Boresnakes taken off Wal-Mart Shelves?

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JohnKSa

JohnKSa

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I dropped by Wal-Mart today for a few necessities and so, of course ended up in sporting goods! ;)

Perusing the wares, I noticed something odd--where the boresnakes should have been, there was instead, a typed note posted.

The note listed part numbers and stated something to the effect that the products had been removed from the shelves at the request of the manufacturer. (At least I'm pretty sure that's what it said.) At any rate, there were no boresnakes to be had...

Anyone have any idea what's going on???
 
boresnakes??

I wonder what happened to the boresnakes they use to sell at WAlMART??
I have not seen any since last year? I also remember they were made by
a different company and it was not called "boresnake" it was a different
brand but same design. I wanted one in .30 caliber for my SKS.

seems like they dont stock these anymore?
 
Though I haven't been to a WW in quite a long time, a buddy of mine does and remarked about some products that for a time are stocked then disappear.

The way It was explained to me by a friend whom used to sell spices to WM is....

After much wait and cancellations , he representing his company "finally" "was granted" 15 min. for a presentation, he leaves prosepective. After much time and 'sweating" he is informed by a secretary if and when rec'd or rejected. Rejected but allowed to re-submit he is "advised" that lets say black pepper COSTS the company to mfg 50 cents, WM "will pay him 15 cents" that is there offer. WM informs him and his company that if they want their product they will sell to WM for 15 cents, the company cost base is NOT WM concerns.

Add the sales pitch of WM on how many people shop at their stores and Sam's , exposure...blah blah...WM is doing HIM and The Spice company a favor. My friend had heard stories, didn't want to sell to WM but his bosses wanted him to.

Against my friend( the rep) advice, the spice company agrees to WM TERMS.[ Remember it COSTS the company 50 cents, they are agreeing to sell for 15 cents...35 cent LOSS) Spice company had the product as per WM TERMS in WM stores within 30 days. Spice company refilled orders even tho the spice company did not recieve any payments, none, nil, zip until 120 days later. My rep friend did not get any commissons until after 120 days either.

I used black pepper,as an example- the whole line of products was "discounted" in the same fashion. Anyone whom has bought spices knows that some spices are expensive!

So Spice company "plays the WM game" and decides it does not like NOT getting paid, the reputation feedback of the company is negative ( cheapened in the public view...as per polls, and letters spice company receives) and still waiting on monies.

The Spice is pulled from shelves and the spice company is out the monies and time to retrieve it --WM is not going to ship back..."if you want it, come get it".

Customers then ask "why is so and so Spice Company Brand not being sold in WM?".

Just one example and applicable to many products besides boresnakes.

I have not been in one myself ( WM) but I do hear people talk about the same deal with various products. Besides when the special product is made to "WM spec's" , there are no more. See The Black&Decker Fiasco some years ago.

My gunsmith can order me boresnake, the local Mom&Pop have boresnakes, I can get from Brownell's.

You teach people how to treat you...I will not personally be a doormat for anyone...especially the almighty( cough, hack , spit) WM.

I've never met Tamara, don't know where she works or how they do business. I'd prefer to go to a store like where Tamara is, and if I had to pay $2 more for a boresnake I would. I bet I would leave with more than $2 in customer service, education about a firearm/ammo/history/upcoming special events. I bet if a firearm came in I was interesed in I'd get a call. I bet if I had an emergency repair they could get me up and running. It's the principle of the Customer/Business relationship. They care if I keep coming back and make referrals to them.

But I'm a relic I'm told.
 
I'd prefer to go to a store like where Tamara is, and if I had to pay $2 more for a boresnake I would. I bet I would leave with more than $2 in customer service, education about a firearm/ammo/history/upcoming special events. I bet if a firearm came in I was interesed in I'd get a call. I bet if I had an emergency repair they could get me up and running. It's the principle of the Customer/Business relationship. They care if I keep coming back and make referrals to them.
Click to expand...

Most definetly agree.

NukemJim
 
Walmart does other tricks when it stocks as well. Walmart will sell shelf space at their stores to a manufacturer or distributor. It then becomes that company's job to see that the shelf is stocked with their goods properly. If the company doesn't stock they don't sell.
 
Walmart does other tricks when it stocks as well. Walmart will sell shelf space at their stores to a manufacturer or distributor. It then becomes that company's job to see that the shelf is stocked with their goods properly. If the company doesn't stock they don't sell.
Click to expand...


That's common place in most grocery stores, especially soda.
 
Frankly, the 'snakes at Wal-Mart were not that great of a bargain anyway. I was always amazed at how they were the same price you could get in a gun store (well, some gun stores) and actually more than it would cost to buy from Natchez or a similar dealer.

