The management at Wal-Mart (WMT) has come up with something to replace fighting with its unions and firing its marketing brass. Free shipping of tons of products that consumers buy on its website to store outlets where they can be picked up. The program will be in 3,300 stores by mid-year.
So clever. It would appear that the new program gets customers to show up in stores and spend more money while they are there. Nice way to move up same store sales.
Since many of the items are only available online, store sales are not hurt much, if at all.
Wal-Mart needs something smart and customer friendly to get more people into the stores. Pulling them in with free shipping may just be the ticket. As long as some of them buy something to offset the shipping costs.
Companies including Amazon (AMZN) offer free shipping. Unfortunately, they don’t have stores where people can be encouraged to buy additional items.
Maybe Amazon will open some outlets to take advantage of the Wal-Mart idea.
Douglas A. McIntyre
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