I have no complaints about the service at West Marine or their pricing policies,
except that they tend to be
higher than what I have paid for these items in the past,
even taking into account the cost of living, the fuel crisis, etc., etc.

Mergers are usually not good for the consumer. When two of the biggest marine
store companies, Boat US and West Marine merged, that was one of the worst. I
don't like to feel I am living on the plantation, and have to buy all my things
at the company store. Yes, we do have the internet as a backup, but as stated
before, I like to see what I am buying, whenever possible. Because West Marine
can only deal with a limited number of vendors, the chances of not finding what
you are looking for has increased with their domination of the market. It's
part of this modern age we live in that we all have to accept, but I still
regret the 'good old days' where I could choose from several stores in my
vicinity to shop at.

Sherwin D.