Another Walmart Story

imported post

After waiting over 10 minutes at the sporting goods counter I finally found someone who told me that the tire center manager could get me the ammo I needed. I see the tire manager who tells me he doesn't have the keys but will page a manager that can help me. Another 10 minutes pass and nothing. I head back to the tire center when I hear someone paging a manager to sporting goods. I head back over, and wait.

Finally a employee and a manager show up. I tell him I need 2 boxes of the Federal bulk .22 ammo (525rds) and the remaining 5 boxes of 16ga shotgun shells (I've been to 3 different stores for 16ga shells, this is the only store that had any left). The employee tells me he will have to call the floor supervisor to get authorization for the amount of ammo I am buying. I point out that on the endcap they are selling 100rds of 12ga that needs no one to open a cabinet. He says he still has to call it in.

The floor supervisor shows up and says the ammo I am buying will have to be escorted to the front. Now I am like WTF? I ask why must it be escorted, I've never had to do this before as I've bought 1k rounds of 12ga (yeah it filled the cart but at $15 per hundred it was worth it). It turns out that because I am armed with my 1911 he felt they should be escorted. I pointed out to him that my 1911 shoots a .45acp and the .22 and 16ga would not work.

I put a call into the Regional Manager for my area.
(Western Washington Regional Manager, Don Roseborough 360-657-1192)

FREAKIN SHEEPLE

imported post

Yeah but those bullets might spontaneously ignite and cause carnage. Think of the children :banghead:

imported post

Hey, at least they sold it to you! One of the Walmarts around here wouldn't even let me purchase ammo because I was armed. I was carrying a .40, trying to buy .380 :?. The woman explained that she couldn't hand ammo to me since I had a gun. I pulled a spare mag out, showed her the rounds inside, and said "I'm already topped off as it is." lol. So she HIDES HER EYES and says "Don't tell me that! I'm just not allowed to, I'm sorry!".

imported post

DreQo wrote:

I pulled a spare mag out, showed her the rounds inside, and said "I'm already topped off as it is." lol. So she HIDES HER EYES and says "Don't tell me that! I'm just not allowed to, I'm sorry!".

Click to expand...

LOL

That made my morning.

imported post

AWDstylez wrote:

DreQo wrote:

I pulled a spare mag out, showed her the rounds inside, and said "I'm already topped off as it is." lol. So she HIDES HER EYES and says "Don't tell me that! I'm just not allowed to, I'm sorry!".

Click to expand...

LOL

That made my morning.

Click to expand...

+1 LOL

imported post

I pulled a spare mag out, showed her the rounds inside, and said "I'm already topped off as it is." lol. So she HIDES HER EYES and says "Don't tell me that! I'm just not allowed to, I'm sorry!".

Click to expand...

I'll have to remember that for the next visit..... Very funny, thanks.

imported post

There's been several times I've bought 1,000 rounds of 9mm without issues at 2 of my local WalMarts. No manager coming over, no escorting, nothing.

imported post

I bought 550 rounds of various ammo two days ago at walmart with no problems.
I bought 600 rounds of .40 last night with no problems as well.
Both times I was OCing my G23

imported post

DreQo wrote:

Hey, at least they sold it to you!  One of the Walmarts around here wouldn't even let me purchase ammo because I was armed.  I was carrying a .40, trying to buy .380 :?.  The woman explained that she couldn't hand ammo to me since I had a gun.  I pulled a spare mag out, showed her the rounds inside, and said "I'm already topped off as it is." lol.  So she HIDES HER EYES and says "Don't tell me that!  I'm just not allowed to, I'm sorry!".

Click to expand...

That poor woman probably pissed herself haha!

Catass, were you OCing? I think that was the cause more than the amount of ammo.

imported post

M1Gunr,

Next time, pay for it at the counter and then tell them you would like it if they would also carry it...then on your way out, stop and look at some other items, while they hold the ammo. I'm sure after an hour walking around the store they would get the point.

Looking forward to yourpost from the regional manager also.

imported post

Just before I took my gunsafety course (to get my HCP) I had to go to Wally world in Hohenwald to pick up a box of .22LR for the pistol I was going to borrow for the range portion of the course. (my .45LC ammo I order online wasn't going to arrive in time) I flagged down an associate for help and she said she had to get another person to get the ammo for me. She paged that person to come to the sporting goods dept and after a minute she arrived and unlocked the ammo shelf and took out the ammo I requested. She then said that she had to take it up front for me. I still had some more shopping to do and told her I wasn't ready to checkout yet. She told me that was fine, just to be sure to go through a particular register and my ammo would be there for pickup.

I suspect that there "escort" policy may have something to do with shoplifting prevention. Because the stores have to have FFL to sell long guns and ammo, they have to account for every firearm and box of ammo that goes through their stores. It would be pretty easy to pocket a box of ammo and walk out with it, without paying. It would also be easy enough for a BG to carry ammo to the restroom and load his concealed handgun, then come out and shoot the place up, if he/she was a mind too.

Right now, the only ammo Walmart carries that I can use is shotgun shells. They don't carry .45 LC for my SA revolver, 9x18 for the Mak I carry sometimes, or .30 cal carbine for my M1.

imported post

Yeah but those bullets might spontaneously ignite and cause carnage.

Click to expand...

Then aren't you doing them a favor by getting it out of the store?

Because the stores have to have FFL to sell long guns and ammo, they have to account for every firearm and box of ammo that goes through their stores.

Click to expand...

