RodneyBad Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 I don't have much against Wal-Mart other than them having 1,837 checkout lines but only 2 of them open; or all of the non-minding children running around everywhere. I haven't been in one in a couple of weeks so I have no clue if they have kits in them or not. Luckily, I'm to that point where I have pretty much every kit I've ever wanted with the exception of a few grails (which I seem to have amazing luck finding these days!!). Oh yeah, thanks Chuck! I DIG the Volkswagen!! Ditto and Ditto..
Chuck Most Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 (edited) I can tell you one thing that was made For Walmart was built the same way as any otherand that was car batteries. I know this as we used to make the Walmart batteries and we built them the same as any other one. I have had stuf from Lowes that was just ###### and they were name brands and the same stuff from Walmart I still have. So that isn't true on all accounts. Let me guess... Johnson Controls? They make about 90% of the car batteries out there. To hear Advance Auto Parts tell it, they AREN'T the same- the supplier (store chain) tells the manufacturer they want this group size, this CCA, and this warranty at this price, and the batteries are manufactured to suit. I will say that lately Walmart has been pretty lax with the warranties on their Neverstart batteries- the last few months I was at Advance, people were defecting from Walmart to us and Auto Zone. I don't have much against Wal-Mart other than them having 1,837 checkout lines but only 2 of them open; or all of the non-minding children running around everywhere. I haven't been in one in a couple of weeks so I have no clue if they have kits in them or not. Luckily, I'm to that point where I have pretty much every kit I've ever wanted with the exception of a few grails (which I seem to have amazing luck finding these days!!). Oh yeah, thanks Chuck! I DIG the Volkswagen!! Yeah... what is up with all the checkout lanes when there are never more than a one-hand-finger-count open? Never understood that. Unsupervised children (and certain groups of the elderly ) are always fun to deal with... and never mind the fact you had to park three miles away from the store and it's raining. Tonio- Glad you dig the VW. Edited December 4, 2011 by Chuck Most
Tonioseven Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 I have PLANS for that Bug!! Can't find THAT one at Wal-Mart!
tabsscale1 Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 Let me guess... Johnson Controls? They make about 90% of the car batteries out there. To hear Advance Auto Parts tell it, they AREN'T the same- the supplier (store chain) tells the manufacturer they want this group size, this CCA, and this warranty at this price, and the batteries are manufactured to suit. I will say that lately Walmart has been pretty lax with the warranties on their Neverstart batteries- the last few months I was at Advance, people were defecting from Walmart to us and Auto Zone. Yeah... what is up with all the checkout lanes when there are never more than a one-hand-finger-count open? Never understood that. Unsupervised children (and certain groups of the elderly ) are always fun to deal with... and never mind the fact you had to park three miles away from the store and it's raining. Tonio- Glad you dig the VW. Nope not Johnson controls Exide technologies. Every battery we make is the same for everybody we supply to. I build the batteries themself and we don't know who they are getting built for and we used to make advance auto batteries. Yes because Johnson controls batteries are junk they just did a test on them and ours were far superior than Johnson Controls. We aremaking the Auto Zone batteries as of a couple years ago Had Nissan in this week and last week had ACDelco come in.Ford has come in recently as well. All of which are thinking of leaving Johnson Controls because of quality issues. We have more customers coming in this week ass well been working at the plant over 30 years and have not seen so many potential customers come to the plat as i have seen this year.
