:(:(:( Dick's sporting goods:(:(:(

[ncpreacherboy1]

according to a sales associate at the dick's sporting goods nearest my house once they sell all of their firearms that are in stock they will no longer sell any firearms. what is this world coming to?

[FOX22250]

The new walmarts arew going in the same direction and with in two years from what iv been told all walmarts will be gun free..................

[ncpreacherboy1]

i hate the fact that all of the "cheap" outlets for firearms purchase are going so soft.

[quickdtoo]

I wouldn't believe any rumors about Walmart going completely out of the gun business, they just built a new WM supercenter here, they carry guns along with the 2 stores that are already here that also carry guns. That's 3 stores in Vancouver with a population of 160,000 in a county of 400,000, and Portland Oregon just across the river with who knows how many stores that carry guns. They did remove guns from a bunch of stores earlier this year nationwide, but only stores that didn't have enough gun sales to meet their minimum sales level, but that's all done now. If they do decide to completely do away with guns, I expect our resident Walmart manager, Bluebayou will let us know.

Tim

[kodiakemt]

Well it may not be the case in your neck of the woods, but that is the word on the street. Within 2 years Wally world will be gun free. I know that here in VA. you can't find much of anything in the store. The whole gun department has become almost nothing.

[quickdtoo]

but that is the word on the street.

Word on the street, eh, that sounds like a real credible source!

Tim

[lotus]

Not sure where you are, but the Dick's by me does a pretty brisk business.

I custom ordered one through them about a week ago and didnt hear anything about them discontinuing gun sales.

I'll have to swing by and ask them about this...

[lik2hunt]

As far as the wal-Marts go, here is a copy of a post I made on the subject a while back. I am in far SE Okla.

The top 600 stores in gun sales will continue to sell guns. The others will be phased out of gun sales SLOOOOWLY. Most when they come up for remodel or a move. This could take years. The stores that are to stop selling guns will have their stock boosted in whatever their best sales are, i.e., fishing items, fitness, etc. after their remodel or move.
My particular local store is in the top 100 in the nation for gun sales and has been for several years, so I have nothing to worry about. Most of the outlying stores that are closer to the rural areas of the country are the ones that have the highest gun sales........no big surprise there.

All this info has come to me straight from the sporting goods manager here.

I have since learned that instead of moving the guns around to other stores to mark down and close-out they are and will be doing it in the stores where they presently are at.

[pills]

The walmart about 15 mile south of me just got rid of everything except muzzleloaders. They were notified they had two days to account for all guns and move them to the one in my hometown. No close outs or anything. The way it was explained to me was even the ones that were in lay away were transferred.

From what I was told its the bottom 20% that are in danger of loosing their guns.

[quickdtoo]

Here's WM's announcement on firearms sales reductions.

Updated: 12:46 p.m. PT April 14, 2006
BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has decided to stop selling guns in about a third of its U.S. stores in what it calls a marketing decision based on lack of demand in some places, a company spokeswoman said Friday.

The world’s largest retailer decided last month to remove firearms from about 1,000 stores in favor of stocking other sporting goods, in line with a “Store of the Community” strategy for boosting sales by paying closer attention to local differences in demand.

“This decision is based on diminished customer relevancy and demand in these markets,” said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Jolanda Stewart.

Hunting and shooting advocates said it was a surprise that Wal-Mart, which has a strong hunting and fishing tradition, would surrender the field in at least some areas to big-box outfitting stores like Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s.

“For some folks, it will affect them as far as where they get their deer rifle or shotgun,” said Gregg Patterson, spokesman for the hunting and conservation group Ducks Unlimited.

The National Rifle Association said it was concerned people in rural areas, where Wal-Mart may be the only purveyor, may no longer have access to guns.

“We’ve been told by Wal-Mart that the decision would be made on a store-by-store basis based on demand. The NRA and our members will be watching closely to make sure they stay true to their word,” NRA chief lobbyist Chris Cox said.

The change could be a boon for mom-and-pop hunting stores that lost business when Wal-Mart moved in, said Steve Wagner, spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the shooting, hunting and firearms industry.

Wal-Mart’s critics and gun control advocates welcomed the move.

“This a good first step,” said Paul Blank, director of the union-funded group WakeUpWalMart.com, which contends there is a growing public safety concern about violence and crime at Wal-Mart stores.

The Violence Policy Center, a gun control group, said Wal-Mart’s decision reflected what it called a decline in gun ownership. “The marketplace has spoken and the losers are America’s gun industry and the gun lobby,” VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann said in a statement.

Wal-Mart’s Stewart declined to specify what stores were affected.

Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, Ark., has about 1,200 discount stores and 1,900 Supercenters, which include a full grocery section, in all 50 states. Wal-Mart says it sells rifles and shotguns. In Alaska, it also sells handguns.

“As with all merchandise decisions that we make, our decision to remove guns from Wal-Mart locations is simply based on the lack of customer purchase history of firearms in a given community,” Stewart said.

Wal-Mart’s experimental new Supercenter for more upscale shoppers, which opened last month in the affluent Dallas suburb of Plano, does not carry guns.

As Wal-Mart seeks growth by moving from rural America into cities and suburbs, it finds it needs to retune its inventory to appeal to more urban consumers.

