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West Marine no longer matching prices...

12K views 107 replies 34 participants last post by  chef2sail 
#1 ·
...quite as comprehensively as they used to.

They've rolled back their prior policy of matching Internet competitors, and now will only match brick-and-mortar stores located within 50 miles:

If you find a lower price on an identical product (brand and model) currently in stock at a retail store located within 50 miles, West Marine will match that price (excluding shipping/handling charges or taxes) within 30 days of purchase, subject to the exclusions discussed below.
I learned this yesterday when I called to confirm that they have my chosen bottom paint in stock, and would match Defender's price. Unfortunately, they said no and informed me of the new policy effective March 1, 2013 (which I confirmed from their website).

It sounds like their new CEO is making some changes.
 
#2 ·
Defender is a brick and mortar store. I'll be shocked if they don't match them as the Westmarine's around here keep the Defender catalog behind the counter.

As far as I know, West has never matched all "internet" prices as anyone can show up with a print out of any crazy price.

I guess we shall see in the next couple of weeks...
 
#3 ·
No need to wait - just call your local store. If your local WM store is within 50 miles of Defender's store, they'll match it.

When I called the store in New Castle, DE, I specifically told them that I wanted them to match Defender's prices on bottom paint, and they told me that they would only match brick and mortar stores within a 50 mile radius. That's the same as the new policy posted on their website.

They matched all of Defender's prices last year. They did not keep a catalog behind the counter - they just pulled up Defender's website on the cash register.
 
#5 ·
You are all a bunch of whingers, Oh what we would do for a West Marine, brick and mortar stores with your US prices. I could refit my boat for half the cost. :D I guess I will just have to keep paying the postage for both WM and Defender.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Simon, I completely agree. When we had the boat at Scarborough Marina for several months I was astonished at the prices of almost everything. There were decent prices on many, not all, things made in Oz but that was it. One exception Ronstan gear was was expensive than at my local store in Canada.

Big Defender fan. We ordered a bunch of stuff (the joys of cheap USPS delivery) and they even knew the shipping address and waived a policy about maximum dollar value for foreign shipping. Their customer service reps are exceptionally good.
 
#6 ·
I don't blame WM. It was a nice feature, but they simple need to determine if they lose a couple of sales to Defender, whether they make it up with pricing on the rest. Its business, that's the way it works.

I try to buy things at my marina, just to keep the inventory there. That's ridiculously expensive, but equally convenient. When I need more, I drive over to the WM superstore. Kills me that Murphy insures the bin that has the one size I need is often empty, but the store has a ton of stuff and that's way more convenient than waiting for Defender to mail it to my house.

I also order from Defender, Jamestown Distributors and WM online. Not always due to price, but often due to which actually has what I'm looking for. More accurately, which has everything I'm looking for, so I don't have multiple orders to track and wait for. The distribution is pretty even over time.
 
#7 ·
Yeah, the new WM policy might work if they get more comptetive on standard pricing otherwise I'll just always order from Defender or Jamestown Dist.

In fact I just did. I'm replacing my water heater and even with shipping, Defender is about $85 cheaper, plus I avoid taxes so another 5% there.

I felt like the old policy of having to ask for the best price was like "We rip the other guy off and pass the savings to you" so I was never really a fan.
 
#9 ·
The policy is truly odd as most brick and mortar retailers are putting in policies to match online pricing. Most are limiting it to a specific set of web sites who have legit pricing - ie. not loss leader pricing offset by outrageous shipping prices.

Make it a point of asking about price matching at WM. When they tell you no hang up the phone, leave the item on the counter. When managers start telling the regional reps people are walking out over this policy the policy will change.
 
#10 ·
If sales go down, that won't necessarily change the policy. Enough sales have to go down to reduce the profit below the old discounting plan.

If leaving it on the counter is successful and revenue goes down to the point that they can't afford to have the brick and mortar, we all lose the convenience. Let's face it, the brick and mortar stores have more cost for a reason.

As far as saving the sales tax, I am certain that our federal government is going to close that loophole. I don't like it, because our tax policy is to take everything in every way we can think of, but I'm willing to bet on it happening.
 
#11 ·
Defender's prices seem to be right in line with everyone else now. With exorbitant shipping costs, prices are not all that great. West spends a LOT of money on their great catalog. It's almost a reference book. I appreciate their efforts to compile and send it every year. I have often found some good bargains at West brick and mortar stores that do not appear online. Jamestown also has a very complete catalog they send if you spend X # of dollars. There are some other internet sellers like Redden and LFS that have some prices way below Defender or West.
 
