West Marine Amazon Price Match

[BruceK]

Whitworths chain in Australia offers a 10% discount for orders over $1K. They exclude some items. Mean as a cat covering its droppings in discounting otherwise,but generally the service is good.

[nwboater]

Originally Posted by twistedtree

"We'll rip you off unless you catch us, so catch us if can". That's our motto. That's our business plan.

I get the sentiment, but truthfully, I gladly pay extra $$ on those days when I'm desperate for an item to complete the project. Like everyone, I now do my shopping online--but I also support WM because I NEED them to be there for me! Plus, the Anacortes store is less than a mile from my boat :-)) I say give them some slack.

[FF]

"-but I also support WM because I NEED them to be there for me!"

This is how they justify massive markups , folks will pay for instant access.

[RangerGlenn]

WM went private in Oct last year things are changing. The new pricing policy is on their website. Ever try to return items to that 3rd party Amazon vendor? No problem with WM.

[holty]

I try to buy at the privately owned marine store around the corner from our West Marine. I have developed a relationship with the owner over the years. If he does not have what I am looking for he will have it for me the next day. He is very knowledgeable and a pleasure to deal with. When I leave his store I don't have that uncomfortable feeling in the seat of my pants that I do when leaving West.

regards Holty

[OldDan1943]

I have a Port Supply card so I have access to more than West Marine.
WM does give me a discount but not always as great as other suppliers.

[Star0210]

The people at our local WM store are very friendly and helpful.
Unfortunately, it’s a small store so unless it’s a very basic item, they may not have it.

[ktdtx]

The problem that I have now with West Marine is the lack of professional and knowledgeable sales staff now.

The conundrum...if we don't patronize the local businesses soon there will be NO local businesses or local business owners to patronize MY local business.

And, the idea of spending a little more so I can see and touch the product is worth something-to me.

The idea of getting some expert information on a product or help selecting the best product is decreasing. I hate it when I ask a question and the employee takes the box from me and starts reading what I just read then tries to act like s/he now knows enough to answer my questions.

We unreasonably want the absolute lowest price AND highly trained, knowledgeable employees.

[CMS]

Originally Posted by Dougcole

Lots and lots of counterfeit merchandise on the site. though they have made token attempts to get it down, they are a far cry from clean.

A customer of mine recently got a counterfeit product through Amazon. He asked me to price match it but I was already making a whopping 3% on the quote I gave him, so I declined. While Amazon took it back, he was pretty pissed that he paid the going rate for a fake product the re-seller was likely making a 250% margin on.

I also encountered my own "counterfeit" issue with Amazon on Zeiss lens cleaners. The ruined a brand new set $350.00 lenses. When I took the lenses to my eye glass guy he asked me to show him what I had been using to clean them. When I showed him he pulled out the real McCoy... They were counterfeit Zeiss lens cleaners. That re-seller is no longer on Amazon but the lenses were toast.... Oh and I paid the same for the counterfeit ones as I would have for the genuine Zeiss cleaners.

I am much more careful in what I buy off Amazon these days...

[Scratchnsaw]

Originally Posted by ktdtx

The conundrum...if we don't patronize the local businesses soon there will be NO local businesses or local business owners to patronize MY local business.

And, the idea of spending a little more so I can see and touch the product is worth something-to me.

The idea of getting some expert information on a product or help selecting the best product is decreasing. I hate it when I ask a question and the employee takes the box from me and starts reading what I just read then tries to act like s/he now knows enough to answer my questions.

We unreasonably want the absolute lowest price AND highly trained, knowledgeable employees.

I was always the person that did not even price shop if I really needed something pertaining a specialty item dedicated for boats and the saltwater elements.

While the quality of parts has declined over the years, that too was accepted as the "cost of doing business" in boats. Try to maintain my boat as good as I can and accept the cost that gives me some confidence when untying the lines.

As the decline in help began to rear its head, I finally said enough. And this is where I personally find myself now. Sad to say the least, as I still buy from my local hardware store that's so service friendly that if need be their help would come out and cut my own grass and apply fertilizer if I was to ask, no questions asked either. Did I tell you that I hate the decline in personal attention when spending hard earned money with any businesses?...

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Have you been to the Jacksonville Florida WM? It is HUGE!!! Has lots of stuff and a great place to spend a few hours!! Wish all the WM were this big!

I am a port supply customer too and I have found WM very competitive for most of their items, especially large items. Simple stuff yes you can find it cheaper via website, but then after shipping and waiting a week, same price as WM.

We do have Fisheries, Sure Marine and others about 2 hours up the road, Those of you you on the east coast have Defenders. Still the WM in Jackson is amazing.

