Walmart Ammo Supplies Dwindling (Merged) - Page 55

FHBrumb · June 1st, 2009, 07:39 AM

First off, there is no ammo truck. Ammo comes in on the regular WalMart truck. Almost all stores unload this truck on the 4pm to 1am shift. Merchandise is stocked between when the truck gets emptied, and 7am, pending workload and priorities.

As for the limit, and a definition, for a legal issue like Pseudoefedrine, it's per visit. If the store is certain you just walked out to your car, and walked back in, they CAN, but likely even then WON'T decline the sale. Same thing for the old prepaid phone rule. I assume the same goes for ammo. If they knew you were just walking laps in an attempt to empty the ammo case, they COULD, but likely WOULDN'T decline the sale. Just like any policy/direction, how strictly it's enforced is up to the Store and Market.

Just because we try to cut someone a little slack, that's all. At the store level, we want sales, and happy customers. Sometimes we can get both at the same time, sometimes we can't.

This last week, we received more ammo than I've seen since October. We had maybe 15 9mm, 6 357mag, 8 45ACP, 5 44mag, and a few others mixed in. It lasted until about 4pm. I had just received a bunch of ammo from an online purchase, so I didn't buy any of it. We still have the same amount of deer rifle ammo as always, and loads of shotgun ammo, mostly skeet/trap loads.

As for when we know what we are getting, at about lunch time, we can see what is called a Prenotification Report. If something comes in at a case quantity or better, it will be on that. Late afternoon, when the truck is rolling from the Distribution Center, we can see the Warehouse Receiving Detail Report, which tells us item by item what's on that truck. This will tell you what is being shipped that is less than a case quantity, like our ammo. The Associate in the area can use their Telxon (hand held computer for lack of a better description) to tell if the item is in the warehouse, if any is on order, or if some is in transit as well. I do not know at what point the information there updates. I'm not certain it's real time, of if it updates daily, or what.

Please also understand that if you call to ask about ammo, you are not always talking to someone that will know, so IDK is a legit answer. When Sporting Goods goes on break or lunch, there's no telling who will cover their area. Also please understand that you could very well be the 100th person to call that morning and ask, so their patience with looking all of that up may have worn thin.

megatron · June 1st, 2009, 09:14 AM

my walmart your allowed 6 boxes

FHBrumb · June 1st, 2009, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by megatron

my walmart your allowed 6 boxes

That is current company direction. Once supply catches up, that will go the way of the T-Rex.

deviceman · June 1st, 2009, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FHBrumb

Please also understand that if you call to ask about ammo, you are not always talking to someone that will know, so IDK is a legit answer. When Sporting Goods goes on break or lunch, there's no telling who will cover their area. Also please understand that you could very well be the 100th person to call that morning and ask, so their patience with looking all of that up may have worn thin.

In all seriousness it would take maybe 1-2 min. for the WM employee to eyeball the manifest to see what's coming in that day, jot it down on a sticky note, and when someone calls in anyone manning the Sporting Goods Dept. could check the sticky and relay that "Yes, we have some 1 case of 9, 2 cases of 45, 5 boxes of 380, 12 gauge..." instead of being lazy about it. In the end it's Management's fault for not making them go the extra mile and strive for 100% customer satisfaction.

My two local WM's have no problem telling anyone who calls in what's on hand and what's supposed to be on the truck.

FHBrumb · June 2nd, 2009, 07:33 AM

True, but there is the potential that the person answering the phone is not even in Sporting Goods. If they are on break or at lunch, you might be talking to Toys, Hardware, Lawn and Garden, or anyone. When they do breaks and stuff, it's not too common for a person to actually walk over to a department and stand there during that break or lunch. They have their own work to do, in their own area. Lower volume stores or slow days/nights are worse. One person might have to cover toys, sporting goods, hardware, and furniture at the same time.

