WalMart Items ????
- Thread starter Milton
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Jack Flash
Member
It sounds like there is something to the idea that WalMart buys lower quality items, even if from the same factory. I suppose everyone can debate that.
But how the item is shipped and handled may come into play as well. Take electronics for example. How long has it sat in a truck in the blistering heat? How about the guy unloading the pallet it is on, how motivated is he to see that it is not dropped, slammed into something, or just generally banged around? It's hard to imagine that anyone would be less motivated than a WM employee.
But how the item is shipped and handled may come into play as well. Take electronics for example. How long has it sat in a truck in the blistering heat? How about the guy unloading the pallet it is on, how motivated is he to see that it is not dropped, slammed into something, or just generally banged around? It's hard to imagine that anyone would be less motivated than a WM employee.
My friend who a John Deere tractor dealer says that John Deere make a reduced quality tractor which sells in the big-box stores. The model numbers on the big-box are different from the tractors he sells in his store. He likes to say he sells the commercial models while the others are the "hobby models." They are actually constructed differently. For example, on the commercial tractors he sells, the wheel bearings are ball bearing type. On the big-box model, the wheel bearings are just brass sleeve type. There are other parts which are different - on the commercial, the part is made from metal while of the hobby model, it is made from plastic. I guess that is why my commercial grade JD tractor has been going for 16 years with no problems.
ColbyBruce
Member
My wife buys a particular brand of hairspray. Walmart sells it a little cheaper than other stores, but there is no cap covering the spray nozzle.
Ogandydancer
Member
Biggest mistake Allied Radio ever made was selling out to Tandy/Radio shack. Allied handled some great equipment for the day (Hallicrafters, Johnson, Eico, and lots of other great names ).
Companies do have things made for them. I can address the ammo thing. Remember Monkie Wards and of course Sear's..They had their own ammo made for them with their headstamps(shotshells). Federal and other companies made them and they were cheaper...produced anyway. What eventually came about was the Dove/quail Rabbit/squirrel loads that we have today. Main differences in them are the cases such as straight tubes.. the wads are usually not the good plastic wads and then there is shot quality with very little antimony in the shot. Heck a friend who works for a large ammo company told me once not to buy ammo at K-Mart. They bought almost all the companies culls/seconds and sold them. They also produced cheaper quality 22 ammo for the chain companies... Think Thunderbolt. The metallic ammo sold by Sears etc were made with inferior quality bullets so they could be sold cheaper. BTW buying the D/Q and R/S ammo is just terrible. The quality of the ammo is so low they should have the word wounder after the D/Q etc
I thought this was the case myself when I first saw the WMxxxx codes. But over time I saw these same box codes at Cabelas, Bass Pro, several LGS, local LEO supply, Dick's, and a few others. I came to a conclusion that it was not the ammo, it was the packaging format. Probably Federal did that at WM's request (shelf space, transport, # of rounds), and others bought into it. But EVERY 100 round box of Federal 9mm and 45acp I saw in DFW for a long time had that same code.
If I see "Great Value" ammo, I'll have to eat a lot of words.
prairieviper
Member
I have to say that I have never heard of the hobby tractor or commercial tractor distinction when it comes to John Deere equipment. John Deere does sell commercial zero turn and walk behind mowers, as well as residential zero turn mowers. In the lawn tractor line there are only lawn tractors. All of the larger tractors (what I call real tractors) fall under the agriculture heading, starting with the smallest 23 HP utility tractors up through the 620 HP 4WD and track tractors.
I buy my John Deere equipment from an implement dealer as what I need for our little farm can't be found at a box store but I have a hard time believing, for instance, that a John Deere 100 series lawn tractor from Home Depot would be different than a 100 series sold at a dealership.
This thread topic sort of reminds me of a discussion that I got into years ago, with some fellow shooters at a gun club that I belonged to, about Remington 1100 shotguns. Most seemed to believe that Remington 1100 shotguns that were being sold by Walmart were "seconds" or inferior to ones sold at the local gun shops. There was no real proof of this but only hearsay. I was a competitive clay target shooter back then and got to know some of the guys that were relatively high up in the Remington food chain that would know the answer. When I brought up my discussion about the 1100's at Walmart being "seconds" or inferior to those sold by regular gun dealers, they all laughed and assured me that they were all the same and that there was no distinction between Remington 1100s sold at Walmart and the local gun shop, except that Walmart bought so many, they could afford to sell them cheaper.
