Wal-mart to sell guns again in more stores

Venator · Apr 28, 2011

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703367004576289230488920802.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is quietly bringing back rifles, shotguns and ammunition to hundreds of U.S. stores as the hurting retail giant seeks to reinvigorate its one-stop shopping appeal and attract more male customers.
The world's largest retailer stopped selling hunting rifles and bullets at all but a third of its U.S. stores five years ago, citing diminishing sales. It is now restoring them to hundreds of locations, bringing the total to nearly half of its more than 3,600 U.S. namesake stores, as part of a larger push to restore "heritage categories" of merchandise such as fishing rods and bolts of sewing fabric that it removed in an attempt to go upscale that backfired.

Wyldhog · Apr 28, 2011

My local Wally World has never stopped selling rifles and shotguns. Guess it's because I live in the redneck state of Louisiana

Venator · Apr 28, 2011

Read the article. About a third of Wal-Marts sell guns now, they will up it to over 50% soon. Most will be in rural areas, but will have some in urban areas as well as demand dictates. It does mention Wal-Marts alliance with Mayors against guns crap.

N605TW · Apr 29, 2011

The Walmart close to me has always sold firearms. However their stock of ammunition is starting to look better. They have 3-4 selections in most pistol calibers in FMJ and starting to see JHP too.

Cavalryman · Apr 29, 2011

They never stopped selling guns -- including handguns -- in Alaska.

denni · May 1, 2011

No thanks ill keep supporting small business, Walmart is a greedy corporation

Michigander · May 1, 2011

denni said:
No thanks ill keep supporting small business, Walmart is a greedy corporation

While it's true that Walmart is concerned with nothing at all more than profit, and will burn bridges with anyone for any reason as long as it makes them money, and I too hate the place, it's still an important sign of the times.

thebigsd · May 4, 2011

I bought my first four or five rifles from Walmart, I even special ordered my Mini-14 from them. They always had great prices. Hope guns come back to my local stores.

DevinWKuska · May 5, 2011

denni said:
No thanks ill keep supporting small business, Walmart is a greedy corporation

+10
Though I understand some people cant afford to shop at smaller(or should I say less greedy) businesses, I personally avoid Wally world like the plague. I have personally convinved atleast a dozen of my coworkers to boycott them as well. As far as guns and ammo? I have gone to a walmart 3 times(my local gunstores got bought out lol) to look for some ammo. 2 out of the 3 times their ammo section looked like it had been ransacked, nothing in any caliber I wanted. What is up with them selling so much WInchester WHite box? I mean I understand they trying to sell cheap stuff, but selling crap is just bad business. Anyways of the 3 walmarts withing a 7mile radius only 1 of them sells firearms(my wife was looking for a 10/22). That one store you can count their entire selection almost on 1 hand. Dont shop at walmart, definately dont buy guns from walmart. Support your local PRO 2A gunshop instead of a NEUTRAL walmart.

Aknazer · May 5, 2011

DevinWKuska said:
+10
Though I understand some people cant afford to shop at smaller(or should I say less greedy) businesses, I personally avoid Wally world like the plague. I have personally convinved atleast a dozen of my coworkers to boycott them as well. As far as guns and ammo? I have gone to a walmart 3 times(my local gunstores got bought out lol) to look for some ammo. 2 out of the 3 times their ammo section looked like it had been ransacked, nothing in any caliber I wanted. What is up with them selling so much WInchester WHite box? I mean I understand they trying to sell cheap stuff, but selling crap is just bad business. Anyways of the 3 walmarts withing a 7mile radius only 1 of them sells firearms(my wife was looking for a 10/22). That one store you can count their entire selection almost on 1 hand. Dont shop at walmart, definately dont buy guns from walmart. Support your local PRO 2A gunshop instead of a NEUTRAL walmart.

It's hard for me to call the smaller businesses less greedy when one local store has about a 10-30% mark-up and another has a 25-100% mark-up on everything in the store. Nothing like not knowing better and paying $60 for a serpa that would have cost me $35 on base, or $789 for an XDm-40 w/o night sights. Outside of special ordering my guns on base it looks like walmart will be one of the few places to carry guns at reasonable prices.

Currently they don't have guns, but they do have both FMJ and JHP rounds and they generally have a bunch of both (though the value packs sell out fast).

