I hope this dont happen to do well. This co has already killed too many small businesses. And some not too small there are not very many old time sporting goods stores, filling stations many mom & pop grocery stores.Just to name a few I sure if we thought long enough we would think of many moor. Dick Presley

Can anyone seriously expect a Wal Mart level employee to wear an ESD bracelet or anklet while popping in an SDRAM? Look at how unhappy everyone is in that store (the clerks and the shoppers). Wal Mart's main focus is still low prices, not high quality. It just won't work. PCs are not robust enough to be reliably assembled in an environment like Wal Mart. And the margins are too thin to rely on a generous return program.

I feel sorry for the mom and pop computer shops.I did not see this coming.

The demographics of Wal Mart shoppers is quite a bit different from that of people who assemble their own computers.

i cant belive wallmart is actually going to be building computers now, #1 it wouldent do too well because anyone who knows anything about computers will build their own or have a quality manufacturer do it for them, walmart would only attract those who buy the premade computers anyways, all it is is just an opertunity to make them look better, not actually BE better. IMO if you know enough about computers and have the time, build your own.

Man, I wish people would learn to spell!

Customers are looking for solutions. It's fine to throw some hardware together for a guy. What about loading the operating sysytem and drivers? Are they going to hand him the Linux CD and say "Bye"? There will always be price shoppers, and there will always be a need for others to provide the real solutions. I bet most of the folks who buy these Walmart specials are going to end up at the local computer shop to get them running, just like the Dell customers do.

How about minimum grades school English?

Well, when I'm needing a MoBo in a pinch and CompUSA or whatever is closed, WallMarts are open later than most technology stores, it will be nice to drop into a wall mart and pick up an AMD Dual Core CPU and MoBo or whatever parts and pieces I might need at 22:00 hours on a Saturday night. This is assuming that they will let you just purchase the parts and pieces that are needed or desired with out having them do the install.

Walmart has huge buying power, when they approach AMD or intel for 10,000 dual cores or decent video card Walmart will recieve a huge discount, which they will pass on to consumers. That is thier model! Right now builders do no benefit from the midrange at Bestbuy, and old range at Circuit City. Hopefully Walmart has a knowledgable buyer for this venture.

I bought already put together PC from Walmart and it was subpar. I bought a Packard Bell HP533W. The hard drive failed twice, within six months, I had to send it back to Hewlett Packard twice, for new hard a new hard drive. It crashes constantly, it's just not worth the money I paid for it or the paper the warantee is written on. Buyers beware! Since I'm here there is one more thing that is terrible about Walmart, when you buy a product there, don't like it so much that you want to make it something that you use regularly if you have to buy it more than once, because they put companies out of business. On that inventory is gone, so is the product. That goes for appliances and other products too. In the long run, savings are not passed on to loyal customers.

Wow, what a fantastic idea!!! I'm all for it and think its a very good idea rather than selling the rediculous pre-configured/pre-installed/pre-setup computers they are selling now!! One thing to note is that even the small "mom&pop" establishments would benefits from this setup allowing them to buy/sell computers from walmart and then re-sell them mrked-up of course. Thats whet a Capitalist society is all about (choices). I dont think walmart is going to become a monopoly by selling computers??

WHY are you two guys so worried about spelling and gramar, in a comment box. Mention computers and all you ANAL rententive jerks come out of hiding....GO back in your hole and Shaddduppp

It will be written that this is yet one more shred of fabric seen floating away in the shape of a yellow smiley face that is a mirror to our lost soul by this greedy and wicked generation.. God have mercy, America is LOST!

Amazing how many WAL-MART haters there are out there. The service at COMPUSA, Circuit City, Best Buy, STAPLES, OfficeMax, or whatever is no better. If WAL-MART wants to sell DIY computers, it's OK with me. If you don't like them or their products, you don't have to shop there.

If they need some help building them,I'd be more than willing,! i take pride in my work,and knowing that i could be part of helping people get what they pay for,is a fantastic idea,! It would be great to be able to just go there and buy the parts I need at the time I need them.instead of waiting for UPS t5o get off there butt and deliver on time. I for one am tired of paying shipping charges NEWEGG watch out!!!!!

