Serious Concerns About WalMart's Gun Counter
- Thread starter Brasscatcher84
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I haven't heard of label switches at Wal-Mart. I have heard of manufacturers making runs of cheaper models that they only sell via Wal-Mart. The odds of finding a Weatherby of above entry level would be slim.
I have a Wal-Mart Remington 700ADL of a configuration that I'm pretty sure is not sold at regular gun shops. (Funny thing is, it shoots really well.)
Edit: This is not all that different, though, from other types of sporting goods at major chains. I scored a great deal on some Atomix skis at a big box sporting goods store, several years ago. That model wasn't sold at specialty ski shops. Worked quite well for what I wanted, though.
But Sears used to sell guns under different names, when they sold shotguns.
Edit: To clarify - Sears did NOT market, say, a Huglu as a Weatherby. But Sears would label a gun as a "Sears," whether it were built by Marlin, Mossberg, or Zoli.
2nd Edit: These days, I don't buy guns at W-M on principle. Back when I bought the rifle, I did so because it was the only one I could find that had iron sights on it, and I wanted them as backup to a scope.
I have a Wal-Mart Remington 700ADL of a configuration that I'm pretty sure is not sold at regular gun shops. (Funny thing is, it shoots really well.)
Edit: This is not all that different, though, from other types of sporting goods at major chains. I scored a great deal on some Atomix skis at a big box sporting goods store, several years ago. That model wasn't sold at specialty ski shops. Worked quite well for what I wanted, though.
But Sears used to sell guns under different names, when they sold shotguns.
Edit: To clarify - Sears did NOT market, say, a Huglu as a Weatherby. But Sears would label a gun as a "Sears," whether it were built by Marlin, Mossberg, or Zoli.
2nd Edit: These days, I don't buy guns at W-M on principle. Back when I bought the rifle, I did so because it was the only one I could find that had iron sights on it, and I wanted them as backup to a scope.
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oneounceload
Moderator
BTW, 38 Auto is NOT 380:
And if the gun owner doesn't know what 357 Sig means, he doesn't need to be handling one
And if the gun owner doesn't know what 357 Sig means, he doesn't need to be handling one
Glenn E. Meyer
New member
Went through the same thing at Wally's with some guy trying to understand the various 32's. Helped him out.
The employees who actually WORK the gun counter at the WM I go to actually do know what they're doing. Over the years I have figured out who they are. The trouble is many times a stocking employee or two will be back there, and to the average joe they would be the gun counter employees. In my experience they don't know what they're doing back there and don't even waste the effort of trying to pretend they do. You pretty much just point at what you want.
On a similar line, I've also found that many Bass Pro gun counter employees don't know what they're talking about where firearms are concerned. Maybe Walmart isn't the only one who needs to refine its hiring standards?
On a similar line, I've also found that many Bass Pro gun counter employees don't know what they're talking about where firearms are concerned. Maybe Walmart isn't the only one who needs to refine its hiring standards?
RPGamingGirl
New member
I'm far more comfortable with the idea of being forced to figure out what i need myself than being lulled into a false sense of security by gun counter employees who know just enough to pretend they can give me good advice and then lead me wrong (like their Electronics associates are so prone to doing). In other words, i don't think it's Wal-Mart's responsibility to provide knowledgeable associates for every product they sell--however, it would be nice if there was a disclaimer displayed prominently to warn people not to take their advice in lieu of a professional (or common sense). Because sometimes Wal-Mart employees know just enough to mess things up.
I have experience from the other side of the counter. If somebody had come in asking for .357 for their Glock, I would have been shocked. I didn't hear of .357 Sig until I saw one on a shelf a couple of years ago, and I didn't know Glock made a .357 Sig until last night when I read the first post.
Sometimes customers walked up and asked for "22 shells". I'd ask "short, long, long rifle, or magnum?" and half the time the customer was not sure. I knew they probably needed .22 LR, but what if they needed one of the others and I gave them the wrong ammo? All ammo sales are final, and I didn't want to send them home with the wrong ammo.
If the customer doesn't know what they need, you can blame the person behind the counter for giving them what the customer asks for.
Sometimes customers walked up and asked for "22 shells". I'd ask "short, long, long rifle, or magnum?" and half the time the customer was not sure. I knew they probably needed .22 LR, but what if they needed one of the others and I gave them the wrong ammo? All ammo sales are final, and I didn't want to send them home with the wrong ammo.