William Fisher · May 5, 2011

Aknazer said:
It's hard for me to call the smaller businesses less greedy when one local store has about a 10-30% mark-up and another has a 25-100% mark-up on everything in the store. Nothing like not knowing better and paying $60 for a serpa that would have cost me $35 on base, or $789 for an XDm-40 w/o night sights. Outside of special ordering my guns on base it looks like walmart will be one of the few places to carry guns at reasonable prices.

Currently they don't have guns, but they do have both FMJ and JHP rounds and they generally have a bunch of both (though the value packs sell out fast).

Wal-Mart buys at a much higher volume then the smaller guy. They therefore get better prices. The little guy has to pay more so they have to charge more.

Tom Gresham · May 6, 2011

Wal-Mart has signed on to Mayor Bloomberg's "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" campaign, and now videotapes all gun sales, and even escorts you out of the store before giving you the gun.

Why would you reward such policies (which work on the assumption that you can not be trusted) with your dollars.

When Wal-Mart again decides that women's underwear can return one cent per square foot of floor space more than guns, they will dump guns and ammo.

THEN you will look for the local gun store, but it will have gone out of business because you didn't support it.

I don't get why anyone who supports gun rights, and believes that it's important to have gun stores, would buy guns and ammo at Wal-Mart.

onlurker · May 6, 2011

DevinWKuska said:
Dont shop at walmart, definately dont buy guns from walmart. Support your local PRO 2A gunshop instead of a NEUTRAL walmart.

Can't afford "morals," I'll go where the best prices are.

Tom Gresham said:
Wal-Mart has signed on to Mayor Bloomberg's "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" campaign, and now videotapes all gun sales, and even escorts you out of the store before giving you the gun.

The Cabelas localish to me has the same policy of escorting you out of the building, and they've been regarded as Pro-2A. Any major store is going to have surveillance videotaping sales, so I don't see why Wal-Mart gets singled out.

Aknazer · May 6, 2011

William Fisher said:
Wal-Mart buys at a much higher volume then the smaller guy. They therefore get better prices. The little guy has to pay more so they have to charge more.

I have to call bs on this unless we're talking about the extremely small mom and pop stores, of which I don't have any around. When I go to the exchange on base and place an order I can see the dealer price while they charge me the "internet" price (which is something like 10-20% higher than the dealer price). So unless the local stores don't get a dealer price and instead are paying the "internet" price (my guess is that the standard internet price is just the msrp) they are just marking up prices for extra profit. In fact I had one store say that their prices are higher because they have better customer service and because they have it in stock when other stores don't. A $35 holster was $60 from them and a $80 rifle would have been $125. Even their ammo and targets had inflated prices.

I'm all for supporting local businesses but I don't like feeling like I'm being ripped off either. And when I can find it so much cheaper (talking 10%+) at other places it feels like I'm being ripped off. Especially when the difference is 50%-100% compared to other walk-in stores.

Aknazer · May 6, 2011

Tom Gresham said:
Wal-Mart has signed on to Mayor Bloomberg's "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" campaign, and now videotapes all gun sales, and even escorts you out of the store before giving you the gun.

Why would you reward such policies (which work on the assumption that you can not be trusted) with your dollars.

When Wal-Mart again decides that women's underwear can return one cent per square foot of floor space more than guns, they will dump guns and ammo.

THEN you will look for the local gun store, but it will have gone out of business because you didn't support it.

I don't get why anyone who supports gun rights, and believes that it's important to have gun stores, would buy guns and ammo at Wal-Mart.

My base exchange not only escorts you out of the store, but afterwards you have to immediately leave the base unless your residence is on base, at which you have to take it straight there or to the armory. And really, what stores now a days don't record people buying ANYTHING? Even buying a 10 cent pack of gum you're generally recorded so being recorded while buying a gun shouldn't be some horrible shock.

And I don't get why people think we should pay such inflated prices when you can find it so much cheaper elsewhere. I recently had a different gun store offer to sell me an MSAR AUG for 2.9k when you can get a new one for around 1.8k or less.

jayspapa · May 7, 2011

I don't know how this rumor, " Wal-mart now videos gun sales " , got started . They have videoed at every checkout for the last 10 years at least . It certainly isn't anything new.

I have never bought a gun from them and probably won't but when it comes to WWB .45 ACP , I have bought a bunch from them .

DevinWKuska · May 8, 2011

onlurker said:
Can't afford "morals," I'll go where the best prices are.

