The affected employees, who have left their jobs in cities like Dallas, L.A., Chicago, and Miami, say that bringing their complaints to the attention of the managers has only left them with scheduling conflicts, which they contend only happen as a sort of punishment. Many of the ones who have left say they did so out of outrage that their holiday schedules included Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday.

While many side with the people who have walked out, some say they knew what they were getting into when they signed up for a retail job. Many companies require employees to work either a reduced shift on every holiday or to rotate on every other one, meaning they might have Thanksgiving off but would have to work Christmas. And for Black Friday–the biggest day of the year for most retailers–it’s near impossible to request off.

Wal-Mart insists that the media hype around the walkouts is just that–hype–and said in a statement that they are confident they have enough employees to more than cover the biggest shopping day of the year.

We have a great group of associates at Walmart. We’ll have more than one million associates working throughout the holiday weekend and they’re excited about our Black Friday plans this year. This is the Super Bowl for retailers and we’re ready. We’ve been working on our Black Friday plans for almost a year now and we’re prepared to have a great event. Our associates care about providing a great customer experience on Black Friday and we’re confident that’s what customers will have at Walmart this year.

According to a memo sent to store managers this week, Wal-Mart will no longer sell Amazon Kindle ereaders and tablets. The memo was obtained by Reuters, which reports the memo said, “We have recently made the business decision to not carry Amazon tablets and eReaders beyond our existing inventory and purchase commitments.”

The memo also stated that the move is consistent with Wal-Mart’s overall merchandising strategy. The decision only affects Amazon’s devices, and other ereaders and tablets will still be sold in Wal-Mart stores.

When Wal-Mart states the decision is in keeping with its merchandising strategy, it implies that Amazon couldn’t give them a good enough price on their Kindle devices to make them worth selling. The Reuters report points out that Amazon’s margins on Kindle devices are believed to be thin.

The reason those margins are thin is that Amazon is stil not really a hardware company. A quick look at any of their devices shows that they are all designed for customers to consume content. Specifically, to consume Amazon content. The Kindle Fire, for example, runs on a version of Google’s Android operating system that is modified to use Amazon’s app store and display content prominently. It functions wonderfully for selling movies, ebooks, and games that are bought through Amazon. Wal-Mart sells many of these same products in the form of DVDs and physical books. It’s possible that part of Wal-Mart’s decision has to do with not selling devices that are geared toward selling its competitor’s products.

The company is now apologizing for the way the situation was handled, but the kids and several others are still upset. However, the company issued a statement saying they would rectify the problem.

“We regret this happened and apologize to the students, parents, and the school for this experience. Unfortunately this was a situation of miscommunication and should have been handled differently. We are inviting the kids back to the store to help honor the victims and fallen heroes,” the statement said.

The report states that eBay will soon implement a new search engine it is calling “Cassini”, which will replace the antiquated “Voyager.” EBay search was dismal in 2008, and eBay sellers have never held back their criticism. From the Reuters story:

Since then, eBay has gone on a hiring spree to fix search. The number of employees working in that area has tripled to more than 150. EBay also poached several engineers from Microsoft Corp’s Bing search unit, including Ken Moss, who runs the Seattle office, and Hugh Williams, who oversees eBay’s new search engine, Cassini, to be rolled out in 2013.

Wal-Mart is also updating its online store search, but is going a different route with its design. Reuters cites Anand Rajaraman, Wal-Mart’s senior vice president for global ecommerce, as stating that Wal-Mart’s new search engine was created in under nine months by only 10 to 15 developers. The new search relates “terms and phrases that people use when describing products, rather than matching queries to exact words in listings.”

The Reuters story states that if sites such as eBay and Wal-Mart improve their search enough, they could threaten Google’s shopping search results. This seems far-fetched, though, as those companies would have to provide shopping results from competitors to match the usefulness of Google.

Of course, these companies could simply use Amazon itself to implement search, which is available as part of Amazon Web Services (AWS). I suppose paying Amazon directly would defeat the purpose of improving their searches, though. What do you think? Can eBay impress its sellers with Cassini? Will Wal-Mart improve its search enough to overtake Amazon on the web? Leave a comment below and let me know.

(via Reuters)

Mayer had this to say on the nomination – “I am very excited to be nominated for the Walmart board – I have long been a customer and admirer of the company. Walmart is an amazing story of entrepreneurship and, as one of the world’s most powerful brands, touches millions of lives every day. I look forward to contributing to Walmart’s continued growth, success, and innovation in the years to come.” Mayer began at Google in 1999, as its first female engineer, and has since worked as Google’s VP of Search Products and User Experience, from 2005 to 2010, and is presently VP of Local and Maps. If elected, Mayer, 36, would become the sixteenth member of the Wal-Mart board.

