ORIGINAL: The Rifleman
Their solution is that the goodrifles and semi auto shotgunsgoes to the regular customers that are paying a higher price and the lower end guns - seconds if you will - goes to Wal Mart.
When arifle goes through the line and it does not shoot as well as the others, but does go bang and hits the target.
They put it on a pallet and sells it to Wal Mart to be sent to one of their stores.
When the customers only goal is to save money and quality is not a issue - the Wal Mart gun will work just fine.
When the customer is looking for accuracy, the customercomes back and cry's and complain's and send's it back to the factory. The factory shoots therifle and tells the customer that it is within factory specifications and everything is ok.
Only they do not tell the customer that within factory specifications is 3 inches at 100 yards. So as long as it hits a paper plate at 100 yards it is ok.
The customer gets disgruntled and swears that he will never buy a new Remington gun ever again and the company looses a sale.
That's a nice theory, but its wrong. Walmart doesn't buy from the factory, they buy from a distributer, usually the same one your local gun shop is buying from. So there is no way they can "pick and choose" which gun goes to walmart or the high end gun store. Walmart does carry some cheaper models that most gun stores don't carry though. When you make comparisons you have to compare model number to model number.
I have talked to remington via Email on this very subject before. They were very upset someone told me walmart carried inferior or second hand guns. They even wanted to know the name of the gun shop that told me this. They assured me that guns at any store, be it cabela's, walmart, Kmart or a local gunstore are of the same quality, period. They simply can not afford to put out a bad product. Especially to a retailer that sells that much product.
Oh, and the BSA Catseye scopes are actually pretty decent for the money. I would put them up there with a simmons aetec. They cost about as much as well. Their cheaper scopes are pretty junky though. Not that I would put a catseye on a 1,000 dollar high powered rifle and take it to africa though.
Paul