Wal-Mart Drops Gun Sales in Some Stores By MARCUS KABEL, AP Business Writer 1 hour, 28 minutes ago Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has decided to stop selling guns in about a third of its U.S. stores in what it calls a marketing decision based on lack of demand in some places, a company spokeswoman said Friday. ADVERTISEMENT The world's largest retailer decided last month to remove firearms from about 1,000 stores in favor of stocking other sporting goods, in line with a "Store of the Community" strategy for boosting sales by paying closer attention to local differences in demand. "This decision is based on diminished customer relevancy and demand in these markets," said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Jolanda Stewart. Stewart declined to specify what stores were affected. Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, Ark., has about 1,200 discount stores and 1,900 Supercenters, which include a full grocery section, in all 50 states. Wal-Mart says it sells rifles and shotguns. In Alaska, it also sells handguns. "As with all merchandise decisions that we make, our decision to remove guns from Wal-Mart locations is simply based on the lack of customer purchase history of firearms in a given community," Stewart said. Wal-Mart's experimental new Supercenter for more upscale shoppers, which opened last month in the affluent Dallas suburb of Plano, does not carry guns. As Wal-Mart seeks growth by moving from rural America into cities and suburbs, it finds it needs to retune its inventory to appeal to more urban consumers. The Plano store is a testing ground for ideas, from trendier products to more subdued interiors, that are part of a broad effort at Wal-Mart to rekindle sluggish growth by luring more affluent shoppers away from faster-growing rivals such as Target Corp. Chief Executive Lee Scott has said that in communities like Plano, Wal-Mart's sports department should shift from a traditional emphasis on hunting and fishing to more home fitness and exercise products.
Yea I heard about this a couple of weeks ago, I guess they are shipping them from 4-5 here onto one central store . Make their money off of the red necks and now poissing down their necks to get to the "T_R_E_N_D_Y" folks...who in turn will piss down Wall Marts neck because they wont be caught dead in a a Wall Mart, and they will suffer in sales ............... Just means that FFL holder's will gain more business back now...... Congrats Martin.
So it is only in some stores. Good I thought it was country wide. I probably wouldn't buy anything walmart had but don't like the message it sends.
Hope it dont affect the stores around here since that is actualy where I have gotten about 2/3 of my long guns and most often buy my ammo.
I don't buy guns from them anymore. Although I did think about picking up one of the last Winchester 94's from them.
They lost my firearm business when they sold us out and quit selling handguns..This is just another nail in their coffin....I don`t buy any sporting goods,ammuntion anything like that from their stores.Most of their stuff is junk anyway
Ive heard a lot of folks make that point but their stuff is the most affordable around and at least from my own experience with them I have had no complaints. Ive never had any of their ammo fail to go bang and the .270 I bought from them with ammo from them will put 5 shot groups you can cover with a quarter at 100 meters so I figure as long as they carry them and I will most likely buy ammo there and guns if they have what Im looking for just because its what my budget allows. I know .357 ammo there is less than 1/2 the price it is at the local gun shop for the same stuff and about the same on .38 special and most of the rest.
Damn, that sucks that Wally World is your best option for ammo and I would do the same if I was in your place. I've yet to buy any of their ammo but always check their price once in awhile, since they are close to the other options locally. Monkeyman have you checked out OMC, don't know if shipping would make it cheaper or not. Their warehouse is about 30 miles south of me, going there this afternoon.
Not sure, I know to buy 100 rounds of .38 special there is about $13, 50 rounds at most of the other shops in the area (all 4 within 25 miles of home) are around $12 or more and 500 rounds of .22 lr is about $8 there or $14+ anyplace else. Then as far as the guns most of the local pawn shops and gun stores sell USED NEF guns for $10-$20 more than Walmart sells the new ones for and similar on most of hte guns Walmart carries, so around here its the only reasonable option for the stuff they carry other than maybe stuff like &.62 ammo where its Rem and Win as opposed to Wolf at the other shops. If the prices were anywhere in the same ballpark then I would prefer to support the small local shops but when its 50-100% more theres no way I can afford it.