But yes, slapping a sticky note near the phone would be of help to the customers looking for ammo information. And a sticky note next to the phone in electronics for what movies come out next Tuesday... And a sticky note next to the phone in photo for when the 2 day developing truck comes in. and a sticky note next to the phone in deli for when the next batch of rotisserie chicken comes out. And a sticky note blah blah blah. Please keep in mind that a Supercenter deals with about 3 million UPCs. We can't always be right on top of items, even as hot of a seller as ammo.

As for making them go the extra mile, I gues we could try shock collars...

Ask for the Sporting Goods Department Manager. I'd say that they would certainly want to know what was coming in, as they spend part of their day planning for where the features and overstock will find a home. Typically by mid afternoon, they will have a decent understanding of what's coming in.

Pardon me, I have to go buy a chair and a whip, so that I can make my people go the extra mile now...

And let's keep in mind also, that's an equal opportunity "extra mile" for all 7,000 customers my Supercenter will see today, plus all the ones that call just to see what merchandise we have in stock, so that's about 7,480 extra miles to go!!!

AllAmerican · June 2nd, 2009, 05:53 PM

They must be getting some ammo. I stopped into two different WalMarts yesterday and bought ammo at both.

The first had .357 magnum HP's!!!!!! I had never seen HP's at WalMart before. So I bought some.

The second store had a bunch of WWB in .40 so I bought 300 rounds.

I stopped into the local Ace hardware today and they had pretty much everything as far as I can tell. They even had .380.

joeblow · June 2nd, 2009, 06:16 PM

I asked the lady in Walmart sporting goods if she had any .380 yesterday. She laughed. I asked her how often she gets that in. She said once a month, maybe. So tell me about how they're producing just as much handgun ammo and the shortage is only because of "hording".

Cincy Ron · June 2nd, 2009, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joeblow

I asked the lady in Walmart sporting goods if she had any .380 yesterday. She laughed. I asked her how often she gets that in. She said once a month, maybe. So tell me about how they're producing just as much handgun ammo and the shortage is only because of "hording".

That's a good point. I stopped at a well stocked (gun wise) shop near Cincinnati the other day and the owner told me it had been almost 3 months since he had seen any .380 ammo. I wonder where it's all going?

deviceman · June 4th, 2009, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FHBrumb

True, but there is the potential that the person answering the phone is not even in Sporting Goods. If they are on break or at lunch, you might be talking to Toys, Hardware, Lawn and Garden, or anyone. When they do breaks and stuff, it's not too common for a person to actually walk over to a department and stand there during that break or lunch. They have their own work to do, in their own area. Lower volume stores or slow days/nights are worse. One person might have to cover toys, sporting goods, hardware, and furniture at the same time.

But yes, slapping a sticky note near the phone would be of help to the customers looking for ammo information. And a sticky note next to the phone in electronics for what movies come out next Tuesday... And a sticky note next to the phone in photo for when the 2 day developing truck comes in. and a sticky note next to the phone in deli for when the next batch of rotisserie chicken comes out. And a sticky note blah blah blah. Please keep in mind that a Supercenter deals with about 3 million UPCs. We can't always be right on top of items, even as hot of a seller as ammo.

As for making them go the extra mile, I gues we could try shock collars...

Ask for the Sporting Goods Department Manager. I'd say that they would certainly want to know what was coming in, as they spend part of their day planning for where the features and overstock will find a home. Typically by mid afternoon, they will have a decent understanding of what's coming in.

Pardon me, I have to go buy a chair and a whip, so that I can make my people go the extra mile now...

And let's keep in mind also, that's an equal opportunity "extra mile" for all 7,000 customers my Supercenter will see today, plus all the ones that call just to see what merchandise we have in stock, so that's about 7,480 extra miles to go!!!

As a salaried Walmart manager and fellow gun enthusiast I for one am baffled as to why you're making excuses over such a simple task. Thank goodness you don't have your meat hooks in my local stores where the Sporting Goods customer service is exceptional.