People who know enough to build their own, are comfortable doing so, and are (?pretentiously / self-delusionally) picky about components, will probably continue DIY. IMO, this really targets the mid-market mass that isn't technical and REALLY DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WANT OR NEED. People who are somewhat intimidated by the PC purchasing experience, because they're afraid they'll buy "the wrong thing," and won't risk spending $800 - $2000 when they might be making a big mistake. Ask the Wal-Geek (can I trademark that?) "Why would I want a 250-GB hard-drive instead of an 80?", say "okay that sounds good to me, do that ... now what about a monitor, what does a 17" look like vs a 19" vs a 21-incher" ... and walk out of the building 30-60 minutes later with a working PC. A Goldilocks solution for people who didn't know exactly what they wanted before: not Too Much, not Too Little, Just Right. (And they might keep an inventory of more exotic parts in the regional distribution centers, for next-day delivery.) The best analogy for this might be H&R Block and the like. 90% of the customers COULD do their own returns, and in truth most of the returns aren't that complicated. What customers get for their $50 / $100 (whatever it is these days) is confidence they haven't made a big mistake that's gonna bite them in the butt. (Or left tax money on the table that they didn't need to.) If you weren't PC-savvy, would you spend $100 to heve a Wal-Geek help you pick and assemble the components, and to feel confident at the end that you didn't just spend a lot of money on the wrong stuff? Bad news for Mom & Pop computer stores, for sure ... to the extent they're actually making money putting together white label bozes (rather than solving Windows problems for baffled & frustrated users) ... ... but maybe worse news for Dell. Dell started off as the low-overhead have-it-your-way builder with quick delivery, but now I would not be surprised if 15-20% of the price you pay is your share of the advertizing and marketing. Wal-Mart will start with that much of a cost-side advantage, because they'll just set up a kiosk or work area in the stores and attract walk-bys who are already in the store. VEEEEERY INTERESTING, as Arte Johnson used to say.

Wow, what a fantastic idea!!! I'm all for it and think its a very good idea rather than selling the rediculous pre-configured/pre-installed/pre-setup computers they are selling now!! One thing to note is that even the small "mom & pop" establishments would benefits from this setup allowing them to buy/sell computers from walmart and then re-sell them marked-up of course. Thats what a Capitalist society is all about (choices). I don't think walmart is going to become a monopoly by selling computers??

Well Well Well now they are trying to put more small businesses out of business. Thsi was just a matter of time before it happened. But remember their own motto. "Always low prices - ALWAYS" low quality. They just don't finish the sentence. VARs who are worried should bi fi they can't offer better quality and service than Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is easy to beat because there a lots of clients who want quality and service and you can't get either at Wal-Mart. Even most of their emplyees will tell you that. They are only intersed in mass marketing lots of low end merchandise some of which is rebuilts like many of the HP systems they sell. My personal advice to VARs offer the best and you won't compete with Wal-Mart you beat them every time.

First off, I think you need to figure out what exactly it was tht you purchased - a Packard Bell or a Hewlett Packard computer, for you mention both, in one sentence after the other. Truthfully, in either case, it really doesn't matter, and the reason for that is BOTH brands are/were pieces of crap, as is Compaq, which owns Hewlett Packard. There was a time when Compaq and Hewlett Packard computers were pretty good, but the company now relys on its name, and the quality has GREATLY suffered, as you have learned yourself. Since my father works in the industry, when it came time for me to buy a new computer, he told me thaqt, under no circumstances, should i even start to consider one from either company. Even eMachines, which was a piece of junk when the company first came out, gets higher rankings by Consumer Reports magazine than Compaq and Hewlett Packard. Of course, and this goes to ALL of you out there, the BEST recommendation I can give you is to either custom-build your own system, as I once again did recently, or, if youmust buy a pre-built system, buy it from a company that not only can customize it to how YOU want it to be, but also FULLY stands by its products. Some perfect examples would be Dell, Alienware (which, as luck has it, is now owned by Dell), Voodoo, or Falcon Northwest. While it IS true that the latter three tend to focus on higher-end gaming systems, you CAN also get an excellent system from any of them for a pretty reasonable price...as long as you select the lower/lowest options available. As a perfct example of what I mean, you can get an Alienware Aurora 3500 with an AMD Athlon" 64 3000+ Processor for as little as $789 (as compared to the few thousands of $$$ that most people think it takes to own an Alienwae system). Sure, you "could" fully deck-out a top-of-the-line system and have it cost up to $8,000, but this is poof that even high-endcompanies that do nothing but build custom systems CAN sell you a system for an excellent price...and I GUARENTEE it will be FAR better than ANYTHNG Wal-Mart could put out...juts something to think about.

People are getting mad at immigrants that can not speak/write English. And here we have people communicating to the public that can not spell or write simple sentences. I would be embarrassed.