kenb Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 The only reason I said lawnmowers might be substandard is because a few years ago there was a televised talk with the owner of Snapper Mowers here in Georgia. i think the argument was he was backing out of a contract with Walmart because they wanted him to make a lower grade product for them, and he refused. Also, a co-worker of mine bought a John Dear riding mower at Home Depot. He went to the John Deer store right here in town for some accessories and got to talking with them about how he bought the tractor for $500 cheaper than they sell it. They showed him where to look at theirs and his. A lot of the parts are not the same gauge steel. They're the same parts but not as high quality. I'm sure you could google that Snapper thing. My wife says the jeans are different there as well. I'm sure that most of the stuff there is just cheaper because of volume purchasing. Ken
David G. Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 Rob- I miss the old days of our LHS and they way that they were, when you walked in you felt welcome, you just didnt feel like a customer, I can not speak for everyone, but for me those days are long gone. I still do shop at my LHS, and I need to check out the one Danno has kept telling me about , but its not for kits really anymore. I've been going to Hobby Bench at 19th Ave and Northern since the early 90's and a couple of the older cashiers greet me by name and chat with me when I stop in. Nearly everybody else who works there seems to recognize me as a regular customer, even if they don't know me by name. Aside from that, I shop there because they also have almost all the paints and other supplies I need for this hobby. I don't mind paying a few dollars more for a kit there, because in my mind those extra few dollars are helping to pay for the service of providing all those other hobby tools and supplies that places like Wal-mart and Target will never stock. I also feel welcome at Hobby Depot, even though I only shop there two or three times a year. I agree, the personal touch is important and it's still out there if you know where to look. David G.
Evil Appetite Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 I can handle the kids who think a shopping mall is their playground. What gets me are the inconsiderate idiots who block the isle because they've decided they're gonna have a conversation. Oh they see you,and know you're there, they just don't care. So, what I've started doing is moving their cart out of the way so I can get by. That really makes them mad
JamesW Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 (edited) I can handle the kids who think a shopping mall is their playground. What gets me are the inconsiderate idiots who block the isle because they've decided they're gonna have a conversation. Oh they see you,and know you're there, they just don't care. So, what I've started doing is moving their cart out of the way so I can get by. That really makes them mad What REALLY irritates me is the parking lot at ANY store (Walmart especially). People sit in the aisle waiting for a parking space just so they can be a few feet closer to the door. And it's not the older people, I'm talkin about people MY age or younger. Seriously, you're afraid to walk? Sometimes I'll park WAY out back by the road (1/4 mile easy) just so I don't have to deal with those idiots. I'm not afraid of some exercise, snow or rain. Edited December 4, 2011 by grimreaper
Erik Smith Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 Thought I would add to the pages of multiple, incoherent conversations regarding Walmart, oil plugs, hobby shops, and jungle gyms. Pretty simple - it's not Walmart that's killing local hobby shops. People not shopping at LHSs is killing LHS. Walmart quit selling models years ago and LHS are still closing. I am fortunate to have a few LHSs in Spokane that have large selection and good prices. If I didn't, it would be where ever the cheapest kits could be found. And I've heard tons of rumors regarding substandard products at big chain stores and find it completely unsubstantiated. Why would a manufacturer sabotage its own product? Return customers... You really think the assembly line in China sounds a whistle and says "Walmart products coming, get out the cheap parts!"? I do know Walmart has driven companies into bankruptcy because of its tactics - some of them mentioned in Art's post. As long as there is business models for lowest price products, you will have the same situation - Walmart, Kmart, etc.
Longbox55 Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 Nope not Johnson controls Exide technologies. Every battery we make is the same for everybody we supply to. I build the batteries themself and we don't know who they are getting built for and we used to make advance auto batteries. Yes because Johnson controls batteries are junk they just did a test on them and ours were far superior than Johnson Controls. We aremaking the Auto Zone batteries as of a couple years ago Had Nissan in this week and last week had ACDelco come in.Ford has come in recently as well. All of which are thinking of leaving Johnson Controls because of quality issues. We have more customers coming in this week ass well been working at the plant over 30 years and have not seen so many potential customers come to the plat as i have seen this year. You have it wrong. It's the Exides that are junk. We sold Exides for a while back in '94-'96, every single one of them came back bad within 6 months. Went back to selling JCI batteries, and we haven't had near as many warrantee issues.
Harry P. Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 Well, if this isn't the most rambling, off-topic thread I've ever seen, it sure must be in the Top Ten.
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