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Post by birddog on Jan 2, 2008 15:54:21 GMT -5
Just wondering as I see many post of people going to and buying from Wal-Mart...WHY?
Because they're maybe a little bit cheaper in cost??
I preferr to still pay a bit more and buy from a sporting goods store in the area,sure you might pay a bit more but at least you can talk to someone that has some knowledge about hunting/fishing/trapping plus the money they take in keeps them open a bit longer..at Wal-Mart I doubt if the "lady" at the counter knows anything about what you need anyhow.
Shop your local merchants...these people need our support more than ever!!!!!!
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Post by raporter on Jan 2, 2008 16:34:01 GMT -5
Good post Bird dog. I always prefer going to the local sporting goods places for my outdoor needs. Can't even imagine buying a bow at Wally World.
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Post by Old Ironsights on Jan 2, 2008 16:35:15 GMT -5
I am a "Tactical" Wal Mart shopper.
I will shop there for those "loss leader" items that I KNOW they are taking a beating on to draw in the rubes, but refuse to buy anything else.
I want every purchase I make there to COST them money.
Outside of that, I agree - to the extent I am able. Not many "real" mom & pop joints any more.
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Post by Hoosier Hunter on Jan 2, 2008 16:54:24 GMT -5
For some us that's all we got. We got nothing in this county for sporting goods.
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Post by TagTeamHunter on Jan 2, 2008 17:14:10 GMT -5
For some us that's all we got. We got nothing in this county for sporting goods. Yup. For hunting supplies it's Wal-mart, Dicks, or Gander Mountain. I try to support the local shops but not any around that I know of. |
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Post by indianahick on Jan 2, 2008 17:37:09 GMT -5
Lets see Terre Haute. Archery Shops- 2 I believe, One way up north in Vigo county and one somewhere in the mid south. Gun shops, one I am sure of, maybe a second. Sporting goods, Gander and maybe one real old one. Bottom line is if Gander doesn't have it or it is to costly go to Wally. As for the one sporting, last time I was in there it was okay to buy bait out of but most of the stock was left over from the 70's; and they carried not clothing. Just old fishing gear. Well there is Rural King also, they carry a good variety of stands and decent camo too. As for Archery you got 3 Lone Elk, Gander or the new one. Firearms- Gander or Wally, Patriot.
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Post by hornharvester on Jan 2, 2008 17:39:56 GMT -5
Ive supported several local sporting goods stores over the years and they all went under at one time or another. Right now one of them is for sale if someone is interested. I buy where the price is cheapest but most of the time I order off the internet. h.h.
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Post by Sasquatch on Jan 2, 2008 18:14:28 GMT -5
Believe me, I'm no fan of every Wal-Mart policy.... if you think it sucks to shop there, you ought to work there.
It just makes sense to buy treestands there if they are 75% off or what have you.
I agree we should patronize local stores. I used to drive 50 miles to support one, because there wasn't a decent archery shop closer than that to where I used to live.
Of course, sometimes shops kill themselves with poor service. One large, well established shop near madison recently replaced a limb for me. When I got home, I discovered that the new limb was cranked all the way down and one was set 20 lbs lower. That could potentially damage the bow. They put my peep in bass akwards to boot. They also don't have common aluminum shafts in stock. I remember one idiot at a shop I still haven't been back to since literally argued with me over what type of accessories I wanted on my bow.
The only way little shops can survive is Service. Polite, knowledgeable service. Such shops are a breath of fresh air!
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Post by danf on Jan 2, 2008 21:11:45 GMT -5
I'll second the fact that there is not much else to choose from in this county. For decent selection on *anything* I've either got to open up a Cabela's catalog, or drive an hour to Sportsmans Warehouse.
Yeah, I'll go to one shop occasionally for bait, or to look at guns (don't have money to buy...), and another for bait, licenses, ammo, etc., but neither one has hardly anything for cammo's or much else. Archery stuff, Wally generally only gets my business if it's clearanced.
Short and sweet- it's hard to shop anywhere other than Wally if there's not much out there that you want....