Sorry about mom & pop stores but really you ALL use WalMart, Target, etc., type stores. And there's a reason. Not many of us have a boatload of money to pay 30%-50% higher prices just to support the m&p pricing. I grew up in a small town and remember friends who owned stores but at the same time I'll let WalMart take my $500 for the same thing m&p offers for $800. That's why these places exist, after all. And the comment about ESD bracelets...which year in the 80s are you talking about? I'm an ex-IBMr who's installed lots of stix of memory w/o having the bracelet. (yeah, all the IBMrs are yelling 'foul' but I'd guess every one of you have clicked in a stick w/out your HazMat suit at one time or another so get over it.)

Just to let you know. Hewlett Packard bought out Compaq, not the other way around.

Ha, ha, ha. Friendly WalMart Associates building computers? That's almost too funny to be true. I hope it's not just a new urban legend. I don't see them as a danger to my 100% locally-owned computer company, because they're going to use $7.63/hour untrained labor to do it, they can't possibly offer even the deficient level of support BestBuy's Computer Geek social retards do, and it's just going to create aftermarket business for me, which is more profitable than building PCs anyway. Any poor unfortunate soul who buys a computer from WalMart will get just what they deserve -- a repair bill from ME very soon after their Wally World warranty runs out. Thanks for the revenue boost, WalMart. Osama Walton's ghost rides again. Gimme a W!!!

The Mom & Pop computer shops will most likely benefit from this because Wal-Mart will bring more amateurs into the custom computer upgrading market segment. Once you get into it, it can become like a hobby. And some will end up at their local Mom & Pop computer shop counter because the geek working at the Wal-Mart counter will be so underpaid that he has little skill. Low pay is a filtration device that causes employees with better skills to leave and seek employment elsewhere. Decades ago when Sears Roebuck started opening departments stores accross the country, people cried and moaned about how they would put the Mom & Pop stores out of business. Eventually it faded away when people came to their senses and realized that cheaper goods will leave you more money to buy even more goods, pay for gasoline, and help pay the mortgage on that overpriced house. You all must be wealthy if you can buy all the items you need in life from Mom & Pop stores. And I see no difference in the quality of a box of Kraft macaroni & cheese that I buy from a Mom & Pop store and one that I pay half the price for at Wal-Mart.

Contrary to those who are already prejudiced, try seeing with clear eyes. Mainstream buyers do know enough now to choose whether they want the DVD burner or just the DVD rom. They do want the choice to get the 1G or ram, rather than the paltry 256 or 512 pre-made machines were usually stocked with.I will, with great interest, want to see what motherboards they will stock and what processors. I will wait and see what OS choices they will offer and other software they may offer with the computer. I will be interested in the bottom-line price of getting exactly what I choose. I'm sure most who would go with the build-it-for-me scenario would be savy-enough consumers. The pre-built systems are a crapshoot because what is hot when they were put together and what is currently hot when they get into the store is two different things. An anouncement is not a done deal, yet. I would think they researched the market enough to know they could likely make a decent profit off this venture.

Re Walmart Canada: What they are selling in Canada in there electronic's dept. is junk( Out dated products). Over all the price, is just as high and higher than many of the other stores in the city.No help or advise regarding the products.DO YOU REALLY WANT TO BUY A COMPUTER AT WALMART??

So, Just how much do you think Wal-Mart would pay for an A+ Certifed Tech? Maybe $5.50 to $6.50 an Hour!!! They are "NOT" going to pay well for this SKILLED Job, they don't pay well for any job! A Store Manager with a Degree can make more working for Mickey D's! So they'll probably get one of the guys off the loading dock to assemble them between trucks! EDS bracelets and flooring,I don't think so! Wal-mart will probably have to print out picture diagrams for the assemblers to use!

Assembling computers is not rocket science. Wearing an eds bracelet does not make you an expert. A true expert does not touch the contacts anyways. And my guess is that there will only be a few options to choose from. Processor speed, Ram amount, Vid card, Hard Drives, etc... will probably be grouped into good, better, and best categories where the consumer will choose based on their needs and budget. And as picky as I am, I will shop online for my parts because Wal-Mart will probably not have the brands I like.

