Went to Walmart looking for ammo today....

[Queen_of_Thunder]

I believe that the Walmart pricing has shown that the ammo producers haven't raised prices more than 10% or so. That means that the stores that have doubled the retail prices of ammo and say it just costs more are actually pocketing the difference. Those are the guys who will lose my business when things get back to the new normal. If Walmart sells 100 rounds of Brand X for $24.99 and Store Y sells the same ammo for $39.99 then you know who is raping the public and who is not. The smaller guys who buy ammo from a middleman are probably paying thru the nose but the big box stores and mega stores are the ones most guilty of taking advantage of this run on ammo.

Walmart has some 3,000 stores in the country. No other retailer is anywhere near their size. Walmarts orders are larger which means they get their ammo at a lower cost than other retailers of ammo. My goodness please learn some basic facts. Noone can compete toe to toe with walmart in purchasing power, except maybe the US Government, but not a retail chain that's for sure.

Can you get ammo at walmart cheaper than elsewhere? You sure can but thats because their costs of procurement is lower than an Academy, a Dicks or some other retail outlet. So you really cannot make assumptions based on a walmart price.

 

[larryh1108]

My goodness please learn some basic facts.

I think you need to learn some basic facts.

I spent 40 years in retail, 20 in a big box environment including buying and merchandising.

How much discount do you think Walmart gets over other big box stores like Cabela's or Dicks, if any? Not as much as you think, that's for sure. The stores with central warehouses get the best deal because they can buy a truckload of ammo from the producer and have it shipped to a central warehouse, saving money on transportation costs. I'd bet that the big boys all get the same costs for this type of shipping versus buying a few pallets or a half of a truckload. Walmart may even get a break if they back haul a truckload from the producer's warehouse with one of their own trucks but they are still paying gas and wages so the savings aren't as big as it sounds.

Walmart is known to bully companies into selling for a lot less due to their volume. Rubbermaid comes to mind. If Walmart told Rubbermaid to lower their cost by an additional 5% or they'd stop carrying their product, Rubbermaid could very well go out of business if they didn't do it. Many smaller companies have opted to not sell to Walmart for this very reason. Companies that have become dependant on Walmart to move their products are at their mercy. Companies who have other distribution networks are not as dependant on Walmart to pay their bills or be intimidated by them like Coke, Pepsi, Frito-Lay, etc.

So you think CCI, Remington or Winchester will bow down to Walmarts tactics when they can sell every round they produce? Highly unlikely. Companies do offer discounts for quantity purchases. If you buy 1 pallet, it costs $X.xx per unit. If you buy an entire truckload, it costs $X.xx per unit. Think 2%, not 10% or 15% (depending on the item). Ammo may get a 1.5% discount while towels or shoes may get 15%. Right now it's a seller's market for ammo. If the big producers can make 2% more by selling to other guys, I'd bet Walmart is not their priority. I'd also be willling to bet that there is a contract between the producers and Walmart for them to buy X truckloads of ammo a month for X months that was signed a while ago. Ammo is basically a commodity in times like these and both the buyers and producers have plans in place where both make money.

Walmart may be able to sell an item $1.50 per $10 less and make the same profit but the guys selling it for 50% more than Walmart and paying 3% more are thinking short term and taking advantage of the seller's market. It may be a smart thing to do because it puts money in the bank but long term it may turn loyal buyers away and hurt them when this all blows over and their fattened stock holders are wondering why their dividends shrank and they dump the stock. What is right? Time will tell. Walmart may be selling well below market value but they will be here in 10 years while the others may be gone and forgotten.

 

[Warp]

Every time I am in Walmart or any other sporting goods store and for the past 25 years, I have always picked up a box of something -- 12g, 22L, 9mm, 357, 40, 223, 5.56mm, 00, 25. My father taught me this at an early age. At this point I have plenty of ammo since Dec 2012. Now the problem, I had to curtail my range time and how many rounds I shoot. Recently, I have been able to pick up plenty of 40 at Walmart and hence that is what I am spending range time with. Things do seem to be lightening up and hopefully will.

In my humble opinion, if you have to curtail your range time and rounds fired, you don't have "plenty" of ammo.

I believe that the Walmart pricing has shown that the ammo producers haven't raised prices more than 10% or so. That means that the stores that have doubled the retail prices of ammo and say it just costs more are actually pocketing the difference. Those are the guys who will lose my business when things get back to the new normal. If Walmart sells 100 rounds of Brand X for $24.99 and Store Y sells the same ammo for $39.99 then you know who is raping the public and who is not. The smaller guys who buy ammo from a middleman are probably paying thru the nose but the big box stores and mega stores are the ones most guilty of taking advantage of this run on ammo.

