a question to ponder...

if walmart sold climbing gear, would you buy it?

ie. $3.97 for an $8.00+ biner, $30 for $60 cams, etc.

If it was UIAA certified, definitely.

Is that really much different than buying gear online, rather than at the local climbing shop?

Bryan Gohn wrote:If it was UIAA certified, definitely.

You mean the carabiners I've been buying from Walmart aren't UIAA certified?... Uh-oh

SeanKuus wrote: You mean the carabiners I've been buying from Walmart aren't UIAA certified?... Uh-oh

You don't fall much do you?

Yarp wrote: You don't fall much do you?

Nope. Those carabiners are so light I can send all day. Thanks Walmart!

so what you're saying is that the weather is still too shitty in Mass to go climbing?

I hate to admit I would buy anything from walmart but if it's cheaper hell ya

John Wilder wrote: if walmart sold climbing gear, there'd be enough on the market to drive down retail prices at all locations to those prices.

I don't think it works that way. You'd see Wal-mart lower prices, local shops can't compete, local shops close.

To the original question, No, I wouldn't buy climbing gear from Wal-mart. I like the advice I can get from a dedicated climbing store, be it local or online.

Interesting thread... I was on a route in UT next to a couple from Vail a few years ago, and during our conversation it came up that they had recently closed their outdoor gear store in Vail. Among the things they mentioned was how the internet had become more or less impossible to compete with... for them, "Wal-Mart" had already happened.

Heh, I used to have a maxim rope that was dark green with lime green stripes. Told my partners that it's from MT Dew and I got it by saving up 1000 cans and sending away to get it for free.

Nathan Scherneck wrote:so what you're saying is that the weather is still too shitty in Mass to go climbing?

this is what happens when the weather blows and you don't have the money to go find better weather...

Steve0 wrote: I don't think it works that way. You'd see Wal-mart lower prices, local shops can't compete, local shops close.

+1 totally agree with you on that, just look at what happens to all the local grocery stores when a new wal mart opens. I will ALWAYS stick with my local climbing shop.

I don't buy anything from walmart, so no I wouldn't.

If walmart sold climbing gear, someone would die, and we would all find out that they were getting all their "Petzl" product from an unknown chinese supplier.

The way Wal-Mart demands lower prices from their suppliers very often forces those suppliers to produce idential looking but inferior products to be sold at Wal-Mart stores. There have been many reports and articles on this. Plastic parts replacing metal parts, thinner or cheaper components, etc. Would I buy something I neded to trust my life to from Wal-MArt? Not a chance.

fastcompany.com/magazine/10… - It's an article about why Snapper refused to sell their mower line thru Wal-Mart.

"The Wal-Mart vice president responded with strategy and argument. Snapper is the sort of high-quality nameplate, like Levi Strauss, that Wal-Mart hopes can ultimately make it more Target-like. He suggested that Snapper find a lower-cost contract manufacturer. He suggested producing a separate, lesser-quality line with the Snapper nameplate just for Wal-Mart. Just like Levi did."

That's just a lawn mower. Would you trust your life to that product? A separate, lesser-quailty line with the Petzel, Black Diamond, Bluewater, etc. nameplate just for Wal-Mart? At least your family can bury you with the money you save.

interesting thread, although i doubt 99% of the climbers out there even give a second thought to what/where the bolts they are shamelessly dogging on, whipping on, rapping on, etc come from.

Would it be WalMart brand gear? I don't see BD producing at a rate that WalMart would go for... plus they work in volume... not enough of a rock gear market for WalMart to jump in...

I'm wondering where the question came from originally? Aside from the fact that I agree that a corp like walmart would never be interested in selling gear due to the size of the market;
it's been my understanding that most shops don't make that much on hardware due to the fact that gear production costs are pretty high to begin w/ so the mark up on hardware doesn't provide a big profit margin.

Considering their repeated false organic labeling practices, I'm inclined to say no, I wouldn't buy gear there. I'd hate to die because that awesome deal I got on a Black Diamund or Petzil product wasn't as great as I had thought. Hell, even without their shady labeling ethics, I still wouldn't. If you must go there, bring some Walmart Bingo Cards for everyone. It makes the trip much more tolerable.

I thought EMS and REI are the equivalent of Wal-mart in the outdoor gear world?