First of all, I'm an I.T. director and have been building customized PCs and servers more than 15 years (either for business and/or or helping friends/families building their own systems. I just don't see how this is going to work and here are the reasons: -Like Doug mentioned people who build their own system normally are very picky about what components they want which I don't see how Walmart can carry that many of them. -The cost on a Windows XP Home is around $100 retail -What about the cost on putting them all together by Walmart techniican? $80? -Let assume Walmart will sell you all parts like online pricing: $50 on CPU case plus Power supply, $60 on 1GB Ram, $50 on a low-end out-of-date motherboard, $60 on a low-end CPU, $30 on a cheap video card, $50 on a 160GB hard drive, $10 on a set of cheap mouse and keyboard. -All these will add up to $430 plus tax and don't expect this computer to be anywhere near a mid-range or high-end system. -What about the time to put everything together as well as installing the Operating System whcih will take at least one hour if you do everything right. -Oh, one thing is very important, what if the system didn't boot up or it's crashing after it's been built. Do you think you can get a full refund from Walmart? Please read the fine print or ask Walmart this question before hand. -For as low as $299 with free shipping, you can buy a similar, if not better, computer with monitor at Dell http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/dimen_lo?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd -Not to mention there is also a one year warranty comes with the system and I just wonder who will provide the support after the Walmart DIY computer is built? Maybe Walmart will sell you for another $80? -Any very often, you can purchase a completed system with monitor and printer for less than $500 at CompUSA, ElectronicFrys, Staples, Circuit City or even some local small computer store. However, this is no doubt a very cool idea from Walmart which will attract some buyers whom don't know what they are doing in my opinion. And all I can do is to feel sorry for those who is willingly or unwillingly paying for these VERY COOL & INTERESTING experience! GOOD LUCK!!!

Someone made the call that mom and pop outfits may be in trouble. This may actually be a boon for them instead. With WalMarts pay scale, I can't really see them hiring quality techs.....so....it's off to mom & pop to fix what WalMart screwed up. Heck, I may even set up a van in their parking lot. :-) I guess about the only things I may get from them are parts; depending on what kind of quality they sell. My 2 cents.

If these were going to quality machines why are they not being introduced at Sam's Club where more savvy small business owners shop?

I am not a computer professional, but I am practically a guru compared to my peers in my small rural town. The pre-packaged set-ups that I have purchased from Wal-Mart have served me just fine; I've got three in my house now and the oldest just started giving me fits after six years. I've guided several of my friends in making similar purchases from either Wal-Mart or Best Buy that have served them well. You've got to remember that the customers Wal-Mart will be targeting don't need anything fancy. Most of our friends don't use their computers for anything more than e-mail and word processing. The boxes available from Wal-Mart now are more than capable of handling those simple tasks, and I'm sure the new set-ups will be similar.

I hope this doesn't happen. If it does then that means I gotta reapply to wal-mart again but with better pay and useful discounts, lol.

This could be a great thing if Wal-Mart starts selling high-quality components. Will they be selling Asus, Nvidia, ATI, and current offerings from Intel and AMD, or just a bunch of cheap knockoffs from people you never heard of? Why should quality components be limited to high-end boutiques or specialty dealers online, instead of being accessible to the majority of American shoppers? When it comes to putting small local shops out of business, I can't be too sad because there are no good small shops in many towns, and where I live the small shop sells cheap knockoffs at name-brand prices. If Wal-Mart can make affordable quality parts available to everyone, then I'd have to say it's a good thing.

This is a very serious subject. The technical help is the key. Some out there have put together there own computer and the amount of straightening up the system are big. If wal-mart does this, I am shure they will have the right help to do the job right. Buy anything at Wal-mart and it is Guarenteed, right, so what is the worry and you can have the Computer your way. If it is not take it back, either way. its a win, win for the buyer.

This is a very serious subject. The technical help is the key. Some out there have put together there own computer and the amount of straightening up the system are big. If wal-mart does this, I am shure they will have the right help to do the job right. Buy anything at Wal-mart and it is Guarenteed, right, so what is the worry and you can have the Computer your way. If it is not take it back, either way. its a win, win for the buyer.

I think the market will determine Walmart's progress in this area. I am a DIY person and a Fry's Electronics patron for 90% of my purchases. Occasionally I buy a component from Staples, Office Depot, Comp USA, or second hand computer fringe outlets, depending on pricing. The very distinct advantage that Frys has is the usually knowledegable personell in most all of their departments. I am sure these folks earn their pay, if not enough of it. If WalMart is really going to succeed strongly in this area, then the company will have to pay competitivley for knowing personell. Also, it will take some amount of time for the DIY patrons to adapt and accept this new resource. If I can build a better product for less money, then that is what I will do, as will many others.

