"Parallax" wrote in message

as
expected. My boating needs are ussually sort of strange so I don't
expect them to really be able to help with everything.


)))

I agree with you to the extent that I don't like to see big corporate
operators dominate a market and drive smaller retailers out of business, but
in Panama City, FL, I haven't seen that to be the case, as we have at least
five other marine supply retailers beside West, and one of them has two
stores (Panama Marine). I also agree that their prices often seem to be
significantly higher than those of the competition, even after taking out
the BoatUS 15% rebate. But if they were trying to drive out the locals,
wouldn't they use the Wal-Mart tactic of lowballing their prices to undercut
the smaller operators?

On the other hand, I have found them to be friendly, helpful, and
knowledgeable, and they seem to carry a pretty good selection of products.
In one recent case, they were willing to special-order a specific product I
wanted that one of the local retailers wasn't interested in getting for me.
They are also open Saturday and Sunday and stay open later weekdays than
anyone else. I think your blanket criticism of West Marine is mostly
unjustified.

Steve H.


"nospam" wrote in message
...
Now they have driven all the small operations out of business and
consolidated their monopoly by buying Boats U.S. can West Marine
possibly get any worse?

I agree with you to the extent that I don't like to see big corporate
operators dominate a market and drive smaller retailers out of business, but
in Panama City, FL, I haven't seen that to be the case, as we have at least
five other marine supply retailers beside West, and one of them has two
stores (Panama Marine). I also agree that their prices often seem to be
significantly higher than those of the competition, even after taking out
the BoatUS 15% rebate. But if they were trying to drive out the locals,
wouldn't they use the Wal-Mart tactic of lowballing their prices to undercut
the smaller operators?

On the other hand, I have found them to be friendly, helpful, and
knowledgeable, and they seem to carry a pretty good selection of products.
In one recent case, they were willing to special-order a specific product I
wanted that one of the local retailers wasn't interested in getting for me.
They are also open Saturday and Sunday and stay open later weekdays than
anyone else. I think your blanket criticism of West Marine is mostly
unjustified.

Steve H.


"nospam" wrote in message
...
Now they have driven all the small operations out of business and
consolidated their monopoly by buying Boats U.S. can West Marine
possibly get any worse?

On Mon, 02 Feb 2004 23:04:28 -0500, nospam wrote:

Now they have driven all the small operations out of business and
consolidated their monopoly by buying Boats U.S. can West Marine
possibly get any worse?

Boater's World, here in Charleston, is doing quite nicely, actually.

They really are the Kmart of the marine supply business with the
significant difference of not having Kmart's low prices.

Not true. Kmart has better quality stuff with brand names on them.

They are totally indifferent to their customers, stocking only that
which occupies shelf space for their preset time period--usually very
short. No, indifferent is the wrong word. West Marine really is
contemptuous of its customers..

I tried to get a Sani-Pottie 0-ring kit at Waste Marine, today. The
snotty, snooty old boater curtly said, "No, that's pieces parts." to
my request for the 0-rings or a kit of them to fix the potties they
sell. The only potty kits on the wall are the ones they are stuck
with when someone orders something, then refuses to pay $70 for a
plastic bag with a few rubber parts in it from Peggie's old toilet
company. Some of those bags are brown from old age....but the price
stickers are kept up-to-date, of course.

While one occasionally encounters a friendly, knowledeable sales
person they are usually staffed by underpaid people who neither know
anything about nor care a whit about what they are selling.

Nope, not here. There's a few "kids" who've been around boats, but
most of the staff are nasty old boaters who bring their snotty,
better-than-any-of-you attitudes to work with them. When someone
wants to buy something from me, no matter who he is or what he looks
like, you'll find me quite friendly and helpful, trying to pry loose
some of his business and money. You gotta look like you "got it" at
Waste Marine to get that "salesman smile". I think they get their
customer attitude training from the Sea Ray dealers.

I usually don't bother to get the sneer. I go see what I can find and
get out as fast as I can.

Since they are the only retailer left they control the products that
come to market and they are not at all receptive to innovation or new
products. Their market control actually stifles invention and
innovation in marine products.

Same old crap in our stores, too. Some of it they've been stuck with
for years.

Now if you really want to see a Waste Marine ripoff, it's really
funny. They got these little plastic trashcans ($4 at any Dollar
General) that someone made into a kinda flimsy bait bucket with a PVC
overflow drain ($3 in pvc parts?) and a cheap little bilge pump ($29,
even at Waste Marine?). They cut out the center of the trashcan cover
and make a little flat lid that sits on, I kid you not, 3 little
screws to get the bait out. It has a hole in the middle so they don't
have to waste profit and add a handle. The handles are the flimsy
plastic trashcan handles molded into the sides at the top where the
lid fits on. Add a stick on label so noone thinks its a trashcan any
more and, at Waste Marine, it's $294.95!!!

VOILA! THE $300 TRASH CAN!

Too funny....(c;

You just KNOW some rich stupid ass is BUYIN' THEM, which is even more
funny!


