Wal-Mart experience - Page 3

Mr2005 · September 18, 2012, 11:29 AM

I buy the federal 9mm 100 round boxes for $19.97. I scored yesterday and found a walmart with 12 in stock. Picked up all of them and they gave me no grief. It's hit or miss with the talent and the stocking. I'm there for cheap ammo, if I can shoot the **** with an Employee about guns great.

From my talks with employees
1) they don't under order as someone stated above, the supply /distributor is hit or miss . Then in the case of the federal 9mm and .45 app, they have people buying bulk amounts and killing there stock as soon as it comes in.

2) another Walmart I hit keeps some ammo under the counter. They are only designated certain to stock, but at times their shipment comes in with random items and those don't get stocked. I have found some great stuff at that particular store by asking what's under the counter. That info came to me via chatting with an employee that knew guns.

iraiam · September 18, 2012, 12:09 PM

I doubt I will ever buy another firearm at Walmart. I bought a Remington 870 Express Magnum there several years ago, after I got the government stamp of approval and paid for it, they escorted me out of the store and gave me my disassembled shotgun in a box in the parking lot.

I haven't even looked at a firearm in Walmart since.

zincwarrior · September 18, 2012, 12:27 PM

Quote:

I doubt I will ever buy another firearm at Walmart. I bought a Remington 870 Express Magnum there several years ago, after I got the government stamp of approval and paid for it, they escorted me out of the store and gave me my disassembled shotgun in a box in the parking lot.

I haven't even looked at a firearm in Walmart since.

Sorry, Whats the issue?

**Tom Servo** · September 18, 2012, 01:07 PM

Quote:

after I got the government stamp of approval and paid for it,

Does WalMart do NFA stuff?

Rifleman1776 · September 19, 2012, 09:20 AM

Quote:

I doubt I will ever buy another firearm at Walmart. I bought a Remington 870 Express Magnum there several years ago, after I got the government stamp of approval and paid for it, they escorted me out of the store and gave me my disassembled shotgun in a box in the parking lot.

I haven't even looked at a firearm in Walmart since.

So? What's the problem? SOP for Wal-Mart.
BTW, that policy is not paranoia. It is common sense. In my town, at one time, we had a Western Auto Store. The owner sold a Win. 94 and some ammo to a guy. The 'customer' proceeded to load the rifle, shot the owner dead, walked out and drove away. He was caught but no motive of any kind was ever determined. Just a nut case. Store owner, good person, popular in the community was dead for no reason.
And you are upset with Wal-Mart for protecting it's employees and customers?

Why?
No, they do not do NFA.

Pahoo · September 19, 2012, 10:22 AM

Quote:

So? What's the problem? SOP for Wal-Mart.

Have never appreciated folks going into a restaurant or store and wanting to re-write their menu or procedures. My mother-in-law, does this all the time and we don't go out with them, very much. What I don't appreciate, is when they compromise their procedures, for others. ...

My Great-Great Grandparents came to this country, not to change the rules but instead to understand, accept and then get out of their way. ...

Be Safe !!!

zincwarrior · September 19, 2012, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Quote:
I doubt I will ever buy another firearm at Walmart. I bought a Remington 870 Express Magnum there several years ago, after I got the government stamp of approval and paid for it, they escorted me out of the store and gave me my disassembled shotgun in a box in the parking lot.

I haven't even looked at a firearm in Walmart since.

So? What's the problem? SOP for Wal-Mart.
BTW, that policy is not paranoia. It is common sense. In my town, at one time, we had a Western Auto Store. The owner sold a Win. 94 and some ammo to a guy. The 'customer' proceeded to load the rifle, shot the owner dead, walked out and drove away. He was caught but no motive of any kind was ever determined. Just a nut case. Store owner, good person, popular in the community was dead for no reason.
And you are upset with Wal-Mart for protecting it's employees and customers? Why?
No, they do not do NFA.

If the manager escorting you to the front is the issue, Academy does this as well, and I've seen it done at Gander Mountain as well. I've never found it to be an issue as usually the manager will bump in front of the line, or even open up a register, and I get out of there more quickly.

Peptobismol9 · September 19, 2012, 10:34 AM

I was shopping around for an AR, and stopped by Walmart for a gas jug and some drinks. I figured I would check the guns they have in stock. Well, I will never quite know what they have for sure. "What model AR is that?" "A .223"
"But who makes it" "Doesn't matter, they are all just dressed up M16s" "May I see it then?" "How old are you" "19". This is where he points up to a sign that says 18 to buy rifles, shotguns, or their ammo. 21 to buy pistols and pistol ammo. "Law says you can't." "But the sign says 18 to buy rifles." He shrugs. I walk away and come back. Another older gentleman is there. I ask if they have 7.62x39. Cause hell. I need some. They can't all be idiots. Guess again. This guy goes on to tell me the military buys all 7.62x39 and that it hasn't been around for years. I try to look at the rifle at this point and get the same response. Points to the sign. Doesn't read it. It was big and simple. Not anything you can really misread. They just never read it. And in my opinion that makes them MORONS. I don't expect anyone to be Einstein, but don't point at a sign and refuse me service, if you haven't even read the darned thing.

wayneinFL · September 19, 2012, 10:39 AM

The only way I could see Wal-mart staffing each department with knowledgeable employees without increasing their prices significantly is to:

1. Be more selective in hiring.
2. Increase training.
3. Change the culture.

Home Depot did a pretty good job of that in the past. Even so, they're not what they once were. It takes a lot of money, and that's difficult to do in discount retail with the tight margins. Also, bear in mind Home Depot is a hardware store not general mdse. like Wal-mart.

