So I was at the Walmart just after 10pm tonight and they told me they couldn't sell any ammo after 10pm due to safety reasons. Now I know that Walmart in my home state of VA doesn't sell ammo after midnight and I've only been in IN for just over a year, but I find myself wondering what safety reasons are these? The fella in the store looked about as interested in being there as he would if he was in the dentist chair awaiting a root canal so I didn't challenge this at all...but still I wonder...safety reasons?
Not safe after 10pm
- Thread starter 9mmforMe
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They will sell shotgun shells or whatever is not behind the counter. Clerks up front don't know what it is.
rozziboy18
Member
huh. my wally world sell ammo 24. i dont know why i would need a box of 308 win sp's at 3 am but its nice to know i can
Cuz sometimes we forget our ammo when we go on a hunt. Not that I have ever done that :banghead:
So this is not a safety issue then its just a store policy? After a cursory online search I read that it was a federal law prohibiting ammo sales after 10pm...but this isnt true since I searched around more and couldn't find any such law.
THE DARK KNIGHT
Member
Likely just corporate policy, may vary region to region. As with most corporate policies, it almost always boils down to insurance reasons. My guess is insurance reasons.
xcgates
Member
I know for sure I've bought ammo after 2200 both in NY, and TX. Heck, I've been known to buy everything under the sun, including ammo, booze, engine oil, and food at at the same go. Sometimes you have to find someone with the key, though.
Haven't bought after midnight though. Seem to remember in NY it was law/store policy not to sell after midnight (booze, that is) and if I was in a place like Walmart after midnight, it was for snackfood and copious amounts of highly caffeinated beverages.
However, as much as I traffic Walmart, I might suggest that the safety they talk about is the "quality" of employees they have after midnight. I've had quite entertaining conversations around 0200. Not to offend anyone who works there, but some might strange people make an appearance during the early morning hours.
Haven't bought after midnight though. Seem to remember in NY it was law/store policy not to sell after midnight (booze, that is) and if I was in a place like Walmart after midnight, it was for snackfood and copious amounts of highly caffeinated beverages.
However, as much as I traffic Walmart, I might suggest that the safety they talk about is the "quality" of employees they have after midnight. I've had quite entertaining conversations around 0200. Not to offend anyone who works there, but some might strange people make an appearance during the early morning hours.
FROGO207
Member
Just another reason for me to shop at a Mom and Pop gun store at reasonable hours so as not to disturb my sleep pattern or cause upper GI distress.
Erik M
Member
This was what I was told when I worked there while I was going to college. The registers could sell any ammo 24/7 but because NICS stops taking calls at 10pm eastern managers wanted us to tell customers we didn't sell ammo so the gun case would not be opened after a gun sale couldn't take place. I know it sounds ludicrous but I have had more than a handful of walmart assistant managers explain it to me that way. bear in mind that was years ago, but take it from an ex employee that a lot of people there work very hard to keep away from real work.
RockyMtnTactical
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I've been told that before too. That said I have also had some of them sell to me after 10-11 on a few ocassions. Not sure... Maybe these guys didn't get the memo...
elcaminoariba
member
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I have no doubt that some pimply clerk told you that. You didn't ask what the "safety reasons" were? Ahh man, getting THAT answer on video would be epic. {insert cracking voice teenager from simpsons} "Um, ammunition just isn't safe after 10pm sir."
You would NOT believe the fear that runs through me when the clock strikes 9:59pm at my house
It's chemical properties change for only 8 hours till the sun comes up again.
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Spec ops Grunt
Member
My store sells ammo all the time. I'm pretty sure that all Walmarts should.
To be fair, you can ask a policy question to 3 different managers and get 5 different answers.
To be fair, you can ask a policy question to 3 different managers and get 5 different answers.
OldMac
Member
I would try it again to test their "policy". I have found that their employees will make up policies on the fly because they don't want to deal with the situation. Since they are open 24 hrs, when does after 10pm end?
wgaynor
Member
It's likely some employee that doesn't know what they were doing.
Not too long ago, I went to Wally World to buy some soup. Everytime I go there, I pick up a box of ammo to put back...just a habit. I've done this for years there. My strategy was to get in and out, so I could hurry on home.
The shotgun shells were on the shelf, but the ammo I wanted was locked up. It was Tula .223 for under $5. The kid kept telling me I had to pay for it back there and then continue shopping. Well...that wasn't part of my strategy, and I knew that rule was bogus. So, after he proceeded to tell me it was his first day on the job, I told him to call his Manager to clarify.
By this point, I've had a long day, and am a true believer that "the customer is always right (or should be)." So, based on principle alone and because I was in a bad mood, I wasn't giving up.
