WalMart Carrying Dish Network Equipment

[Scott Greczkowski]

Just got a call with information on Dish Network / WalMart.

I guess it is official that WalMart will sell Dish Network equipment, my local WalMart has shelf space with a Dish Network Planogram taped to the wall.

Soon WalMart will be carrying Dish Network equipment they will be carrying the 301. The 301 will be branded RCA. No word who (if anyone) will install the equipment.

WalMart will have Discovery HD being shown on their HD sets within the next month.

There will be no other live feeds to WalMart.

DirecTV Equipment will no longer be sold at WalMart however DirecTV Certificates will be sold still. The equipment will be sold from the stores.

There will be no Dish Network advertising from WalMart untill November or December.

[MarkA]

Wal-Mart here now has the shelf space also.

[Kagato]

Must be on rotation. Target recently lost Dish this year. On the other hand SAMS Club has been selling dish for some time now. Although I switched to Cosco this year I assume they still have it. I wonder if they are going to sell Dish the same way Radio Shack does.

[Nick]

"WalMart will have Discovery HD being shown on their HD sets within the next month."

<Groan>

Forget HD displays at my local WM. They still haven't figured out what
all those little red, white and yellow RCA jacks are for. And that strange
little black one (isn't that for a mouse), or the pretty red, blue, green ones.

These guys are more clueless than a 6 year old in a whorehouse.


Nickster :smoking:

[Jacob S]

This is one of the worst things that could happen to retailers in a LONG LONG time, look forward to hearing lots of complaints by retailers of this. They have already destroyed a business me and my dad has in which we have been in business for about 40 years. We had taken in 1,000-3,000 a day some days and now we are lucky to take that in every several months. They pretty well took us out of business. Now with satellites since they sold DirecTv and for so cheap there at last they really hurt my business that way and the customers would come to me wanting me to install it and I would make them take them back or give them a little credit for the systems just to get the sale so they would not think they were losing any money not getting to take it back.

Now that they are going to sell the same brand and for who knows how much less, its going to be awful hard to compete. I talked to another Dish dealer that also sold electronics and appliances and tv's and it put him out of business once on that and it will probably hurt him pretty bad if not put him out this time as well again. The bad thing is that they dont service what they sell and I do, and wha do I get in return? NOTHING but complaints and so forth.

I also know someone that sells lawn equipment and he did sell Snapper but a lot if not all Snapper dealers went on strike when Wal-Mart started selling them in which was not as good as the ones that the dealers sold and they wanted the dealers to service what Wal-Mart (their competition) sold and they all refused.

When it comes to these big chain stores espeically the big one like Wal-Mart getting this product comes more problems and less customer service. I will charge double to those that get their system there and not off of me for a service call or not service them at all. I am not going to help out my competition that put me and many other small businesses out support their customers, no way no how.

[lee635]

That's the problem with selling a commodity item. It's like this, with only one seller in an area, a seller can mark the price up but still attract some buyers willing to pay the higher price. But when a lower price competitor come in, not only does the competitor get all the sales that the other guy missed, he also takes away the buyers who were willing to pay the higher price.

Wal Mart makes money by selling for less but making up the profit on volume. You basically have two options, retool your business to become a high volume, low cost seller and compete directly against Wal Mart. That's no small feat, but it has been done.

And if you can't beat em, join em. Compete on service end. Wal Mart won't be installing all those systems they sell. Perhaps, you could look at this as an opportunity. Go talk to your local Wal Mart manager and see about getting referrals. No, you don't get to sit in your air conditioned store and dole out receivers like gold ingots to customers, but then you didn't really think you'd get those fat markups forever, did you?

I had a friend who worked at a small supplier, and he complained to me about how the owner had signed on with Wal Mart and how they were losing their shirts on the deal and working like slaves to get production up. Well at year end the company posted its best year ever and everyone got a fat Christmas bonus and a raise.

Originally posted by Jacob S
This is one of the worst things that could happen to retailers in a LONG LONG time, look forward to hearing lots of complaints by retailers of this. They have already destroyed a business me and my dad has in which we have been in business for about 40 years. We had taken in 1,000-3,000 a day some days and now we are lucky to take that in every several months. They pretty well took us out of business. Now with satellites since they sold DirecTv and for so cheap there at last they really hurt my business that way and the customers would come to me wanting me to install it and I would make them take them back or give them a little credit for the systems just to get the sale so they would not think they were losing any money not getting to take it back.

Now that they are going to sell the same brand and for who knows how much less, its going to be awful hard to compete. I talked to another Dish dealer that also sold electronics and appliances and tv's and it put him out of business once on that and it will probably hurt him pretty bad if not put him out this time as well again. The bad thing is that they dont service what they sell and I do, and wha do I get in return? NOTHING but complaints and so forth.