An 8.75oz bag of Chex Mix at Kroger is $2.49.

A 20 oz bag of the same Chex Mix at Walmart is $2.99.

The point is Walmart is THE price leader. They have massive buying power. They get the bottom dollar price on everything...or they don't carry it.

It is literally impossible for others to compete with Walmart on a price level. They have to go on service, location, selection, knowledgeable employees, whatever...but not price.

BTW: Walmart charging too-little for their ammo mis why it's almost always out of stock. The only time you should consider Walmart's prices to be good are when the ammo is there and available at that price. A price tag on an empty shelf may as well read $1,00,000 per round.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with stores doubling their price and pocketing the difference. When they have to drop prices and sell stuff at clearance their cost does not go down and you certainly do not complain. It works both ways. Mom and Pop shops should NEVER sell off of cost.

Yup.

This has come full circle back to the "free market" topic, and the fact that the purpose of a for-profit business is to make a profit. Charging significantly less than market value for a good is leaving a lot of potential profit on the table.

Of course, you have every right to say you won't go to your LGS for anything anymore, you will only go to Walmart. Even when things settle back down.

Some even say they hope the LGS goes out of business later as a result. Well...I hope those people have plans for FFL transfers when they buy something and have it shipped...they never need to use a gunsmith...they don't mind if the range attached to the LGS goes away...they don't intend to purchase any calibers in person that aren't sold at Walmart...you get the idea. The LGS probably offers a hell of a lot of goods and services that Walmart never will.

 

[danez71]

The point is Walmart is THE price leader. They have massive buying power. They get the bottom dollar price on everything...or they don't carry it.

It is literally impossible for others to compete with Walmart on a price level.

Absolutely false. I actually feel a l little sad for the people that think that way.

Lets take a look at 2 examples that will demonstrate how Wally rapes people that think that way.


DAP Caulking MFG# 18425 10.1 oz.
Both of the following stores have in in stk in the same town less than 1 mile from each other.

Walmart = $7.99

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Dap-18425-Alex-Fast-Dry-Acrylic-Latex-Caulk-Plus-Silicone/22134665


Home Depot = $2.88

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DAP-Alex...8425/100634323?keyword=dap+18425#.UiS0zZ3n_IU


Walmarts price is more than 2X the price at Home Depot




Here's another example from the same 2 stores. Both in stock less than 1 mile from each other.


Energizer Max AA 24pk MFG# E91SBP24H

Walmart = $30.69

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Energizer-Max-Alkaline-Batteries-Aa/24569187


Home Depot = $13.98


Again, Walmart is more the 2X the price of Home Depot



Hopefully this post can serve at least 3 purposes.
1) To dispel the myth that Walmart can beat anyone's prices
and
2) Save people a few dollars.
and
3) Get people to realize the myth that Walmart paying their people like cr@p is what keeps their prices down. Home Depot starts entry level people at better pay than Walmart (not by a ton but its higher) and is still able to charge consumers less (more than 50% less in the 2 examples above) for many of the products they sell in common with each other.

Edit to add: The reason Walmart keeps prices really low on some items, such as ammo, is to attract another segment of consumer, in this case a predominately male segment, into the stores on the hope they find ammo and will also buy some caulking and batteries at more than 2x the price of where that consumer would normally shop and purchase those products.

 

[Warp]

I'm not too surprised that somebody as huge as Home Depot can beat Walmart on a product that Home Depot probably buys/sells more of than Walmart does (caulking).

 

[danez71]

I'm not too surprised that somebody as huge as Home Depot can beat Walmart on a product that Home Depot probably buys/sells more of than Walmart does (caulking).

I knew this would come up....

But you said:

The point is Walmart is THE price leader. They have massive buying power. They get the bottom dollar price on everything...or they don't carry it.

What about the batteries? It just proved the statement wrong.

I'll give another example for a source that is almost exactly 50% less than Walmarts price.

Target, which is waaay smaller than Walmart, sells the same 24 pk of Energizer AA for $15.39. Amost exactly 50% less than Walmart.

http://www.target.com/p/energizer-m...738863#prodSlot=medium_1_10&term=energizer+aa



Kmart, about 3 miles from the Home Depot and Walmart referenced above and is waaay smaller than Target and Target is waaay smaller than Walmart has Energizer 16 pk in stock for $12.99.

