Omaney
Member
Yep. You heard a nasty rumor.
Heard a NASTY rumor ... Walmart firearms and related products?
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Bazooka Joe71
Member
There's a little something called brand equity and any company that would risk their BE by putting crappier parts in their products to sell them cheaper at Wal-Mart would be down right stupid...
Now they may use the same assembly lines to produce crappier products with a different brand name, but that's a different story.
I'm going to have to go with this one.
DSAPT9
Member
From what I know and have seen they do not change the function or safety of the firearm. How they make them cheaper is the use of birch stocks on certain models instead of walnut (lever guns). You will find some models don’t have sling swivels or some bolt actions don’t have drop out floor plates, little things like this keep the cost down. So when you compare firearms with other stores make sure you are looking at the same model with the same options. But the biggest thing is when your buying for 500+ stores you can get a big discount on anything you buy. On the Scope issue, if you buy an inexpensive scope from any one you will most likely have problems. Top brands can’t afford to sell junk and survive in the business.
I am not a fan of Wal-Mart for personal reason but I have done comparisons on certain models when looking to add to my collection. Most Wal-Mart firearms (not all) have different skew numbers that you cant find anywhere else other than Wal-Mart so it makes it hard to find what changes have been made.
I am not a fan of Wal-Mart for personal reason but I have done comparisons on certain models when looking to add to my collection. Most Wal-Mart firearms (not all) have different skew numbers that you cant find anywhere else other than Wal-Mart so it makes it hard to find what changes have been made.
Neo-Luddite
Member
i don't know about how it pertains to the gun world, but walmart put vlasic pickles out of business by "holding a gun to their heads" in order for them to lower their price.
google it.
It's covered at length in the afformentioned (very interesting) book. They made them price this massive jar of pickles .005 below actual cost of production and nearly bled them dry so that they could put a BIG display of pickles up front. It was an obscenely HUGE jar--bigger than anyone would want.
Always low prices.
IBTL--walmart is hitting the barn from inside of the barn around here.
google it.
It's covered at length in the afformentioned (very interesting) book. They made them price this massive jar of pickles .005 below actual cost of production and nearly bled them dry so that they could put a BIG display of pickles up front. It was an obscenely HUGE jar--bigger than anyone would want.
Always low prices.
IBTL--walmart is hitting the barn from inside of the barn around here.
BattleChimp Potemkin
Member
Neo is right. Now if you want interesting business manuvers, ask someone that is in sales for a large company (pepsi, coke, etc...) how they deal with Walmart. I met a guy at a trade show (I sell plastic products) and met a guy from Coke. He handled Walmart transactions and said its like watching a Godzilla movie in regards to price negotiation. When you get two superpowers together to negotiate, its a lot of yelling and over a few cents. Fun stuff!
RockyMtnTactical
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It is not true, the guns at Wal-Mart are factory guns from the manufacturers that make them and they make them to the same standards for Wal-Mart as they would for Joe's gun shop.
Some people hate Wal-Mart and hate that they sell guns and that people buy them, I have no doubt that the rumors were probably started by some of the folks who are in competition with them...
Some people hate Wal-Mart and hate that they sell guns and that people buy them, I have no doubt that the rumors were probably started by some of the folks who are in competition with them...
coloradokevin
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Never heard about the lower specifications being used at Walmart, though I don't think they've ever carried the top-of-the-line equipment by any of the manufacturers.
What I have noticed, on a somewhat related note, is that Walmart is carrying less and less shooting/hunting gear recently.
Near me there are only a couple of Walmart store that are still carrying firearms. I asked an old guy at the sporting goods counter about this, and he told me that "Walmart's trying to get out of the gun business... There are only two stores in the metro area that still have guns".
Don't know if this guy is just talking, but that's what I was told.
What I have noticed, on a somewhat related note, is that Walmart is carrying less and less shooting/hunting gear recently.
Near me there are only a couple of Walmart store that are still carrying firearms. I asked an old guy at the sporting goods counter about this, and he told me that "Walmart's trying to get out of the gun business... There are only two stores in the metro area that still have guns".
Don't know if this guy is just talking, but that's what I was told.
Wal*Mart has made a market decision that Guns don't sell well at some of their stores, and pulled them out of those stores. It's not a big conspiracy to get out of guns. I'm sure if they can make a profit on them in some areas, those stores will still carry guns.
RNB65
Member
Ask Rubbermaid about Wal-Mart's power. Wal-Mart put them out of business. Destroyed them. Today, Rubbermaid is merely a brand name which belongs to Newell. The Rubbermaid company no longer exists.
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SSN Vet
Member
I don't' think Wal-Mart is really in the QC game....
They want to have the most popular products on their shelf and big name manufacturers want to get their products on Wal-Mart's shelf.