I also know someone that sells lawn equipment and he did sell Snapper but a lot if not all Snapper dealers went on strike when Wal-Mart started selling them in which was not as good as the ones that the dealers sold and they wanted the dealers to service what Wal-Mart (their competition) sold and they all refused.

When it comes to these big chain stores espeically the big one like Wal-Mart getting this product comes more problems and less customer service. I will charge double to those that get their system there and not off of me for a service call or not service them at all. I am not going to help out my competition that put me and many other small businesses out support their customers, no way no how.

[MarkA]

"Forget HD displays at my local WM. They still haven't figured out what
all those little red, white and yellow RCA jacks are for. And that strange
little black one (isn't that for a mouse), or the pretty red, blue, green ones."

Same here. Except if you mention mouse, they'd tell you mouse poison is in lawn and garden:)

[Kagato]

Well, if you look at the last salon.com articles on walmart is would seem that a lot of the price cuts are made because they keep payroll costs down. The article talks about systemic problems where store managers will get demoted if they don't keep costs down. So this gets the managers forcing employees to work off the clock. Locking the doors until all the work is done. Or payroll managers changing time cards after the fact to remove OT. Although worker relation complaints are common with most retailers, the article goes on to say that the scale of it's complaints outpace Target and K-Mart by a wide margin.

I'm in Minnesota, which is very firm Target country. Most of the walmarts here are in the outstate area where it's easy to knock off the ma' and pop store. I honestly don't understand the appeal of Walmart. My impressions have always been the stores have cramped isles, stuff tossed all over the place. The term Merchandising seems unknown. It's all unorganized and hard to find things. Being in the store just gets on my nerves. I want to know where that clean Walmart is they show in the commercials because in all my travels I've never seen one that looked that nice.

I shop at target and the isles are wide, stuff isn't clutter all over the place. It's easy to find things. If I were to print out the gift registry it will tell me exactly what isle everything is in. And 99% of the time it's right on the money. Even if it's an extra 10 cents for a bottle of dish soap that's -200% hassle. Well worth it to me.

[toomuchtv]

I'm a big Target fan too. As you say, wide aisles & a clean, well organized store are worth a little more. Also, don't automatically assume Wal-Mart is cheaper - most of the time, yes but not every time. A new Wal-Mart Supercenter is opening here in a couple months & I dread to see it. It can only be worse than the store we already have. HOWEVER, I am eager to see how they price the DISH equipment. I may wait on theirs before I change anything out. Someone here said it would be branded RCA. Is there any difference between one of those & one I would get from E*?

[AllieVi]

Originally posted by Kagato
I shop at target and the isles are wide, stuff isn't clutter all over the place. It's easy to find things. With both Target and WalMart in the neighborhood, I get a chance to visit both and I agree that it's easier to find things at Target. The aisles are wider and there aren't nearly as many other customers in the way... ;)

It's true that their shelves are more tightly packed, but that's the result of carrying a very wide selection of products.

WalMart has managed to become the country's largest company (measured by revenue) without even being in all the populated neighborhoods. As any other retailer knows, it is a tough competitor. I wouldn't want to go head-to-head with it.

[Jacob S]

I dont think they sell very good electronics because everything I get and some others have gotten there just break or go haywire. Since they sell Dish then it probably wont be good either. Now I am going to have people coming to me with Dish systems wanting me to install them, what a load of bull crap. They will want me to put it in for free and stuff bc of the promotion and then try to turn me into Dish and Better Business Bureau and Attorney General for not doing something that Wal-Mart should do. This is rediculous.

I think we would be better off without Wal-Mart. The last time I was in there they charged me double for oranges and I said that I wanted the product free because they have this get the product free or get $3 off if they overcharge you. They said they had no policy and I said 'what is this then?' As they try to rip me off with not only the price of the oranges but the price guarantee as well. They made me get in the back of the line on top of that. Its about the principal, not about the money, and I got my price guarantee. Once before that a good long while back I got me those multi-function Christmas light sets and they overcharged me a few dollars and I said nicely that the price was incorrect that it was less back there on a sign and she was like 'Do you want them or not?' and I said that I wanted them at the correct price. These are two Wal-Mart stores that these occurred at. They smart me off, they put you out of business, and they sell products that go bad. Even the clothes I buy there fall apart even after an exchange.

It is a big shame to have such a store to put the smaller guys out of business that did not do such things as this so much and could service the customers better on a happier note.

Maybe the only good thing about this is that if they do have a cheaper price I can just go and buy some cheap parts if they are cheaper. Dish will regret this if piracy increases greatly as a result. Retailers would not put up with them just being bought and not installed in which anything could be done with them. I install every single satellite I sell, but I doubt that would happen with Wal-Mart's Dish systems.

[virtualsmith]

Originally posted by Scott Greczkowski
I guess it is official that WalMart will sell Dish Network equipment, my local WalMart has shelf space with a Dish Network Planogram taped to the wall.

