to think about the three words "Central Processing Unit", then it is clear that the tower is the CPU. From a macro point of view.

It all depends on your scale, but it does definitely makes sense.

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[Ritchie70]

People who don't know what they're talking about tend to call the computer the "CPU."

As far as I know, in their retail stores, WalMart only sells bundles that include monitor, computer, keyboard, and mouse.

I don't believe they're selling parts or building systems in store - they're just letting the customer buy the monitor, keyboard, and mouse separately (or not at all.) The whole point is probably to let them advertise a $150 computer.

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[ergo98]

It's been my experience that people who call a computer case a "tower" are generally clueless.

Are you 14?

The bulk of computer cases are vertical, and for time eternal have been sized as mid-tower or full-sized tower. e.g. tower. It's entirely appropriate.

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[mr_mischief]

Right. It's not the ones calling the case a "tower" you have to worry about.

I've dealt with people who think the monitor is the computer, who think the keyboard is the computer, or people who think the external CD-ROM their son installed when he was home from college is the computer. Now, we should be patient with these people and remember that from time to time there have been computers built into keyboards (Atari XL/Commodore 64/Amiga 500/ZeroPC/PC Junior/laptops/notepads), monitors (early Macs/iMacs/eMacs/one Gateway model I remember/ZeroPC/tablets/PDAs), and what look like external CD-ROM drives (Mac Mini/MiniPC/BookPC).

It's the ones who call the whole case and everything in it the "hard drive" or the "CPU" you must really watch.

Re:Read the Article Idiots...

[ncc74656]

Then again, I've heard many computer illiterate call the tower the CPU. It always makes me cringe.

What's worse is when they insist on calling it the "hard drive." They might as well just scrape their fingernails across a chalkboard, if they're going to be that annoying.

Wow!

[AriaStar]

Cheap clothing, food, plans to open a bank, computers.... Is there nothing Wal-Mart doesn't provide aside from living wages, benefits, and dignified to its employees?

Re:Wow!

[lubricated]

most of the people I see working at wall-mart don't even deserve that job.

Re:Wow!

[pembo13]

That's what I thought. I don't see the need to rant against Walmart? If Walmart did close, where would these people go work?

Re:Wow!

[Anonymous Coward]

I work for the beast you speak of, and I have to tell you I get all of the above. Granted, I'm a single male, so don't have a family to support, or insure, but it also has it's disadvantages. I work 40 hrs a week, maybe less if I take a long lunch or two. I don't get to take extra days off for family events, go home early to get the kids ready for school, call in because the spouse is sick, etc. I don't begrudge my coworkers the fact that they do, but my situation allows me to live, comfortably, save some money, and explore management opportunities in my store.

Do I plan on working for them for the next 40 years? Doubtful, but the people who have been there for a while, put in the years and taken the "at expectations" raises are now making a decent wage. Are they wealthy? Not by any means, but they are working a service/labor job and being decently compensated for it.

Prepackaged Desktops Slow Sellers

[xzvf]

It's a way to add a salesperson into the loop. Pick your parts from a nice kiosk display, have them "expertly" assembled. Have them remind you about upgrades and support contracts.

Not quite "build your own"

[Sylver Dragon]

From the article, this just sounds like the "customize it" button on Dell's web site, not the PC Club style, "here's your parts, go fo it." Moreover, this could be really good for small computer shops. I don't see anything about Wal-Mart supporting those PC's. So, a few months after purchase, and two kids who know computers later, the owner will still have to go get the adware removed by someone.

Re:Not quite "build your own"

[GroeFaZ]

"here's your parts, go fo it."

Need clarification. Was that supposed to mean "go for it" or "go foo it"?

Re:Not quite "build your own"

[KrashKing405]

Hate to tell you this, but current policy says that after 15 days, anything that goes wrong is the fault of the computer company.

AMD vs Intel

[9mm Censor]

AMD says to Intel: "You can have Dell, we'll take WalMart"

Could Walmart accomplish

[Shadow Wrought]

What Wintel never did? Eliminate compeltely incompatible hardware? Could the market prowess finally force hardware manufacturers to a single and consistent standard?

The good news is that Walmart porbably can. The bad news is that the standard will likely suck.

Re:Could Walmart accomplish

[TurboStar]

Low income consumers drive everything Walmart does which in turn drives their vendors. I doubt this low-tech crowd and their budget purchases will have any impact on the innovation being done today. Business purchasing and Gamers will continue to drive the premium market which is what funds innovation. However, I could definitely see a "Walmart" standard being created strictly for dirt cheap systems. For example: a power supply with a single connector instead of a wiring harness, hard drives just slide in to a SATA backplane, custom cases to eliminate all but one fan (like Dell), and so on. This would diverge from what high end systems have to do to stay flexible.

Re:Could Walmart accomplish

[Isaac-1]

Sure that is easy, only sell components that have been certified to work on the current revision hardware. Keep the choices simple, only one family of processors to choose from, any combination of motherboard X, processor Y, and number of sticks of RAM Z will work. The same way any combination on Dell's system configurator will work, some may be insane, but it still runs.

Ike

And when the store is next to Frys?

[stevew]

I live in Fremont, CA where we have a brand spanking new Walmart accross the street from a Frys store. I can't imagine they can compete with a major chain store like Frys at component level sales?

This would be interesting.

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[HaeMaker]

Sure they can. They have better customer service!

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[SoCalChris]

If they're smart, they'll do like they did with their SuperCenters (WalMarts with a grocery store attached). They won't open them in areas that are already saturated with grocery stores, they will open them in the more rural areas that only have a handful of grocery stores.

A WalMart next to a Fry's probably wouldn't sell many computer components, but a WalMart in a rural town with no other computer stores would.

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[markana]

Frys' has customer service? I thought that was against their corporate policy... In any event, there's no way WalMart is going to stock components like Frys (chips, connectors, etc.). They'll just have a selection of mix-and-match major components (case with mb installed, hard drive, keyboard, etc.). All things that their customers can pay the 12-year old next door to snap together in 15 minutes.

Not exactly Heathkit....

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[MerlynEmrys67]

They have better customer service

Hmmm +1 Funny, or +1 Insightfull, or -1 Troll

So many moderations, so few mod points

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[eln]

No joke. In my experience, Frys has invisible customer service reps, ridiculously long lines, and they aren't all that cheap. Wal-Mart has invisible customer service reps, slightly shorter lines, and would presumably be cheaper.

Frys, on the other hand, has an enormous selection of geek toys. Wal-Mart can't hope to compete with Frys on selection, but then offering a wide selection has never been WalMart's forte.

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[smbarbour]

You must not be familiar with the Illinois Fry's. The service is great, the lines are short, and the prices aren't bad. Of course, if you were going to buy computer parts in the Chicago area, you could just go to one of the two TigerDirect stores. I've been to both. Tiger's store is small (but you can get everything they sell there. It's attached to the warehouse.) Fry's has a larger variety of products though.

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[robgue]

i disagree. while there are several fry's stores in the south west these don't compare to how many walmarts there are all over the US. every city and town. That and i would imagine they would get a bulk discount on computer components. if they were to sell parts fry's style and not just prebuilt computers i think it would give fry's a serious run for their money. if it's cheaper of course.

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[eln]

I go to the Austin Fry's. I was once at the San Jose Frys (or one near there), and the lines were short there, but it was in the middle of the workday. Still no real customer service, though.

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[clem.dickey]

Note that the Fry brothers got their start in the supermarket business.

Then one day they sold their supermarkets and opened a computer store which also sold soda and potato chips. Not too far removed from what Wal-Mart is planning, perhaps.

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[kindbud]

Fry's has greeters. At the exit. Checking your receipts. Because you know people walk out of there all the time with refrigerators they didn't pay for.

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[taustin]

The door nazis are not there looking for shoplifters. They're there looking for co-conspirators in employee theft. Take a bunch of expensive stuff to the cashier (who is in on it), pay for the candy bar only, and walk out with thousands in free stuff.

That's why they compare what's in the bag to what's on the receipt.

When you let them. It's not like you can't tell 'em to stuff it, after all.

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[Tumbleweed]

I can't imagine they can compete with a major chain store like Frys at component level sales

I think you overestimate the size of Frys. They hardly exist outside of California. In the tech mecca of the Seattle area, there is a grand total of ONE store, and it's prices really aren't any better for most things than Newegg, even when you take shipping & tax into account. Plus it's in a pretty horrible location for most people in the area.

Now think about how many locations Wal-Mart has around the country, and you should realize the scope of buying in tha tkind of bulk should be able to completely overwhelm something the size of Fry's, at least for things they carry in common, which I imagine will be rather small.

When you need the weird bits and pieces, though, Wal-Mart will never be able to compete with Fry's. That's where I got the 4-pin molex-to-SATA power adapter for my new 400GB drive yesterday. :)

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[neurojab]

I live in San Jose, within a few blocks of a Frys and within a 15 minute drive of three more.

I've got to say that the lines are generally not a problem (they're long, but move really fast), unless you go during Christmas or try to return something. The return counter is slow, but they have pretty good return policies, compared with say, Best Buy.

It's true that the customer service is non-existent, at least in the bay area. If you manage to find a customer service rep and ask them a question, expect them to read the tag to you or try to find the information on the box (gee thanks, I hadn't thought of that). In the past I've had dificulty getting a sales rep to sell me an OEM part, even when I had the part number in hand.

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[gfxguy]

Just jumping on the bandwagon... the Fry's in Atlanta (Duluth, actually) is pretty good... not long long lines, doesn't seem crowded or anything. I hate the way commisions work there, I find the salespeople more annoying because they won't leave me alone.

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[wampus]

It's not like you can't tell 'em to stuff it, after all.

Sure you can. Walk past them, get in your car, and leave. Watch them freak the hell out. Its quite fun, I recommend it. Of course, you aren't really sticking it to the man. The company doesn't care, the receipt guy might care, but that's about it.

Re:And when the store is next to Frys?

[SEE]

The Wal-Mart will be next to a Fry's a maximum of 2.666...% of the time, because there are all of 32 Fry's in the entire United States. Wal-Mart tested this concept in 20 locations, and will be introducing them in 1,200 stores.

Now, on the compete-against-Fry's question, I ask you -- who's going to get beeter deals from the components manufacturers? A purchasing manager for 1,200 stores, or one for 32 stores?

In any case, Fry's is so small that Wal-Mart doesn't really have to worry about them, at least outside California. CompUSA and to a certain extent BestBuy are its competitors for this business.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

WallMart and computer parts

[sinij]

There is no way clientele of WallMart will have expertise to put together a PC, less chose parts that will work together. So very likely they will sell 'kit' computers, something already proven to work together and not very complicated to put together. As to WallMart's effect of computer market - well I think from now on all cables will be of higher quality with clear markings and BIOS will have 'you plugged cable-such-and-such backwards' checks build in. As to Linux - I think it will provide stronger push for better automated installers/detectors.

