My Walmart Random Time Ammo Sales

Limiting boxes per customer, or only selling at odd times are artificial market manipulations. Rising and falling prices driven by variations in supply and demand are just the market at work.

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It also would seem to be artificial market manipulation to buy up available stocks to resell at higher prices. I don't believe it's exactly simple supply and demand at that point.


I enjoyed reading someones post that wanted to buy ammo and sell it on the trade sites for exactly what they paid for it just to annoy the people that price it extremely high.

"It also would seem to be artificial market manipulation to buy up available stocks to resell at higher prices."


That is what Walmart is doing as well as every other place that sells ammo. They buy up available stocks to resell at a higher price. That is how business works.

I enjoyed reading someones post that wanted to buy ammo and sell it on the trade sites for exactly what they paid for it just to annoy the people that price it extremely high.

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With a good available supply, that is really humorous and would certainly irratate some of the people trying to profit from the shortage.

There is one gun shop in my area that I am aware of that has doubled the price of their ammunition. Yep, they had quite a bit of it on the shelf... What really buged me was seeing Walmart ammo being sold there as well. They also started pricing many guns at full suggested retail price or higher. Not going to do business with them after this all blows over when I was a regular customer in the past. They probably won't notice, but I base many of my choices on ethics. I understand why they are doing it, but I don't agree with the rationale.

Socialism is not a bad thing.

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Let me guess -- you voted for Obama.

Socialism is not a bad thing if you are on the receiving end. It's pure hell for the guy on the giving end -- no matter how hard he works, he never gets ahead.

It also would seem to be artificial market manipulation to buy up available stocks to resell at higher prices. I don't believe it's exactly simple supply and demand at that point.

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Actually, what WalMart is doing is refusing to follow market trends by moving their price point upward. That is part of a strategy to get/keep people hooked on the idea that they are the smart shoppers' choice for best value, when in reality, they are selling below value (at a loss, compared to the market price) to artificially influence folks to visit their stores as loyal customers who purchase a lot more than just ammo there.

That's their right, of course, and it isn't GOVERNMENT manipulation, so again, it's ok. Because it's ammo, and some of us benefit from it, no worries.

Socialism is not a bad thing. ... In the United States, we are operate under elements of socialism and capitalism and it works.

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Look, we really can't go down that track any further though. As long as we can keep this focused on ammo, it can live. If we go off on economic theory in the broader sense, it will be closed.

Those who cannot pay the price for a commodity must be provided with it at the expense (or denial of service to) others.

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Denied? Nobody is being denied of anything here. Since when is buying ammo a right? It is just Walmart being reasonable by not allowing one small group of people take advantage of the majority.

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Someone shows up with fresh green money, product is in the store, and WM will say, "No, we aren't selling to you." I'd call that a denial. You can call it Shirley if it makes you happy.

Not everyone here has the time to sit around at 5 in the morning and wait to buy a box of ammo...

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Right! Just like not everyone has $100 for a brick of .22s, etc. But those who will put out the effort or expend the money should not be fettered by artificial controls that say, "oooh, none for you."

... before the greedy few snatch them up to gouge and hoard.

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Or shoot them, or eat them, or plant them in the garden and hope they grow? Who cares WHY they're buying? They have money, the store has product. If WalMart actually CARES that the ammo might be resold, the logical thing to do would be to set the price along the current market lines so that the incentive to resell is not there.

Of course, WalMart wants to influence people and get them hooked on the idea that they're the value choice -- even if they'll have empty shelves, or turn around and say "No ammo for YOU! ...But while you're here, why not buy a TV???"

If anything it is strongly socialist to think that we can force Walmart to put it all out in the morning and not allow them to randomly put the ammo on their shelves when they see fit. They are a privately owned and nobody should be able to tell them when, why and where they can stock their shelves.

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Oh, sure, there shouldn't be a law about it. If they feel that this little bit of shopper manipulation brings them more money in the end, they should go for it.

Hey, for what it's worth, I wish Walmart would put ammo out at random times. But not so certain people CAN'T buy it, but so I CAN buy it.

I don't hang out at a store, waiting on it to open so I can buy ammo. If I happen to be in a Walmart, I always check out the ammo supply and if they have some, then I usually buy some. But, if someone else got there ahead of me and bought it all (for whatever reason, with the intention of doing whatever he wants with it), then too bad for me.

