Wal-mart #2 CE Retailer in US

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Wal-mart is now the second largest Consumer Electronics retailer in the country with over $22.6 billion in US sales. This doesn't even account for its SAMs Club stores and is a blow to other retailers like Circuit City (who sold $11.9 billion in the same period.) For those wondering, Best buy occupies the top spot with $31 billion in CE sales.

Not content with its gains, Wal-mart is looking to push the envelope and expand sales 3-5% above the typical growth rate for the industry - gunning for around 10-12% sales increases this year. Wal-mart's sales tactics have long included loss-leaders to draw consumers into its stores for additional purchases. Competitor's like Best Buy are gearing up for wider selections and a focus on better, more educated customer service. Circuit City, it seems, is in a potential downward spiral - closing stores and cutting customer service by releasing its more experienced staff and hiring lower-paid workers.

"We're not trying to tech it up (in departments)," Gary Severson, Wal-Mart's senior vice president of entertainment, told The Wall Street Journal. "They (consumers) want it to be fun, cool and functional," he said.

Whether customer service will come into play any time soon remains to be seen. Wal-mart isn't known for its technical prowess or support beyond the retail sale. Pre-sales support and info is also at a minimum in comparison to other tech-savvy stores. Wal-mart doesn't even supply in-house setup or installation service - yet it seems to be doing just fine. And if they maintain a focus on smaller CE deives and avoid over-sized, difficult to install products it may just pay off. Wal-Mart's Severson said, "I'm not here to tell you that we have completely trained sales associates. But we're working toward having a knowledgeable associate that can help the customers with the basics."