No ammo returns federal law?

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357Opus

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Hello all. Still pretty new to THR, been lurking for a month or so and I finally have a question I can't seem to find in past posts.

Earlier today I went to Wally World to get a few bricks of .22 ammo. I asked the clerk what they had and the prices. The Winchester was the cheapest at $12.97, I asked if it was copper plated and the clerk replied yes. Six boxes please.... :) I arrived home to find that my ammo was NOT copper plated and to my dismay I recall seeing the sign posted at the counter stating that all ammo sales were final. I prefer shooting the copper plated and dangummit now I have 3000 rounds of the wrong stuff :banghead:

I called to store to plead my case and request an exchange regardless of the posted sign only to speak with a manager who parroted the sign stating that it was a state law prohibiting the return of ammo and I would need to speak with the department of fish & wildlife if I wanted clarification?????? After a short lesson about the BATFE and the difference between them and game wardens I was transferred to another manager who was a little more willing to hear my case and after explaining that I felt misled was willing to do an exchange for me. (Lesson learned.. PAY ATTN NEXT TIME)

I have managed a sporting goods store in the past and do not recall any said law prohibiting the return of unopened ammunition. The sign posted at the counter read "Federal law prohibits the return of ammunition all sales are final." The manager who assisted me was unable to find any reference to a law other than the posted sign.

Does anyone know if this is an actual law or just a store policy that is misrepresenting the law?
 
I don't know if it is a federal law but Cabela's and Scheel's have signs saying no returns on ammo. who knows if somebody messed with ammo when it gets returned
 
There is no Federal law. It might be corporate policy and WalMart frequently confuses the two.
 
No FEDERAL LAW, but most places have a 'No Returns on Ammo' POLICY.

It would be waaay too easy for someone to ahem 'hot wire' a round or 2 in a box, and return it.
 
When people are told it's a policy they argue.

When people are told it's the law they shut up and leave.

So over time stores tend to tell everyone that everything is a law.
 
I won't buy from anyone who will accept a return on ammo - just what I need, shooting a bubba load in one of my guns.

Just a note - Midway doesn't accept returns on ammo either, however, being the great customer service organization they are, they did do right by me when they packed ammo with optics and made a big mess of both.

UPS man dropped off a box trailing bullets and glass.

They asked me to leave the box closed, tape it up and just took everything back and reshipped - the ammo does not get resold I assume that means they destroy it.
 
I wouldn't sweat it, that Winchester is great for bulk ammo. Me and a couple friends all like it better than the Federal bulk, and I'll bet in a few months it's gone up several bucks a box.
 
Just last week I had a similar issue at WallyWorld. I purchased "3" boxes of WWB 147 grain JHP at $13.97 per box. I guess because I had my son with me, I was a little distracted & did not question the total being $60. I walk 10 steps away, look at my receipt only to find I had been charged for "4" boxes. I went back & asked for my refund. I was told of the same federal law. Not a bid deal for me - they just gave me another box of ammo to make it right. The clerk was a 18 year old kid.
 
same thing happened to my father.

a few months ago he went into a local wal mart to pick up a box of winchester 12 gauge birdshot. you know, the value pack boxes.

well, at that particular time, all the boxes were behind the counter. so my father had to ask the sales guy for what he wanted. he received the ammo, paid, and left without incident.

after getting home, he discovered the salesman had actually given him the 20 gauge ammo instead of 12. obviously pissed, he took the ammo back and explained the situation to the return counter.

at first, they were hesitant to budge. no returns on ammo and no exception. well obviously, he got very frustrated at that

so a week later, my father decides that maybe a call to wal mart headquarters is in order. and eventually after talking and explaining the situation to them, they were happy to give the "OK" For the wal mart in question to exchange the ammo for a refund. so he went, got it returned, and owned them. that was that.

in hindsight, he should have checked the ammo before leaving the counter. i have told him repeatedly that wal mart employees are freaking retarded. so please, do yourself a favor and check before you leave.
 
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Check ANY AMMO you purchase BEFORE leaving the point-of-sale.

My case-in-point:

A couple of years back, I bought 2 boxes (5 rounds per box) of Rem 16-Ga "Sluggers". Co-worker has a 16-ga Ithaca pump.

Anyway, I didn't pay attention...one box was taped up. We opened them, and 1 box was 12-Ga slugs stuffed in the 16-Ga box, and taped up.

Now, while the slugs were "premium" slugs (Brenneke K.O.'s), that was not what was supposed to be in the box. I called, and the store said they would exchange them, but I decided I would keep them.
 
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I don't know why people get upset when its THEIR mistake for not checking before they leave.

Every place, not just Walmart that I've been to that sells ammo does not allow the return of ammunition plain and simple.

But don't go blaming the guy behind the counter because you're too lazy to check to make sure you get what you want.
 
Why not just read the container or open one of the packages before you make the purchase? As the no return sign was clearly posted why are you trying to circumvent it?
 
I bought a box of 270's for use in a borrowed rifle. After going home and then opening the box one round did not look like the rest. This was because it was a 300 mag. instead :what:

I took the whole box back and showed them the problem and asked them what else is wrong with ammo? They exchanged the box without a problem, even though they had a no exchange policy also.
 
If ammo came shrink wrapped it probably wouldn't be a problem to return unopened boxes. However since I've never actually seen shrink wrapped ammo there is the problem. Too easy to for people to mess with the ammo before returning.

Heck on 100+ round loose packs it would be too easy to take 5 rounds out and return 95. The bigger the loose pack the more you could take before hitting the rule of just noticeable differences. Do that a lot and you got free ammo.
 
No. BTDT. It's a lie perpetrated by the stores so that they don't have to tell you "it's our policy" - they can blame it on someone else. Most people buy it. But it's a lie.
 
Every place, not just Walmart that I've been to that sells ammo does not allow the return of ammunition plain and simple.
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Good policy in general, but I do know of an exception that actually solved a murder case.

Some idiot bought a box of .38 Special ammo, killed a couple of people and then went back to Academy to return the unused portion of the ammo. A clever counter person had him fill out a "refund form", got his ID info, gave him a proportion of the ammo cost back, and called the police as soon has he left. The ammo was the same as used in two murders earlier in the week so they looked this guy up, found him and his gun and put him away.

--wally.
 
But don't go blaming the guy behind the counter because you're too lazy to check to make sure you get what you want.
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Why not just read the container or open one of the packages before you make the purchase? As the no return sign was clearly posted why are you trying to circumvent it?
Click to expand...

Everyone else thank you for your replys, I was not trying to cast the entire blame on the employee, I am at fault for trusting what somebody elses word. However I was only stating the reason I was returning the product. Most posters understood this by actually answering the question I asked about Federal law vs. store policy. Believe me I learned my lesson on this one.
 
I was not trying to cast the entire blame on the employee, I am at fault for trusting what somebody elses word.
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My comment wasn't directed at you, but everyone who likes to complain about the guy behind the counter who sells him the wrong box of ammo, and then can't return it.

I've never heard anything about people trying to pass it off as a state or federal law.
 
I am a store manager for Wal-Mart and it is company policy not law regarding ammo returns. We had a return of some .223 last week that the customer said would not fire. Primer had been hit but not enough to ignite the round, the gun was at fault from what I could see. We did the return, refunding the money and the local police picked up the ammo and destroyed it. No harm no foul.
 
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