But....
Wal-Mart does tell the manufacturers what the price they will pay is. That's a fact that is well established.
The manufacturers are left with the following options.
1. Pass on Wal-Mart (and the extremely high volume of sales they can deliver) and fear their competition will get in and beat them out.
2. Invest in making their production more efficient so they can meet the price point and still make a reasonable margin. However, such value engineering often leads to a lower quality part (i.e. MIM or stamped sheet metal instead of machined steal).
3. Market a similar but different model through Wal-Mart. These will usually have different part numbers than what you will find at a typical specialty retailer, so they can't be compared apples to apples when shopping price. A good example are the John Deer lawn tractors you see on the floor at Home Depot. You will not find those model numbers on a John Deer dealers floor, and if you put them on a scale you would find that they weigh quite a bit less than the similarly rated model that the dealer sells.
Another good example is the Marlin 336 lever rifles. Look at the way the hand guard is attached when you compare a 336A and a 336W.
Is one "cheaper" than the other? I don't know. But their substantially different and I bet ya a soda that one cost less to manufacture than the other.
If you don't think Wal-Mart wields an incredible amount of power. Just look at how they've managed to shut out the unions. Or consider the Rubbermaid story. They went from being the #1 rated manufacturer in the U.S.A. with a state of the art plant in Ohio (?). When Wal-Mart refused to accept price increases that were merely passing through the increased cost of plastic resin, and Rubbermaid stood their ground, Wal-Mart stopped selling most of their products and gave what they did still stock really crappy floor space. Just a few short years later, Rubbermaid was kaput!, their flagship factory shut down and guess where the state of the art machines were shipped of to?
You can still buy Rubbermaid, but good luck finding any that's made stateside.
They want to have the most popular products on their shelf and big name manufacturers want to get their products on Wal-Mart's shelf.
But....
Wal-Mart does tell the manufacturers what the price they will pay is. That's a fact that is well established.
The manufacturers are left with the following options.
1. Pass on Wal-Mart (and the extremely high volume of sales they can deliver) and fear their competition will get in and beat them out.
2. Invest in making their production more efficient so they can meet the price point and still make a reasonable margin. However, such value engineering often leads to a lower quality part (i.e. MIM or stamped sheet metal instead of machined steal).
3. Market a similar but different model through Wal-Mart. These will usually have different part numbers than what you will find at a typical specialty retailer, so they can't be compared apples to apples when shopping price. A good example are the John Deer lawn tractors you see on the floor at Home Depot. You will not find those model numbers on a John Deer dealers floor, and if you put them on a scale you would find that they weigh quite a bit less than the similarly rated model that the dealer sells.
Another good example is the Marlin 336 lever rifles. Look at the way the hand guard is attached when you compare a 336A and a 336W.
Is one "cheaper" than the other? I don't know. But their substantially different and I bet ya a soda that one cost less to manufacture than the other.
If you don't think Wal-Mart wields an incredible amount of power. Just look at how they've managed to shut out the unions. Or consider the Rubbermaid story. They went from being the #1 rated manufacturer in the U.S.A. with a state of the art plant in Ohio (?). When Wal-Mart refused to accept price increases that were merely passing through the increased cost of plastic resin, and Rubbermaid stood their ground, Wal-Mart stopped selling most of their products and gave what they did still stock really crappy floor space. Just a few short years later, Rubbermaid was kaput!, their flagship factory shut down and guess where the state of the art machines were shipped of to?
You can still buy Rubbermaid, but good luck finding any that's made stateside.
SageMonkey
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I wouldn't think this holds true of their firearms, but I have heard this about other Wal-Mart products.
The most interesting one that I heard was when a Singer Sewing machine technician asked my wife, enquired about caring for her machine while purchasing some accessories, "Did you buy that from Wal-Mart or someplace else?". He then went on to explain that the Wal-Mart version of that machine carried a lesser warranty and had certain gears in it made from a plastic, whereas the normal version had metal, so she should care for it differently if it came from Wal-Mart.
I have also had this explained to me by someone who used to work in management at a Wal-Mart distribution center. Wal-Mart will place volume orders, for which manufacturers will retool. Then Wal-Mart will demand a lower price on their order, after it has been placed (ie the same invoice!), or else they won't be placing future orders for that product. In order to meet the new price point, the manufacturer will need to replace certain parts with lower quality ones but without retooling for a new model... the manufacturer will often continue to sell the higher quality version through other channels, but the Wal-Mart version gets a few lower quality parts.
Somehow, I do not see Ruger (or any other reputable manufacturer) putting lower quality seers in their 10/22s to meet a price point like this. The stakes are just far too high for them, compared to say the latest cheapo digital camera maker. I've gotten a lot of junk products at Wal-Mart over the years (and some that were cheap and quite good too)... I have never handled a firearm at Wal-Mart that seemed to lack in quality vs real gun shops.