Re:WallMart and computer parts

[Yelley]

Great. And a whole new generation of people who think they can build/support computers will be born. What will they do when they find out the real stuff isn't all color coded?

Re:WallMart and computer parts

[Isaac-1]

When was the last time you built a machine from parts, it is almost all color coded or at least notched to only go together one way. Just about everything is keyed on modern systems to only plug in one way. Even things like USB headers on mother boards are becoming keyed to match to special cables.

Irrelevant

[Siberwulf]

" Will Wal-Mart shoppers migrate to Linux in order to save a hundred bucks or more, or will they even have the chance?"

I see this as totally irrelevant, based on the type of people I see at Wal-Mart. I don't think you'll get a whole lot of hits on a open source OS at the same place that has a gun counter and offers hunting licenses.

Re:Irrelevant

[Loligo]

>I don't think you'll get a whole lot of hits on a
>open source OS at the same place that has a gun
>counter and offers hunting licenses.

Eric would disagree.

So would I.

  -l
(former sys/net admin, drives a 4x4 with a gun rack (with at least one gun in it), hunts regularly)

Re:Irrelevant

[dingen]

I see this as totally irrelevant, based on the type of people I see at Wal-Mart.

So you can actually tell what OS people prefer, just by looking at them? Wow, maybe you can patent this magical way of vision you have developed, it sounds like a goldmine to me!

Re:Irrelevant

[DoninIN]

What? WTF Does a gun counter and a hunting license have to do with open source? I'm failing to see a connection. I don't have a current hunting license, but I'm certainly the sort of person who does, I also shop at Wal-Mart, I can also certainly put together a computer. I use linux I've used several different distros I was in wal-mart the other day and looked at (Although I dind't buy) a gun, just because it was there. I think you need to re-think your stereotypes a bit rural and ignorant are not synonyms.

Re:Irrelevant

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

"I don't think you'll get a whole lot of hits on a open source OS at the same place that has a gun counter and offers hunting licenses."

I have the same view that you do about getting a lot of OSS hits at Walmart, but because it has a gun counter...?

Re:Irrelevant

[solafide]

Not all open-source zealots are liberal Democrats or other things. I know personally, of my friends, 3 think Linux is cool, 1 is talking about trying it out on some old computers lying around, 1 has been on Linux longer than I have, and the rest couldn't care about anything I say about computers. How many of these are "gun-toters"? All of them, me included. How many are good, sane, ethical hunters? All of them who hunt.

Some more conservative people than the neocons in office now are concerned about loss of privacy too. Thus we like open-source when we know about it. Some of us are also against other things Liberals are against,like animal abuse (which is not hunting, it's factory farming), we just disagree on what constitutes such things.

Re:Irrelevant

[absurdist]

And not all liberal Democrats are anti-gun ownership. I come from a long, proud line of lefties (my ancestors got their heads busted open by anti-union goons in bringing the Longshoremen to San Francisco's docks in the 30s) and am a member of the NRA and a proud gun owner, as well as being a biker and a geek of 20 years' standing. Given the current political client, I think REAL conservatives and leftists such as myself have much more in common than surface appearances would indicate.

And anyone who believes the neocons currently in office have anything to do with traditional conservative values is whistling in the dark. Ask Arlen Specter.

Mod Parent Up

[dstewart]

Here "build-your-own computer" is just marketing speak for choosing options on a prebuilt package.

"Pick-your-own mouse" must not have done well with the focus groups.

As though . . .

[bogidu]

. . . millions of voices cried out in terror, and then suddenly silenced.

Re:As though . . .

[Opportunist]

Why, did the Walmarters install Linux and can't boot now, and can't find out how to switch back to Windows?

I'd consider that not the worst that could happen to the net...

I'd definitely buy from them

[i am kman]

as long as they sell major brands (like HP/Compaq or Gateway).

In fact, I MUCH prefer this model where you can semi-customize your own PC from a range of well-defined options. Beats the hell out of CompUSA or Best Buy where you have to take whatever configuration they have have on the shelf.

I'd bet they get exclusive distribution rights to some major brand like Gateway and then sell them at 30% below everyone else's computer.

Don't underestimate the power of WalMart to sell anything to the masses.

Re:I'd definitely buy from them

[10101001011]

You know, I normally don't reply to posts liek this, but I'll let you know. If you are *REALLY* nice to those big box stores (Like Staples) they can hack those computer packages up and allow you to choose your own parts.

And I actually get to say...

[Glowing Fish]

"good for Wal-Mart".
I know that lots of people are going to give theories about what nefarious motivations Wal-Mart might have for doing this. (and then a lot of people are going to fire back saying 'this is how the market works, pinko!)
But I see this as just trying to create a new market for something that people might want. It is weird that we don't have more computer parts stores: after all, it is easy to find mass-marketed auto parts stores, and working on a computer is a lot easier than working on a car. This is just giving people a chance to be able to practice some new technical skills themselves.
Its weird that this hasn't caught on before. When I was in Taiwan, two years ago, I visited the computer market in Tainan, and in most of the stores, including some major ones, they had about as much DIY stuff (that was labelled DIY), as they had pre-made stuff. I feel Americans should be at the front of the world in gear-headism.

Re:And I actually get to say...

[pla]

It is weird that we don't have more computer parts stores

Not at all... The sort of people who have the skills neeeded to build their own computers (when I say "skills", while we might consider throwing together a PC from known-compatible parts as nearly trivial, keep in mind that most people conflate memory with HDDs and while their video cards might come with 512MB, they don't understand that they can't upgrade their monitor to 1GB) also have the skills to get the best price for the best parts online.

Why don't you see more parts stores? Because they can't compete. Sure, you have the occasional semi-literate person who will buy a cable or two, but actually building a system? No.


As for Walmart's "great" prices... True story. A few months back I desperately needed a new HDD ASAP for a project at work. Even overnighting it wouldn't suffice, so I went to WallyWorld, figuring they'd have something that would work.

Well, at the risk of a mixed-metaphorical-double-entendre, size didn't matter, but I didn't expect to raped so hard regardless.

I ended up paying $90 for a 60GB Seagate (ATA133, mind you, not some high-end SCSI deal). Seriously. At the time, I could have bought the same thing online for half the price, or gotten a 200GB for the same price.


So... Geeks will keep shopping for parts online (for the majority of us not lucky enough to have a Fry's in-state), and sheep will keep buying preconfigured Dells. This new "trend" merely gives a new option to the sheep who have learned not to fear the sun rising every morning. But as they say... "Even if you win the Special Olympics, you're still a retard".

Re: And I actually get to say...

[i am kman]

Actually, the real benefit will be that Wal-Mart may force manufacturers to make it easier to work on PCs where you can really have very easy plug and play devices so your mother could install extra RAM.

I had a system with removeable hard drives where I'd just slip it out at night (to lock it up) and it was great.

Why not have similar devices for graphics cards, memory, sound cards, or anything else? Rather than PCI slots, just have slots in the back you could slide pre-packaged devices into that automatically plug-and-play and you don't ever have to open up the computer.

It should be almost as easy to add new internal devices as plugging in an external device with a USB. And Walmart could be the economic force that makes it happen.

Re:And I actually get to say...

[crhylove]

Man I can hit Fry's with a rock from my house and I STILL shop online. They beat best-buy, no doubt, but they are still overpricing video cards, hard drives, LCDs, and other components a good $70 above newegg. And newegg isn't even always the cheapest!

Case in point:
I just bought a 6600gt for $130 (Including shipping/tax) three months ago.
TODAY at fry's I saw a 6600 NOT GT for $179 BEFORE tax.

Fuck that, and fuck you fry's.

rhY

Re:And I actually get to say...

[pla]

Are you implying that because someone chooses not to learn how to assemble a computer, they are retarded sheep? That's horribly elitest and wrong.

Although you twisted my words horribly, you didn't need to - "Implying"? I didn't imply it, I outright said it.

As for elitist and wrong... Geeks have something that very few others do. Not intelligence, not formal education, not problem-solving skills (though geeks do tend to come in well above average in all those categories). No... Geeks have curiosity.



Just because you know something that someone else doesn't, doesn't make you smarter or better than them as a whole.

I agree completely. Not "because" I know, but rather, why I know. I know because I want to know. Sheep know what modern living forces them to know (and often not even quite enough of that, and as little extra as possible.

Sheep look at an outlet and get out a hacksaw if the plug has too many pointy bits for the available number of holes. Geeks look at an outlet and wonder why it takes three prongs rather than two (or even just one - yes, you only need one conductor, under most real-world operating conditions).
Sheep learn that 1+1=2 and take it on no less faith than that Jesus loves them. Geeks consult Whitehead and Russell because we want to know why 1+1=2.
Sheep buy the Deluxe Limited Edition Tie Fighter Lego set and build the Deluxe Limited Edition Tie Figher Lego model. Geeks buy the cheapest set that has the 40-tooth gear they need to finish their trebuchet, and yes, they can tell you the difference between a trebuchet and a catapult.

Get the trend here? Not the mere posession of knowledge, but the motivation to acquire it, and apply it, and more. No, "motivation" doesn't quite suffice... "Money" can motivate. Geeks have a deep, burning need to understand their environment, for no reason beyond the knowing itself.



How about a little tolerance in this world, eh?

Tolerance give us inner-city cultural ghettos. Tolerance gives us genetically defective humans not only allowed to live, but allowed to reproduce. Tolerance gives us schools that teach cooperation then unleash totally unprepared students into a world based on competition, literally to-the-death.

However, you'd find, if you got to know me, that I count as probably one of the most "tolerant" people you'll ever meet. Not out of some misguided dedication to the idea of tolerance itself, however - No, I simply don't give a shit. Screw whomever (or whatever) you want, smoke whatever you want, worship whatever imaginary friend you want, pretty much do anything you want... As long as it doesn't affect me (and, by empathetical extension, anyone other than you, without the consent of those others).

But when "saving the weak" makes me pay more in taxes, I care. When "cultural identity" makes it more dangerous for me to walk down the street (and FSM forbid I wander into the "wrong" neighborhood!), I care. When my (hypothetical) offspring leave school unprepared to fight tooth-and-nail against the million-and-seven other inadequately educated shmoes who all have PhDs to get past the first round of eliminations for an entry-level burgerflipper job, I care.

But feel free to preach tolerance. It will make it easier to take your food and your women after the oil crash.

reminds me

[xmodem_and_rommon]

I have a friend who will remain anonyous (oh, but he reads slashdot) who tried to put together his own omputer one time.