The Plano store is a testing ground for ideas, from trendier products to more subdued interiors, that are part of a broad effort at Wal-Mart to rekindle sluggish growth by luring more affluent shoppers away from faster-growing rivals such as Target Corp.

Chief Executive Lee Scott has said that in communities like Plano, Wal-Mart’s sports department should shift from a traditional emphasis on hunting and fishing to more home fitness and exercise products.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12316692/


This is from the facts page on their web site.

As a retailer, we make business decisions every day on what products to offer our customers based on customer demand.  In order for each of our stores to be a "store of the community" and offer merchandise that is relevant to that specific community and customer base,  we recently made a business decision no longer to offer firearms in approximately 1,000 of our locations.

We began phasing out firearms sales in these stores earlier this year. In stores where there is sufficient demand, nothing will change.

We will continue to evaluate our merchandise selection store-by-store to make sure we remain relevant to the majority of our customers.

http://www.walmartfacts.com/articles/1666.aspx

[joshco84]

i hate to be the smart donkey here (pun intended) but why is walmart wanting to apeal to more "affluent shoppers"? i thought walmart was for people like me (in case you dont know i am of the non "afluent" crowd)  but seriously walmart is what it is, a place to get a lot of everday things cheaper. even though i am completely in favor of everybody (firearm intelligent people anyways) owning a firearm, i can understand how a store that does not sell many guns or ammo would quit selling it. kind of in a short note what quicks article was explaining  (ps tell me if i am on the right track with this, i think so, but ya never know).......

[bluebayou]

People are going to believe what they want.  WalMart told us in the stores that it is only going to quit selling guns in certain stores.  We don't sell........soccer cleats at all stores either.  As a matter of fact in the shoe department if our store is traited as Hispanic market then we get shipping more small size shoes because Hispanics have smaller feet.  Look, I am not making this up.  Distribution is a science.  Do I take ANY corporate announcement with a grain of salt, sure.  I don't even believe the President of the US anymore.  We live in a cynical world. 

Do you want to make WalMart the boogieman, then go ahead.  I will never change your mind because you have an axe to grind.  You are pro-union, or got fired as a cartpusher, or we sell Chinese goods, whatever.  You don't like WalMart then don't shop there.  You want to blame WalMart for Mom and Pop's business failure, then knock yourself out.  It is called Capitalism.  Capitalism only seems to be a problem once a business reaches a certain size, ie Microsoft. 

As to the affluent market question:WalMart wants to go after Target right now.  Why?  Target does 1/100th the business that we do.  Why would you want to model yourself after your unsuccessful competition?  Don't know.  Ask the Man in Bentonville. 

I fail to see the logic in everyone believing that WalMart will quit selling firearms.  There are no Gander Mountains, Cabelas, or Bass Pros in rural Oklahoma, Minnesota, Arkansas, and other places that I am familiar with.  If your WalMart in the city quit selling guns, I am sorry.  If your WalMart that is 30 minutes away from a large WalMart Supercenter quit selling guns then I am sorry. 

I am not trying to be a jerk.  The fact is that a lot of people are talking about this in "Northern" states where WalMart culture doesn't carry very well.  Read the column by George Will.  Got news for everyone:  poor people shop at WalMart.  Part of the new drive at WalMart is to get the affluent shopper who rarely sets foot in WalMart.  The way the company sees it is there are everyday shoppers (all clothes, groceries, consumables, entertainment), occassional consumables kind of shoppers (dog food, detergent, etc), and rare shoppers (one visit in blue moon).  For most of us out in the Styx, WalMart is the only game in town (yeah, because we squashed the little man, yah, yah).  There are 3 supermarkets in our little Oklahoma town.  None of them can compete for variety.  The produce and meat are better at my store.  We are cleaner.  We are convenient-I can buy my wife a card, a goldfish, ammo, and socks all in one stop.  WalMart's bread and butter are the rural stores.  Hopefully, they in Bentonville won't lose sight of that.  But, in any event, people in the country buy guns and ammo more than the ones in the city. 

In an urban market, if we can use retail space for....fishing lures, or wakeboards, or golf clubs and make more money then we will.  WalMart is a business and I am sorry if it inconveniences you personally, with your interest in firearms.  But, maybe more people in your area would prefer skateboards to guns. 

I am just a little guy.  I am not a VP or Director of anything.  Be logical, take anything that a company says with a grain of salt and realize too that this is about business.  If anyone wants my philosophical position on WalMart then I will post that too.  Otherwise, just don't shop there if you don't like WalMart, but grind your axes somewhere else.

[Cookiemann]

bluebayou,
I live 'Up Nort', in Minnesota.  In my area, just south of St. Paul, we have Gander Mountain, Dicks, Cabelas and they all do a brisk business.  It was not a surprize to find my local Walmart was one of the 1000 stores to discontinue selling firearms.  I was not happy about it, but, I believe it is as you have stated, as "business decision" and nothing more.  Well said, bluebayou.
As for the Twin Cities Area, there are several Gander Mountain stores, a Cabelas on both the north and south ends of the metro area and a Sportmart.  We are fortunate to have so many choices.  I can still order from Walmart if I don't mind a short drive of an hour or so.
Just my 2 cents.

cookiemann