West Marine Getting Worse

[Wrong]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

CORPORATIONS are insured. Individual workers at WM, most of them part-timers not making a lot of money, are not insured for the extra liability of using their car for company business.

Been there, done that.

Let me clarify - AGAIN. We are talking about company policy, and a service provided by the company. It is the company and not the employee responsible for ensuring adequate and appropriate insurance is secured to cover liabilities related to delivering the service. If employee vehicle use is included as a part of delivering the service, it covers the employees car, injuries and or loss if the employee has a mishap while engaged in the companies business. It is a limited liability type of coverage secured to cover the service. In any case, an employee would have a choice as to whether or not they want to use their car. Not mandatory. The best scenario has a company car available for the purpose.

If a company doesn't have company policies providing this type of service, they'd be well advised to get it. No?

My comment you have quoted is a 'proposed' approach to resolving the matter of liability. I am not saying West Marine already has this type of coverage - but they probably do. Why? Because West Marine district and store managers regularly operate their own vehicles performing their responsibilities working for West Marine. If West Marine does not have this coverage, they should.

Once again, best scenario is there is a company vehicle used to provide the service.

[kthoennes]

I'll bet about 97% of the time people cite potential liability as a convenient excuse to simply avoid something they don't want to do. Can you get sued for a crash during that car ride with the customer back to the marina? Certainly, but at least in the US you can be sued by anyone for anything. Whether it has any merit and prevails is another story - but I'll bet if a WM employee is leaving for lunch in his own car and hits your car in the parking lot, lots of plaintiffs would name WM as a defendant anyway - deeper pockets. That's why in my opinion this liability stuff is a red herring.

WM can charge whatever they want, and I can choose to buy there or not. Like so many others, they're my last resort, never the first choice. Good business model to maximize profit? Sam Walton sure didn't make his billions with that model. Imagine what WM's profit and volume would be if they tried to be a low price leader.

A couple years ago Go2marine shipped me the wrong size stainless rail tubing. I emailed. They shipped me the correct size the next day and told me to keep the wrong size - not worth the hassle of the return shipping. It was nearly $100 in tubing. I will never forget that and to this day I shop them first. That's the business WM is kissing away.

[Tbrad]

Originally Posted by psneeld

Entitled...wow a big word I have never used....I'll try to work it into my posts more often.

I said maybe they should think of the big picture instead of the bottom line....other companies seem to.....

Some places don't have taxis, but that's not the point anyway...guess you missed it.

There be a thing called a liability factor involved here also. An accident no matter how minor and the legal pirates would swarm.

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by Tbrad

There be a thing called a liability factor involved here also. An accident no matter how minor and the legal pirates would swarm.

There's a thing called liability insurance....then the liability lawyers would swarm from all corners....

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by Wrong

Let me clarify - AGAIN. We are talking about company policy, and a service provided by the company. It is the company and not the employee responsible for ensuring adequate and appropriate insurance is secured to cover liabilities related to delivering the service. If employee vehicle use is included as a part of delivering the service, it covers the employees car, injuries and or loss if the employee has a mishap while engaged in the companies business. It is a limited liability type of coverage secured to cover the service. In any case, an employee would have a choice as to whether or not they want to use their car. Not mandatory. The best scenario has a company car available for the purpose.

If a company doesn't have company policies providing this type of service, they'd be well advised to get it. No?

My comment you have quoted is a 'proposed' approach to resolving the matter of liability. I am not saying West Marine already has this type of coverage - but they probably do. Why? Because West Marine district and store managers regularly operate their own vehicles performing their responsibilities working for West Marine. If West Marine does not have this coverage, they should.

Once again, best scenario is there is a company vehicle used to provide the service.

Still trying to rationalize this I see. How are you making out with that argument at Lowes, Walmart, Target, your local grocery store, your own place of employment???

Aside from the substantial legal complexities which you ignore, the cost which ultimately goes back to us consumers increases.

I haven't heard many folks here suggest WM, or any other retail chain, raises their prices to accommodate your pipe dream.


Clearly, you don't like WM. Try being a shareholder and you'll see the light.

[capttman]

Originally Posted by Mystic38

I think you need some perspective.

I am without doubt one of the lucky ones on CF.. I can drive to Defender. However I still use WM for a sizeable percentage of my purchasing because it is in no sailors interest for West Marine to fail.

West Marine is an invaluable source for cruising sailors. The sheer number of stores is a massive boon to those that cruise away from their home port and need parts, accessories, the internet, or even a "ship to" address.

