West Marine Aborts Price Match... mostly

May 27, 2004
1,964
Hunter 30_74-83 Ponce Inlet FL
Went to Daytona Beach store yesterday and tried to do a price match with Defender prices.
I was told by two very nice and sympathetic employees that they will now only price match brick and mortar stores within 50 sm's from their location or an "Amazon fullfilled" item.

If you meet the above requirements, you then have to get the store manager's approval for the price match. There was some discussion with the manager during my transaction about what "Amazon fullfilled" meant. I'm still unsure!

Not sure, but I think they may have lost a customer.
 
May 20, 2016
3,014
Catalina 36 MK1 94 Everett, WA
Fulfilled means Amazon stocks it in their warehouse - and has paid the vendor for it already -vs- drop ship and amazon owes vendor $$
 
Mar 20, 2004
1,729
Hunter 356 and 216 Portland, ME
check out Hodges marine - in Oldsmar, FL on Tampa bay - may be close enough?? excellent prices (usually better than Defender) and service
 
Sep 25, 2008
7,075
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
Limited price matching is rather common and certainly better than absolute refusal to do so. Regardless, it must be that time of year again for the annual WM bashing party.
 
May 20, 2016
3,014
Catalina 36 MK1 94 Everett, WA
No bash from me. I love that I can easily walk from my boat to the store if I need something. It’s sctually closer to WM than my boat when standing at the dock gate.

Les
 
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Mar 20, 2011
623
Hunter 31_83-87 New Orleans
Unless this is a very recent change, this was there “old” policy. Suggest phoning 1-800 WM to confirm this. Here is the price match wording from their website:

Price Match Guarantee

If you find a lower price on an identical product (Brand and Model) at a retail competitor’s store or website within 30 days of purchase, West Marine will match that price. Available sources for price matching include competitor stores and websites that carry the identical product (Brand and Model) to be price matched. This guarantee does not apply to refurbished, used, damaged or open display box items; freight, delivery charges and installation; items sold at auction sites or liquidation sales; PLUS Plans, shipping/handling charges; expired ads/pricing over 30 days; or competitors outside the U.S.A. West Marine Stores in Puerto Rico only price match their own local competitors. This guarantee applies to the price of the product before shipping, handling or sales tax charge(s).

To have a price matched, follow these steps:

  1. Visit your local West Marine store or call 1-800-BOATING (262-8464) and let a West Marine Associate know you have an item to price match.
  2. Provide the name of the competitor, the item price and the advertisement, store or online location where you saw the price.
  3. The West Marine Associate will confirm the price of the item and that it meets all requirements for our price match guarantee, and match it.
 
May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
i shop local whenever i can. WM is local, i'm happy :)
 

Ward H

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Nov 7, 2011
3,645
Catalina 30 Mk II Barnegat, NJ
check out Hodges marine - in Oldsmar, FL on Tampa bay - may be close enough?? excellent prices (usually better than Defender) and service
Ditto!
I've bought most of my new RM instruments from Hodges. Great customer service, best price, free shipping and arrives next day if I order in the morning. Turns out they are drop shipping from somewhere in PA.
 
Jun 11, 2004
1,621
Oday 31 Redondo Beach
Went to Daytona Beach store yesterday and tried to do a price match with Defender prices.
I was told by two very nice and sympathetic employees that they will now only price match brick and mortar stores within 50 sm's from their location or an "Amazon fullfilled" item.

If you meet the above requirements, you then have to get the store manager's approval for the price match. There was some discussion with the manager during my transaction about what "Amazon fullfilled" meant. I'm still unsure!

Not sure, but I think they may have lost a customer.
You should have them check their advertised policy which is as jmce1587 posted above.
My local WM price matched a non-amazon website competitor for me just a couple of weeks ago.

I think the 50 mile and amazon thing is their old policy
 
Jan 19, 2010
1,169
Catalina 34 Casco Bay
Recently bought an instrument package thru Hodges. They were hands down the lowest price. I'm now pricing out a TYPE I MSD. West Marine is $200. + better than anyone else. Moral of the story.. shop it and shop it hard !
 
