eneloop and the general consumer

[Handlobraesing]

A week or two ago,the Sanyo eneloop and charger combopack was reduced from $19.9x to $16.00 red tag at a local Wal-Mart and there was a TON of them on the shelf.

Perhaps this is a sign eneloop didn't hit off well with the average Wal-Mart shopper type?

 

[metlarules]

Their lost your gain.

 

[Handlobraesing]

Their lost your gain.

Well, no. If it proves to be unpopular among mainstream consumers, it would only lead to discontinuation of the eneloop.

 

[warlord]

The first problem is boring packaging, followed by the lack of brand recognition. Most people don't think of Sanyo's eneloops as being the top quality product it is. They don't know better and the packaging doesn't really sell it.

Also let's face it, most of the people wandering around in Walmart are looking for cheap not good. I'm sure that the low priced low quality no-name batteries outsold the eneloops by a huge volume, and possibly had a higher margin (of profit). That means the space the eneloops are taking up is more valuable to the store than the eneloops themselves.

IMHO, the eneloops should have been packaged up in a nice value pack and sold at Sam's Club rather than Walmart. The shoppers there tend to have a better understanding of value (along with having a higher disposable income) and there are less generic brands to compete against, if any.

Arkansas screwed up.

 

[Stereodude]

They already sell Eneloops at Costco, so that's probably why they're not at Sam's. I notice the two stores tend to not sell the exact same things. Example: Costco sells Duracell batteries. Sam's sells Energizer batteries. :thinking:

 

[warlord]

That may be one reason Home Office decided not to package them up for sale at Sam's. I'm sure that they didn't want to have to compete with identical products. But they easily could have sold a slightly different value pack. Also it is very easy for Sam's to underprice Costco since they have a much higher number of clubs.

But again I'm sure this is rooted in lack of brand recognition. Putting 1-2 pallets of product in 500 clubs is a risk they probably didn't want to take with a product they weren't sure they could sell.

They already sell Eneloops at Costco, so that's probably why they're not at Sam's. I notice the two stores tend to not sell the exact same things. Example: Costco sells Duracell batteries. Sam's sells Energizer batteries. :thinking:

 

[metlarules]

Generally I think that the average person that recharges their own batteries is more in tune to battery brands and quality than the consumer that just buys alkalines. In other words...Eneloops is going no where anytime soon.

 

[Black Rose]

There are no Eneloops available at Wal-marts up here for whatever reason, however there are Duracell pre-charged (Duraloop) batteries.

Based on my own observations when checking the battery aisle at our local Wal-mart, the Duracell pre-charged do not seem to sell at $18 for a 4 pack of AAs even though Duracell does have rechargeable battery adverts running in primetime on TV.

The Rayovac Hybrids with their eye catching colours and price of $8.97 for a 4-pack of AA or AAA literally fly off the shelves at my local store. I sometimes have to drive about 10 miles to get to a Wal-Mart that actually has them in stock if I need more.

Even with the Hybrids, it is probably name recognition combined with price that moves them instead of the LSD properties.

Sanyo is better known for consumer electronics than batteries, unless you are/were into R/C cars and planes.

 

[Black Rose]

Well, no. If it proves to be unpopular among mainstream consumers, it would only lead to discontinuation of the eneloop.

I wonder if Sanyo has published numbers on how many Eneloops were produced versus how many were sold at the retail level.

That info might be hard to come by unless they have agreements with the various retail chains to report back how much product they actually move.

 

[kitelights]

Personally, I think that it's simply a matter that the general public is not aware of the advantages of LSD cells. In fact, most are not aware of the disadvantages of non LSD cells.

My guess is that many consumers have tried rechargeable cells at some time or another and were disappointed in their performance whether it was due to crappy cells or chargers that undercharged, overcharged or prematurely killed the cells. And of course, even if the cells weren't bad, if they picked up their camera to use it and the cells were dead or only gave 10-12 shots because they were in the camera for 3 or 4 months. Those that had bad experiences aren't likely to try them again until they're 'enlightened' about NiMH cells.

If the current Eneloop cells and smart chargers were the first rechargeable cell that the public was exposed to, I think they'd be a lot more popular, because the experiences would have been a lot more positive.

 

[Stereodude]

Also it is very easy for Sam's to underprice Costco since they have a much higher number of clubs.

I'm not so sure about that. When they have sold basically the same items, like the 3D & 2AA Maglite kit the two stores were within a few percent of each other (basically $20 both places).

 

[warlord]

If you go to a Sam's Club with a Costco within @15mi they will have lower prices than a 'non Costco' Sam's Club. They are directly competing with Costo and will have the same or lower prices.

And yes Sam's/Walmart can buy and sell at a higher volumes than Costco is capable of.

I'm not so sure about that. When they have sold basically the same items, like the 3D & 2AA Maglite kit the two stores were within a few percent of each other (basically $20 both places).

 

[Stereodude]

If you go to a Sam's Club with a Costco within @15mi they will have lower prices than a 'non Costco' Sam's Club. They are directly competing with Costo and will have the same or lower prices.

And yes Sam's/Walmart can buy and sell at a higher volumes than Costco is capable of.

Regardless, I know which of the two I prefer to shop at, and it isn't just because they sell Eneloop batteries.

