All this fighting about Wal-Mart......Kinda funny, and kinda sad. If you shop at Wal-Mart, great, good for you, and if you don't , great as well. But damn, if you have to bring a pseudo-commerce debate, email each other privately. There is something about free will, and I personally choose not to shop at Wal-Mart. Local reason or not, my choice. Now back to the question at hand about Wal-Mart having nothing in stock. Its all about the voices above in management. they are the ones that really control inventory, marketing, and profit control. I have talked to many hunters, especially in the turkey realm, and have found that the local Wal-Marts here were not stocking the 3-inch or 3 1/2 inch shells. It all came down to profits. The local Wal-Marts and K-Marts decided that only a few during the season were buying the shells, and were not selling as many as the darn 2 and 3/4 sizes. So it brings the answer of management again. that is why for ammo, I stick to reloading, unless its a rimfire, but then I still go to LGS. And for any further stuff, the internet has become a great tool for product locating.....Whatever you do, do it for you.

Don't believe they hold stock year to year either.
Season closes it goes on sale.

I also will not shop at Wal-mart and will go out of my way to do so!

JW

Only been in one store one time.

JW

A good read on this subject is the "The Bully of Bentonville".

Ask them about Vlasic Pickles & rubbermaid![:@]

JW

The NJ and PA walmarts around me seem to put the Turkey Hunting equipment on clearence the week turkey season starts. Tons of stuff the week before opening day and nothing a week later. Last year they were selling turkey shells for$1 a box, mouth calls 25 centsand other calls for $2 on opening day.

I shop Walmart myself. I find many of the Hard Working Americans that work there are just trying to feed there families...But anyway, Its getting harder to find turkey gear at walmart nowdays.

I've seen a similar trend in the last few years in our local Super Wallyworld, which is only 6 years old, and asked the sporting goods manager...

Here was the reply (of course greatly condensed and paraphrased):

Because seasonal hunting supplies are classified as annual seasonal items (grouped with Holiday decorations, LOL), they are clearanced by the Home Office in each store on specified dates.

In our store, beginning the second full year of business, the department was only selling ~25% of the inventory at full price, with the latter 75% sold below cost. SO...the Home Office decided to greatly reduce the principle inventory, so they could recover more of their initial investment.

So in a nutshell, we (the hunters) quickly determined (after the first season) that everything would be clearanced immediately after the season ended. Hence, beginning the second year of their opening, we (the hunters) bought everything on clearance, except for the occassional newby who "needed" it before the season...

IMO, you can lambaste Wallyworld all you want, but they are a shrewd business and never lose sight of the bottom line---they way a successful business NEEDS to operate to stay open...

Every thing i have bought from walmarts outdoors section has been a load of crap, that stuff only has to live up to their standards, cheap.