If the customer doesn't know what they need, you can blame the person behind the counter for giving them what the customer asks for.
Carry_24/7
New member
Helping out an inexperienced shooter/gun owner is the right thing to do, we're 2nd amendment advocates right? Good on the OP for stepping up.
I never saw Walmart post a sign stating, "Firearm expert on duty", but they do have sales associates (good luck in finding one though).
Walmart sells bug killer, do they have a certified pesticide applicator on duty 24/7? No.
Walmart sells a lot of things. How can anyone expect there to be an expert in every department, on every product, in a discount store? That's just not a reasonable expectation.
I never saw Walmart post a sign stating, "Firearm expert on duty", but they do have sales associates (good luck in finding one though).
Walmart sells bug killer, do they have a certified pesticide applicator on duty 24/7? No.
Walmart sells a lot of things. How can anyone expect there to be an expert in every department, on every product, in a discount store? That's just not a reasonable expectation.
Wal-Mart and any other big box store cannot be expected to have an "expert" in every department, all the time. (or at any time). Be happy you get the service you pay for. Like Costco and other places like that, you are expected to know what you want when you walk in, and all you need is direction on where to find it.
What is dissapointing (not scary, just dissapointing) is that the person (supposedly friend) did not instruct the buyer on the proper care and feeding of his new aquisition before he took possession.
Remember, even if you have been shooting and handling firearms for 60 years, you too were new and clueless at one time. And yes, I have been shooting and handling firearms for almost 60 years, and I did not know Glock made a model for the 357 Sig ( I am not a Glock man, nor do I consider myself an expert on every manufacturer's models)...however, I do know that .357 mag and .38 are revolver cartridges and the request for 38 auto would have rung alarm bells.
The best thing to do in this situation is to be friendly with the customer, and try to help as much as possible, even if that means suggesting the person go somewhere else for instruction first.
I have purchased ammo from Wal-Mart on occation and am very happy they carry it, but I know exactly what I want before I ever enter the store.
What is dissapointing (not scary, just dissapointing) is that the person (supposedly friend) did not instruct the buyer on the proper care and feeding of his new aquisition before he took possession.
Remember, even if you have been shooting and handling firearms for 60 years, you too were new and clueless at one time. And yes, I have been shooting and handling firearms for almost 60 years, and I did not know Glock made a model for the 357 Sig ( I am not a Glock man, nor do I consider myself an expert on every manufacturer's models)...however, I do know that .357 mag and .38 are revolver cartridges and the request for 38 auto would have rung alarm bells.
The best thing to do in this situation is to be friendly with the customer, and try to help as much as possible, even if that means suggesting the person go somewhere else for instruction first.
I have purchased ammo from Wal-Mart on occation and am very happy they carry it, but I know exactly what I want before I ever enter the store.
Brasscatcher84
Moderator
I am not a liar.
I normally would not add a post that didn't directly advance the discussion on the thread, but I have been called dishonest, and I must retort.
I will admit that my evidence for my assertion that Wal Mart's manufactured goods are produced by third parties is anecdotal, however, it is firsthand.
I live within 100 miles of Walmart's headquarters in Benton County, Arkansas. While I was in college, I did an internship there in the finance department, and shared an apartment with another intern who was in purchasing. He was the first to tell me that, while Wal Mart purchases directly from the labeled corporation, those companies subcontract the actual production for the Wal Mart orders to third parties, and the third party producers ship directly to Wal Mart. This is pretty common in business. It's called external sourcing. Wal Mart also gets special run items that are not offered in other retail outlets, so that they don't have to worry about price matching those items. I also have friends who work as account managers for various manufacturers and who liase with Wal Mart. They all tell me that the externally sourced and special run items are par for the course when dealing with Wal Mart. Wal Mart is the biggest retailer in the world, and can pretty much set their own conditions.
For additional evidence, I offer the fact that the last firearm I purchased from Wal MArt was a single shot 12 gauge manufactured under Remington's Spartan Brand. Stamped right on the box was the fact that the gun was manufactured at the Baikal factory in Russia. The Baikal factory is one of the largest third party firearms manufacturers in the world.
I am not a Wal Mart hater, nor am I a liar. For those who have implied that I am, I ask you to provide any evidence that I am lying. Otherwise, keep your half-a$$ed opinions to yourself.
