HOLIDAY SHOPPING MADE EASY WITH WALMART.COM
Written: Nov 7, 2002 (Updated Jan 16, 2003)
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Now that my 2 year old has become interested in watching movies, we discovered that both of our old VCR's were no longer in good working condition. Since we now prefer to watch movies on DVD anyway, this wouldn't normally be a problem. Only we have over 100 children's movies in VHS form that we've collected over the years when our older children were small. So when we discovered the repair shop charges $20 just to look at each VCR, I decided to do some research online to see just how cheap VCR's had become these days. And the first place I looked was at www.walmart.com. I had shopped there many times in the past few years without any problems, especially around the holidays, so shopping at this online site was not a new experience for me. What I discovered was an Emerson 4-Head VCR for the rock bottom price of $46.67. So purchasing a new VCR sounded much better than getting our old VCR fixed. I placed my order and waited for it to arrive. Shopping at walmart.com has always been easy, and this time was no different.
~~~The Online Site~~~
For many years now, I've been a loyal Wal-Mart shopper and usually end up in the brick and mortar store at least once a week. Their low prices is a definite plus for me, and the online store offers the same discounted merchandise that can be found in their frequently too big super stores. Only sometimes I prefer to convenience of shopping online verses fighting the large crowds, so a store like walmart.com is the perfect alternative. While they don't offer things such as clothing or many health and beauty items that I normally buy, many other items may be purchased here. A few of the categories to choose from include: electronics, movies, music, books, toys, home, gifts, jewelry and watches, sporting goods, video games, garden and hardware, and a baby registry section. Also found here is an online photo center, pharmacy, tires, financial services (including Wal-Mart credit cards), and even vacations. Shoppers can even purchase unlimited DVD rentals for just $18.86 per month. And some of the many popular name brands the online store offers include Fisher Price, Little Tykes, Barbie, Leapfrog, Canon, Hoover, and Timex, just to name a few. Always Low Prices! is the motto at walmart.com, and I've found this to be an accurate slogan most of the time.
~~~Ordering Online~~~
Shopping online at walmart.com is very simple and convenient. All you have to do is quickly register information like your billing and shipping addresses along with credit card information, and you are all set. Place selected items in your shopping cart and then begin the checkout process when your order is complete. Payment options available at this highly popular discount store include Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover, although they state their preferred method of payment is, of course, the Wal-Mart Credit Card or the Wal-Mart Mastercard from Chase. Online shopping here is guaranteed safe and secure and your credit card won't be charged until shipment occurs. Most returns can be made at any local Wal-Mart store (computer hardware and other large or perishable items are not included), or just return your order via mail if desired. And if you prefer to actually make your purchase at a later date, items in your shopping cart will be saved but don't wait too long as popular merchandise may be out of stock the next time you visit. So feel safe and comfortable when shopping online at walmart.com are ordering is convenient and secure.
~~~Shipping Costs and Times~~~
Shipping cost at walmart.com will vary, depending on what type of item is ordered. There usually is a fixed item charge along with a per item charge as well. But generally, the more you buy, the less the overall shipping charge will be. Heavy or oversized items will cost substantially more to ship, but this seems to be the general rule at most other online sites, too. Standard delivery (which is the cheapest) will take 3 to 7 business days while priority delivery takes 2 to 3 days and express orders are delivered in 1 day. My new VCR, which came in a good sized box via UPS, cost $6.11 to ship standard and it arrived 3 business days later. I had actually ordered our new VCR on a Wednesday and delivery occurred the following Monday, so Saturday and Sunday don't really count. But since walmart.com did not charge me any tax to have our order delivered to my home state of Tennessee, I feel that the $6.11 shipping charge wasn't an unreasonable amount to pay (only 9 states are charged sales tax, so see their online site for more details). So the total price for our new VCR at walmart.com was $52.78. Not a bad deal at all considering we've paid over $200 for those we purchased in the past!
~~~Overall Recommendation~~~
Choose walmart.com when doing your holiday shopping this season. Not only do they have many popular gift items at low prices, but they also offer many other services worth checking into. I certainly plan on going back to this online site as I begin Christmas shopping for my kids soon, so this will make the third year online that I've trusted them with my orders. While selection has been limited in the past, they seem to be adding more merchandise every year. I've bought things like movies and music CD's from them in the past and now I've expanded into other areas with my most recent electronics purchase. So the bottom line is: I've always been satisfied shopping online at walmart.com and would highly recommend this site to shoppers searching for low priced gift items who prefer the convenience of ordering from home. Just pay close attention to shipping costs, especially on larger and heavier items. In these cases, you may be better off making a trip to the actual brick and mortar store. Good luck and happy holiday shopping!
www.walmart.com
To find out more about the Emerson 4 Head VCR I purchased online at www.walmart.com, please check out the following review:
http://www.epinions.com/content_82069261956
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Member: Melissa
Location: East Tennessee
Reviews written: 775
Trusted by: 1037 members
About Me: Trying to roll with the changes!
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