I told him to wait till I got there, but no, he had to "get started" on it

When I got there, I found the motherboard screwed to the side of the case. As in, he hadn't screwed down the little "riser" things you put in first. When I pointed out to him that his whole computer would exploode in a glorius display of sparks the second he applied power, he stated incredulously, "i wondered what those were for"

I expect that telling everyday people they can build their own computer will get a lot of idiots who just want to save a few bucks trying it, and making all kinds of mistakes which, to the uninformed seem perfectly logical.

Re:reminds me

[billcopc]

I used to love that kind of idiot. When I was working retail, there was a 30$ assembly charge for any PC, big or small. A lot of the white-trash movie-copying crowd were so cheap they'd take their 199$ PC in parts and build it themselves. A lot of them came back the next day with an improperly mounted and very dead board. I had one guy who left the CPU fan unplugged "because it was too noisy", then accused me of selling him an overclocked CPU "because only overclocked chips overheat". I took his invoice, wrote "CPU improperly installed by user" in big red letters, kindly dialed Intel's customer service and handed him the phone.

I think Walmart should stay the hell away from computers. They've already destroyed countless suppliers in other markets, that were much stronger business than any asian budget-brand PC supplier. Hell, most of those companies can't even afford basic quality control practices.

Re:reminds me

[SiMac]

The risers in most cases are actually unnecessary. I've built three computers with three different cases and never used them, because in each case, the board was offset enough from the back that they were completely unnecessary.

Also, sadly, usually 12V is not enough to create glorious displays of sparks.

Re:reminds me

[geekboy642]

You are not alone...this is exactly how I found the case of my cow-orker's computer after Misguided-Idiot tried to assemble it. This is the guy who claimed to have worked professionally assembling computers, so I made the (now obviously erroneous) assumption that he would know enough to do the simple stuff.

What a retard.

Re:reminds me

[geminidomino]

The past two cases I used actually had little humps rising up from the base already. eliminating the need.

Though I admit, that story about forgetting the risers struck a chord. I did that too when I was building my very first box. :)

Re:Price

[SoCalChris]

Probably not, but it will be nice in smaller towns like where I work. Right now, if I need a component, I either get it at Staples (Assuming they even have it, and it's not way overpriced), or I mail order it. Having a small section at WalMart with the components would be great here.

Maybe?

[suv4x4]

Maybe this will bring on an influx of new hardware enthusiasts, along with plenty of horror stories about attempted computer assembly. ...Will Wal-Mart shoppers migrate to Linux in order to save a hundred bucks or more, or will they even have the chance?

Yea, yea! And maybe they will all be nympomaniac blondes with huge bimbos that will be ready to do anything if you show them how to properly install a SLI video card setup on their home-made PC-s?

And they will be easily impressed when you show them your mad Perl skills?

----

Or maybe it'll create a small niche market for the already existing geeks and not change much of anything.

We can always dream though, that's what Slashdot is for.

Re:Maybe?

[Tumbleweed]

ea, yea! And maybe they will all be nympomaniac blondes with huge bimbos that will be ready to do anything if you show them how to properly install a SLI video card setup on their home-made PC-s?

And they will be easily impressed when you show them your mad Perl skills?

Dude, chicks aren't impressed by mad perl skills - chicks like Ruby.

Re:Maybe?

[ezzewezza]

Yea, yea! And maybe they will all be nympomaniac blondes with huge bimbos that will be ready to do anything if you show them how to properly install a SLI video card setup on their home-made PC-s?

And they will be easily impressed when you show them your mad Perl skills?

GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!

Re:Maybe?

[glimmy]

It could be worse. It could be java

Re:Maybe?

[Per Wigren]

Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying anal sex is nice because it works on all genders

Was there supposed to be a point somewhere in there? :)

What a relief!

[absinthminded64]

I was a little concerned since Walmart's other DIY services are a bit too chatty for me.

What do I care about "Unexpected item in bagging area" and "Please wait for assistance."

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[saskboy]

Every geek has a tale or two about a clueless user, who thought they knew what they were doing, when they really didn't understand the problem they were trying to solve. Some people really are that clueless, and a joke doesn't mean that I think most users don't know the difference between RAM and hard drive memory.

  When was the last time you laughed about someone who got their computer upgrade right perfectly on the first try. Most people who tinker with computers have been in the situation where they thought they had the right part, only to find out a standard had changed, or a motherboard didn't support a particular CPU.

  I'm sorry that you've lost touch with the users, and feel better by "protecting" them from obvious jokes. Walmart employees are going to have plenty of interesting jokes to tell. Wouldn't you laugh if someone tried to return a drier element because it didn't fit their bread toaster?

fabric departments...

[Frosty Piss]

Perhaps in future, Wal-Mart will offer sew-it-yourself clothing as well?

Many years ago, when I was growing up, lots of Wal-Mart-like department stores had extensive fabric departments...

Re:fabric departments...

[Cylix]

Mine still does...

Never see many people in that section though...

Say goodbye to the local suppliers

[Rooked_One]

like PC club and all that. If you know about wal-mart's business practices, this pretty much spells doom for small PC shops (if they still are alive). This might be good at first, as wal-mart's tactics consist of selling good parts for cheap at first then moving towards lower end parts and charging more, once their competition has gone away.

But since most of us buy our components online, will this really affect *US* that much? I think not.

But, not to be ..... but if you like to scam walmart, geez... these doors will swing wide open. Their return reps won't be able to tell a socket 7 board from a LGA775 board. If you are into that type of thing... like ripping off the big corps... not saying I am.... dot dot dot

Re:Oh no opener

[saskboy]

"so if you do put a memory module into the CDROM, it will install it for you, and spit out the old stick if there isn't enough room."

They already make it able to hold your coffee, you can't expect miracles you know.

Your joke had me laughing louder than I should in an office, even though I'm done work for today.

Talk about total, brutal, revenge...

[Senzei]

Someone higher up at wal-mart must really hate the people behind the returns counter. I've heard of returns from people that failed to correctly operate a toaster.

I think we should all bow our heads in silent prayer for the poor fools working at the wal-mart returns and electronics desks. Then next time you start to think about how much you hate your job remember that there are people who would probably kill someone to be as free from stupidity as you are.

Re:Talk about total, brutal, revenge...

[bobsledbob]

For Walmart, the person behind the return counter is a fixed cost. They don't care if there is nobody in line or a hundred people in line at the return counter. They have to have someone there regardless.

Also, consider that Walmart doesn't really lose any money from returned goods. There's maybe some shipment costs involved in returning goods back to the manufacturer, but I doubt it. Because Walmart has such a large buying volume, it can in essence demand any terms from the manufacturers of a product. One of those terms is the ability to return goods for credit from the mfg pretty much whenever it wants.

The point is, it doesn't really cost Walmart anything to have product returned to them. That's why they (like other stores) offer great return policies (as opposed to your local mom & pop retailer).

As with anything, you get what you pay for, which isn't much at WMT.

yep. The quote:

[SuperBanana]

From the article, this just sounds like the "customize it" button on Dell's web site, not the PC Club style, "here's your parts, go fo it."

Correct, although this is several degrees simpler than Dell, which lets you configure the most inane aspect of a system. The exact quote:

Wal-Mart currently offers only prepackaged bundles of personal computers and accessories in most of its stores. With the build-your-own-computer counters, shoppers can choose between several different components. Such components include central processing units -- the brain of the computer that powers its basic functions -- as well as monitors, keyboards and mice that customers can combine to create customized packages they can load in a shopping cart and take home right away.

Perhaps the reporter is dumbing things down as they usually do. However, if it really is that simple and we have to worry about "horror stories about attempted computer assembly" from people deciding they want a 2GHZ processor instead of a 2.1GHZ processor or a blue logitech keyboard instead of a Microsoft keyboard...I fear for our future.

Re:Bad Math

[HFShadow]

How is that bad math?

3200 stores exist. 1200 stores are getting it now. 1400 will have it by the end of the year.

seems clear enough to me, there isn't even any math involved!

Is this just branding

[debozero]

I agree with several of the /.ers when they question if people at Walmart can assemble a PC but isn't this just Walmart's way to make their shoppers feel included? I mean many if not most of the /.ers are never going to go to Wallmart for parts so the marketing guy who came up with this was looking at it as a way to make building PC's cool similar to how IPods make creating mp3's cool for those same Walmart shoppers. Just a thought......

Post first, read later

[EmbeddedJanitor]

On /., reading first is **cheating**!

Re:Post first, read later

[The Wooden Badger]

I thought post first, read later was mandatory. I usually can't if I want to for a day or two, damn slashdot effect.

What Wal-Mart is Good For

[jazman_777]

Making me feel thin again.

Availability

[VGR]

I hate buying from Wal-Mart, but sometimes they carry things that no one else in the area sells.

I live in a pretty rural area. The nearest actual town has no CompUSA, no Best Buy, and in fact no stores that sell significant computer hardware. There have been many times when I wished there were at least one such store.

Even in the sticks, there's a number of computer guys out here who wouldn't mind having a hands-on place from which to buy hardware. Why not buy online? Because often I want to look at the box and read the specs and such. Not to mention, it's much easier to return something to a physical store than it is to return something bought online.

So Wal-Mart has a chance to snag a pretty untapped market in my opinion.

Re:Availability

[PitaBred]

Once you know, you Newegg.
Seriously. If you have a little patience, they have better parts, better inventory, better information and a great return/exchange policy.

Re:Availability

[fastgood]

The nearest actual town has no CompUSA, no Best Buy, and in fact no stores that sell significant computer hardware.

The regular, daily prices at CompUSA, Best Buy and Frys is higher for commodity items
than what I paid for most of that hardware on sale 18 months ago at the very same places.

If I parted-out a new machine with those stores as choice, it'd cost twice what it should.

The only chance is to stop by every week on the first morning of the new sale and buy up
just the advertised specials and save them for a rainy day.

Wal-Mart can easily beat this loss-leader business model by selling at 15 point margins at
the same time they beat local competitors by 20% on pricing.

And they don't need to stock a wide variety; just the profitable stuff with few returns.

Re:Availability

[RubberDogBone]

Walmart being open 24/7 is the best part of this news. I'm going on faith that they will stock decent merchandise. But the important thing that is that they will be open when my next PSU blows up at 2am on a Sunday.

I am not aware of any other computer parts retailer who has done that, certainly there are none in my area.

OT: Sig

[stinerman]

Don't forget #9 either.

best prices on low-end parts? oh yeah...

[Tumbleweed]

Assuming they really do this, I'd expect them to be pretty much unbeatable for low-end parts.

I'm sure they'll have unbeatable prices for 5400rpm 5.25" harddrives.

Re:best prices on low-end parts? oh yeah...

[swillden]

I'm sure they'll have unbeatable prices for 5400rpm 5.25" harddrives.

As long as they're at least 500GB, I'll buy a couple.

Re:best prices on low-end parts? oh yeah...

