A week or so ago, Wal-Mart and Amazon got in a pricing war over books. They were trying to see who could go the lowest on books and a few days ago Target joined in on the fun.

Wal-Mart is known for its uncanny way of squashing competition wherever it goes and now that it has stores in almost every market in the United States, it is going after other stores it may not have otherwise competed against.

The newest way that Wal-Mart is attacking a competitor is the introduction of a “Geek Squad” like home installation crew. It has confirmed that it has started a partnership with N.E.W. Customer Service Companies to offer in-home installation and setup for those who purchase their electronics at Wal Mart.

It is going to start quickly because Wal-Mart really wants to see the money that this kind of service can bring in for the holidays.

So, how much will this cost for the average consumer? Well, Wal-Mart is said to be offering prepaid plans on gift cards that range between $99 and $399. The services that will be available include television set up, wiring home theaters, wiring home networks and also preliminary consultation and a tutorial after the setup is complete (see, it does sound awfully like Geek Squad).

I find this to be beneficial to places that may have Wal-Marts but no Best Buys or other stores that offer installation of any kind. Where I live, we are limited to searching through the phone book to see if there is anyone who can wire a home theater system (and there really isn’t). Even to get someone to fix our garage door opener took a call to a larger town more than an hour away.

Source