Guide to Using Wal-Mart iPhone App for Finding Deals

sidersdd

Kudos to @dotknott for mentioning the bar code scanning capabilities of the Wal-Mart iPhone app in the clearance thread:
http://www.bricksetforum.com/discussion/4903/us-walmart-clearance-30-50-off-hp-potc-some-star-wars

Here's a quick guide to using it to find potential deals in your area. With this guide you'll be able to find out if sets are marked down at a particular store, without having to physically visit the store. There are then additional steps required to figure out if the store has the item in stock (or at least according to their on-line inventory system).

Step 1 - From within the Wal-Mart iPhone app, choose the "Stores" button and find a store to search. Click the blue arrow button to choose the store.


Step 2 - With the store now selected, choose the "In Store Now?" button. This is usually the "Forget what my stinking iPhone GPS is telling you, I'm *IN YOUR STORE*!" button. You can conveniently press this when sitting on your couch at home.


Step 3 - Now that the app thinks you are in the store, you can press the Scan button as if you're going to scan some product on the shelves.


Step 4 - Grab one of the 50 QARs from your shelves (if you have a ten gallon hat), use your handy dandy graphite colored bar code cheat sheets, or navigate to the most useful site on the internet (Brickset) and find the product page to get the barcode on your computer screen, and scan away.


Step 5 - Let the mashup of Sam Walton's, Steve Jobs', and Al Gore's labor inform you if that store has a price you agree with.

LegobrandonCP

Wonderful guide Sidersdd! It is too bad the app is only available in the American App store. :(

sidersdd

You can then either use Walmart.com to search for product availability in that store, or continue to use the iPhone app.

These steps are for the iPhone app.

Step 6 - Click the little arrow next to the price to display the product page, and then select the "Check local store availability"


Step 7 - Find your store in the list, and pray for "In Stock" or at least "Limited Stock" (aka 'So you're saying there's a chance...').


Step 8 - Decide whether you'll use this information for good or evil (http://www.bricksetforum.com/discussion/5300/the-role-of-resellers-in-collecting-lego) and head to the store.

lulwut

Scanning not an option for Android users. :(

gmpirate

But would it be fair for us to use this app given Android users don't have it yet?

sidersdd

^ Ah yes, I forgot to mention that for iPhone users like you, Harrison Bergeron, you will need to wear gloves, only use it when tethered to a dial-up network (or use AT&T), walk (no driving) to the store carrying a 100 lbs weight, use no shopping carts, and have one hand tied behind your back so that you can only grab one copy of the set.

LegoPodcaster

Thanks for the guide.

CurvedRoadPlate

We are living in the future

sidersdd

I was hoping to write an app to integrate all this, but the Walmart web service traffic from the iPhone app appears to be over SSL, and I couldn't sniff anything from the packets being sent (except some of the coupon stuff).

It'd also be nice if the inventory status was more accurate. I checked out a store today which supposedly had three sets at a nice discount and they had none of them. The "Limited stock" status may mean only 1 set is available according to their inventory, and who knows if it's been pilfered, destroyed, lost in the backroom, or a return which hasn't been reshelved.

Brickarmor

lulwut said:

Scanning not an option for Android users. :(

Is this still the case? It will let me scan those staticky-TV looking things, if you'll excuse my high tech jargon, but none of these are to be found on Lego boxes.

intromission

@sidersdd, I've been trying to get this to work on Android. The only thing it doesn't seem to allow me to do is trick the app into thinking I'm in the physical store. You can scan barcodes but it always ends up being the Walmart online price.

intromission

Anyone have any ideas?