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Post by mrfixit on Jan 3, 2008 6:01:43 GMT -5
I haven't graced the doors of a Walmart in years, since they quit selling American made items. Selling products made in the USA is what made Sam rich. Unfortunately, he got old and retired and suddenly it became about corporate greed and making lots of money off of name brand imported goods {some forced to move factories overseas by Walmart} made in sweat shops using legalized slave labor in third world countries. If the only place I can get something is a Walmart then this old fat man don't need it. There is a few other huge chains and name brands on the list and a couple more soon to be added. If we can't make a mental decision to protect American jobs and the dollar and stick with it then we as a country deserve what's coming and it's coming, sooner than we think.
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Post by cambygsp on Jan 3, 2008 6:48:41 GMT -5
I watched a 2 hour special about Wal-Mart on the History Channel a few weeks back, I learned a few things I didn't know and verified a few things I already knew. Bottom line is the fact that Wal-Mart is about the biggest corporation in America. Their company motto/goal is to take the cost out of doing business and the customer is KING! They interviewed a few folks who do business with Wal-Mart, some had nothing but positives and some were pretty negitive. One fella who made dolls said that he took his manufacturing "overseas" and trippled his profits. Another fella said that Wal-Mart told him that if he couldnt get it made in the USA at an acceptable cost that he could either take his manufacturing overseas to reduce costs or Wal-Mart would find a different supplier. He refused to go overseas, Wal-Mart quit ordering from him and he closed his business 6 months later. They questioned the Wal-Mart CEO about the flack the company gets in certian communities when they plan on building a new store, and why would the company want to build in a community that don't want them. His response was that when these stores do get opened up, they set record sales, so did the community really not want them? Why are we setting sales records in these stores if we wern't wanted? The CEO also said that Wal-Mart plans on building 70-100 new stores a year from now till  ?.......he said their expansion is unlimited, they don't see an end to it! With all that said, we are getting a new Wal-Mart store in Camby, it should be open in the spring of 2008.....my wife can't wait!!!!! |
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Post by kevin1 on Jan 3, 2008 7:49:07 GMT -5
I've never understood all of the animosity some folks feel for Wal-Mart, in point of fact they're the perfect business model for a capitalist society like ours. That's right snobbies, we're a capitalist society, not communist. Any business that can start with nothing and eventually build itself into the largest retailer on earth is to be admired, not despised. Poor ol' Mom and Pop, mean old Wally World done run them out of business! Horse hockey! Lack of ability to compete successfully ran them out, that's how things work in a capitalist market. Every business, regardless of it's size, has only two real goals:
1) to survive.
2) to profit.
Any business that doesn't acheive both goals is doomed to fail. I have yet to see a Wal-Mart that isn't surrounded by smaller businesses, nearly all of whom are thriving from the foot traffic generated by that very same Wal-Mart. Their secret? They don't try to compete with Wal-Mart, they sell things that Wal-Mart doesn't. I'm not stupid enough to walk into Wally World and expect great service for the simple reason that they aren't set up for that, they're a discounter, not a pro shop. But if I saw a Summit Open Shot there for half of what Bass Pro Shops is asking you can bet that I'll buy it there. Newsflash for the anti Chinese made crap people, better look around at the businesses you do patronize, because they probably stock the same things at higher prices.
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Post by birddog on Jan 3, 2008 7:55:15 GMT -5
Why are we setting sales records in these stores if we wern't wanted?
cambygsp..one reason is I think most of society has given up on the AMERICAN way of life,so they just go out and buy all this foriegn made junk made in places like China,India,Pakistan..hell man what ever was wrong with items made in Milwaukee,Chicago,LA or even your local home town..nothing wrong with those items at all ..unless you're one against the American citizen owning,buying,selling AMERICNA MADE!!!!
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Post by birddog on Jan 3, 2008 8:02:05 GMT -5
Poor ol' Mom and Pop, mean old Wally World done run them out of business! Horse hockey! Lack of ability to compete successfully ran them out, that's how things work in a capitalist market.
To the above I say the only reason they went out of business is the fact that they were selling AMERCIAN MADE items in their stores and then along came Wal-Mart selling all this foriegn crap at a "cheap" price and they couldn't compete with the cheap prices nor buy at the volume that Wal-Mart does to make a descent living thus they went out of business.
