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Good luck trying to lay your hands on the Kindle at Walmart

Walmart started carrying the Kindle this week and they did exactly what I expected. The Kindle is locked up in a display case with the other ereaders.

The picture at right shows the same ereader display case that my local Walmart store has always had. Up until last year the case contained Sony Reader. They were replaced by the Nook, Kobo Wifi, and later the NookColor, but the case has always been in the same place and it’s always been locked down. Now it has the Kindle 3G and Kindeal (Kindle special offers).

You can’t touch any of the ereaders; the case is locked. In fact, I’m not sure that any of the ereaders on display were ever charged.

And in case you’re wondering, the Kindles are the brown boxes on the bottom shelf. You know, they’re the ones you can’t see because they’re in the shadows. Yeah, that’s gonna sell great. (at least the others are in white boxes.)

My point here is that Amazon boasted that the Kindle would be on display in most stores. I seriously doubt that will happen; Walmart haven’t overhauled the ereader display. Everything is still locked down.

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Comments


Olympia Press May 7, 2011 um 2:40 pm

Dude, you are so brave to snap a photo. DC metro, the Walmart up in Fredneck does have a nicer display (for Nook + Kobo), where you can handle the device–and seems to actually sell electronics.

/For some reason I think you’re in VA. The Germantown Walmart is so notorious, most of us just bite the bullet and head further up 270…

Nate Hoffelder May 7, 2011 um 2:52 pm

I’m further south than that in Prince William County.

Nate Hoffelder May 7, 2011 um 2:54 pm

I had to go look up "Fredneck". I had never heard that nickname for Frederick MD before. Funny.

fjtorres May 7, 2011 um 6:06 pm

Sunburned neck or not, they seem to be doing okay these days…
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/5952/frederick-is-fredneck-no-more/


Tyler May 9, 2011 um 1:36 am

Wow, Nate, you must be very close to me. Go to the Walmart in Reston Town Center. They have a Nook on display and have price tags for e readers out but all of the e readers are locked behind the counter.

Fredneck Maryland has been used for ever. Of course it is pronounced Merlin not Maryland!


Black Velvet May 11, 2011 um 8:57 am

Agree with the above comments. Even the Wally World in Manassas has them out for touching and playing with. That’s the first time I’ve seen one where they’re locked behind glass.

Nate Hoffelder May 11, 2011 um 9:50 am

The store in Manassas is a supercenter; that’s not the same thing.


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