Reels at Wal- mart

[New2TheGame]

Anyone looking at walmart for a reel in the $50 - $150 (freshwater) price range, ask the counter person to look under the counter where the more expensive saltwater reels are locked up.
I work for a Wal-Mart warehouse in Louisiana, because of Hurricane Katrina I was relocated to a store in California for a while. While in the sporting goods department I came across some good deals. I made it my job to locate rod/reel combos that were missing the reels, discontinued lures, plastics, and whatever else I could think of. My best buys were 120 packs of Berkley gulp worms for 90.00 (regular 4.68/pack), and a 589.00 treadmil for 89.00! My point is that walmart has things that they don't know they have and if discontinued or not in the system it will be marked down. I came across 12 baitcasters (Shimano Curado reels) that were locked up under the counter. They were marked down to 89.00. (reg 119 - 149).


Remember, every Wal-Mart is different (stock, prices, rare finds). Strike up a conversation with the department manager about fishing. If you can find a store where the sporting goods department manager likes bass fishing then you will have better rods, reels, lures, ect. to choose from. After a few visits you may be able to get the manager to order an item that they don't Carry, that you like to use. After a really good selling item or two the manager will be more open with you. 

*January through March is markdown time, out with the old in with the new*

[Kal-Kevin]

these are great points that you make in this posting, I have noticed that they even take items off the floor and open the package then place then in the counter for people to look at. then when it the end of season they forget they are there and sell them at reduced prices.

[silversalmon]

You wanna move to Fairbanks and work at this Wal-Mart, we have a bunch of  up here

[Pferox]

You wanna move to Fairbanks and work at this Wal-Mart, we have a bunch of  up here

Same thing here, have to go to Lake Wales, or Mulberry to get anything other than bait. And the employee's attitude   but its like that everywhere in this town.  
What a differenct 15 miles makes, the store in Lake Wales is 100 percent better.

[Ouachita]

I wish our Wal Marts would hire anglers. I was in there last week and watched a guy ask about what he needed for bass here. The clerk handed him an ultra light rod with a cheap spinning reel, total price $38, and swore by it as the best all purpose rig. I caught up to the guy later and convinced him to return it for a better choice, and picked out some lures for him to replace the trout lures and bream lures he'd been sold. They stock mostly lures you'd expect to find in Colorado. I complained for a few years, even talking with a lady that does their inventory and ordering, but her answer was simply that's what the computer chooses for our area. She knows nothing at all about fishing, yet orders all the hunting and fishing stuff. The way they stock stuff is crazy. Cheap combos are at eye level, the more expensive combos way up high. According to their sports manager they do it that way because they sell more cheap equipment than better gear, so have it easy to get to. I figure there's more profit in the cheap stuff.

Jim

[DAWG]

Jim,I did just the same thing a week or so ago with a fellow in Wal Mart. He has been a cat fisher,(would make Lip proud)  He was wanting a bass fishing outfit and had hi hands on a cheeper rod and reel.After talking to him for a bit ,he decided to go with the better rod they had and got a Curado reel they had in the display case.
I wonder if we could get a commission for up selling their customers 

[Pferox]

If you go to the Walmart website and sift through it, you find a contact us link.
Send em an email with what you found, or a complaint.
Make sure you identify the store in question.
That report not only goes to the corporate offices, it also goes directly to the store, and their management staff have to respond.
I have done this a couple of times and have found new baits or improved stockings on the shelves within a couple of weeks.

[New2TheGame]

I've been through it also.
They should hire anglers, but then the stores don't pay anything. They wanted me to transfer to the store in California, I would have lost $8/hr! And that's comming from Louisiana where the cost of living is much lower!
They don't care to understand anything other than profit!

[conniek]

WOW! I totally agree with you about Wal-mart and their inventory. Not only with the fishing stuff, but other dept's as well. The fabric area in some stores have the same quilting material as the specialized quilting shops that sell the very same material for $9.95 a yard and WM sells for $3.95. Other WM will have zero zilch quality material. I asked a clerk  one day why and she said the manager was a quilter. Bingo! so now i ask if manager is a quilter, if not, i go elsewhere. We do the same in the tackle dept. of course, after browsing a little bit, you can quickly tell if the dept is savy to fishing or not. If they aren't into sometype of fishing and know a little about their products, we take biz elsewhere. Now, that it is winter time and hunting season is on, the same applies as well. 