They truly are a curse on all boaters and the sad part is I don't see
a single thing that can be done about it. Where are you going to
go--there is no more competition. Must be a nice position. No wonder
Wall Street is rating them so highly. No wonder their profits are
rising so astronomically--at your expense.

Funny you should ask......(c;

While looking for toilet parts for my SaniPottie, I walked by the
amazingly expensive, high tech battery chargers, those $400+ "marine"
chargers that put out 10A, sort of.

LO AND BEHOLD they got VECTOR portable chargers, just like WalMart!
No, wait, the Vector charger I bought from Wally World in another
thread on here is the 2,10,20,40 amp model. It was $89. The biggest
one Waste Marine had was the 2,10,20,35 amp model with only 4 buttons,
not 5. I don't think it will provide 100 amps to crank an engine.
The 35A model was $129.95! If they sold the 40A with cranking model,
hell, who knows what it would cost! $159? $179? Wally World,
$89.....$40 cheaper for the NEXT MODEL UP!

Glad to get it out.

Venting R Us. Beer? Wine? Something more powerful?

Larry



Larry W4CSC

No, no, Scotty! I said, "Beam me a wrench.", not a WENCH!
Kirk Out.....

On Mon, 02 Feb 2004 23:04:28 -0500, nospam wrote:

Now they have driven all the small operations out of business and
consolidated their monopoly by buying Boats U.S. can West Marine
possibly get any worse?

Boater's World, here in Charleston, is doing quite nicely, actually.

They really are the Kmart of the marine supply business with the
significant difference of not having Kmart's low prices.

Not true. Kmart has better quality stuff with brand names on them.

They are totally indifferent to their customers, stocking only that
which occupies shelf space for their preset time period--usually very
short. No, indifferent is the wrong word. West Marine really is
contemptuous of its customers..

I tried to get a Sani-Pottie 0-ring kit at Waste Marine, today. The
snotty, snooty old boater curtly said, "No, that's pieces parts." to
my request for the 0-rings or a kit of them to fix the potties they
sell. The only potty kits on the wall are the ones they are stuck
with when someone orders something, then refuses to pay $70 for a
plastic bag with a few rubber parts in it from Peggie's old toilet
company. Some of those bags are brown from old age....but the price
stickers are kept up-to-date, of course.

While one occasionally encounters a friendly, knowledeable sales
person they are usually staffed by underpaid people who neither know
anything about nor care a whit about what they are selling.

Nope, not here. There's a few "kids" who've been around boats, but
most of the staff are nasty old boaters who bring their snotty,
better-than-any-of-you attitudes to work with them. When someone
wants to buy something from me, no matter who he is or what he looks
like, you'll find me quite friendly and helpful, trying to pry loose
some of his business and money. You gotta look like you "got it" at
Waste Marine to get that "salesman smile". I think they get their
customer attitude training from the Sea Ray dealers.

I usually don't bother to get the sneer. I go see what I can find and
get out as fast as I can.

Since they are the only retailer left they control the products that
come to market and they are not at all receptive to innovation or new
products. Their market control actually stifles invention and
innovation in marine products.

Same old crap in our stores, too. Some of it they've been stuck with
for years.

Now if you really want to see a Waste Marine ripoff, it's really
funny. They got these little plastic trashcans ($4 at any Dollar
General) that someone made into a kinda flimsy bait bucket with a PVC
overflow drain ($3 in pvc parts?) and a cheap little bilge pump ($29,
even at Waste Marine?). They cut out the center of the trashcan cover
and make a little flat lid that sits on, I kid you not, 3 little
screws to get the bait out. It has a hole in the middle so they don't
have to waste profit and add a handle. The handles are the flimsy
plastic trashcan handles molded into the sides at the top where the
lid fits on. Add a stick on label so noone thinks its a trashcan any
more and, at Waste Marine, it's $294.95!!!

VOILA! THE $300 TRASH CAN!

Too funny....(c;

You just KNOW some rich stupid ass is BUYIN' THEM, which is even more
funny!


They truly are a curse on all boaters and the sad part is I don't see
a single thing that can be done about it. Where are you going to
go--there is no more competition. Must be a nice position. No wonder
Wall Street is rating them so highly. No wonder their profits are
rising so astronomically--at your expense.

Funny you should ask......(c;

While looking for toilet parts for my SaniPottie, I walked by the
amazingly expensive, high tech battery chargers, those $400+ "marine"
chargers that put out 10A, sort of.

LO AND BEHOLD they got VECTOR portable chargers, just like WalMart!
No, wait, the Vector charger I bought from Wally World in another
thread on here is the 2,10,20,40 amp model. It was $89. The biggest
one Waste Marine had was the 2,10,20,35 amp model with only 4 buttons,
not 5. I don't think it will provide 100 amps to crank an engine.
The 35A model was $129.95! If they sold the 40A with cranking model,
hell, who knows what it would cost! $159? $179? Wally World,
$89.....$40 cheaper for the NEXT MODEL UP!

Glad to get it out.

Venting R Us. Beer? Wine? Something more powerful?

Larry



Larry W4CSC

No, no, Scotty! I said, "Beam me a wrench.", not a WENCH!
Kirk Out.....