Dell Inc. plans to sell personal computers at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

[Spawn's dad]

DALLAS - Dell Inc. plans to sell personal computers at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, in a departure from Dell's approach of selling machines only directly to customers.

A Dell spokesman said Thursday that the computer maker will begin selling two of its Dimension desktop computers in about 3,000 Wal-Marts beginning June 10. Dell spokesman Dwayne Cox said the Wal-Mart deal "represents our first step" into global retail.

 

"Customers want more and new ways to buy our products, and we plan on meeting their needs on a global level," Cox said. "Offering Dell Dimensions in Wal-Mart is a great example of this approach."

 

Cox said Dell will announce additional moves into retail in the coming quarters, but he declined to give specifics.

 

The desktops will be sold at Wal-Marts in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

 

Since its founding in the 1980s, Dell has relied on selling PCs and other products directly to consumers and business customers over the phone and Internet. It viewed direct sales as an important cost advantage over competitors who sold computers through retailers.

 

The strategy worked, helping Dell become the world's leading PC maker. But recently, the Round Rock-based company has lost its lead to a revitalized Hewlett-Packard Co.

[WilcoFan]

DALLAS - Dell Inc. plans to sell personal computers at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, in a departure from Dell's approach of selling machines only directly to customers.

A Dell spokesman said Thursday that the computer maker will begin selling two of its Dimension desktop computers in about 3,000 Wal-Marts beginning June 10. Dell spokesman Dwayne Cox said the Wal-Mart deal "represents our first step" into global retail.

 

"Customers want more and new ways to buy our products, and we plan on meeting their needs on a global level," Cox said. "Offering Dell Dimensions in Wal-Mart is a great example of this approach."

 

Cox said Dell will announce additional moves into retail in the coming quarters, but he declined to give specifics.

 

The desktops will be sold at Wal-Marts in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

 

Since its founding in the 1980s, Dell has relied on selling PCs and other products directly to consumers and business customers over the phone and Internet. It viewed direct sales as an important cost advantage over competitors who sold computers through retailers.

 

The strategy worked, helping Dell become the world's leading PC maker. But recently, the Round Rock-based company has lost its lead to a revitalized Hewlett-Packard Co.

 

 

This makes sense for both companies. Right now Dell sells computers for less than you could build it yourself. The big difference in this strategy is that Dell does not carry a huge inventory. The machines are sort of built just-in-time.

 

Next thing you will hear is that they are laying off thousands in Round Rock, Tx because they and Walmart can get people in China to make them cheaper.

 

 

Walmart and Dell: Who cares if the people that are making your Desktop PC live in tractor trailers with 40 other people. You are getting cheap computers and that's all you really want. Right?

[jenbobblehead]

is this one of the coming signs of the apocolypse?

[WilcoFan]

No just a reminder that we should all be keeping up with our education. Since I am a software engineer and there are H1-B visa holders (contractors from India) that will do my job for $10 an hour I'm just bitter. So to keep up with my next career I have been trying to remember the menu at Starbucks and McDonalds. But then I found out this:

 

Outsourcing order taking...

[bedbug]

Dude

 

[quarter23cd]

Walmart and Dell: Who cares if the people that are making your Desktop PC live in tractor trailers with 40 other people. You are getting cheap computers and that's all you really want. Right?

Right. Hell, I'm a techie, too, and can definitely relate to what you're saying about outsourcing and cheap labor and whatnot, but even I have to admit its hard to see past the allure of cheap toys. I wouldn't count on many people to object on moral grounds. (except people who already don't shop at Wal-Mart anyway)

 

Cod bless the technology that makes it possible to do almost anyone's job from anywhere at any time. Its an amazing thing (no sarcasm there--it really is!)...it just kind of blows for anyone who is trying to, you know, have a career or something. But, hey, they've got antidepressants to help us with that, so cheer up, buckaroo!!!

[WilcoFan]

Right. Hell, I'm a techie, too, and can definitely relate to what you're saying about outsourcing and cheap labor and whatnot, but even I have to admit its hard to see past the allure of cheap toys. I wouldn't count on many people to object on moral grounds. (except people who already don't shop at Wal-Mart anyway)

 

Cod bless the technology that makes it possible to do almost anyone's job from anywhere at any time. Its an amazing thing (no sarcasm there--it really is!)...it just kind of blows for anyone who is trying to, you know, have a career or something. But, hey, they've got antidepressants to help us with that, so cheer up, buckaroo!!!

