Every time I visit a Wal-Mart store I make it a point to stop by the photo department and check out the cameras. Apparently, Wal-Mart’s warehouses are jam-packed with outdated models because they never have any of the current models on display – but they do have them boxed up in a locked glass cabinet beneath the display counter.
For example, the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT was discontinued an entire year ago, but every Wal-Mart I have visited recently still has one on display while its replacement (the EOS Digital Rebel XTi) sits boxed up, and locked up tight inside the glass cabinet. The same goes for several other new Canon and Nikon models, all of which are kept locked away while their discontinued counterparts occupy the display counter. One has to wonder what has happened to the Wal-Mart corporation since its founder Sam Walton passed away!
“Mr. Sam” grew what began as a couple of 5 and 10 cent stores in Arkansas into the largest retailer in the world, and he did it in part by developing an ordering and distribution system that ensured well-stocked shelves filled with the latest trends and models. His system was so finely tuned that there was very little “back stock”, and when a new item or a new model came out his stores could quickly “close out” the old, outdated merchandise to make way for the new. But somewhere along the line things changed.
These days, while Wal-Mart stores literally contain millions of items, they rarely seem to have exactly what you’re looking for - especially if you’re in the market for the latest model of an electronic item such as a digital camera, camcorder or computer. Meanwhile, Wal-Mart customers who don’t know any better end up paying about the same amount for last year’s technology as they would pay for a current model somewhere else. I don’t think Mr. Sam would like that very much, but apparently it’s just fine with the board of directors. As long as the shareholders are happy…