Walmart is a small player in the game of online shopping – but it’s hoping to leverage that by using apps to improve the shopping experience of its physical stores. The company has been testing out mobile apps for self-checkouts which have grown from 14 to 200 stores.

Walmart has created apps for every major device, but its Scan and Go self-checkout is only available for iPhones. The app uses location aware technology to find your store’s location. Once you select the in-store mode, you can scan your items, place it in your real shopping cart, and pay by transferring your mobile cart at the check-out stand. The app’s greatest asset is its ability to maintain a real-time total of the shopping cart, which is perfect for budget conscious shoppers.

Via Wired

Retailers are preparing their big Black Friday deals and Wal-Mart and Best Buy are starting early with special holiday sales this weekend.

Wal-Mart is running a two-day sale on electronics November 6-7. While they don’t have any of their freshly stocked eReaders on the shelves, they are offering a $50 iTunes gift card for $35, a great deal for people who like to buy eBook apps.

The Best Buy sale is running November 5-6 on various electronics including Gateway laptops and the HTC Droid, an Android-based phone that can run Android-based eReaders apps such as Nook and Border’s app.

When retailers kick off the holiday season, we expect to see iPads and eReaders on special Black Friday sales. Amazon hasn’t said which products will be on sale that day, but it may be the only day of the year that Amazon will discount their new Kindles.

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Wal-Mart is going eReader crazy. This morning the big box retailer said that they would start selling Barnes & Noble’s Nook eReader and now Kobo just announced that Wal-Mart will be selling Kobo’s new Wireless eReaders.

From the Kobo blog: “On Monday we started shipping the first Kobo Wireless eReaders to customers who pre-ordered the device in Canada, and starting next week it will be available for purchase at Borders and one of the largest discount department stores in the U.S. – Walmart! Building on our relationship with Walmart Canada, Kobo’s Wireless eReader will be available in 2500 US Walmart stores across the country starting next week.”

With iPads, Nooks and Kobos in Wal-Mart stores and Kindles in Staples and Target, eReaders are gearing up to be the holiday gift of the year.

Apple is gearing up to push iPads this holiday season by stocking up on the popular devices in big box retail stores. The iPad is going to go on sale at Walmart this season, and according to reports, it could be any day now.

Wired reports: “Leaked emails and photos from eagle-eyed customers reveal that Apple’s overachieving tablet is just about to colonize shelf space nationwide. The intercepted email shows inventory information and reveals that Walmart will stock all six iPad models at standard prices, along with Apple’s Bluetooth keyboard, the Camera Connection Kit, iPad charger, dock and case.”

Amazon is also taking this retail strategy. They already sell Kindles in Target and will begin selling Kindles in Staples and BestBuy this fall.