[Fish4FunInFl]

Its amazing what you can find at Walmart on sale
Around Feb of this year I was at the Walmart in Kissimmee ( my buddy fished the BFL at TOHO so I went there for weigh in ) anyways I was in the fishing department and they had a pile of rods  on clearance. I found ( 2 ) Falcon baitcasting rods 7 ' mh for around $ 30 each. Originaly close to $ 100. So I got them both 

Walmart in Ocoee I found 2 boxes of  Fireline # 65 for around $3 each ( boxes was damaged but not the line ) so I got them both

[Bassmeister]

No wonder I have to hunt everytime I go there, They moved it under the counter!!!!!!!

[LoonyToon]

  Just sitting here looking at the 2 best buys from my sporting department yet...HORTON Yukon XL complete still in the box 150lb crossbow, price $21.00, Shimano 7ft Med Hvy rod and Spirex reel combo my price $5.00, Creek Chub Poppers paid $.75 apiece--got ten, and my list goes on and on and on------Like it there especially around March 1st. Wal-Marts phiscal year ends February 28 and their discontinued merchandise goes on sale right after their inventory on March 1st. Start to look around the 10th and become friendly with the staff in their sporting good dep't........My mans right there are some of the sweetest deals you'll find

[Kal-Kevin]

a quick note here as I have done this many years now. at wal-mart you get great deals on those sale lures and tackle, but remember if you see a couple of them get them all, you wil not find them at that store again! 

[GOLDPANMAN]

HI- check out TICA SCULPTOR REEL SL100 H -WHAT A REEL!- MAGNETIC BRAKING SYSTEM...see it @ HAR-LEE ROD &/OR ACK FISHING WEB SITES good luck..

   GOLDPANMAN

[LoonyToon]

  I might be able to shed some light on the Wal-Mart situation. Two Years ago they hired a Female Vice-President and she is in charge of the Sporting Goods, Lawn & Garden, Hardware, sections of the stores. It was decided that most Wal-Mart stores had too much stock and inventory in their Sporting Goods sections so the Regional Big-Wigs decided that ALL Sporting Goods Departments would be Regionalized and even Districtized, meaning that whatever was the prominent fish in the area they would stock mostly items for that, sometimes in-sometimes out of season, but they had the stock. If Largemouth Bass were not the prominent fish in the area the store was allowed to deplete their Bass stock, but could re-order no more. When George and I ran the Sporting Goods Department in Georgetown, De. we ordered whatever the fisherpeople wanted (If it sold) from Maurice's Fishing Bait & Tackle Warehoses and kept most of our clients happy. Now we are generic in nature and can order only the items specified in our District-Region. Being close to the Ocean you can only know we have more Salt Water equipment than fresh and when Hunting season is in we don't carry 1/2 our fishing stock.....It is ALL about the almighty dollar $$$$$$$$$. I hope this shed some light on the situation, and even if right now your getting what you need I guarantee you it will dry up in the future. The only stores I know of that carry a great variety of fishing items are the ones in the Middle states like Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, etc.once you cross the Mississippi your done

[Fishaholic]

Our WalMart is great...when I ran out of the Tiki Flash worms that I was using and said something to the clerk about it, they just told me to try back tomorrow...skeptically I returned the next day to find 4 more packages of the color I ran out of...I bought em all!

They're showing quite a bit of tackle, good reels, lures and terminal tackle at our WalMart...and usually a better selection than Sportmart/Sports Authority too.

[LoonyToon]

  Now try to get those items here and you'll grow a Rip VanWinkle beard before you get them. They are not on our approved listings. Like I said because of the various fresh water game fish in your state they will carry items like that to stay competitive. Wal-Marts is not by any means illiterate in their marketing, they will also approach perveyors and because of their volume dictate what others may make available to the public.

[conniek]

Very interesting. thanks.

[Ouachita]

I've been to a bunch of states and in a lot of Wal Marts, and have yet to see a fishing section even close to what local bait shops offer. As long as WM keeps up their current system the locals ought to make it just fine. But if they ever figure out they need to stock what ANGLERS want, they'll run the others out of business. Several in Arkansas got really heavy into landscape shubs and trees, but are scaling back, no room or expertise to carry enough variety like big nurseries can. I watched hundreds of their trees die and a huge pile of dead returns. They can't sell it all well or better, and apparently that goes for fishing stuff. They NEVER have a clue as to bass seasons or current lake reports in the middle of bass county!

