Buying ammo at Wal-Mart

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T

The Sentinel

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For the first time this new year I went into Wal-Mart recently to buy some
.22LR CCI Stingers. (100 rounds).

After the clerk rung up my purchase, she wasn't allowed to total it because the cash register gave an extremely audible beep when she hit the total key. She looked at the register closer and then asked if the ammo was for a rifle or handgun. Apparently, she had to code into the register what kind of weapon the ammo was for before it could be totaled out.

When did this start? This is the first time I had to give this kind of info when buying ammo. Has anyone else experienced this?:confused: Is this more of the "big brother" tactics for "homieland insecurity??:fire:
 
wally's world

they've always done that here.most times the clerk will key the answer in an you won't know any diff. AND i DO OWN SOME RIFLES!!
 
"The Sentinel"
If, in the three months you've apparently been a member of THR, you've somehow managed to have not seen any of the ubiquitous Wal-Mart threads, you should have at least acquainted yourself with the "SEARCH" function -- in which case, you'd have noted that this topic has been explored, ad nauseum.

Stop the madness! No more Wal-Mart threads! (And I will still continue to purchase my 100-round "Value-packs" of WWB .45 ACP and 9mm at my local Wal-Marts -- I care not what ye WallyWorld-bashers have to say!)
 
Personally, I don't think it's any of their damn business what I own. Next time I won't be caught off guard, I'll tell her, "Neither, I just like to carry shiney bullets around in my pockets."

And I'm not Wal-Mart bashing. This just happened to happen there. Sorry if my question seemed redundant. I'm a newbie here and very busy. I don't really have enough time to sit at a computer and read past threads. Just curious if this is something new.

Thanks for the answers to my question.
 
Important questions

There are no bad questions to ask. If someone is tired of a question, they needn't respond or even to participate in that thread. Not every posted thread is intended for every member, so to whine about a thread is a waste of energy and pixels, and surely a window to the weakness of a simple mind; as witnessed by the posters limp wrist verbiage.

I certainly appreciated your question and now I feel I have a modicum of knowledge about the topic. It was not near my relative range of current interest, but I found the topic and the responses interesting. I have learned a little bit more about one more thing. This is always good. WalMart is not in my neighborhood of relevant vendors but I am glad to have been informed.
 
Maybe some day we will get a flash port inserted into our body so we can come up to speed on these posts. I did a search just a couple days ago before posting and missed the post, started the new one and got just a little spank.

But "Wally World" STINKS! i was in a desparate need of .22LR recently and just for safety sake i dropped in to our local Retail Ruler and i was Pi$$e@ at how they do bussness. I was walked' yes Walked to the front of the store with the ammo, like i was going to chuck it a some unsuspecting person in their store, and yes i was asked what it was used in and I just might have lyed, and I hate lying. I dislike that corporation. I was walked to the front, i couldn.t even carry the ammo..:mad:

Gbro
 
Employee Escorts.

Honest men are called to pay the price for the dishonest.

To dislike a corporation that must protect itself from theives is like disliking the bank for locking it's vault. Security measures are the gifts handed to us from those who lack moral structure. What percentage of any item you buy goes to cover the cost of shoplifters?
 
Escorts

I have never been escorted from the store at home when buying ammo. As a matter of fact, I frequently will check out in sporting goods and pick up a box or two of 9mm. The last time I was escorted out was when I bought a shotgun in Florida it was still taken apart and inside the box. Stupid, if you ask me. I have never been escorted out when I buy at gun shops. Even pistols. The one regular shop I go to always asks the add on questions, need ammo? holster? Thanks, have a good day, see you again.
 
No Probs Here

I head for Sporting Goods..locate the "Ammo Island" and get the goods. The guy rings it up there as we discuss my latest gun purchase and his "flinching" problems. As with anything, it depends on where you are and who you deal with, IMO.

A question while you brought up ammo purchase: has anyone delt on line with "www.dirtcheap.com?" Got a flyer in the mail and it looks pretty good.

Thanks In Advance..

Johnny
 
If, in the three months you've apparently been a member of THR, you've somehow managed to have not seen any of the ubiquitous Wal-Mart threads, you should have at least acquainted yourself with the "SEARCH" function -- in which case, you'd have noted that this topic has been explored, ad nauseum.

Stop the madness! No more Wal-Mart threads! (And I will still continue to purchase my 100-round "Value-packs" of WWB .45 ACP and 9mm at my local Wal-Marts -- I care not what ye WallyWorld-bashers have to say!)
Click to expand...

"Old Dog"
In the two and a half years you've apparently been a member of THR, you've somehow managed to have not seen the THR rules and guidelines which prohibit personal attacks. :neener:

When they ask me this question I answer 'both'. They don't believe they have that option. :evil:
 
carterbeauford, it's more the other way around.

Oh, and this 'nonesense' is due to federal law, for once this isn't walmart's fault.

Federal law places an age restriction on purchases of ammunition, specifically 18 for rifle/shotgun rounds and 21 for handgun. The law's been around for decades, it's just as roarindan says, most clerks will just finger it if they figure you're over 21 anyways.

Now, as we all know, there are rifles that fire pretty much every 'handgun' caliber walmart sells. There are also handguns for insane people that fire pretty much every rifle round walmart sells as well.

Because of the way the law's written, it's perfectly legal to sell 9mm to an 18 yr old if he 'intends' to put it in a carbine. So walmart programmed the computer system to ask so it knows which age verification to ask for. You say 'handgun' it asks the clerk to check age for 21, 'rifle' gets the 18 year one.
 
