Target to stop carrying Amazon Kindle

[taming]

From The Verge: http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/2/299...ct-of-interest

Since Target stores began selling Amazon's Kindle line back in 2010, the devices have always appeared to do well; the Kindle Fire was even the retailer's best-selling tablet during Black Friday last year. It appears that's about to change, however, with a source telling us that the company is going to stop carrying the line of products due to a "conflict of interest." According to an internal Target memo we've received, the company will be removing Amazon hardware from its locations starting this month. Certain accessories will remain in stock, but shipments of Kindles themselves will cease as of May 13th.

While several brick-and-mortar stores we contacted still had the devices in stock, a quick search through Target's online store reveals that Amazon's e-readers have already vanished, and the Kindle-branded online store comes up entirely empty. As of this writing, it's unclear what the nature of the cited conflict of interest is, but it should be noted that Apple recently partnered with the retailer for a small number of "mini-stores" earlier this year. Whether the Kindle move is related — or has implications for Target's own e-reader ambitions — still remains to be seen.

In another thread, someone noticed that at least one other Target no longer had Kobo devices. Could be a trend...

[tubemonkey]

Apple made Target an offer they couldn't refuse.

Didn't Amazon provide the infrastructure for Target's online store at one time? Nothing like biting the hand that feeds you.

Oh well, no big loss. I buy my Kindles from ChinaMart.

[frahse]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Apple made Target an offer they couldn't refuse.

Didn't Amazon provide the infrastructure for Target's online store at one time? Nothing like biting the hand that feeds you.

Oh well, no big loss. I buy my Kindles from ChinaMart.

I get mine with free two day shipping from Amazon and no sales tax. Also have a 3% (think that is the number) all the time price reduction by using an Amazon credit card. How can Target compete with that especially now that Walmart is carrying Kindle also?

There is a lot more profit to be made from selling an Apple product that has a 30 to 50% mark up.

[howyoudoin]

Do Target sell physical books?

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by frahse

I get mine with free two day shipping from Amazon and no sales tax. Also have a 3% (think that is the number) all the time price reduction by using an Amazon credit card. How can Target compete with that especially now that Walmart is carrying Kindle also?

There is a lot more profit to be made from selling an Apple product that has a 30 to 50% mark up.

Amazon collects sales tax in Washington, so it's cheaper and faster for me to buy Kindles from Walmart when they're on sale.

I get my iDevices from Best Buy when they're on sale.

[Tony1988]

Originally Posted by frahse

I get mine with free two day shipping from Amazon and no sales tax. Also have a 3% (think that is the number) all the time price reduction by using an Amazon credit card. How can Target compete with that especially now that Walmart is carrying Kindle also?

There is a lot more profit to be made from selling an Apple product that has a 30 to 50% mark up.

True for now. But eventually I have a feeling that sales tax will be charged for anything we buy online. I think they day is coming. So it wont be much of an incentive in the future.

[hrosvit]

Originally Posted by frahse

I get mine with free two day shipping from Amazon and no sales tax. Also have a 3% (think that is the number) all the time price reduction by using an Amazon credit card. How can Target compete with that especially now that Walmart is carrying Kindle also?

If you are saying that Target can't compete with Amazon, I have the Target red card, which comes out of my checking account and gives me 5% off of everything in the store (much like your Amazon card, with a slightly better return and debit rather than credit), and then gives 1% of all my purchases to my kid's school. And I have no shipping costs, and the sales tax is worth it to me because I have absolutely no patience. So, the prices would not be all that different. Although, to be honest, this is purely an intellectual exercise, since I have no interest in a Kindle (not anti-Kindle; I just have other devices I am more than satisified with).

Two other thoughts from other posts: yes, Amazon does fulfill Target's online sales, and I agree; the day is coming when Amazon will be charging sales tax to all of us here in the US.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by howyoudoin

Do Target sell physical books?

Yes.
They may be looking to get out of the ebook reader retail business.
Or looking to start selling their own branded reader.

[elemenoP]

Originally Posted by hrosvit

Two other thoughts from other posts: yes, Amazon does fulfill Target's online sales, and I agree; the day is coming when Amazon will be charging sales tax to all of us here in the US.

Target cut ties with Amazon in August 2011.

I pay sales tax to Amazon (NY State) and it sucks but I must say, it didn't really decrease the amount of shopping I do at Amazon.

eP

[elemenoP]

Also, it's OT but the NY Times had a really fascinating story about Target's data analytics group (aka, How Target Knows You're Pregnant Before Your Family Does):

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/ma...pagewanted=all

Because I have seen people get pissy about NY Times links around here, here is a Forbes story that covers the Times story and quotes from it:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirh...er-father-did/

eP

[Shack70]

/me starts looking over the clearance shelves at Target

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by elemenoP

Target cut ties with Amazon in August 2011.

eP

Which they should have done ages ago.
Amazon is just as much a competitor to Target as they are to WalMart and Sears.
Things go best for us (consumers) when competitors...well, compete.

Wouldn't want them to get too cozy and start making backroom deals to raise prices on us, would we?

(The DOJ is already busy enough as is.)

[RainingLemur]

Originally Posted by elemenoP

Target cut ties with Amazon in August 2011.

I didn't realize they had cut ties with Amazon. I was aware they were holding hands and such, but never knew they broke up last year.

I figured it was coming, though. Just never paid attention to that too terribly much.

[teh603]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Yes.
They may be looking to get out of the ebook reader retail business.
Or looking to start selling their own branded reader.

I wonder if iRiver changed their contract with Target. The Story HD was a Target exclusive, but hasn't sold very well compared with the Kindle, and from what I gather the two were usually stocked close to each other, with the Story HD's markdowns rarely being shown.

Not a very nice way to treat your exclusive, no?

[Hellmark]

Hmm, I was at a Target on Saturday, doing a wedding registry, and they still had sony, kobo, and kindles, with no signs anything being removed. They did have a giant aisle though for all things iRelated.