So you can buy 32 batteries for less than the price of 24 at Walmart.

http://www.kmart.com/search=energiz...s=50&redirectType=CAT_REC&prop17=energizer aa



Your Walmart price theory is bunk.

 

[basicblur]

Energizer Max AA 24pk MFG# E91SBP24H
Walmart = $30.69
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Energizer-...es-Aa/24569187

I found that price a little hard to believe (I buy those same batteries @ Walmart and Target for $13 or usually less) - the link provided and the $30+ price at Walmart's site is for Shoplet.com - a 3rd party apparently selling thru Walmart's website.

I won't bother to get into the whole ammo thing (and how much 22 I've picked up over the last 3 days) as it usually just PO's a lot of folks...

 

[Warp]

Here's another example from the same 2 stores. Both in stock less than 1 mile from each other.

Energizer Max AA 24pk MFG# E91SBP24H

Walmart = $30.69

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Energizer-Max-Alkaline-Batteries-Aa/24569187

Energizer Max AA 24pk $20.85 at Walmart

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Energizer-MAX-Alkaline-Batteries/24975222

Why would you not buy that if you want 24 of them and you are shopping Walmart?

That may not be the best price out there, but it's $10 less than what you linked.

So is the argument here that Walmart is screwing the public over by charging too much, or what?

 

[danez71]

I found that price a little hard to believe (I buy those same batteries @ Walmart and Target for $13 or usually less) - the link provided and the $30+ price at Walmart's site is for Shoplet.com - a 3rd party apparently selling thru Walmart's website.

Whoops! I didn't notice that. Thanks for the correction. Honestly, I think it was high for Walmart myself but I didn't notice the Shoplet.com issue.

Energizer Max AA 24pk $20.85 at Walmart

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Energizer-MAX-Alkaline-Batteries/24975222

Why would you not buy that if you want 24 of them and you are shopping Walmart?

That may not be the best price out there, but it's $10 less than what you linked.

So is the argument here that Walmart is screwing the public over by charging too much, or what?

I stand corrected about Walmarts price but I still provided 2 or 3 other sources which are substantially cheaper than Walmart.

I have no argument. Only pointing out that your quotes I referenced above are not true in regards to Walmart pricing.

People have been brain washed into thinking Walmart is the low price leader when in fact, they are not.


The point is still the same three point I listed above...plus the "edit to add comment" I made.

To save you the time of scrolling up, I'll repost it (but I'll remove the "2X" comments because while their is substantially cheaper prices from their competitors, Wally isn't 2X the price)

Hopefully this post can serve at least 3 purposes.
1) To dispel the myth that Walmart can beat anyone's prices
and
2) Save people a few dollars.
and
3) Get people to realize the myth that Walmart paying their people like cr@p is what keeps their prices down. Home Depot starts entry level people at better pay than Walmart (not by a ton but its higher) and is still able to charge consumers substantially less for many of the products they sell in common with each other.

Edit to add: The reason Walmart keeps prices really low on some items, such as ammo, is to attract another segment of consumer, in this case a predominately male segment, into the stores on the hope they find ammo and will also buy some caulking and batteries at a substantially higher price of where that consumer would normally shop and purchase those products.

Its simple really. Attract more and new shoppers into the stores to buy as many products as possible from them and not another source. The profit not realized buy increasing their ammo prices is more than made up for from the batteries, caulking, etc etc they sell not only to new shopper but also to the existing shopper.

 

[Warp]

People have been brain washed into thinking Walmart is the low price leader when in fact, they are not.

But they are.

Yes.

They very much are.

I'm sure that Walmart doesn't have the absolute lowest price on every single item that you can buy from them. But if you buy your stuff at Walmart instead of somewhere else, it's going to cost you less.

That's why so many people put up with their under-staffing and slow service + long checkout lines.

 

[jad0110]

This has come full circle back to the "free market" topic, and the fact that the purpose of a for-profit business is to make a profit. Charging significantly less than market value for a good is leaving a lot of potential profit on the table.

And those businesses that don't charge the going rate (or slightly less) may not have enough cash reserves on hand (rainy day fund) to either survive a downturn or be able to expand and grow their business if demand for the product continues for years on end. Some gun shops are smartly managed, but there have been plenty of threads on THR and other forum over the years which have lead me to conclude that gun shops are notorious for being poorly managed (not all of them certainly, but a good number of them), which actually explains why gun shops in my area open and close almost as fast as restaurants.

As for Wal-Mart, I will rely on what my wife, the shopper in the family who can squeeze the copper off a penny and who buys 10x the volume of stuff of everyone in here combined , has to say: Generally speaking, WM does have lower prices than most places. Generally. And if you do all your shopping at one store, most people will save money there, though like Sam's Club you gotta watch each item you buy (some items are quite a bit pricier).