 

[warlord]

Is that why you were picking out all the Sam's vs. Costco posts -to derail this thread?:thumbsdow

I was just simply pointing out that Walmart would've been wiser to put the product in reach of people with more money without setting it on the shelf next to a much cheaper alternative. Much better for Sanyo would just be sticking to electronics or specialty stores with some quality POP educational advertising.

 

[swxb12]

The Eneloop packaging blows. At my local Costco they were selling AAA/AA pack without charger, and this lady couldn't figure out what the heck they were. I had to explain that they were just standard NiMHs...

I'd probably have a mini headache if I came across them for the first time.

 

[kitelights]

If you go to a Sam's Club with a Costco within @15mi they will have lower prices than a 'non Costco' Sam's Club. They are directly competing with Costo and will have the same or lower prices.

And yes Sam's/Walmart can buy and sell at a higher volumes than Costco is capable of.

Not true here. My two clubs are two blocks apart and only occasionally will I find items cheaper at Sam's, even then it's only pennies.

These stores do so much volume, that the manufacturers cater to them with exclusives in packaging to avoid just this problem.

Cameras will come bundled with a case and a memory card that are not offered anywhere else. I buy a cereal that is identical but is packaged in different weights in both Sam's and Costco. There are electronics like phones that are packaged exclusively for Circuit City or Best Buy.

With discount stores offering price guarantees, they are anxious for manufacturers to offer them 'exclusives' so they know that no one can compete against them in price with an item, because no one else has it. Sometimes it's nothing more than the color of an item, but it's a different stock number, so it is not subject to a price guarantee with a competitor.

On another note, Costco carries fewer items than Sam's which results in higher sales on those fewer items. Items that don't consistently produce high numbers aren't kept. You don't see the amount of discounted merchandise at Costco that you do at Sam's.

I have much more confidence in Costco's non major branded items than I do in Sam's. Their own brands (laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, etc,) are not relabeled majors, instead they are made exclusively for Costco and are required to be at least as good as the majors. You'll often see their products in Consumer Reports as Best Buys.

The caliber of employees (at least at my local clubs) is definitely a notch higher than Sam's. Overall, I think that Costco is a better run organization and their return / customer satisfaction policy is second to none.

This is not a put down to Sam's. I love the WalMart/Sam's success story and I shop at both. I just don't see the 'big guy', 'little guy' comparison as telling an accurate story.

I think that it's smart that both stores try not to have the exact same brands while still offering similar products for sale.

In addition to the Eneloops that Costco carries, they also have their own brand of alkalines (Kirkland) in AA and AAA sizes that have consistently received excellent reviews.

 

[warlord]

If you want to talk about Sam's Club/Costco you should really start a new thread in the Cafe section of the forum instead of continuing the de-railment of this one.

The subject of this thread is eneloops and consumers, specifically Walmart shoppers.

 

[lowatts]

I've never seen any Eneloops at my Walmarts here on the east coast, just Hybrids. Wish they did, as I don't think there're any local sources around here selling them at discount if at all.

I agreed with the point that consumers just generally don't appreciate the concept of LSD. Even when they understand, they might still be put off the the lower initial capacity. I tried to sell my friend on Eneloops when Amazon had them for $15/8 AA pack but he just can't get past the lower capacity rating of the Eneloops. I agree too that the Sanyo name is not known for high quality batteries or electronics unless the person's already into other hobbies need rechargeable batteries.

 

[WildChild]

There are no Eneloops available at Wal-marts up here for whatever reason, however there are Duracell pre-charged (Duraloop) batteries.

Based on my own observations when checking the battery aisle at our local Wal-mart, the Duracell pre-charged do not seem to sell at $18 for a 4 pack of AAs even though Duracell does have rechargeable battery adverts running in primetime on TV.

The Rayovac Hybrids with their eye catching colours and price of $8.97 for a 4-pack of AA or AAA literally fly off the shelves at my local store. I sometimes have to drive about 10 miles to get to a Wal-Mart that actually has them in stock if I need more.

Even with the Hybrids, it is probably name recognition combined with price that moves them instead of the LSD properties.

Sanyo is better known for consumer electronics than batteries, unless you are/were into R/C cars and planes.

Hybrid and Pre-Charged here too in Québec. They are all at the same price but the Duracell seems to sell well. I was able to get a pack of 4 Pre-Charged for $13 a few months ago but price went up again soon after.

 

[Brownstone]

Just some random observations:

I've seen Eneloops go on clearance with at least four different retailers in the past month. This makes me think that either the product line is being discontinued, or Sanyo is about to introduce a second generation product. Either way the current inventory is being flushed out of the channel.

The way LSD is generally being marketed to the consumer is shameful. The big benefit being proclaimed is "comes pre-charged". That really isn't a big deal to the non-techies I've talked to. They should be selling the low-self-discharge, which is what enables them to come pre-charged in the first place.

Given how much money Duracell and Energizer make on disposable batteries, I have to wonder if they even want rechargeables to succeed. Energizer still sells the snot out of timer-based chargers, which are just about guaranteed to cook your NiMH cells unless they are fully drained. The also keep selling those shameful 2500mAH Japan NiMH cells, and the rechargeable Energizer D cells are a joke. A consumer buying a bunch of Energizer NiMH stuff off the shelf is almost guaranteed to have a bad experience with rechargeable technology.