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Post by chicobrownbear on Jan 3, 2008 8:16:59 GMT -5
Most people don't have a choice in my town. Wal Mart moved in and put a bunch of people out of business. Then they expanded with the grocery section, putting more out of business, then they put in a gas station to get a piece of that pie. They tried a Krispy Kreme in there, but our local Mom & Pop Donut shop has THE BEST DONUTS IN THE STATE period. They couldn't compete. You are at least 20 miles away from anything else, and many people just can't afford to drive elsewhere.
Like OI, I buy things there that are going to cost them money. Most people aren't wise to the loss leader concept. You now also have to wait out the red tags. They will lower the price a few cents and print it on a red tag as they have conditioned people to not even look at the price with the color. I buy my broadheads and most of my waterfowl loads there after season, and then I clean them out after I know they are taking a hit.
We are on a two to three week grocery cycle, the vast majority of our consumables come from ALDI (great quality, awesome prices, but German owned). THere are a scant few specialty items that Whole Foods gets the nod for. They provide all of their employees with health insurance, but it is expensive to shop there.
It is pretty much impossible to buy electronics or athletic shoes that are American made.
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Jan 3, 2008 10:06:01 GMT -5
I try to purchase as much as possible from our local Rural King.
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Post by firstwd on Jan 3, 2008 14:10:42 GMT -5
I have a question for those who have been shouting "Buy American Made". Do each of you drive a Honda or Toyota vehicle, or do you pick one of the big three with the greatest percentage of components from the US.
I understand the aggravation of "seeing" jobs lost to oversees manufacturers, but the world is not a bunch of separate countries any more. The US gave up it's self sufficiency a long time ago. For us to continue living the lives this country has chosen, we must depend on the rest of the world. China is starting to feel the globalization effect as well. They are starting to lose jobs to new emerging markets with cheaper labor.
The only way to truly have American made products on an equal scale as the rest of the world would be to have a wold economy (world dollar) where the only comparable value is the quality of the work and cost of shipping. With labor costs else where being 1/10th of the US labor cost, the price of shipping is no longer an issue.
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Post by indianahick on Jan 3, 2008 14:39:11 GMT -5
I believe that it was RCA televisions that were being built in Indiana; (Linton, Jasonville?) back in the 50's, 60's until they went to Mexico in the late 60's, maybe. Browning sent their firearms to Japan way back in the 60's or 70's. Lots of companies followed suite and moved out of the U.S.. Why? My guess is simply high cost of manufacture. What caused it? Greed, desire for higher profits, to many Union rules and high wages for workers that did not try to meet production quota's. Chances are all of them to some extent, with the union pay scale and benefits leading the way. For the record I worked in a non union shop. Wal-Mart buys from overseas, guess what so does Rural King, Gander Mountain, (just check and see where most of the cloths and rods and reels are made, not to mention firearms). There are many well made products made here in America, most cost more than those made else where. Why is that? Maybe that is one area that needs to be addressed as to where goods are manufactured, maybe another is in the idea that the bottom line is how much profit and bonuses are really needed by the head of a company. Since I am one of those who's income is fairly fixed I will continue to purchase my goods where I can get the best for my buck and at a reasonable price. That may mean that I have to buy from Wal-Mart, Rural King and not from Joe's quality sports.
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Post by birddog on Jan 3, 2008 15:22:44 GMT -5
Me..I drive one of the big three..always have and always will,buy a new one every 2-1/2 years.
I'm a buyer for a major company and I know just how much our products are made over seas,but here I can actually say that of the hundreds of items I'm responsable to purchase..only one..that's ONE comes from Japan and it was bought there for years before I came here and that was over 20 years ago.Why..well have had several companies come in and look at this item..actually it's a motor and yet to this day no one can build the exact motor and hold it's noise level down at the cost I buy it from Japan for...but that's one item out of hundreds!!!!
American Made is still out there,but you got to be ready to pay the cost it sells for..but then again...you get what you pay for..BUY AMERICAN!!!!
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Post by Old Ironsights on Jan 3, 2008 16:25:24 GMT -5
Unless your "American" car is made in Mexico or your Toyota made in Indiana.....
Funny how those things work.
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