Scott, I sense that you are a former Wal-Mart/Target employee. I worked at Target for 9 years and that's the only place I ever heard the word "Planogram." I was in charge of planograms for a while...

Back to the topic, I don't think I've spent more than $20 at a Wal-Mart total in my life. My wife and I are Target junkies (We met at Target :p ).

Anyway, interesting anti-WalMart story. The local city of Boulder, Colorado made a city injunction (or whatever) prohibiting Wal-Mart from opening a store in the city limits. Boulder is very mom&pop friendly. There is a Target and Kmart, though.

-Steve, soon to be a proud 721 owner.

[Jacob S]

I would like to see more injunctions, Wal-Mart is big enough. I would also like to see some Wal-Mart stores to shut down, especially the Super Wal-Mart stores. This would allow the economy to grow. No wonder why the economy continues to tumble and cant grow, the big businesses take over kicking out the smaller ones. Is it possible to get injunctions getting some Wal-Mart stores closed? Every type of business I try to get into Wal-Mart nearly puts me and dad out.

[Kagato]

Question, is Walmart actually selling physical units?

From what I understand with the Radio Shack deal they don't have physical units in the store. They don't even have a demo since ShackTV is via DirecTV. They just take your name, address and some ammount of money. What ever installer is contracted will then come out with the hardware (Unless you have something special like a PVR, then that gets drop shipped from "the warehouse".) But the installers aren't Shack Employees. Someone put a bid in and got the contact.

I'm looking at Radio Shacks in a major metro market, I can't say I know what the Shack does at it's rural stores, or it's about 2000+ franchise stores.

Dish seems to be moving away from self install. And what a perfect way of dealing with theft at Walmart if you don't actually have the item to steal. So the question is how is Walmart doing this? Is there an oppertunity for the "little guy" to bid for an install contract?

[Geronimo]

Some Rat Shacks have inventory. Not sure avout Wal MArt

[toomuchtv]

The franchise Shack here signs you up & contacts an installer - no inventory.

[Scott Greczkowski]

Wal Mart will have inventory. They will only have 301 systems but it will be inventory.

[dealers nemesis]

Jacob S.
Do you ever do any handyman jobs, paint your own house, build anything for yourself i.e construction of extra bedrooms etc. Do you do any self work on your automobiles. Ever put siding on your house etc.
Then you are cheating others in other types of businesses that might depend on people like you for incomes and profits themselves.
I for one do appreciate seeing Wal Mart stores, Target stores etc come into an area make existing companies honest in their dealings because it makes it able for me to save a little bit of money here and there for items that I do have to purchase.
I am glad to see them in the area because it will make the existing company have to earn my money by either service offers or better competitive pricing per item.
I like getting the better price or the best price possible Not the only price in town.
You and your dad have obviously had it good for a while and are now seeing the disadvantages of competition in the neighborhood. Take a big deep breath and get over it.
Cowboy the hell up and quit your damn whining.
Try to be inventive in your endeavors and maybe make a little less per item and concentrate possibly on making more sales. volume.
You attitude sucks. By stating that anybody who asks me to install or service their stuff I'll charge double to sucks.

It doesn't surprise me though, we have dealers for dish in the area where I live who are exactly the same way.
When Dish was giving their $199 rebate our local Dish dealer was charging our area customers the full $199 to install a 2 receiver system. That is bull****.
I was able to buy a two receiver system for $59.00 over the internet and then receive a free installation kit and do the install myself and receive the full $199 rebate myself.
Because of their practice I personally steered over 100 customers away from them intentionally to the internet so that they could buy their systems at better prices. And then I installed a good number of their systems for them at a modest price. Not any where near the $199 price that the dealer was trying to charge.
For people who are even somewhat mechanically inclined or able to install their own systems then I say buy the system at the absolute lowest price and then install the system yourself.
It isn't that hard.
I am not sure what you mean service their equipment for them?
But any problems that I have seen that are equipment related have always had to be serviced or repaired by Dish (the company) Echostar themselves.
Some where I thought that I had read that you and maybe I am wrong on this one but I think it was you who said that you even gave away as much as 30% percent of your own commissions in order to facilitate the sale. Which would give the customer a good deal and make the sale alot easier.
If your not the same dealer who had stated this in other threads then I apologize for mixing you up with him.
For other dealers out there I apologize for the fact that these places make you work harder for your customers dollars. and that in these days people are inclined to look for the best deals out there. And for the fact that some people are able to do some of their own handyman work etc.
I have seen quite a few posts by the one dealer who is in question , but to the other dealers who post quite frequently here that I know of I've not seen you guys whining like this one. My hat is off to you, I applaude and salute you.
Face it , it is a fact of life. When you go out to buy a vehicle or appliances etc. You probably do exactly the same thing. (shop for the best possible price). If the price is not what you think is right then you probably go out of town to a Metropolitan area to get the price that you want.
I've actually seen some of the install jobs done by our local Dish dealer and well to say the least I'm not particularly impressed with the work they have done. Not to mention the lies that the local dealer tried to tell some of my friends about their install job. Telling one person that Oh yeah , you'll be able to get all of your local stations on this, No sir,you don't need two dishes to receive your locals. because that is exactly what I am installing for you now sir. This dish 500 is two dishes in one.
Bull****, the Dish 500 satellite dish aims at two satellite locations 119 and 110 degrees. You'll still need an extra dish to receive some of your other stations that you cannot receive on the dish 500.
Anyway , the customer was much displeased and wanted to know why can't I get these stations ? My friend has Dish and he gets those stations on his satellite system?

