I've seen the same thing at the Cabelas I'm close to (opened last year). Heck I've walked by .22 ammo and not just grabbed whatever they had; not like i'm stocked for decades of range fun, but i've found mini mags work best in my Buckmark so I dont even bother buying stuff that is only "ok". I dont need to buy ammo for the sake of buying it.
And only being in the shooting hobby for the past 3+ years, i only know current pricing and availability and dont have a historical perspective that many here do (seems to help actually). But I can say i only buy from retail, at what should be current normal retail... supporting a re-seller is not something I will do. So I am glad i can usually get what i need from Gander or Cabelas, both minutes away from my home.