West marine is now price matching competitor in-store and online pricing
As soon as i saw this, i went to West Marine with print outs of the best price i could find online for some west system slow hardener
kudo's to them for this -
of course - they still suck some (originally charing 57% more for the product than jamestown distributors rate)
and the girl at the counter asked if i wanted her to throw out my printouts (jamestowndistributors rates), I ased if they recycle and she said "no"
I took them back and stated that was lame, esp since we have such a robust recycling in our town...
Edited by MN3 on Apr 25, 2018 - 06:57 PM.
west marine sucks a little less ...
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Posted: Apr 25, 2018 - 04:47 PM
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Posted: Apr 25, 2018 - 09:20 PM
They are indeed high on everyday prices, but you can't beat their customer service, tech experts (not on cats or high performance monos, but regular boating stuff) speedy shipping or return policy. If you shop their sales (especially around the holidays) and clearance items you can grab some bargains. For example, check out the clearance sailing gloves on this page. Excellent quality and pretty darn cheap.
https://www.westmarine.com/men-s-sailing-gloves
Jamestown certainly has everyday low prices, but in my experience the shipping very slow.
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Hobie 16 (3 formerly)
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High Point, NC
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Posted: Apr 25, 2018 - 10:06 PM
we have the largest west marine on the east coast in Jacksonville ,Fl. if you want a paddle board they are the one to go too.
however if you need a block or anything else to do with sailing they have less than one aisle of stuff. i actually had one of their associates tell me there weren't that many sailboats in Jacksonville. REALLY!!!!!
i pretty much order everything from APS. good service and help if needed on the phone. they are cheaper than west . also tax free for florida.
thanx
ejb
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NACRA 6.0
Chrysler Bucaneer 18 dinghy
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Posted: Apr 26, 2018 - 07:58 AM
Respectfully disagree - their Customer service is not so great and easy to beat. I have been overcharged for gloves on sale - told the manager and was told "we don't put the data into the computers, so i can't fix it". and have had emplyees "greet me" as i walk in with completely fake greetings (i.e. young kids who mutter "welcome" without looking at me, and barely audible). Sure we all have crappy days, but if i owned a store and my employees acted like that - they would be on "break" until they could pretend to be happy to have that job
-ymmv
I'm not a "regular boater", just a sailor - so this does nothing for me
This is important but I have had no issues with APS, murray's nor Overtons
meh ~Their gloves and shoes fall apart very quickly and don't compare to harken or ronstan gloves imho
but yes, I do use their pfd's and purchase their gloves for the price (this will change now that they price match harken gear)
FOR ME - the value in a box store is price - and since theirs typically is in the ridiculously overpriced range .... they are of little value to me
I prefer to support local small business when i can, where they actually build relationships with clients and community. I used to spend countless hours at the local chandlery until he retired. He was a gruff old sailor, took no shit, worked in the hood and was the kinda guy who didn't want to work to hard anymore and would make me do a fair share of the work myself - i loved him and his style ... he was a real sailor - not there for the profit
I support the Tackle Shack (hobie dealers about 12 miles away). they are not cheap, curse like sailors, moan and groan about current state of catamaran and fleet sailing - but they are truly knowledgable, have ALL the gear you could need - will give you a cash discount if you have a relationship with them and are worth the drive for me.
even places like home depot and lowes contribute to local events and communities - I don't see this with West Marine - hell WM wont even recycle paper? (i will be contacting them about this one) -
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Posted: Apr 26, 2018 - 09:35 AM
Here in Miami we have a good WM in Coconut Gr, with reasonable stock of actual sailing gear. I shop there as much as I can, because I want to support local businesses and local employees, and I want them to be there when I really need something today. And they're a helpful bunch. More specialized gear, I get from APS or from random internet suppliers.
Service at WM is hit and miss, but... it's retail. Although margins seem high, the cost of stocking gear is murder, so there's little left for salaries and profit. It's a damned challenging segment. -
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Posted: Apr 26, 2018 - 10:36 AM
I don't really see how you can blame (or complain) about prices charged at WM. That's the whole point of a free market system. The retailer tries to get the most money possible for a product, it's the consumer's responsibility to shop for the best price/service/convenience. If you're not satisfied with what you're getting from WM, don't shop there.
Personally, I don't typically buy from WM, but on the occasions when I want/need a part the same day and it's something I know they have in stock, I'm willing to pay the extra price for the convenience of same day service. That's the trade off.
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Posted: Apr 26, 2018 - 11:36 AM
Yea, i understand free markets and the cost of doing business
The purpose of my post was to inform everyone here that WM is now price matching and how to take advantage of that
my only original (posted) compliant (and why they suck) was they weren't recycling and they were almost 60% higher cost than competitors ... there rest was just rebuttal to others input
Just like 7-11, if you need diapers, raviolios or cheeto's they are convenient - but at a huge premium. Yup, free markets will bear what people will pay ... but they (7-11) suck too for the same reasons (plus they hire illegals). This market strategy is to prey upon people who can't wait for goods and to charge them through the teeth. God Bless America and capitalism. This marketing strategy is to take advantage of people and sucks imho. If their plan was to provide needed gear at a fair price (competitive) ... i would have little complaint
Not sure if you are aware but the way most box stores works is: they beat down manufacturers on price (this is how home depot and walmart can be so much cheaper than small business owners) and only pay for goods sold.