Not exactly true. An FFL is not required to sell ammo, and bookkeeping requirements for it were eliminated in in 1986.

imported post

The local (Southern IN) WalMarts don't 'walk ammo out', but they make you pay for it at the Sporting Goods dept register. I usually make it my first stop in the store, then do my grocery and electronics purchases with the box(es) safely in my cart. I also OC and CC in the store with no issues. The sales associates know me well enough that they know what I'm going to ask for, and will tell me if they have any in, too, if I run into them in another department. They still carry various long guns (shotguns (12 , 16, and 410), Lever and semi-auto .270, .22, .17, etc.) They 'carry' all sorts of ammo, too, however 9mm, 10mm, .40 & .45 are few and far between. Enough .38spl & .357 on the shelves, with a good assortment of rifle and shotgun rounds...

The local Bass Pro Shop has the same policy. Dick's is getting hard to deal with.

imported post

DreQo wrote:

Hey, at least they sold it to you! One of the Walmarts around here wouldn't even let me purchase ammo because I was armed. I was carrying a .40, trying to buy .380 :?. The woman explained that she couldn't hand ammo to me since I had a gun. I pulled a spare mag out, showed her the rounds inside, and said "I'm already topped off as it is." lol. So she HIDES HER EYES and says "Don't tell me that! I'm just not allowed to, I'm sorry!".

Click to expand...

LMAO! Good one. I pretty much said the same thing to the sporting goods store here where I live. They've the same rule, though the employee was a non-gun employee at the gun counter. I usually swing by when one of the gun guys are at the counter.

Their rule is actually to not sell the same caliber as the gun, so I go out and openly carry a dinky 380 LCP which I didn't tuck my shirt over.

imported post

I don't mind the escort if the reason is to prevent shoplifting. That is the policy at the Academy Sports near me - the manager there told me that people were stealing ammo left and right until they put n the escort policy.

One of the Walmarts near mehas a register at the Sporting Goods counter and you have to pay for ammo there. The other Walmart store nearer to me doesn't sell ammo since Katrina.

imported post

I have not had any issues making purchases on ammo at WalMarts. The only issue is their shelves are always bare of what I need. WalMart is the cheapest. One 250 round "Megabox" of Remington 9mm 115 grain costs $47 @ WalMart and the same box is $72 @ Gander Mountain. Lucky for me there are three Blains Fleet Farms that have self serve ammo and have Blazer aluminum and Winchester handgun ammo close to WalMart prices.

But yes every purchase at WalMart was made back in the sporting goods register or at the auto service register. Then I am allowed to walk out all on my own with no escort.

imported post

I didn't realize that some of the walmarts that have to "escort" the ammo don't have registers at the ammo counter. Every walmart I've ever been into has at least one or two registers there, so you just simply pay for your ammo when they hand it to you. The jewelry counter is the same way. Without a register at the counter, it makes perfect sense to bringthe productup to the front in order to prevent theft.

It sucks that they sometimes limit the amount that you buy, too, but honestly that's their choice. They limit all sorts of things in the store, not just ammo.

imported post

I've had a few different issues with "Mao"-Mart. I usually make a pass through the sporting goods counter and check the fishing stuff. A quick pass through the airsoft and pellet stuff for my son and then hit the ammo counter. But most of the time I'm there later in the evening and they don't even have someone in that area. Their security is a chain that is clipped across the counter entrance that a 7 year old could step over. So I found a clerk who paged someone for me. I've always paid at the ammo counter. I normally hit there last and I beat the front lines out. But this guy said he had to escort me to another register because the sporting goods register was closed. I didn't think anything of it really. He carried the ammo over to the electronics counter and I paid and proceed to leave the store unescorted with 200 rounds of 20 gauge and 10 boxes of Blazer Brass 9MM.

The next time I was in I had to get someone paged again. The guy came over and I told him what I wanted and he said "I don't really know anything about bullets so why don't you just come around the counter and get what you want." I was a little surprised and after a moment and a breif discussion with him I walked around the counter and grabbed what I wanted. Another 100 rounds of 20 gauge and 4 boxes of Blazer Brass 9MM. He then told me I could just pay up front. I put it in my cart and proceeded to continue shopping through the store and then paid up front on my way out.

It seems that they have no stand policy or practice. They make it up as they go.

imported post

Walmart left me with a bad taste in my mouth years ago, when they started checking receipts on the way out the door.

Walmart Gestapo: "Sir, may I see your receipt?"

ME: "No thank-you"... and keep walking all the way to my vehicle.

They don't seem to do this so much these days. Maybe enough people complained?

imported post

Armed wrote:

Walmart left me with a bad taste in my mouth years ago, when they started checking receipts on the way out the door.

Walmart Gestapo: "Sir, may I see your receipt?"

ME: "No thank-you"... and keep walking all the way to my vehicle.

They don't seem to do this so much these days. Maybe enough people complained?

Click to expand...

They still do it, but around here it's only when you have unbagged items in your cart. The bag is essentially proof of purchase, lol. Thats why, even if I purchase something too big for any of their bags, I still ask for bags and I drape them over the items as best I can lol. They also check your receipt when the security tag sensors go off, but that's to be expected.

I have, in the past, politely told them to mind their own business if I was in a hurry or I didn't feel like having my purchases exposed to strangers. They don't like that very much, but in a way those people are just the messengers.

I'd be curious to find out how much of a decrease in theft there was after implementing their current receipt check policy, since that's obviously their goal.