[Tumbleweed]

>I'm sure they'll have unbeatable prices for 5400rpm 5.25" harddrives.

As long as they're at least 500GB, I'll buy a couple.

Yeah, if you change that GB to MB, and divide the 500 by 10, you might have a chance. :)

I just checked Newegg to see what the most low-tech HD they have in stock - a 5400rpm 3.5" 20GB ATA100 drive. Awesome.

I have another 400GB drive arriving this weekend, which will put my system up to 1.25TB (pre-formatted, of course). w00t! (thank you, Netflix, for the unbearable need for massive amounts of drive space *sigh*)

Re:best prices on low-end parts? oh yeah...

[swillden]

Yeah, if you change that GB to MB, and divide the 500 by 10, you might have a chance. :)

LOL

Give it a year, though. You can already get 200GB drives at Wal-mart.

I have another 400GB drive arriving this weekend, which will put my system up to 1.25TB (pre-formatted, of course)

What, your drives change size when you format them?

Re:best prices on low-end parts? oh yeah...

[JDevers]

All of the Wal-Mart stores in my area already sell large, decent hard drives. Actually, I think they only brand they stock is Seagate and the smallest one they have is 120 GB and they have a 400+ one too. Not bad prices either really...not as good as the post-rebate prices at more specialized retailers, but not bad.

Re:best prices on low-end parts? oh yeah...

[Firehed]

It's not his fault that Windows mislabels GiB/MiB/TiB as GB/MB/TB... I'd feel much better having a 300GB drive than a 279GiB drive, even if they're identical in capacity. I'd be happy just to have it labelled correctly in the software, especially since when I go group up 4.7GiB of data only find that it won't fit on a blank DVD5 disc since it's actually 5.04GB of data it's a bit irritating. Why a DVD5 disk only holds 4.7GB (and a DVD9 8.5GB) is well beyond me, but at least I know the capacity.

Of course, this "mislabelling" problem would be ten times worse if people are buying DIY kit from WalMart. Since most people go to WalMart to get stuff cheap, they won't be too happy about the "loss" of space that they paid for.

Why the hell isn't there some software hack that modifies this, anyways?

Re:best prices on low-end parts? oh yeah...

[Tumbleweed]

What is the achievement in BUYING HDDs to store movies on? Why not just BUY DVDs instead? They can be incredibly cheap if you know where to look.

You remember that whizzing sound you heard over your head? That was you missing the point.

Re:Bad Math

[GroeFaZ]

Don't overestimate people. There were String-to-Integer conversions and some tricky "larger-than?" decisions involved in parsing those sentence and checking them for logical consistency.

For those of us who live in the rural hinterlands.

[CFD339]

....this will be helpful. It may end up being crap, but it will be crap that will get your machine running on a late sunday afternoon when nobody else is open.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[PitaBred]

Well, you SHOULD think that most users don't know the difference between RAM and hard disk space. Lots of people outside the "geek" circles (and a few inside of it) have no clue about the difference between RAM and hard drives. It's all memory to them. They want a bigger hard drive to make their computer go faster. Thankfully I've trained my family and friends to ask me those questions before they believe the twit at Best Buy or wherever, and they're learning more every year ;)

Walmart sux

[Mesinjah]

Wal-Mart has destroyed a lot of people's livelihoods on this planet. They are a money hungry company with no morals or ethics anywhere in sight. You may save a few bucks by shopping there but you are ruining your future by supporting them. Go mom and pop or get off my planet! As for OEM sales... sure go ahead and buy at Wal-Mart, take their advise too, I'm sure you'll be fine... Not! Few companies like Microsoft have the ability to stand up to Wal-Mart's strong arm tactics and I wouldn't be surprised to see some foreign supplier cave in to good ol' Wally-Mart and sell cheaper to Wal-Mart than all the mid sized distributors. Some good documentaries on the subject are : Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473107/ Store Wars: When Wal-Mart Comes to Town http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318087/

Re:Walmart sux

[geniusj]

I'm sorry that capitalism isn't working out for you, but this is how it works. In this case, Wal Mart was smarter than everyone else and got their way to the top. Now they have something called leverage over their suppliers, which is as it should be. No one's forcing the suppliers to do anything, it's just awfully tempting to give into Wal Mart's demands when you see that kind of profit potential.

Re:Walmart sux

[geekoid]

no.
Walmart use unsavory tactics, abuses its employees, lies, and takes your tax dollars.

For most people, their dislike for wal-mart is NOT about wal-mart making money.
It is about how they operate that pisses people off.

Now my 2AM component shopping is even easier!

[radiotyler]

Wal-Mart is becoming the DIY headquarters for the sleepless youth of America. I remember hatching wonderous schemes with my friends and heading off to the Wal-Mart in the wee shelf-stocking hours to buy the materials needed to accomplish our plans... with interesting results.

The absolute best however was the idea to combine solid-fuel model rocket engines, large toy cars, and almost abandoned parking garages. A very stupid and dangerous activity of questionable legality was made all the more fun by seeing the checkers faces at that ungodly hour, trying to figure out why we were buying:

1. An assortment of large plastic cars
2. 2 rolls of gaffers tape
3. Large stage solid rockets
4. Ignitors
5. Off brand Barbie dolls
6. Flashlights
7. Goggles
8. Liquid graphite

The conversations were always hilarious - and considering our share was coming from a bunch of "punk kids" with a random assortment of hair colors, piercings, stages of (un)dress, and associated stereotypes - we always had a good time.

Late Night Checker: Soooo... what are you fellas up to?
Punk Kids: We're building rocket cars.
LNC: *vacant expression*
PK's: We're going to attach these motors to the cars, and shoot them up ramps in parking garages.
LNC: Right, so the goggles are for protection... uh, the barbies?
PK's: Someone has to drive, dude.
LNC: And the liquid graphite is for the axles? (Every now and then we got a bright one)
PK's: Nah, that's just "personal lubricant".

Now, that's all gone. With self-checkout I can buy any assortment of bizzaire and crazy crap with no-one to question me with the exception of the few flagged items that require "customer service" checks - although this may not be true depending on how late the self-checkouts are open in your area.

In any case the idea of Wal-Mart doing this has Dell beat on one thing, if not price: instant gratification. A lot of times I'll dump an extra couple of bucks on something I can get right now as opposed to waiting for delivery. And if I can custom configure a box, get it at a competitive(ish) price with quality hardware, and pay say $50 bucks more to take it home and commence the fiddlin' associated with a new computer purchase - I'll probably do it.

On the same note however, if they can't beat the prices available online by a good margin or stay very close to prices available online - the only added incentive to me becomes: ease of return and instant gratification. I've become more savvy with my online shopping to accomodate for shipping times, returns, etc. My matra has become buy before you run out and have scheduled purchases. Which brings up yet another issue with selling locally and cutting in on the online sales of computers:

Taxes.

Where I live in Tennessee (By force, not by choice) we pay a "fair use" tax on internet and out of state sales, i.e., if you buy it online or in Kentucky (no sales tax) you're supposed to voluntarily give the State the sales tax. I am very dubious as to how often this actually happens by anyone who is not forced to do so by their employer, as I am.

I think for the people that are interested in spending the time to research best prices and save a buck are not going to be lured into buying their computers from Wal-Mart (especially the "high end" gaming market) or anything other than emergency peripherals. (If you ever need that kind of thing,. I have a box so full of mice you could choke a thousand donkeys with it.) But the sheer volume and monlith that is Wal-Mart is so saturated and in so many markets that "Average Joe American" cannot help but notice that their best friend and retailer of everything is now selling custom configuration computers.

Re:Now my 2AM component shopping is even easier!

[rhendershot]

I'm real happy with my Dell. I bought it about 2 years ago and opted for the a pretty stripped down model of the N series (sans operating system). I price checked online and realized I could get memory and hard drives cheaper, shipped, than by impulse at Dell.

I think you have a great point about instant gratification though. Were I looking at options in a Wal-Mart, I'd be unable to compare option's online pricing, and the "tug" to just go ahead and get that 240G drive instead of the 120G would be pretty strong.

Being in a small town, if my Dell dies after-hours, I'd be sorely tempted to give Wal-Mart a try. And one of the things holding me back from buying from them to upgrade my son's computer is that none of them come with enough memory and all the linux HCC checking I'd expect to have to do.

All in all, I welcome choice. Given Wal-Mart's penetration and distribution expertise, I'd be hard pressed to find a downside here. While Gateway and Dell may *currently* profit more from their business and enterprise dealings, their online customization was a major factor in building both their reputation and their critical mass, IIRC. All those machines weren't customized by geeks only, so folks (not directly to parent) give the average American adult a little more credit, k?

Another factor preventing my buying a pre-boxed offering at a Wal-Mart is that most if not all come with a printer and monitor. These devices are useless to me. I don't actually need even the keyboard nor mouse (I'm no threat to donkeys, but I doubt either of our two optical Logitechs will need replacement in the near future).

One last big consideration. Pack Rat that I am, I really really really need to dump some old gear. It's time. . So, on-site recycling would go a huge distance towards influencing me to purchase at a Wal-Mart.

Sam, you listenin' ??? You got the chops, ole dude, just haunt your son or something, k? ;)

ps- the Logitechs? Both purchased at --you guessed it-- Wal-Mart. Go figure...

Re:Now my 2AM component shopping is even easier!

[radiotyler]

I have zero experience with this, but I've heard good things about freecycle.org. Either your stuff ends up in the hands of another packrat (+1 for you) or ends up in the hands of someone who *needs* it (+1 for you). Give it a look-see, the end result looks good either way.

Re:Now my 2AM component shopping is even easier!

[Lxy]

Remonds me of the time I was moving out of my old apartment. My roomate and I were cleaning about 2AM and preparing for a camping trip the next day.

You want some priceless looks, go to Walmart at 2AM to purchase 8 cans of carpet cleaner and a machete.

Re:Now my 2AM component shopping is even easier!

[rhendershot]

cool tip. thanks. Turns out there are 78 members in our local group (county) so I'll definately give it a closer look.

Wal-Mart Does OK

[thunderpaws]

Wal-Mart doesn't sell top line products, for the most part, but they generally do not sell junk. They also do not play in the market where 'Rebates' give the illusion that you are saving hundreds of dollars on that bargain priced 'eMachine'. I am often surprised at how many people do not have computers in thier homes. Wal-Mart will sell many computers to folks who do not have the cash or credit to pay the whole upfront price and wait many months for the rebate checks to dribble in. Also, for the knowlegable buyer Wal-Mart has a great many good quality mid priced items. Wal-Mart's purchasing folks do a pretty good job stocking the shelves with decent quality products at good prices. Their 'technology' department is doing pretty well now and will do better with this move, and it will create more work for small start up computer services companies.