I see this as a positive in spite of what I am reading from all the doomsayers and self appointed geniuses. For those of us who live way out in the sticks with nothing but a WM near-by,this is a God-send.I hate having something crap-out on me when the nearest goodie store is an hour and a half drive.Especially on a weekend when they are either closed or open very limited hours. The very big if in this is,are they going to sell individual parts?If they only sell grouped parts (cpu,motherboard,memory grouping for example)then they will have nothing to offer me and it becomes a moot point.The only exception being is if I am going to make a couple of bucks helping a friend pick and choose for a new computer. For those of you who either can't or don't want to use proper grammer and can't fix spelling mistakes before you set your post,I bet your parents are very proud of you.I also bet they deny having any children who lived !!

We need to look at the issues surrounding this whole deal. Wal-Mart has just as much right as other people or businesses to make/assemble computers. I work for a Mom & Pop shop, but A) I do not think we or anyone else will be hurt B) We will probably be helped by the fact that if these Wal-Mart computers are bad quality, we'll get the repair work. From an economic standpoint, if Wal-Mart can build a computer of the same or better quality for less then my Mom & Pop, I would shop there. If Wal-Mart's quality is bad, then do not buy from them. You do have a choice, the Mom & Pop, Bestbuy, CircutCity, Radio shack, Wal-Mart, etc.

Ok now come on people, first lets not quibble over the grammer and spelling this IS about RIP OFF MART !! I know a few people who worked at rip off world and from the things i have seen first hand when going to meet my friends after their shift AND what they have told me is BEYOND belief,( by the way they have ALL quit after the way they were treated by SO called managment) and now that they are coming out with this stupid idea only confirms ( to me at least ) that they are scrambling to get more SUCKERS in the door to make the low income people that ARE trying to get ahead THROW their money away!!! This really takes the cake EVERY time i thik ive seen and heard it all SOMEONE come`s up with something else ! Anyway to get back on track here, IT IS THE SECOND WORST IDEA THAT RIPP OFF WORLD has EVER had ( the first being opening the store in the first place ) I TOTALLY AGREE with some of the other messages on here that considering how they pay their SLAVES they CANNOT expect to hire knowledgeable poeple to build computers when MOST people nowadays know how to pull out a grafics card and/or replace a faulty disk drive and for those that dont they DO KNOW SOMEONE WHO DOES and can do it for them in their basement for a few bucks, So in a way it kind of does help the small guy because when it breaks down ( AND IT WILL ) they will just go to that friend of a friend and he will get it fixed for next to nothing anyway!! Especially with store`s like tigerdirect and canadacomputers anyone can get what they are looking for at a price they are willing to pay and for that matter KEEP THIER HARD EARNED MONEY IN THIER POCKET WHERE IT BELONGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a rather brilliant idea. I mean, since Walmarts aim is to make customers happy (and they are). Why would adding customizable comptuers be bad? Is it really forcing "mom and pop" computer stores out of business or is it really a competitive move by a competitive store? If those "mom and pop" stores can't provide just as good service, selection and quantity as Walmart, then apparently they aren't so great. @John Bear: Is it really a joke? Perhaps what you wrote is a joke? Considering where Dell and other pc manufacturers get their items I don't see how they'd have much of an advantage over Walmart. I mean, sure lot pricing for 10,000 power supplies, processors, monitors, keyboards, mice, harddrives and optical media drops overall costs quite a bit, just as much as Dell. I mean hell, Dell gets xp home keys at $30 oem bulk rates, I'm fairly sure Walmart can too. "What about the time to put everything together as well as installing the Operating System whcih will take at least one hour if you do everything right." A reasonable install time for XP Home or Pro will take a little over 30 minutes, if you want to include drivers for the average user, tack on an extra 15 minutes, but seeing as XP has drivers for most devices I don't see this being a problem. @Warren S. Levine: I'm sure your deficient computer building business is booming. Especially because you and your business aren't building PC in bulk, nor ordering components in bulk, surely your higher prices are the way to go! "I'll be the one making money on tech support for their items!" Yeah, I bet you will. Ok, probably not. @Steve K: Yeah, because all brand name products are inherently low quality if sold by Walmart. There are almost no offshoot companies that produce hardware. AMD and Intel are more or less your only CPU choices, there are 20 primary motherboard manufacturers, over 35 graphics card companies (and a majority re-sell reference board layouts as OEM). Thats not to knock you, but there's almost no such thing as "low end" components. PSU's and some optical drives not withstanding.

