[luxlamf]

Went into a Orchard Supply & Hardware today (OSH) its a Smaller more "Homey" like Hardware store than Home Depot & Lowes etc... (In other words like today they DIDNT have what I needed. Its owned By Sears so they carry lots of Sears stuff.
Anyways I was Surprised to see The Very Blood That Runs my Bike Being Offered on its Shelves, Moble 1 V-Twin. About$1.25 More than the Price I pay at Kragen but Kragen doesn't always Have it in stock.

 

[sullivancorner]

Traitor

 

[stomper]

Hmmmm, that stuff costs me $12.99 a quart over here.. :banghead:

 

[Venuss]

Hmmmm, that stuff costs me $12.99 a quart over here.. :banghead:

Try amsoil from Ken, delivered to your door and a much better product.

 

[stomper]

Try amsoil from Ken, delivered to your door and a much better product.

Being in Canada, may pose some challenges and extra costs... :deal:

 

[ElrodontheV-Rod]

It's $9 a quart in WalMart less my discount.I buy almost all of my shop solvents and other supplys at WalMart.Always in stock,and always many dollars per container cheaper than any other retailer in the state.
Example1,16oz can of brake cleaner is $5.50 @ AutoZone,it is $1.91 @ WalMart.I use close to 75 cans of brake cleaner per month!Example 2,concentrated injector cleaner is $7.00 @ AutoZone,it is $1.78 @ WalMart.
Mom&Pop and most other retailers are way out of control on pricing.They are pricing themselves out of business.
I use Mobile1 motorcycle oil in my air compressor,my lawn mowers and my home backup generator.
H&B Cycles is the place I get my Amsoil for the motorcycles and my automobiles.

 

[gritgolfer]

Amsoil from Ken is cost effective and very convenient. Plus I get the filters too.

 

[mwdhand]

I don't think it's so much Mom & Pop pricing themselves out of business as it is they don't have the leverage to apply pressure on their suppliers like Wal-Mart does. Nor are they capable of buying millions of dollars of it at a time. If the local price is slightly higher then it's worth it to me to avoid the aggravation of going to the giant stores. In some cases unfortunately the price differences are insurmountable. Quite sad really

 

[JSC]

It's $9 a quart in WalMart less my discount.I buy almost all of my shop solvents and other supplys at WalMart.Always in stock,and always many dollars per container cheaper than any other retailer in the state.
Example1,16oz can of brake cleaner is $5.50 @ AutoZone,it is $1.91 @ WalMart.I use close to 75 cans of brake cleaner per month!Example 2,concentrated injector cleaner is $7.00 @ AutoZone,it is $1.78 @ WalMart.
Mom&Pop and most other retailers are way out of control on pricing.They are pricing themselves out of business.
I use Mobile1 motorcycle oil in my air compressor,my lawn mowers and my home backup generator.
H&B Cycles is the place I get my Amsoil for the motorcycles and my automobiles.

It's a little different around here Al, Wal-Mart no longer has stuff in stock- many items missing on an empty shelf and Auto Zone is right in there with the price.
Guessing that location must pay a factor in how stores price their product. BUt with 4 Wal-Marts around here, and they can ALL be out of say one brand of deoderant- I'm guessing keeping the big stocks must be a little more difficult in this economy. Maybe the little guy is making a come back?

 

[Smokedog]

Mom&Pop and most other retailers are way out of control on pricing.They are pricing themselves out of business.

:soapbox:

Kinda getting off topic ( sorry Lux )
BUT, Us Mom and pops stores are (in most cases) NOT out of control on our pricing. I own a flowershop that my grandparents started back in 1963. I'll talk about what I know. I can buy 10 dozen roses for a given price where walmart can buy 1000 dozen for half the price to the wholesaler. For round numbers lets say I charge $65 for a dozen where walmart charges $30 for an arrangement . Why are mine so much higher ? Well first and foremost walmart payed less. Why, because they buy in bulk. Walmart has the buying power to go to a wholesaler and say will will give you $XXX for your product. If the wholesaler balks. They will go to the next wholesaler. Ect. We as a mom and pops stores do NOT have that power. So walmart does NOT have the quality of flower that a mom and pop shops has. And yes there is a diffrents. Since flowers are a Perishable product . Lets get back on subject of the oil. I also work for nissan north america for 15 years. I have friends all over the plant from the office to purchaseing to my guys welding on the line. Nissan buys a plastic cover that goes over the seatbelt clip . The clips were made local by a mom and pops plastic company . They cost nissan $1.50 back in 1995 ( for the hardbody truck) . Today for the frontier truck , the clips cost nissan $0.34 from a company over seas. The mom and pops company went out of buisness in 2005. laying off 10 peaple. I knew the family that had the plastic company. They told me every year nissan would come to them and say we need to cut 10 cent off the price, then the next year they would come in and say we need to cut 10 more cents. The mom and pops couldnt pay the waterbill. So they had to close down. Walmart does the same thing. They go to the wholesaler and demands a price. If they dont get it. They go to the next product. A company will sale to walmart for a less profit to get there product on the shelf. Then in hopes of customer loyality peaple will buy the product no matter where its sold. ( mom and pops hardware stores) I use mobil one in my sportbikes. But I dont get it at walmart.

So for the rant. Been a long night at the auto plant , Now I have to go to the flowershop. Buy local !!!

Oooh and walmart is evil .....
http://walmartispureevil.blogspot.com/

 

[mwdhand]

I agree with Smokedog. That being said though, while I can absorb a little loss here and there to avoid the huge lines of mutated freaks at Wal-Mart, on big ticket items like an HDTV, I just can't justify paying hundreds more for an identical product.

I bought my TV at Wal-Mart. I actually felt dirty doing it, but I really had no choice. Unlike some products, like certain tires, etc., it wasn't a dumbed down Wal-Mart only product, it was the identical TV as everywhere else.

 

[o2man98]

Ahhh...... Lux you are killing me. Nice find though.

 

[mwdhand]

Speaking of TVs and electronics at Wal-Mart, you have to be VERY careful when comparison shopping. Write down the model number, UPC code and all the features of the item in question. Then go home and do your comparisons. If a single digit of any number is different then you can bet your ass you are not comparing identical products anymore no matter how much alike they seem. Word to the wise....

 

[Smokedog]

Disclaimer : I do from time to time shop at walmart.

Like Mwd stated, I do shop there for items such as electronics and what not.

And Mwd is also correct about checking model numbers at walmart and diffrent stores. Like we have stated the big box stores buy in bulk so the producer will use diffrent parts in side the same cabinet for diffrent retailers.

 

[soccercoach61]

And Mwd is also correct about checking model numbers at walmart and diffrent stores. Like we have stated the big box stores buy in bulk so the producer will use diffrent parts in side the same cabinet for diffrent retailers.

:them:

They'll even get a run of their own "special" products with cheaper components because of their ability to buy in bulk.

I gave up on Walmart a few years ago. Have only been back once or twice, and hated it both times. They redid our local store and pulled 60%+ of the inventory out - now they only carry the 20% of the items that bring them the largest profits.

Speaking of the freakshows in Walmart...

Now back to your regularly scheduled topic...

 

[sea]

Speaking of TVs and electronics at Wal-Mart, you have to be VERY careful when comparison shopping. Write down the model number, UPC code and all the features of the item in question. Then go home and do your comparisons. If a single digit of any number is different then you can bet your ass you are not comparing identical products anymore no matter how much alike they seem. Word to the wise....

Try pic2scan on you iphone. It uses the camera to scan the barcode in the store and then generates a list of prices from an online database instantly while standing in the store.

 

[mwdhand]

I use Red laser, same thing basically. If it shows Wal-Mart as being the only retailer for a certain UPC then a huge red flag should go up too.

 

[AOW]

OSH price match.....

 

[luxlamf]

OSH price match.....

Not only that but they run the Tax Free Weekends all the time etc...

 

[V-Kit]

i can't stand wal-mart for the lack of service, the lines, and the hassel it is to go buy something. I usually am only buying $10-$20 worth of stuff for the house, and for me, it's better to keep my sanity and go to ACE or the mom and pop hardware store for these supplies and spend $12-$22 instead.

My girlfriend thanks me too, because the second we walk in a wal-mart I am instantly irritated