Re:Wal-Mart Does OK

[texaport]

Wal-Mart doesn't sell top line products, for the most part, but they generally do not sell junk.

What about those rebranded Linksys blue-box routers? I don't know if that is for the benefit
of Wal-Mart, or for the benefit of competing retailers ... but it isn't for the consumer's benefit.

It reminds me of Radio Shack selling half-size inkjet cartridges for $5 less than regular size;
not-so-savvy consumers really think they are getting a deal compared to Staples and others.

Finally, a good home for..

[bealzabobs_youruncle]

the GeForce FX5200.

Re:It will have an impact...

[NineNine]

The thing is that yeah, they sell name-brand stuff, but it's not the same name-brand stuff that you buy elsewhere. They put so much pressure on the manufacturers, that most of their manufacturers have one regular version, and a Wal-Mart version. That's PART of the reason that I would never spend any money at Wal-Mart:

Good example of the Wal-Mart version

Re:Bad Math

[bigdavex]

  in 1200 of its 3200 stores, with plans to do so in at least 1400 by the end of the year.

I hope the guy programming the cash registers at Wal-Mart isn't the same guy as the one who did the math above. If he is, profits at Wal-Mart should be way up and I'm heading out to buy their stock.

What the hell are you talking about?

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[Ohreally_factor]

Somehow, I don't think that the people who can't tell the difference between a hard disk and RAM are the ones that are going to be buying their own parts. If they do, they're most likely going to learn the hard way. At that point, there's basically two roads. One, they'll NEVER try to put together their own computer ( and probably discourage all future generations from doing so, since they couldn't) OR two, they'll figure out what they did wrong and try again. If they take the second path enough times, they'll become a geek.

Instead of being dismissive of this Walmart thing, I'm interested in how they're going to do it. (Not that I like or shop at Walmart. I pretty much despise them.)

Anyone from the Bay Area remember Domino Computers? I forget exactly what their model was, but it was a build-your-own-computer. They provided the parts, the tools, the facilities and the advice. I think they offered classes/seminars, but I don't remember if those were free, or if you paid a fee.

Home Depot and Lowes sell diy materials, tools, and instruction books. They also offer free seminars on a variety of diy topics. Don't see why Walmart couldn't follow this example.

Another thing Walmart could do is use color coded packaging. This Red CPUs and Red RAM work with Red MBs. Green CPUs and Green RAM work with the Green MB. Oh, look the packaging on this PSU is Red and Blue. It works with the Red MB and the Blue MB, but not the Green. And look, this HD is in a purple package. It only works with the Purple MB and other Purple parts. So, the uneducated user need never know that his computer's HD is SATA; he only knows it's part of the Purple group. He doesn't need to know that his MB has an AGP slot, only that Yellow video cards work with Yello MBs.

I could also see Walmart being able to tailor you linux install based on what parts you buy. They scan all your parts, and their Distro distro system picks the right ISO for you and spits out a CD.

Wal-mart is evil, etc, etc

[cartman]

But this will drive out of business all the mom-and-pop DIY computer assembly store chains.

And Wal-Mart intends to pay me NOTHING AT ALL while I assemble my computer, which is a violation of my rights.

And don't get me STARTED about HEALTH CARE. Suppose I become injured or sick while assembling my computer?

And what about workers' rights... Suppose I want my domestic partner to help me assemble my PC? Will there by any support from Wal-Mart? NO?

It's just another way for Wal-Mart to screw over the consumer, make obscene profits, force small businesses to close, and discriminate against lesbians.

The lesson we can draw from this is perfectly simple. Wal-Mart is the earthly incarnation of Evil.

Fortunately, the local mom-and-pop store is PURER than the HOLY MOTHER VIRGIN.

Variety in limited space...

[cazbar]

Computer parts is one market where having variety can be just as important as having the lowest price. Not everybody is looking for the same thing. Wal-mart doesn't have the space to offer many options.

I doubt they will put a dent in the market share of online stores like Newegg.

Forgotten step!

[Skadet]

Walmart - "Alrighty then."

Walmart - Huh.. I think that's how it's spozed to go. Maybe you need a DVD drive.

XP OEM pricing

[sPaKr]

Does anyone else think this is just a 'life-hack' so WalMart can sell software at OEM prices? Buy that usb cable, sure now you can get XP for $45.

Re:XP OEM pricing

[SchrodingersRoot]

Can you imagine a WalMart-branded Windows? Or that damn smileyface in the corner of IE?

Talk about the stuff of nightmares.

Re:Price

[Random Destruction]

Your town has a staples, but no small computer stores?
weird.

Re:I hope prices drop! - reply/rant please read

[iamcf13]

I wont even go into a Walmart unless it is absolutely necessary because the stench of poor people is so overwhelming.

Then why is money called filthy lucre?

(Paper) Money stinks after it has been handled by several/dozens/thousands of people--especially paper money that is so worn, dirty, smelly, and dilapidated, it should be destroyed and replaced on sight!

Then there is the (in)famous story of Lazarus and the rich man in the Bible....

And my personal favorite, the Warrant music album title Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich. (Sure does describe those greedy RIAA executives to a T, eh?)

Don't like the smell? Go cashless. (Of course, the Bible 'speaks out' about the 'end result' of that as well.)

The stench cuts both ways.

Don't like money and all it represents? Live like a self-reliant hermit on private/(public) land if you can. (Look what happend to the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. His brother 'fingered' him anonymously and pledged some of the reward money to the [survivors of] the victims. That backfired--he was 'outed' anyway. Was the reward money a factor? Possible/likely. But Ted 'arrested himself' when his manifesto got published in a public forum and his brother identified him from his writing style.)

Get used to it. "Money makes the world go around." Cabaret (1972)

slashdot captcha word for this post: mediator (coincidence?)

Sure Wal-Mart will win

[PCM2]

If you can walk across the street just once and find the same video card discounted $50 off what you'd pay at Fry's, you're going to start checking out the prices at Wal-Mart before you buy at Fry's.

Then one day you're not going to be looking for computer parts; maybe you're looking to buy new towels for your bathroom. But while you're at Wal-Mart, you'll notice that they have that latest hot MMORPG on sale, and while you're there, you'll buy it. That's a sale that Fry's never got a chance to compete for (and it's one less trip you'll make to Fry's in the near future). If this kind of thing happens often enough, profits at Fry's start to go down, which starts them down the slippery slope of finding ways to get more money out of their customers.

Wal-Mart is the master of this kind of competition... you don't think people talk about Wal-Mart's business so much for no reason, do you?

Re:Sure Wal-Mart will win

[gfxguy]

If you're paying $50 less for a video card, then I can guarantee you it's not the same exact video card, just something that looks a lot like the same product sold elsewhere for more money. Several other posters have pointed out that WalMart is also the master of coercing vendors into selling them cheaper products.

The sad thing is many people will never realize it.

Already done

[symbolset]

Walmart's offerrings already include desktop PC's with Linux: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_ id=3762912/.

It's a mistake to think that the circumlocutions Best Box, Circuit Max and all of the other big box stores put you through are efficient. Clip the coupon, time the trip, gather the receipts, prosecute a deliberate mail and phone tag campaign for six months to save $20 on a flash drive? That's not sales, it's marketeering. When I'm looking for a hard drive, I don't need a three cornered deal with conditional execution of optional term relationship components. I'll take a square deal for cash on the counter, no questions, when I can get it. That they stand behind their products is just a bonus about which I had suffered some nostalgia after chatting up the sales drones at the CalcUSA over some planned purchases [notebook, camera, PDA]. Do you that remember that innocent era when if you bought something and it didn't work you could take it back to the store without paying a ton of money and/or hiring a lawyer? Apparently that sort of thing still goes in Wally World, but almost nowhere else.

I've read the comments about knowlegeability of the salesforce, as if Wal-Mart could be worse than the pimply kid at Fray's. This is laughable.

No, I don't work there.

People get emotional about Wal-Mart, but the fact is if they didn't have great prices, execute perfectly and treat customers with respect, people would shop somewhere else and they wouldn't be the world's largest retailer any more.

MOD PARENT INSIGHTFUL

[finity]

Oh, I guess they already did...

DIY Has Potential....

[DavidD_CA]

I doubt it will ever come to this, but thinking seriously about the DIY concept, there is some potential there.

What if upgrading and installing computer components were as easy as sticking a catridge into your Game Boy? Need a DVD+R... shove it in and that's it. No screws, no power cables, no drivers. Need more RAM? Install it. Doesn't matter if it's ECC or DDR or XYX.

If anyone can pull it off, it's Wal*Mart.

ReSounds like an opportunity

[geekoid]

you are missing.

Geranimals for Computers

[vortmax]

Sounds like the kids clothing line where you matched zebra to zebra, lion to lion, etc.

Gee, all I did was put the LAMB memory in the LION motherboard and POW.... it all went blewie.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[khellendros1984]

Arghhh! Then we'll have people asking if blue and purple work together...or should they go with the green part? I hope I don't ever end up memorizing this speculated color fiasco =/ Frankly, I'm pretty happy with acronym soup.

Excellent news! 24hr computer parts source

[RubberDogBone]

This is good news on two major fronts:

1) Computer parts source that's open 24/7. There have been many times when I needed a part urgently in the middle of the night or even on weekends when the local computer stores, Frys, Compusa, etc, just are not open. Walmart never closes.

2) Price competition. I support my local computer shop when I can but he wants $80 for the same PSU Newegg sells for $40. Frys will sell me one for $60, if they actually have it in stock. Walmart is likely to bring parts to market at the lower end of that price scale and there won't be shipping costs.

Now before people jump up and down and say that doesn't support the local guy, yeah, I agree. But he's already priced himself out of the market when I can order the same thing from Newegg and pay for next-day shipping and still get it it for less money -and get it delivered early in the AM before the local store even opens.

The main question is, WHAT brands is Walmart going to sell. If they go low-end, then it will only be useful for basic parts. I'm not going to buy much less use a no-name $15 PSU. Fans and parts, OK, but I want decent brands for drives, cases, motherboards, videocards, etc.

cheapening quality vs morechoice is better

[Infoport]

But I would seriously expect the products at Wal-mart and the small business guy not to compare well. Big-box stores like Wal-mart, Home Depot, etc, are known for playing games with margins.

AMEN! And boxed parts are likely to appear in stores if this works. If computer parts companies who aim for enthusiast are smart, they WILL hold out against the WalMart-cheapening of their products. There would quickly be advice on the 'Net pointing out which sound cards, or video cards or speakers used low quality parts under the brand's high quality name, so enthusiasts could avoid them. The use of low quality base parts (like no-name MB/RAM/power supplies/etc) in barebones computers is pretty common, so maybe they are safe there, but thhat seems like it would lead to more boxed parts next to the computers eventually.