Maybe a better idea would to let people buy a box of ammo or two in advance and then come back and get it the next day or two when the truck comes in. Limit ammo to two boxes per customer for advance purchases.

It has to be better than waiting in line for two hours with a chance of buying something ...or going there and leaving with no hope of buying anything at all.

At least this way you know you can get a box within a day or two.

Set the price to balance the demand. Then whomever wants it enough to pay the price can have it -- no worries about "gougers" or resellers. Just sell the product at the price the market is paying for that commodity.

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If they were doing this with food, and if you were unable to be the first in line to buy it I bet you'd feel different when you got hungry enough. In fact there are laws to prevent such things with food and gasoline.

I'm for a free market as anyone, but rationing items to prevent corruption has long been accepted. All Walmarts within 50 miles of here have had slim pickings for a long time, but I've seen plenty in local gunstores.

If they were doing this with food, and if you were unable to be the first in line to buy it I bet you'd feel different when you got hungry enough. In fact there are laws to prevent such things with food and gasoline.

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And if you had committed murder, I bet you'd feel different about sending murderers to prison. Making broad, sweeping policy based on "how you'd feel" is a bad idea.

I'm for a free market as anyone, but rationing items to prevent corruption has long been accepted. All Walmarts within 50 miles of here have had slim pickings for a long time, but I've seen plenty in local gunstores.

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Rationing does many things, but preventing corruption isn't one of them -- rationing creates black markets, which is the epitome of corruption.

If they were doing this with food, and if you were unable to be the first in line to buy it I bet you'd feel different when you got hungry enough. In fact there are laws to prevent such things with food and gasoline.

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Whether food and gasoline are items to which the term "gouging" can be applied, and whether socialist controls should ever be instigated to prevent some from profiting from those conditions are hotly debated concepts in various academic circles. (Not here at THR, though.)

But no one could possibly make the claim that a box or two of ammo or another gun falls into those categories of life necessities -- not under anything like existing circumstances anyway! So you're left stretching all out of joint trying to apply theories of fairness in allocating necessities, to purchases of LUXURY items. Completely discretionary items of "want" not "need."

Oh, it stinks to really want to go shoot but jeez, you can't find any ammo! But this is closer to fretting that your cable is out tonight than it is to starvation or dying from exposure.

So any such comparison is illegitimate.

I'm for a free market as anyone, but rationing items to prevent corruption has long been accepted. All Walmarts within 50 miles of here have had slim pickings for a long time, but I've seen plenty in local gunstores.

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Maybe that's because WalMart refuses to follow the market, and so gets picked clean -- DENYING those willing to purchase at the price the market commands, the ability to purchase ammo -- when the other local shops set the price at a level that lets them sell product consistently without going completely out of stock.

thats like asking a restaurant not to sell all their burgers till i come in...

sounds good in theory, but what if i dont come in? and my $$ is the same..

regular relationship with a local gun shop (if they had ammo at fair price) and they put stuff aside for faithful regulars i could understand..

i dislike walmart but do shop there.. i prefer target and publix.. but they do not sell ammo..

Placement of ammunition inventory on the shelves more "randomly" for purchase is a great marketing tool for Walmart. I go to Walmart weekly for the most part; sometimes several times a week. As long as they have sufficient cashiers at the registers, it is no slower than going to the local grocery store or Dollar General.

I pretty much have the same routine at Walmart... start on one side of the store and work my way to the other especially if I am going to be buying groceries. I always check the Sporting Goods area for ammunition; always. There is seldom any there any more and the more random stocking of shelves just makes me want to visit Walmart more frequently.

I refuse to go to any store at 6:30AM or when they open their doors in hope of buying some ammunition. I just won't shoot period if that is the case. I do not participate in Black Friday sales unless somebody pushes me to go with them. It is just not my way in terms of shopping.

I seldom visit Target as they sell no ammunition; maybe a couple times a year. Their groceries are generally over priced. Publix is much more expensive than Walmart in my area. So why would I bother going there?

I was very fortunate to be well stocked long before all this crazy stuff happened; now I delight in donating ammo to those who have not been able to get any. Last week at our club there was an older gentleman with his grandson, and after meeting them I was informed that the young man was being presented with an old family treasure, but they only had fifty rounds for it. No problem, now they have some more, and had a good afternoon of shooting that old .22 from years past. Best part of it is that my son now has another shooting friend, and he got a lesson in helping others.

