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Dick Smith has advertised that the Amazon Kindle will be arriving soon to Dick Smith and Big W stores in Australia — and also to Woolworths supermarkets.
(Credit: Amazon, Woolworths)
The two models that will be made available are the 3G + Wi-Fi, and the Wi-Fi only, for AU$219 and AU$159, respectively. Compared to the Kindle prices on the Amazon store, which are US$189 and US$139 respectively, this is only a little more than Australian customers can expect to pay by ordering it directly, even with Amazon’s shipping on top.
The Kindles are available for pre-order on the Big W and Dick Smith websites now, and will be available to buy in Woolworths supermarkets in Australia and Countdown supermarkets in New Zealand.
Benedict Brook, Media Relations Manager of Woolworths, told CNET Australia, “E-readers are becoming very common, and we didn’t want to restrict Australian customers to technology stores. Woolworths, Big W and Dick Smith are all known and trusted in Australia, so customers will feel that they can trust those stores.”
The Dick Smith and Big W websites cite their reasons for buying the Kindle locally rather from Amazon as: free shipping; a local customer service team; local returns if the Kindle breaks; and the availability of additional accessories, such as wall chargers and cases.
“Australian consumers haven’t had the chance up till now to have a look at and feel of the Kindle, and they will also have people there to answer their questions. Buying here will be better from buying overseas, where customers may not have had the opportunity to ask questions and get feedback.
“If any reason they want to bring their Kindle back, they can also do that locally,” Mr Brook said.
The Kindles are due to ship 29 August 2011, and will be available in Woolworths, Dick Smith, Big W and Countdown stores on 31 August.