FHBrumb · June 5th, 2009, 12:07 AM

It's not an excuse, just a reality. We do try to do everything we can for our customers, but seriously.

Some folks will say the exact same thing when they call to see if we have a specific kind of canned dog food on the shelf. I'm a dog lover, and a Manager, but I do not expect the person in pets to know every single can's status, nor leave a note for folks when they are out of something. Not running out is the goal, but it happens...

In the last couple of weeks, I've heard about a plant called a Topsy Turvy Tomato Plant, or something like that. We get about a dozen calls a day, to see if we have any. I love tomatos, but same goes. If I want to know if we have some, I go look or I call the Department Manager.

As for the supply chain, I heard (could be pure rumor) that ammo companies do not produce year round??? Or at least do not produce everything all year round??? I dunno, but if they rotate through a product line, few months on this, few months on that, then I can see a dried up supply, waiting for them to get back on handgun ammo. Again, I cannot substantiate that, just something I recall reading. And of course, those with Government contracts likely spend lots of time filling those, and commercial stuff might get put on the back burner.

Daily, I walk over to the empty ammo case, and see if our folks are scanning the outs. They are. Then they order pretty much a pile of everything we are out of. This is all we can do at the store level to try and get it back in stock. But, we are generally ordering from an empty shelf in our warehouse. It doesn't matter if we order one or one hundred boxes. Out is Out.

Again, not an excuse, just a reality.

June 1st, 2009, 07:39 AM	#541
FHBrumb Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA, where else? Posts: 337	First off, there is no ammo truck. Ammo comes in on the regular WalMart truck. Almost all stores unload this truck on the 4pm to 1am shift. Merchandise is stocked between when the truck gets emptied, and 7am, pending workload and priorities. As for the limit, and a definition, for a legal issue like Pseudoefedrine, it's per visit. If the store is certain you just walked out to your car, and walked back in, they CAN, but likely even then WON'T decline the sale. Same thing for the old prepaid phone rule. I assume the same goes for ammo. If they knew you were just walking laps in an attempt to empty the ammo case, they COULD, but likely WOULDN'T decline the sale. Just like any policy/direction, how strictly it's enforced is up to the Store and Market. Just because we try to cut someone a little slack, that's all. At the store level, we want sales, and happy customers. Sometimes we can get both at the same time, sometimes we can't. This last week, we received more ammo than I've seen since October. We had maybe 15 9mm, 6 357mag, 8 45ACP, 5 44mag, and a few others mixed in. It lasted until about 4pm. I had just received a bunch of ammo from an online purchase, so I didn't buy any of it. We still have the same amount of deer rifle ammo as always, and loads of shotgun ammo, mostly skeet/trap loads. As for when we know what we are getting, at about lunch time, we can see what is called a Prenotification Report. If something comes in at a case quantity or better, it will be on that. Late afternoon, when the truck is rolling from the Distribution Center, we can see the Warehouse Receiving Detail Report, which tells us item by item what's on that truck. This will tell you what is being shipped that is less than a case quantity, like our ammo. The Associate in the area can use their Telxon (hand held computer for lack of a better description) to tell if the item is in the warehouse, if any is on order, or if some is in transit as well. I do not know at what point the information there updates. I'm not certain it's real time, of if it updates daily, or what. Please also understand that if you call to ask about ammo, you are not always talking to someone that will know, so IDK is a legit answer. When Sporting Goods goes on break or lunch, there's no telling who will cover their area. Also please understand that you could very well be the 100th person to call that morning and ask, so their patience with looking all of that up may have worn thin. __________________ Amendment XIV Section 1. ...No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law...

June 1st, 2009, 09:14 AM	#542
megatron Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 47	my walmart your allowed 6 boxes __________________ Megatron: Power flows to the one who knows how. Desire alone is not enough.

