West Marine SOLD....Time to Rejoice - Hopefully

I got the best price on buffing pads direct from the factory
 

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Golfman25 said:
So the Chicago area is interesting. WM downtown store is big and has been generally well stocked. They have a parts counter. Stocked the steering cable I needed. Plus large electronics displays, clothes, shoes, toys, and everything else. Then there are two smaller stores. The one by the local small lakes has a lot of tubes and stuff. The one buy the big lake seems to have everything large boats may need in a pinch.
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@Golfman, You and I shop at the same places, and I just dont get the venom directed at West Marine. Our local small store near the harbor has a friendly staff, and the manager seems to know his stuff. If I need a wider selection, it's the 2 hour round trip to go downtown. Yes, they are always more expensive, but they price match. I really appreciate the convenience of being able to drive 5 min and get a part I need instead of delaying a project for another weekend, even if Amazon gets it to me tomorrow by 9pm. I buy from WM when I can, so that they are there when I need them. Maybe some of you have a much wider range of options than we do, but for us in Northern Illinois, its either WM or the crap selection and Bass Pro or Gander Mountain.
 
yobub said:
@Golfman, You and I shop at the same places, and I just dont get the venom directed at West Marine. Our local small store near the harbor has a friendly staff, and the manager seems to know his stuff. If I need a wider selection, it's the 2 hour round trip to go downtown. Yes, they are always more expensive, but they price match. I really appreciate the convenience of being able to drive 5 min and get a part I need instead of delaying a project for another weekend, even if Amazon gets it to me tomorrow by 9pm. I buy from WM when I can, so that they are there when I need them. Maybe some of you have a much wider range of options than we do, but for us in Northern Illinois, its either WM or the crap selection and Bass Pro or Gander Mountain.
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Yeah. I hear you. I’m 45 min from the Chicago store with light traffic. The fox lake store (also about 45 min) is on my trip to the boat. And I stop at the corner store a lot just to browse and dream. I can check inventory on line and stop on my way. Or if I order, they’ll have it a the marina and call me when it arrives. It’s boating, so I don’t really go out of my way to pinch pennies.
 
yobub said:
@Golfman, You and I shop at the same places, and I just dont get the venom directed at West Marine. Our local small store near the harbor has a friendly staff, and the manager seems to know his stuff. If I need a wider selection, it's the 2 hour round trip to go downtown. Yes, they are always more expensive, but they price match. I really appreciate the convenience of being able to drive 5 min and get a part I need instead of delaying a project for another weekend, even if Amazon gets it to me tomorrow by 9pm. I buy from WM when I can, so that they are there when I need them. Maybe some of you have a much wider range of options than we do, but for us in Northern Illinois, its either WM or the crap selection and Bass Pro or Gander Mountain.
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We still go in there and buy stuff.... and that should give us the right to complain. Here are a couple examples I saw the other day in WM... where if I can buy half the price by price matching I will.... but they don’t have 2 .... I need 2
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I don't know about you guys but I love my local WM. Knowledgeable staff, always price match and if there is a discrepancy in price they always give me the lower one. Sure they don't have everything in stock but they do their absolute best to find it for and and get it asap. No complaints at all from me.
 
I can't complain about WM, They are higher but do have advantages. I just blasted and repainted the bottom of my boat. Between epoxy and ablative (based on MFG recommended QTY) I bought 14 gallons total. 1 arrives opened and WM sent a new one no questions asked. I got it all with discount codes cheaper than anywhere else I could find. When I was done I ended up with 2 gallons of epoxy and 3 gallons of ablative extra. Returned to the local WM no questions asked- even after 60 days. Grand rapids WM is not very good. The down down Chicago WM had a great store with great people and selection. The Traverse city store isn't great for selection but they do have one Gal that really knows her stuff and goes out of her way to help customers. As with everything else, customer service varies greatly from one location to another and really makes the difference. Cheap, NO but if you need something some of the WM stores have it and I don't care if I save $2 on a bolt if they have what I need when I need it.

Sorry Blue- didn't have any pads cheaper at the Traverse city store either but I did look!
 
Sidewinder770 said:
I can't complain about WM, They are higher but do have advantages. I just blasted and repainted the bottom of my boat. Between epoxy and ablative (based on MFG recommended QTY) I bought 14 gallons total. 1 arrives opened and WM sent a new one no questions asked. I got it all with discount codes cheaper than anywhere else I could find. When I was done I ended up with 2 gallons of epoxy and 3 gallons of ablative extra. Returned to the local WM no questions asked- even after 60 days. Grand rapids WM is not very good. The down down Chicago WM had a great store with great people and selection. The Traverse city store isn't great for selection but they do have one Gal that really knows her stuff and goes out of her way to help customers. As with everything else, customer service varies greatly from one location to another and really makes the difference. Cheap, NO but if you need something some of the WM stores have it and I don't care if I save $2 on a bolt if they have what I need when I need it.

