no more firearms sales at walmart. wisconsin

[mickey]

has anyone heard this to i was talking to a friend who works at walmart he said the walmart in merrill wisconsin is going to stop selling guns. anyone heard this about their local wally world ? ???????from the middle of the great state of wisconsin...

 

[mp510]

Southington and Cromwell CT were not selling guns (excepty pellet guns) last time I checked, and I have heard that they were only going to sell them in 5 of there CT stores.

 

[bratch]

I'm hearing the rumor on a couple different websites. Maybe they will have some super blowouts

 

[Scoupe]

Wal-Mart is not discontinuing firearms sales company-wide. They are however, removing them from about 1000 (out of about 4500) stores based on sales - or lack of them.

I called Bentonville last week myself to ask about the internet rumor(s). The regular answer person couldn't answer my questions, took my name and number, and had a marketing associate call me back the next day. She indicated that they were keeping it low-key on purpose but they were not bowing to anti groups, just reacting to poor sales in certain stores or areas.

 

[jeeptjs]

Minnesota and Iowa are also done selling firearms. They will keep carrying ammo though

 

[George S.]

I have found that the primary reason that Wally-Worlds do not sell a lot of guns is the complete lack of competency on the part of the people who work there. My last purchase there (a 10/22) took over 40 minutes to complete.

Not only could the sporting goods sales associate not find any 10/22's when their inventory book showed 9 of them, he had no idea how to do the paperwork. I had to ask for the 4473 (Clerk: What form is that sir?? Me: The yellow one over there in the file folder marked 4473.). This tool finally called the assistant manager over to help but used the store PA to ask for help with a "customer's gun"!

Turned out the assistant manager was very helpful and we spent another 15 minutes talking about guns and hunting. I asked him if they were going to increase the number of rifles on display but he said that it was hard to get new guns in stock if demand for a particular make and model was not there.

 

[Professor Gun]

I stopped buying guns at Wal-Mart a long time ago because I got tired of dealing with the morons they hire to work in the Sporting Goods Dept. Really crappy service and a lot of aggravation to save a few bucks. At one point a pimply faced, smart mouth 17 year old lectured me that their policy of not allowing you to touch your gun until you get to the parking lot (they escort you out with the salesmoron carrying the gun for you) was to prevent people from committing suicide in the store. I spend my money with locally owned gun stores staffed by courteous, knowledgeable people who allow me to carry out my own gun after I pay for it. I do not like being treated like an idiot and/or a criminal when I buy a gun.

 

[Ovid]

I stopped at wal-mart the night before I was going to go to the range, to stock up on ammo, and they refused to sell me .22LR ammo because it was after 10pm and it was against their store policy!

 

[Wannagohunting]

I was at a Wal-Mart waiting to look at a gun as a fellow was filling out the form to buy a rifle. I asked him what he was buying. He said "A 270". I asked
if I could look at it. I just happened to look at the barrel and noticed it was
WSM or WSSM. I asked if he knew he was buying a Short Magnum. He said
"OH NO That's not what I want.
Anyway the clerk didn't even Know that he was about to sell A short magnum
to a guy who just wanted a .270 Win.
I saved that guy a bunch of grief !

 

[SASS#23149]

I tried ot buy a gun there once.

and never again!!
It was my birthday and I decided to spring for a new shotgun.
After thirty minutes of no-service peopel,I left.
give ma a real gun store anyday.!!!

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

If a company like WalMart stops selling firearms, that is not a good thing for any of us. It will benefit local dealers by driving prices up, but overall the lack of options is bad for our sport. I think we should mount a campaign to have the corporate headquarters reverse this decision.

 

[Technosavant]

The competency of the person behind the desk depends on when you are there. If you go during a workday, the sporting goods manager (who, while they may not be that knowledgable about the firearms themselves, they know the procedures) will do the sale. If you go on a weekend/night, then it is likely to be some part time person who might not know the procedures that well.

Check out different stores too; the one where my wife works has a good SG department, and it is in a well to do area. The ones closer to home, while they usually have a decent selection (well, for WM, anyway), aren't as skilled in the firearm department.