Sometimes the only difference is in the ego of the buyer and about how much something cost. I'm not saying there is no difference in the John Deere lawn tractors sold at the big box store because I don't know. I'm just tossing out my own experience for the purpose of this thread. No offense to anybody is intended.
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This is especially true of rifles and shotguns.Notice Walmart will have great prices on same name brands will a very dull finish on the stocks.My LGS would turn away every one looking to trade or sell a Walmart gun to him.
misswired
Absent Comrade
After bad mouthing Walmart yesterday, I'm feeling a little hypocritical....
ParadiseRoad endorsed these cameras with pics to back them up.
Ordered 5 scored four, have another 5 ordered. 29$ camera, 14$ for 8 batteries including an SD card.... bout 50$ per cam/tax......at WALMART!
The color daytime pics are amazing... thanks ParadiseRoad.
These 20$ for 550 36 grain WALMART federal 22lr are ejecting with ease in the new 617.
ParadiseRoad endorsed these cameras with pics to back them up.
Ordered 5 scored four, have another 5 ordered. 29$ camera, 14$ for 8 batteries including an SD card.... bout 50$ per cam/tax......at WALMART!
The color daytime pics are amazing... thanks ParadiseRoad.
These 20$ for 550 36 grain WALMART federal 22lr are ejecting with ease in the new 617.
Attachments
A few years ago I was looking for a new snow blower. I settled on Ariens and then the question became who to buy it from. There are three power equipment dealers in my area who sell Ariens. Plus Home Depot. I shied away from Home Depot because thought they might be lower quality machines.
As it turned out, the dealer I bought it from told me it's the same machine that he has with two differences. A HD employee does the set up, not someone who is experienced. Also, since HD doesn't have any service people, he does the warranty work.
People who buy from him, get free pick up and delivery and go to the head of the repair line.
People who buy from HD, don't get that.
As it turned out, the dealer I bought it from told me it's the same machine that he has with two differences. A HD employee does the set up, not someone who is experienced. Also, since HD doesn't have any service people, he does the warranty work.
People who buy from him, get free pick up and delivery and go to the head of the repair line.
People who buy from HD, don't get that.
Ribwizzard
Member
Yes, Walmart products are usually a lower grade.
TV's will have cheaper speakers
Vacuums will have less accessories
Package size will be different
And so on, and so on.
Sears will pull out a book and show you the difference between what you think is the same model. They did last time I was shopping for TV. Even best buy had a different model.
But worst than all that is the black Friday models. Made to look like the regular models but made cheaper and only sold on black friday. Everyone thinks they are getting a deal but they are not.
TV's will have cheaper speakers
Vacuums will have less accessories
Package size will be different
And so on, and so on.
Sears will pull out a book and show you the difference between what you think is the same model. They did last time I was shopping for TV. Even best buy had a different model.
But worst than all that is the black Friday models. Made to look like the regular models but made cheaper and only sold on black friday. Everyone thinks they are getting a deal but they are not.
I had an appliance serviceman tell me a similar story. He said that appliances made for the big box stores had a discreet model number to distinguish them from appliances for sale through regular appliance stores. He related how on a particular refrigerator the compressor for the big box model would just slide in, while the compressor for the appliance store model had to be rolled in to get it into the same sized space. The difference in components was necessary to meet the price established for the big box stores.
Ribwizzard
Member
Yep. Check the whole model number when price checking or black Friday shopping
Huskerguy
Member
Lots of interesting stories on here. My daughter worked at WM corporate several years ago. She wasn't in this area but she knows a great deal about the company.
What we do know is there are lots of name brand goods packaged under private labels so you might by Green Giant corn under their label and Good Value but it is the same. The difference is there is no advertising with the private label.
As gun people on here we all know there are variations of different gun manufactures such as a Lipsies version or a Talo, etc. Same thing goes with WM. They had a special Ruger 10/22 several years ago that I picked up. same action just a longer matt stainless barrel.
