Wally World out of the gun business?

[The Annoyed Man]

I went into the locaal Wally World to buy SWMBO her favorite peanut butter (Don't ask).  For those who care, it;s in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, just outside of Columbus.   Took a detour through sporting goods to eyeball guns and ammo.  Well, there are no guns.  Gun cases are gone.  Ammo is limited to a couple of dozen boxes of shotgun shells and .22 ammo.  Even the knife display case has been replaced by a cardboard poster showing photos of the knives.

Did I miss something?  Has Wally World given up on guns and ammo?  Granted, there were dozens of airsoft and paintball guns, about half dozen air guns.  But no "real" rifles or shotguns.  And, it's not a local law/ordinance thing, because I can go across the street to Gander Mountain and buy an EBR/M4gery if I want.  Anyone know what's up?  Didn't buy much there, but the ammo prices used to be pretty good.

[The Annoyed Man]

Walmart has been inching out of the gun business by location.  The locations that didn't move much gun related product no longer carry much other than some small amounts of ammo (and some don't even have that).  Around here there is only 1 Walmart in Miami-Dade county and 1 in Broward county that carry guns.  Most of the local stores have a small amount of ammo.  Only a few of those stores with ammo have targets and/or cleaning supplies.  Ammo selection is spotty and I sometimes have to take a decent drive south to get my boxes of Rem UMC 250 packs.  I think with gas prices though it might be worth just paying a few bucks extra at Outdoor World now.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Walmart's business model is to price their goods with a really low margin and then sell them at a ridiculously high volume.  Gun sales aren't high volume.

[cosine]

The local Walmart here removed their gun case several years ago. They still sell ammo though.

[freakazoid]

I've noticed this too. Went into one Wal-Mart and went to the sporting goods just to see what they had and they didn't have any guns, only some ammo. Although the one here still has there usual small selection of shotguns and rifles.

[mtnbkr]

One of the WMs near me got rid of the guns, but still sells ammo, uncontrolled like any other commodity (check your boxes before paying).  The other one, on the other side of town, still sells guns.

I've purchased exactly one gun from WM ever.  Manassas is blessed with having two good gunshops.  NoVa in general has several average to good shops (and we get a bunch of gunshows as well).

Chris

[BlueStarLizzard]

c-ville wally world still has guns and ammo. i have a feeling that if they tryed to pull it off the shelves their would be major out cry. we only have one gun shop in town and they generally charge about $4 more for WWB then wally world.

everytime i go in there, there's at least one person buying a gun and several people trying to get ammo. and during hunting season, its a zoo.

[HankB]

we only have one gun shop in town and they generally charge about $4 more for WWB then wally world.

And they probably get THEIR inventory from wally world . . .

Stores like Wally World generally stock "basic" firearms - say a Remington 870 "Express" or a Winchester 94 in .30/30, .30/06, .270, and .308 rifles from both companies (usually in the cheapest version) and maybe a couple variations of 10/22. Sometimes a Savage 110 or a Mossberg would sneak into the gun case . . .

Nothing wrong with these, they're functional, very common, and not very expensive.

But if your tastes are just a bit more eclectic, odds are you were out of luck with most Wally World offerings.

[Perd Hapley]

Chris, you don't visit THR much, do you?     Every few weeks, someone sees the same thing you did, then starts a thread that Wal-Mart doesn't sell guns no more!!  Not in any of their stores!!    Like others said above, some locations sell guns; some don't.

[mtnbkr]

Because I have a kid and travel fairly often, I get to see the inside of a lot of WMs.  It's pretty obvious to me that this is a marketing decision based on sales.

At least for now...

Chris

[BlueStarLizzard]

we only have one gun shop in town and they generally charge about $4 more for WWB then wally world.

And they probably get THEIR inventory from wally world . . .

Stores like Wally World generally stock "basic" firearms - say a Remington 870 "Express" or a Winchester 94 in .30/30, .30/06, .270, and .308 rifles from both companies (usually in the cheapest version) and maybe a couple variations of 10/22. Sometimes a Savage 110 or a Mossberg would sneak into the gun case . . .

Nothing wrong with these, they're functional, very common, and not very expensive.

But if your tastes are just a bit more eclectic, odds are you were out of luck with most Wally World offerings.

but it serves a purpose. my dad got me two guns from wally world. a new englander single shot 4/10 and a 10/22. those two firearms were bought as basics. most of our collection was definatly not bought at wally world. but if they carry the gun you want, you might as well buy it there. its no different then the same model at the gun store.

[Perd Hapley]

if they carry the gun you want, you might as well buy it there. its no different then the same model at the gun store.

Money spent at a gun store is much more likely to be donated to NRA-ILA, and other political groups that preserve your RKBA.  Money spent at a gun store keeps that store alive, so it can continue to sell you the guns and accessories you can't buy at Wal-Mart.  Not to mention that Wal-Mart doesn't do a lot of gun-smithing and probably isn't a good source of info on where to find ranges, instruction, CCW classes, etc. 

[El Tejon]

With the exception of a last minute gift for my father (a stainless 10/22), I've always purchased guns locally, and thought globally.

I buy ammo at Wal-Mart, especially .22 which I buy 2 or 3 cases at a time.  Wal-Marts near me still sell guns.  I think THR needs a Wal-Mart sub-forum as 57% of its threads are split between Wal-Mart or Heller and machine guns.

[Manedwolf]

With the exception of a last minute gift for my father (a stainless 10/22), I've always purchased guns locally, and thought globally.

I buy ammo at Wal-Mart, especially .22 which I buy 2 or 3 cases at a time.  Wal-Marts near me still sell guns.  I think THR needs a Wal-Mart sub-forum as 57% of its threads are split between Wal-Mart or Heller and machine guns.