However, in her opinion (mine as well), you will probably live a longer, healthier, less stressful life by avoiding WM like the plague ! So considering you won't have to be on as many anti-anxiety meds, blood pressure meds and you won't have to drink as heavily ... yes, all things considered it is probably cheaper to avoid WM!

That's why so many people put up with their under-staffing and slow service + long checkout lines.

True, however, for us the savings isn't worth the pain-in-the-butt factor, but YMMV.

 

[PabloJ]

I buy very specific items at Walmart: bagel chips, pre-packaged salads, Croc cheese, large shrimp, Italian sausage, frozen fish,
SG & #1 BK shot,....... plus once in a while ready to eat whole chicken which unlike in supermarkets it always well done. Actually 20 items or less lanes at local Walmart offer very quick service much faster then any nearby supermarket. I would not venture into any Walmart around first of each month. I will let you wonder why that might be.

 

[Warp]

I buy very specific items at Walmart: bagel chips, pre-packaged salads, Croc cheese,
SG & #1 BK shot,....... plus once in a while ready to eat whole chicken which unlike in supermarkets it always well done. Actually 20 items or less lanes at local Walmart offer very quick service much faster then any nearby supermarket. I would not venture into any Walmart around first of each month. I will let you wonder why that might be.

I just went to Walmart yesterday afternoon (the 1st of the month, and a Sunday, so people were off and available to be there)...it was kinda slow, and there was even an employee right there in sporting goods to open the ammo case for me.

I'll see what it looks like today. We're going out to dinner and will be stopping by a Walmart on the way to check out the ammo counter again...

 

[PabloJ]

Not a bad idea. Went first thing in am on Independence Day (because I had very little food left and no cram for coffee and I can't drink dark coffee) and they had 5 or 6 '333' bricks of .22LR at about $24/pack. I left it there because I do not own nor plan to ever own .22 rimfire and almost all people I know do not shoot or hunt.

 

[Warp]

Two "hits" in a row!

Stopped at Walmart on the way to dinner today:

That's a bulk box of .22lr at 4.4 cents per round, and value packs of Federal .45 ACP for ~33 cents per round.

 

[basicblur]

Two "hits" in a row!

Congrats - based on my historical research (and spreadsheet), I'm thinking the 22 ammo bubble may be about to burst. Much of the 22 I've been tracking was only coming to our local Walmart once a month, but deliveries of the same ammo are now running twice a month, and often with many more cases than the old single case a month.

BTW - that's .04358 cents a round - still not quite as cheap as the Winchester 555 @ .04319 cents a round.
Same price for both boxes, but the Winchester has 5 more rounds in it.

I just picked up a few boxes of the Federal 550 the other day - first time I've seen that stuff in our neck o' the woods in ages. This used to be my favorite round years ago when I was making regular visits to the ammo case after grocery shopping - don't know when / why the local Walmart quit selling it, as I knew it was still being sold in the middle states and out west.

The 223 balloon is deflating rapidly? I've seen the same 1K rd. case of Federal 62 gr. 556 in about 10 Walmarts in the last week or so, and many have two cases on the shelf.

 

[Warp]

Congrats - based on my historical research (and spreadsheet), I'm thinking the 22 ammo bubble may be about to burst. Much of the 22 I've been tracking was only coming to our local Walmart once a month, but deliveries of the same ammo are now running twice a month, and often with many more cases than the old single case a month.

BTW - that's .04358 cents a round - still not quite as cheap as the Winchester 555 @ .04319 cents a round.
Same price for both boxes, but the Winchester has 5 more rounds in it.

I just picked up a few boxes of the Federal 550 the other day - first time I've seen that stuff in our neck o' the woods in ages. This used to be my favorite round years ago when I was making regular visits to the ammo case after grocery shopping - don't know when / why the local Walmart quit selling it, as I knew it was still being sold in the middle states and out west.

The 223 balloon is deflating rapidly? I've seen the same 1K rd. case of Federal 62 gr. 556 in about 10 Walmarts in the last week or so, and many have two cases on the shelf.

I have a similar hunch, though it's just from observation of shelves and what people report.

This (sole, lonely bulk pack) .22lr is the first I've seen in Walmart probably all year, I **** you not.

