Why I Stopped Buying Ammo At WalMart

[Mike1234567]

I made my last ammo run to Walmart yesterday.

I'm currently in the process of increasing my cache of .243 Win. There were just two lonely boxes in the case. I stood in line for ten minutes and the guy was still dealing with the same customer as when I first arrived. Since there were three additional people ahead of me I just left. The $3-5 saved wasn't worth it to me.

IMHO, since I buy in fairly large quantities online, the money saved at WorthlessWorld isn't enough to put up with limited availability, having to track down help, and the very few boxes available.

It's online for me from now.

 

[W.E.G.]

To heck with Walmart and the beef jerky they rode in on.

 

[Tallinar]

I'm confused. So you won't buy ammo there anymore because you had to wait in line for awhile one time? Is that the only charge?

The only ammo I buy from Walmart is the occasional .45 ACP Winchester White Box FMJ. Can't really beat the price.

 

[Tirod]

Those personal preferences work for you. What's funny is that the same or worse happens across the building at the pharmacy counter, and people put up with it. It makes no sense, because a local Rx would charge exactly the same under insurance.

Maybe the problem is less Walmart as it it "Boxmart." Shopping in a retail large chain store with multiple departments isn't quick and easy. As above, I can get in and out of the local pharmacy in less time than it takes to find a parking spot, walk across an immense lot, traverse the store, wait in line, and then finally get service.

Cheap prices also mean getting treated like cattle, the SNL skit about "Trough and Brew" comes to mind.

Walmart has been intimately aware of losing money when they cut back on firearms and ammo sales, and is replacing the items to pick up sales in what they call "heritage items." Don't be surprised if a month from now you find a bigger case, and reloading supplies to boot. It varies from store to store by the managers' preference, by and large, more sales is what they prefer.

For me, the Fudd ammo on the shelf is ok for those guns, my latest AR is 6.8SPC, and I have no expectation of getting it anywhere but the internet - especially after a tornado blew away the Academy. The cost savings to match cheap shelf ammo is Pallet Pricing, or reloading. I'm thinking Lee turret press - for the price of a pallet, I can reload cases for years.

 

[blue_ridge]

I have some similar history with Walmart. About ten years ago I went into the Sporting Goods section at Walmart and wanted to purchase something locked in a glass display case. There was no Walmart people anywhere within ten aisles, so I pushed the Call button. About 5 minutes later an employee wandered by and asked if I had called for help. I said, yes I did, could you please open the display case for me? They told me they could not because they didn't have a key. They told me they would call someone to help me. About 10 minutes later, someone else came by and we repeated the whole conversation again, ending with the same statement, they didn't have a key, but would call someone who did. Another ten minutes later, a manager came by, seemed a little miffed that no one had helped me yet, but then to my astonishment, told me he didn't have a key either and would go find someone to help me. I waited another 5 minutes and then left.

All told, I spent over 30 minutes and never got anyone to perform the simple task of retrieving a product for me so i could purchase it!

I swore I would never spend a dollar in Walmart again and I didn't enter a Walmart for 7 years. Then, right before my wedding I decided I wanted buy some nice pocket knives for my three groomsmen. All the places I looked on the internet either didn't have them in stock or only had one or two in stock. i needed three knives. So, Walmart.com showed they carried these knives. I decided, because time was short and the wedding was important enough to break my anti-Walmart stance, that I would go to Walmart locally and see if they had the knives in stock. I went to the sporting goods department and waited in line behind two other people. Well, after ten minutes of waiting i realized the one person being helped was returning something and the clerk evidently was having difficulty with the computer to handle the return. Another ten minutes pass and two Walmart employees wander by and ask the one clerk if he needed help. Duh! There's a line of 5 customers standing there for 15-20 minutes. Yes we need help! But the employees gabbed for a second and left. I could have gone and complained. i could have demanded someone take care of the customers in line while this clerk was fiddling around with the return. But I just stewed and left Walmart. I haven't been back since. Am still kicking myself for attempting to give them my business once more.

Do yourself a favor. Go find your local shops that have knowledgeable people. The reason they charge more for things is because they deserve it. They know something about their products and will usually take care of their customers. Seek those businesses out and remain loyal to them. You won't regret it.

 

[longdayjake]

Save yourself the headache and the prices by getting into reloading.

 

[jcwit]

Regarding waiting at Wal-Mart, I wonder how one handles waiting at the Dr.'s office?

 

[strmday]

I'm with blue_ridge... I can never find people to open the case for me. I wave my arms wildly at the security camera, walk behind the counter poking through stuff... Nobody seems to care.
Walk down to paint or automotive, always the same "we will have to find someone with a key."
I'm impatient and I won't waste 15 minutes of my time waiting for someone to open the case and take my money. I don't think the savings are that good.

 

[Mike1234567]

I'm confused. So you won't buy ammo there anymore because you had to wait in line for awhile one time? Is that the only charge?

Not at all. I'm not THAT impatient. That was just the latest time... the LAST time.

I've been to MANY Walmart stores MANY times and it's always the same experience. Most of the time they either don't have the ammo I'm looking for (just common stuff) or they only have a couple boxes. There's almost never an employee to be found and it takes awhile to get them there. Even if an employee is already there it's because they're helping other customers and it usually takes a VERY long time for each customer. Walmart is so concerned about saving some cash that the employees pull double-duty working in multiple departments, e.g. Paint plus Sporting Goods.

In the last couple of months I'll bet I've waisted an entire day plus a tank of gas driving/shopping/waiting and this probably saved me less than $100. Frankly, I'd rather spend that $100 for slightly higher online prices/shipping to save me the hassles.

At my age I just don't need the frustration and ordering online eliminates those annoyances.

 

[docnyt]

Similar experience here. I also hate their 6 box limit. If it was a hunting ammo issue, then they should order the expected amount based on previous years' sales. But limiting handgun ammo doesn't make sense if profit is the goal. But that's another story.

 

[Mike1234567]

Regarding waiting at Wal-Mart, I wonder how one handles waiting at the Dr.'s office?

Seldom do I wait longer than ten minutes at my doctor's office and a medical visit costs far more than a box or two of ammo.

 

[barnetmill]

I regularly buy at Walmart most things that I need. If I am already there I will look at the ammo shelf. Normally the wait is not that long. The largest nearby pawn and gun charges out the wazoo for ammo and every employee there is a chain smoker. I also buy at the local sports academy chain store that is often a longer wait.
My big buys are from ammoman on the net.

 

[rbernie]

Vendor ratings go in the appropriate Trading Post forum. Oh, and remember that everyone is free to shop wherever they want, so long as y'all don't use THR's discussion forums to seek validation for your decisions.