Heller tried to buy a machine gun at Wal-Mart?

[The Annoyed Man]

Chris, you don't visit THR much, do you?     Every few weeks, someone sees the same thing you did, then starts a thread that Wal-Mart doesn't sell guns no more!!  Not in any of their stores!!    Like others said above, some locations sell guns; some don't.

I spend plenty of time around here.  It's just that I rarely go to Wal-Mart, so I tend to skip the Wl-Mart threads.  Only reason I go there now is that they are the only store that carries Peter Pan reduced Fat Peanut Butter, which is the wife's favorite.  Generally, I don't care for the store.

[mtnbkr]

Chris, you don't visit THR much, do you?     Every few weeks, someone sees the same thing you did, then starts a thread that Wal-Mart doesn't sell guns no more!!  Not in any of their stores!!    Like others said above, some locations sell guns; some don't.

I spend plenty of time around here.  It's just that I rarely go to Wal-Mart, so I tend to skip the Wl-Mart threads.  Only reason I go there now is that they are the only store that carries Peter Pan reduced Fat Peanut Butter, which is the wife's favorite.  Generally, I don't care for the store.

Oh crap.  When he said "Chris", I thought he meant me. 

The Other Chris

[BlueStarLizzard]

if they carry the gun you want, you might as well buy it there. its no different then the same model at the gun store.

Money spent at a gun store is much more likely to be donated to NRA-ILA, and other political groups that preserve your RKBA.  Money spent at a gun store keeps that store alive, so it can continue to sell you the guns and accessories you can't buy at Wal-Mart.  Not to mention that Wal-Mart doesn't do a lot of gun-smithing and probably isn't a good source of info on where to find ranges, instruction, CCW classes, etc. 

the local gun store has sub-pare smithing, a crappy selection and jerks behind the counter. and as for donating to the NRA, well, i do that on my own.

[AJ Dual]

Aside from the sales and provit vs. the regulatory hassles, I think another factor is that the recent profusion of big-box sporting good stores such as Cabela's, Gander Mountain, Bass Pro, and Sportsman's Warehouse is cutting in on their gun sales.

I expect that the majority of Wal-Mart gun buyers are casual once-a-year hunters who have only one or two guns, and casual plinkers who likely own just one .22LR. They're not high-volume buyers, and being on the periphery of the "gun culture" they don't tend to frequent gun-stores either.

The big-box "outdoorsy" sports store has a much wider gun selection, can price-compete with Wal-Mart, and can draw both one-gun hunter types and gun-store type of customers with larger collections.

[Manedwolf]

Aside from the sales and provit vs. the regulatory hassles, I think another factor is that the recent profusion of big-box sporting good stores such as Cabela's, Gander Mountain, Bass Pro, and Sportsman's Warehouse is cutting in on their gun sales.

Wish some were here. Hooksett (Manchester's trailer-park sort of cousin next door) was going to get a Cabelas, but the town officers played silly politics for so long, literally years, that Cabelas said "Seeya". Now they're only getting another Wal-Mart.

There is only a Dick's, which is absolutely useless.

[mtnbkr]

Roanoke, a smallish town in SW Va got a Sportsmans Warehouse AND a Gander Mtn in the space of a year or so.  Northern Virginia doesn't have anything like that.  The nearest big box outdoor store is BassPro in Hampton (about 2.5hrs away).

If Cabelas opened a store in this area, they would make a killing.  Liberal as this area is, there are a LOT of hunters and fishermen.

Dicks is appropriately named. 

Chris

[Serena]

The Walmart near me sells ammunition in limited varieties.  It sells airguns and soft air guns in limited varieties.  It sells rifle cleaning rods but no cleaning solvent, gun grease, pads, or brushes.  It sells lead pellets in very limited varieties.  Sometimes it has BB guns. You can buy all the colors of plastic BBs you want. That's it.

[freakazoid]

Got a Sportsmans Warehouse, and a Gander Mountain, and a Dicks. I don't much care for Wal-Mart, not after how they treated me on two different occasions,  , it was at the same store but different people.

[zahc]

The Cambridge, OH walmart still has guns. I was just there. All the ones here in TX I've looked at don't, but still sell ammo.

[lee n. field]

I went into the locaal Wally World to buy SWMBO her favorite peanut butter (Don't ask).  For those who care, it;s in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, just outside of Columbus.   Took a detour through sporting goods to eyeball guns and ammo.  Well, there are no guns.  Gun cases are gone.  Ammo is limited to a couple of dozen boxes of shotgun shells and .22 ammo.  Even the knife display case has been replaced by a cardboard poster showing photos of the knives.

I'm thinking you haven't been in Wally World for a while.

[Boomhauer]

we only have one gun shop in town and they generally charge about $4 more for WWB then wally world.

And they probably get THEIR inventory from wally world . . .

Stores like Wally World generally stock "basic" firearms - say a Remington 870 "Express" or a Winchester 94 in .30/30, .30/06, .270, and .308 rifles from both companies (usually in the cheapest version) and maybe a couple variations of 10/22. Sometimes a Savage 110 or a Mossberg would sneak into the gun case . . .

Nothing wrong with these, they're functional, very common, and not very expensive.

But if your tastes are just a bit more eclectic, odds are you were out of luck with most Wally World offerings.

Yep. Walmart stocks firearms that the working man can afford, and they are mainly hunting weapons and .22 rifles. However, they do have some more expensive items in their special order catalog...

I won't buy guns from Walmart anymore, since they made that deal with the devil (Bloomberg). Besides, I've got a gun dealer who actually prices fairly and stocks what I want. I've purchased 3 guns from him, and only one from Walmart...



Not all Walmarts are getting rid of the guns and hunting gear...just the ones in the less profitable markets...