West Marine

[Creedence]

One of the WM price-match apologists should ask them to Price match THEIR OWN Port Supply pricing. Report back with the response. Lol

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Creedence

One of the WM price-match apologists should ask them to Price match THEIR OWN Port Supply pricing. Report back with the response. Lol

A solid "NO" I suspect. Port Supply is commercial wholesale, not retail.

[keepondancin]

I started this whole thing. I think the most frustrating thing about West Marine is how years ago, it was the go to place for marine supplies, with a strong inventory of items for sailboats, rigging supplies, good selection of line, very good hardware selection, a real good source of what you needed at a fair and reasonable price. Places like E&B, Boater's World,BoatUS were a little more power boat oriented, plus boat accessories. Defender took great pride in their warehouse type marketing, expecting you to know what you needed, rather than ask for info or recomendations, in exchange for good pricing. Defender has gotten much better, especially after they moved to Connecticut. WM went down hill when they went public, and their first CEO was the previous CEO of the duty free shops in airports. Have to assume his strengths and interests where bottom line, not the boating community. Yes they still have a large presence, but a couple of small places by the marina where my boat is, still say WM is one of the reasons why they are getting busier over time. Hopefully the new management will use the theory to have what customers need in inventory and a a reasonable price, and while in the store buy the shirts and shorts and boat trinkets, which have a much higher profit margin. It is very hard to sell what you don't have.

[Creedence]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

A solid "NO" I suspect. Port Supply is commercial wholesale, not retail.

... And a demonstration that they know exactly how to price product in line with industry norms (in that case, it’s commercial pricing, but it’s demonstrative of the fact that their high retail prices are not an oversight, unintentional, or the result of some quirk in their supply chain practices.

But hey, if I can find some other brick and mortar place within 50 miles who has my widget cheaper, they’d be willing to match that price. Gee, thanks.


And so their transformation from marine hardware store into a lifestyle brand shall continue. Watch as the “chandlery” items continue to occupy less and less square footage in the stores in favor of apparel, fishing gear, and marine audio equipment.

[C420sailor]

Sounds like Radio Shack. WM will be extinct soon enough.

[Trekka]

When I got into boating several decades ago there were many suppliers.

E&B, M&E, Jay Stuart Haft, Lands End (before it became a clothing company), Boat/US, and others I cannot remember. Every company had some things the others didn’t. And they carried far more products overall than today. Clothing, other than weather gear">foul weather gear, was a tiny part of it.

It was a time when there were several great magazines that no longer are with us. Rudder, Boating, Motor Boating & Sailing among others. You could go to a boat show and find new sailboats of 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29 ft in length. 36ft was really big. 40ft was huge. A young couple or tradesman could afford to buy new.

Yeah, I sound like an old guy, and am. But I miss those days. I miss the number of stores and the variety of their supplies as well as the breadth. I miss the monthly sources of information on the magazine rack. I miss boat shows and manufacturer’s that catered to people of modest means rather than just the well to do.

I deal with WM as little as possible and only thru a PS account I can use. I intensely dislike the narrow focus of their supplies and suppliers, and the amount of floor space allocated to clothes and knick-knacks.

[Brob2]

It's impossible to make a decent margin selling marine products from a brick and mortar store. West Marine has never been overly profitable and loses money as often as they make it. They may not run it well, now or in the past, but it's various iterations are a result of long-standing problems in the retail marine business. I have a good friend who bought a stand alone marine store, mostly to supply/guarantee supply to his marine construction business, and it is tough. I have a neighbour who has another long time stand-alone and on-line marine supply business and they do well, but you will never find a a bargain there and their prices are well above West Marine's. If you think you can do the business better step right up, but it is not where the smart money's going. These folks are trying to survive, not gouge you. Good luck and enjoy your whining.