Wal-Mart has hundreds and hundreds of stores; some will be crappy, but others will be decent.

 

[entropy]

While I agree with the fact that far too many Wally World Sporting Goods Associates are far too ignorant re weapons and the proper use of,etc., (My nephew is back in Sporting Goods again; AFAIK, his extent of firearms knowledge comes from what little he learned in Scouts, and twice shooting with me.) and many of us more knowledgeable shooters are annoyed by their ignorance, every store that stops selling guns is a victory for the antis, whether they know it or not, or Wal Mart Home Office sees it that way or not.
And if you ask why I don't work in Sporting Goods, it's becuase I work overnight stocking, and there isn't anybody assigned to cover Sprting Goods latge nights. The Mgr. has to get the keys for it for ammo or gun sales. I usually find my way over there to make sure the right ammo gets sold, or to answer license questions. (I work at a gun shop for my other job, though as a gunsmith, not so much behind the counter anymore.)
Our Wal-Mart in WI still sells guns, and I believe will for a while, as we are in a very hunting oriented area.

 

[thatguy]

Due to the number of stores, Wal-Mart is the nation's largest gun seller. They have suspended sales in some locations, like all of CA because of the onerous laws there, and in some anti-gun cities.

Service is a problem with Wal-Mart as the sales people are not experienced and it takes forever for them to stumble and fumble their way through the process.

 

[CajunBass]

I just purchased a Ruger 10/22 at one of our local Wally Worlds. I gotta say I wasn't looking forward to it after hearing all the horror stories, but I guess I got lucky. The kid behind the counter was younger than my shotguns, but he knew what he was doing. He had to get the manager to unlock the gun vault to get the gun, and then again to walk me out, but other than that it didn't take any longer than any place else. As a matter of fact, I had to ask them to wait while my wife finished her shopping.

I can't fault a store for not carrying something they're not making money on.

Just a note. The manager walking me out with the gun doesn't bother me at all. Gander Mountain does it also. Someone said the clerk told them it was because somone committed suicide in a store once. Wouldn't surprise me. One of the gun stores I used to go in had someone rob them once when a guy was looking at a handgun, then asked for ammo for it. Clerk handed him the box of ammo, guy loaded the revolver, then said "gimmie your dough." Took the gun too.

 

[Texas9]

Don't get me wrong...

...BUT.

A store policy of walking a customer out with a firearm makes a spectacle of the buyer, however large or small. Furthermore, whether or not it bothers any of us individually, I assure you that it's a problem for us all as a whole. It's not something that should be feared, but, however unfortunate, it is largely taboo in public places for the word "gun" to be mentioned.

And for the dip$#!* behind the counter to use the store PA to announce it to the entire store (even those who couldn't VISUALLY witness the spectacle) adds insult to an already festering injury. That to me is as bad as being outed for CCW. It's just not cool.

If they want to curb suicide and robbery with unpurchased guns and ammo, make them separate transactions. When it comes down to it, it's no different from any other form of gun control. It's not going to stop the bad guys, it'll only screw up (however large or small the scale) the good guys.

 

[GregGry]

Iowa are also done selling firearms.

I went to one in dabuque (spelling) and they had shotguns and such. The wallmart here on south 27st in milwaukee has no more shotguns/rifles all the cases for them were removed prior to the hunting season. I do believe they still sell ammo though.

 

[AJ Dual]

Purely a sales thing.

Hy 100 & Layton in Greenfield just remodeled their gun counter last fall. There is a gun counter in the new Wal-Mart that moved into the old K-mart at National & Moorland in New Berlin, and I'm sure the Wal-Mart on Hy 164 in Waukesha has their gun counter still up and running as well.

