Wow, West Marine sucks even more than they used to

[BruceK]

Reading this sad thread, I`m so glad Australia has the privately owned Whitworths chain, among others. Long established, good stock, reasonable pricing, staffed by a mix of helpful knowledgeable people including active boaters working part time.
They publish a hard copy catalogue quarterly, very useful when searching for something. Last visit I picked up a free tide chart.

 

[magna 6882]

Fisheries supply if i need most anything. Good people with lots of inventory. Not sure why anyone would need to go to west marine. They are more expensive and never have what i want without making compromises .

 

[CaptTom]

Why is anyone surprised by this? This is the business cycle all companies go through, at least in the US.

Some smart entrepreneur finds a market niche where they can provide good value to their customers. They grow by building up a good staff of valued employees, working collaboratively with their suppliers and making sure the customer's needs are always met.

Growth brings new headaches. More paperwork, more administrative overhead, and, most of all, much harder to keep all the new layers of management and employees motivated to maintain the high standards the founder established, which made the business so successful in the first place. At the same time, the back office is overwhelmed with MBAs and bean counters whose only mission is to shave a few bucks off every aspect of the business, regardless of the impact on customers, employees or suppliers.

The final nail in the coffin is when the business is sold off to private equity or investment firms, whose only goal is to milk it for all it's worth until they can sell off whatever is left.

I saw the handwriting on the wall for WM way back when they went on their inventory reduction kick. What's the use of a chandlery if they only have one chock in stock? I needed two! Then there was the pivot to clothing and "lifestyle" brands. Those high-profit-margin products weren't the reason people shopped there. Focusing on those was a sure sign the MBAs had taken over. We've all seen this progression before, and we know how it ends.

 

[Portage_Bay]

Remember Doc Freeman and Seattle Ship Supply? Nothing lasts forever. Even Fisheries isn't what it used to be.

My WM story. Asked an "associate" something about a RIB. He asked "What's a RIB?" I said it's that boat behind you leaning against the wall.

I don't know about other parts of the country, but in the PNW there are countless independent marine suppliers, all with knowledgeable staff, quality products, and competitive prices. They have it figured out, so why is it so hard for WM to figure out? I don't think it's any longer a question of what WM is doing wrong - I think the question is whether there is ANYTHING they are doing right? I can't think of anything. Store locations are usually poor, inventory is poor, prices are over list, staff is clueless, customer service is non-existent, e-commerce sucks, and the name is tarnished.

 

[DDW]

I originally shopped at West Marine #1 in Palo Alto. This was not long after Randy moved it out of his garage. It was a pretty good store then.

 

[SteveK]

Locally we had Steveston Marine which served us well for decades. Good prices, knowledgeable staff, good stock.

Along came WM with initial competition in Richmond. They (EDITED thanks NoRain) had a store in Vancouver. Anyway whatever happened in the US Steveston marine took over the Richmond location. IMO Steveston Marine became WM in stock and staff with the well known name. New owners I believe.
Now they are not my go to supplier as I can have lower price delivered for free from out of province.

 

[NoRain]

They still have a store in Vancouver.

West Marine Vancouver store has been closed for a few years now.

 

[Comodave]

West Marine Vancouver store has been closed for a few years now.

What surprises me is that they actually have any stores left open…

 

[rslifkin]

What surprises me is that they actually have any stores left open…

Around here I'd bet sales of winterizing antifreeze are a decent chunk of their total business throughout the year. They're one of only 2 local sources I can think of for the good stuff (all of the home stores only sell the alcohol blended crap). And they're usually cheaper than the ship's store at our marina, plus they always have plenty of antifreeze in stock through the fall.

 

[Comodave]

When I was winterizing our boats I ordered the -200 online and saved quite a bit of money. But we store the boat in heated storage now so no more winterization, yea.

 

[SILENTKNIGHT]

West Marine staff are the same kids Mon - Friday working the Chic-Filet drive Thru , They are clueless on advice & support

 

[Comodave]

They used to hire people that knew something about boating but they had to pay them more than a kid.

 

[AlaskaProf]

I originally shopped at West Marine #1 in Palo Alto. This was not long after Randy moved it out of his garage. It was a pretty good store then.

Yeah, I have fond memories of the old store at the south end of Lake Union...like going to REI, just to see the stuff.

 

[CaptTom]

I've seen knowledgeable boaters working in WM, even recently. Often they're retired people who want to fill in some time plus get an employee discount. But, yeah, all retail is having problems getting staff. Lots of other fields, too. It's not really fair to single out WM for that. There are plenty of other things they do poorly we can complain about.

 

[Moonfish]

We have been referring to them as Worst Marine for a decade or more now...