This Just In!

[Song Dawg]

As I've stated in earlier posts, my buddies and I take newbies on a regular basis shooting rimfire.
Though most are younger folks who otherwise wouldn't get the chance many are woman who have predispositions about guns. It may take a little more convincing to try to get them involved but we've never had a complaint to date once they do. 1022's, a Rossi 62 pump and a couple of bolt guns along with a brick of Fed Bulks and we're sittin' jake!
We either plant the seeds on our watch or starvation's around the corner!

Interactive targets don't hurt a thing either!
Painted doughballs, balloons and clothpins just to name a few!
It's all good!
SD

[Glenn]

I'm a little late. Bummer that the price went up, but still cheap enough. I did a plate shoot a few months ago with my buddy. I bought 9mm FMJ, 100 rounds at Wal Mart- $16! Even at $12 and change for 550 rounds, it's a lot cheaper than shooting a larger gun regularly.

I think China may slow down soon. They've been growing like crazy for the past few years. As we all know, sustained growth can't last forever. We all remember the tech bubble of the late 1990's.

[swoter]

Someone cleaned out the Walmart here in London of the Federal bulk, went to buy some today, and had to settle for Winchester. The salesman said they had quite a few Federals the other day, but they went fast.

[Bullseye]

Those boxes may have still been marked at the old $9.98 price and someone on the ball snapped them all up. I'd have done it too.

R,
Bullseye

[swoter]

Picked up two bricks at Walmart yesterday, still at $10, but the sales lady said they were going up that afternoon, to around $12 a brick. Still a good price, just not as good as before.

[Bullseye]

Most Walmarts have exhausted their stock of Federal 22 bulk ammo and have increased the price to the $12 rate. The news shot around the Internet and folks snapped up any they could find at the $10 price. Your store must have finished off it's supply of old stock and was getting ready to implement the new stock price. That was likely the reason the shelves were bare the other day. Luckily you still got a few boxes at the old rate.

R,
Bullseye

[Song Dawg]

Unfortunately the price change mandated by Bentonville was to be completed immediately regardless of stock on hand.
Some individual store managers responded more quickly than others.
I won't run out of The Fed Bulk anytime soon but that "dern" Fed Auto Match and my guns had just begun a beautiful relationship.


SD

[Bullseye]

SD,

I am really not in tune with the internal workings of the Walmart Corporation. Walmart may have some different management echelons than most retail outlets but generally retail chains mostly work like the example below.

Typically when a corporate price level decision is mandated by a large retail outlet chain, they reset the prices at the Central Accounting Office. That way all the chain's registers will simultaneously scan the product UPCs at the new predetermined rates. The corporate office can set a predetermined date and time for the new price levels to go into effect, this way sale prices and product prices are uniformly implemented company-wide.

This management practice is also helpful for national sales ads, as many of these are determined 10-12 months in advance. National sales advertisements are normally generated 6-12 months in advance and printing/distribution around 90 days. Right now next year's Black Friday items are being determined and inventory items are being ordered by the buyers from the outside manufacturing sources.

Since most store registers also double as inventory data control sources, the data fed back to the CAO can also be used as a restocking control indicator. An inventory control point software program monitors the individual outlet's product stock levels and automatically reorders and resupplies the specific retail outlets when their inventory drops below a predetermined stock level. This method is also typically used to adjust prices as new stock wholesale costs increase. When the new, higher priced, stock is shipped the local outlet's UPC database is automatically adjusted to reflect the new higher retail prices.

Perhaps local Walmart district/retail outlet managers have a little more flexibility in pricing than the corporate office likes. The above is just a simplified and generalized example of retail inventory management control. Mostly I've experienced country-wide uniform pricing on the same Walmart products regardless of region/location. However, not every outlet has the same on-hand inventory products, even within a district. Some stores carry upscale or economy products based on the sales data of the specific stores. In my area, two Walmarts, only seven miles apart, have vastly different products and store appearances. But the products that both stores do commonly have on-hand are priced the same. I see the same for same products when I travel around the country, very little variation in product pricing.

I'm not trying to start an argument or insult anyone. Like I said, I don't have any inside information on how Walmart manages their individual retail stores. I'm just going by typical retail management practices. But I'd love to learn more about the Walmart Corporation if you are willing to share some of the inside knowledge you may have.

R,
Bullseye

[Song Dawg]

Sure Bullseye!
Though most outfits work as you've outlined walmart and many others do not including almost all retail food corps.
Much to peoples surprise they have considerable discretion and leeway on a store by store basis..... to a point.
Schematics and pricing are often tweaked by region as well.
For example stores in heavy hunting areas (Nevada) have the ability to carry Leupold products. Stores in more urban areas are far more likely not to carry many brands of ammo and shooting amenties.... and so on.
Walmart's marketing methods don't generally include sales items and price promos.
However a 10% price increase in an item times all the walmart units translates to tremendous revenue differential. In times of inflation a difference of just a few days can be huge.
Many retail outlets including foodstores where pricing can be so changeable have folks who do nothing but electronic price changes on existing merchandise. I know when prices are decreasing the urgency is somewhat less.
In the instant case of walmart and Fed bulk this product was scheduled for increase effective 1-11-08. In the stores I'm familiar with these changes were completed by noon that day via electronics ON ALL EXISTING MERCHANDISE. However as late as the middle of last week there were a few stores which continued to reflect the lower price. As of yesterday now those prices increases had been completed.

I had several conversations with various dept heads and clerks relative to this particular increase. One young lady( a shooter) told me "Hey last night all this ammo was 9.98 and this morning when I came to work it's now 11.97! BTW, same with Auto Match!

Hopefully this helps!

SD

[Bullseye]

Thanks Song Dawg! That's good info for future use.

R,
Bullseye

[Glenn]

Very interesting info!