There was this Slashdot article http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/28/223524 6 about a man taking his products OUT of WalMart to avoid the cheapening of his high quality lawn equipment (the cheapening of the brand, and the price gap/struggle in WalMart lawn centers without knowledgeable staff to enable the high-quality products to shine)

WalMart is also known to leverage additional censorship upon movies and music sold there, leading to those works being issued in WalMart-censored and everybody-else versions. (ex.the comic-book-animated movie Spawn.http://imdb.com/title/tt0118475/alternatever sions There was also a live action version with John Leguizamo)

There are very few computer parts that I wouldn't worry about getting a YET CHEAPER part than whatever the manufacturer manages to create for their margin vs. my brand expectation. As it is, those who care have to read a lot of benchmarks and tests to put something together a la carte that will be stable under pressue.

Maybe case screws? Floppy drives? Air in a can?

I would worry about the advice employees give too, except that the big computer chains usually give out their share of ignorant advice via their staff. http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/ 25/1352257 John and Suzie Q Public who go in for advice before purchase will probably be screwed. But hey, choice is always better. ;-)

Re:cheapening quality vs morechoice is better

[zippthorne]

Somehow I doubt that Sam Walton's margin shaving will make a dent in what Michael Dell has already managed to cut in the electronics market.

Re:cheapening quality vs morechoice is better

[gid]

There was this Slashdot article http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/28/223524 6 about a man taking his products OUT of WalMart to avoid the cheapening of his high quality lawn equipment (the cheapening of the brand, and the price gap/struggle in WalMart lawn centers without knowledgeable staff to enable the high-quality products to shine)

I thought this was interesting as well, until I found out that Snapper is owned by Simplicity, which is owned by Briggs & Straton, which already sells lawn mowers to Walm-Mart and the they probably don't want to compete against themselves. I'm not sure if I trust Snapper's motives for not selling to Wal-Mart--sometimes things aren't as they seem.

Won't work.

[HornWumpus]

Walmart will never buy a million of any computer part. If they did six months later they will be looking at 950,000 of them (now worth much less then they paid for them).

I've priced a few of the parts they stock now. Never buy a computer part (exception: monitors) at walmart. You can do much MUCH better on price watch and get a better part in the process.

I can see posibilities in abusing WalMarts return policy.

my store

[KrashKing405]

I work at a Wal-Mart store, just saw the incoming stuff for this today. Not sure how it s going to work, but it might be good for those among us that know what they are doing with a computer.

I priced a DVD-R at Walmart

[HornWumpus]

They wanted something like $80 for it. Very overpriced.

Re:Good and bad

[sdaug]

Do you really think that they will sell them at 2am? If you go in now to buy a camera, you can't buy it after 9pm. I bet most parts will be locked up after 9pm or so.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[rapidweather]

The Walmart near me has gone from having one boxed HP in a corner shelf (with no one there that knows anything about it) to having a fair selection of laptop computers (in bulletproof see-through displays). Undoubtedly all Windows preinstalls, no way they would have anything with Linux preinstalled in a retail outlet here.

As far as the DIY counter goes, I would guess that they would station geeks there to do it for you, similar to what CompUSA does. Probably need a nice sign behind the counter to give the walk-in customer some idea of what to ask for. Sounds to me like each customer, if they buy, would take at least 30 minutes to process, and then the machine could be picked up "the next day" at a certain time. Might have a back room with less-presentable geeks, but with talents, putting the boxes together, and getting them working.

Really does not sound anything like what Walmart does best, that is, put the stuff out there, and let the customer self-checkout, and exit the store, no sales clerks needed. Just stockers. And of course, lots of anti-shoplifting staff stationed in the ceiling.

The other idea would be to handle this like the satellite storefronts at the front of the building, like the Banks, Baby Photographers, Pharmacists, etc. that work more like mall stores, rather than like the main Walmart store area. So, they just put the "computer store" under the same roof, but it really is not "walmart" any more than the Bank or Eye Doctor there is.

Walmart would still offer boxed desktops and laptops in traditional walmart shelf areas, in the Electronics area.
Sure, the "computer store" would do linux installs, but with the Windows OEM setup, those would not be any cheaper.
Microsoft does discourage that, or so I hear. Since Vista is many months away, XP is what everyone will want/get, and dual booting an option, maybe.

With a livecd linux, they would get "dual booting" instantly, and a super-secure linux system at that.

ain't gonna work

[acroyear]

as I think WalMart is not going to be ready for the thousands of returns they'll have to deal with when someone fries their motherboard by plugging in a second graphics card without seating it properly. (no, this didn't just happen to me...really...honest...er...um...well...ok, it did.)

until DIY improves its failsafes and adds much better error detection (its actually gotten worse since the 90s, a LOT worse), its not for the casual user.

DIDN'T ANYONE RTFA?

[Ritchie70]

The summary is bogus. As far as I can tell from the article, all they're doing is unbundling the monitors (and possibly keyboards and mice) from the computer.

Re:DIDN'T ANYONE RTFA?

[lasindi]

The summary is bogus. As far as I can tell from the article, all they're doing is unbundling the monitors (and possibly keyboards and mice) from the computer.

Yup, it looks like that's exactly what's happening. From TFA: "Such components include central processing units -- the brain of the computer that powers its basic functions -- as well as monitors, keyboards and mice that customers can combine to create customized packages they can load in a shopping cart and take home right away." So, I guess what the rest of the world calls a "computer" is a "central processing unit" according to Yahoo. How disappointing. "Do it yourself" has been reduced to "buy the keyboard yourself."

Re:DIDN'T ANYONE RTFA?

[Peyna]

So, I guess what the rest of the world calls a "computer" is a "central processing unit" according to Yahoo.

The problem is from people abbreviating "computer" as "cpu." Then suddenly someone tells them "cpu" means "central processing unit," so they assume "computer" = "central processing unit."

The Big Shop of Horrors...

[Super Dave Osbourne]

I can see it now, customer comes in to get Tire and Lube, walks around the store for 15, another 30 at the computer parts 'department' (comprised of 3 totally unqualified sales associates, and a CSM fulltime due to the nature of the beast), buys 2-3 components, and returns all 3 to an equally unqualified customer service rep demanding they specify why it is they are returning item. Customer states, it is incompatible with my operating system. Rep calls CSM, CSM states that if it is not broken, they will just exchange. However, customer doesn't want anything part-wise from wally because they found www.pricewatch.com, and lawsuits follow. I think this parts thing is definitely a lose-lose-lose situation for customer, for walmart, and for the local techs. Its going to be a nightmare.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[Davus]

Cereal Killer: Oh yeah, technicolor rainbow.
It just may work, though, as it worked for mice/keyboards/speakers/microphone etc. ports...

Same Brands, Different Store

[Laserwulf]

Anyone know which stores were the test-markets? I never went to Wal-Mart until the Army stationed me in Hawaii, and all the ones around here have stuff like (basic) video & sound cards, networking equipment, keyboards & mice, and random stuff like screwdriver sets & CAT5. When I visit home, I never bother with Wal-Mart, so if the HI stores would carry more stuff than now, I for one welcome our corporate overlords. What difference does it make if you buy a [insert well-known hardware company] from Wal-Mart or from CompUSA/Frye's/online, if the prices are similar? I've seen the same Linksys networking gear at Wal-Mart & CompUSA. I think Wal-Mart is trying to cater to people like my mom; she's -starting- to use her computer for more than just word-processing, but places like Frye's are still intimidating. Wonder if she'd like The Sims... lol

Re:Same Brands, Different Store

[nolife]

Is that the Wal-Mart down the road from Wheeler and Schofield with the roof top parking? I haven't lived there for over 10 years but I remember more often then not, at night there was a pack wild dogs hanging out near the entrance of the roof parking lot. Maybe the area is more built up now and the dogs hang elsewhere.

Re:Same Brands, Different Store

[Laserwulf]

Yeah, that's one of the Wal-Marts I frequent. I haven't seen the wild dogs, but then there -is- a Filipino resturaunt in the nearby stripmall. (btw, I'm Filipino)

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[nbmatt]

That is actually a FANTASTIC idea. :O Not only would this help the newbie-DIYers, but it would make the whole scanning-for-specs portion a lot easier, too. :P

Ho-hum.

[madbawa]

So whats the big deal? They'll probably sell for $200 what I have been doing in $75 for my customers. I've been assembling computers since quite some time now and don't see it as a great thing. Everything fits together perfectly and it would take a real moron to screw things up while assembling a comp.

For those who don't know...

[Ayanami Rei]

Nearly _every_ computer and computer component is manufactured/assembled in China. The exceptions are the large-chip manufacturing fabs run by big chip giants in Germany, Malaysia, India, and other semi-technologically savvy areas with cheap labor.

I think I see what your problem is. . .

[Ohreally_factor]

Gee, all I did was put the LAMB memory in the LION motherboard and POW.... it all went blewie.

You can only mix LAMB and LION components if you are using JesOS X.

(After typing that, I googled it for the heck of it and found that link!)

Re:I hope prices drop! - reply/rant please read

[pboulang]

That is why I only use freshly laundered money.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[Ohreally_factor]

Wait until you start seeing things like this on system requirements for games:

Requires an ORANGE computer or warmer, with at least two yellow RAM thingies. =)

Something like this could work, if it was kept really simple. I'm surprised no one has yet posted, "I'm color blind, you insensitive clod!!"

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[perky]

I like your colour coded parts idea a lot, and I've been using and building computers for over 15 years. Keeps it simple, and unless you actually care about the specs of a given part, all you have to know is the relative performance of the colours. Yes, there will always be some nit picking, but broadly speaking this is an excellent idea.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[Ohreally_factor]

I think Walmart is probably the one vendor that Microsoft can't push around. However, I'm certain you're right. The vast majority of buyers will opt for Windows. Only those who are curious or on the thinnest of budgets would probably go with a Linux distro, if it was offered.

Was there any backlash from customers when Walmart offered Lindows/Linspire?

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[Lord Ender]

"Not that I like or shop at Walmart. I pretty much despise them."

You know, if you don't shop at walmart, you are getting ripped off twice. Your taxes are paying for their employee's benefits. Other companies pay for benefits for their employees, and you pay for that by higher prices.

Since you pay for walmart employee benefits anyway, don't let them screw you more: shop there.

But when will Wal-Mart get into ...

[Skapare]

Wal-Mart's entry into a category can raise alarms because the retailer's persistent price-cutting pressures competitors' profit margins. It has been blamed for bankruptcies in sectors ranging from groceries and toys.

But when will Wal-Mart get into the gasoline retail business?

Re:But when will Wal-Mart get into ...

[k_187]

since there's nothing to indicate you're being sarcastic, there are wal-mart gas stations at some wal-marts and Sam's clubs. I think they're outsourced to somebody else, but they are branded as wal-mart.