If a dealer wants to do business, tell the customer the full truth. Word of mouth is one of the biggest sellers in the industry , in time it'll either make or break a business.


Virtual Smith, The city of Boulder is scared ****less that they might have to compete with someone else instead of set their own prices and reap bigger profits from each individual sale. Yet the fact of the matter is that people of boulder would probably save money on things that they do purchase and have money left to buy something else. stretching their dollars
They probably just go out of town and buy most of the stuff somewhere else anyway.

[io io]

toomuchtv said
"Someone here said it would be branded RCA. Is there any difference between one of those & one I would get from E*?"

I doubt very much that the equipment is any different at all. After having 3 ea. of 4700 units remanufactured rma'd and two new receivers the last two which made a total of 5 were the Philips brand.
According to the way I was told that the receivers were all made at the same exact place. The name Philips was placed on the receivers for easier marketability. Sometimes a well known brand name is accepted by others easier.
Not to mention that the first 3 were rma's remanufactured Echostar receivers.
The final two receivers were NEW! dON'T know whether that is a plus or not but have not had to send them back for any reason yet. I tend to like NEW!

[dealers nemesis]

let me correct this before you do Jacob I did find the exact dealer who was giving some of his commissions to help facilitate the sale and that was Jeffwtux.
It probably helps facilitate closing of the sales for him for someone that may just be toying with the thought or just inquiring about satellite tv.
word of mouth alone that this dealer would do that would also help his volume of sales .
People are looking for the best deal in town and Jeffwtux is providing that or at least trying to provide it in his area.
When people are shopping for the best deal in town NOT THE ONLY DEAL IN TOWN. they probably mention the deals that Jeffwtux gave them. So in this one particular area that Jeffwtux services that word of mouth will help his sales. I would imagine that word of mouth alone will increase those sales a great deal over the long haul.

This is the philosophy that WalMart relies upon is better pricing to the customer. It may well result in lower profit for each individual sale but the volume more than makes up for it.

Also keep in mind by having the product exposed to the masses like WalMart can do by showing the product in their store could help you more that you will possibly ever imagine.
There will be alot of people who just don't know much about the satellite systems industry buy maybe by seeing one in action it might just convince them to buy one.
Maybe a good portion of these people will not feel that the installation is something that they would want to tackle and then contact a local dealer installer to do the whole thing.
More people see the product , more people consider the purchase of the item, and eventually more people buy.

Could be free advertisement for your product.

[dlsnyder]

At one point some time in the past Wal Mart was a small start-up company in Arkansas trying to carve out a place for itself in a market dominated by K-Mart. They were eventually able to beat K-Mart (and Fedco and Target among others) with a superior inventory control system and distribuiton network. Now they have become an "evil empire" driving "mom and pop" stores out of existence. Who knows? With the right business model one of those "mom and pop" stores could become the next Wal Mart. Just look at how far K-Mart has fallen in the last 20 years.

I have nothing against Wal-Mart and in fact I drive past a long closed K-Mart and a Target to shop there. They provide a good value for the household items I use most. When it comes to electronics, though, they do not carry a good selection and anyone who is interested in anything more than bargain priced entry level DBS receivers will shop elsewhere. What choice do they have? Wal-Mart doesn't carry the more upscale equipment because it doesn't fit their target demographic. There will always be a place for Best Buy or Circuit City or even small local retailers because they cater to those who want something more than the entry level bargain basement line of consumer electronics. And they provide something even more valuable that Wal-Mart can't touch for the price - real customer service.

[jrjcd]

i'll tell you this-MOST people don't walk into a CE store and think on the spur of the moment,"y'know-i think i'll buy me a satellite system today"...

i don't think this will be as worrisome in the long run as some people think...lol

[mnassour]

Originally posted by dlsnyder
There will always be a place for Best Buy or Circuit City or even small local retailers because they cater to those who want something more than the entry level bargain basement line of consumer electronics. And they provide something even more valuable that Wal-Mart can't touch for the price - real customer service.