Wow, Jerry. You're a college student and spell 'dis-sattasfied' and 'generaly' like a true fifth grader. You belong at Wal-Mart. How many teeth do you have? I'm still laughing, and that includes the 'gent' who thinks we're geeks if we spell correctly. Your point was made, however.

Regarding the spelling and grammar,being, as I am, a foreign born and foreign educated, almost a geeezer (51 and counting, add another 70 points to my IQ). I would like to clarify theat on my experience most of the spelling errors are TYPOS and this chating system is totally informal, people write here the way they speak, no formal writing English. We write DON'T instead of DO NOT, we used contractions as IMO. I mean, the important think here is the exchange of ideas, we know that there is a lot of very smart people who does not want to spend time checking their spell, o maybe they do not know how, but it is secondary here. After all, who cares if your 'medicine man" can not write your prescription in English instead of the jerogliphics he/she uses

If all the Anti-Wal-Mart shoppers would band together and boycot anything Wal-Mart, it would probably amount to no significant financial impact. It seems that when a capitalist endeavor succeeds in this capitalist system, jealousy rears its ugly head. If Wal-Mart is not your cup of tea, don't drink it.

You know, that's what Kennedy says too! His 'medicine man' misspelled his prescription and next thing ya' know... On to Wal-Mart. The finished product not only has to work, it has to work well and be serviced. It requires software, many types of software. Wal-Mart can try to be 'all things to all people' but it won't work completely, just enough to cut enough profit out of 'mom and pop' shops so that they'll have a tough time surviving without really re-targeting their customers- business needs vs. 'cheap public'.

Of course spelling and grammer are important! Even in an informal chat room it is important to be able to read and understand what the point is, otherwise what is the point in posting? There is at least one posting on this page that I had a difficult time just trying to figure out what the person posting was trying to say. It's not about being a geek, but about communicating effectively!!

This would explain why Wal-Mart has been recruiting on the college campuses in Arkansas for over a year now. They have been scooping up all the IT people they can get here. As I am a student in the field on one of these campuses I know this first hand. And they are offering a lot better than 7.63 an hour :-) And they have amassed a lot of us. So dont be so quick to dismiss them. The are not stupid, maybe not everything works, but they generaly get it in the "bottom line" to prove they can do it. Not everything Microsoft puts out is the best, but the last time i heard Bill Gates is still the richest man in the world (50 something billion). So as with any business there may be those dis-sattasfied customers out there, as there will be so many more that are happy with them. And with there new RFID roll out in the middle of completion to tie in with this program, it would help to justify to the bottom line having IT pros on the payroll in each store. I see it being a huge money maker for them. As with everything else we shall see if it works though wont we?

So what is the big deal with Wally World wanting to sell computers with the components you pick and can afford? I have done it for decades and it is not exactly rocket science. Give me a break!

if one would look who works at places like best buy, they would see that the people who work there are trained there. they are told what to do in what order, which is problably the same way wall mart will do it. now, the only people at wall mart with any degree are the pharmacy people, everyone else is just trained.

I bet 90% of you buy computer parts and computers from the internet. Personally I think this venture will fail miserably, any kind of electronic help at Wal-Mart besides a Video Game is a joke anyway. There's not a thing wrong with local Mom and Pop built computers they actually have as high or higher satisfaction rating than the big boys except maybe Apple. If WalMart wants to sell computers they can slap some Dale Jr. stickers on the side and the rednecks will grab them up like crazy.

To Becca, You talk about the importance of spelling and grammar, and you misspelled grammar! Those education dollars really paid off!

Dais need to git dem selves a spell checker, cous thay ain't doin sew good wit out one! Hey now, I shop at Wal-Mart from time to time, I'm a programer from way back, and if I needed a new Motherboard or Graphics card, I'd be looking to save money if I could. That's what I do now online, so why not at the local level and save on S&H too!

LOL - Wal-Mart's new venture isn't going to put mom and pop stores out of business. Rather, it stands to help increase the mom/pop ops profit margins. Just think how much tech support and fixes on Wal-Mart "built" computers there's likely to be.

I am 100% anti-Wal-Mart. Not only for putting the poor family that has worked all their lives to have a business to hand down to the next generation. But they also so are such a heartless company to work for. I am sure that Mr Sam Walton would be very disappointed in what has been going on. The lawsuits over women being passed up for promotion. The closing of a store in Canada. And dont get hurt there either if you are an employee but not on "Wal-Mart Time". So the way I see it is If you think you are getting a bargain, What Wal-Mart associate is getting tossed away like garabage so you can have that low low price?

