Ye Olde Rocket Forum

Go Back   Ye Olde Rocket Forum > The Doctor is In! > Ask the Doctor
User Name
Password
Auctions Register FAQ Members List Calendar Today's Posts Search Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #31  
Old 08-19-2008, 05:07 PM
dwmzmm's Avatar
dwmzmm dwmzmm is offline
Master Modeler
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Katy, TX
Posts: 2,345
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikus
That's what I've been saying.

It kinda looks like WM is getting out of the rocketry business.


Mikus, looks like you and John Thro may be right; I just came from the Wal - Mart
at Fry/W. Little York (needed to get a color toner for my printer, but I also intended to
"stock up" on some model rocket engines) and, lo and behold, there's NO model rocket
engines to be found anywhere! Only a couple of RTF starter sets (Patriot and the two
rocket set). No Astrobeams (but saw one marked $19 in a clearance display). Just last
week this same location had a very good supply of motors, and now they're GONE!! Maybe
the curtain IS coming down for Estes & the Wal - Mart partnership......
__________________
Dave, NAR # 21853 SR.
Reply With Quote
  #32  
Old 08-19-2008, 05:19 PM
Shreadvector's Avatar
Shreadvector Shreadvector is offline
Launching since 1970.
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Southern California
Posts: 2,188
Default

__________________
-Fred Shecter NAR 20117 (L2)
Southern California Rocket Association, NAR Section 430
Reply With Quote
  #33  
Old 08-19-2008, 05:23 PM
Solomoriah's Avatar
Solomoriah Solomoriah is offline
Incorrigible Kit Basher
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,888
Default

Wal-Mart raised engine prices to $6.97 a pack a few months back; Hobby Lobby raised prices at the same time, staying a buck or two higher as they had been before. Apparently the price stayed $4.97 in some stores, probably where they had a pile of them in inventory.

Now there is every indication that they may pull out of rocket engines entirely. I'm not concerned that Estes will stop selling to Wal-Mart... I'm concerned Wal-Mart will stop buying from Estes. With so much of their marketing focused on the high-volume low-end stores, I'm afraid they may suffer significant financial harm... and it doesn't look as if they have much of a plan B.

My plan B? Get the Shrox designs in hobby shops, and soon. Start catering to the hobbyists who may not buy as much, but who buy more frequently and with greater loyalty.

But their knee-jerk reaction, if in fact Wal-Mart is cutting them out (or even just cutting them back), may be to cut costs by reducing customer service, and save money by not releasing the Shrox kits, or anything else new that WE might like. Grasping at the fading hope that Wal-Mart will once again smile on them.

It worries me. The only thing I can do is take advantage of the discounts. Stock up on engines. They keep a long time, after all. If they do go down hard, I want to have enough to fly a while before I have to worry about my options.
__________________
NAR # 115523
Once upon a better day... SAM #0076
My site: http://rocketry.gonnerman.org
Reply With Quote
  #34  
Old 08-19-2008, 05:48 PM
scigs30 scigs30 is offline
Master Modeler
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,261
Default

My local hobby store said they should have the Solar flare in stock in the next couple of days. When they do I will pick one up and take pictures.
Reply With Quote
  #35  
Old 08-19-2008, 05:55 PM
Doug Sams's Avatar
Doug Sams Doug Sams is offline
Old Far...er...Rocketeer
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Plano, TX resident since 1998.
Posts: 3,965
Default Wal-Mart's poor merchandising

Quote:
Originally Posted by Solomoriah
Now there is every indication that they may pull out of rocket engines entirely. I'm not concerned that Estes will stop selling to Wal-Mart... I'm concerned Wal-Mart will stop buying from Estes. With so much of their marketing focused on the high-volume low-end stores, I'm afraid they may suffer significant financial harm... and it doesn't look as if they have much of a plan B.
I'm concerned, too. But I'm wondering what the factors are: How much is low demand? And how much is poor merchandising? Seems like every time I went into Wal-Mart to see what they had, the pickin's were slim and the shelves in bad shape. Rarely could I ever find the Launchables - mostly just starter sets. The motors were usually picked over and showing signs of being ignored by the stockers as if to indicate they hadn't serviced the shelves since they set out the stock.

And, given Fred's earlier comment about how the checkers ring things up, Wal-Mart's product managers may not have known which motors were actually selling and thus which ones needed re-ordering.

