At one time, dedicated e-readers were restricted to online sales, with the exception of Barnes and Noble carrying their Nook products in their own stores. Now, Kindle products can be found through such retailers as Best Buy and Staples (News - Alert). Barnes and Noble’s Nook e-reader hasn’t gained as much of a market share as Kindle has, but now that they, too, will have a major presence in stores nationwide, that may be changing. Especially because the store with which they’ll have a nationwide presence just happens to be Wal-Mart, meaning that their brick-and-mortar presence is about to multiply from 700 Barnes and Noble stores to 4,500 Wal-Mart stores.

This is particularly notable for Barnes and Noble, which has had a long-standing rivalry with Amazon, because at one time, Wal-Mart carried Kindle products. Now that they’ve severed their ties with Amazon, Wal-Mart has decided to fill the shelves with the product of their competitor.


Image via www.barnesandnoble.com

Sales for the Nook haven’t been particularly impressive, but by making the product present at Wal-Mart stores, they may just get the boost that they need. Although Wal-Mart is typically known for rolling back prices, consumers shouldn’t expect any deals on the e-readers: Wal-Mart will be selling them for the same that they are available for through Barnes and Noble: $199 for the Nook HD and $269 for the Nook HD+.

Because the Nook is available on Wal-Mart shelves it is more likely that people will purchase the reader on impulse, rather than making a planned excursion to Barnes and Noble or visiting the website. By having the readers constantly in front of the public, it should remain more present in the public consciousness, also leading to more sales. By making it as easy as possible for people to purchase a Nook, their sales should increase.

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