The Walmart Ammo Counter: The dumbing down of America

[DarkKnight01]

Just stopped in there this afternoon to pick up some odds n ends... I circled the gun counter once, looking for the ammo I was in search of... (leaning over the counter trying to focus my poor vision I seen all rifle ammo... strange as last time this was where the 100 pack of .45 auto was that I bought...) After a few seconds a lady came and asked if I needed help... I said yea, I need a 100 round value pack of .45 auto, you got any?, she didnt hardly glance down as she grabbed the box for me... it was under the side I was standing on, not the one I was looking across at, she knew right where they were.... and this was a middle aged female... either she was a shooter herself or she knew her department well.... no problems paid for my other stuff while I was back there... Which was a smart move on my part... the lines up front were horrific...

(I didn't know they carried 7.62x39). The local stores here never have!

Yea I just seen those today too, in the 100 round value packs to boot.. I didnt bother to ask a price though...

 

[berettashotgun]

I get excellent service at my local store in NW OKC, and just picked up 12 ( twelve!!) boxes of hevi #5 3.5" for $7 per box. I really didn't need the stuff but I'll never have to load up turkey shells for my "loaner" xtrema. My local store has their share of uninformed speculation, but those GUYS always are willing to discuss and read the rules. BTW~ when I was all of 8 years old I strapped my new haven bolt .410 on my minibike, picked up shells at OTASCO on credit , but I had to sign for them, went to the police station for a can of snuff ( Happy Days rasberry~ no kiddin') for 50 cents. All this happened in 1973.In Moore, OK. Times change, along with the price of snuff, so just roll with them.

 

[KaceCoyote]

Anyone wanna hear a real scary story?



Wal mart is currently trying to acquire LOWES!

 

[jefnvk]

Always had a fresh pot of coffee in the showroom and plenty of gun rags laying about the counters

My guy always has a batch of cookies out. Wish I could buy more ammo from him, but honestly, I don't use him or Wal-Mart much. Unfortunately, I do most of my shooting in my backyard, and he is an extra twenty miles past Wal-Mart, just to pay a bit more. The honest truth is that most of my ammo is bulk surplus, so neither store really helps me. Dunham's and the internet gets the sales.

BTW, Dunham's sales people are really no better than Wal-mart, especially when you start getting into the foreign labeled milsurp. NEVER expect them to know what it is, that assumption could cost you your gun or life. You definitely need to know what you exactly need when dealing with them.

 

[softwaregurus]

ammoman.com

Cheap, available, no wally world involved.

Just my .02

 

[Sistema1927]

Last Friday afternoon:

Me: "Hi, let me have one of those Federal bulk packs of .22"

Wal-Mart Clerk: "Here it is, is this for a handgun or a rifle?"

Me: "Both"

W-M C: Chuckling "OK, you look older than 21 to me, that will be...."

Normally, the "both" answer flusters them a bit until I tell them to punch in "handgun", but this guy was right on top of the situation.

 

[WDG]

In my home town they are building a new supper center. I was in the old Wal-Mart to get some 100 box of W-W 45 auto they were out and had been out the last few times I was in. The kid behind the counter said he would tell them they were out but last few times I was there they didn't have any. Had to go to a different WM to get the ammo and it was a new box that has the ammo in a smaller box minus the white styrafoam shell holders.

BTW my wife went to our walmart to get her dad one box of sinus pills on Sunday and they said she would have to come back on monday because the pharmacy was closed for the day and they could'nt get them. This is the Walmart brand over the counter stuff.

 

[MoeMentum]

It goes like this : Hey new Walmart employees, lets see, you to shoes, you to jewelry, you sporting goods........And you get upset, when they don't know the laws? Come on, they are just there to make ends meet, lighten up ! You know what you want, just help them out. Not a big deal.

 

[spacemanspiff]

i'm pretty certain that walmart includes all kinds of myths and lies when they train their employees. i had a cashier start quoting 'federal law' about why i couldnt take the bulk packs of 12 guage shells off the back wall and walk to the front of the store unescorted.

fortunately she wasnt completely brainwashed and she listened as i told her that there is no federal law about that, and explained what laws the feds and state have regarding ammo sales.

 

[R.H. Lee]

I don't know what you people expect. Walmart is a huge centrally controlled bureaucracy, and these people you're hammering on are just trying to make a buck. They don't make the rules. They don't even know what the rules are. All they know is what some 'manager' tells them.

 

[larry starling]

I choose to buy my ammo on line from natchezz or one of the other big distributor's! I'm one of those guys that thinks walmart is killing the little man! I tend to buy ammo from my local gun store at times, my reason for this is they allow me free access to the range at times and heck there good people trying to make a honest living!

 

[nipprdog]

Ya want cheap prices and then complain about the help. What do you expect?

These complaints about Walmart are just dumb.

Complaining about the quality of service at Walmart is like complaining that there is no Filet Mignon on the menu at McDonalds

Perhaps it's time THR added "Wal-Mart Bashing" and "LEO Bashing" forums so we could get back to pertinent gun-related discussions in General Gun Discussions and L & P.

You get what you pay for. Its sad, but if you want good service nowadays you probably have to pay the $2/box more somewhere else. They have to cut the costs somewhere- and the ammo is cheap.