5.56/.223 is definitely way ahead of .22lr. I just got a 1k round case of PMC M193 for $445 shipped last week (same price as that Federal at Walmart, but no tax), and could have had M855 for the same price. It was in stock for more than a full day because they (SGAmmo) had over 300,000 rounds of them come available at once...while other sources were also having the same thing come in stock at the same price (such as Sportsmans Guide)

 

[Midwest]

Two "hits" in a row!

Stopped at Walmart on the way to dinner today:

That's a bulk box of .22lr at 4.4 cents per round, and value packs of Federal .45 ACP for ~33 cents per round.

Either I have been going to the wrong Walmart store (Houston Rd in Florence KY) or I am going at the wrong time.

 

[Warp]

Either I have been going to the wrong Walmart store (Houston Rd in Florence KY) or I am going at the wrong time.

I think something happened recently. I kept getting nothing...nothing...nothing every time I went by one.

But then I hit yesterday and today. I went to a second one today (came home by a different route) and didn't really hit, but they did have all kinds of 12 gauge with no limits on it so I just got some more of that.

And I don't know about the time of day thing, I always hear that they get trucks early in the morning or at like 8+ PM, but I was in around 2:30 yesterday and 4:30 today.

Edit: And that was three different Walmarts over the two day period this weekend. I've also seen a lot more reports of people finding ammo, even the 1k round cases of Federal 5.56

 

[dbp]

Any 9mm or .380 at said WM?

 

[basicblur]

I passed by two Walmarts on my normal route today - almost passed up one of them as it's one of the few that's on my USELESS list - inventory shows in/out, but they swear they never have any and haven't seen any in AGES!

Figured what the heck - Walmart is like a box of chocolates...

Sho 'nuff, this is the FIRST time I've seen any handgun ammo - I caught the gal as she was rolling the ammo cart to the case, and the old country boys were swarming like bees - still no 22, but she had a hefty supply of Federal / Winchester 9mm and they were sucking it up. I had to get on the horn to one of my buddies quickly - he said pass it up @ $14.97 / box, so I left it laying there.

They all looked at me like I was a Klingon or sumpin' (you aint' gonna buy any!?).
Nah...not at that price...

5 miles down the road, stopped in to my NEXT TO USELESS Walmart - no 22, but they did have 3 cans of TulAmmo BrassMAXX - first time I've seen this particular packaging - 100 rds. that looked like it was a small can of Planter's Peanuts, @ $22.97 / 100. Didn't bother to call my buddy, since I knew others that are looking for 9mm - got the last 3 cans she had. Didn't realize 'til I got home that this particular flavor of BrassMAXX is made in Bosnia / Herzegovina - the 100-rd. boxes I have were made in Italy.

And today I officially became an ammo flipper!

Saw an elderly couple looking for 22 - said he needed it on the farm for pest control, and he was about out of 22 and could find none.
I told him if I had put some in the car, I would have sold him a few boxes, but then I realized I had 1K M*22 I'd picked up that morning!

I made sure this was for personal use, and charged him $5 a box more than I paid - told him I feel bad about it, but I needed to get a little gas money to cover some of the dry holes I'd drilled over the days.

Hey, he was happy, and I got a little gas money to offset some of my shopping.

 

[Warp]

Any 9mm or .380 at said WM?

Some .380.

9mm is as rare as .22lr, at Walmarts. I've seen it once in the past couple of months.

And there hasn't been any 9mm other than expensive JHP at Academy, even. And no .22lr there either.

However

http://www.targetsportsusa.com/p-10...r-115-grain-full-metal-jacket-ammunition.aspx

 

[ChaoSS]

9 mm is making it's comeback. I've seen it on the shelves, big bulk 250 packs, and not just when they open. They don't always have it, but often enough that it's not hard to find. And if they have it here, that means that it won't be long till it trickles out to the rest of the country.

 

[Scooter30]

I went to the local WM at around 10:30 p.m. and was kinda surprised to see they still had 9mm Federal ammo. I think I counted 13 -50 round boxes. Seems like they had a decent amount of different calibers except 22lr.

 

[mag1911]

Re: Walmart pricing

My wife recieved a gift card for Walmart years ago. We went looking for a cooler made by a local company but Walmart didn't carry that brand or carry anything else made by this company.

I asked a guy I knew worked at the local company why local Walmarts didn't handle his company's brand. He told me Walmart made them sign a contract that Walmart would recieve a lower price from this manufacturer than anyone else.

Someone in billing at the local company messed up and sent the bill for Target (or Kmart I don't remember which) to Walmart. When Walmart discovered the other retailer was getting the same price Walmart cancelled the contract.

I'm not Walmart bashing but at least in those days they used their purchasing power to punish companies that didn't toe the line.