|
The days of "ethical" business practices for Walmart died with Sam. Today it is not all about volume; that is certainly a large part of it, but "forcing" vendors to sell to a particular price point is just as important, regardless of the volume. If a vendor wants shelf space in Walmart (and most vendors will kill to get it - no shelf space at the world's largest retailer means a mediocre sales year for many companies) he has to meet Walmart's price. How does he keep meeting a lower and lower price every year (Remember: "Always Low Prices" and "Rollback!")? He reduces his cost of production. How? He reduces the quality of what he sells. More and more firms are having their products built in China to meet the price point - how many of you bother to look at where the Walmart products you buy are actually made? This includes the larger "name" brands too.
How does this apply to guns? Well: because Walmart is such a huge account for the gun makers it buys from, Walmart CAN have special runs of guns made just for its shelves, with cheaper stocks, cheaper finish, etc. The order volume is there and since they buy direct from the maker.....they get special runs just like Davidsons and Grice do. Does this happen often? I have no idea. But it can and does happen. Remember these facts when you go to Wally's, the quality of all their products is erroding as they insist on that hard-line price point. And we are their facilitators.....it's all about the money.
|