Who is Walmart in competition with for selling books?”
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Thursday that its online site, walmart.com, would charge just $10, with free shipping, for such upcoming hardcover releases as Sarah Palin’s “Going Rogue” and John Grisham’s “Ford County,” a cut of 60 percent or more from the regular cost. Amazon.com, the leading online book seller, has responded, also slashing its price to $10 for “Going Rogue,” “Ford County,” Michael Crichton’s “Pirate Latitudes” and other leading pre-orders. “At Walmart.com, we remain committed to providing our customers with the lowest prices available online. That commitment extends to the nation’s best-selling books, especially during an increasingly challenging year for many of our customers,” Raul Vazquez, Walmart.com’s CEO, said in a statement. “Our newest offering _ the Top 10 pre-selling books at just $10, with free home delivery _ is a
Wal-Mart and Amazon.com trade price cuts on books By ASHLEY M. HEHER (AP) CHICAGO — Taking a page from its original playbook, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. launched a full-fledged price war with Amazon.com Inc. and a nation of book retailers, lowering online prices on certain highly anticipated hardback titles to $9. The volley of discounts, which began Thursday when the retailer listed prices for some upcoming hardcover releases such as Dean Koontz’ “Breathless” and Stephen King’s “Under the Dome” at $10, was answered with a similar price cut by Amazon, the largest online bookseller. Then the two competitors lowered the prices even further to $9. The book discounts, the latest in a series of aggressive online maneuvers by the world’s largest retailer, could position the company to do to the online marketplace what Walmart stores did to local merchants decades ago. “While it’s the largest retailer in t