I have found their help in such situations to be stellar.. allowing me to search/source on their computers, arranging for competitive pricing, getting next day delivery from other WM stores, and in one case a WM employee drove me the 10 miles to a hardware store to source plumbing bits. That sort of assistance, plus savings in transient fee by the store being local results in WM overall having saved me far more in time and $$$ than Defender has ever saved me here in Mystic.

That is why WM still gets a chunk of my local business

That's the thinking that put the thousands of independents out of business. It's in no ones interest except the shareholders that WM stay in business

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by Wrong

If a company selling heavy items is happy missing sales to people who would otherwise be making a purchase if there a delivery service, fine. But a company selling heavy items like furniture, heavy equipment and you name it - anchors, chain, inflatables, kayaks, blah, blah, blah - anticipates many customers may not have transport of the type necessary to get the product home. So, they provide a delivery service. They insure for it. They make sales they would not otherwise make.

I just read this.

Do you really believe furniture stores, to use your example, doesn't include (bury) the delivery price in their sales?

No one is that naive... You want to criticize some company because you are bitter about a bad experience seems like a more plausible explanation.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by capttman

That's the thinking that put the thousands of independents out of business. It's in no ones interest except the shareholders that WM stay in business

Thousands??????????

Let's not allow this to further deteriorate into a generic "evil" corporation bashing. They exist to make money - it's free enterprise you are blaming.


Please don't divert this from someone airing some dubious complaint about WM's chauffeur service

[kthoennes]

If I were a shareholder I'd wonder (1) why their reported profit margin is so thin when their markups are so high, and (2) why they maintain a business model that turns off so many potential customers and makes WM the last resort in the minds of so many customers.

[capttman]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Thousands??????????

Let's not allow this to further deteriorate into a generic "evil" corporation bashing. They exist to make money - it's free enterprise you are blaming.

Please don't divert this from someone airing some dubious complaint about WM's chauffeur service

No no no no, no don't go there. My post was drawn by a remark made by a member. No disrespect to either just straight up facts.
It's free enterprise and yes I don't have to buy from Goliath after he slayed the little entrepreneur .

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Still trying to rationalize this I see. How are you making out with that argument at Lowes, Walmart, Target, your local grocery store, your own place of employment???

Aside from the substantial legal complexities which you ignore, the cost which ultimately goes back to us consumers increases.

I haven't heard many folks here suggest WM, or any other retail chain, raises their prices to accommodate your pipe dream.


Clearly, you don't like WM. Try being a shareholder and you'll see the light.

Read closely...as has been posted SOME grocery stores do pick you up and take you back to the marina...there are hardware stores and restaurants that do the same...in Myrtle Beach there is a restaurant that picks you up at the marina...takes you to the restaurant..will let you grocery shop next door after you eat and run you back.

While I never expect it from businesses..there are plenty out there that do it despite what some here are claiming that "it just doesn't happen".

You need to get out cruising and read the cruising info....AND live it because I have used those services on my cruise last winter. I even have had marina managers run me all over the place in their private vehicles.

[SVNeko]

Originally Posted by Butler

Ace Hardware has a pretty good model in letting the mom and pop places stay through a franchising operation so mom and pop can meet local needs in a way that works while taking advantage of bulk pricing when they stock up.

Yes, don't know if these are everywhere but amazing inventory for tiny hardware store and usually staffed by knowledgeable people. Beats Home Depot by a mile at 1/8 the sq footage.

[SVNeko]

Originally Posted by David M

West Marine operates with a net profit margin of 9.42%, (Q2 2013). That is not exactly ripping people off.
West Marine, Inc.: NASDAQ:WMAR quotes & news - Google Finance

Apple operates with a net profit margin of 19.53%
Apple Inc.: NASDAQ:AAPL quotes & news - Google Finance

Yes, hilarious how Apple gets away with murder (almost literally) just because people like their stuff.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by psneeld

Read closely...as has been posted SOME grocery stores do pick you up and take you back to the marina...there are hardware stores and restaurants that do the same...in Myrtle Beach there is a restaurant that picks you up at the marina...takes you to the restaurant..will let you grocery shop next door after you eat and run you back.
.

Exceptions don't prove anything.
I see where you can get a haircut, eyeglasses and have lunch at Walmart.
Let's whine about how WM should do that too.

And please don't imply I don't have cruising experience. That is another subject about which you perception is lacking.

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Exceptions don't prove anything.
I see where you can get a haircut, eyeglasses and have lunch at Walmart.
Let's whine about how WM should do that too.

And please don't imply I don't have cruising experience. That is another subject about which you perception is lacking.

Exceptions prove everything when someone is hellbent on saying it "but it just ain't so"...

Maybe you just need friendlier cruising grounds and ask around nicely....