#27 ·
Defender's prices seem to be right in line with everyone else now. With exorbitant shipping costs, prices are not all that great. snip.
Define exhorbitant.

I just ordered water heater not exactly a feather weight item from Defender and was still over $85 less than West Marines advertised price.

Shipping was $15.
 
#12 ·
They mail me the catalog from West Marine, Defender and Jamestown Distributors. I must spend too much.

I fully agree that prices really need to be compared after shipping. I forgot to mention that I've also started shopping for some things on Amazon, where free ground shipping is easy to earn. Spend $25 or more on qualified stuff and no shipping cost. There is sales tax. I just bought a bunch of varnishing things that way.

In the end, I like Amazon more because of its one stop shopping across many disciplines and that they store my address and payment info, so one click and I'm done.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I take the same approach as Minnewaska, I check amazon first. I can usually find 50-60% of my stuff at Amazon.

For the rest, I generally avoid WM, wow expensive when compared to Defender and other Internet boating sites. I am actually quite lucky to be in Seattle with access to Fisheries Supply. Prices are slightly less than Defender but no shipping costs for me.

The Fisheries Supply store (gigantic store) is a mess though with the occasional extremely grumpy employee. Some will actually avert their eyes if they see you coming and act very busy, really! Where as the Seattle flagship WM store in Lake Union is simply awesome. Very well organized and incredibly helpful staff. Sometimes the prices in Fisheries are half the price of WM.

I have found the best thing to do is to use the Fisheries website, order, then place in "will call". That works great. The Fisheries "will call" folks are very helpful and it is very easy to change your order once you go to the pick up desk.

The Fisheries Supply website is kinda crappy though. They are working on it. If you are shopping at Defender check out the Fisheries Supply website to compare.
 
#33 ·
The Fisheries Supply store (gigantic store) is a mess though with the occasional extremely grumpy employee. Some will actually avert their eyes if they see you coming and act very busy, really! Where as the Seattle flagship WM store in Lake Union is simply awesome. Very well organized and incredibly helpful staff. Sometimes the prices in Fisheries are half the price of WM.
Wow, that hasn't been my experience at all. The staff at Fisheries are very helpful and knowledgeable, especially in the sailing department. I can think of one or two exceptions. The people who work at the checkout generally know my account and are very friendly too.

The WM folks at the big store in Seattle are sort of helpful, but the stock there is a fraction of what Fisheries offers at higher prices. It is half clothing with a tiny little section of sailing hardware. The West Marine next to Shilshole Marina is even smaller, but the staff are more helpful. I go there more often because it is a 20 minute walk or 3 minute bike ride from my boat.

Most sailing clubs in Seattle get you a discount at Fisheries Supply that can get even larger savings. The Center for Wooden Boats is a great non-profit to support for instance, and membership there will pay for itself with cheaper Fisheries Supply pricing many times over.

I occasionally get stuff from Defender, but it is rarely worth it for me. The one exception is electronics, they have better prices on Raymarine than WM or Fisheries.
 
#15 ·
I think they made the change because the store managers complained every chance they had. They all are judged by metrics, like average $$$ per sale, average profit % per sale, etc, and this policy reduced their numbers.

Almost without exception, I was met with distain when I asked for a price match. This was the worst when dealing with the store managers themselves. The local manager here would complain loudly IN THE STORE about price matching, while I, and others shopped. I had another manger tell me they would gladly price match for some electronics purchases, but when I asked for the match, and told him of the website, he tried to get me to used a different, higher priced site for the price match. He actually took about 20 minutes of surfing the web for the items, looking at different prices, wasting my time, before he finally used the site I gave him. And it was not a fly by night organization's website.

If I was WM management, I would insist that the staff gleefully uphold whatever the company policies were, regardless of personal thoughts. This behavior was grounds for disciplinary action, in my opinion.

Chris
 
#16 ·
WM needs to either make it incredibly obvious what value they add to justify their higher prices or drop their prices to be competitive. This is the modern economy. Generally I am impressed with the service levels of WM but overall I can't personally justify the higher prices.

A good stock to short if you are into that sort of thing. I think WM is living a bit in the past.

And yes, this is an over simplification, but feel free to flame away.
 
