On Thu, 19 Jan 2006 15:58:44 -0500, "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach at
gmail dotcom wrote:

So, how much is the employee discount? What sort of bennies, if any ?

I've been told that it's about 35%, and that even the part timers get
decent medical coverage. One of my former neighbors told me that's
the main reason he works there.

On Thu, 19 Jan 2006 16:03:04 -0500, "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach at
gmail dotcom wrote:

And, not a West fan, but, if they'll match prices, if you just check, aren't
they, then, the lowest price available, and right in your backyard
(metaphorically speaking, of course - if you're in a marine area)?

I have both a WM and a Boaters World less than 10 minutes away.
Competition is good.

That's a good idea Wayne, I'll try that next time. Thanks
"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 18 Jan 2006 21:12:11 GMT, "MMC" wrote:

And I swear, if the bag had a picture of a car instead of a boat on it
the
thing would cost $9.95.

All kidding aside, some of this stuff is available at RV stores, for
less of course.

It really is a good experience to do business with people with experience
(like yourself) when shopping at WM. Easy to tell those folks from the
"professional retail types", especially when I makes cracks about $200
impulse buy sunglasses, the sailors laugh and the others frown!
"Jonathan Ganz" wrote in message
...
In article , Leanne
wrote:

"Peggie Hall" wrote in message
t...
They bought out all their "bricks and
mortar" competition, but as online chandleries continue to poliferate,
I
believe their perceived monopolistic attitude has already begun to bite
them in the @$$...I expect them to be in chapter 11 within another 5
years. I THINK they'll survive it, but only by coming marine
"convenience stores"...on every corner, but only stocking those few
items people typically need right now, and therefore have no choice but
to pay list+50% for.

Here in Beaufort, we have a WM Express which just about that. I was
disappointed with the selection of stock. It seems that they weren't even
on
a par with the fishing and boating gear in the sporting goods section at
out
local Wal-Mart.

Interesting... when I owned my own boat a while ago, I signed up for
some part time work at the local WM, so that I could get the employee
discount for my project.

It was an interesting experience. There were some people who worked
there who had a vast amount of experience, others were strictly retail
clerks with no experience other than ringing up stuff. I don't claim
to have vast experience, but I think 30+ years of sailing counts for
something. :-)

I found it to be a depressing place to work. The "managers" were very,
very concerned that I was interested in stealing their jobs (masters
degree, etc.). I wasn't at all. I was only there for the discount and
would have worked for zero $ if they had given me the option. I tried
hard to explain that to them, since their unease was obvious. It
didn't help mostly. The store manager was not much better. He was only
interested in getting the registers working continuously, and while
there's nothing wrong with that, he really didn't care about the
customer beyond them buying something. Actually, he was quite savvy
about that, constantly reminding us to not discount customers who
looked poor. (My experience was that these guys, mostly asian, would
walk in and buy several outboards in one pop in cash, and they weren't
even concerned about a discount through their advantage or port supply
cards.)

So, I, thinking that I could possibly help customers make some good
choices about what they were looking for, would sometimes spend a few
minutes talking to them about such things as anchoring techique,
equipment to buy, merits of this item over that. Man, did I get in
trouble. Apparently, I didn't always recommend the most expensive
item, and had the temerity to actually talk to them, when I was
supposed to immediately hand them off to a more "senior"
person... e.g., someone with more retail experience. :-)

Well, I got the parts I needed, then I quit. But, I do know a couple
of people who've stuck it out. They had bigger projects. :-)

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

I believe the 35% is about right. I don't know about the medical coverage,
since I didn't need it and didn't inquire.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 19 Jan 2006 15:58:44 -0500, "Skip Gundlach" skipgundlach at
gmail dotcom wrote:

So, how much is the employee discount? What sort of bennies, if any ?

I've been told that it's about 35%, and that even the part timers get
decent medical coverage. One of my former neighbors told me that's
the main reason he works there.

Beat you to it. Sold long ago.

Go2MArine sold my little Nobeltec trainer for a few years. Great folks to do
biz with. And those poor suckers have to live and work on Bainbridge Island.
Whatta life.

"R.W. Behan" wrote in message
...
You know, folks, on the basis of all this testimony, it occurs to me West
Marine is offering us a fantastic investment potential here. I'm going to
call my broker and short the hell out of its stock. LMAO.


"nobody" wrote in message
...
They have driven out almost all their competition with drastic price
reductions. ONce that is accomplished they raise their prices to a
level much higher than anyone charged prior to their dominance.

They only stock what moves quickly. They stock nothing for the
convenience of their customers. If they can not turn it around for a
big profit in very short time they will not stock it.

They suppress innovation in the industry because they will not stock
newly invented or innovative products. They will not stock anything
new unless they are certain there are people waiting to snatch the
product off their shelves.

Their pricing is predatory. When I am in South Florida where some
competition remains I regularly note that every other dealer sells the
same product for less money than they do.

They really the "K-Mart" of the marine industry. I was pleased when
they first appeared but I now wish I had never heard the name.

I have never owned a Marine supply store. I hold no stock in any
marine supply business. I have never even known anyone who owned a
marine supply store. I just think that West Marine is really a lousy
outfit.

You shareholders, employees (no idea how they treat their employees),
and defenders just fire away because I, for one, will drive an hour
out of my way to buy from any other store. Unfortunately I only able
to do so in south Florida. Elsewhere they have destroyed the
competition.

