Ah, Walmart. Americana epitomized! What other country is packed with stadium-sized megastores selling soap, cereal, furniture, guns (sometimes), and... uh, $22,000 Hermès Birkin bags?
Walmart is already a one-stop shop for basically everything else. Is it also trying to break into the luxury sector? Not really. But, actually, kinda.
In late April, a few fashion commentators noticed a surprising development.
Suddenly, you could shop luxury labels as disparate as Dries Van Noten and Cartier directly from Walmart's web store. Who says luxury e-commerce has it rough?
And I mean, who among us hasn't felt the urge to splurge on a $10,000 Rolex Submariner while picking up detergent and tablecloths?
The situational irony is delicious.
There, on a famously frugal site that's simultaneously proclaiming the launch of Jessica Simpson's $38 dresses, are pricey items from the world's most exclusive fashion houses.
But here's the thing: this isn't a new development. In fact, Walmart has been selling expensive fashion items for at least 10 years.
Or, more accurately, third-party sellers have long been using Walmart's website to platform pre-owned or backstock luxury products akin to how companies display and market their wares over on Amazon.
You can even often find the sellers' own sites where they list the same products.
This occurrence sometimes sparks bemused tweets whenever someone stumbles across a Walmart-listed CELINE hat or Louis Vuitton wallet while skimming Google, making it look to the uninitiated as though Walmart is a bonafide digital luxury mall (that also happens to sell dupes of said luxury products).
This recent surge of social media interest in Walmart's surprising selection of fancy fare is only the latest (and largest) occurrence.
Walmart's selection of high-end goods isn't limited to four-figure dresses and five-figure handbags.
If it's opulent enough that seeing it sit below the Walmart logo makes you do a double take, it's probably there.
To whit, Walmart's online sellers offer everything from $415 La Mer skincare to $4,000 caviar, which is quite the spread. Literally, in the case of the latter.
And how 'bout some streetwear while you're at it?
The third-party seller situation is merely a small battle in Walmart's larger war against Amazon and other massive digital-first marketplaces. Maybe it's also a sign that there might just be too many high-end handbags on the secondhand market.