I normally would not add a post that didn't directly advance the discussion on the thread, but I have been called dishonest, and I must retort.
I will admit that my evidence for my assertion that Wal Mart's manufactured goods are produced by third parties is anecdotal, however, it is firsthand.
I live within 100 miles of Walmart's headquarters in Benton County, Arkansas. While I was in college, I did an internship there in the finance department, and shared an apartment with another intern who was in purchasing. He was the first to tell me that, while Wal Mart purchases directly from the labeled corporation, those companies subcontract the actual production for the Wal Mart orders to third parties, and the third party producers ship directly to Wal Mart. This is pretty common in business. It's called external sourcing. Wal Mart also gets special run items that are not offered in other retail outlets, so that they don't have to worry about price matching those items. I also have friends who work as account managers for various manufacturers and who liase with Wal Mart. They all tell me that the externally sourced and special run items are par for the course when dealing with Wal Mart. Wal Mart is the biggest retailer in the world, and can pretty much set their own conditions.
For additional evidence, I offer the fact that the last firearm I purchased from Wal MArt was a single shot 12 gauge manufactured under Remington's Spartan Brand. Stamped right on the box was the fact that the gun was manufactured at the Baikal factory in Russia. The Baikal factory is one of the largest third party firearms manufacturers in the world.
I am not a Wal Mart hater, nor am I a liar. For those who have implied that I am, I ask you to provide any evidence that I am lying. Otherwise, keep your half-a$$ed opinions to yourself.
Aguila Blanca
Staff
To (perhaps) put this in perspective, several years ago while having my Jeep Cherokee serviced at a Jeep dealership (which was itself a serious mistake, but that's another story) I wandered into the showroom to see if the new Cherokee models (yes, this was awhile ago) offered anything to entice me out of "old faithful." Now, an automobile salesperson only sells automobiles. He's not in Sporting Goods on Monday, toys on Tuesday, white goods on Wednesday, and men's clothing on Friday. He only sells cars -- and only the brand of cars offered by the dealership.
So a sales drone approached me and, after I had explained that I was really there for service and was only kicking tires to fill time, naturally proceeded to try to sell me a new Jeep even though I had made it clear I wasn't in a buying mode. I almost lost it when he started talking about how such-and-such model came with "owl" tires. I didn't understand what he was talking about until I got home and read the brochure.
Yes, he pronounced it "owl," like the bird. So, since Jeep has in the past used Goodyear Eagle tires, I innocently thought perhaps Goodyear had a new tire named after a different bird.
Nope. The catalog showed the optional tire as OWL ==> "Outline White Letter."
You can be assured that even if I had been interested in buying a new Jeep, I would NOT have bought it from a sales dork who didn't even know what tires came on the vehicles he was selling.
It ain't just the Walmartians at the sporting goods counter.
So a sales drone approached me and, after I had explained that I was really there for service and was only kicking tires to fill time, naturally proceeded to try to sell me a new Jeep even though I had made it clear I wasn't in a buying mode. I almost lost it when he started talking about how such-and-such model came with "owl" tires. I didn't understand what he was talking about until I got home and read the brochure.
Yes, he pronounced it "owl," like the bird. So, since Jeep has in the past used Goodyear Eagle tires, I innocently thought perhaps Goodyear had a new tire named after a different bird.
Nope. The catalog showed the optional tire as OWL ==> "Outline White Letter."
You can be assured that even if I had been interested in buying a new Jeep, I would NOT have bought it from a sales dork who didn't even know what tires came on the vehicles he was selling.
It ain't just the Walmartians at the sporting goods counter.
spacecoast
New member
Why should I expect Wal-Mart to have a list of oil/air filters by year, car and engine? Is it their responsibility to know what the car's owner doesn't know?
Of course not, but it's a matter of convenience and good customer service. There are indeed folks who walk into Wal-Mart without a clue of what they should buy, I have run into a number of them at the range and it makes them very frustrated to know they spend 50 bucks on the wrong ammo (which by the way normally cannot be returned).
There was another thread that asked about all writing on the guns. Now I know why some of them say "Read owner's manual". It's because of some people don't know what kind of ammo their guns take. Sometimes we give people too much credit, that they're not ignorant.
I always have to go find someone to work the counter at the sporting goods section at Wally World. Last time I went to buy a migratory bird stamp for dove, it took 3 "associates" to figure it out. I didn't ask them to decipher the dead sea scrolls. Just do their job...adaquately. They were like monkeys doing a math problem.
