Kindle: Amazon’s Shooting Itself in the Foot By Charles W Orton
In October 2002, Jim Wier, CEO of the Snapper lawn mower company, paid a visit to Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. Wal-Mart had been selling Snapper lawn mowers for three years, so Wier's reason for making the trek to Big Box Mecca wasn't to put on the usual dog-and-pony show that so many manufacturers reduce themselves to in an attempt to get the world's largest retailer to carry their products. His purpose was the exact opposite: Although his contract with Wal-Mart was worth tens of millions of dollars, he wanted to tell a Wal-Mart vice-president in person that Snapper would no longer sell its product through Wal-Mart. …