I think everybody should buy everything at wally mart. then they will be able put nearly everyone out of business. On the world trade scene Walmart is China's largest trading partner. If that's not scary, then I don't know what is. save yourself a bit. send all your money to china, avoid walmart. Remeber the good jobs that were exported when wondering why your region does not have enough money to fix roads etc. Last time I looked, people making 6 buks an hour don't pay a whole lot of income tax. (intentional speling misteak)

I think everybody should buy everything at wally mart. then they will be able put nearly everyone out of business. On the world trade scene Walmart is China's largest trading partner. If that's not scary, then I don't know what is. save yourself a bit. send all your money to china, avoid walmart. Remeber the good jobs that were exported when wondering why your region does not have enough money to fix roads etc. Last time I looked, people making 6 buks an hour don't pay a whole lot of income tax. (intentional speling misteak)

Everyone should boycott the "Big Box" conglomerate, why do we need wally world to go into the high tech end industry? They are taking American jobs away from us and getting China to make the goods for "the consumer" at a very cheap price and inflating the goods here. Just stop shopping for "ONE DAY" to get the point across tha we don't need WALLY WORLD taking are jobs away..........

SPELLING/GRAMMER: Me take no offense to mispellings and be uses of grammer.....an educated person would not be so condesending to someone who spells incorrectly or uses poor grammer. You should be able to look beyond that and read the message....Why do the IT people have to boast that they are "Director/CEO/PIA" the title gets you no points here. My father has no formal computer training, I gave him an old 486/66 many years ago and he now can run circles around the support staff at Besy-Buy. WAL-MART PC's: Whats the difference?? I've heard Best-Buy sales giving out completely inaccurate information, so where you buy the product really has no bearing on the actual intelligence of the sales force.

At last Wal-Mart will be selling something not made in China. (But of course the components will, for the most part, still be made in China)

Going back to the original article, I see build your own not build to order. Mom and pop may take a hit on selling components, but if someone had mom build their PC before, are they going to build their own just because it's Wal Mart? As for the overall concept, I'll reserve judgement until I see just what it is they're selling. I don't see myself asking a Wal Mart clerk for computer advice. As others in this group have stated, moronic statements and advice have come from the "experts" at Best Buy, CompUSA... pick your favorite. A spiffy sports shirt does not an expert make. One more thing, I don't know how hot I'll be to buy an "Equate" motherboard.

I really can not see why people have to jump to conclusions. Learn your facts Wal-Mart has one of the highest degree wielding workforces in america. And yes it does have it share of completely stupid people working there too. But it does not mean everyone is stupid. nuff said biatch.

Personally I think that its a fine idea, as long as they sell the part seperately too. I dont always have the time or money to build my own computer (buying a monitor, printer and windows costs MORE that a complete computer from dell or compaq) but with their purchasing power the savings I could get from buying the parts would be worth it. Dell and Compaq wont go out of business, deciding what parts you want is WAY above most people, the kind of people who claim to have 512 bytes of ram and measure their harddrives by the amount of songs it can hold. Most people dont know what a graphics card is, hard drive cache? what? so the custom building will be reserved for techies who just dont have the time.

Spelling and grammar are important to a geek like me. It's about attention to detail. It's about credibility too. If I am reading something written by an English language illiterate then it's logical to conclude that they could be computer illiterate or Wal-mart illiterate too. Well maybe it's not logical, but people tend to do that. I'm not bashing here. I'm just saying that folks that claim to be educated or getting an education should pay attention to spelling and grammar and punctuation. This has nothing to do with intelligence. It has everything to do with communicating to the best of our ability. Anyway, I know plenty of people I would call geniuses in their area of expertise that can't spell. It irritates me and I correct them... illiterate adj 1: not able to read or write [ant: literate] 2: ignorant of the fundamentals of a given art or branch of knowledge; "ignorant of quantum mechanics"; "musically illiterate" [syn: ignorant] n : a person unable to read [syn: illiterate person, nonreader] Here's my take on Wal-mart: Wal-mart does hurt small business in America. The average American consumer shops there because they want the best deal for their money. You can still "buy American" at Wal-mart. Just buy from their bakery or deli. Of course that loaf of bread may have been made by an illegal alien employed at Wal-mart... Apple is still an American company, right? Check out the iPod area of your local Wal-mart. The iPods are priced high just like everywhere else. As for computers at Wal-mart, I haven't seen any great deals on computer systems sold there. Dells are dirt cheap. They can afford to put out inexpensive computer systems by shipping directly to the consumer. Also they outsource their tech support to various foreign countries. I hope when folks try to build their own computer system at Wal-mart that quality components will be available. They would have to offer or include Windows or Linspire too. It would be great if you could just have them build it and install any video card or hard drive Wal-mart sells. I'll be surprised if they can compete with the starter systems that Dell sells or the high-end systems. Actually Wal-mart doesn't have to compete with them as far as pricing goes. Folks are so enamored with the deals at Wal-mart that they just might be willing to pay more, or not even shop around elsewhere. If you can save hundreds a year on groceries and other goods at Wal-mart, why not spend it on a computer system? By the way, I am an A+ certified PC tech who owned his own shop for awhile and I have worked as a copyreader and proofreader for a newspaper. I'm at least semi-literate in four other languages. I didn't check my post for grammar or spelling, but I did make my best effort to communicate. I guess everyone else did too, so overlook my bashing of bad spellers and folks that don't know what they are talking about :)

