WM is a business. If you think a 43% gross margin is high, you don't want to
know what kind of money other business are making when you buy clothing,
jewelry, furniture, etc. Even wonder how a store can offer 50% off? You can
bet they are still making money (most of the time).

They are also a service business. Is the Trojan distributor open on weekends
and at night? What kind of overhead do they have? How far did you drive to get
there? Part of that $47.00 in "profit" went to trucking the batteries from the
distributor to the warehouse and then on to your local WM store.

If Boat US was rolling in cash from their store and catalog sales do you really
think they would have handed it over to WM?

You have choices. You can complain all you want but when you are in the airport
or stadium and want a nice, cold beer do you bitch about paying $4.50 when their
cost is $1.00? That's a 70%+ GPM, by the way.

Dan


Mark wrote:
"Bill Andersen" wrote in message news:BHO7b.52687$nf3.33402@fed1read07...

Why West Moron?


Only problem with WM is their high markup. I shop there all the time
for little stuff because of their late night & weekend hours, but do
your research on big ticket items. For example, their "T105" six volt
batteries, $110, are available directly from the Trojan distributer
here for $63.

Because of this "high markup" attitude the stores have really changed
over the years, away from low volume low margin stuff to high volume
high markup items; witness how the clothing area has grown as the
goofy PVC elbow section has shrunk. Also, they've bought out food
chains, note all the "West Marine" branded stuff. They're controlling
distributers more as they bulk into a nationwide monopoly, they told a
specialty paint vendor I know they wouldn't sell his pint cans anymore
because the markup wasn't good enough, only quarts.

And Randy is gettin' a little judgemental as he ages; all employees
must be non-smokers, even at home. What's next, no fat people?