Like many people, I have gone to Walmart a couple times a month for years. 10 years, 20 years ? Who knows ?

Every time I went to Walmart, I would buy ammo. Usually a box of 550 .22 rounds. If I was shooting a lot at the time, I might buy more than one. If they didn't have .22s, I might buy a box of 100 shotgun shells. I would rarely buy pistol or rifle ammo since I reload them but once in awhile I would pick up a box of that too. Over the years, I built up a nice stock pile of ammo.

Over the last 10 years or so, we have had a number of "panics" during which ammo was very scarce. But, because I thought ahead, it didn't really effect me. FWIW: this is now referred to on internet gun boards as "hoarding" by the people who failed to prepare. And FWIW: many of them are now calling for radial measures to make up for their lack of preparedness.

Anyway, since this whole thing got rolling, I have offered ammo to many people. I have been at a range and offered to let people shoot my guns or use my ammo. A buddy of mine said he was out of 9mm, .38, and .45 bullets for reloading; so I offered him some.
None of these people would take any of it. Ammo is now considered so valuable that it was too much to ask for someone to just give them ammo. To me, it isn't that big of a deal. After all, I was prepared for this eventuality.

Let's face it Sam and others, while we all differ on whether or not it is gouging, I think we can all agree that the 630 AM guys in line at WalMart every morning are not our friends, they are part of the problem. I don't want the government or WalMart implementing rules or laws or policies to defeat them, but I do want them to go away. I feel the same about panhandlers who aren't really disabled, they are disgusting bottom feeders taking advantage of society. They are cheating the system, and not paying taxes while doing so.

JVaughn said:

Let's face it Sam and others, while we all differ on whether or not it is gouging, I think we can all agree that the 630 AM guys in line at WalMart every morning are not our friends, they are part of the problem. I don't want the government or WalMart implementing rules or laws or policies to defeat them, but I do want them to go away. I feel the same about panhandlers who aren't really disabled, they are disgusting bottom feeders taking advantage of society. They are cheating the system, and not paying taxes while doing so.

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Noun 1. price gouging - pricing above the market price when no alternative retailer is available
pricing - the evaluation of something in terms of its price

This is what my dictionary says about gouging so it isn't even up for discussion. there is no gouging going on.

Eh, whatever. I see folks who recognize an opportunity to put some money in the bank and who are driven enough to get themselves up in the morning and take it. They aren't my friends, but they aren't my enemy, either.

If the commodity is being regularly sold at $99 a brick, then that is the market price.

If I buy the .22 ammo from them at $99 a brick, or I buy it at $99 a brick from WalMart, what difference does that make? If the market price is $99 a brick, why do I care where my money went? I can be annoyed that I didn't "score" some at sub-market prices before someone else got there, but I can't really be mad that the market price is what it is.

(Whether they pay their taxes really isn't any of my business.)

Let's face it Sam and others, while we all differ on whether or not it is gouging, I think we can all agree that the 630 AM guys in line at WalMart every morning are not our friends

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Why are they not our friends? What did they ever do to us?

Just because they're willing to get there early while we slugabeds are just punching the alarm clock off doesn't make them bad people.

It also would seem to be artificial market manipulation to buy up available stocks to resell at higher prices.

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That is what Walmart is doing as well as every other place that sells ammo. They buy up available stocks to resell at a higher price. That is how business works.

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Now that something to think about.....

I didn't know those guys on craigslist and at private party tables at the gun shows that are selling ammo at ++% of retail pricing had a license to buy wholesale and sell retail and were doing me a favor.

I just thought they were buying as much ammo as possible leaving nothing on retail shelves, thus creating a perceived massive shortage, to in turn sell it "re-retail" and adding another layer of mark-up that was not needed or desired by the market consumer while maximizing their profit by not adhering to any of the costs and overhead that a legitimate retail business has nor paying any of the taxes a legitimate business pays on the sale of said ammo.


It all make sense now.

My walmart puts ammo out at ~630p.

Dinner time.

If I buy the .22 ammo from them at $99 a brick, or I buy it at $99 a brick from WalMart, what difference does that make? If the market price is $99 a brick, why do I care where my money went? I can be annoyed that I didn't "score" some at sub-market prices before someone else got there, but I can't really be mad that the market price is what it is.

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The thing is this really isn't the market price. They are taking advantage of a situation like selling bottled water for say $10 when it cost them $0.10. People need it, so their only option is to pay the price or I guess drill a well.