So to ask them to help for anything gun related is out of the question.
I always have to go find someone to work the counter at the sporting goods section at Wally World. Last time I went to buy a migratory bird stamp for dove, it took 3 "associates" to figure it out. I didn't ask them to decipher the dead sea scrolls. Just do their job...adaquately. They were like monkeys doing a math problem.
So to ask them to help for anything gun related is out of the question.
gearchecker
New member
Rebuttal to a couple of posts.
Comment from Twins:
In a free America, every citizen will be able to own and carry the firearm(s) of their choice.
The 2nd Amendmant doesn't say anything about a test, or other qualification to own their firearms.
I'm not willing to give up my rights (all of them, not just my 2A gun rights), and neither should any other citizen of this country.
In response to Brasscatcher84's comments about Walmart selling off-market manufactured firearms.
Your statement is absolutly incorrect.
The manufacturers may build firearms specifically to the specifications stated in the contract with Walmart, but there is no way a gun manufacturer will put their licenses and reputation on the line over sub-standard products...Especially a sub-standard firearm.
For the record, you can find nearly any model of rifle that's listed in the Walmart firearms catalog and order them from any other gun dealer in the country. They'll deliver to you exactly the same product, right down to the same scope in the kit if that's what you want to buy.
The Walmart gun catalog is huge with thousands of rifles and handguns available to any qualifying buyer in the entire country. Walmart is the largest gun dealer in the world. You might not be able to buy a gun directly from your local store, but you can order any gun you want and have it shipped to your FFL of choice 24/7/365.
Walmart has some of the best gun pricing around, and they'll match the price of any local competitor too.
And for the record, I'm not a fan of Walmart either. I only shop there when I can't get the item I need locally, or within the time frame I need the products for whatever I'm working on.
~gearchecker~
Comment from Twins:
In a free America, every citizen will be able to own and carry the firearm(s) of their choice.
The 2nd Amendmant doesn't say anything about a test, or other qualification to own their firearms.
I'm not willing to give up my rights (all of them, not just my 2A gun rights), and neither should any other citizen of this country.
In response to Brasscatcher84's comments about Walmart selling off-market manufactured firearms.
Your statement is absolutly incorrect.
The manufacturers may build firearms specifically to the specifications stated in the contract with Walmart, but there is no way a gun manufacturer will put their licenses and reputation on the line over sub-standard products...Especially a sub-standard firearm.
For the record, you can find nearly any model of rifle that's listed in the Walmart firearms catalog and order them from any other gun dealer in the country. They'll deliver to you exactly the same product, right down to the same scope in the kit if that's what you want to buy.
The Walmart gun catalog is huge with thousands of rifles and handguns available to any qualifying buyer in the entire country. Walmart is the largest gun dealer in the world. You might not be able to buy a gun directly from your local store, but you can order any gun you want and have it shipped to your FFL of choice 24/7/365.
Walmart has some of the best gun pricing around, and they'll match the price of any local competitor too.
And for the record, I'm not a fan of Walmart either. I only shop there when I can't get the item I need locally, or within the time frame I need the products for whatever I'm working on.
~gearchecker~
TexasAngus
Inactive
Okay, regardless of the story about your internship, I'm gonna have to correct you on this statement.
For a time, Remington imported various Baikal shotguns and rifles under their "Spartan Gunworks" brand. These guns were ALL manufactured in Russia at the Baikal factory, not just the ones sold at Walmart. I had one that I bought brand new at my LGS, and it was exactly the same as the ones sold at Walmart, made in the same factory.
As for Baikal being a third party manufacturer, I'm not aware of any other instances of Baikal firearms being re-branded and sold under other names. Nowadays they're just marketed under the Baikal brand name.
TheNocturnus
New member
That might explain why these .40 caliber rounds from my Glock 22 won't fit in my H&R .22LR revolver... gosh darnit! I thought the 22 on my Glock meant any rounds it can hold will work in any gun with a 22 on it. Derp...
Well our WalMart finally redesigned the store and took all the ammo from under the counter and put it in a nice big case on the asile where I can see everything now.
If you don't know what you want when you go into a store then you have a problem. I have been in a guns store where people didn't know what they wanted.
If you don't know what you want when you go into a store then you have a problem. I have been in a guns store where people didn't know what they wanted.
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