Wal-Mart Chairman Rob Walton adds, “At Walmart, we are focused on giving our millions of customers around the globe ‘anytime anywhere’ access whether it is through a mobile device, online or in a physical store,” adding, “We are on the cusp of a massive transformation in the way people shop in our increasingly connected world. Marissa’s insights and expertise in the technology and consumer areas are valuable assets to Walmart as we move forward.”

Mayer is also is a board member at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Ballet, the New York City Ballet and the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.

Once Anthony realized that he was caught on camera he asked the two men for their ID. The man operating the recorder on his phone said “I don’t have to show anyone ID sir.”

At this point it appears that Anthony grabs at the phone and says “Yeah, you gotta show ID.”

The man operating the phone felt threatened and said, “You’re grabbing me? Are you serious? Calm down! Are you serious, you are about to tase me?

Then his friend touched the cop lightly with his fingertips and was pushed away with moderate force. The companion said “Don’t tase me sir” repeatedly.

The man with the camera is clearly frightened and says “We’re leaving” but it is already too late.The cop said, “You are not going anywhere,” grabbed the phone, and this is when the video goes black but the audio continues to run. Anthony continues dialogue with the two men and says that he was already hurt that day and is basically fed up. He decided to call a back-up unit.

Was Anthony just taking his problems out on these two men? Was he suffering from some sort of PTSD after being hurt earlier in the day that might have compromised his ability to be an effective officer of the law? Did the two men provoke a thinly spread and overworked cop?

According to the YouTube post from the person who put up this video the men were hand-cuffed but released. It appears that it was posted by one of the men in the video because the post changed from third person to first. The individual went on to claim that they lied to the police about erasing the footage, that they were bribed and threatened by the police that they needed to erase the footage or go to jail, and added that Anthony works part-time as a security officer at Walmart after his shift with Houston PD ends.

Here is where people stand on Twitter:

@sullof
Francesco SulloHouston cop goes crazy http://t.co/6B5Ze4Gk

@ReginaldLBarnes
Reginald L. BarnesHouston Cop goes CRAZY: http://t.co/f6491q46 via @youtube It really seems to be #OPENSEASON on black men. Its ridicuous 2 days ago via Tweet Button ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/houston-cop-a-littler-too-taser-happy-2012-04/feed 11 http://www.webpronews.com/best-buy-wal-mart-enjoy-circuit-city-web-traffic-2009-04 http://www.webpronews.com/best-buy-wal-mart-enjoy-circuit-city-web-traffic-2009-04#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:26:36 +0000 WebProNews Staff http://www.webpronews.com/?p=49480 Circuit City closing down was obviously good news for electronics retailer competitors. But which ones are reaping the benefits the most? They are whom you’d expect: Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

Hitwise reports on where online consumers go after being greeted with CircuitCity.com’s Sorry-we’re-closed message. Twenty percent of them float downstream to Best Buy’s website. Ten percent go to Wal-Mart, followed by Kmart.com and Sears.com with four and two percent respectively. ]]> Circuit City closing down was obviously good news for electronics retailer competitors. But which ones are reaping the benefits the most? They are whom you’d expect: Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

Hitwise reports on where online consumers go after being greeted with CircuitCity.com’s Sorry-we’re-closed message. Twenty percent of them float downstream to Best Buy’s website. Ten percent go to Wal-Mart, followed by Kmart.com and Sears.com with four and two percent respectively.

These are obviously the brands on the top of consumers’ minds and their online behavior might very well mimic offline behavior: Oh, Circuit City’s closed. Let’s go to Best Buy across the street, then.

But what was really interesting about the report was Radio Shack’s aggressive poaching of Circuit City customers in the search results. Though non-searching consumers may not have thought of Radio Shack as often, searchers using branded terms from a portfolio of Circuit City’s portfolio of branded terms were met with paid search ads for Radio Shack.

Three percent clicked through to Radio Shack’s website. Best Buy, on the other hand, ran no targeted search campaign, and only just over one percent clicked through to the site from the organic results. This was a very clever and apparently effective strategy on Radio Shack’s part.
 

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/best-buy-wal-mart-enjoy-circuit-city-web-traffic-2009-04/feed 3 http://www.webpronews.com/apple-to-offer-iphone-at-wal-mart-2008-12 http://www.webpronews.com/apple-to-offer-iphone-at-wal-mart-2008-12#comments Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:55:17 +0000 Mike Sachoff http://www.webpronews.com/?p=47951 Wal-Mart may soon be the second major retailer behind Best Buy to sell Apple's iPhone.

The phones will be available at Wal-Mart during the last week of December according to the Mercury News. Reports say that Apple will offer a 4 GB version of the iPhone at Wal-Mart and it will retail for $99.

