There were no Flip Cameras out on display because Walmart, like other stores, were thinning out their inventory since Cisco stopped making Flips. Because of that, many stores have been selling Flips at far below their original retail price – it was logical to expect Walmart in Fayetteville, GA to so the same. On top of that, Tracy told me the only one they had was a “used” display model.
She went to another part of the large store to talk to the manager, a guy named Mike, then brought that out, and was going to sell it for $179. I said “I’m not paying that for a display model.” I told her the price for it should be $120 at best. The manager said he could knock off 35 percent, bringing the price down to $143. Fine, sold. But here’s the new problem.
When I unboxed the Flip, I didn’t see an owners manual OR the audio output cords that come with the Flip. On top of that, there was NO Cicso logo – it was by Pure Digital. That means the Flip Camera was almost 2 years old. It worked well and has an HD output, and 120 minutes of time, but it was an older model. Really, Mike should have sold it to me for, at best, $100. Tops.
When I called him to explain the problem, Mike refused to change his decision, saying there was nothing he could do. A store customer service clerk said that the final decision was his, and he could have marked down the price more. He did not, and refused to do so. Mike should be fired from Walmart, effective immediately. Walmart says “We save people money so they can live better” right on its Twitter account. That’s a total lie.