14 DAY TRIAL // Walmart, the multinational corporation well-known for its large chain of discount stores, has recently introduced Apple's flagship smartphone, the iPhone 4 to its catalog. The 16GB version of the device is now available through Walmart for as little as $197 with an upgrade or new 2-year contract.
Customers who buy the device with said contract are also rewarded with a $50 gift card, which cannot be used with the phone's purchase.
However, the gift card offer is not available for online purchases and only applies to iPhone devices sold with a new 2-year contract or qualified upgrade. This offer is valid between 18–25 December, but is stock dependent, which means that some stores might not have the offer available until Christmas.
Walmart's new offer for the iPhone is part of the retailer's 'last minute gifts' promotion and is just 2 bucks cheaper than Apple's and AT&T's offers. Still, customers who buy the iPhone 4 16GB from Walmart are also eligible for the $50 gift card.
Earlier this month, electronic retailer RadioShack also had a limited time promotion where it sold the iPhone 4 for just $149 with a 2-year contract. However, the promotion has since ended, leaving Walmart with the best offer for the smartphone.
Apparently, smartphone sales were the only things that held up, hence discounts for them have been less common. On the other hand, tablets sales have been low and the trend wasn't too encouraging, thus lots of retailers have started to offer big discounts for these devices.
Even though discounts on Apple's products are unusual, this is not without precedent. One of the biggest online retailers, Amazon is regularly selling some of the Cupertino-based company products at a small discount.
A Walmart spokesman said that offer had been introduced into retailer's holiday-season sales program, which would probably end in early 2011.