ebb
08-05-2008, 07:30 AM
google: West Marine prices - Sail Net Community
www.sailnet.com/forums/general-discussion-sailing-related/27935-west-marine-prices.html
Some of you may remember I have problems with The Chain. "And I'm not the only one."
Hopefully the net address above turns blue and will take you there.
Sailnet forums have a setup like we do here. Familiar setup makes it easy to scan through the many pages there, pros and cons, love and hate, about our favorite marine market.
It still goes almost without saying that if you really value your 'marine experience' you ought to take your business to the smaller independent stores and manufacturers that haven't lost sight of you as a person -
Taken together the guys, on this Sail Net thread about WM prices, end up presenting a balanced view of 'the Walmart of marine stores.'
I'm in the negative camp, naturally, because publicly traded businesses nearly always end up with questionable ethics. Profit maximization above all else. (But I still visit what I believe to be one of the first WM stores in Sausalito - often wondering if Mike is still there. Mike worked for Anchorage Marine when it was eaten by the WM rope store down the street in the old days when a marine emporium still smelled like a chandlery instead of vinyl off-gas. Yup, Mike is still hanging in there, and still a fund of knowledge. I get my 410 and 407 fairing powders there - and that is another company that has imco some ethical toxins.
Convenience is the enemy of ethics.)
E&B Marine, Boat US have been digested into the WM 'business model' * The internet, as somebody points out in the SNforum, may be partly responsible for their current problems. They have erased a good part of our maritime history - the independent chandlery. So if WM doesn't fix their image and the neighborhood WM7-11 goes under, my god what will we have? Shop Hamilton, Defender, McMasterCarr, Go2Marine, and a new one to me: Marisafe (looks promising).
It just flashed that some humorless, nonsailing, business acquisition types at WM are figuring out to absorb SailNet!:p
Anyway its a good discussion by a bunch of other fools on a good old sore subject.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____
*Another bad effect a giant corporation has is on small manufacturing companies. For example: The paints available at their stores are the house brand, WM, probably relabeled Interbucks - the 'A' brand which is Interlux - the 'B' brand in Pettit. NO small company paints at all. To me it's unethical practice because it's intentional. If I ever hear 'Brightsides' again I'm gonna puke. Why is this Safeway model good for business?
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____
In April 2008 Nasdaq warned WM that its common stock was subject to delisting. WM has for at least the last two years reported consistent decline in sales (3% yr) in their stores. At one point they had 400 stores (now down to 300?) in the US - they are now closing 25 to 30 more! The new CEO Eisenberg says they are 'following a store optimization philosophy' in which smaller regional stores with low ROI will be merged into more centralized ones. They are building two "flagship" stores of 25,000 to 30,000 sq ft that will template future megastores. Port Supply, the wholesale division will get redesigned to 40% less personnel. They are trying to leverage their way into Europe with a new franchise in Turkey! Will it be the same plan? Have lower prices - buy out the competition - close stores - raise prices?
There goes the neighborhood. This new 'business model' will absolutely cancel me. And I WILL compare their catalog prices with all the others. They are loosing the point of sale cushion and have to compete on a more level field. Too bad, with a local boat store you could take a part down and see if the holes matched.
It's the end of an error, as one guy said.
And these people running the ship don't care if they're pissing off the customers, perhaps even the people running their shops. What are we to say.....???
They'll morph into a nautical 'REI' clothing store with ships bells and telescopes and target optimized marina blobs.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______
Here's a business model: LOW PRICES.
Here are some businesses to emulate:
McMasterCarr: Never a back order. Knowledgeable, helpful, friendly phone people. Incredible catalog. Not always the lowest price, but next day or second day delivery, ALWAYS.
Overstock.com: Really have the lowest prices. Good idea!
Zappas: Free Shipping. EASY and free returns. No questions.