It's complicated really as to the right and wrong of things.... if there is a shortage of AR's, the price goes up and the $800 AR becomes valued at $3000 or whatever. That's okay I guess? Buy low and sell high sort of thing. This happened with full auto guns as a political situation resulted in cutting the supply lines. Is this fair? I have mixed feelings about it really.

Is it really any different with collector firearms... why is a Colt Python worth $2000 or a Colt Diamondback worth $1500?

I am sort of making an argument for both points of view, so I have really mixed feelings about this topic.

danez71 said:

Now that something to think about.....

I didn't know those guys on craigslist and at private party tables at the gun shows that are selling ammo at ++% of retail pricing had a license to buy wholesale and sell retail and were doing me a favor.

I just thought they were buying as much ammo as possible leaving nothing on retail shelves, thus creating a perceived massive shortage, to in turn sell it "re-retail" and adding another layer of mark-up that was not needed or desired by the market consumer while maximizing their profit by not adhering to any of the costs and overhead that a legitimate retail business has nor paying any of the taxes a legitimate business pays on the sale of said ammo.


It all make sense now.

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Yes, that pretty much is my view as well. If I provide a service with limited competition, capitalism would suggest that I can charge any price I want for that service until there is more competition to force me to lower my prices. But I would see that as taking advantage of a circumstance that the customer has no control over and I question the ethics of that approach to business. A good example is Bill Gates. I guess the big industrialists built their fortunes by providing a product or service with limited competition. Then they get older and start giving to charities and everyone applauds their philanthrophy. Guess I'll never be rich as I don't have the gonads to take advantgae of people intentionally.

I guess a lot of people view ammunition as sort of like drinking water if they are shooters. They can't shoot or in the case of water, they can't get a drink. The difference of course is that you choose to be a shooter and the human body requires water or it will die.

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jeff-10 said:

If 1000 people a week are trying to buy something delivered at 100 per weak then there will always be issues. It doesn't really matter how they put it on the shelves or how they limit the quantity that can be purchased per customer.

The ammo situation is a self induced panic buying phenomenon. It has nothing to do with any change in regulations. As far as I know Congress has not even considered a bill to reduce ammo productionor sales. Not to mention I think upset citizens are contacting their reps and the reps are now leaning on DHS to purchase less. Not that I personally believe the ammo shortage has anything to do with long term DHS contracts.

This being America, the ammo shortage will self correct by the free market and pretty soon there will be so much ammo on the market from the over supply that this will all seem laughable. You will likely also see a lot of smaller manufacturers flourish and become legit players in the small arms business. I highly suggest once the ammo situation turns around you buy in bulk, either online or at a gun shop and create a nice cushion for yourself to deal with market fluctuations. To me that seems much more appealing than running to Wal Mart or Gander Mountain everyday trying to buy 3 boxes of 9mm target rounds in late the fall of 2016.

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I think that might be the best post ive read on this topic since the great panic began.

Socialism is a great political ideology that just gets twisted into something terrible under the guidance of mans fallible nature.

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You know what they say:
Socialism is man's exploitation of his fellow man.
Capitalism is the exact opposite.

BTW - a few tales I heard on Tom Gresham's Gun Talk today that help explain part of the reason for the ammo shortage:
1. Fellow bought a thousand primers - 'course, he doesn't shoot, so he definitely ain't reloading!
2. Another fellow bought a thousand 10mm brass casings - he doesn't own a 10mm, and at the time has no plans to buy one!

Coming from manufacturing (and seeing what has taken place over the years), I'm sure Just In Time inventory doesn't help one bit, although at this point, JIT is probably out of the picture.

Coming from manufacturing (and seeing what has taken place over the years), I'm sure Just In Time inventory doesn't help one bit, although at this point, JIT is probably out of the picture.

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As I've said before/elsewhere, no realistic amount of warehoused ammo held by local gun shops, or even WalMart, before the panic would have made more than a few day's difference in filling the tide of demand that rose after Sandy Hook. So blaming JIT inventory practices is like saying your 500 acre corn crop died because you didn't keep a bucket of water on hand to irrigate with.

And, JIT inventory is the single largest reason places like WalMart can charge the low prices they do. We can rail against it, but we sure are glad 99.99% of the time not to have to pay for massive warehouse space and millions of tons of inventory sitting around costing the company money.