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I went to Wal Mart....


Chili Ron

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Howdy,

I went to Wal Mart for the first time in a good while.

I bought a few things that I cant find other places.

And I took my time because the place was darn near empty.

They have quite a bunch of camping gear.

Black iron skillet for about seven bucks...

And Zippo brand lighter fluid for about two dollars. Ive seen it for double that in smoke shops.

And yes the paper goods had huge gaps  in the display.

But the best was saved for last.

I walked up the checkout line, put my stuff on the counter and checked

out and paid.....

NO LINE

NO waiting atall.

And no one hitting my leg with their cart either.

One strange visit, for sure.

Best

CR

the time was around noon iirc.

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I guarantee you the experience would be different here... where English is seldom heard in the aisles.  :mellow:

 

But it might be worth the trip for another cast iron skillet!  :)

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29 minutes ago, Chili Ron said:

Howdy,

I went to Wal Mart for the first time in a good while.

I bought a few things that I cant find other places.

And I took my time because the place was darn near empty.

They have quite a bunch of camping gear.

Black iron skillet for about seven bucks...

And Zippo brand lighter fluid for about two dollars. Ive seen it for double that in smoke shops.

And yes the paper goods had huge gaps  in the display.

But the best was saved for last.

I walked up the checkout line, put my stuff on the counter and checked

out and paid.....

NO LINE

NO waiting atall.

And no one hitting my leg with their cart either.

One strange visit, for sure.

Best

CR

 

I can do that in Houston too-if I go at 6 or 7 in the morning!

After that-forget about it!

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1 hour ago, Tell Sackett SASS 18436 said:

I can do that in Houston too-if I go at 6 or 7 in the morning!

After that-forget about it!

 

We've learned to get our shopping done and on our way home by 10:00am.  I can tell you why early shopping is best but you'd probably think baldly of me.

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@Chili Ron,

       And yet there you are wearing your cowboy hat and boots, and you wonder why there weren't many people shopping at the same time as you!

 

2020_05_13_11_36_14.thumb.jpg.32f8febdacafbf9fcfd0c560d8f38e72.jpg

 

 

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1 hour ago, Chili Ron said:

 

........And yes the paper goods had huge gaps  in the display........

 

 

:huh:  What are these paper goods you speak of ???

        Don't have any of such things where I live.

 

 

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Went to Sam's the other day, much the same. No lines. I even had a cashier standing around waving me over to her line! No joke, I'm serious as a heart attack.

Been to two county fairs and a goat roping and never seen NOTHING like that!

JHC :o

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1 hour ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

it might be worth the trip for another cast iron skillet! 

I don't think I have another 50 years to get one properly seasoned.

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Went to Walmart this afternoon. No lines anywhere. Prefer other stores because of their poor firearms policies.

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54 minutes ago, Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life said:

Went to Walmart this afternoon. No lines anywhere. Prefer other stores because of their poor firearms policies.

Me too. Haven't been to Walmart since this madness started. Been to Sam's that one time. There's a handful of things I like to buy at both, other than that have little use for them. Living in this area shopping opportunities at brick and mortar is thin and getting worse all the time. We buy a lot of misc. stuff on Amazon. Don't like them much either, but like Chili Ron said, there's a lot of stuff you just don't find around here.

JHC :angry:

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why do you shop at walmart they dont sell AR 15s 

 

was thinking back when I was young at mall  Sears  JC pennys and woolworths all had guns to sell   now  only Dicks has guns 

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Howdy,

We used to have half a dozen places selling guns and ammo on main street.

Now its hard to find even ammo and nothing on main street.

Several places closed when owners died.

About 20 miles to a real shop.

20 in the other direction for a decent smith.

Best

CR

 

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2 hours ago, Dirty Dog Doug said:

why do you shop at walmart they dont sell AR 15s 

They don't sell Mercedes convertibles either, but since I am not shopping for a Mercedes convertible, I don't care.

 

"Why do you shop at Harbor Freight? They don't sell AR-15s."

 

"Why do you shop at Home Depot? They don't sell AR-15s."

 

"Why do you shop at Piggly Wiggly? They don't sell AR-15s."

 

So?

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13 minutes ago, Alpo said:

They don't sell Mercedes convertibles either, but since I am not shopping for a Mercedes convertible, I don't care.

 

"Why do you shop at Harbor Freight? They don't sell AR-15s."

 

"Why do you shop at Home Depot? They don't sell AR-15s."

 

"Why do you shop at Piggly Wiggly? They don't sell AR-15s."

 

So?

It's not so much that they don't sell AR's, it's that they changed their policy and turned their back on gun owners. Dick's did the same thing! I won't go to either of them stores. Wal Mart raised the age to 21 to buy ammo and they they discontinued ammo, with the exception of shotgun shells. Dick's got rid af ALL guns and and ammo.

The other stores you mentioned NEVER had AR's or any guns for that matter.

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Up until the mid-70s both Sears and Penneys sold guns and ammunition. Then they quit.

 

Did you stop shopping at Sears because they decided to not sell guns anymore? Because they "turn their backs on gun owners"?