Why do you go to Walmart and then get surprised by the service/response/attitude/etc you get? Talk about the dumbing down of America.

 

[Vitamin G]

My previous favorite wal-mart experiences...

"Can I have 3 boxes of 9mm value packs"
"Here ya go... Is this for a handgun?"
"Nope, submachine gun"
"..."
"Rifle technically"
"..."
"How much?"
"Uhh..."


"Do you have .223 value packs in stock?"
(Checks under counter) "Yup, how many do you need?"
"How many do you have?"
"Uhh... (Checks under counter) Ten"
"I'll take the lot of them"
"Uhh... okay... (Rings out items) So do you know where Bin Laden is or something?"
"Nope, High school reunion next week" (leaves)

 

[jefnvk]

"Nope, High school reunion next week" (leaves)

 

[Edmond]

"Nope, High school reunion next week" (leaves)

Geez, in our society that's becoming so sensitive to stuff, I'm surprised they didn't try to notify some authorities or something like that.

 

[Alex45ACP]

Last time I bought ammo at Wal-Mart:

Cashier: "Is this for a handgun?"

Me: "No, it's for a submachine gun."

Cashier:



Edit: Damn, someone else already said that

 

[Cosmoline]

For the 50th time (at least)

STOP SHOPPING AT WALMART!

 

[Mark8252]

Walmart

I go to Walmart.... tell the clerk which boxes of ammo I want and pay for them. I have no need for the clerk to know anything other than how to ring up my purchase.
If you need someone at Walmart to help you with ammo you might consider a little more training in your choice of firearms. Maybe even read your owners manual?? I think depending on a Walmart clerks opinion is not such a good idea...unless that clerk is a known shooting champion of course.
I like Walmart for cheap ammo. For expertise I go to a reputable gun dealer....and even then to certain people. Clerks in a gun shop are not created equal. Best solution is to read up on the subject yourself and ask for help from someone you can trust. Ask for the owner is a good place to start if you do not know anyone in the store.
The exact same ammo at Walmart is considerably cheaper. When you shoot as much as I do its a good thing. Have no interest in reloading myself.

 

[Strings]

I've actually helped "train" some of the local SprawlMart employees in ammo sales. Goes something like this:

Me: "I need some 230 gr FMJ .45acp"
Sales Clerk: "uh..."
m:"ok... hand me a box at random, and I'll explain it"
SC:"ok... here"
m:"Cool. This is the caliber: 9mm. Underneath, it says 115gr: that means the bullet weighs 115 grains. And it says 'FMJ' here, that means 'full metal jacket'. So... find me a box of 230gr .45acp FMJ"
SC:" I get it now. Here: these what you're looking for?"
m:"yep. Now find me..."


Of course, I usually go in sometime around midnight, and they've got a bit of time to kill...

 

[SteveS]

I choose to buy my ammo on line from natchezz or one of the other big distributor's! I'm one of those guys that thinks walmart is killing the little man!

While natchezz, cheaper than dirt, etc. are certainly not on the scale of Walmart, I don't really consider them to be some kind of mom and pop operation.

Personally, I rarely buy ammo at WW (except for shotgun) because I can usually find better prices at Dicks or online. The few times I have purchased ammo there were ok and I got adequtate service. I have gotten poor service at gun shops, too. I asked a clerk for .45 ACP and he handed me .45 LC. I told him that this wasn't the right one and he said "it says .45 right here." I still go to that shop and usually just find one of the other clerks.

 

[tthiel]

I pretty much always have to have someone called to the counter and then point exactly to the ammo I want. I'm annoyed at having to call someone to the counter but I don't care if someone doesn't know ammo. They're minimum wage, what do you expect? The next day they could be working in the grocery section. The ammo is so much cheaper than gun shops that I put up with the minor hassle or I order by the case over the Internet.

 

[cidirkona]

I asked the Manager why he walked me to the front door after I bought a 10/22 there and he said it was Federal Law. I told him I found that interesting because I've purchased many guns all around Arizona over the past few years and never ran into that at any of the firearms shops I had been to.

He just turned and walked away.

-Colin

 

[The Drew]

It's a company policy based on their insurance policy... Gander Mountain always escorts a firearm out of the building when you purchase... For the same reasons...

 

[BluesBear]

I've asked clerks who were standing behind the counter for help, and got a dirty look, and "I'm on break!" more than once. Seems to me that should be a firing offense.

Technically it is.

No Wal-Mart or Sam's club employee is to be anywhere on the sales floor during their break UNLESS they are shopping. This is a long time corporate policy. Wal-Mart has a very strict policy on such things.

The next time they tell you they're on break, ask them for their name first, then ask them for the store managers name. BTW, they MUST be wearing their name badge in plain sight at all times.

Actually it's better if you already know the store manager's name and just tell them that you'll mention their name to him.
Like I said, they're strict.

 

[Yooper]

Shopping at Wal-Mart is a lot like living a Kurt Vonnegut story. Just let the soundtrack from the Vonage TV commercial (hoo-hoo hoo-hoo-hoo) run through your mind, and be entertained! Where else can you have that much fun on a Tuesday night?