iLounge

1

And Zune 0.1%

Posted by Simon on November 22, 2006 at 8:25 AM (PDT)

2

i was helping my mother buy an ipod nano at a wal*mart and the salesman was really pushing for a smaller, cheaper mp3… i think they were SanDisk and Creative, which just looked like trash to an ipod. barely any display at all. i’ve seen players like those completely crushed just from being sat on. not to mention someone like my mother would be completely lost in the abundance of tiny buttons and switches. of course it was a wal*mart and the guy didn’t have a clue what he was talking about (he looked about 50), but i wonder how often these people actually know what they’re saying.

Posted by Papa Hobo on November 22, 2006 at 8:46 AM (PDT)

3

retail stores either lose money or barely break even selling the ipod. its a wonder that number isnt closer to 50%. i think an iLounge editorial said that stores get something like 10 dollars profit from selling an iPod, which is less than labor (stocking) and shipping costs.

Posted by mrmojorisingi on November 22, 2006 at 12:06 PM (PDT)

4

But they get People into stores by selling iPods.
They may break even selling the iPod, but they may make up the sale in iTunes Music Store Cards, CD’s, or (if the Electronics Department is at the rear of the store) Impulse cheap-and-nasty purchases from Bargain Bins.

Posted by Dan Woods on November 22, 2006 at 12:41 PM (PDT)

5

Yea, sales people should be pulling a 1-2 punch. Make the iPod sale and highly recomend an itunes gift card and accessories.

Sales clerks don’t care, they just want you to go away asap. I barely understood what a BESTBUY clerk was asking me, as she mumbled with her sales discontent.

Posted by bizaroballmer on November 22, 2006 at 1:25 PM (PDT)

6

Wow, what a surprise, shop assistants recommend the popular product, the one that has the brand recognition and the largest market share.

It also happens to be the one that has the biggest market for accessories too (a combination of having the largest market share and the fewest features), so even if they don’t make much on the player itself, they can make a killing on the over-priced, white add-ons.

Is this point-out-the-glaringly-obvious week here at iLounge?
Between this piece of ‘news’ and the shocking revelation that the Zune hasn’t secured a 100% market share in less than a week, you really have to start to wonder if things are being posted for the sake of it.

Posted by Step666 on November 22, 2006 at 2:57 PM (PDT)

7

I work at Radioshack, and I primarily sell only iPods.  Why?  Because of its major success, why would I sell my customer a Creative something or other and not an iPod.  iPods are so common if you need something for it you’re going to find it.  If something goes wrong with it, you can easily get help.  I’ve had maybe 4 customers in the past year ask me for a charge for a Creative Zen.  I have a customer every other day asking a question about iPods.  Yes I work on commission, but there is no money made on iPods.  We (just like any other dealer) make at most $20 per iPod.  SO its not about profit turn on the item.  Since the brand is sold everywhere anyone will by any accessory, so thats where the money is.

Posted by RSnerd on November 22, 2006 at 3:51 PM (PDT)

8

This is totally different here in Germany. Retail store clerks over here will tell you the iPod is the most expensive MP3-Player available and it is not possible to play WMA-DRM on it. As the by far most popular online-store for legal downloads in Germany is musicload.de (selling only WMA-DRM) this is really a knock-out for iPods. iPods and iTunes are only for a minority over here.

Posted by geWAPpnet on November 23, 2006 at 2:59 AM (PDT)

9

“why would I sell my customer a Creative something or other and not an iPod” - it better suits their needs?
Or do you not take that into account when recommending a product?

Whilst I think it’s stupid to imagine that retailers wouldn’t be recommending iPods most of the time, I think it shows a complete disregard for customer service if they’re just recommending it because it’s easier/less work for them.

Posted by Step666 on November 23, 2006 at 5:22 PM (PDT)

10

This probably is the case—today. By next Christmas, we’ll see if whether, in light of Zune, the recs still flow in iPod’s direction.

Gene from ZuneChannel.com

Posted by ZuneChannel on November 23, 2006 at 5:31 PM (PDT)

11

ge, not playing WMA-DRM on it is a non-issue when something like 70% of all DRM music is iTunes, which PlaysFerSure (WMV) can’t handle. 

We’ll see if the Zune makes inroads, but keep in mind that it isn’t currently compatible with Vista OR with Microsoft’s own PlaysForSure WMV-DRM.  And that the previous Microsoft-compatible MP3 players, which do use PlaysForSure, cannot use the Zune Store.  Apple couldn’t have sabotaged Zune better themselves!

Posted by TechnoCat on November 25, 2006 at 9:11 AM (PDT)