I'd just like to know what kind of "customer service" you found at a Best Buy.:confused:

[Jacob S]

Dont go and tell me to take a deep breath and get over it, you just say this crap because it is me and not you, I bet you would not be saying that if it were you in that position. I support the small guy, not the big guy, because I believe in that, and sometimes its not always about money and saving on everything, but about getting a product that actually works and is not going to stop working or go haywire like some of Wal-Mart's electronic stuff does.

Dont give me this horse crap about the only guy in town, MAYBE WAL-MART IS NOW THE ONLY GUY IN TOWN, SO DID YOU THINK ABOUT THAT??? If they are not the only one in town then its getting that way. They are also not all that cheap on everything either. They are on some products but thats just a hook to get you into the store to pay more for other items. I have actually saw items with a sticker over the manufacturer's suggested retail price for a higher price than that retail price beneath it.

Is a town supposed to be made up of one store or something?

I would have to charge double because I have no reimbursement from the satellite company on the install and no commission for the sale, therefore I would have to charge more. How dare you act like I am some kind of bad person for having to charge more because I am not getting reimbursed from the company where I would otherwise not have to charge that fee!

Dealers Nemesis, dont tell me that because retailers charge $199 for a two receiver system and installing it for free providing a service. Not everyone can install the system themselves, have you ever thought about that? I would rather install the system for free for my customers that had bought off of me than to have them install them theirselves to make sure it gets activated and that everything is working properly then service it after the sale. Can Wal_Mart do that? Can internet dealers do that? They dont know half of what there is to know about these satellite systems and the issues that go along with them like the retailers do.

Another thing about this $199 price. RETAILERS DONT MAKE MONEY OFF OF THE HARDWARE!!! We have to actually pay the shipping and handeling on these systems so you are getting them cheaper than we are. On top of that we have to pay for the second receiver and then if the customer pays their first bill we will get reimbursed for that but if not, we lost it out of our pocket. Also the customer has to stay on the service for 8 months or we will get backcharged most of our money received for selling and installing the system in which the satellite company pays. We are not ripping consumers off, we are charging LESS than what we paid for them as we dont make money off of the hardware.

If we charge less for the hardware then we risk losing money out of our pocket due to a customer shutting the system off or not paying their monthly programming bill before 8 months. Those that sell for less take that risk and I have had people that came to me to install their satellite system for them and when they went to call the person they bought it from (radio ad) it was some porno line, they were here then gone.

And about the 30% thing, that was not me, but when we discount the systems like you getting it for $59, then they are cutting 30% if not more in their commission to get the sale because they do not make anything off of the hardware.

And just tell me how I am in question as a retailer, huh? In question for what? I do not appreciate such accusations. Since when was it wrong to say my thoughts and opinions and what I believe in? Huh? I am not whining, I am exclaiming what I thing is right and wrong, and so are you, but you dont have to go and accuse me of things, that is going across the line. I have very very few that argue with me on here but I suppose you choose to find some fault in me. I try to get along with everyone but I stand up for what I think is right.

Also just because one retailer says and does one way does not mean they are all like that. I am standing up for all of the satellite retailers because I feel as if we are being blasted for things we have not done. I think you have your points but I have mine too and I am just excersing my right to an opinion, thats what message boards are for.

[Ric]

Re: Best Buy, I went there to buy a computer two years ago (when 1Gig was the rage). I was told that I had to sign up for MSN to buy a computer there. It wasn't that I could only get a rebate or some special price but simply that they would only sell the computer if I signed up for MSN. Needless to say I asked for a manager and was told the same thing, but not to worry, I could cancel the free 3 month service at anytime.

Strangest situation I have ever been in - salesperson gave me the submission form and required a form of ID and the form had to be filled out in the store and given back to the clerk. I said that I wasn't interested, I already had a good service, etc and the only response was that he couldn't sell a computer without it.

I walked out and sent an email to corp. headquarters. Received a reply that it wasn't policy to force you to sign up but they would check into it. Never heard back from another soul and would never go back again.

[kcwh]

at least one of the walmarts in Kansas City already has the dish 301's in stock, I saw them today. you'd never know it though - i think the sign above them was still for directv and there was no display setup to demonstrate the dish.

===

re: superior inventory control system and distribuiton network (posted by dlsnyder)

I had heard that walmart has an inventory control system and maybe automatic reordering/etc., but that doesn't explain why they are always out of the item(s) I'm looking for. guess I'm just lucky.

[dlsnyder]

Hey, I never said their inventory control system was flawless. People are still involved with the process so sometimes the stuff gets back ordered or the wrong sale data gets entered or something like that. My Wal-Mart has been out of the brand of toilet tissue that we use for 3 weeks now but I still shop there. I know they will eventually get it back in stock. :D

They still aren't going to beat the price that Costco or their very own Sam's Club offer on 301 systems. If the club stores sell 301s for $89.95 then Wal-Mart will probably sell them for $98.97.