#22 ·
WM needs to either make it incredibly obvious what value they add to justify their higher prices or drop their prices to be competitive...
Now you are hitting a hot button of mine. Like all brick and mortar stores, the value they provide is that you can go in and look at the item.

Personally, I believe that the practice of "showrooming" (looking at an item in a store and then purchasing it somewhere else online) is unethical, and I refuse to do it. If I look at an item in the store, I buy it from the store, at the store's asking price. And I have done that at WM many times - and did NOT ask for a price match. The reason I think showrooming is unethical is that I would be using the store's services for free, and then buying elsewhere. Do that enough, and there will no longer be any stores around to look at those items that you need to touch to make an informed decision.

However, certain commodity items, like boat paint, do not require a store visit. You can get all the info you need online and by calling the paint manufacturer. For items like paint, I used to ask WM to match their competitors's prices. With WM's new policy, this year I will buy my paint online from the cheapest supplier.

I will continue to do business with West Marine when I need to see the item. But for commodity stuff that I can decide on without visiting the store, I'll buy online.
 
#17 ·
West Marine's stock has been on a fairly steady rise since 2009. They're doing something right, although, their return on investment is not outrageous. The expense of maintaining their model is much higher than an internet provider.

There model is the convenience of their stores and the ability to see the stuff at a few hundred stores around the country, before you buy. That has some value, IMO. Hard to try on a foulie at Defender, for example.

Of course, they also have the Port Supply model for commercial vendors.
 
#23 ·
All the stores are company owned. BUT, if you go to some of the smaller stores, local for my anyhow Shilshoal, Gig Harbor, blaine, Port townsend to name a few vs Seattle-westlake, Tacoma or Anacortes, those smaller stores really only have the mgr and maybe one or two other full time people, so at that point, you are pretty much working with an owner type person. As they get raises, bonus's etc based on how that store does in overall sales and profits.

When there was one local, edmonds for me, I did buy a lot of stuff from Doug who is now the mgr at Shilshoal, very knowledgeable person. Granted teh store was small, but he could price equal or would see what he could do when you bought $500-1000 of stuff for a refit or equal. He did what he could, still does at shilshoal to get the sale. Westlake it is possible to do so, but the smaller ones will be easier persay.

As mentioned, if you have a company or any sort, you can get a port supply account, and get more off the normal depending upon how much you buy. I've seen discounts as much as 30-40% depending upon how much you buy per year, and what the item is. Electronics frankly, no matter where you got, profit margins are pretty skinny. Clothing is another story, as are some other items.

Also as mentioned, locally Fisheries is pretty good, but the last 3-5 yrs there have been some lower quantity supply issues etc......where as the local WM's are overall doing a better job. Both local bigger suppliers ea have plus and minus's to there operations. Fisheries if you belong to some of the local YC's that have cash accounts setup, you can get % discounts depending upon what the overall membership buys, more $$, more % off. Clubs can do the same with port supply too. But you will not always get the 5% rebate as WM offers members either.

While personally, buying online can be cheaper, overall, if I can get something local for with in 5-10%....I'll do it, as shipping makes up the difference a lot, along with a wait depending upon what I need and want.

At the end, no place is best for everything.

marty
 
#21 ·
I looked at some of their 10K's over the past few years. They look like they are doing fine, growing, interesting. Not what I expected. Their margins are even improving, again, interesting. Well, it seems many folks see their value and I don't get it. Good point about clothing though.
 
#25 ·
Yes, due to the number of WM stores, convience is a key factor as to customers using the store especially if time is an issue. But in general WM prices can be considerably more, as much as 20% more on some items that I have found and I believe WM uses this, the convience, for keeping their prices high. Before, whenever possible, I compare prices and use it to my advantage at WM when time was an issue. I believe it simply boils down to WM's profit margins. As long as the consumer is willing to dish out more money due to convience WM will continue to keep their prices high. I will continue to shop around to find the best price and give myself enough time to order and receive before starting the project.
 
#26 ·
Im a retailer and let me tell the other side of the price matching story, their locations cost big bucks. A shop in Ohio is paying .25 sq/ft for rent, WM store is paying 3.00 sq/ft for this location near the water and has to charge more to pay the rent. It was a nice thing to do to keep the business, but like others have said what happens when there are no more brick stores to go see/inspect the item?