Beagle45ACP · September 19, 2012, 02:16 PM

Pepto - the reason that you can't buy an AR under the age of 21 (or so I've been informed by people more educated on the matter than a WM associate) is that while in it's current configuration it's a rifle, you can simply buy a new upper for it and convert into a "pistol", which you have to be 21 to purchase. I'm not sure if this is 100% accurate.
Next time, if the guy just asks for your age but no proof of ID (which I'm only half-surprised he didn't ask for in the first place), just tell him you're 21. After all, it is a WM associate that you're dealing with.

**Tom Servo** · September 19, 2012, 02:36 PM

Quote:

I'm not sure if this is 100% accurate.

It isn't. If it left the factory classified as a handgun (ie, with no stock), then the purchaser must be 21. Lower receivers are restricted to buyers 21 and over due to a recent ATF policy change.

However, a normal AR-15 is a rifle, which means that it can be purchased by someone 18 or older. Some retailers have their own policies restricting sales of "assault weapons" to purchasers over 21, but federal law just calls them all rifles.

Beagle45ACP · September 19, 2012, 07:33 PM

Thank you for that clarification Tom.

RangerHAAF · September 23, 2012, 07:28 AM

I remember about 8+ years ago I saw a nice over & under shotgun mispriced for about $350 dollars, I knew this was a serious mistake and bought it on the spot. About 1-2 weeks later I came back to do some shopping at the same store and the guy in the gun department told me that the gun should have been marked closer to $900 dollars as that was the cheapest O/U shotgun I'd ever seen.

I'm not sure but I think it was occurrences like that one to cause Wal-Mart to stop selling guns in their urban stores. When u get ignorant employees that don't have any basic product knowledge of firearms and u leave them unattended they can literally give away the whole store.

Oysterboy · September 23, 2012, 04:15 PM

I practically buy everything at Walmart because of good prices and good return policy, even food. I realize that the workers are underpaid, understaffed and overworked but I don't give them grief whatsoever. I think it paid off in the long run. I always greet them by name and give 'em a smile. They remember it that my shopping experiences is better.

I know what it's like to be in their shoes and I think they felt it. Of course there will be an AH or two in every store and the other workers and I know it.

Rifleman1776 · September 23, 2012, 05:38 PM

A smile and courtesty?
By golly, there are a few genuinely nice people left in this world.

45YearsShooting · September 23, 2012, 09:38 PM

I checked, and Wal-Mart changed it's name to Walmart in 2008. I guess I was behind the times.

jimpeel · September 24, 2012, 02:40 AM

That was also the time at which they abandoned the smiley face and adopted the "spark". I work there so I know the spelling change but I still spell it Wal-Mart most of the time.

September 18, 2012, 12:09 PM	#52
iraiam Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2012 Location: Lakewood, CO Posts: 1,057	I doubt I will ever buy another firearm at Walmart. I bought a Remington 870 Express Magnum there several years ago, after I got the government stamp of approval and paid for it, they escorted me out of the store and gave me my disassembled shotgun in a box in the parking lot. I haven't even looked at a firearm in Walmart since. __________________ NRA Lifetime Member Since 1999 "I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people except for a few public officials." George Mason

September 19, 2012, 02:16 PM	#60
Beagle45ACP Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2012 Location: IL, USA Posts: 163	Pepto - the reason that you can't buy an AR under the age of 21 (or so I've been informed by people more educated on the matter than a WM associate) is that while in it's current configuration it's a rifle, you can simply buy a new upper for it and convert into a "pistol", which you have to be 21 to purchase. I'm not sure if this is 100% accurate. Next time, if the guy just asks for your age but no proof of ID (which I'm only half-surprised he didn't ask for in the first place), just tell him you're 21. After all, it is a WM associate that you're dealing with. __________________ I have a mild interest in guns. Actually, I think the clinical term is "obsession," but that makes me sound like some kind of gun-nut. Which is fair, since I am. Wastin' away my future children's inheritance one box of ammo, range fee, and bottle of Hoppe's #9 at a time.

September 19, 2012, 07:33 PM	#62
Beagle45ACP Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2012 Location: IL, USA Posts: 163	Thank you for that clarification Tom. __________________ I have a mild interest in guns. Actually, I think the clinical term is "obsession," but that makes me sound like some kind of gun-nut. Which is fair, since I am. Wastin' away my future children's inheritance one box of ammo, range fee, and bottle of Hoppe's #9 at a time.

