Walmart shocked retailers and consumers alike when the company announced that Amazon’s Kindle lineup would no longer be available at the big box store. This announcement comes on the heels of Target’s decision not to sell Kindles. Both stores will sell various other tablets, but none of Amazon’s tablets will be available. There are a number of reasons why Walmart has made this decision.

The biggest reason being that Amazon is a direct Walmart competitor. Whether or not this is a wise decision remains to be seen. Regardless, you will not be able to buy an Amazon Kindle at a Walmart or Target store in the near future. Both stores plan to phase out the Kindle as stocks run low.

Where You Can Buy a Kindle Now

Picking up groceries and a new Kindle simultaneously was convenient. Now, you will have to head to a Best Buy or Staples location in order to purchase a Kindle. If you live in Canada, you can find Kindles at Best Buy or Bureau En Gros. You can also purchase a Kindle through the Amazon website. These are the three places where Kindles can be purchased. But is this a bad thing? Isn’t it a lot more convenient to order a Kindle through Amazon than to purchase one in a store? As more and more consumers look for easy ways to shop, Walmart might not have made such a wise move.

Walmart’s Current Tablet Offers Remain

If you do want to do your holiday shopping while picking up groceries, Walmart does still sell some tablets of interest. Right now, Walmart is selling a number of tablets under $100 and a few above that $500 price tag. Walmart does sell the new iPad, and the company might very well be waiting for Apple to release the iPad Mini before adding any additional tablets to its lineup. Further, Walmart might want to clear any iPad Mini competition, but that’s just speculation. As far as comments from Walmart reps go, the company is remaining relatively silent about the decision to nix Amazon’s Kindles from store shelves.

Are Amazon Stores On the Horizon?

A recent Reuters article states that Amazon might be looking to open physical stores across the United States. These stores would likely be stocked with most popular Amazon products including the Kindle line. Amazon has recently tested sales in other brick and mortar stores, but those sales aren’t as high as they could be. So, Amazon might just take matters into its own hands. Where Amazon will open the first store has yet to be reported. Right now, the concept of an Amazon store chain is just a concept, but it’s an interesting one all the same.

For now, you will have to order your Kindle online, head to one of the other stores mentioned above, or hope that you get the last Walmart sold Kindle before the tablets sell out. In a few short weeks, your local Walmart won’t be stocking Kindles