In a bid to be the web’s
low-price leader for all types of products, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. today started
offering for $9 each on Walmart.com highly anticipated books that normally list
for about $25 or more. Amazon.com Inc. countered with a similar deal.
At Walmart.com, we remain committed to
providing our customers with the lowest prices available online, Walmart.com
CEO Raul Vazquez says. That commitment extends to the nation’s best-selling
books, especially during an increasingly challenging year for many of our
customers.
Vazquez made that comment
yesterday, when Wal-Mart announced it would let Walmart.com shoppers pre-order
for $10 each the 10 most popular of the books soon to be released by
publishers. The lists are based on figures provided by publishers.
Instead of paying the $35 list price for
Stephen King’s forthcoming novel Under the Dome, for example, shoppers could
save 71% and have it shipped close to the publisher’s expected release date of
Nov. 10.
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After Amazon.com followed with the same
$10 price offer, Walmart.com dropped its pre-order price to $9. Amazon again
matched the price.
Wal-Mart, however, appears to be taking a
more aggressive approach with its pre-order deal. It promotes the offer in a
display on its home page and includes free shipping to a customer’s address
with no minimum purchase requirement.
Amazon.com is not currently
promoting the pre-order deal on its home page or book category page. The
retailer displays the offer in a list of new books for sale, including books
already available. Amazon is offering free shipping with orders totaling $25 or
more.
Walmart.com is also promoting
discounts of 50% or more off the list prices of the top 200 books already in
print. Amazon.com is promoting discounts of up to 45% off the list prices of
the top 100 books already in print.
Walmart.com is No. 13 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide;
Amazon.com is No. 1.
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Amazon.com did not immediately
return calls for comment.
Two other major online
booksellers, Barnes & Noble Inc. and Borders Group Inc., also did not
return calls for comment. Neither of these retailers appears to be matching the
$9 pricing of their rivals, though each showed deep discounts, such as 40% off
a pre-order of King’s novel Under the Dome.
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