[Creedence]

Originally Posted by Brob2

It's impossible to make a decent margin selling marine products from a brick and mortar store. West Marine has never been overly profitable and loses money as often as they make it. They may not run it well, now or in the past, but it's various iterations are a result of long-standing problems in the retail marine business. I have a good friend who bought a stand alone marine store, mostly to supply/guarantee supply to his marine construction business, and it is tough. I have a neighbour who has another long time stand-alone and on-line marine supply business and they do well, but you will never find a a bargain there and their prices are well above West Marine's. If you think you can do the business better step right up, but it is not where the smart money's going. These folks are trying to survive, not gouge you. Good luck and enjoy your whining.

Hmmm. Putting aside the brick and mortar stores that are surviving and filling the orders of customers who pass on the WM pricing, like Defender....

Perhaps look upthread and notice that’s EXACTLY what was discussed. West Marine is this community’s Circuit City. They are the Yellow Cab to the marine market’s Uber. They are at a critical point in their existence where they need to evolve successfully, or become a thing of the past.

But what you fail to touch on in your post (when you say “these folks are trying to survive”....is that they aren’t trying to survive in the marine chandlery business in the same way you could say a mom and pop hardware store is trying to survive when Home Depot opens down the road. (Which is the echelon of the retail market where the friend in your anecdote occupied). They aren’t sticking to high prices because that’s the last thing that will keep the utility bills paid. You can safely forego the emotional plea (invoked by the image of the struggling worker) to try to get people to stop complaining while begrudgingly continuing to dig ever deeper in their pockets.

They are a large firm backed by big equity and are evolving out of that market to seek survival. Marine Audio hardware, apparel, and fishing gear. And their Port Supply business of course- where pricing is more closely aligned to industry standard.

This is an interesting retail case study to follow, and in my estimation puts this particular faction of boaters on the back burner in favor of market segments (fishing tackle, marine audio, etc) where margins align more closely with their board’s expectations. But let’s not pretend that this community should continue to overpay for things out of some misplaced loyalty to a struggling proprietor.

[swpalmer1]

Originally Posted by keepondancin

How does West Marine stay in business, price gouging? I am listing my boat for sale, after 22 years of ownership, and decided to buff the 30+ year old Awlgrip. I needed 3M Finesse-it II. The local ship's store didn't have it. Went to WM, a pint was $56. I needed it that moment, knew WM would be more, but not 20% over msr. Just checked Defender, $24, suggested retail was $46. The shelves were less than half filled, the couple of employess were just lounging, and certainly did not seem to be at all boat literate. I started dealing with WM when their cataloge was a couple page mailout. Good prices, and good service. Now it is a place to avoid unless desperate.

Local store is usually 5-10% off retail, and can get most items overnight from their supplier. My fault for not planning ahead.

The Finesse-it really brought a nice shine back to the Awlgrip, followed by Awlcare, and looks quite good.

Anyone interested in a Bristol 41.1 in the Connecticut area? Listing it tomorrow.

Can you send me details on your boat and any pictures? Thanks

[JimZeigler]

I have been noticing a deterioration in West Marine products and services over the last 5 or so years. When they first came to my attention over 25 years ago, they were a welcome option to the marina catalog stores. And having them readily available in the town were we had our boat was great - the convenience factor. It started to change about the time they started going big on clothing - beyond the specialized clothing for boaters. The prices started up. Hate to see it happen. But unless I need the item immediately, I go to the web. And Amazon seems to be the number spot for most of the stuff I routinely need. Our locals marinas are still service by two wholesale Chandlers ( Paxtons out of Norfolk and Land and Sea), so I can work with them on the really special stuff - line bottom paint and specialized marine hardware. They have a large stock and we can get most stocked items overnight. I don't think West Marine's Port Supply business can match that. I know the store delivery option is a fixed time each week.

I think someone hit on the the head - West Marine is chasing the inexperienced boaters market. When you apply to work there, the questionnaire emphasizes you selling abilities, i.e., pushing the products. I enjoyed the convenience when it was the only game in town, but I think their competition has passed them by. Their on-line catalog is spotty on technical details, their deliveries are lengthy and they often have to special order items I can get readily get from other sources. I enjoyed by relationship with that company but it is time to move on to others that provide better service and value.

