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Amazon and Walmart’s rivalry is reshaping how we’ll buy everything in the future
The Verge ^ | Aug 3, 2018, 12:45pm EDT | Nick Statt

Posted on 08/03/2018 5:10:14 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

Walmart’s ongoing battle with Amazon for the retail crown is expanding well beyond retail, and it’s forcing one of the largest companies in the world to reexamine its DNA. In the last six months alone, Walmart has partnered with scores of tech firms to better compete with Amazon and make progress in markets that may become pivotal years down the line. It’s also begun rethinking how it views itself: a traditional big-box retail giant that now hopes it can be nimble enough to compete with one of technology’s most powerful players.

Following its purchase of Jet.com to advance its e-commerce efforts in 2016, Walmart has starting accelerating its shift from retail giant to tech-focused partner. Those deals now include a partnership with Alphabet’s Waymo for rides to and from stores; Japan’s Rakuten for Kobo e-readers; and Uber, Lyft, and Postmates for grocery delivery.

In July, Walmart announced that it’s switched its entire cloud operation to Microsoft Azure and Office 365, in addition to working with the company on artificial intelligence projects in a new five-year deal. (Microsoft is Amazon’s primary competitor in the cloud computing industry.) That Microsoft partnership might include helping open a cashier-less, brick-and-mortar retail store to compete with Amazon Go, which the Windows maker is said to be working on as of June of this year, and it’s something Walmart reportedly started working on as earlier as last year.

(Excerpt) Read more at theverge.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: amazon; ecommerce; retail; shopping; walmart
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1 posted on 08/03/2018 5:10:14 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

SOME things I buy online.

Most I prefer to do the actual shopping.

Stores are not going away.


2 posted on 08/03/2018 5:13:37 PM PDT by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith......)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

In the future we will all have multi-purpose, multi-material 3D printers installed in all our homes. Then getting a new product would just involve purchasing/downloading the blueprints and waiting for the build to complete.


3 posted on 08/03/2018 5:27:50 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

If the price is the same I buy from Walmart because if I decide to return the item I don’t have to ship it.


4 posted on 08/03/2018 5:29:04 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler (President Trump divides Americans . . . from anti-Americans.)
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To: metmom

Both ways are good to have.


5 posted on 08/03/2018 5:29:57 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man ( Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
I've started buying walmart groceries online. They send me a email when they ready and I drive down and they load in my pick-up.

Next I hope to get them to deliver and help me put the groceries away.

6 posted on 08/03/2018 5:41:53 PM PDT by Ben Ficklin
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To: metmom

When local retailers stop marking their stuff up from 100% to %10000 I’ll be happy to return to them.

My wife runs an online store that discounts clothing and she takes huge losses to be competitive. The same stuff that she gets for $1 and sells for $5 is sold in stores for $50.

I’ll pay a little extra understanding that people need to pay bills and employees, but most markups are just unreasonable.


7 posted on 08/03/2018 5:42:20 PM PDT by Celerity
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The internet is not secure. I will not use it for commercial purposes until it is secure. I would buy more from Wal-Mart if I could order online items in store and pay for them in store. I recently ordered boat paint from builders square not from Wal-Mart just for that reason.
I ordered the online product at store and paid for it at the store. To bad they don’t sell more of the same products.


8 posted on 08/03/2018 5:44:12 PM PDT by Retvet (Retvet)
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To: Celerity

That’s why I RARELY buy anything at full price.

I wait for the sales or head over to the clearance section.


9 posted on 08/03/2018 5:44:18 PM PDT by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith......)
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To: metmom

With my wife doing online sales, she’s become very astute at shopping.

Typically we are buying at 90% off sticker. And getting things new with tags.

extreme couponing is over, now it’s all about buying lots on facebook, ebay and wholesalers.

Amazon sucks. For selling and buying.


10 posted on 08/03/2018 5:47:07 PM PDT by Celerity
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To: Retvet

They still have Builders’ Square?


11 posted on 08/03/2018 5:47:53 PM PDT by madison10
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To: metmom

Yeah. The typical WalMart level of quality is “about average acceptable to the below average consumer needing below average tools and appliances and clothes and ...”


12 posted on 08/03/2018 5:53:11 PM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (The democrats' national goal: One world social-communism under one world religion: Atheistic Islam.)
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To: who_would_fardels_bear
In the future we will all have multi-purpose, multi-material 3D printers installed in all our homes.

Or maybe we will use Virtual Reality to try on shirts to make sure they fit right before buying online.
13 posted on 08/03/2018 5:55:06 PM PDT by Colinsky
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I went to Wal-Mart recently to buy an IPad with internet connection. They only had the ones that are tablets only, so I went to Best Buy where they had what I wanted and set me up with an internet account in the store.


14 posted on 08/03/2018 6:00:21 PM PDT by Ciexyz (I have one issue and it's my economic well-being.)
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To: Celerity

How can you take huge losses to stay competitive and still be in business?


15 posted on 08/03/2018 6:04:52 PM PDT by COUNTrecount (If only Harvey Weinstein's bathrobe could talk.)
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To: Robert A Cook PE

I know which is why I’m very selective about what I get from them.


16 posted on 08/03/2018 6:21:44 PM PDT by metmom ( ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith......)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

We purchase quite a bit from both Amazon and Walmart. If we can find something at our local Walmart stores we do not purchase it from Amazon unless it is considerably less expensive. This is because we would prefer to add to Walmart’s profits rather than Jeff Bezo’s profits.


17 posted on 08/03/2018 6:23:52 PM PDT by fireman15
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To: who_would_fardels_bear

As well as counter-top food replicators using Soylent Green protein.


18 posted on 08/03/2018 6:25:44 PM PDT by Rebelbase (Heaven has a wall and strict immigration policy. Hell has open borders--seen on a tee shirt)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

In my little world deep in a rural area, no one beats Amazon for ease and friendly online shopping. I buy from them two to three times per week. I shop at local Walmart at least once/wk. I probably spend more at Amazon.


19 posted on 08/03/2018 6:39:57 PM PDT by Karoo
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
now hopes it can be nimble enough to compete

Sears was in that same situation in the late 80s/early 90s. The Brennan Bros who ran the RNC into the ground also ran Sears and Montgomery Ward into the ground.

The board finally got rid of Brennan and brought in Martinez. Martinez and his people set out to be nimble enough to compete. He had the support of most of us at the bottom. But middle management fought for the 1950s business model and sabotaged everything Martinez and a chain of successors tried.

I do not know Walmart middle management. Can Walmart do what Sears had the opportunity to do but could not overcome opposition from within?

20 posted on 08/03/2018 6:55:53 PM PDT by spintreebob
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