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The day we know we're really in trouble is when donuts shops stop selling donuts.

 

 

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23 minutes ago, Alpo said:

Up until the mid-70s both Sears and Penneys sold guns and ammunition. Then they quit.

 

Did you stop shopping at Sears because they decided to not sell guns anymore? Because they "turn their backs on gun owners"?

Neither of them stopped selling guns because of anti-gunners pressure, I'm sure it was a business decision since guns were never a big seller. Sears did have a pretty good selection at one time of shotguns and rifles but I worked at Sears in 1966 and they were no guns and Penney's had stopped their sales by then too. That was before the 1968 gun control act. 

Wal Mart and Dick's was all due to pressure from antigun groups which really pi$#@#! me off!

Are you going to keep bringing up stores that sold guns 60 years ago?? C'mon, you know what I mean about WalMart and Dick's and if you don't then I don't care to talk about it with you anymore!

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11 hours ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

 

But it might be worth the trip for another cast iron skillet!  :)

 

Pard, I consider myself a connoisseur of cast iron cookware.  DO NOT BUY IT AT WALMART!!!  If you're on eBay, you can find some great stuff on there.  If not, it's in thrift and antique stores and at swap meets.  You want the antiques.  They were cast better and then polished to a smooth finish.  The modern makers sell you a rough casting and then "pre-season" them, which is nothing more than a high temperature plastic coating.  EEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!

 

The best are Griswold and Wagner Ware.  I have an iron pot with a lid made by Birmingham, Stove, and Range and it's very high quality, too, just not as old as the others (1960s versus 1920s-30s for my other ones).  

 

"Seasoning" is NOT encrustation.  Seasoning is a *THIN* layer of cooked-on fats that make the polished iron very slick.  It's a natural non-stick pan versus the modern teflon or other materials.  If the iron is encrusted there are ways to clean and re-season it.  Check out YouTube for videos on making an electrolysis tank with a battery charger -- that's the best way.  DO NOT SUPER HEAT THE IRON TO CLEAN ENCRUSTATION!  This can cause warping and cracking.  If you find a piece that has a strange orange color, it's been super heated (thrown in the oven on "self clean" mode, thrown in a fire, etc.).  

 

The best method to season cast iron is described by Cowboy Kent Rollins on his YouTube channel.  I highly recommend checking them out.  I don't agree with his cleaning methods, preferring the electrolysis tank as mentioned previously, but his other videos on caring for iron are great.  

 

For those modern Lodge pans you own, he has a great video on sanding off the pre-seasoning and seasoning them correctly.  It will take a long time to get a good season on them due to the rough casting, but it will get there.

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32 minutes ago, Alpo said:

Up until the mid-70s both Sears and Penneys sold guns and ammunition. Then they quit.

 

Did you stop shopping at Sears because they decided to not sell guns anymore? Because they "turn their backs on gun owners"?

I stopped shopping at Sears when Craftsman tool became crap.

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1 minute ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

I stopped shopping at Sears when Craftsman tool became crap.

 

When I was a high school kid who liked working on cars (back when the average guy still could!) and starting to build my tool collection, Craftsman was the way to go. My old man was a professional mechanic, so he had very high quality tools -- Snap On, Mac, Matco, etc.  But for the average guy, Craftsman was just fine.  Then, as you said, they started to go downhill.

 

The first to go were their power tools.  Now even their hand tools are garbage.  I've had better luck with auto parts store brands.  

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Yesterday I was in Menards.  Customer was loudly asking a store employee, "WHEN ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO RESTOCK THE SHELVES?"  I thought, "Didn't the customer realize there was an attempted coup in progress?"

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24 minutes ago, Cyrus Cassidy #45437 said:

 

When I was a high school kid who liked working on cars (back when the average guy still could!) and starting to build my tool collection, Craftsman was the way to go. My old man was a professional mechanic, so he had very high quality tools -- Snap On, Mac, Matco, etc.  But for the average guy, Craftsman was just fine.  Then, as you said, they started to go downhill.

 

The first to go were their power tools.  Now even their hand tools are garbage.  I've had better luck with auto parts store brands.  

I worked at Sears for a while in 1966 in the hardware dept. We had a big box in the back for Craftsman hand tools that were broken. FREE replacement no questions asked. (Not power tools)

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6 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I worked at Sears for a while in 1966 in the hardware dept. We had a big box in the back for Craftsman hand tools that were broken. FREE replacement no questions asked. (Not power tools)

 

They still did that in the early 1990s when I was a high school hot rodder of cars from the '60s and '70s.  I don't think they honor their own guarantee anymore.  

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45 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

I stopped shopping at Sears when Craftsman tool became crap.

 

Ok, I will take advantage of the thread drift...

 

I'm not much of a mechanic, but those of you who are please--what brand of tools do you recommend these days for high quality?

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5 minutes ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

 

Ok, I will take advantage of the thread drift...

 

I'm not much of a mechanic, but those of you who are please--what brand of tools do you recommend these days for high quality?

