West Marine

[marvin4239]

After fooling around with my starter battery for the last few days I finally pulled it out and took it to the local battery shop and as I suspected it was bad. Being only 5 months old I figured I'd take it back to West Marine. When I got to WM I realized they didn't carry Exide. A similiar replacement was about $80 at West. The boat came equipted with this battery and the dealer would have gladly replaced it but he ws 250 miles away so I went to Boaters World who carried the Exide line. When I went in the store there were two young kids working and when I told them what I was there for they said we've never done that and don't know how. Should have gone back to West Marine but I'm hard headed. Because I of course didn't have the receipt they looked at the manufacture date on the battery which was December 2007. Even though the battery has only been in use for 5 months they prorated the price. I wound up paying $81 for the replacement. The battery I replaced still had the price tag on it of $79. I've been buying a few things at Boaters World but after this experience I think I'll stick to WM.

[thataway]

We have a local hardware store about 2 miles from our home--usually have what I need. It is very convient and the clerks are very helpful. We have another local hardware and art supply store which carries every size and type of SS fasterner you might imagine--again very knowlegable and the price is 1/3 or less of West Marine. The Lowes and Home Depot are only a couple of blocks away from this hardware store and about 5 miles from home. I patronize these little stores, because if I don't they will go away.

We had two West Marines less than a mile from each other (Hold over from Boat US). The second store has closed and the remaining has doubled in size (this is the one which only had the one can of liquid rollers). The manager of the store is most accomidating, and helpful. He did not come from a boating background. There are several good clerks--and one who still does not remember my name, or Port Supply number which was one of the first 10 accounts, even though he sees me at least once a week for 2 years. West Marine has been good about replacing items which were bad--in my experience --not sending them back to the factory and having to wait. It is a good convience and I am want to keep them in business also. If we buy nothing but from the internet--It has definately hurt them--they may scale back stores???--and I don't know how much the "not matching the internet prices" will affect their high end sales. We have a good sized marine electronics store in town--and they are often lower than West Marine--and their installation charges are what keep them in business. If there was not an installer locally--what would happen to the average boater who is not capable of installing his electronics?

[starcrafttom]

Bob I know I know.. He will learn to do it him self??

I willing to beat that the instal guy makes nothing or little on the systems and all on the install. Family freind owned a marine electronics shop on lake texahoma (?) and he never made a thing on the sales just the install. Hes passed on now but I learned a lesson from that. If he tried to make money on the parts then no one would have shopped there and he would not had the chance to do the install. I have been told that les makes no money on the equipment but only on the rigging.

one of the advantages of modern equipment is that its get to be plug and play. After fixing my raymarine units I beleive that I could install it or any system equal to it. Now that is not a boost, its just gotten that easy.

[marvin4239]

There's a young local guy here that worked for one of the larger Mercury dealers. He was factory certified on several different outboard brands and had a really good reputation. He got tired of working for the other guy and started a small outboard business from his home. His speciality is he comes to you. He's done really well and now has two other guys working for him. Much of what he does is on referral from West and Boaters World installing electronics. There's apparently a pretty big market for installing electronics that locally no body had really tapped into.

I agree with Bob on buying from the little local hardware stores and other business's for that matter. I'm fearful when these mom and pop business's disappear we will be at the mercy of the Home Depots and Walmarts.

[flrockytop]

[quote="thataway"] ... We have another local hardware and art supply store which carries every size and type of SS fasterner you might imagine--again very knowlegable and the price is 1/3 or less of West Marine...... if I don't they will go away.

quote]

I know what you mean. If Hutson hardware ever closes I would be at a loss as to where to buy fasteners and the like. It was a sad day when Mr. Waters died. They bought my 37Ft Hunter sailboat from me. Some local mom and pop stores can't be beat.

As for WM, In Dec I bought a Quest dual 10 amp charger at the WM they were closing down. I paid $39 for it. Last week something inside of it went "BANG" , smoked and stopped working. Tue I took it into the other WM and told the story. Since I paid $39. for a $179 charger I figured they refer me to Quest. No. they called today and said my replacement was here.

Roger

[Wefings]

Quote;

["yes mom and pop made more money but I'm more worried about the folks working there. As a long life employee I don’t really care how much money mom and pop make over my salary. I worry about my salary and how much it cost me to live. Well I buy my cloths at roths and Wal-Mart because its half or less then the local clothing store. I don’t find that I get any better service from the local shops for the most part and I have to pay more. The big guys have better health care then the mom and pop shop. I have never heard of the local small store having health care or paid vacations." ]

Eu Contra ire .........

