Walmart Maddness

[MagnumDweeb]

So it's nine'o clock at night when me and the fiancee are driving home from Seder(Passover) and we are going near a Walmart on the way home and she goes "honey let's see if they have any .45 ACP in." Because I own two Ruger P90 .45 ACPs(one for me, one for her) that have been sitting in the safe because .45 acp is ridicuosly expensive (more than $15 a box of fifty, come on), and she loves to shoot her P90(I technically own it, be she exclusively shoots it), and I told her that I'm down to five hundred rounds and plan to hold onto them and leave them be(ordered the reloading equipment and thankfully have 5,000 large pistol primers and a ton of .45 ACP brass). So I agree to go in and I notice there's a sign "no more than ten boxes per customer" and I can't help but burst out laughing(in a prior post I talked about seeing a local gunshop employee with a handtruck stocking up ammo for his shop). Well my fiancee and I got to talking with the guy working the ammo(sporting goods) counter and it turned out that within the first four hours ammo had arrived, it had disappeared off the shop, I mean even the .25 auto and sig .357 boxes were gone, ***. Barely any .22lr what to see. The fiancee was pouting as we were walking out.

Of course I couldn't help myself "you remember when you thought I was silly when I took ten grand during the primaries and bought a ton of ammo." She didn't answer me except for bitching about all the 7.62x25 I had and how the Tokarevs were ugly.

I went and checked on gunbroker and people adding massive add-ons to the price of ammo, were boasting about how they bought it at Wal-mart, so even our fellow gunnies are gouging us(I say gouging because they are being with the intention of charging extra, not just simply having it and getting rid of it without a complete loss).

 

[moi_self26]

How do you know that they are fellow gunnies? It's possible that they are just people with no interest in guns, noticed the trend, and decided to profit off of it. It's just like at Christmas time when there is that "hot must have children's toy" that parents are beating each other up over in stores on Christmas Eve trying to get, so people go out, see a shelf full, buy as many as they can, put them on E-BAY and make 100 times what they actually spent on the stupid thing. It's capitalism pure and simple.... sometimes it has it's disadvantages.... but all in all, it's best to have a free open market.

 

[TRGRHPY]

I went and checked on gunbroker and people adding massive add-ons to the price of ammo, were boasting about how they bought it at Wal-mart, so even our fellow gunnies are gouging us(I say gouging because they are being with the intention of charging extra, not just simply having it and getting rid of it without a complete loss).

But it's ok if the new shooters get screwed by fellow gunnies because it's just capitalism...

It's just like at Christmas time when there is that "hot must have children's toy" that parents are beating each other up over in stores on Christmas Eve trying to get, so people go out, see a shelf full, buy as many as they can, put them on E-BAY and make 100 times what they actually spent on the stupid thing

Yep, it's just like christmas, except that I've never seen anyone who bought a childrens toy for self defense. The same people who don't take issue with this are also the same ones who complain about people who don't practice enough. Also the same ones who scream about any attempted legislation to increase the price of ammo by taxing it, but as long as it's not the government ridiculously raising the price of ammo, and it's in the name of capitalism, it's completely ok.

 

[moi_self26]

Yep, it's just like christmas, except that I've never seen anyone who bought a childrens toy for self defense. The same people who don't take issue with this are also the same ones who complain about people who don't practice enough. Also the same ones who scream about any attempted legislation to increase the price of ammo by taxing it, but as long as it's not the government ridiculously raising the price of ammo, and it's in the name of capitalism, it's completely ok.

Some of us just prefer NOT to pick and chose which parts of the Constitution to abide by.

 

[searcher451]

One person's cherished piece of the U.S. Constitution is another person's easily disgarded piece of junk, sadly. It's true around the country. It's also true in the gun community. For example, we have a couple of threads going at the moment about ABC's pending "20/20" report on easily obtainable guns and the current gun issue. Just look at the number of folks who have weighed in suggesting that ABC shut the report off right now, before it airs, despite the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech and freedom of the press.

