While the nation's largest retailer is cutting buyers a break on iPhone and iPad prices, it's holding the line on its gun sale policy in the wake of last week's tragic mass shooting in Newtown, CT.
“We remain dedicated to the safe and responsible sale of firearms in areas of the country where they are sold. Part of our commitment to gun safety is our involvement in the 'Mayors Against Illegal Guns' coalition,” Kory Lundberg, director of national media relations, said in an e-mail to Patch.
“We don’t sell guns online and we have made no change to the assortment of guns we sell in our stores,” wrote Lundberg.
Walmart's response comes on the heels of a move by Dick’s Sporting Goods to suspend the sale of some semi-automatic rifles from its stores across the country, including its four Long Island locations.
However Walmart, which operates one of its department stores in Setauket, announced it will begin selling the iPhone 5 for $127, which is $72 less than Apple's price when buying with a two-year contract with AT&T, Sprint or Verizon. The iPhone 4S will cost $47.
Also, Walmart has put the third-generation iPad on sale for $399. And if you buy one after Monday Walmart will throw in a $30 iTunes gift card.
The move comes just three months after Apple rolled out the latest version of its landmark smartphone.
This could mean that iPhone sales are lagging. The Los Angeles Times reported that a UBS analyst announced he was lowering his iPhone sales estimates for 2013, saying he expects Apple to sell 5 million fewer phones than his previous estimate.