The most interesting one that I heard was when a Singer Sewing machine technician asked my wife, enquired about caring for her machine while purchasing some accessories, "Did you buy that from Wal-Mart or someplace else?". He then went on to explain that the Wal-Mart version of that machine carried a lesser warranty and had certain gears in it made from a plastic, whereas the normal version had metal, so she should care for it differently if it came from Wal-Mart.
I have also had this explained to me by someone who used to work in management at a Wal-Mart distribution center. Wal-Mart will place volume orders, for which manufacturers will retool. Then Wal-Mart will demand a lower price on their order, after it has been placed (ie the same invoice!), or else they won't be placing future orders for that product. In order to meet the new price point, the manufacturer will need to replace certain parts with lower quality ones but without retooling for a new model... the manufacturer will often continue to sell the higher quality version through other channels, but the Wal-Mart version gets a few lower quality parts.
Somehow, I do not see Ruger (or any other reputable manufacturer) putting lower quality seers in their 10/22s to meet a price point like this. The stakes are just far too high for them, compared to say the latest cheapo digital camera maker. I've gotten a lot of junk products at Wal-Mart over the years (and some that were cheap and quite good too)... I have never handled a firearm at Wal-Mart that seemed to lack in quality vs real gun shops.
CajunBass
Member
Why does everyone seem to think there is something wrong with that? We do the same thing. If we think the price is too high we either make an offer or walk out the door. What's the difference?
say what you will about wal-mart, but alot of americans including me can afford a certain quality of life becouse of shopping at wal-mart. I switched from Publix to Wal-mart grocery stores and saved over $50 a week!! for the same stuff. If a manufacture can't make a profit by selling to wal-mart then they need to not get into a contract with walmart. the affor mentioned pickle company should have had competint leadership and that would not have happened. Granted they would not have been the largest pickle manufacture in the country for those years, but they would most likely still be in buisness. If you think that walmarts products are inferior to another retailer's same product from the same manufacture then you are either a very gullible person or a Mac user.
verb0s
Member
you get what you paid for, it certainly applies for stuff you buy at walmart.
bulk sales really will not reduce prices much. what does reduce prices is selling a special wal*mart gun or scope. Walmart sells certain products not available elsewhere, you can only get it at walmart. I buy .22lr federal bulk pack that is only sold in walmart stores. no where else carries that specific kind of ammo. they're all of higher quality, more expensive.
If something is cheaper than normal at walmart, you should check if you can get it elsewhere. If not, then its a product made for walmart and walmart only. It would be of slightly lower quality, but carrying a brand name of something.
so to answer your question, somethings you buy at walmart is of lower quality than normal. not everything, but somethings. The regular federal ammo I buy else where costs like 3x as much, I get a good quality and reliable ammo that has no problems. Then I compare to walmart's cheaper version of federal ammo. I get 8 duds per 550. it leaves the barrel dirty. This ammo can only be bought at walmart only, other stores carry regular federal ammo. So it is true that walmart's stuff is of lower quality. But for other ammo, like the CCI i get, is just cheaper. No loss of quality.
bulk sales really will not reduce prices much. what does reduce prices is selling a special wal*mart gun or scope. Walmart sells certain products not available elsewhere, you can only get it at walmart. I buy .22lr federal bulk pack that is only sold in walmart stores. no where else carries that specific kind of ammo. they're all of higher quality, more expensive.
If something is cheaper than normal at walmart, you should check if you can get it elsewhere. If not, then its a product made for walmart and walmart only. It would be of slightly lower quality, but carrying a brand name of something.
so to answer your question, somethings you buy at walmart is of lower quality than normal. not everything, but somethings. The regular federal ammo I buy else where costs like 3x as much, I get a good quality and reliable ammo that has no problems. Then I compare to walmart's cheaper version of federal ammo. I get 8 duds per 550. it leaves the barrel dirty. This ammo can only be bought at walmart only, other stores carry regular federal ammo. So it is true that walmart's stuff is of lower quality. But for other ammo, like the CCI i get, is just cheaper. No loss of quality.
Robert Hairless
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I've noticed that too. My guess is that Wal-Mart is in business to make the largest possible profit and operates in a manner that will accomplish that goal. If that's so, it will devote its floor space to the stock that turns in the highest revenue.
Many gun owners like to divert potential buyers of firearms and ammunition away from Wal-Mart to what they call the "mom and pop stores." Then they complain both that the mom and pop stores have high prices and that Wal-Mart doesn't respect their Second Amendment rights because it's not selling firearms in many stores. Bizarre but amusing.
