Now they have driven all the small operations out of business and
consolidated their monopoly by buying Boats U.S. can West Marine
possibly get any worse?

They really are the Kmart of the marine supply business with the
significant difference of not having Kmart's low prices.

They are totally indifferent to their customers, stocking only that
which occupies shelf space for their preset time period--usually very
short. No, indifferent is the wrong word. West Marine really is
contemptuous of its customers..

While one occasionally encounters a friendly, knowledeable sales
person they are usually staffed by underpaid people who neither know
anything about nor care a whit about what they are selling.

Since they are the only retailer left they control the products that
come to market and they are not at all receptive to innovation or new
products. Their market control actually stifles invention and
innovation in marine products.

They truly are a curse on all boaters and the sad part is I don't see
a single thing that can be done about it. Where are you going to
go--there is no more competition. Must be a nice position. No wonder
Wall Street is rating them so highly. No wonder their profits are
rising so astronomically--at your expense.

Glad to get it out.

Joe