Wefings employees are some of the highest paid in our county ,have paid vacations and healthcare is a 50/50 split with employer. I have almost no turnover , yet we struggle to make the bills every month . Mom and pop cant buy products well
enough to make money anymore with the big box purchasing power and no overhead internet "stores". Pop [me] does not pay himself particularly well either .

I never worked in a West Marine store ,[spent alot of time in and around them them as a a Port Supply Rep , but I started in catalog sales before Al Gore invented the internet] but they [the stores] have something called the ten foot rule . If a customer is within ten feet of an associate , the associate is required to greet and ask if the customer needs help . Perhaps that has fallen by the wayside in some of the retail locations .

Marc
[/quote]

[Sea Wolf]

I grew up with my dad being a Jeweler and watchmaker (repairer) in a small family operation, and know how hard it was to compete with larger stores long before the advent of WalMart and the rest, so I appreciate the position mom and pop stores are in. Their role in sales and service has been the backbone of the retail trade in America for decades.

However, my intuition tells me that the large discount super-stores are a phenomena that are a part of the evolution toward a new American retail system within a new world economy we've been discussing on the "Tough Economic Times" thread.

Times are changing on a world wide scale as many new nations join the industrialized world and enter into world trade. The rise of China typifies this trend as it becomes an industrial giant and floods the world, including the U.S., with products.

Our role in such a new world will have to be different, the force of these developments abroad cannot be stopped by artificial means at our boarders.

Joe.

[marvin4239]

Marc you make a good point that the larger companies SHOULD be able to provide better benefits than the mom and pop outfits for their employees. My concern is when the big boys become the only game in town what will happen to the employee's or prices? I read sometime back that the first employees of Home Depot all became millionaires due to their stock options and the rapid growth of Home Depot. Now that Home Depot seems to have the lions share of that business I wonder how the employees are compensated. I know when I go to my local family owned hardware store there is someone there that knows his business to help you. Finding help in Home Depot is pretty challenging sometimes and checking myself out really is a little much. We are definately living in rapidly changing time and for some of us dinosuars it's hard to accept.

[fiddlersgreen6]

Hello All--- Just my two cents, with over 50 years in the field of boating. and having done business with West Marine for some time, I find it is best to always go directly to the manager, in dealing with exchanges, especially if I bought something in N.Y. and want to do an exchange in Florida. and I can't find the receipt. This happen to me recently on an electric windshield wiper motor that overheated. the exchange was NO problem, never go on the weekends, the best time is early A.M. during the week. I always buy all my Marine and RV batteries from Sears, mainly because they actually have a decent battery for C-Dories, and they provide half way descent service. I avoid the other big box stores like the plague! Try asking ANY EMPLOYEE at Wal-Mart if they know what a C-Dory looks like. They won't have a clue unless you are parked in their lot with your boat in tow. I still try to shop Mom and Pop whenever possible. Remember most of the chain employees(except for Wal-Mart) weren't even born when C-Dories were first being produced! Rich

[journey on]

I was in the San Diego West Marine store this weekend. They claim it's the biggest store they have. Tried to find some parts. Every salesperson is walking around with wireless phones in their ear, apparently talking to people calling in, I certainly couldn't get their attention. Found one salesman, who turned out to be a cruiser spending 6 mos in San Diego. Nice guy, but do you consider him an expert? Pat knows as much or more about wiring as this guy, cause now he's done it. I have talked to the young ladies just out of business school, learning the trade. Are they experts? Finally found the Lift-the-dot snaps, a package of 4 for $8. Spent my freebie class action coupons on a fuel filter and left

Went to Downwind Marine (2 blocks away,) The same snaps were sold individually, for 1/6 the price. And the people knew what I was talking about, they didn't need a catalog number. I also found TWO good marine stores in Bellingham. So you gotta look.

There are alternatives to the Internet, but I don't think West Marine is one. Also, when I've had questions and problems with electronics, the manufactures are the best people to talk to that I've found. It's their stuff.

OK, nuff said, Boris

[DaveS]

[Larry H]

This is something I don't understand.

Does West Marine actually make more money by talking to the phone-in customers than they do helping a customer who is already in the store?

If I drive to a store, I am most likely there to buy something. Why should a phone-in caller have precedent over me?

If the salesman answers an on-ear phone while helping me I think that is rude, and I might take my business elsewhere.

[anchorout]

West Marine is one of the biggest retail chains in the US. Their overhead costs are no different than Lowe's or Academy's or Walmart's. If they want to charge double for a product I can buy elsewhere, then they loose my business. It's not big store vs mom-and-pop. It's not retail outlet vs internet. It's pure greed.

The local West Marine here is going under because of there pricing policies. So be it.

[AK Angler]

Resurrecting a 5 year old thread just to complain about West Marine? Really?

[SENSEI]