Wow... that has to be one of the worst things I have ever heard an American say! I am truly shocked... You have sold your rights, and your ideals for a better deal... or atleast would if given the oppurtunity. I truly hope you dont really believe that and are just trying to defend Wallyworld(for reasons that elude me).

aknazer said:
I have to call bs on this unless we're talking about the extremely small mom and pop stores, of which I don't have any around. When I go to the exchange on base and place an order I can see the dealer price while they charge me the "internet" price (which is something like 10-20% higher than the dealer price)..

There is no BS as you say. I am sure you could ask any wallyworld store manager or exec and they would confirm. Wally world sells things cheaper becuase they can buy at such a large volume that the distributor is willing to take the loss. The loss of profit per unit is lost by the profit in sheer volume. If a mom and pop shop has to say buy guns at close to MSRP because they can only buy 1-6 a month, but Walmart can buy 10,000 who do you think is more likely to negotiate a better buying price?

Aknazer · May 8, 2011

DevinWKuska said:
There is no BS as you say. I am sure you could ask any wallyworld store manager or exec and they would confirm. Wally world sells things cheaper becuase they can buy at such a large volume that the distributor is willing to take the loss. The loss of profit per unit is lost by the profit in sheer volume. If a mom and pop shop has to say buy guns at close to MSRP because they can only buy 1-6 a month, but Walmart can buy 10,000 who do you think is more likely to negotiate a better buying price?

I'm not sure what happened, but when you quoted me your quote says "onlurker" instead of my name. Anyways, I understand the whole buying 1-6 a month vs 10,000 but you're missing the other part. And that is where "mom and pop" are getting a dealer rate for the guns (so cheaper than MSRP), but charging a 20-50% mark up OVER the MSRP. So lets say that "mom and pop" are getting a dealer rate which is 20% less than MSRP and they then do a 50% mark up from MSRP. That means they are charging 80% more than what they paid for the gun; which is a huge mark up. That is the equiv of dealer price being $300, MSRP being $360, and mom and pop charging $540. That's a huge difference and while not every item had that type of mark up, a bunch of them did.

Now walmart can often get deals that are better than most other "dealer rates" because of the volume that they buy in, but those rates aren't going to be that huge. Generally the price difference is within 5-10%, so it wouldn't make sense for other stores to have the exact same gun but yet have it listed at a 50% higher cost.

DevinWKuska · May 8, 2011

Aknazer said:
Generally the price difference is within 5-10%, so it wouldn't make sense for other stores to have the exact same gun but yet have it listed at a 50% higher cost.

Except mom and pop have to pay rent with selling 1-6 guns a month whereas Walmart doesnt care.. they have 5 million other things to help pay the rent. Well atleast until the tax incentives wear out then they just abandon the whole building and move somewhere else...
Anyways... I have never seen a local gunstore selling @50%+ mark up. If you have then yes I agree that is just greed and I suspect that store doesnt fair so well. Now a 25% markup... yeah thats reasonable. I can tell you that when you go buy a .99 ice cream cone from McDs they make about .72 profit, now thats a mark-up! Thought thats another business, my point is some things are overpriced but we dont realize it. To me the value of a gunstore is they know what they are talking about and back the products they sell(well the ones I goto do). The 45yrd old behind the counter a Walmart couldnt care less and the quality of weapons they sell shows who they are catering to IMHO.

Sorry just got whapped by the wife. My wife would like to say that if Walmart sells a ruger 10/22 they have her vote... but only if it comes with blue thumbhole stock, and blue BBL....

since9 · May 9, 2011

DevinWKuska said:
There is no BS as you say. I am sure you could ask any wallyworld store manager or exec and they would confirm. Wally world sells things cheaper becuase they can buy at such a large volume that the distributor is willing to take the loss. The loss of profit per unit is lost by the profit in sheer volume.

I'll confirm you're largely correct. There's another factor which allows Walmart to purchase items below most competitors' costs. Their purchasing department is very aggressive, often capable of convincing suppliers to sell to them at or below the suppliers' costs. So long as the suppliers can also sell the same items to mom and pop stores at a premium, they'll still make a profit.

If a mom and pop shop has to say buy guns at close to MSRP because they can only buy 1-6 a month, but Walmart can buy 10,000 who do you think is more likely to negotiate a better buying price?

Bingo.

Wal-mart to sell guns again in more stores

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