[jordanbigel]

Originally Posted by Skye51

3) Pick the best price and show it at the counter when you checkout.
WM have a price match guarantee, so use it. When I shopped at WM in Mobile, Alabama 2 years ago they were even accepting Amazon prices.

So, the WM store is 1/4 mile from the marina where I live (San Diego area). The nearest non-WM chandlery is a 20 minute drive each way, sometimes in traffic, so, I go in to WM sometimes, for last minute things which I forgot to buy in advance online from Defender or McMaster-Carr, or Jamestown, etc.

Saturday I was in there and I had just read part of THIS thread where people are saying they do price matching. I was pre-armed with the Defender web page on my phone with the product I was after ($10 vs $17 at WM).

I was told no such luck - no Defender price matching. No brick and mortar store price matching. ONLY Amazon price matching. And only for items sold by Amazon, not another seller using the Amazon platform.

I asked the guy who might have been the manager, or maybe not (I've seen him in there for years) why only Amazon and he said "...because they are our competition now."

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Creedence

They are a large firm backed by big equity and are evolving out of that market to seek survival.

Yes, Creedence understands the situation.

West Marine is no longer owned by Randy Repass. The days when a corporate president visited store managers and even met customers (how about that!) are gone.

This is a difference sort of capitalism. Capital demands a return. And moves on when it cannot get that return. Capital, and capitalists, have no love of boating, boats, or boat owners, just the return on investment.

Randy Repass exited the scene some time ago. In 1993, West Marine was listed on NASDAQ. In 2017, a private equity firm - Monomoy Capital Partners - bought the stock.

Just two or three months ago, Monomoy sold West Marine to L Chatterton, another private equity firm.

https://news.mcpfunds.com/news/monom...est-marine-inc

https://www.lcatterton.com/

[soundtrack]I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no!

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss[/soundtrack]

[Island Time O25]

Not a WM story but similar enough.

About 10-12 days ago my Universal 5432 coolant water pump gave up ghost. My first thought was "good to have a Westerbeke/Universal dealer so close", literally 2min drive from my mooring field parking lot, so I headed their way. Turned out they don't stock those pumps so has to be ordered with ETA of 4 to 6 weeks, NOT guaranteed as it could take even longer. And at a price of $505 plus tax.

While still at their parking lot I go to ebay from my phone and find a seller with 99.7% reputation selling the same pump for $249, free 3-4 day USPS Priority Mail shipping from California. Had it in my hand 3 days later.

What kind of business model it is which charges double for unstocked part and doesn't even guarantee it's availability 4-6 weeks later? IMO they're screwing up a chance to compete with online businesses by overpricing unstocked products. I would pay a premium (but not double) for a part in stock, say 20% or $300 in my case but not $505 AND 4-6 weeks delivery.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

About 10-12 days ago my Universal 5432 coolant water pump gave up ghost. My first thought was "good to have a Westerbeke/Universal dealer so close", literally 2min drive from my mooring field parking lot, so I headed their way. Turned out they don't stock those pumps so has to be ordered with ETA of 4 to 6 weeks, NOT guaranteed as it could take even longer. And at a price of $505 plus tax.

While still at their parking lot I go to ebay from my phone and find a seller with 99.7% reputation selling the same pump for $249, free 3-4 day USPS Priority Mail shipping from California. Had it in my hand 3 days later.

Was it a new, genuine part?

Some old business chains are dinosaurs, and deserve to die off. I don't know where the fault lies in your story, but the dealers need to demand better service, and the manufacturer and distributor need to do better. I can't imagine why an in-stock part can't travel between any two world cities in a week or less.

Another example of old retailers who don't yet get it: during the pandemic, stores closed... my wife orders some socks and a bra from The Bay (large dept store). Never arrived, yet it took like 5 weeks and several calls before The Bay finally refunded. We all know that if it was Amazon, she would have had the stuff in a couple of days (99% probability), and a prompt, hassle-free trace, and refund or resend if it got lost.

[PNWSalmon]

The pricing policy is right in the home page https://www.westmarine.com/CustomerService/Price-Policy