West Marine-gctid368870

[FISHIN00]

Made a UNESCORTED trip to the local West Marine store yesterday,talk about sticker shock!! I had two gift cards left over from Christmas, that I found while cleanning out my pickup. The wife said go today and use them up,before I lose them again. 16oz bottle of Startron..23.99,

gallon of West Marine outboard oil..29.99,Blue Max spot light...29.99..assorted fishin lures.. 21.00. GOOD GRIEF!

[kwb]

West Marine is like 7-11

You pay for the large number of locations and the inventory isn't exactly what you want but there is something there that will work for what you are trying to do.

They do fairly well at being competitive on electronics though and from what I have read will price match.

[Guest]

Those prices are right in line with every place else. Do a Google search and you will see those are competitive or cheaper then elsewhere.

If you do happen to find it cheaper, including Amazon, they will price match. I'm not sure why West Marine gets bashed all the time. They have a good selection and decent prices, along with helpful staff and many locations. Seems like a good business model to me. I can go to Fisheries and spend $8 to $10 in gas (plus my time) and get something for $5 less or I can go to West Marine and have them price match. True they don't have the huge inventory of places like Fisheries, but for a majority of boating related things, they are a great asset.

[FISHIN00]

I just have not purchased anything in a while for the boat.....I think the last time I purchased oil...it was somewhere around $15...I guess sticker shock gets to me more the OLDER I get!

[itsabowtime2]

30 day price match.

They matched prices from defender fo me just last week.

[tonyiiiafl]

Simply the best to me. I went in with my shopping list from DEFENDER Warehouse sale. the Petit bottom paint for the dink was $79.00 at West, and $34.00 at DEFENDER, matched it no question, as they did with the zinks at half their prices. They have been good to me and they get all of my normal business. Yes, if I see something I want and think it is overpriced, I will ask my manager and 9 times out of 10, they wil take 30% off without batting an eyelash.

[Guest]

I have to say, I've seen a bit of West Marine bashing from time to time, but my experience has been nothing but positive, with the exception of them not having exactly what I needed on occasion. For all major items I have purchased, they have always price matched even to the best internet prices I could find. I really can't say anything bad about them. BTW I have no affiliation with WM or any of their employees.

[FISHIN00]

Scott wrote:
I have to say, I've seen a bit of West Marine bashing from time to time, but my experience has been nothing but positive, with the exception of them not having exactly what I needed on occasion. For all major items I have purchased, they have always price matched even to the best internet prices I could find. I really can't say anything bad about them. BTW I have no affiliation with WM or any of their employees.

I was'nt bashing WM...I had "Sticker Shock" at the current prices! That's all

[RinnyBeth]

we had a West Marine in Sitka here in Alaska.. it was cool little store and it shut down.. first they had it in a far out of local place tucked in a corner.. too bad, our only other WM store is 900 miles north in Anchorage or travel to Seattle and play wheres Waldo to find one there.. I do like the "match prices" they had.. and Wal-Mart does too.. brought in a flier and got better deals here in town with them in Anchorage.. woohoo

[Guest]

FISHIN00 wrote:
I was'nt bashing WM...I had "Sticker Shock" at the current prices! That's all

Understood. Typically I'll start looking online for what I need to get a general idea of price, etc. And the bottle is close by if I need "therapy" :arr

Depending on the item usually I'll buy locally if they match or come close to the online price. Nearly always they will. And also West Marine can get things that aren't stocked, for instance Perko parts if you have a part number can be special ordered.

[Guest]

I'm not sure why West Marine gets bashed all the time.

Because not only are they insanely over-priced on most things, they are frequently out of stock or under-stocked on many essentials. My last trip in there I needed a pair of fuel filters. Only had one (normal stock is just one). Needed some spark plugs, only had 7. Etc. But they had plenty of stock of plastic plates at 4x the price of Wal-mart and lots of retarded captain's hats that nobody should ever wear.

[Guest]

And the price matching is offensive. You're going to rip me off until I call you on it? No thanks.

[Guest]

I guess I've saved a good bit by shopping at West Marine, because no matter what I'm seeking-they don't have it in stock, so I end up ordering stuff direct from wholesaler they buy from, or go next door to Home Depot and improvise, or go home to put a closer eye to what I was planning to replace, and repair it instead. Thereby ending up NEVER spending a dime in their stores.

[Jeffw]

SwampNut wrote:
...and lots of retarded captain's hats that nobody should ever wear.

You got 'em by the ballz there Carlos!

If you think about it though, they play the retail game quite well, their prices are whatever the traffic will bear... I remember my first cruiser (S**R** 268 Sundancer) we used to launch at Marina Del Rey back in 1988. One of the first West Marine stores right there, still going strong. They must be doing something right...

[kwb]

SwampNut wrote:
And the price matching is offensive. You're going to rip me off until I call you on it? No thanks.

+1

It is one thing when a store is generally competitive and you happen across a better deal with