Had a guy say not to buy WM tires because WM speced them out to companies and they were made cheaply. Now just think about the liability of any of that thinking. Oh yea, these are Goodyear tires but we cheapen em up so they will blow out after 30,000 miles or a gun that is less than safe or ammo that doesn't work.
This is what I do know for certain, WM deals and deals until the supplier makes literally pennies on an item. WM then in turn doesn't mark things up significantly. My son worked his last year of HS in a WM and said they often sold things for pennies profit or even at a small loss.
I am not saying all of the Good Value stuff is name brand because it probably is not but some is. There just is no advantage and every liability to selling stuff that is inferior. Now the electronics is a slightly different animal. They ask for special runs and that is what they get. Do you think the manufacturer is going to make junk and order junk parts just to sell to WM? I can buy an iPad at WM, is it a cheapened down version?
So is Federal ammo different at WM than the local gun shop? Winchester? I think not.
What we do know is there are lots of name brand goods packaged under private labels so you might by Green Giant corn under their label and Good Value but it is the same. The difference is there is no advertising with the private label.
As gun people on here we all know there are variations of different gun manufactures such as a Lipsies version or a Talo, etc. Same thing goes with WM. They had a special Ruger 10/22 several years ago that I picked up. same action just a longer matt stainless barrel.
Had a guy say not to buy WM tires because WM speced them out to companies and they were made cheaply. Now just think about the liability of any of that thinking. Oh yea, these are Goodyear tires but we cheapen em up so they will blow out after 30,000 miles or a gun that is less than safe or ammo that doesn't work.
This is what I do know for certain, WM deals and deals until the supplier makes literally pennies on an item. WM then in turn doesn't mark things up significantly. My son worked his last year of HS in a WM and said they often sold things for pennies profit or even at a small loss.
I am not saying all of the Good Value stuff is name brand because it probably is not but some is. There just is no advantage and every liability to selling stuff that is inferior. Now the electronics is a slightly different animal. They ask for special runs and that is what they get. Do you think the manufacturer is going to make junk and order junk parts just to sell to WM? I can buy an iPad at WM, is it a cheapened down version?
So is Federal ammo different at WM than the local gun shop? Winchester? I think not.
Jack Flash
Member
I can't say about ammo, guns, and tires, but I do know there is a difference in the canned goods.
I bought a couple of Sam's Choice (or President's Choice ? I can't remember) items and they were definitely very inferior to their brand name counterparts.
One was a can of green beans. The beans still had the stems on them! I've never seen that with any other brand. Also, they were the stringiest string beans I ever had.
The other was President's Choice coffee. When I opened the can, you could see leaf fragments inside. All I could guess was they hadn't bothered to separate the beans from the leaves and just ground up everything. Needless to say, the coffee tasted terrible.
I bought a couple of Sam's Choice (or President's Choice ? I can't remember) items and they were definitely very inferior to their brand name counterparts.
One was a can of green beans. The beans still had the stems on them! I've never seen that with any other brand. Also, they were the stringiest string beans I ever had.
The other was President's Choice coffee. When I opened the can, you could see leaf fragments inside. All I could guess was they hadn't bothered to separate the beans from the leaves and just ground up everything. Needless to say, the coffee tasted terrible.
A couple of years ago I purchased a set of General Grabber tires for my Silverado from Walmart because their sale price was about $35 per tire cheaper than anyone else around. When I got home, I realized the 3 letter suffix after Grabber was different than the original tires I replaced. A little research revealed that General makes a Grabber just for Walmart. I figured by not paying attention that I would wind up hating the tires and getting horrible mileage. To my pleasant surprise just the opposite! They might have a slightly rougher ride than original but the Walmart Grabbers went 95k miles and I could have easily got another 5-10K but I travel for a living and prefer a buffer for safety reasons. Went back and got my second set of Walmart Grabbers and this set has over 85K now and still look great. I drive between 60-70k miles a year in a pickup and never had a tire I've felt safe with after 65-70k miles until I tried the cheap Walmart Grabbers. And I will have to add even though I hate to shop at Wally World, I've never had any trouble getting the lifetime rotation and balancing done at different stores in 3 different states. Only problem I have had is not one of the service centers I've used can put the same amount of air in all the tires! They must have the cheapest tire gauges in the world. I always have to adjust the pressure after a rotation.
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