[Nick]

My WM has a huge loss problem. They've turned their ex-retiree greeters into
exit door "security" guards with wands. No "Hi, welcome to Wal*Mart" there.
Security scanners are hooked to alarm bells and sirens. People stand around in
the air-conditioned foyer just to watch the embarrassment on the face of the
next perp (or innocent victim) to set off the fiesta.

Recently, there was an employee babysitting a 4-year old in the snack bar. I just
thought it was a "Code Adam", but it turned out the child's mother had just been
arrested and taken away by cops for taking a five-finger discount. Child services
had been called in to take the newly-orphaned child into protective custody.

The store has a zillion security camera domes, but one of the AMs told me that
three-fourths of them are empty. Go figure.

I must admit, though, that I haven't seen many 24 roll paks of TP going out the
door in pockets - yet.

It's a trip. :D

[Scott Greczkowski]

They have WalMarts on the Planet Nevele?

Here at our local WalkMart they have a 80 year old guy on security detail, when the alarms go off, people just keep walking as it takes the guard 20 minutes to make his way to the door.

I can't remember the last time I walked into WalMart and was greeted by the Greeter.

[Nick]

"They have WalMarts on the Planet Nevele?"

They're everywhere! Haven't you noticed? :D

"it takes the guard 20 minutes to make his way to the door"

Here on the eleventh planet, we Nevelians call that the "Wal*Mart shuffle"

[markh]

I'm really glad I live out in the sticks:) The greeter still greets and if the alarm goes off at the door, everybody stops in embarrassed surprise while they try to figure out who set it off. It's always been just one of the tags that didn't get deactivated at the register.

Here in the sticks, there is just a sign that says they are out of satellite systems until further notice. All of the Direct signs are still up though.

[lee635]

Our Wal Mart has greeters and they put smiley face stickers on the kids shirts. My kids like that better than the pony and rocketship rides out in front of the store. ;) At Easter, they have a big easter egg hunt. Lots of fun.

I can't afford to not shop at Wal Mart.

How nice to be able to go into Wal Mart and play with the latest E* receivers. I'll be fighting for space with the kids playing video games. :cool:

[Scott Greczkowski]

There will be no WORKING displays of Dish Network Equipment in the stores. (Which means you can't go to WalMart and watch the Retailer Charlie Chats, you will still need to go to Sears to watch those) :D

However the new HDTV's at WalMart will have Discovery HD fed to them from Dish Network, of course the Dish 6000 will be hidden. (Hmm I wonder if they will be smart enough to change the remote code, if not then I can bring my Dish 6000 remote and watch the chats that way (on a nice HDTV to boot!) :)

[JBKing]

Nevele has a large criminal population??? :eek:

[cnsf]

You mean the Nevele in the Catskills? Named for the "Eleven" founders, btw....

[Nick]

Huh?

[Steve Mehs]

Scott, I did the remote trick a few times at Sams Club, they had the IRD in their brake room, with a TV feeding all the other tvs on display, when I got the blue button UHF remote, I took it in and had it in my jacket pocket and was changing the channels. I would have gave 100 bucks to see the faces on the employees who were watching it during their brake. Sams used to be my favorite place to play with E* equiptment, unlike Sears no sales people hounding you. The Sams by me used to have 5 differnet models (2800, 6000, 4900, 501 and 301) available to play with, now they have now functional ones on display. Although they do have an old Philips branded 2800, that looks like it was smashed against the floor once or twice.

[dealers nemesis]

Jacob S, please explain to me and the others here why you think your equipment DISH, that you install will be any better quality than that we might buy at Wal Mart?
Do you honestly think that the equipment is somehow better just because you are installing the stuff.
I say horse sh*t! the equipment stays exactly the same whether you sell and install it or whether WalMart sells it.

The customer will probably be able to buy the receiver cheaper at WalMart.

So go take a deep , deep cleansing breath and GET OVER IT!
COWBOY THE HELL UP AND QUIT WHINING!

Do you honest think that you and Dad are the only ones who have ever gone through this. Think again!
I support the little guy too, when and If the price is right!
I will not support him just because he is the little guy. That would be totally, udderly, fantastically stupid.

I work hard for my money, and it is about getting a product that actually works. I have had five Echostar receivers go bad in just a matter of 14 months. Five Echostar receivers, but I guess I should have bought them from you. Because, obviously you have the corner on the market, because Echostar sends you the best receivers.
Bullsh*t! ROFLMO lol lol lol

You stated in your earlier thread that "me and Dad sometimes took in $3,000 a day. I'd say that you were in FAT CITY and now you can't handle the fact that you have to work for a few sales here and there.

They may not be cheaper on everything in the store, but that is why I do check on prices before making significant purchases.
Checking for the best price in town, instead of accepting the ONLY PRICE IN TOWN.

