Does Wal-Mart Want Customers?

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is when many retailers slash prices on popular products. Stores like Best Buy, Target, and Sears draw large crowds; many customers wait in line for hours for stores to open. But how do these customers find out about Black Friday deals? One source is GottaDeal.com

GottaDeal and similar sites draw millions of hits leading up to Black Friday because they often obtain the ads for stores weeks in advance. Shoppers can then plan which stores they want to go to, and which items they want to get. But not all retailers think this is a good idea.

Brad Olson, owner of GottaDeal, received a notice from lawyers informing him that Wal-Mart's Black Friday ads are, "prior to their release date of November 19, 2007, confidential and proprietary information of Wal-Mart." The letter threatened legal action if the ads were posted, and further went on to state that the ads are, "commercially valuable." Wal-Mart obviously underestimates how many shoppers rely on these "leaked" ads. A post on GottaDeal's forum detailing Wal-Mart's threats of legal action led to over 100 replies in less than three hours, with many people stating that they would avoid shopping at Wal-Mart if a scan of their deals wasn't available. Christi from Ohio stated, "Honestly, the early release of the ads is what gets me excited and out there. Wal-Mart is usually at the top of my list to shop BECAUSE I've seen the ad early and can get my game plan together." Many forum members also contacted Wal-Mart to let them know what they thought.

What does Wal-Mart hope to gain from this? It looks like they have everything to lose. One shopper, Amy from Tennessee, put it best when she posted on GottaDeal's forum, "Isn't that sad? Wal-Mart is concerned with the loyalty of their customers but they seem to have no loyalty TO their customers or what the customers want."