They send back items that take up shelf space and dont sell, or when more profitable items come into play, and/or have been returned (this is why so many items from wamart state, "don't return to store, contact us for replacement"). It's much more profitable for them (manufacturer) to replace a product than to have walmart send it back and never pay
not 100% sure if that is the case with WM but i would assume it is - this is how they can afford to price match online (non brick and mortar overhead) and even sale items
also - West Marine offers to warehouse products for vendors - they surly don't pay for those until they are sold
Edited by MN3 on Apr 26, 2018 - 12:37 PM. -
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Posted: Apr 26, 2018 - 11:43 AM
just realized it was discountmarinesupplies, not jamestowndistributors
Edited by MN3 on Apr 26, 2018 - 11:53 AM. -
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Posted: Apr 26, 2018 - 12:44 PM
if you mean 219 million in profits after salary and overhead (2016) and almost a billion in profits for the past 6 years 2010 - 2016) ... poor poor WM (Last years reported before they sold to a priv invest firm)
http://markets.businessin…m/stocks/wmar/financials
again - I believe in profits and capitalism ... just not a fan of the "gouge em when they need ya" mentality
Edited by MN3 on Apr 26, 2018 - 12:52 PM. -
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Posted: Apr 26, 2018 - 05:33 PM
Martin, i have had real good service (and decent rates) from Sailing Services in Miami
They have great deals on line and steel cable from time to time too
and a heck of a lot of more sailing gear than any WM
http://shopping.sailingservices.com/
Edited by MN3 on Apr 26, 2018 - 05:34 PM. -
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Posted: Sep 20, 2019 - 04:52 PM
i was wrong - they suck just as much again and still...
They have changed their "West marine is now price matching competitor in-store and online pricing"
now only price match "Local Stores within 50 miles Amazon, direct from Amazon only" (I saw this noted on this site recently, and after what happened yesterday I researched it.
Edited by MN3 on Sep 20, 2019 - 06:31 PM. -
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Posted: Sep 20, 2019 - 08:28 PM
When amazon opens a well stocked brick and mortar sailing store, we will compare apples to apples.
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Greenville SC
Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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Posted: Sep 21, 2019 - 11:12 AM
We (beach-cat sailors) are not West Marine's/Port Supply target demographic for customers... just deal with it and support Murrays, Annapolis Performance, and other vendors that support our sport..
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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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Posted: Sep 21, 2019 - 07:20 PM
Rumor has it APS is going to stop carrying hardware.
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Greenville SC
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Posted: Sep 22, 2019 - 10:50 AM
I think that rumor is true... I just checked their website and it appears they have taken down the hardware pages and the boat specific pages... look like they are going for the apparel and gadgets for sailors...
Edited by JohnES on Sep 22, 2019 - 08:51 AM.
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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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Posted: Sep 23, 2019 - 08:35 AM
In the past I have never once ordered a sailing part from Amazon, as a matter of fact i have ordered less than a dozen items from them ever.
I support Local sail shops first, non local sail shops next (APS, murrays, saltydog) and will shop at or order a part to be delivered to westmarine next
I try not to use Amazon for anything, it pays crappy wages (i have a friend who works for them), it kills brick and mortar, it is a pollution king (required a driver for single order items, all day ever day) and pays no taxes
This is 100% true
I have lots my resource for gasket material
i spoke with their sail manager, they had a sale and sold off all their gear
he was helpful and suggested 4 places for me to look for slot tape - all failed . -
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Posted: Sep 25, 2019 - 10:21 AM
I personally have had great experiences with Murrays. I happily shop them for cat stuff. McMaster-Carr is awesome for general and difficult to find hardware.
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Posted: Nov 13, 2019 - 04:13 PM
I personally like having them around. I find there Harken hardware is dead on the best prices available. Cleats, small pulleys, and shackles all are dead on. At least for me. BUT rope, and bungee I can't swing there unless on a large sale. I''m also really color specific on my lines, bungees and stuff.
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Posted: Nov 15, 2019 - 06:32 PM
i will concede that i used WM a good deal recently.
i purchased a 4th boat recently: a v-bow jon boat
and i had to update my old non v bow jon boat trailer and needed to purchase a higher quality light system for the boat.
I walked around wm with my iphone and found almost everything i needed at amazon and had them price match. there were a few small items that were not worth the pricematch so on those i didn't.
So if your willing to do that kinda work, and have 10 windows open on your phone, it was much less price gouging and the staff was mostly pleasant.
the need for a a v-bow jon boat has become evident for me.
i just couldn't deal with 100's and 100's of pounds of tent, tarps, sleeping gear and bedding, drinking and washing water, wood, cooler, dog, dog cage, marine deep cell battery, xmas lights on the catamaran.
it seems every time we camp a front is blowing 4000mph on the last day of camping. having all that gear and the dog is just too risky.