The Constitution doesn't indicte that all speech must be truthful or that the press must only publish or broadcast what you and I might consider to be the truth. It merely says that we are free to speak our minds, even when we are wrong, just as the press is free to publish and broadcast what it likes, even if we don't happen to agree with it.

An old boss of mine used to say that you have to take the good with the bad. He easily could have said, "You can't cherry-pick the Constitution."

 

[Geronimo45]

But it's ok if the new shooters get screwed by fellow gunnies because it's just capitalism...

At least they're selling the ammo. Stockpilers are just making their own piles bigger.

What's the objection to people making a profit? Do you, for one second, believe the gun manufacturers aren't making a profit? Ammo manufacturers? Holster makers? If someone wants to stay in business, they have to make a profit.

 

[markfh]

I guess I don't understand the position that I

a) shouldn't stockpile and
b) if I sell any I shouldn't make a profit on what I sell.

I stockpiled because I could see the writing on the wall early last year. I've sold some that I bought cheap for a good profit to offset the cost of what I bought and to buy a few more guns.

If you believe in and support capitalism then I think you have to accept it with all it's warts.

Or you could support the current group in power and go for socialism.

 

[geophysicishooter]

There is a difference between being capitalist and profiteering. Someone trying to be in the business of being an ammunition vendor isn't doing his shopping at wal-mart. the guy that goes in and buys up all the ammo at wal-mart and trying to turn around and sell it for a profit is eventually going to get burned on his investment and start to loose money on it. people will eventually calm down and the demand will die off sooner or later and the latter gentleman will go away. That;s the strength of capitalism.. it kills its weak (rather Spartan in that regard) In the meantime, I limit my range time, ration my ammo and try to strike a hot iron when I get a chance.

just keep running the traps. buy as low as you can when you can and eventually that will begin to drive the price down. If you don't like the price someone charges, don't pay it.

TRGRHPY, I still assert that if your life really is in dager for lack of ammo, if you truely have not a round to your name, you can find a way to get a box to fill your mags with. one way or another, one place or another, one price or another.

but this crying for the new shooter business. what can I say? everybody's the new guy once and it sucks to hear the "old timers" talking about how cheap and plentiful ammo was, like it was some kind of Texas-style Valhalla with visions of 870's dancing like sugar plums in your head with cases of armour piercing ammo, like Choctaw Bingo..

I still have boxes of .40 from academy that have the "old" price of $5.86 printed on the box, only scratched out and I know how much more I paid for them then..

It was always better in the good old days.. that's why they call them the good ol' days..

 

[Ned Kelly]

Their gun dealers trying to turn a quick buck. That's why they load up so much.

You ought to follow these people and find out where their gun shop is. go in there the next day and see all that ammo on their shelves marked at double price.

 

[Blackbeard]

This is why price gouging is a good thing. If there's a shortage of a needed item in an area, and the price remains the same, then all of the needed supply goes to whomever gets there first, and everyone else has to go without. If the price rises in response to the shortage, people tend to buy only what they really need. So the next time you hear outrage over "price gouging", remember these past few months.

 

[ArmedBear]

If you don't like the prices, don't buy.

I have a strong suspicion that those of us who have delayed our plinking in certain calibers for a few weeks will get reasonably-priced ammo again, and a lot of these "entrepeneurs" will end up with a pile of ammo they'll have to sell at a loss.

And what's "Maddness" anyway? A sudden urge to join Mothers Against Drunk Driving?

Hell, that's not the first time someone has been driving home from Seder and thought, "Damn! I missed out on a chance to make some money!" For my grandfather, it was women's clothing, not ammo...

There'll be another chance. Really. Don't sweat it.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

This reminds me of a local scrap dealer who bought up all the available scrap metal when the price was sky high several months ago and held it anticipating the price to go higher. He now has a scrap yard full of metal worth less than 20% of what he paid for it.

 

[ArmedBear]

held it anticipating the price to go higher

That's a risky proposition when it's already high. It can be somewhat less risky when it's at historic lows (unless there's been a technological change that makes supply cheaper or demand much lower).

That's another thing to remember: when someone makes money this way, he usually loses it this way, too.

