While others may come up similar ways of selling, few are likely to share Walker's world view. An admirer of Thomas Edison, he speaks almost reverently of the Internet's power to rearrange what he calls the DNA, or building blocks, of business. The base pairs of the DNA of business are, for the first time, accessible and recombinable. Customers may bid for an item, but Walker's team already has an ever-changing list of acceptable prices from potential sellers. Otherwise, they're rejected and told to try again.
Consumers can haggle all they want, but companies retain the ultimate control.
The public company's senior executives try to speak modestly and in measured tones about their aspirations. Nobody can accuse Walker of being too conservative with WebHouse Club. When the grocery shopping service goes live on Nov. 1, shoppers will be able to name the price they're willing to pay for more than 140 categories of items, including pet food, snacks, ice cream, and even meat. But they must specify at least two brands they're willing to buy and agree to have their credit-card automatically charged if the prices are accepted. Club purchases tied to a special club card, while all other groceries must be bought separately.