You say is a store only supposed to be made up of one store in town, sounds to me like you were the only store in town for awhile or close to it.

If you would have to charge double because you have no reimbursement, then that is your perogative. CHARGE DOUBLE and price yourself out of business.

I never said that you were a bad person. I said that your attitude SUCKS!, because you act like you have to make a certain amount on everything you do, or that is the impression that you are giving.

Not everyone can install their own equipment and those are the poor unfortunate soles that will probably have to have their equipment installed by you, or others like you.....

You pay shipping and handling on the hardware, yeah you probably do but then you pass that price on to your customers. They eventually pay that shipping and handling because of your inflated costs. DON'T BULLSH*T ME! , I KNOW YOU DO!

Just exactly how do you service the equipment after the sale?
I've had to send every receiver back to Echostar, everyone else I know has had to send theirs back to Echostar also.
The dealer has not come out to fix any of the equipment, in any case.

You say you charge less for the equipment that what you paid for it. Pretty damn stupid on your part if you ask me.

Oh commissions, that is where you are making your money. You get commissions on top of the mark up for the sale of items, and on top of that fancy labor fee too. I can see clearly now.

You are the dealer in question as you are the dealer that is whining like hell because times are getting tough for you and DAD.

You can't fault anyone looking for the best possible price on any item that they buy.

The best price in town, will always beat the ONLY PRICE IN TOWN.

I am just saying that you will have to look at inventive ways to increase your business.
Maybe you will be able to do the install work for WalMart systems as was suggested by someone else in this thread.
You might not be able to sit in your air conditioned office on your butt, but you might make a good amount of money from the installation business.


Be inventive,
Now take a deep cleansing breath,

COWBOY THE HELL UP AND QUIT YOUR WHINING!

Edited for language

[Scott Greczkowski]

My suggestion to the dealers is to bite the bullet and run an ad in the paper with a price lower then Wal-Mart.

You will get the customer because of the price, or Wal-Mart will get the customer because the customer took a copy of your ad to Wal Mart for their Price Match Guarantee where they match any price and beat it by another 10%.

No matter what its a win win for the customer. :)

[lee635]

Wal Mart isn't doing installs and doesn't sell higher end systems. You need to get the Wal Mart staff to refer install jobs and requests for higher end systems to you.

Wal Mart has taken away your retail business of selling entry level systems. Accept that as reality. Now more people will buy E* systems which is good for current subs too -- helps keep my monthly bill down.

So go wash your service truck and check that you have a complete tool set. Get cleaned up, put a big smile on your face, and drive yourself down to the Mart in mid morning on a weekday when the store isn't too busy. Buy the electronics manager a cup of coffee and tell him/her about your years of experience installing systems and can you leave a stack of business cards for customers asking for installations. Also, mention that you keep a stock of other higher end systems that Wal Mart doesn't stock. And could they send those folks your way too.

Better yet, bring along a dozen Dish Network t shirts with your logo and phone number on the back for the electronics staff. Or have some pins made up saying "Ask me about professional installation" for the Wal Mart staff to wear, so customers will ask them who they recommend for installs. Or park a clean truck right in front of the entrance early every Saturday morning with a big E* logo, phone number and "We install it" on the side of it. Leave it there all day. Trust me, you'll get calls.

Seems to me you're not considering the cost savings from changing your business mix. You might end up closing your retail store and do installs and sell higher end systems on a referral basis. While installing may not have the mark up of receiver sales, it also doesn't require that you maintain a retail storefront, if you can get enough referrals. So your cost structure changes as well.

Have you thought about not having to pay rent and utilities for a spot in the local strip mall, and not paying staff to cover the store when your not there, and not being stuck in the store when no one is shopping????

[markh]

The guy I bought my equipment from is a good guy. When I found a 2800 system at Sears on clearance for 60 bucks to get a 2nd receiver and 500 dish, I needed an LNB because I just had 1 dual LNB. He traded the 2 singles for 1 twin LNB for 40 bucks. Twins were selling for $80 at the time. About the 2800 he just said good deal, it costs him more than I paid.

I don't think Wal-Mart will do that.

[Scott Greczkowski]

Wal Mart isn't doing installs and doesn't sell higher end systems.

Yes it's true WalMart is not doing installs, however they are planning on introducing some higher end electronics into their stores, including HDTV's.

The local store manager told me that Corporate wants them going after stores like Best Buys. (He laughed as he said it) :D

[lee635]

I wouldn't laugh at anything that behemoth called Wal Mart plans to do.... ;)

[toomuchtv]

The person "in charge" of my local Wal-Mart's electronics dept. told me today that she was told at a meeting that they would have it in stock by the end of June, then it was pushed back to the end of July. As of today....still no DISH equipment. She sounded frustrated.