June 2nd, 2009, 07:33 AM	#545
FHBrumb Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA, where else? Posts: 337	True, but there is the potential that the person answering the phone is not even in Sporting Goods. If they are on break or at lunch, you might be talking to Toys, Hardware, Lawn and Garden, or anyone. When they do breaks and stuff, it's not too common for a person to actually walk over to a department and stand there during that break or lunch. They have their own work to do, in their own area. Lower volume stores or slow days/nights are worse. One person might have to cover toys, sporting goods, hardware, and furniture at the same time. But yes, slapping a sticky note near the phone would be of help to the customers looking for ammo information. And a sticky note next to the phone in electronics for what movies come out next Tuesday... And a sticky note next to the phone in photo for when the 2 day developing truck comes in. and a sticky note next to the phone in deli for when the next batch of rotisserie chicken comes out. And a sticky note blah blah blah. Please keep in mind that a Supercenter deals with about 3 million UPCs. We can't always be right on top of items, even as hot of a seller as ammo. As for making them go the extra mile, I gues we could try shock collars... Ask for the Sporting Goods Department Manager. I'd say that they would certainly want to know what was coming in, as they spend part of their day planning for where the features and overstock will find a home. Typically by mid afternoon, they will have a decent understanding of what's coming in. Pardon me, I have to go buy a chair and a whip, so that I can make my people go the extra mile now... And let's keep in mind also, that's an equal opportunity "extra mile" for all 7,000 customers my Supercenter will see today, plus all the ones that call just to see what merchandise we have in stock, so that's about 7,480 extra miles to go!!! __________________ Amendment XIV Section 1. ...No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law...

June 2nd, 2009, 05:53 PM	#546
AllAmerican VIP Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Chesterfield, Kakalaki del Sur Posts: 2,401	They must be getting some ammo. I stopped into two different WalMarts yesterday and bought ammo at both. The first had .357 magnum HP's!!!!!! I had never seen HP's at WalMart before. So I bought some. The second store had a bunch of WWB in .40 so I bought 300 rounds. I stopped into the local Ace hardware today and they had pretty much everything as far as I can tell. They even had .380. __________________ My Music: www.reverbnation.com/dickiefredericks New tunes added. "The Double Tap Center Mass Boogie. Learn it, know it, love it, shoot it. Good guys should live, bad guys not so much. " - Ted Nugent 09

June 5th, 2009, 12:07 AM	#550
FHBrumb Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA, where else? Posts: 337	It's not an excuse, just a reality. We do try to do everything we can for our customers, but seriously. Some folks will say the exact same thing when they call to see if we have a specific kind of canned dog food on the shelf. I'm a dog lover, and a Manager, but I do not expect the person in pets to know every single can's status, nor leave a note for folks when they are out of something. Not running out is the goal, but it happens... In the last couple of weeks, I've heard about a plant called a Topsy Turvy Tomato Plant, or something like that. We get about a dozen calls a day, to see if we have any. I love tomatos, but same goes. If I want to know if we have some, I go look or I call the Department Manager. As for the supply chain, I heard (could be pure rumor) that ammo companies do not produce year round??? Or at least do not produce everything all year round??? I dunno, but if they rotate through a product line, few months on this, few months on that, then I can see a dried up supply, waiting for them to get back on handgun ammo. Again, I cannot substantiate that, just something I recall reading. And of course, those with Government contracts likely spend lots of time filling those, and commercial stuff might get put on the back burner. Daily, I walk over to the empty ammo case, and see if our folks are scanning the outs. They are. Then they order pretty much a pile of everything we are out of. This is all we can do at the store level to try and get it back in stock. But, we are generally ordering from an empty shelf in our warehouse. It doesn't matter if we order one or one hundred boxes. Out is Out. Again, not an excuse, just a reality. __________________ Amendment XIV Section 1. ...No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law...

June 2nd, 2009, 06:16 PM	#547
joeblow Ex Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 66	I asked the lady in Walmart sporting goods if she had any .380 yesterday. She laughed. I asked her how often she gets that in. She said once a month, maybe. So tell me about how they're producing just as much handgun ammo and the shortage is only because of "hording".

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