Jim

[Pferox]

One interesting observation, the newer Super Wal-Marts down here do have a much bigger selection of both fresh and salt items. They even have a large catfishing section including jugs, and jug fishing rigs.........which is illegal in Florida.
Hmmmmmmmmm somebody isn't doin their homework.

[Fishaholic]

Although I like to support the local small sporting goods stores, their prices on the same tackle I can get at WalMart are ridiculous...sometimes almost double what WalMart is asking.

But we're not worrying about that anymore...35 miles from here they're building a Cabela's, 15 minutes from here they're building a Dick's Sporting Goods and a BPS. I won't need Walmart after the new kids are in operation...oh yeah, they have a Gander Mountain within 15 minutes of me too, but their salespeople were a little uppity when I went in there...they catered to those who looked like wealthy customers, rather than those who were in there to spend alot...their loss...they're off my list of stores to patronize.

[Pferox]

Sorry to say, the closest thing we have is BPS, and that is in Orlando, it is less than 50 miles away but is over 2 hr drive because of all the RAT-WORLD traffic.

Funny thing we are rural, but we are also in the middle of 2 major saltwater fishing locations, and smack dab in the middle of what is considered one of the world's best bass fishing spots and all you can find around here is a Sportmart, and Wallies, other than the local bait shops who seem to have very limited tackle sections. I would think Cabella's or Dicks or somebody would find this area a sales heaven.

This area is groing and sorry to say, becoming more urban so somebody will probably build something closer, then I will start patronizing them, until then all we really have close is Bubba World, er a Wallies.

[conniek]

I know what you mean about being uppity. Son in law Mark had me call local here about land for sale. This guy immediately told me that Mark probablyfcould't afford his land. hmm, Mark lives 100 miles from here and that guy had no idea if mark could afford or not. The deal is that this guy wants a large investor to come in and buy and he has priced small tracts out of site, but still, he might have missed a sale. I've had some of my best customers act like they didn't have a penny and then send me 2o calais or so.However, years ago, a guy came to shop and wife stayed in old beat up truckand she had an oxygen tank, he had on old bibby's with holes and ragged looking shirt and I felt so sorry for him, I did his repairs for nothing, his bill was like $60 and I just knew they did't have apenny totheir name. I found out later he was retired from Southwestern Bell and was a VP... and had money out the gazoo!! LOL. Anyway, I still felt good about it.
  I always try to treat foiks like I like to betreated. We all work hard for our money.
But like you, if we go into a store and they act uppity, i leave. Guess they aren't too hungry or they would be nicer tingo customers.Now days, it comes down to service. The old fashioned way I believe.

[LoonyToon]

  I agree Conniek, but the mom-pop,pop-mom bait and tackle stores and repair shops are taking a beating at the hands of large corporations. Most of the people they hire are unskilled at the area they are assigned to work in. Othertimes another area of the store/complex may pay more money than where their knowledge lies but they have to feed their families. Gander Mountain is a prime example of the blind leading the blind as far as customer appreciation is concerned, and knowlege of areas assigned. I went into the new one in Salisbury, Md. at the end of last month. I was looking for a spinning rod in the area of 7ft6in. I was standing at the rack of St. Croix rods looking them over and did not see any of the length I desired, a salesman approached and asked if he could help. I informed him of what I was looking at and what size I needed, He stated "I have what you need in the storeroom", and left, he reappeared in about 5 minutes carrying a 7ft6in rod. It was a Shakespeare Excursion 2 pc. rod that sold for $19.99.......He knew I was looking at the St. Croix for $169.99.....He looked at me and stated "There isn't much difference in these rods"..I left and have never been back although I did receive a job offer to work for them--------THINK NOT

[Pferox]

I find it interesting that Walmart can sell the exact model number to a product and it be different than what you get at other businesses.
Case in point, I bought a Shakespeare round baitcasting reel a few years ago, it was marked as a model 2000xx or something like that, and paid about 30 bucks for it I think, it worked well for the price and I was thinking of ordering a couple more.
I saw the exact model, packaging etc. at Wallmart for the exact same price. So I bought  a couple thus saving the shipping. The didn't perform nearly as well as the orginal one I had ordered, after closer inspection, it was missing the xx on it, and had less bearings, an inferior spool, and was dramatically cheeper in materials and quality. Not only does this give Wallmart a bad name it didn't help my opinion of Shakespeare reels either.
Another example of buyer beware.