 

[BhmBill]

Luckily, theres a few wal-marts in the area that don't have the deluxe sporting goods area (no guns, no bows, no arrows, only a handful of airsoft, paintball, and bb guns) but they carry plenty of shotgun shells.

I went to the wal-mart a few miles away with my girlfriend last night and picked up 2 boxes of Federal 2 3/4 #6 and some .410 3" for my Thunder Five. They got 100rd boxes for $21 - $25... or they had plenty of 25rd boxes for under $5 (and some marked down to $5 from almost $8), 100rds was under $19. I may go back since I tend to shoot 12ga the most.

So yeah... If you guys got wal-marts that don't sell firearms and are lookin for cheap shells, look around and see if they got some in stock.

 

[Plinkeriffic]

Addled at Academy

I have started to keep all the Academy's in my area phone numbers, as you can actually GET the folks in hunting&fishing to pick up and tell you if there's any .45acp. WHEN IT'S IN, the 250-rnd Remi UMC is $95 and the Monarch 50-rnd is $18 and considering availability that's doing well.

 

[Ned Kelly]

Walmart used to be the last place I would go to get my ammo. Now seeing how they decided not to price gouge people I will probably buy all my ammo there except for the ammo they don't carry.

In the long run price gougers will suffer for this.

 

[Anna's Dad]

Still buying 9mm for $8.97 / 50 at Wal-mart (when it's in stock). I remember being angry when it went up from $7.97!

I think .45 is about $14 / 50.

They have a 4 box per custom per day maximum at my Wal-Mart and the shelves are still nearly always empty. Have to just hit it right.

 

[Phydeaux642]

This whole business of flipping ammo for huge profits has left a real bad taste in my mouth. In fact I made a list of all my firearms this morning and am trying to figure out what I am going to get rid of. I figure there is no point in owning a gun if you can't shoot it when you want. Heck, I've got four .22s that I can't find ammo for. It sure was fun, though.

 

[TRGRHPY]

I went back and read the first three posts really carefully, and completely failed to see where myself or the other two mentioned anything about violating the Constitution. Delusional perhaps?

Geophysicishooter: First, get a shorter name... My attention span isn't long enough to remember how to spell it...haha
I talk to a lot of people, and I met one Wed. that repeated the same thing that I keep hearing.
She and her husband just moved here from out of state. He wanted to purchase a handgun and attend the pistol coursefor his cc permit. He did both in the last week, but he purchased a 9mm and the place didn't have any ammo. so he looks around and can't find any. He finds one place but they want a ridiculous amount of money, and he had to do something or sign up for something in order to purchase it, I didn't quite understand that part. So because of the ridiculous price he isn't able to go out and practice with it to make sure that he's brushed up on his SD and also to make sure that the ammo is compatible with the gun. These are very basic concepts that we as gun enthusiasts advocate. But the profiteers (good call btw) are making the price so outrageous that it is just impractical to do it.

I tell them what I do/have done in the past. If I am going to go shoot, I buy enough ammo to load all of my magazines after the shoot, and to have an extra box or two (100-200 rounds) left over. After a period of just a few range trips, and one or two stops by the walmart sporting goods while I was already shopping, I was able to accumulate about 1,000 rounds to keep in reserve. That's about 2, mayber 3 range trips. And it takes me about 180-something rounds to top-off the magazines. It's not a huge up-front cost and it can be built up rather quickly without noticing a huge blow to the wallet. I don't see this ammo thing lasting forever and this is an amount that I feel comfortable with in my reserve.

I don't want the new shooters to get discouraged. They have enough to worry about/learn.

just keep running the traps. buy as low as you can when you can and eventually that will begin to drive the price down. If you don't like the price someone charges, don't pay it.

Thats' what I've been doing and what I tell others to do. Right now, there's just not the supply out there to be a discriminating buyer.

 

[Blackbeard]

It comes down to this -- when demand outstrips supply, you can have one of the following:

A) Availability
B) Low price

You can't have both.

 

[crzbiker]

If you want to see something interesting, go to J&G's site. The price on most pistol ammo is marked "Call for Price". So I did. What a surprise! The costs seemed to have jumped over 50%!! "...but we have it in stock!" Hmmm.