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May 27, 2004
1,964
Hunter 30_74-83 Ponce Inlet FL
Thanks Chuck, but Oldsmar is 90 + miles away.
The employees said this new policy started last week.
What bothers me is they sent a flyer with my renewal reminder last month
touting their price match program, which was great. This new/old policy isn't.
I'll call corporate to verify.

Convenience is nice, but I'm 20 miles away from the store.
Paying double or waiting 20 minutes for the manager to come
to the register to approve a sale, 'cause I like the staff, won't float my boat.
And I'm not bashing anyone. Your money, your choice.
I've been a gold member of WM for 20 years.
I just report the news!
 
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Jun 11, 2011
1,243
Hunter 41 Lewes
jmce1587's quote of WM's price match gaurantee is still up on their website as of 3:25 EST. That would mean that they need to abide by rules they have set forth. Every state has an agency for consumer fraud, just saying.
 
Mar 20, 2011
623
Hunter 31_83-87 New Orleans
Ggrizzard and others.....

Out of curiosity I called WM customer service and they indeed confirmed what Ggrizzard encountered at his local WM store. They have also updated their website for what I copied yesterday. Not only have they returned to their old policy of not matching B&M stores such as Defender, they have implemented a 60 mile rule from your location. This will cost them business. Now it’s if it’s price only when I shop for my sailboat gear. I would typically support the local WM if I could get price match. They way they kept the sale and it went to local taxes and kept folks working.
 
May 27, 2004
1,964
Hunter 30_74-83 Ponce Inlet FL
Yes, as jmce1587 reported, and I confirmed by phone this morning, the policy was changed last week at the direction of their new CEO.
As much as I don't like the shift in policy, I am also concerned for the jobs of many friends who work there.
 
Jul 1, 2010
962
Catalina 350 Lake Huron
I've been a gold member of WM for 20 years.
Thanks for this thread and this post especially. It made me check what this gold membership was all about. I found that I have been since 2013. Surprise. Not only that, but I somehow had a bunch of $10 certificates sitting there waiting to be redeemed. So I just got a killer deal on my bottom paint order.

I've never tried the price match thing. We don't have much close to where we live, so most of my boat parts are usually mail order. Honestly, I spend more at Defender and Fisheries Supply due to pricing, but with West Marine's free shipping over $49, I've gotten some really decent deals over the years.
 
Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
I went to West in Lauderdale a week or two ago because it was the closest place that had the particular anchor swivel that I wanted. The person in line before me did a price match. The cashier called the manager who looked the price up on the web & did the price match on the spot. It took about a minute & a half.
 
Jun 14, 2010
2,081
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
Don’t shoot the messenger, but I don’t blame WM for trying to get decent margins. B&M stores have higher overhead than online, and that “friendly staff” has a cost.
I recognized long ago that WM has a convenience store pricing model. If planning for a big purchase then sure, shop it out or ask for price match. But if you want a tube of 4200 today or 6 gallons of something like antifreeze it’s great to have a convenient local chandler, whether WM or smaller outfit.
 
Oct 10, 2011
619
Tartan 34C Toms River, New Jersey
I have no problem with WM. I treat it as a convenience store, if I need something fast it's about a mile away from by boat. Large purchase is usually a shopping around for the best price and service.
 
Jul 27, 2011
4,988
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
Many B&M stores have websites. So, buying off a website does not mean it’s a non-B&M store franchise, or independent. The price match idea of WM probably started to undercut the customer base of the one-time local chanderly system, which has mostly disappeared in the States.
 
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Dec 23, 2016
191
Catalina 27 Clinton CT
Simple formula. When Monomoy Capital bought them the intention was to spin them off to someone else in the future. The price match was to try and increase sales at the expense of the bottom line profit margin. They have been through two or three CEOs since the buyout, and each one has a different idea. The current CEO simply decided that the old formula of price matching anyone and everyone was a business model that he didn't like and went back to the old price match up to fifty miles away. Makes sense to me. If you want a cheaper price, shop the internet and be prepared to wait for your items. Need it right now? Can do, but you will pay a premium over the e-commerce companies