September 23, 2012, 07:28 AM	#63
RangerHAAF Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2007 Location: Decatur, GA Posts: 269	I remember about 8+ years ago I saw a nice over & under shotgun mispriced for about $350 dollars, I knew this was a serious mistake and bought it on the spot. About 1-2 weeks later I came back to do some shopping at the same store and the guy in the gun department told me that the gun should have been marked closer to $900 dollars as that was the cheapest O/U shotgun I'd ever seen. I'm not sure but I think it was occurrences like that one to cause Wal-Mart to stop selling guns in their urban stores. When u get ignorant employees that don't have any basic product knowledge of firearms and u leave them unattended they can literally give away the whole store. __________________ A Colt Python's trigger pull is as smooth, beautiful and artistic as a Sidewinder sliding on the desert floor. It is concepts like this that the anti-gunners can never comprehend and why we fight so hard to keep them. NRA Benefactor Life member

September 24, 2012, 02:40 AM	#67
jimpeel Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 1999 Location: Longmont, CO, USA Posts: 4,530	That was also the time at which they abandoned the smiley face and adopted the "spark". I work there so I know the spelling change but I still spell it Wal-Mart most of the time. __________________ Gun Control: The premise that a woman found in an alley, raped and strangled with her own pantyhose, is morally superior to allowing that same woman to defend her life with a firearm. "Science is built up with facts, as a house is with stones. But a collection of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house." - Jules Henri Poincare "Three thousand people died on Sept. 11 because eight pilots were killed" -- former Northwest Airlines pilot Stephen Luckey

September 18, 2012, 11:29 AM	#51
Mr2005 Member Join Date: April 30, 2012 Posts: 32	I buy the federal 9mm 100 round boxes for $19.97. I scored yesterday and found a walmart with 12 in stock. Picked up all of them and they gave me no grief. It's hit or miss with the talent and the stocking. I'm there for cheap ammo, if I can shoot the **** with an Employee about guns great. From my talks with employees 1) they don't under order as someone stated above, the supply /distributor is hit or miss . Then in the case of the federal 9mm and .45 app, they have people buying bulk amounts and killing there stock as soon as it comes in. 2) another Walmart I hit keeps some ammo under the counter. They are only designated certain to stock, but at times their shipment comes in with random items and those don't get stocked. I have found some great stuff at that particular store by asking what's under the counter. That info came to me via chatting with an employee that knew guns.

September 19, 2012, 10:34 AM	#58
Peptobismol9 Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2009 Posts: 137	I was shopping around for an AR, and stopped by Walmart for a gas jug and some drinks. I figured I would check the guns they have in stock. Well, I will never quite know what they have for sure. "What model AR is that?" "A .223" "But who makes it" "Doesn't matter, they are all just dressed up M16s" "May I see it then?" "How old are you" "19". This is where he points up to a sign that says 18 to buy rifles, shotguns, or their ammo. 21 to buy pistols and pistol ammo. "Law says you can't." "But the sign says 18 to buy rifles." He shrugs. I walk away and come back. Another older gentleman is there. I ask if they have 7.62x39. Cause hell. I need some. They can't all be idiots. Guess again. This guy goes on to tell me the military buys all 7.62x39 and that it hasn't been around for years. I try to look at the rifle at this point and get the same response. Points to the sign. Doesn't read it. It was big and simple. Not anything you can really misread. They just never read it. And in my opinion that makes them MORONS. I don't expect anyone to be Einstein, but don't point at a sign and refuse me service, if you haven't even read the darned thing.

September 19, 2012, 10:39 AM	#59
wayneinFL Senior Member Join Date: December 18, 2004 Posts: 1,944	The only way I could see Wal-mart staffing each department with knowledgeable employees without increasing their prices significantly is to: 1. Be more selective in hiring. 2. Increase training. 3. Change the culture. Home Depot did a pretty good job of that in the past. Even so, they're not what they once were. It takes a lot of money, and that's difficult to do in discount retail with the tight margins. Also, bear in mind Home Depot is a hardware store not general mdse. like Wal-mart.

September 23, 2012, 04:15 PM	#64
Oysterboy Senior Member Join Date: March 3, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 970	I practically buy everything at Walmart because of good prices and good return policy, even food. I realize that the workers are underpaid, understaffed and overworked but I don't give them grief whatsoever. I think it paid off in the long run. I always greet them by name and give 'em a smile. They remember it that my shopping experiences is better. I know what it's like to be in their shoes and I think they felt it. Of course there will be an AH or two in every store and the other workers and I know it.

September 23, 2012, 05:38 PM	#65
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	A smile and courtesty? By golly, there are a few genuinely nice people left in this world.

September 23, 2012, 09:38 PM	#66
45YearsShooting Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2012 Location: Colorado Posts: 105	I checked, and Wal-Mart changed it's name to Walmart in 2008. I guess I was behind the times.