 

 

I can understand that businesses want the cheapest labor they can get. It's capitalism. But what really ticks me off is when pundits and politicians say that the developers in China and India can do the job better than Americans with respect to quality. From my experience that's the big lie being repeated over and over. From what I have seen, the quality of the work that is being put out in India and China is not nearly as good as what is happening here in America. It's all about money. That's it. Cheap Labor. I guess that's the game we play, but let's not insult the people we have here with lies like that.

 

The next thing they will be saying is that Software Engineering is another job that Americans won't do.

[LouieB]

When Gateway started selling computers at their own stores and then in Office Max, the company started to fail. I have a hard time believing Dell is losing out to HP, but who knows.

 

LouieB

[quarter23cd]

I can understand that businesses want the cheapest labor they can get. It's capitalism. But what really ticks me off is when pundits and politicians say that the developers in China and India can do the job better than Americans with respect to quality. From my experience that's the big lie being repeated over and over. From what I have seen, the quality of the work that is being put out in India and China is not nearly as good as what is happening here in America. It's all about money. That's it. Cheap Labor. I guess that's the game we play, but let's not insult the people we have here with lies like that.

Its all about the cheap labor, for better or for worse. That's capitalism, I guess. Its just the way things go. But, yeah, it kind of sucks when your job security isn't really dependent on the quality of your work. The problem with living in the wealthiest nation in the world is that, well, it costs a lot to live here and we expect to be paid accordingly. Certainly, somebody somewhere is always going to be willing to do a given job for less. Business-wise, it would be dumb not to pursue cheaper alternatives. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next several years when, increasingly, a lot more jobs than ever before can be done remotely. I'm not saying its good, bad, or in between. It just makes my head hurt to think about.

[anodyne]

remember that the average chinese factory worker gets $40 usd per MONTH in wages. that might make it a bit easier to not buy junk at wal mart.

[Spawn's dad]

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The father of Josh Hancock filed suit Thursday, claiming

a restaurant provided drinks to the St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher even

though he was intoxicated prior to the crash that killed him.

 

 

Other defendants include Eddie's Towing, the company whose flatbed tow

truck was struck by Hancock's sport utility vehicle in the early hours of April 29;

tow truck driver Jacob Edward Hargrove; and Justin Tolar, the driver whose stalled

car on Interstate 64 was being assisted by Hargrove.

 

 

 

good stuff in here. I figured it all out. our impending economic woes

will be solved by simply tying one another up in litigation, and cleaning

the mansions owned by all the attorneys. try shipping that shit overseas!

[ction]

DALLAS - Dell Inc. plans to sell personal computers at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, in a departure from Dell's approach of selling machines only directly to customers.

A Dell spokesman said Thursday that the computer maker will begin selling two of its Dimension desktop computers in about 3,000 Wal-Marts beginning June 10. Dell spokesman Dwayne Cox said the Wal-Mart deal "represents our first step" into global retail.

 

"Customers want more and new ways to buy our products, and we plan on meeting their needs on a global level," Cox said. "Offering Dell Dimensions in Wal-Mart is a great example of this approach."

 

Cox said Dell will announce additional moves into retail in the coming quarters, but he declined to give specifics.

 

The desktops will be sold at Wal-Marts in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

 

Since its founding in the 1980s, Dell has relied on selling PCs and other products directly to consumers and business customers over the phone and Internet. It viewed direct sales as an important cost advantage over competitors who sold computers through retailers.

 

The strategy worked, helping Dell become the world's leading PC maker. But recently, the Round Rock-based company has lost its lead to a revitalized Hewlett-Packard Co.

 

I walked by a newstand this morning and saw this article for sale there.

[tommyjacobs]

remember that the average chinese factory worker gets $40 usd per MONTH in wages. that might make it a bit easier to not buy junk at wal mart.

 

 

Would it be better if Wal-Mart bought expensive Americans products or paid the Chinese American wages and went out of business? Then two million people would lose their jobs.

 

Or maybe every retailer should only buy American and inflation would skyrocket, hurting the standard of living for all but the most affluent Americans. I don't think that's a great solution either.

 

I'm all for making sure workers aren't abused, but the issue is more complicated than simply raising everyone's wages.

[anodyne]

it's also more complicated than building incredibly thin straw men.

[tommyjacobs]

it's also more complicated than building incredibly thin straw men.

 

Yes, but I don't have time to write a five hundred page report.

[Calexico]

What's the problem? You can buy weapons at Wal-Mart...that is more alarming to me.

 

Quality of work from India and China being sub-standard? I must agree there. Not up to the same specs as the same products made in the USA or Europe. Case in point, where I work they just bought this huge crane from an Italian company which has been a disaster from day one. Even Italian dockyards don't use these cranes. They use British, German or American cranes. When I asked, innocently, why they just didn't buy a reliable crane from the UK or Germany..."this one was cheaper". Live by the sword....