[BandB]

This is a sign of change in WM and instead of people taking shots at them, I would think would be welcomed. Not sure of their price match rules, but most who price match Amazon, only do so on items being sold by Amazon, not third parties.

I think we need West Marine to survive and to succeed as in many areas they are all we have. We don't regularly use them, but we use other local suppliers and we source from manufacturers. However, if I could get the same price or even close from them as from Amazon, I'd always choose WM. I do shop Amazon but mainly for items I don't know where to find locally and some commodity items. 2018 is going to be the year Wal-mart out Amazons Amazon though. Sadly, Amazon was built on service and now it's a technology company, not a service company and that's not going over well. So, I applaud this move by WM and hope it is one that works for them.

[aboatman]

For many of us, even in larger markets, West Marine is the only "brick and mortar" marine store. Sure, you might find some stuff at Walmart or a sporting goods store but basically, West Marine is our place unless we have the time to wait and get what we need from an Internet vendor.

Someone made a comment about the lack of knowledge of the staff. That has not been my experience. If a staff member doesn't know they answer, they will find someone who does. I've had them call the manufacturer or another staff member at home. And of course you can look at and measure a product before you buy it and bring it back if it doesn't fit or work for you. I would hate to see West Marine stores disappear. In many ways, West Marine "earns" their (sometimes) higher prices.

As for the price matching policy, at one time they would match any price, Internet or local. They changed that to just local stores. It would surprise me if they matched amazon.com prices but I haven't asked them to so I don't know if they do or not at this time.

[aboatman]

Originally Posted by Star0210

The people at our local WM store are very friendly and helpful.
Unfortunately, it’s a small store so unless it’s a very basic item, they may not have it.

Ask and they will get it. Usually within a week.

[Waterford]

If I know exactly what I want, I'll often order it on Scamazon but if I need the help or info of someone with expertise, or just need it today, I'll gladly pay the additional cost of supporting a brick and mortar store. However, there is only one person at my West Marine whom I trust for her knowledge and advice.

[Brooksie]

I think West Marine pays their taxes
https://itep.org/amazon-inc-paid-zer...m-new-tax-law/
Matching prices with a tax evader is a good way to go out of business. Even though Amazon has only 15,000 of it's employees in Luxemberg sp, they are headquartered there not in the US.
I never buy from Amazon b/c I do not knowingly do business with cheats.

https://splinternews.com/amazon-made...por-1823329221

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by Waterford

If I know exactly what I want, I'll often order it on Scamazon but if I need the help or info of someone with expertise, or just need it today, I'll gladly pay the additional cost of supporting a brick and mortar store. However, there is only one person at my West Marine whom I trust for her knowledge and advice.

isnt that one more than ordering online thankfully?

and I dont think West has many counterfeit items.

[twistedtree]

I appreciate the "I need it NOW" sentiment. Been there, done that, and had buy wherever I could get it, at whatever price was charged.

But in many places there are still independent, brick and mortar marine stores. Rose Marine in Gloucester MA, Hamilton in Portland ME, Defender in CT, Jamestown in RI, Fisheries in Seattle, SeaMar in Seattle, Marine Exchange in San Diego, I'm forgetting their name in Sitka. And these are just the ones I've run into.

These are all excellent stores with inventory on the shelves or a day away, normal prices at a discount off list price as opposed to a markup over list price, knowledgeable staff, and top quality stuff. I'm not talking about mail order, or bargain shopping for the cheapest price. These are apples to apples, retail to retail comparison's to a WM store, and are universally better in all dimensions.

WM may have killed off a lot of local stores, but man are still around are around and better than ever, and superior to WM in every way.

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by Star0210

The people at our local WM store are very friendly and helpful.
Unfortunately, it’s a small store so unless it’s a very basic item, they may not have it.

Originally Posted by aboatman

Ask and they will get it. Usually within a week.

I don't have anything against WM. I shop there when they have what I need. The people there are usually pretty nice, even knowledgeable. Sometimes you can actually get things at a fair price.

That said, The problem with ordering an item for in-store pickup is they seem to only get one delivery a week. With so many on-line options, waiting up to a week then finding my way back to the store (our local stores aren't that convenient) is not worth it.

I've also noticed lately that they've been way to aggressive about inventory reduction. Sometimes they only have one in stock - of things that are needed in pairs. It's just not worth the aggravation sometimes.

I keep hoping things will improve. Having another local brick-and-mortar is always a good thing.

[psneeld]

needed flares this week...WM $29 and new. other stores 1yr old flares, and $39.

it is what it is.....