His "manager" walked up and told me that she'd been there for 6 months and had always followed that rule. I told her that I'd been shopping there and buying ammo for years and know the rules, to please give me the ammo, so I can pick up my soup, and pay for it all up front. She refused. I demanded she call the manager...I was really getting ticked.
She made the phone call, and told me she was instructed to walk the ammo up front with me. I told her to forget it and walked away. The next day, I picked the ammo up, finished my shopping, and paid for it all up front.
They are idiots.
Not too long ago, I went to Wally World to buy some soup. Everytime I go there, I pick up a box of ammo to put back...just a habit. I've done this for years there. My strategy was to get in and out, so I could hurry on home.
The shotgun shells were on the shelf, but the ammo I wanted was locked up. It was Tula .223 for under $5. The kid kept telling me I had to pay for it back there and then continue shopping. Well...that wasn't part of my strategy, and I knew that rule was bogus. So, after he proceeded to tell me it was his first day on the job, I told him to call his Manager to clarify.
By this point, I've had a long day, and am a true believer that "the customer is always right (or should be)." So, based on principle alone and because I was in a bad mood, I wasn't giving up.
His "manager" walked up and told me that she'd been there for 6 months and had always followed that rule. I told her that I'd been shopping there and buying ammo for years and know the rules, to please give me the ammo, so I can pick up my soup, and pay for it all up front. She refused. I demanded she call the manager...I was really getting ticked.
She made the phone call, and told me she was instructed to walk the ammo up front with me. I told her to forget it and walked away. The next day, I picked the ammo up, finished my shopping, and paid for it all up front.
They are idiots.
Six
Member
And you keep giving them your money.
Another Walmart rant thread?
Another Walmart rant thread?
thunder173
Member
I always get a kick out of having to have a manager escort me to the door while THEY carry an empty gun in a box,...while I on the other hand am carrying the loaded one in my pocket,....and they just did my paperwork using my CHL/CCW.....bright,...really bright.
merlinfire
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Haha, good point. The way people fear guns like they're alive is so funny to me.
Quoheleth
Member
I've had it both ways at the same stores before.
- Have to pay for ammo back here.
- "Can I take this up front?" SURE! Thanks for shopping at Wal-Mart!
- It's 10:30pm, no ammo until 8am tomorrow morning.
- "Excuse me - I know it's 10:45pm, but I want to hit the range first thing tomorrow. Can I get a box of .38s?" SURE~let me get the keys!
Like most places, not every employee knows all the rules --- or, individual area managers make up some rules to fit their immediate situation. I worked at a SAMS club for 9 months (the longest 5 years of my life...) and it was not uncommon to customize "Official Policy" when dealing with individuals. Sometimes we got caught - "I'm sorry...I misunderstood our policy" - but most often it was the most expedient way of dealing with [enter difficult situation here].
Q
- Have to pay for ammo back here.
- "Can I take this up front?" SURE! Thanks for shopping at Wal-Mart!
- It's 10:30pm, no ammo until 8am tomorrow morning.
- "Excuse me - I know it's 10:45pm, but I want to hit the range first thing tomorrow. Can I get a box of .38s?" SURE~let me get the keys!
Like most places, not every employee knows all the rules --- or, individual area managers make up some rules to fit their immediate situation. I worked at a SAMS club for 9 months (the longest 5 years of my life...) and it was not uncommon to customize "Official Policy" when dealing with individuals. Sometimes we got caught - "I'm sorry...I misunderstood our policy" - but most often it was the most expedient way of dealing with [enter difficult situation here].
Q
Captcurt
Member
Amen, Bro.Just another reason for me to shop at a Mom and Pop gun store at reasonable hours so as not to disturb my sleep pattern or cause upper GI distress.
ForumSurfer
Member
I was told the same thing. Their reasoning was that they kept the ammo locked in the display case with the firearms. Only the store manager and sporting goods managers had the combination, neither of which were working that night. I simply moved on, tho it was inconvenient as I was several miles from home and planning to shoot the next morning. The (obviously drunk) guy in front of me proceeded to throw a temper tantrum and give the rest of us a bad name.
wgaynor
Member
For the record... I was not the drunk guy that ForumSurfer mentioned above.
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
Not likely corporate policy. It may be the mgr's decision and is a store policy, but it isn't a corporate policy not to sell after 10:00 pm.
My problem with our local Wal-mart and getting ammo is trying to find a clerk to open up the ammo to get me the ammo I want to buy. Their late night staffing changes and they don't have anyone dedicated to sporting goods at that time.
So it wasn't that your Wal-mart didn't allow late hours sales, but that there simply wasn't access to the ammo and guns inside the locked cabiniets.
As noted above, ammo not in the cabinets isn't restricted by access or mgr decisions.
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