]]> Wal-Mart may soon be the second major retailer behind Best Buy to sell Apple’s iPhone.

The phones will be available at Wal-Mart during the last week of December according to the Mercury News. Reports say that Apple will offer a 4 GB version of the iPhone at Wal-Mart and it will retail for $99.

Currently the iPhone is available in two versions, one with 8 gigabytes of memory that retails for $199 and one with 16 GB of memory that sells for $299.

Wal-Mart employees confirmed to the Mercury News that they would be carrying a 4GB model. One employee said that the iPhone will be available very soon and that Apple originally had plans to introduce the 4GB model before Christmas, but could not get them to the retail giant fast enough.

An AT&T representative told a Wal-Mart manager that stores would be getting the 4GB version two days before Christmas.

Wal-Mart officials have declined to confirm they will be carrying the iPhone, as have representatives from Apple and AT&T.

Offering the iPhone at Wal-Mart would be a good strategy for Apple industry and financial analysts said. Wal-Mart has around 4,000 discount, supercenter and Sam’s Club stores in the United States.
 

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/apple-to-offer-iphone-at-wal-mart-2008-12/feed 1 http://www.webpronews.com/wal-mart-launches-online-videos-of-presidential-candidates-2008-10 http://www.webpronews.com/wal-mart-launches-online-videos-of-presidential-candidates-2008-10#comments Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:31:33 +0000 Mike Sachoff http://www.webpronews.com/?p=47387 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc has launched a video-based voter guide that allows both major candidates, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, to share their views on issues with the company's customers and employees.

]]> Wal-Mart Stores, Inc has launched a video-based voter guide that allows both major candidates, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, to share their views on issues with the company’s customers and employees.

Via the company’s Web sites, both candidates will present their views on issues beginning today through Election Day to the 136 million Wal-Mart customers and its 1.4 million associates.

"We know that, like most Americans, our customers and associates are concerned with a number of important issues, including health care and the environment, with the economy at the top of the list," said Leslie Dach, Wal-Mart’s executive vice president of corporate affairs and government relations.

"As so many pollsters have pointed out, the ‘Wal-Mart Mom’ is at the center of the election and we’re pleased to offer Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain the opportunity to speak directly to her through these videos."

Two videos from each campaign are available on Wal-Marts Web sites. The video-based voter guide will allow the candidates to introduce themselves to customers, club members and associates, detailing their plans and stances on key issues, and will reflect the candidate’s campaign platforms in a nonpartisan manner.

The videos can be viewed at walmart.com, samsclub.com and walmartstores.com, the company’s corporate Web site. The Web sites will also offer information about other presidential candidates.

The retailing giant says it will alert customers of its online offering through public service announcements that will air today on its in-store television network.

"We thank Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama for sharing their views on these key issues with our customers, club members and associates so they can make an informed decision and have their voices heard on Election Day," said Mr. Dach.

 

]]> http://www.webpronews.com/wal-mart-launches-online-videos-of-presidential-candidates-2008-10/feed 2 http://www.webpronews.com/customer-cry-fould-on-wal-marts-drm-decision-2008-09 http://www.webpronews.com/customer-cry-fould-on-wal-marts-drm-decision-2008-09#comments Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:08:18 +0000 Dan Morrill http://www.webpronews.com/?p=47153  In yet another shutdown of DRM servers, following on the heels of Yahoo and MSN Music,Wal-Mart is also shutting down their DRM servers casting millions of dollars in media locked into one computer, unless you can copy it over to disk. 
]]>  In yet another shutdown of DRM servers, following on the heels of Yahoo and MSN Music,Wal-Mart is also shutting down their DRM servers casting millions of dollars in media locked into one computer, unless you can copy it over to disk. 

Beginning October 9, we will no longer be able to assist with digital rights management issues for protected WMA files purchased from Walmart.com. If you do not back up your files before this date, you will no longer be able to transfer your songs to other computers or access your songs after changing or reinstalling your operating system or in the event of a system crash. Your music and video collections will still play on the originally authorized computer. Source: Idolator

This leaves the field for regular MP3 music wide open now, with many of the major DRM players in music effectively leaving the field. What this holds for the future of DRM is anyone’s best guess. With the utter rejection of DRM in Spore, and other gaming platforms, the slowing adoption of Blu-Ray, and a host of other ways that media is controlled, the customer has effectively spoken about not being locked in to anything. 

While there will continue to be people who will still try to push a DRM agenda, it is going to be more difficult to do this in the future. If Wal-Mart, Yahoo and Microsoft have all backed away from the technology realizing that it is a continuing arms race between DRM builders and crackers, the profit from this technology will continue to weaken as more customers and suppliers simply opt out of the entire process. 

Good for customers, and good for everyone else in the longer run.

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