Whole Foods (a healthy, growing, unsafeway national food chain) Neighborhood stores have local produce, local food products and crafts. This food chain makes a real effort to become part of a community. Success is not about WallStreet, it's about The Hood.
www.sailnet.com/forums/general-discussion-sailing-related/27935-west-marine-prices.html
Some of you may remember I have problems with The Chain. "And I'm not the only one."
Hopefully the net address above turns blue and will take you there.
Sailnet forums have a setup like we do here. Familiar setup makes it easy to scan through the many pages there, pros and cons, love and hate, about our favorite marine market.
It still goes almost without saying that if you really value your 'marine experience' you ought to take your business to the smaller independent stores and manufacturers that haven't lost sight of you as a person -
Taken together the guys, on this Sail Net thread about WM prices, end up presenting a balanced view of 'the Walmart of marine stores.'
I'm in the negative camp, naturally, because publicly traded businesses nearly always end up with questionable ethics. Profit maximization above all else. (But I still visit what I believe to be one of the first WM stores in Sausalito - often wondering if Mike is still there. Mike worked for Anchorage Marine when it was eaten by the WM rope store down the street in the old days when a marine emporium still smelled like a chandlery instead of vinyl off-gas. Yup, Mike is still hanging in there, and still a fund of knowledge. I get my 410 and 407 fairing powders there - and that is another company that has imco some ethical toxins.
Convenience is the enemy of ethics.)
E&B Marine, Boat US have been digested into the WM 'business model' * The internet, as somebody points out in the SNforum, may be partly responsible for their current problems. They have erased a good part of our maritime history - the independent chandlery. So if WM doesn't fix their image and the neighborhood WM7-11 goes under, my god what will we have? Shop Hamilton, Defender, McMasterCarr, Go2Marine, and a new one to me: Marisafe (looks promising).
It just flashed that some humorless, nonsailing, business acquisition types at WM are figuring out to absorb SailNet!:p
Anyway its a good discussion by a bunch of other fools on a good old sore subject.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____
*Another bad effect a giant corporation has is on small manufacturing companies. For example: The paints available at their stores are the house brand, WM, probably relabeled Interbucks - the 'A' brand which is Interlux - the 'B' brand in Pettit. NO small company paints at all. To me it's unethical practice because it's intentional. If I ever hear 'Brightsides' again I'm gonna puke. Why is this Safeway model good for business?
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____
In April 2008 Nasdaq warned WM that its common stock was subject to delisting. WM has for at least the last two years reported consistent decline in sales (3% yr) in their stores. At one point they had 400 stores (now down to 300?) in the US - they are now closing 25 to 30 more! The new CEO Eisenberg says they are 'following a store optimization philosophy' in which smaller regional stores with low ROI will be merged into more centralized ones. They are building two "flagship" stores of 25,000 to 30,000 sq ft that will template future megastores. Port Supply, the wholesale division will get redesigned to 40% less personnel. They are trying to leverage their way into Europe with a new franchise in Turkey! Will it be the same plan? Have lower prices - buy out the competition - close stores - raise prices?
There goes the neighborhood. This new 'business model' will absolutely cancel me. And I WILL compare their catalog prices with all the others. They are loosing the point of sale cushion and have to compete on a more level field. Too bad, with a local boat store you could take a part down and see if the holes matched.
It's the end of an error, as one guy said.
And these people running the ship don't care if they're pissing off the customers, perhaps even the people running their shops. What are we to say.....???
They'll morph into a nautical 'REI' clothing store with ships bells and telescopes and target optimized marina blobs.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______
Here's a business model: LOW PRICES.
Here are some businesses to emulate:
McMasterCarr: Never a back order. Knowledgeable, helpful, friendly phone people. Incredible catalog. Not always the lowest price, but next day or second day delivery, ALWAYS.
Overstock.com: Really have the lowest prices. Good idea!
Zappas: Free Shipping. EASY and free returns. No questions.
Whole Foods (a healthy, growing, unsafeway national food chain) Neighborhood stores have local produce, local food products and crafts. This food chain makes a real effort to become part of a community. Success is not about WallStreet, it's about The Hood.