Something else is going on with purchasing between Walmart and the supplier. My gripe with Walmart has been the fact they don't stock any B-motors. The Walmarts around here do a pretty good job of keeping motors in stock....at least keeping in stock what is made available to them. There's always at least three or four master packs on the shelf at most of the Walmarts around here. Target and K-Mart are getting the same assortment packs.. or what appear to be the same asst. packs as Walmart. Only difference is, their's will contain B6-4 motors mixed in with C-6 motors. Walmart's bulk packs will only contain A8-3 and C6 motors...Variable delay times on the C6's in most cases. Why is Walmart always getting the asst. packs from their suppliers without B's and the rest of the chain stores ARE getting B's in their asst. packs? It doesn't bother me that they don't keep every single motor Estes manufacters. I wouldn't expect them to, since they really are a general merchandise store and shelf space is at a premium. We are finding this stuff in the TOY section, with maybe a 1/4 isle dedicated to "hobby" related items(if we are lucky).

They can't be everything to everybody, all they can do is try to stock what they think will sell the fastest in the given amount of space. The dept. magager at the closest Walmart is pretty in tune with the rocketry stuff, at least to the point she's know's what is stocked. I got concerned when the shelves were void of rocketry items... it was during a time when they were rearranging the shelves as they do seasonally. I asked if they were dropping the stuff, and she said " absolutely not", and explained that rocketry stuff moves quickly in that store, and doesn't foresee it going away any time soon. Told me to check back in a week or two, and sure enough there were some Launchables and several asst. motors on the shelf next time I went in.


Launchables are hit and miss items. Get 'em when you see 'em type thing. In the spring they usually stay pretty well stocked with them(even though they are generally kits I don't want). ALWAYS some RTF or starter kits on the shelf.