Brad
Lancer 36
 
#28 ·
A couple of years ago, my fresh water pump crapped out in New Bedford. I was darned glad that a West Marine was within walking distance. Having stores like this around ports is definitely a plus for boaters. As posted on an earlier thread, I found a new Salsa main sheet (end-roll) at considerably <1/2 regular price. I bought a new SOLAS flare last year that shipped to a local West store for 0. Not only does no one else seem to even have offshore stuff but items like flares can't be shipped at a reasonable cost directly to you. West may be expensive on a lot of stuff but they do have some good deals and it's worth browsing around. It is certainly unethical to use a West showroom to look at an item and then buy it somewhere else.
 
#29 ·
A bit off topic, but Defender's annual Warehouse Sale is coming up March 21-24. Everything they sell is on sale. I've been buying from Defender for over 30 years since they were a little local store in New Rochelle. They just keep getting better with great customer service and quick shipping. It is not uncommon for my order to arrive the next day.
 
#30 ·
I've been putting together a list of all the things I want to order during the sale (including the bottom paint that I mentioned above). How is their shipping during the sale? Do they ship the day your order (or the day after), or do they have to wait until the sale is completely over before they start shipping?
 
#34 ·
Another + for West Marine is their liberal return policy. They actually took back an expensive anchor that I was not happy with after I tried it out.

I walked in to West Marine in Old Saybrook, CT with the anchor, the stickers had come off and I had no receipt.
The sales clerk turned me over to the store manager.
The store manager looked up my purchase in Annapolis, MD using my rewards number.
I returned the anchor and purchased a new one.

I also use the price comparison option. It is a service that they offer so I don't see why not.
 
#35 ·
TakeFive knows me... and I've spent a decent amount of money on "parts" this winter season. I've put more than half of it into Defender. However, I think West Marine has done a much better job at being competitive lately. I did order about 1/4 from them... However the rest was spread around to other places across the web.

NOTHING is near me as a store. The closest store to me is WM near Philly. I had no idea that Defender had any stores.

For me though ordering from the web, even with ground shipping I get stuff 1 to 2 days tops from Defender... That works nicely for me. I like having "choices" to go to for parts.

Actually for specific parts for my boat, I do favor catalinadirect... but I've been known to try mauipro, and aps as well. Bottompaint (since it's special ground shipping) is one of those things that I get from wherever will get it to me cheapest.

It's been 1 year since I was in Philly, and when I can I stop by the WM store. I purchased about $200 worth of stuff while there, and admittably spent more than I would if I had purchased it online. Because the gentleman working the store, was bright, knew his boats, and was restoring a Bayfield. To me, that's living it, not just working it! I personally FOUND stuff I needed because of the help/support he gave. For that reason I also buy from our local marina when I need something and sooner is better than later. I know there's a major markup on it, but if it's minor to me... its the convenience, and I don't mind paying for it.
 
#36 ·
Few random thoughts.

Unless I'm mistaken, Defender only has the warehouse store in CT.

There should be a law against certain types of packing material. Styrofoam peanuts and shredded paper should be outlawed by penalty of death. Those little inflatable balloons, bubble wrap or bunched paper are all acceptable. The first internet supplier than guarantees to ban peanuts and shreds gets all my business!!!!!!!!

One other serious advantage of our WM superstore is I just love killing time in there. I'm the kind of guy that likes browsing in a hardware store too. At least a couple of times per season, we're nearby and I have to wait for someone to do something. I just wander the isles and always find something I can't live without. No possible way to do that on the internet.
 
#50 ·
...One other serious advantage of our WM superstore is I just love killing time in there. I'm the kind of guy that likes browsing in a hardware store too. At least a couple of times per season, we're nearby and I have to wait for someone to do something. I just wander the isles and always find something I can't live without. No possible way to do that on the internet.
What do you call the time you spend on SailNet?...;)

Back on topic; I tried to do a bunch of price matches with Defender back in January at the Ft Myers WM. I walked in to WM with a printout of my defender shopping cart and found that WM was CHEAPER than Defender on a couple of things, and within a dollar on other items.
 
#38 ·
When we lived in NYC area if you ordered from Defender before 4 pm (once it was 3:58), it would arrive at the marina office the next morning by 10 am via USPS. Not a fluke, it happened every time. Most impressive performance by the store and post office. West Marine stores vary enormously. They opened one of their superstores an hour or so from us in NJ and it was incredible. You visited the one in downtown Manhattan and you thought why bother having the store. It was tiny (rent of course), but your chance of finding anything you wanted there was tiny. Guess you could order for pickup but there was no parking.
 
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