If the anti-gun people tried to force Wal-Mart out of the firearms business, those same gun owners would be raising a fuss. But when they do it it's okay. Strange and not amusing.
Its a fact that Wal-mart pushes their suppliers to lower their prices in order to get shelf space. In order to meet Wal-mart's demands manufacturers make Wal-mart specific models. This is very true in clothing, electronics, and sporting goods. The Wal-mart version might appear to be the same as the regular version but it will have a different model number. Plastic is used instead of metal, compression fittings instead of threaded connections, rougher exterior surfaces. A perfect example of this in the gun world is the 870 Express. This model was created for the big chain stores. Hardwood instead of walnut stock, a rough bead blasted black finish instead of a smooth glossy blued finish, plastic trigger guard instead of metal, pressed in bead sight instead of tapped, fewer chokes included, etc. These differences might not have any overall effect on function, so many buyers would prefer to save some money.
Jorg Nysgerrig
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If gun owners spent one-tenth the time out shooting and promoting shooting sports as they did frettng about Wal-Mart, we'd have a country full of expert marksman with a secure future for gun ownership.
BigGunsMoreFun
Member
I don't see it
I have bought 3 rifles from Walmart in the past few years and not had any trouble with any of them. I bought a Winchester 94AE just before they quit making them. I bought a Marlin .22 semi-auto about a year ago. I bought a Henry Lever Action .22 about 6 months ago.
They have all been pretty good guns as far as I am concerned. They look as good and shoot as good as the same guns people I know have bought elsewhere. They were much better priced than the same guns from other shops around here but I think Walmart will always have a better price because they buy large quantity where a smaller gun shop or sporting goods store does not buy as many so their wholesale price is probably higher.
I don't know what happened to Walmart down here in South Eastern Florida. About a month after I bought my last gun there, I went back for some ammo and all the guns were gone. I was told they would not be selling them any more. They also keep very little stock in ammo and only the most common calibers these days as well.
I figured okay, the antis got to them in my county so I tried some others. There is not a Walmart within 200 miles of here that sells guns anymore. There are a lot of stores, they just don't carry guns. They also carry very little ammo.
What gives? Is this happening anywhere else? Have they gone Leftwing on us and joined the Brady Bunch or something?
Molon Labe,
Joe
I have bought 3 rifles from Walmart in the past few years and not had any trouble with any of them. I bought a Winchester 94AE just before they quit making them. I bought a Marlin .22 semi-auto about a year ago. I bought a Henry Lever Action .22 about 6 months ago.
They have all been pretty good guns as far as I am concerned. They look as good and shoot as good as the same guns people I know have bought elsewhere. They were much better priced than the same guns from other shops around here but I think Walmart will always have a better price because they buy large quantity where a smaller gun shop or sporting goods store does not buy as many so their wholesale price is probably higher.
I don't know what happened to Walmart down here in South Eastern Florida. About a month after I bought my last gun there, I went back for some ammo and all the guns were gone. I was told they would not be selling them any more. They also keep very little stock in ammo and only the most common calibers these days as well.
I figured okay, the antis got to them in my county so I tried some others. There is not a Walmart within 200 miles of here that sells guns anymore. There are a lot of stores, they just don't carry guns. They also carry very little ammo.
What gives? Is this happening anywhere else? Have they gone Leftwing on us and joined the Brady Bunch or something?
Molon Labe,
Joe
KINGMAX
Member
I go to Wally-World alot.
I am a fan of Wally-World, I hate to say alot of the stuff is not American made. I try to buy American products when ever possiable.
One purchase that has been one of my better buys is a REMINGTON 700 ADL in .270, Laminated, deep checkered Monte-Carlo stock. It is one fine rifle, gets meat and great comments every time out.
As a buyer always beware, no matter who is selling the product. It is you as a consumer to be educated in the products being purchased.
I am a fan of Wally-World, I hate to say alot of the stuff is not American made. I try to buy American products when ever possiable.
One purchase that has been one of my better buys is a REMINGTON 700 ADL in .270, Laminated, deep checkered Monte-Carlo stock. It is one fine rifle, gets meat and great comments every time out.
As a buyer always beware, no matter who is selling the product. It is you as a consumer to be educated in the products being purchased.
MachIVshooter
Member
Very true. I work for an independent shop, and we're a Gemini Goodyear retailer. We get people in all the time who don't understand why we cannot warranty their defective tire, even though it says "Goodyear" on it. They're not Goodyear tires; their cheap, overseas-produced tires that Wal-Mart is licensed to label as Goodyear. We can't even get them from our distributors.
Same thing with many other WM products.
SSN Vet
Member
Did I say there was anything wrong with it?
I'm just tellin' it like it is....you make your own judgements.
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