Hey, Dan, I can't complain. We live on Lopez Island in the San Juans.
Buzz by Bainbridge now and then on our ole Vic Tug, "Annie."
Cheers,
Dick


"Danny" wrote in message
...
Beat you to it. Sold long ago.

Go2MArine sold my little Nobeltec trainer for a few years. Great folks to
do biz with. And those poor suckers have to live and work on Bainbridge
Island. Whatta life.

"R.W. Behan" wrote in message
...
You know, folks, on the basis of all this testimony, it occurs to me West
Marine is offering us a fantastic investment potential here. I'm going
to call my broker and short the hell out of its stock. LMAO.


"nobody" wrote in message
...
They have driven out almost all their competition with drastic price
reductions. ONce that is accomplished they raise their prices to a
level much higher than anyone charged prior to their dominance.

They only stock what moves quickly. They stock nothing for the
convenience of their customers. If they can not turn it around for a
big profit in very short time they will not stock it.

They suppress innovation in the industry because they will not stock
newly invented or innovative products. They will not stock anything
new unless they are certain there are people waiting to snatch the
product off their shelves.

Their pricing is predatory. When I am in South Florida where some
competition remains I regularly note that every other dealer sells the
same product for less money than they do.

They really the "K-Mart" of the marine industry. I was pleased when
they first appeared but I now wish I had never heard the name.

I have never owned a Marine supply store. I hold no stock in any
marine supply business. I have never even known anyone who owned a
marine supply store. I just think that West Marine is really a lousy
outfit.

You shareholders, employees (no idea how they treat their employees),
and defenders just fire away because I, for one, will drive an hour
out of my way to buy from any other store. Unfortunately I only able
to do so in south Florida. Elsewhere they have destroyed the
competition.

"nobody" wrote in message
...
They have driven out almost all their competition with drastic price
reductions. ONce that is accomplished they raise their prices to a
level much higher than anyone charged prior to their dominance.

They only stock what moves quickly. They stock nothing for the
convenience of their customers. If they can not turn it around for a
big profit in very short time they will not stock it.

They suppress innovation in the industry because they will not stock
newly invented or innovative products. They will not stock anything
new unless they are certain there are people waiting to snatch the
product off their shelves.

Their pricing is predatory. When I am in South Florida where some
competition remains I regularly note that every other dealer sells the
same product for less money than they do.

They really the "K-Mart" of the marine industry. I was pleased when
they first appeared but I now wish I had never heard the name.

I have never owned a Marine supply store. I hold no stock in any
marine supply business. I have never even known anyone who owned a
marine supply store. I just think that West Marine is really a lousy
outfit.

You shareholders, employees (no idea how they treat their employees),
and defenders just fire away because I, for one, will drive an hour
out of my way to buy from any other store. Unfortunately I only able
to do so in south Florida. Elsewhere they have destroyed the
competition.



I generally price shop between Boaters World, Wal-Mart and West Marine and
buy where it is the cheapest when I need something fairly fast. When time
is no problem I try to shop and then buy over the internet.

R.W. Behan wrote:
Absolutely agree with the sentiments expressed here. I'd rather do without
than buy from West Marine, or fix it with duct tape, or sell the boat, or
sink it: ANYTHING to avoid buying from West Marine. Someone mentioned
Fisheries Supply in Seattle, and I'd certainly endorse that outlet, too.
But my favorite online chandlery is Go2Marine. By their own admission, this
is a bunch old broken-down Alaskan fishermen, but migod do they know the
business. They'll suggest the BEST alternative, even if it's lower in
price, or even--believe it or not--if some other retailer stocks it. Great
guys to work with, typically the lowest price for standard items (not quite
always), courteous and quick service. First rate. Check the website:

http://www.go2marine.com/main.jsp

For a bunch of broken down old fishermen, they sure have figured out a
sophisticated Web site.

I too tended to avoid West Marine, but in many places it's either there
or do without.

I will also second the RV dealer for parts. When building a boat, I
found that I needed to avoid the marine stores for everything I could
and try alternative sources such as the RV places. The prices are
dramatically different.

-paul

"Tamaroak" wrote in message
...
I'm one of those part time West Marine employees. I work almost entirely
for the discount (certainly not the wages!), although my wife says I have
to quit before we go broke. I am outfitting a trawler for the Great Loop
and need the price break. Some of the discounts are around 50%. Most are
about 33%, but electronics are poor, as there is little profit in them.

I think most of the associates are people like me, although most work more
than I do. Their advantage is that many of us really do know what we are
selling. If you walk into a store and ask if anyone has ever taken a boat
to _____ and how did they outfit it, someone will tell you to talk to
____, who will almost always not be working that day. The disadvantage is
that we are not all really as devoted to the company as we are to our
boats and working part-time sometimes keeps us out of practice with their
awful computer system.

It's a fairly decent company to work for with a 401k that they contribute
to, health and dental insurance for those who work more than 20 hours a
week. flexible hours and, most importantly, THE DISCOOUNT. It's boring up
here in the cold weather and very hectic in the warm.

Our catalogue is a wealth of information and worth the cost of a
membership just for the information. Renew now before the price goes up.

Prices are sometimes higher than the competition, but we match theirs. We
also take back anything you are unhappy with.

There are certainly things I would do differently if I ran the company,
(such as their advertising, for example) but I don't, and don't want to,
either.

Capt. Jeff

Maybe things are different from where you hail... it's all over the map down
here with who works there. A large percentage of employees are strictly
retain. They have experience only wrt WM stuff. Of course, there are people
who are quite knowledgeable as you suggest (and as you are).

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com