An aside: anybody else think that $15+ is 50% too high for a boresnake in the first place? We're not talking about something that's super-high tech or expensive to produce, after all.

I love the boresnake I have for my AR, and I'd probably buy them for other calibers that I shoot, but for the price I just can't see that it's worth it. I'll stick with my rods, brushes and patches, I guess, until the cheap boresnakes hit the market when the patent runs.

I'm not going to run down WM's price on WWB, that's for sure.
 
Wal Mart is one tough company to do business with.

At over $250 Billion in revenue per year they are bigger than the next five forture 500 companies combined.

Wal Mart alone accounted for nearly 12% of the improvement in productivity in the economy in the past year. This is directly attributed to their offering business to companies and those companies having to become vastly more efficient in order to meet the terms of the Wal Mart deal.

Companies commonly completely revamp their delivery systems just to meet Wal Mart requirements.

The good news for the consumer is that I can buy 25 shot shells for my shotgun there for $3 and a box of 90 pigeons for $4

Not all vendors last there.
 
Another common Walmart policy is if Your product is on their shelves, they don't pay you until after it sells. They don't pay for their inventory. The producers pay for Walmarts inventory.
 
Walmart has a lot of policies where they make all the money and their suppliers pay all the costs. Great for walmart, maybe good for their suppliers if they can do it, but I doubt its the most efficient system in the end.
 
But I'm a relic I'm told.
Click to expand...
haha ...... if you're a relic at 10 yrs younger than me Steve then .. well, guess I am a ''wannabe'' fossil!!!:D

Since my earlier post and sorta unthoughtout knee-jerk response ..... and reading your example/analagy ... indeed it is quite easy to see how these things are no longer there.

I'll usually go your route tho like others too ... and support my local guy. I think I only really ''cheat'' on my local gun shop by buying .22 value packs and White box from WW .... other than that tho I certainly have no prob paying a few cents over.... maybe even a saving in gas covers it!

When I recently got my SRH with red dot .. my local guy worked me what I regard as a very good deal .. the gun price was hugely undercutting the list price (which we all know is ridiculous anyways!) ... but also the Millet red dot was at a better price than last one I had from another source.

Overall I'd say that nurturing a good relationship with the local shop pays off in many ways. They get regular business ... and you get fair deals... plus I have no probs having him on the case for transfers. Works for me.
 
I've seen a generic brand of "boresnake" show up on my Walmart's shelves. I've been wondering how long till Hoppes sued the company that sells them. (I'm assuming Hoppes patented the imbedded bristles in cord design).
Erich: I agree that Walmart's price is too high, as it is for many of their gun accessories. Pyrodex for $14.99? No thanks, the guy at the local gunshow has it for $12.75.
 
I'll go off the topic a little bit but not totally...

I am 100% in favor of the free market but Wal-Mart has been courting disaster for itself. Like many big companies that are on top of the heap, they are arrogant. My father works in construction and has done business with several Wal-Marts over the past several years as they have put in Super-Centers. The work that he has done amounts to several hundred thousand dollars per store. He hates working for them because they won't pay in a timely fashion. One poster mentioned 120 days or so but WM took up to 8 MONTHS to pay in at least one instance. Although several hundred thousand $$$ is not even pocket change to the giant retailer, they still retain the money and use it when it should be paid out to others.

More and more people realize that WM isn't such a great thing and I hear more and more negative press about the company. At this point, the only thing that they really truly offer is convenience and I am more of a mind to go ahead and take a little more time going to other stores even if it's NOT as convenient rather than dealing with Wal-Mart.
 
Harold Mayo,
That is a game alot of the big corporations play. The longer they can withhold payments, the more revenue the money can generate for them. I work for a major corporation and they try their best to not pay the bills till the quarter change. The suppliers complain, but the accounts stay open because the orders are so large. They don't want to lose all that business because of late payments.
 
Yes, I know that. Just because everyone does it doesn't make it right. Also, Wal-Mart is far worse about it than any other company with which we've dealt in the past (or present, for that matter) since it is SO blatant about it.
 
One of the knucklehead programmers around here is always going on about this client is a $2,000 a month client, that one is 3 grand. Billing laughs at him and says, not if they don't pay they aren't. Up here, WalMart goes on about how they buy locally. Maybe if 'locally' means Hong Kong. Far and away most of thecrap they sell is made in SEA or other Third World countries. Mind you, WalMart Canada was also the first corporate sponsors of the Juneau Centre in Normandy. They got the thing off the ground. So I think, I'll still buy in Walmart.
 
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