Everybody is buying Kindle devices, and Walmart likes to sell whatever hot product is out there. So, it looks like an easy answer. Only, it is not. Let’s know ‘Does Walmart sell kindle readers?’
Walmart and Amazon
Walmart did use to sell Kindles before. And by before, we mean before 2012. Since then, they changed their policies and stopped selling Amazon products (Kindles and Amazon Tablets, basically) altogether. Why? We’ll tell you why.
Competition: Amazon and Walmart are fighting for being the first seller of online retail in the world. That means they are both fighting for our souls. Or our money. And, Walmart, by selling Kindles and their tablets, was helping Amazon gain terrain against Walmart. Once Walmart realized this, it changed its strategies quickly. Or maybe not so quickly.
Amazon doesn’t disclose how many Kindles do they sell. And, let’s remember, you also have the Kindle app, so you don’t have to buy the device. Now, how many people have this app, or a Kindle, or an Amazon tablet? Nobody knows. Of course, the numbers are in the millions. One estimation says, that by 2018, there were over six million Kindles sold in the United States alone. That is before the pandemic.
The Pandemic and retail
Walmart is the company that earns more revenue in the world. Amazon was far behind. Then the pandemic came and changed the rules. Thanks to the pandemic, Amazon has cut a lot of ground between them and Walmart. Amazon sold 35% more during 2020, while Walmart was only 6% more. Walmart used to sell five times more than Amazon, but now the difference is cut in half. It is a struggle of titans; we are just watching. And buying, of course.
The Kindle
Released in 2007, fourteen years ago, the Kindle has come to change everything. Just like the iPhone did, the same year (although the iPhone was released a few months earlier). Which one has had more impact? Well, it is hard to tell. The iPhone changed the phone industry, and the Kindle, the editorial industry. Yes, the phone industry has more money, so if you go by money, it is the iPhone. But the kindle is hitting one of the most revolutionary inventions in our history, and that is the printing industry. Yes, around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, changing our lives forever. It looked like a rock-solid invention, that will never become obsolete, but then Jeff Bezos came along. So, you decide which one is better.
Your options
Walmart does sell other types of ereaders. And still sells all of Apple’s products. For example, you can buy the ereader of Rakuten, the Kobo ereader, which price ranges from 99 dollars to 249. And Walmart is even entering the audiobook subscription. Not only that, the Walmart audiobook subscription is far less expensive than the one of Amazon. Walmart’s cost 9.99 dollars, and Amazon’s cost 14.95. It is a big difference.
As you can see, it is good to have options. Because the only winners are us, the consumers. As they fight and struggle to deliver better service at a better price, we must never be blindly loyal to a company. It is not wise. If you give them enough power, they will take advantage. While, all we can do to defend ourselves, is keep the competition going with our choices.
Which one is better?
Well, this is a tricky question. Walmart, as of today, has a better price, but maybe not as many books available as Kindle. In design and capability, they are both very similar. It is up to you to decide which one is better for you. How much do you read? What do you like to read? Ask yourself these questions so you can make up your mind on this sensitive issue. And if you don’t read at all, we invite you to give it a try with one of these devices. It’s fun, it’s entertaining and reading does a lot of good things for you.
Where to buy the Kindle?
The Kindle is easy to get. You can just go to amazon.com and get it. But you can also get it at GameStop, BestBuy, Staples, Whole Foods Market, and Kohls. So, you do have a variety of options to get it, not just online.
Conclusion
No, Walmart does not sell Kindle devices. And they don’t sell them, because it is in their best interest not to do it. I wouldn’t say it is a survival thing, but it is a competitive thing. Because remember, if you are not going up, you are going down. And, no matter how high you are, you never want to be going down, because down is the way out, in the market competition. Which, at those levels, at stake are not millions, but billions of dollars.