So if retailing Estes rockets at Wal-Mart has been a bust, I blame Wal-Mart as much as I blame anything else.

Doug
Reply With Quote
  #36  
Old 08-19-2008, 06:18 PM
shockwaveriderz shockwaveriderz is offline
rocket dinosaur
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: My Old Kentucky Home
Posts: 1,184
Default

It could simply be that the economy is currently in the tank and with energy and food prices taking more or a typical persons budget and therefore disposable income, that people are buying necessities and not buying optional things like toys....

If Wal-Mart decided to stop selling Estes products, Estes woul stil be avilable in hundreds of Michaels, Hobby Lobbies, Hobby shop chains like Hobby Town, and literally scores upon scors of internet copanies.

Perhaps Estes has seen the light like Quest and decided to just sell through online vendors instead of big box brick and mortar stores.

This of course is pure speculation on my part as is 99% of the post in this thread.

I personally have never seen any Eestes products in any Target stores in my neck of the woods..... And I've also been in several Wal_marts lately and a Meijers( a regional wal-mart chain) and they both have estes product on the shelves .

So I'm not completely sure why some parts of the country doesn't have product on the shelves and other does.


Again I would guess its the current economic situation..... toys go by the waysidem when you have to eat, drive to work or school and the kidz are alos going back to school now,and all the news I have seen says that manu families are barely able to afford school stuff.


Fortuntaely for me, I've been around lonmh enough to remember recessions, inflation and stagnation: evidently alot of you younger people have only know the good times.


terry dean
__________________
"Old Rocketeer's don't die; they just go OOP".....unless you 3D print them.
Reply With Quote
  #37  
Old 08-19-2008, 06:28 PM
Doug Sams's Avatar
Doug Sams Doug Sams is offline
Old Far...er...Rocketeer
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Plano, TX resident since 1998.
Posts: 3,965
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by shockwaveriderz
I personally have never seen any Eestes products in any Target stores in my neck of the woods.....
So the sky is falling.

Doug

.
Reply With Quote
  #38  
Old 08-19-2008, 08:17 PM
gpoehlein's Avatar
gpoehlein gpoehlein is offline
Paper Rocketeer
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Evansville, Indiana
Posts: 1,181
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikus
That's what I've been saying.

It kinda looks like WM is getting out of the rocketry business.


Walmart isn't getting out of the rocketry biz - they're just changing out their inventory from summer to Christmas. I went to the WM in the city where I work and looked for the rocket stuff - They had their shelf planning sheets taped to the shelves, and the rockets will be going on the bottom shelf of the hobby section. The planning sheet listed shelf space for motors, shelf space for launchables and shelf space for RTF rockets. So, in their infinite corporate wisdom, WM is clearancing out the summer stock of rockets and motors to make room for the Christmas stock of rockets and motors. Makes perfect sense!

Greg
Reply With Quote
  #39  
Old 08-19-2008, 08:19 PM
Carl@Semroc's Avatar
Carl@Semroc Carl@Semroc is offline
Junior ??? Rocketeer
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Knightdale, NC
Posts: 1,470
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Sams
So the sky is falling.

Doug

.
I think the earth is rising. At least that is what happens when a globe warms.
__________________
Carl McLawhorn
NAR#4717 L2
semroc.com
Reply With Quote
  #40  
Old 08-19-2008, 09:19 PM
Royatl's Avatar
Royatl Royatl is offline
SPEV/Orion wrangler
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 2,645
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by gpoehlein
Walmart isn't getting out of the rocketry biz - they're just changing out their inventory from summer to Christmas. I went to the WM in the city where I work and looked for the rocket stuff - They had their shelf planning sheets taped to the shelves, and the rockets will be going on the bottom shelf of the hobby section. The planning sheet listed shelf space for motors, shelf space for launchables and shelf space for RTF rockets. So, in their infinite corporate wisdom, WM is clearancing out the summer stock of rockets and motors to make room for the Christmas stock of rockets and motors. Makes perfect sense!

Greg


Confirmed. I'm standing in a WM now looking at such a shelf. Though it appears they won't be selling individual kits this go round, but just sets. And the motor pack price is still $4.97.
__________________
Roy
nar12605
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:46 AM.


Powered by: vBulletin Version 3.0.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Ye Olde Rocket Shoppe © 1998-2024