5 ms·

Very much what I was thinking. To add, the integration of mobile (itemized?) receipts is nice, but not nice enough for me to have to install and maintain an app

Very much what I was thinking. To add, the integration of mobile (itemized?) receipts is nice, but not nice enough for me to have to install and maintain an app on my device just for one store; an app that will undoubtedly hound me through push notifications about sales and other garbage.

nickpsecurity 11y ago
Not just for one store: just for The Store. Walmarts the nations largest retailer with a momentum and presence that few stores have. They're putting that "not just any store" attribute to use here to break past that reaction in many potential users. It will work for many. Like you, I'm skipping it, though.
- fluxquanta 11y ago
  >Not just for one store: just for The Store. Fair point. I live in a rural area where I'm sure a majority of people shop exclusively at Walmart. For someone like that, it would probably be a great app to have. I shop at Walmart too, but not as often as my local grocery store and specialty shops. I would much rather pay in one, standard way at all of them instead of some patchwork of differing methods: EMV card here, mag swipe there, NFC here, take a picture of a QR code there. It just adds hassle on top of the direct advertising platform(s) I would be voluntarily installing to my device. The benefits just aren't worth it.
heywire 11y ago
I was thinking the same thing until I realized that I use a dedicated Starbucks app for mobile ordering and payment...
- fluxquanta 11y ago
  At least in the case of mobile ordering at Starbucks, that app sounds like it's adding real, additional value: It allows you to do something you otherwise can't do without the app. Aside from the digital receipt thing (which, in my opinion, is really only useful if you are planning on returning an item or collecting receipts for tax deduction) where is the additional value with the mobile Walmart app?
  - heywire 11y ago
    The mobile ordering is a recent addition to the Starbucks app. I've been using it for payment for years -- mostly due to their rewards program, though that is available with a card too.
deleted 11y ago
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rblatz 11y ago
The store that is cluttered and has palettes of junk clogging every aisle. The store that has a terrible meat selection. The store that smells like the inside of a Subway. The store that has made subsidizing your payroll with tax payer funded food stamps common. The store that pivoted from proud to be made in America, to one of the main drivers of outsourcing manufacturing. It's an awful system, just like the rest of their stuff. I'm sure it's going to be very successful.
VLM 11y ago
fluxquanta is very close to the full answer. Note that my credit union "app" is just a wrapper for the website which also demands full access to my contact list and GPS and camera. For marketing reasons they want to know where I am and who I hang out with and what competing stores I visit. Imagine your coordinates being determined to be the entrance of an OB/GYN office, and suddenly getting megs of push spam for your new baby. Or you appear to stand around the parking lot at the sportball field for hours every summer weekend, expect lots of push spam about charcoal, disposable grills, brats, picnic stuff. What I don't understand is from a market dominance standpoint, why would walmart of all people want that data? Maybe they think they can market the data to other companies. Everyone has to shop at walmart sooner or later, maybe that means everyone will have their app sooner or later, so they'll have lots of privacy to sell to other companies.

nickpsecurity 11y ago

Not just for one store: just for The Store. Walmarts the nations largest retailer with a momentum and presence that few stores have. They're putting that "not just any store" attribute to use here to break past that reaction in many potential users. It will work for many. Like you, I'm skipping it, though.

fluxquanta 11y ago
>Not just for one store: just for The Store. Fair point. I live in a rural area where I'm sure a majority of people shop exclusively at Walmart. For someone like that, it would probably be a great app to have. I shop at Walmart too, but not as often as my local grocery store and specialty shops. I would much rather pay in one, standard way at all of them instead of some patchwork of differing methods: EMV card here, mag swipe there, NFC here, take a picture of a QR code there. It just adds hassle on top of the direct advertising platform(s) I would be voluntarily installing to my device. The benefits just aren't worth it.

heywire 11y ago

I was thinking the same thing until I realized that I use a dedicated Starbucks app for mobile ordering and payment...

fluxquanta 11y ago
At least in the case of mobile ordering at Starbucks, that app sounds like it's adding real, additional value: It allows you to do something you otherwise can't do without the app. Aside from the digital receipt thing (which, in my opinion, is really only useful if you are planning on returning an item or collecting receipts for tax deduction) where is the additional value with the mobile Walmart app?
- heywire 11y ago
  The mobile ordering is a recent addition to the Starbucks app. I've been using it for payment for years -- mostly due to their rewards program, though that is available with a card too.

deleted 11y ago

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rblatz 11y ago

The store that is cluttered and has palettes of junk clogging every aisle. The store that has a terrible meat selection. The store that smells like the inside of a Subway. The store that has made subsidizing your payroll with tax payer funded food stamps common. The store that pivoted from proud to be made in America, to one of the main drivers of outsourcing manufacturing. It's an awful system, just like the rest of their stuff. I'm sure it's going to be very successful.

VLM 11y ago

fluxquanta is very close to the full answer. Note that my credit union "app" is just a wrapper for the website which also demands full access to my contact list and GPS and camera. For marketing reasons they want to know where I am and who I hang out with and what competing stores I visit. Imagine your coordinates being determined to be the entrance of an OB/GYN office, and suddenly getting megs of push spam for your new baby. Or you appear to stand around the parking lot at the sportball field for hours every summer weekend, expect lots of push spam about charcoal, disposable grills, brats, picnic stuff. What I don't understand is from a market dominance standpoint, why would walmart of all people want that data? Maybe they think they can market the data to other companies. Everyone has to shop at walmart sooner or later, maybe that means everyone will have their app sooner or later, so they'll have lots of privacy to sell to other companies.