Best Time of Year to Buy at West Marine

[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by MarcHall

Buy from anyone else then West Marine.

They are about running off all the local vendors and then turning into a marine clothing store.


March Hall
Crazy Fish - Maintaining, Upgrading and Sailing a Crealock 37 | SV Crazy Fish

I've seen this , WM has a hit squad armed with M16s, they visit the local marine stores with options to either join them or get out of town.. and after all the competition is gone, they start selling them pants you see people wearing down around the bottom of their bottoms and hooded sweat shirts.. and I hear they are going to start selling black-market cell phones.......

[OldFrog75]

My biggest complaint about WM is the items I want are never on sale.

[4arch]

Originally Posted by MarcHall

They are about running off all the local vendors and then turning into a marine clothing store.

The "running off the local vendors" argument gets put out there a lot but then there is also endless (and often unjustified) complaining about WM having high prices and mediocre service. How can both be true? If a local vendor can't compete with high prices and mediocre service, why do they deserve our business? It's not quite like mainstream big box retailers undercutting Mom and Pop on mainstreet...WM is rarely undercutting their competitor's best prices. The main thing they offer that the others usually don't is a physical presence with clean and well organized stores.

It's also worth noting that some of the online/mail order alternatives mentioned were and in many ways still are "local" vendors to certain geographic areas of the country. They were the small vendors who happened to get into mail order and eventually online selling at the right place and time while many of their counterparts waited too long, if they even tried at all.

To the extent that the remaining local traditional chandleries are being squeezed, WM deserves no more or less of the blame than other online marine vendors small and large, Amazon, Walmart, Bass Pro, etc. who are all vying for whatever piece of the marine market they can get into.

[AKA-None]

Well, I do buy some items from them along with stuff I get from the harbors store. I was lucky enough to get a new Lewmar winch for $250 off or about $190 less than anywhere else when they noticed the chrome was a. It off in one small place.

It is nice to have access to a selection of small parts so I try to use them and. My local shop as I really want to have local options from people I can talk to. I'd rather have them than Walmart.


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[toddedger]

One thing I will say is about twice a year they send out an email for 40% off all bulk rope one day only. This is the time to purchase new sheets and halyards. West has there own endura braid tan color that is made just for them and if you get it a 40% off your looking at 1/2 price. I don't race anymore so color coded halyards are over rated. I also used it for a drogue line. 40% off their regular price is hard to beat, and the send out the notice a few days in advance so the rigging shop can take all the orders and run them thru on the day of the sail. I just looked it up and it was the first week in July the last time I purchased 11mm Endura braid classic tan for $1.57 a foot. Thats dyneema at a polyester price. with sales tax it's better than my port supply account wholesale price.

[crazyoldboatguy]

One learns to have many options and to use them to best advantage. In stock, quick turn around, no sales tax and shipped to local store, brands to be found elsewhere, etc. No need to bash a resource.

Stop the hate.

[Badsanta]

If I have to order something I'll order online most every time. Local or wm. To get the best prices at WM you have to go to the store the more stores the better and look for the Orange tag. The other day they had 20% off the already discounted prices. I have found some incredible deals. I check every Wm I drive by.

[Shrew]

Consider long and hard about whether you want to buy ANYTHING from Walmart. If Walmart puts local Chandlery's out of business your stuck with the limited selection of crap that Walmart sells. As for West Marine, be careful about NOT buying there, or else the next time you need something NOW, you'll be waiting for the internet company you bought it from to ship it too you.

[Scout 30]

The "local" chandleries around here stock very little & typically have to order what you need which I can do myself. Comparatively West Marine has a huge inventory. If you need it now they are often the only option plus you can actually touch stuff instead of just looking at it on your computer. I'm glad I've got the option.