My Walmart Random Time Ammo Sales

[Keb]

I had suggested this twice to dept managers and then assistant manager. But Wed. I went to the top guy here.

I said stop selling the ammo to the same 6:30 AM speculators each day. They aren't your real customers.

The real customers come in any time of day. Give them a shot.

I said "make a weekly random time list. Lock it up. If ammo comes Tuesday, check the list for the time, call sporting goods, have them put it out."

THAT IS THE PROCEDURE HERE NOW!

 

[rcmodel]

That is a fantastic idea!

But I'm not sure my local Wal-Mart manager gives a rats rear end who buys it, or when, as long as his store sells it.

Maybe I'll talk to him the next time I am there.

rc

 

[Sam1911]

Your REAL customers aren't the ones who are here every single day putting money in the register?

I get where you're coming from, but there's only so much market control I'm comfortable with.

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.

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.

 

[Lex Luthier]

Most of us do not want to be savvy, er, opportunistic business people. We just want to have a fair chance to acquire our goods and services in the usual way without resorting to fear-based selfish tactics.

I would agree that most of the reveille shoppers are there to buy at "wholesale" and then market their product their own special way. While this is not illegal, it is selfish, immature and simply greedy. Human nature is definitely showing its hand in this game.

Grateful I stocked up the last couple of years. Haven't had to buy any for the last year.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Good idea in my town they do the same thing 0630 every Monday the same retires buy it up and then hord it till the next local gun show where they try and sell 330 box's for 30 dollars and 500 bricks for 50-60.

 

[sota]

this does have me as two minds about it.

all I can say is, let them horde. don't buy from them at the gun shows.

or if you REALLY want to be a ****, start taking notes of who's selling what and how much, then call your local IRS agency and report them. They're probably running afoul of some commerce law regarding buying/selling goods for a profit without collecting sales tax or reporting the income.

 

[Drewster9mm]

Keb, thats what my local Wal-Mart does also. I think its a great policy too. The manager at my store mentioned that he was tired of the same guys buying all the ammo. I think this is a good move for Wal-Mart, because they can serve a larger base of customers instead of the same small group. This might not seem ''fair" to some, but it makes the most business sense.

 

[jeff-10]

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.

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

The Walmart I currently work at stocks the ammo either when they get it off the truck or over night. It has been coming in a lot more frequently now which I'm glad to see. Usually get a few cases of .22 every week and it's been lasting longer on the shelf.

 

[22-rimfire]

I haven't been buying 22 ammunition at scalper prices. But I know there are people here that have and do because they feel they have no choice. My choice is NOT TO SHOOT often and shoot less when you do shoot.

All that is kind of a mute point to me, but psychologically I do this whether or not I need to or not. I have quite a bit of 22LR ammunition cached before this shortage took shape and became extreme.

Fivetwoseven; good to hear that your Walmart is getting larger shipments and more frequently now of 22 ammunition. I believe this "crisis" is slowly subsiding and I hope the people begin to stock up a little of each caliber they shoot in the future to keep on hand.

It is sort of like economics in general... give a poor person $1000 and they will go out and spend the "free money" immediately. The price doesn't matter because it's "free money". Give the same $1000 to a wealthier person and they will put it in the bank until they need it or use the money to take better advantage of what they feel are good investiments. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer or stay the same...

 

[danez71]

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.

I'm normally on board with this but in todays ammo market, this very well could mean that the more economically stressed people wouldn't be able to afford any ammo at all.


Back in the gas rationing days.. sure, prices did go up but not nearly in the percentages of increase that we've seen in ammo prices.

The gas stations did a number of things: 10-20 gallon limits because people were filling up their tanks and numerous gas cans, odd/even days, etc. They tried to keep it accessible for every one.

If the gas station simply raised their prices 3,4,5X, it would have caused a greater problem.


I know gas is different than ammo but its just a real life example that keeping a fair price/profit and taking steps to ensure the broader population is able to get at least some of the product is better than just raising the price to the point that demand falls.

 

[22-rimfire]

I believe there are actual laws on the books of some states about scalper pricing and the gas stations were in fact the impetus for legislation during critical regional shortages.