 

You said "high quality," so that means Snap On, Mac, Matco, and other very high end tools that are not typically sold in stores.  The dealers own a big truck and drive around to auto shops to sell to mechanics, generally on credit.  The average mechanic just getting out of school today is going to finance $70,000 to $90,000 in tools just to get started, and his job will probably pay less than $40,000 per year.  

 

Gee, why are we short on skilled tradesmen in America?!?!?!?!?

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Just now, Cyrus Cassidy #45437 said:

 

They still did that in the early 1990s when I was a high school hot rodder of cars from the '60s and '70s.  I don't think they honor their own guarantee anymore.  

There's no Sears around here anymore! The closest one is a hour and a half away. Less than 3 years ago I had 2 big stores at malls and 2 Sears Hardware stores. All gone now!!

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8 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

There's no Sears around here anymore! The closest one is a hour and a half away. Less than 3 years ago I had 2 big stores at malls and 2 Sears Hardware stores. All gone now!!

 

They're dying a slow, painful death everywhere.  We used to have four, now we have one (and I don't bother shopping there).  Investor 101 says don't buy Sears stock.

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3 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

There's no Sears around here anymore! The closest one is a hour and a half away. Less than 3 years ago I had 2 big stores at malls and 2 Sears Hardware stores. All gone now!!

 

Same here.  Mall anchor stores gone.  Automotive center gone.  Sears surplus store gone.  Kmart gone.  You can still get Craftsman hand tools at Ace Hardware, but that's about it.  I need some new tool cabinets; I would have bought Craftsman to match my 3 existing cabinets, but now I'm looking at Harbor Freight.

A study of the demise of America's premier chain store brand would make for interesting reading.

 

LL

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Sears death spiral began when K-Mart started selling Craftsman tools. I don't know, but I assume Craftsman tools at that point were being made cheaper(probably in China) and not the same Craftsman tools from many years ago.

 

 

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Just went to Super WalMart on Tuesday at about 9 am. Very few shoppers in the store, more employees than customers. They seemed to have most items. The shelves that were obviously lacking were spaghetti sauce(s), cleaning wipes and paper products. No one in checkout and we bought most of the items that we went there for.

 

I first noticed the decline in the quality of Craftsman Tools around 1990. I had been buying their 25' tape measures because of the guarantee/free replacement. Took the last one back about '91 and the one they replaced it with was junk. Terrible quality, so much less blade size that it would collapse at 1/2 the distance of the old tapes.

That was long before they started selling at Kmart.

 

I went to a garage sale right before this virus crap started and scored about 15 assorted Craftsman screwdrivers that were made in the '80's and had never been used, including the ultra long flat heads and Phillips for $8.00. 

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1 hour ago, Tyrel Cody said:

Sears death spiral began when K-Mart started selling Craftsman tools. I don't know, but I assume Craftsman tools at that point were being made cheaper(probably in China) and not the same Craftsman tools from many years ago.

 

 

 

Since Sears demise, Craftsman tools have been sold to Stanley Black and Decker.  Who also owns/makes brands such as Mac and DeWalt.

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15 hours ago, Tell Sackett SASS 18436 said:

I can do that in Houston too-if I go at 6 or 7 in the morning!

After that-forget about it!

 

I usually get to wally world around 7:30--have to feed and scoop the clowder first

 

do my 20 minute walk (floors are flat--roads and street are crowned and play havoc with my hips)

 

buy whatever Violet has on the list, just a few items as I'll be back tomorrow

 

On a first name basis with a couple of workers, most others know me by sight.

 

also get super parking that early

 

 

 

 

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Personally, I don't see Wally World getting out of the firearms business as any great loss.

 

I've bought guns from Wal-Mart.  I'd go in, select what I wanted, pay for it, and go back ten or fifteen days later, complete the paperwork, the department manager would walk me to the door and only then hand me my purchase.  

 

Okay.  That worked.  

 

But the reality is, the staff knew virtually nothing about the products they sold.  They were underpaid, under-trained, had little or no interest, and were pretty much wholly incompetent in the field of firearms sales.  To the point that in california, audits results were downright shocking. 

 

From an April 11, 2003 article in the Christian Science Monitor:  "California recently announced Wal-Mart would temporarily halt firearms sales within the state after justice officials found nearly 500 violations of gun laws by just six stores in one month..."

 

I'm sure there were exceptions throughout the Wal-Mart world, but they're better off sticking to selling waffle irons and pillowcases (which the staff also doesn't know much about) and leaving firearms sales to those better suited to it.

 

One might argue that Wal-Mart could hire better qualified staff and provide better training to those who work in sporting goods.  But firearms only represent a tiny portion of their sales; from a business perspective, not worth the expense, or moreso, the headache. 

 

As an aside, I was with Bill "Wynuts" Wyant the evening in 1972 when he bought a Sako Finnbear  at Walgreen's Drug Store in Daly City, California.  Cost him $150, and the clerk (who happened to be much more knowledgeable than today's Wal-Mart employees) threw in a nice leather sling and a box of 7mm Remington Magnum ammunition.  :rolleyes:

 

By the way... Walgreen's doesn't sell rifles or ammo any more, either.

 

 

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