Overclocking

[Joebert]

Shouldn't be long before people start trying to overclock this stuff.

Left Shoulder: "Don't push it too hard, you don't want to fry it."
Right Shoulder: "Who cares, didn't you need to go to Walmart anyway ?"

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[Ohreally_factor]

This might sound odd, but I try, whenever possible, to have a personal relationship with people I do business with.

Even when I order Mac upgrades online, I tend to buy from OWC because I know the owner and his crew. I see them every time I go to MacWorld, I consider them to be friends, and they've always taken care of me personally, while offering low prices.

I live really close to a Home Depot, and I sometimes shop there. But I go out of my way to shop at Baller Hardware because I went to highschool with the owner. Not only that, but his hardware selection, especially for more unusual screws, nuts, and bolts, is a lot better than Home Depot. Also, his store is better organized. The extra 15 minutes it takes to drive to his store is often saved in how quickly I can find things, with or without help. Some of his prices are actually better than home depot, and when they're not and I'm buying large quantities, he'll check and see if he can match the price.

I don't hate Starbucks, but it won't be my first choice if there is a local coffee bar. I'm not a coffee snob; I just want to get high. If I was a snob, I'd drink only Peet's. =) If there's nothing else, I'll drink Starbuck's and I don't do it begrudgingly or holding my nose. I'll drink 7/11 or AM/PM coffee in a pinch.

I'm not even arguing that this is good to do because it helps the local economy. It's just the way I like to do business when I can. I guess it makes me feel more human.

Wow.

[Homestar Breadmaker]

I realize its not saying much given the collective pile of shit that is slashdot, but that has to be the most insightful post in the history of slashdot.

perfect timing!

[rockchops]

I welcome this as good news as I will be in the market after this summer for constructing an entire gaming rig from scratch on a tight budget (yay summer internships). Not to put in a plug for Wal-Mart, as I loathe feeding the corporate giant as much as the next hippie, but money is tight and I need a rig!

"Why not just order from the internet?!" - Well, because I prefer to be able to return something in person if it is defunct or incompatible, rather than dealing with mailing things back and forth and waiting. A comfort factor really. And now I won't have to pay out the nose for that convenience because I have a feeling Wal-Mart will price their products very competitively.

Re:perfect timing!

[saintlupus]

Not to put in a plug for Wal-Mart, as I loathe feeding the corporate giant as much as the next hippie, but money is tight and I need a rig!

Right. Loathe. Somehow I don't think that we're working with the same definition of that word.

--saint

God Help Us

[IHC Navistar]

I hope to God that they don't staff their Components Dept. with idiots of the same caliber as those that CompUSA sucked out of the drain at the Unemployment Office.

I have lost ALL faith in such retailers, except for Fry's, after I had an unbelievable nightmare of a time with a Technician/Counter Monkey who should have been folding towels in the Mens Room, instead of manning the Parts counter.

Since then, when it comes to such retailers, other than Fry's, treat them like a dead raccoon - - - Avoid.

I work for Wal-Mart...

[ECramer]

I work for Wal-Mart, so I'm really getting a kick out... erm wait a tick, I *really DO* work for Wal-Mart. /*sigh* my life is NOT where I thought it would be five years ago //damn my pyschologist! ///but I do get %10 off, so maybe this wont be so bad. ///am I really using slashies on /.?!

I like it

[terminalhype]

I don't shop at Walmart often, but they open early and stay open late around here, some are even 24 hour. I can't see that Wally-World parts could be any cheaper (quality-wise) than some I've seen inside pre-built "brand name" machines. If I am working on someone else's computer, or my own, it's generally late at night or in the early mornings before work. It would be nice sometimes to be able to run over and grab a part. Even if it isn't the best part money can buy, it could still help in a pinch. As for people who don't really know anything about computers but want to try to build their own, if the parts are cheap, then who cares if they mess it up? That's how I learned. Many electronic parts died at my hands while I figured things out. It was fun though. The last one I built for myself has run pretty steadily for 7 years now, so all those dead parts gave their lives so this one could live. Kinda touching, ain't it?

No... and no.

[nerotik]

Will Wal-Mart shoppers migrate to Linux in order to save a hundred bucks or more

No...

or will they even have the chance? ... and no. Anyone taking more than that amount of text to discuss, and / or debate this question is horribly deluded.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[sniperu]

It's slashdot, i'll give you that, but looking down on somebody because they don't know the difference between RAM and HDD is not the smartest thing to do. I mean ... do you know the difference between the compression and the oil rings in your engine ? And please ... give me an onest answer before you google it ... And you use your car each day, just like they use their computers !

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[q.kontinuum]

You know, if you don't shop at walmart, you are getting ripped off twice. Your taxes are paying for their employee's benefits. Other companies pay for benefits for their employees, and you pay for that by higher prices.

To me (I'm from Germany) this sounds funny. I did some shopping in Walmart before, but comparing the prices there are much more affordable offers from other competitors. Walmart prices just can't compete in most cases with Aldi, Kaufland, Real or Lidel. No wonder it's losing market share here. Now I just wonder if Walmart is more expensive here than it is in USA or if there are not so many competing discounters in USA?

Oh, by the way: I was mainly comparing products of their brand SmartPrice to similar products. For other brands they give a price guarantee: If You find another seller offering the same product for a lower price they will go down to the same offer. Unfortunately this does not mean that Walmart takes care to always have the best offer by default, as many customers assume. It's still up to the customer to run around and collect the price lists of the competitors.

Bimbos?

[miro f]

you keep using this word. I do not think it means what you think it means

Re:Bimbos?

[suv4x4]

you keep using this word. I do not think it means what you think it means

I used it just once, I don't think you know what "keep using it" means.

I LOVE Wal-Mart and now i can save on PC parts!

[Anonymous Coward]

this is great news and means that i'll be able to do my upgrades at a reasonable price, and in many cases, cheaper than purchasing via the 'net and instead paying state tax on purchases...

sounds like a win-win situation all around!

i always shop at Wal-Mart... in the past year i have saved a lot of money by buying clothes and other items there... while other brick-and-mortar stores offer overpriced junk, i can get quality goods at Wal-Mart and pay lower prices...

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[Mesaeus]

I'm sorry, but this is about the difference between idiots and merely ignorant users. They both don't really know how it works, the difference is that the idiot will go ahead and do the craziest things "because it just might work" while an ignorant user will try to get help first before he destroys something. An ignorant user KNOWS he's out of his league. We all make mistakes and destroy things once in a while, but the true idiot is the one that thinks that he knows all about something when he doesn't know the first thing and then goes ahead and proves it.

effect on the OEM parts market?

[caudron]

Do you think this will have an effect on the OEM parts market?

Was this question for real? Everything WalMart does affects the the markets it touches.

WalMart selling a product in your industry is like Microsoft deciding to bundle the functionality of your software in their OS. It may be good (they buy your company and you retire to Tahiti, the land of booze and titties) or it may be bad (they take what they want and let you spend your grandma's pension fund fighting them in court for 2069 and a half years) but either way dude, YES, YOUR MARKET WAS AFFECTED!

Tom Caudron
http://tom.digitalelite.com/

Re: Simplifying to the 'what color is it? level:

[RossumsChild]

Don't they already do this?

Freaking Great for Modding!

[Solitonjoy]

Oh yeah! Just put that counter right up near the Garden Pick-Up Drive-Thru, spec some insane cuts in teflon-coated tinfoil, take advantage of DirecTV rebates (TigerDirect + WalMart = running recycling plant backwards to remove anti-stylish RoHS-incompliant mechatronics), and spec out that [unarmed ATAT]/[40' pool] that folds into a truckbed, that you've always wanted to make.

Lots of cornhusking robots comin' down the line.
Yup.
Lotta robots that use solar power to bake and seal microwaveable tomato bakes.
ayyYup.
The AlRemezyud Boy up my road made me a one to train the calves to back into the trough by my hedges when they go.
Told me that last week.
I'm gonna have to read that Omblovka myself, soon enough.
Yup. R3Pwned t3h R3v0lu+:n!

Not very DIY

[Craig Ringer]

This doesn't sound so DIY at all. I just don't think the submitter understood the extent to which most people consider a computer a complete unit (these are the folks who turn off the screen to turn off the computer).

It sounds like they're only doing DIY in the sense of package customisation, a-la Dell. We're not talking motherboards, memory, and swearing about clearance between the RAM slots and the video card here. More "I'll have that P4/2GB/200MB with that 19 inch LCD, that wireless keyboard and mouse, and, oh, I'll upgrade the disk to 500GB too, can you do that for me now?".

I quote:

"With the build-your-own-computer counters, shoppers can choose between several different components.

"Such components include central processing units -- the brain of the computer that powers its basic functions -- as well as monitors, keyboards and mice that customers can combine to create customized packages they can load in a shopping cart and take home right away."

In other words, "where's the news"? This doesn't sound much more interesting than what (eg) Dell have been doing for donkeys, except for the impulse-buy aspect.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[zuluechopapa]

well. that's a somewhat interesting idea, but how many color specs do you intend to have? I'll readily admit that I'm not much of a hardware geek, but I can get lost fairly easily through the iterations of hardware... aren't there 5 or so 'in use' CPU slot configurations now? how far back will Walmart have to go to be of use to many DIY sorts of hardware poeple? Obligator simpsons quote: Lisa: I'd like 25 copies on Goldenrod. Clerk: right Lisa: 25 on Canary Clerk: mmhmm Lisa: 25 on Saffron Clerk: alright Lisa: and 25 on Paella Clerk: Ok, 100 yellow

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[FullMetalJester]

Consider the possibilities if Walmart partnered with newegg.com, kinda of like the old egghead sections in staples.

Why does everyone hate WalMart?

[SkeeZerD]

I really don't understand why everyone seems to hate WalMart. In the spirit of the capatalistic system, WalMart has managed to become a world leading retailer. True, they use policies that tend to obliterate neighboring businesses through loss leaders and pricing undercuts, and they are vehemently non-union, but, and this is the point, WalMart is the huge success of one man's vision, and isn't that the American Dream?

Re:Why does everyone hate WalMart?

[kaatochacha]

On a complete tangent, I don't see why people always see democracy = unfettered capitalism.

That's easy!

[Fantastic Lad]

I really don't understand why everyone seems to hate WalMart. In the spirit of the capatalistic system, WalMart has managed to become a world leading retailer. True, they use policies that tend to obliterate neighboring businesses through loss leaders and pricing undercuts, and they are vehemently non-union, but, and this is the point, WalMart is the huge success of one man's vision, and isn't that the American Dream?

That's easy to answer.

People hate WalMart because the American Dream is a bullshit fairy tale which causes massive harm and misery through uncontrolled greed and psychopathic disregard for others. When community is destroyed and lives shunted into ever-decreasing viability, then something is very obviously wrong. Just because the offending entity happens to hold true to the founding rules of the 'American Dream' does not make it healthy, noble or worthy of respect.