[markh]

Just at the local Wal-Mart today. Saw 2 boxes of 301 receivers in box with RCA label stuck on them. I think they were $98.43. Just under $100 anyway. They had 2 boxes of systems too at $147 IIRC. Are these the first sightings? :grin:

[Jacob S]

dealers nemesis, i do not appreciate your cursing towards me, I NEVER cursed towards you. I dont just stay in my office all day long, I install EVERY system that I sell, Wal-Mart dont do that. I DO service what I sell, and I DO NOT make off of the product, but off of the commission. You are not the retailer so do not tell me what I do and dont do. I never said my systems were any better than what Wal-Mart sells, just that the service would be better and I would be more knowledgable about the product and help the customer more. I make up for the shipping on the commission and do not charge extra for basic installs because that is part of the commission. Dont tell me I inflate my prices for this and that.

I do not appreciate your accusations. You are changing things around to act like I am a bad retailer or something like I do something wrong for wanting to service my customers. I did not come on the message boards to argue with people. I was not putting any negativity towards any one person, but you chose to put negativity towards me as a person. Also it is not just about the price, but the service after the sale which adds value to the product. What good is something if you cannot get it to work or cannot get it serviced? Retailers can give their own customers a better deal than those that went and purchased a system at Wal-Mart because that customer chose that retailer for receiving the system and received a commission on it so the retailer would be more likely to give a better deal to his own customer than to someone elses (the competition).

Wal-Mart is not any cheaper on the receivers or systems according to what some have said the prices were. Why would someone go to Wal-Mart to buy a system to install it himself when you can go to a local retailer and have it installed for free for the same price instead of having to pay extra to get it installed?

Also even if they would price it cheaper for the receivers and systems then one that would have to have it installed would have to pay to get it installed and it would end up costing more by the time you paid for the installation.

Also dont care about becoming the only guy in town, thats not what it is about. When Wal-Mart puts retailers out of business then who is going to be the only guy in town then? Who will there be to service the product? I am sure that they will not put them all out. Competition is good to a point until you go putting a large sum of businesses out then it goes the other way.

I am not going to stoop down to your level and curse at you and so forth. That is not why I posted about this. I am sure a lot of people will agree with me and disagree with me, but with some of the things that you had said you go and say FALSE things about me inflating my prices to make up for shipping and this and that. I sell at retail price.

[Geronimo]

I think the eleven founders thing is a masonic reference. Don't tell me cnsf is..... No it couldn't be.

[Steve Mehs]

Just got back from a 12 hour trip to Erie, pa. I went to the WalMart there (the one by the MillCreek Mall, for those who know the area). They had a full D* display up with both the normal literature and the PT literature. And on the shelf underneeth the display they had 2 standalone RCA branded 301s and 3 complete RCA 301 systems. It's wired seeing a Dish 500 with an RCA logo on it. Know if this isnt going to confuse the avergae Joe Sixpack....

[J Rath]

Looks like the WalMart here has already sold one standalone 301. Yesterday there were two standalone 301s and two complete systems. Today there is one standalone and 3 complete.

[jrjcd]

maybe one went thru puberty overnight????

[Jacob S]

Well the only thing I can see good out of Wal-Mart carrying those systems is that it will serve as good parts like if someone's receiver goes bad its a good place for a replacement.

I never thought about RCA brand confusing people. People will still think its DirecTv and some might consider it misleading or something.

Piracy is going to jump big time I believe. Dish did say that they weere going to do a card swap but with the merger coming I dont see it happening until we find out the result on the merger decision. At least they can fight the piracy problem pretty good as far as what others on these boards had said about it and being better than the DirecTv issue although its more than it used to be.

[J Rath]

Originally posted by jrjcd
maybe one went thru puberty overnight????

:D

[dlsnyder]

Just saw the RCA branded E* equipment at my local Wal-mart. The standalone 301 was $124.97!! I wonder why it is more in my area? They are selling "real" E* branded 301s at Sams for alot less.

[Jacob S]

Maybe they want to not take a loss on the equipment so instead of selling it cheaper at Sam's at below retail they decide to raise the cost up at Wal-Mart above retail making Sam's cheaper.

I have heard a couple three different prices on their satellite systems so far from the message boards.

[Scott Greczkowski]

At my local Sams Club this past Saturday they have discontinued carrying Dish Network products. (They had receivers up untill about 3 months ago then they sold on Dish Certificates) now they have nothing Dish Network.

The manager said as far as he knows they are not planning on carrying it anytime in the future.

[J Rath]

The WalMart here had the standalone originally priced at $124.97 when they just had the empty shelf set up, now that they have stock the price is at $98.43.

[Steve Mehs]

The Sams in Erie had no working or boxed recievers at all. They did have a display with a 3900 and 6000, although they looked like theyve been dropped a few times...