Gander Mountain/Cabela's and the new Sportsman's Warehouse has also been aggressive in the area. That could be cutting into their sales. There's also Dunham's Sports, and the local gun-stores. Granted, only the local gun shops carry handguns, but Wal-Mart actually has a fair amount of competition when it comes to long guns in the Milwaukee metro…

I just suspect the S. 27th street location wasn't doing well. If you don't live here, the commercial strip on S. 27th street between Forest Home and I-894 is kind of hard to explain from a demographic standpoint. It's sort of one of those "nice-but-not-nice" retail strips. There's been some big-box retailer "renewal" where there was once a failed mall, and then mix of strip-malls and car dealerships. It's where the further out south-west suburbanites and Milwaukee's near south side mix of normal working-stiff's, white wanna-be's, immigrants, and urban rednecks all rub elbows. And then it's all hemmed in by fairly nice normal neighborhoods of 1950's housing stock a block or two in any direction from the strip. Overall, it's kind of schizophrenic.

A Wal-Mart is just going to distill the wackiness further. I'm not sure I'd put a gun counter there either.

 

[LAR-15]

Wal-Mart doesn't carry handguns except in Alaska.

***?

When Sam Walton was alive they sold handguns.

 

[kfranz]

Never sold them in any WalMart in Wisconsin that I've ever been in, even when SW was alive

 

[Lone_Gunman]

If a company like WalMart stops selling firearms, that is not a good thing for any of us. It will benefit local dealers by driving prices up, but overall the lack of options is bad for our sport. I think we should mount a campaign to have the corporate headquarters reverse this decision.

I disagree. I think it would be good for us if Wal Mart quit selling firearms.

WalMart drives competitors out of business. Whether their tactics or fair or not is another subject; bottom line is, Wal Mart has been able to out compete smaller stores in a variety of areas, including sporting goods, hardware, clothes, and groceries.

In the end, there is less competition.

Take for example the small Georgia town my parents live in. Five years ago there were five grocery stores: Food Lion, Winn Dixie, Piggly Wiggly, Food Max, and Harvey's.

Super Walmart came to town, and now all that is left are Piggly Wiggly and Harvey's.

The net effect is decreased competition.

 

['Card]

Yeah, if Wal-Mart got out of the firearms business altogether I don't think it'd be a bad thing for the gun industry, or the gun-buying community as a whole.

Let's face it, no one buys a gun as an 'impulse purchase'. "Yeah, I was down at Wal-Mart picking up a pack of toilet paper and some breath mints and I thought, as long as I'm here, might as well buy a shotgun!" Doesn't happen.

People decide to purchase a firearm and then they go to places that sell firearms. If they sell them at Wal-Mart, they will buy them there. If not, they would buy it somewhere else. The point being that guns being sold at Wal-Mart doesn't increase the total number of guns in the population.

It also isn't as if we gain a lot on the legislative end of things by having Wal-Mart on our side. They pretty much bend over and drop their britches anytime bad publicity comes their way - unless there's a large amount of money involved for them (like health insurance for their employees) so it's not as if they're going to go to bat for a marginal-profit item like guns.

Hopefully, if they were removed from Wal-Mart entirely, it would allow a little more breathing room for locally-based gun shops in a lot of small towns. Generally speaking, that would result in your average consumer dealing with a much more knowledgeable salesperson, which could provide a more positive gun-buying and gun-owning experience. The sales guy at a gun shop is going to tell you that 10/22 may not be what you need for deer hunting. The high school kid at Wal-Mart ain't gonna do that.

In fact, the only downside that I can see to that whole equation is that prices across the board would probably rise once the 800lb. Gorilla left the room, but I think internet sales and internet-based comparison shopping are going to have the effect ofdropping prices in the long run anyway. Especially when the younger generation gets to the age where they become the primary gun-buying market.

 

[John3-16]

I love Wal-Mart threads. They all say the very same thing. :banghead:

 

[Sulaco]

The last gun I bought at Wal-Mart was a heavily marked down Weatherby Vanguard or I wouldn't have gotten one. While being escorted out of the store by the Sporting Goods manager, I asked why the extra safety. He said it was to protect employee's from people using the purchased weapons against them. He said I also couldn't buy ammo on the same receipt, but I could make two seperate purchases. I said hell buddy, If'n I wanted to shoot ya', I would use the 1911 on my side, not the rifle in your hands!

 

[sdfhpson]

I better get me a 10-22 before they stop selling them here! They got the best price in town (any my fiance gets 10% employee discount!). What more could I ask for?

(I'm beginning to ask myself why I haven't bought one already..........)