As owner of a computer store, and, having assembled and maintained systems of all sizes since 1965 (Univac 1050-II and IBM 360, up to the newest Macs, and Linux Servers) I see no problem, for ME or for any of the shops! I mean, here I am with virus free systems, laughing at all the idiots who spend $135 for that 8 year old Virus Magnet, Windows XP, and then, every three to 12 months I get $75 per hour to 'clean' them! I also get to sell you dummies several different accessory programs, like Spy-bot killers, ad- and mal- ware removal programs, firewalls, etc. I will start to become concerned when Wal-Mart sells MACs in their stores, or those Linux computers at http://walmart.com start to show up in the stores!

Wal Mart didn't kill those little stores. The consumers did. They had a choice of where to shop and they voted for Wal Mart. A while back, automobile manufacturers killed all the local carriage and buggy makers plus the town's blacksmith. Transitions are tough but they are necessary. That is the price of population growth, a larger economy and those pseky people who find more efficient ways of doing things.

Hopefully their component prices will not be priced like the graphics cards they sell. A 5200 series card for a $100, come on! In my town, they need to put the mom and pop shops out of business. Every shop buys their stuff online then sell it for 30% to over 100% of what they paid. Example, one shop was selling a DVD burner that you could buy from New Egg for $44 after shipping for $99. It's the mom and pop shops that take advantage of the unknowing buy overpricing items to the extreme or passing of older components as state of the art. I mentioned this to my Hardware Technology teacher and he said, but they give great service. Huh? You just paid double for an item then have to pay for them to install it? Sure, they will replace a defective item as long as they can replace it under warranty. Walmart will probably mix sub par components with midrange and the prices will probably still be higher than online. They are to smart to buy in excessive large bulk to make prices cheap enough for a market segment that is already weak in their store.

I doubt that the good mom and pop computer shops will diw soon. Where else can you get parts for older machines? Also, there is no mention of service for the computers thay will sell. Someone will have to provide service for the machines, as most people can't repair their own machines.

Like the eyeglass place, or beauty parlor or McDonald's. WalMart is doin a deal with some company, and that company will do the pc stuff. It will be interesting to see how diverse the offerings will be. AMD and Intel?. Just Windows OS?

Well I'll be. I happen to have come across this comment box after it had been here for some time. However, I feel inclined to add something here. First of all, I am a Wal-Mart electronics associate. For those of you who feel that we associates are stupid I'll have you know that I have approximately 2 years of computer training. Both in building and programming computers. As well as enormous amounts of training provided by Wal-Mart about every other product we sell. As for Warranty? Well if your sales associate does their job they would tell you about the 2 year service plan. It covers everything from power surge to manufacturers defect. And yes it will be a Store with in a store so nine chances out of ten anyone wishing to work there will have to go through even more extensive training to even qualify for the job.As for diversity of product you know Wal-Mart they'll offer whatever they can get a deal on. So with that said to any and all whom may read this please don't bash the Wal-Mart sales associates Wal-Mart bashes us enough! Trust me they are not the easiest company to work for! They have not only high expectations of their associates but they have some really ridiculous ideas as far as protocol goes. So please have some pity on those of us who have taken those jobs. And for whomever made the comment about $7.39 an hour HA HA HA it took me 2 years just to make it to $7.00 an hour!!! Hopefully the state I live in is planning to raise the minimum wage so I may make it over 7 before the end of this year!

Hi

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