I generally don't support price fixing or anything of that nature. People put Walmart down all the time about their power in the market place and I applaud Walmart for not raising the prices significantly on the ammunition they have available to sell. They essenitially iniciated rationing of sales to counter act human nature. But there are always ways to get around such things.

 

[usurp31]

First come, first served. I just haven't been shooting as much since ammo's been so scarce and I definitely don't go hang around WW or any store no matter how good their prices are. I did randomly go into a Wally World and they had a few things in stock so I picked up 3 boxes; though no 22lr.

 

[Impureclient]

Awesome idea. The only people who would have a problem with this are the hoarders and gougers.

 

[loose noose]

Went to a gunshow this weelend (Saturday) and noted the scalpers getting $90.00 for a brick of 500 .22LR, and $75.00 for a box of 300. Outrageous, and I let 'em know to no avail. Also they had NRA stickers all over there stand, to which I replied I doubt seriously if you are NRA affiliated. Neither of the idiots replied. Thank God I found a stash of approximately 500 rounds of .22 Mag, and about 1500 rounds of .22LR in a .30 Caliber ammo can I can stashed under my reloading bench. Hopefully all this garbage on ammo costs will subside here before long.

 

[P5 Guy]

WalMart, once again has become the wholesaler for ammunition.

 

[12many]

Good for you and good for your store. It is their store and in a true free market they are free to do what he H they want. If they get tired of selling it to the same hoarders every morning, they have every right to put it out when they want or to put it out at the same time at 6:00 am every morning. I am glad they put it out randomly. What we don't want is for the stores to raise the prices.

 

[Certaindeaf]

WalMart, once again has become the wholesaler for ammunition.

I wonder when walmart is going to stop selling ammo.. most every other big box store has. Gotta compete with that uppity Target.. can't have the wimmen folk seeing the ammoes while buying their wading pools!

 

[Sam1911]

I'm normally on board with this but in todays ammo market, this very well could mean that the more economically stressed people wouldn't be able to afford any ammo at all.

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

But it's ammo so it's ok.

 

[444]

I have thought the same thing as I read pretty much every one of these "Panic"/"Hoarder" threads.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I said stop selling the ammo to the same 6:30 AM speculators each day. They aren't your real customers.

"Speculators?"

Fess up -- you're really Barak Oama, aren't you?

 

[Impureclient]

Socialism is not a bad thing. State pensions, minimum wages, progressive income tax, the 5 day week, subsidized health care and unemployment benefits are all socialism. Socialism is a great political ideology that just gets twisted into something terrible under the guidance of mans fallible nature. The people who push it down our throats and think it's the only way are the bad guys. In the United States, we are operate under elements of socialism and capitalism and it works.

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

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. Not everyone here has the time to sit around at 5 in the morning and wait to buy a box of ammo before the greedy few snatch them up to gouge and hoard.

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. See, works both ways.

 

[444]

If they put the ammo out for sale during normal store hours and anybody who shows up with the money can buy it: that is fair.

If they start manipulating that system so that you attempt to exclude some people then the game is rigged.

If you don't want to get there when it is being sold.............too bad. To me (and I guess I am weird), this is simple common sense. If I want to sell something, whatever.........let's say a car. Some guy shows up with the money and buys it. And then some other guy calls me and says: Hey !!! I wanted that car but I was at work when you sold it, that isn't fair.........what do you think I am going to tell him ?

"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. See, works both ways."

That's funny.
They WERE putting it out when they saw fit. This whole thread is about telling them to change what they were doing and to put it out at a different time. The OP is the one telling them when, why, and where they can stock their shelves. Walmart is just trying to run a business. If they are selling out of their merchandise, why should they care if one guy bought it all or a thousand people bought it all ?

 

[danez71]

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

But it's ammo so it's ok.

While that sounds catchy.... its just not true; Particularly if you read my whole post which included 'profit' for the supplier of which socialism generally doesn't care about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism

A socialist economic system would consist of a system of production and distribution organized to directly satisfy economic demands and human needs, so that goods and services would be produced directly for use instead of for private profit[5] driven by the accumulation of capital

 

[22-rimfire]

I guess when 24 hr Walmarts tape off inventory prior to Black Friday sales, that's socialism too?