Sorry Blue- didn't have any pads cheaper at the Traverse city store either but I did look!
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Was just at the WM Chicago store Monday. Large and had pretty much everything. Kinda fun. Definitely more stocked than the store by the marina.
 
Are you guys kidding me?....

Today .. I needed 30’ of electrical wire to add a couple of 110vplugs in the boat... I drive down to my Indy one man store. I have already said to myself $3.00 a foot and I am out...to my surprise it was $1.49/ft... okay get it cut
I find the guy he is busy selling a $49 service manual to a 1987 mercury 25hp outboard customer.... the customer has the manual in his hand, knows the price and is deciding.... okay my chance so I said I need 30’ of wire cut... leave the decider or sell wire to me...what is so hard there...guy says no thanks on the manual.... phone rings... he looks at me and says let me get this and I will take care of you...
So this is where I lose my shit with the phone... you have a live body with a wallet in his pocket asking to buy something.... and you have a phone ringing.... what is your go to?... the guy goes for the phone... now I am pissed but I think of other things I can look at... 5 minutes go by I can hear the conversation the whole time.... caller was looking for a price on something...no sale.
As he is closing the call another call comes in... I said to him I just need some wire cut....he holds his index finger up like wait a minute....and takes the next call.... so now I am done... I wait another 5 minutes...walk back up to the counter and there are two guys waiting to buy something.... so I am walking out and he says don’t leave.... and I turned around and said how much money did those two phone calls put into your cash register?
You guys in Indy probably know what I am talking about with that store... but how incompetent can you be ?... West Marine is so sad
 
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The phone thing, I don’t get it. Countless times I am talking to someone and they will stop conversation to get the phone. Rude. no voice mail on that cell? So I get your point. Dam phone tops all else.
 
Things have certainly changed. I had a part time job @ an auto parts store in high school and I still remember to this day what they preached- A paying customer in front of you always takes priority over one on the phone. Don't ignore the phone, just pick it up and say "I'm with another customer can you please hold". Take the 30 seconds to ring the guy up and then get the customer on the phone. Not that hard of a concept.
 
Here there isn't that much of a choice. WM has a store close at 60+ miles. Or there is Stevens Marine who adds a minimum of 50% to everything over WM. The store is a smallish store but the two guys that run it are very smart. They both own boats and know what to use. All of the marine retail stores that were somewhat close have all closed down. The one with the parts counter is 130 miles one way. Again they know their stuff. The only woman that I have ever seen is the one running the parts department. IIRC she has dark hair and smallish boobs but has a butt that is something to look at. She knows part numbers from the top of her head if you give her the model and year. Can almost give you the serial numbers for Mercruiser drives too. If it's something I don't or can't wait for shipping on, they are the lowest cost by far.

So when it comes down to it, West Marine is about the only choice in the Portland Oregon area. And they have had to get something ordered from another store, they have it shipped to me for free. They even gave a sale price a week after the sale. I can't complain one bit.

Oh and the closest place to the west of us is 45 miles in Newport Oregon. Every time we go to the coast from here in the coast range, it costs me at least double the price and parts have to be ordered any how. Double because then the wife has to stop and shop and get fresh sea food from her favorite places.

John
 
Pirate Lady said:
Tell ya why I hate WM, not that you care but bitching goes good with cold beer. Baltimore boaters might remember. We had Anchor Bay, mom & pop marine store, had everything, could answer any boat question, could get anything to the most obscure screw. WM comes to town and put them out of business. FK WM with a broomstick up their CEOs ass.
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There is song "Video killed the Radio Star" WM killed the Mom and Pop, and now Amazon killed WM. I predict as the all the brick and morter stores go out of business, the Mom and Pop places will come back. We have a small hardware store that business is gone through the roof since COVID, while the chain stores struggle..
 
rcknecht said:
There is song "Video killed the Radio Star" WM killed the Mom and Pop, and now Amazon killed WM. I predict as the all the brick and morter stores go out of business, the Mom and Pop places will come back. We have a small hardware store that business is gone through the roof since COVID, while the chain stores struggle..
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Ever see an Amazon warehouse? Lots of bricks and mortar there. I hope you’re right.
 
Drove the 110 miles to the parts store in North PDX yesterday. The electronics guy that has been with them for the last 12 years said things are going great so far. There is plans to bring in more stores and a DC in the area.

All the mom and pop places close to me in Salem Oregon all closed down before Covid hit. Not that they were anything other than an order house as the three were mostly repair shops that overcharged themselves out of buisness.
 
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