My 18 year old bro bought dad his christmas present at walmart. Big box of .22 rounds. They had to ask him what it was for and he gave the right answer. course how could they know if he was lying or not. They don't know if they are for him or not. Still dad enjoyed his gift. Wally world worked for him. I'm sure we'll continue to buy dad his big box of .22 there since it's cheap and we know what to get him.
Oh and the ammo is for a handgun so my shouldn't have been able to get them, but he's smart enough to know what to say.
I still love Walmart for so much other stuff. :D
Gus
 
The Wally Worlds I frequent have always done that...the cashier just hits a button to complete the transacton oh and if you buy multiple boxes, the question is asked for each box. Diff't yes, but doesn't seem like a big deal
 
I buy 9mm ammo at Walmart all the time, of course they ask:

"Handgun or Rifle"

For grins I reply in a somewhat elevated voice:

"Sub-Machine Gun"

Which are legal to own where I buy the ammo. A few of them who shoot catch on and laugh out loud..
 
Speaking of Wally World...

I was in one of the only two remaining in my neck o' the woods that still guns last weekend... I was buying a rifle for the upcoming Appleseed shoot in Orlando. But I digress. Having decided which .22 rifle I was going to buy, filled out the form, and given up my ID (and my CCW card, which negates the five-day waiting period! Yippee!!!) I heard the clerk call for a "salaried manager" to come to the sporting goods section. Apparently, the peons aren't allowed to actually handle the transaction, just the "salaried managers".

Now I've bought a firearm from Wal Mart before, so I know all about the "Wal Mart Perp Walk"... The last time, the clerk just walked me to the door and said "Thanks for shopping at Wal Mart". I didn't remember, though, that anyone special had to come over and ring me up. This time, this person was somewhat tardy. So she called again. And again. And again. In all, it took nearly a half hour for this "salaried" person to wander over.

First, he checked the paperwork. Then he checked the rifle, comparing numbers, and making sure that what was in the box was what was supposed to be in the box. Then he checked my ID, looking at both my driver's license AND my CCW card. I was actually gratified to find an American employee that was dedicated to doing his job the right way. Then, he turned to me, and said, "Do you have another form of ID?"

Now, let me ask you... how many of us carry more than two forms of photo ID?

Credit cards aren't ID, neither are debit cards, Blockbuster cards, medical insurance cards, blood bank donor cards... Apparently neither is the photo of my little girl with "Daddy's little girl, Kindergarten 2002" lovingly written on the back. Luckily, I had my voter's registration card with me, and (although he held it and looked at it like it was a three-week-dead trout) he grudgingly allowed that I probably was who I said I was. Purchase completed, he actually walked me out to the exact middle of the lane surrounding their parking lot, before surrendering my property unto me. Right on the double yellow lines. I had to laugh...

Geez, I wish there was a gunshop near me that actually valued their customers...
 
Federal law prohibits licensed gun dealers from selling handgun ammo to anyone under 21. WalMart has their registers programmed to ask the question to remind the cashier. It's a stupid law, but the BATFE will come down on WalMart like a ton of bricks if they don't make a legit effort to enforce it.
 
Actually if Safeway had a reminder like this for alcohol, then our babysitters friend, who is a cashier, probably wouldn't be looking at jail time for selling to a minor. It looks like it was a crackdown operation for underage drinking with the local police.

I actually wouldn't put it past the BATFE to send someone who is 17, that looks older, into a Walmart or other retail chain to buy ammo, and get the cashier and the store into "hot water" over something like this. Then a few people end up with a record and a store decides not sell ammo over the hasle.


It's an annoyance but they've set this up for a reason. Another reason may be that Walmart uses the data collected to see what they are actualy selling in the store, they would not stock several thousand rounds of ammo if no one was buying it, they would stock up on the most prevalent ammo sold.
 
last time i was at wal mart i bought wwb 100 round value pack of .40 s&w, for $17.98 when i went to gander mtn yesterday to see if they had some, the price was $22.98 :what: i mentioned to the guy what walmart sells them for, and he said "i can match that, no problem." he marked it down, rang me out and i was on my way. i dont know about you guys buy the gander mtn is way closer to me than the wal mart, ill just ask them to do that from now on.
 
I understand it's a store policy. I figure it's part of the price paid for decent, cheap ammo, so I don't mind their questions - half the time I answer "both" to their rifle/handgun questions. 'Course, I'm older than 21 and am almost never asked to "prove" my age with an ID card.

The moment they start writing down or otherwise recording my personal information, though, is the moment I cease buying ammunition there.
 
THE QUESTION

Every time I buy ammo at W*M they ask the question.

Always.

Even when I buy .223 they ask.

When I USED TO buy ammo at Big 5, they (usually) would not ask me, but if a guy looked under 30 they would ask him.

One week, after watching them ask a younger guy the rifle/pistol question over .22 LR, I went in the following day and asked for ammo "for my Marlin Camp 9" just for grins. When he asked what ammo it shot, I said I wasn't sure, it was some kind of 9mm rifle ammo, though, and would he look it up?

Yes, I know, it was a smart-ass thing to do, but I wanted to see the look when he learned that there are rifles that shoot "pistol only" ammo. I was rewarded with the look. And the "wow, I didn't know they even made a rifle like that" remark.

I don't do that any more. There's no joy in making people feel small or dumb.

Well, maybe there is, since so many store personnel seem dedicated to accomplishing that.
 
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