Consider. . . Who coined and marketed the idea of the 'American Dream' to everybody and what was the motive?

-FL

Re:That's easy!

[Billly Gates]

Or the American dream if you can get it.

Most dont. Why can't everyone get paid 100k a year with nice jobs? Its just not a reality.

What is sad is those who do make it blame the little guy for not trying hard enough. Hmmm ok? Who is going to take care of your yard and make your burger during lunch? Or who will actually make your products to line your pockets? Oh thats right the little guy who actually does run the economy.

I heard in the UK many executives dont want to make more than a million a year because they feel its grossly overcompensation?? How much do CEO's here make? several hundred times that and they want more and more.

WalMart shoppers run Linux?

[Beer Moon]

If they're socio-economically ignorant enough to shop at Wal-Mart, the chances of them being interested in running Linux are slim and none.

This is GREAT! Now Wal-Mart can start strong-arming hardware companies to force them to move to the cheapest possible manufacturing process, regardless of what effects it will have on society. Worker benefits will drop, and so will product quality - just like everything else made specially for Wal-Mart.

Like their "Lee" jeans line. Normal Lee jeans too expensive for Wal-Mart's price point? No problem! Move the factory to some asian country so you don't have to provide jack in worker benefits and lower the quality of materials; problem solved!! It's what the consumers want! Lower-quality cheapo items that SEEM like they're the quality we're accustomed to (after all, they still have that Lee label). This business philosophy WILL fail, it's just a question of when people wake up to what's happening to the world.

Price is not the only cost you pay when you buy something.

Good, because. . .

[Fantastic Lad]

1. WalMart appears to NOT be actually selling internal computer components, (Mother boards, hard drives, cases, etc). They're only selling monitors and keyboards and mice which you 'Assemble yourself.' Chumpy but whatever.

2. This is probably a good thing.

3. Because. . .

4. When WalMart gets into a market, they start dictating how and where things get manufactured, thus turning whole industries into lopsided affairs regulated by WalMart's decision-makers.

5. This is bad, because. . .

6. WalMart, the morally upright entity that it is, (*cough*) will have the ability to flood the market with a bunch of DRM hardware and force manufacturers to follow suit.

Do you want that? DRM hard drives and memory sticks and flat screens that won't display anything unless the RIAA hardware filters let it through?

Didn't think so.

-FL

Re:Good, because. . .

[jb.hl.com]

flat screens that won't display anything unless the RIAA hardware filters let it through

Um, the RIAA is a music industry association. They could not care less about flat screens or what you watch on them. Speakers, maybe.

Re:Good, because. . .

[SchrodingersRoot]

you forgot:

7. Profit!

no, seriously, though, i agree with you
walmart already exercises too much influence in some markets for my peace of mind. if they managed to successfully get their claws sunk deep into the computer parts market, think of the additional leverage the increased vertical integration would give them with respect to what kind of content is manufactured/distributed...

Re:Price

[Beer Moon]

Your town has staples, but not USPS, FedEx, or UPS?

Weird. Everything I buy gets dropped at my door within 2 days for 25% cheaper than I could have bought it locally. With online shopping I also have about 1000x more products to choose from.

Companies like Newegg do it right. Cut out the retail costs, and you can cut prices phenomenally.

Oh man....

[revlayle]

You know, they may offer decent components at very decent prices. However, until they start treating their employees better and offering them a slightly better wage... I will continue to try to steer clear of buying ANYTHING at Wal-Mart for the time being.

Their prices are tempting, but once Sam Walton passed, everything went to shit... (IMNSHO)

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[Nikker]

I noticed headding was "build your own computer counter". Could it be there will be people there to assemble the system as you pick out the parts. It really wouldn't be that difficult, all the Motherboards could be pre-mounted on a platter which could be easily attached to the outer casing or an internal frame of course. You point out what you want, almost like ordering a cheeseburger. Most semi-knowlegeable know that each part actually installs very quickly and easily if the parts are known. Laptops are tricky of course, but Walmart's pull could possibly make a universal body or frame that all manufacturers could base a design.

Maybe Wallmart could do for hardware what OSS is doing for software?

Re:I hope prices drop! - reply/rant please read

[pl1ght]

Huh? What you said had nothing to do with what i said... I said the Poor People. Not the money smelling. GJ on a pointless rant.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[From A Far Away Land]

It would be annoying, since sometimes old Green Memory would work in newer Blue Motherboards with Blue CPUs.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[Lord Ender]

That's fine. But you need to keep in mind that you are living on the losing side of globaliztion. This is a force you will never be able to stop.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[garry_g]

Please don't compare WalMart in the US to WalMart in Germany ... if you had been in US stores before, you'd know you can't ...

In Germany, I recon they use their "Brandname" to get products sold at higher prices ... also, the basis for employee payments are much more at a similar level in Germany with all the extra cost that goes into the gross pay cost for the employer ...

I personally am very excited about this

[DorkusMasterus]

I think the opportunity for more people to become more PC-savvy is the result of such a move.

I'm excited because I've always wanted to build a PC from the ground up, but never had the guts or the funds... Wal-Mart's buying power should reduce the cost a little, so that's a bonus, not to mention, the idea of maybe a large selection (who knows?) is enticing.

Unions

[airship]

The reason non-union automakers pay so well is because theirs is a traditionally unionized industry, and they know if they're not competitive, the workers will likely vote in a union. So it's thanks to the unions that they have decent jobs.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[hatori]

Aldi! I went to an Aldi once in Raliegh. They most definitely have Walmart beat on pricing. The only difference being is that instead of shelves and aisles with goods stacked on them, there were just...piles...of stuff...mountains of ramen noodles, I tell you!

MPAA

[Fantastic Lad]

Um, the RIAA is a music industry association. They could not care less about flat screens or what you watch on them. Speakers, maybe.

Yes, thank-you. Leave it to a geek to split hairs when it offers no help other than to bolster his own ego.

I'll be sure to properly mention the MPAA when I next construct a relevant sentence.

-FL

Walmart DIY Computer options

[Rhuken]

I work at walmart, my store may be getting the DIY counter installed (my manager really wants it). We're just one of the 8-11 stores and our computer section is pathetic. Right now we have about 4 complete computers in a box (w/ or w/o monitors) and a handfull of peripherals. We're completely redoing the electronics department, though, so here's hoping we get some decent stuff. (I't also a small college town, no best buy, no compusa, just walmart, k-mart, radioshack, and the college bookstore) That said, I've seen printouts and pictures of the new DIY counter. As far as I understand, it's less a choice of what parts you want to customize your box with, and more which prepackaged box do you want? The email/solitaire machine, the office desktop for business, or the middle grade/low end gamer/media PC for the family or student. I may be wrong, the customizable everything would be great, but think about the walmart style. They'll make things as easy as possible for people. Instead of choosing which ram, HD, mobo, OS; customers will choose between 3 or 4 boxes, monitors, keyboards, and mice. I don't have a clue about what options for OS customers will have, my guess is windows for each box. If a customer wants to try linux, it's often because they've heard about it through a friend. They'll have to ask the friend for help. As a side note, I tried migrating once to linux, but sorry to say it was a headache for me jumping head first into it. I've ben on copmuters since the ti-994a and the amiga 1000. It's been intel chips at every level till amd was a viable alternative. I know windows, don't always like it, but it does most everything I want it to, most of the time. Most of my friends use linux, and have been for a while, I'm just not as interested in a computer I have to get down to the programming level to make great things happen. I know a lot more than the average walmart customer (thank goodness) The ones that want linux will get it somehow, everyone else will be happy with windows. The mac people probably would rather go to a certified macintosh dealer anyway, though I wouldn't mind the extra option here in small town Idaho.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[LifesABeach]

That's a damn good idea, I would strongly suggest you patent it.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[BootNinja]

I AM colorblind, you insensitive clod!

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[Ohreally_factor]

Oh, I'm well aware that Globalization is unstoppable. But that doesn't mean that all local business will die out, either.

I'm under no illusion that when I buy just about anything computer related, chances are I'm buying something not manufactured in the US.

I might be willing to pay a little more for locally made or US made products, but I have my limits. I own a Japanese bike. Much cheaper (half the price or better) than a Harley. And the parts on a Harley are about 50% Japanese these days.

I'm also convinced that we in the developing countries are in for an over all lowered standard of living, until the developing countries catch up. My solution to that is to move to a developing country, where my dollar will go much farther. I haven't made the move yet; I'm still determining where to go and what I'll do for money once I'm there. Mexico is a strong candidate, since I already speak some Spanish and love the culture.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[Ohreally_factor]

Yes, that's were such a system could get overly complicated in a hurry. It's imperative too keep this as simple as possible, which would take a great deal of discipline.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[Ohreally_factor]

You point out what you want, almost like ordering a cheeseburger.

Shorter Order Computer Cook Wanted. Inquire Within.

Two chicks on a raft - wreck 'em, shingle with a shimmy and a shake in the alley, Zeppelins in a fog, city juice 86 the hail, drag one through Georgia and sweep the kitchen floor!

Translated: Intel Core Duo with integrated video, CD/DVD burner, 2 x 256 MB RAM, 86 GB HD, includes a disc of crappy windows shareware programs.

Either that or it's breakfast.

Re:Bad Math

[Bloke down the pub]

3200 stores exist. 1200 stores are getting it now. 1400 will have it by the end of the year

Maybe he misread it as 1400 more by the end of the year. Er, wait...

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[Lord Ender]

I'm more optimistic than you are. I think the overall standard of living is going to increase more slowly while the developing countries catch up. I don' think this will impact me so much, though, because I am investing heavily in the companies that benefit from globalization. That way I don't have to learn any new languages. Heh.

Re:Meanwhile at Slashbot Central

[N1EY]

Walmart has engaged in very weird pricing schemes that vary from time to time. The carrying of Coca Cola in the Massachusetts market has been very mixed. I have seen the 2 liter bottle sell for $1.79. Right now it is selling for $1.28. Most of the groceries stores around here sell at $1.28, right now. However, almost every week one chain is having a sale with the price being at least $.99. I bought coke for $.69 on sale at Shaws only three weeks ago while Walmart had it at $1.79. The toys have been outrageously priced. Real toy stores also carried a broad selection in addition to lower prices. Bicycles are often horribly assembled at ALL of the local wal-marts. I make it a project to review these bikes. They also tend to sell them at prices such a $275 when they only paid Mongoose $10 for it. I've been watching these prices due to the bankrupcty and all of the lawsuits that walmart is receiving for poor assembly. Bike stores are selling entry levle bikes in the same price range or for slightly more with propery assembly and actual service. bill www.N1EY.com