West Marine Closing Canadian Stores

Scott T-Bird · Mar 25, 2015

I agree. I think they have too many stores as well. Managers get spread thin as there are only so many good ones to spread around. The little stores look shabby and are usually in shabby little strip malls on the side of a highway. I think it is an improvement to centralize and create fewer, but more attractive stores. If they sell mostly clothes, that's fine. Buy what you want from them and go elsewhere for parts. Let somebody else try to survive by selling boat parts to fickle customers.

Stu Jackson · Mar 25, 2015

KG,

Yes, you're absolutely right.

BUT...all I'm suggesting is that we put this in perspective.

Phase 1 - No f-ing chandleries anywhere, or maybe a Mom & Pop or old curmudgeon (like me now :dance:

)

Phase 2 - Randy starts West Marine in Palo Alto

Phase 3 - More stores

Phase 4 - More stores with knowledgeable salespeople AND a great variety of stuff of all kinds

Phase 5 - Great growth; cost cutting; children for staff; less service and less stuff

Phase 6 - whatever the f is going on now

Look, you can put years on those phases, point being that for a LOOOOONG time they were very, very good. You can also add price matching and its demise and all the corporate nonsense.

But, please, for those of you who may be new to sailing, recognize that for a LOOOONG time WM did really good stuff. For ALL boaters.

Just read their WM Advisors online and in catalogs to see what service they USED TO provide.

It's kinda like a sports team: If they haven't won division or sport titles for 39 years, you may, just may, think they're toast. When they start to win it's like the overnight folk music sensation who has been working their backsides off for the past 20 years!

They ain't what they used to be, but for a long time they were very good.

Too bad some of you weren't there then, but then you wouldn't be an old curmudgeon like some of us. :naughty::dance:

Kings Gambit said:
Yeah-- it's Sunday, the stanchions are coming off for rebedding and I damage one or two of the SS fine-thread, flathead (Phillips) fasteners and need replacements RIGHT THEN to put the thing back together so I can replace the covering panels and seal up the job b/f the end of the day. Where do I go to GET THAT METRIC BOLT?? I'm in Los Angeles/Long Beach--the answer is maybe the True Value hardware store a few miles away in Wilmington will have it but likely not. Quick, run 9 miles home to the computer to do a web search for the bolt and find it at MMC? No--that's where I need my friendly neighborhood WM store--the one that drove the other stores out of business that might have had such a thing, to have it. DO THEY?--NO--not even close! But, if I want to buy a shirt or a nice foul weather jacket; or get an emergency rewinding of my fishing reel for the trip out early the next morning to fish where there are none--they've got that for me!!

There's hardly any point to being open on Sunday if one's customers have to wait anyway until Tuesday to get the part/item they need that day. This is not brain surgery or rocket science; or am I missing some here?

smacklin · Mar 25, 2015

Slight detour from topic, but I did have a funny mail-order experience from West Marine last year. I ordered 150 ft of 1/4" Dyneema line. Delivery was pretty quick, but it came in 2 seperate packages - 80 ft from Florida and 70 ft from California. I kinda shook my head -- I was cutting it into smaller pieces to use for lifelines --- but WM did not know that. There was no point in calling them, but I do wonder what the person processing the order was thinking when they directed Qty80 to Florida and Qty70 to California. Did they even check that it was rope ?

dparilla · Mar 25, 2015

I have been buying from West Marine since 1996. I can remember the merger between WM and Boat America in the 2000's. They were the first supplier to my business, and still at least locally in Alexandria and Glen Burnie, extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Hopefully they can find their way through "modernization" and remember the original core of their business. Of course that also means that the old core of their business needs to shop there...so who knows. I will use them for quick parts, and as my local store. If they would only make wholesale prices back to what they used to be (and defender still is.)

Meriachee · Mar 25, 2015

YVRguy said:
All complaints about WM aside, they are hardly the first successful US retailer to throw up its arms and leave the Canadian market. Just a few years ago Target set up stores all across the country and have already decided to pull the plug. It seems like a slam dunk to do business up here but Free Trade notwithstanding, there are still a lot of costs and barriers. Regarding WM in general, I think they can still offer huge value. The comparison to Best Buy is an apt one. Big, well stocked stores are a huge help to those of us who actually want to touch and feel something before we buy it. Have a same-day need before shoving off? Online services will aren't going to help. My bet is they will get better at running a competitive online business and leverage their stores to drive that business.

Doug, we were in the 'creek store while we were there at the boat show, and even the admiral remarked at how "Target-like" the shelves looked. It was a place where you could almost get anything, Steveston may or may not have had, and that pretty much leaves Binnacle.

Kings Gambit · Mar 25, 2015

Stu Jackson said:
KG,

Yes, you're absolutely right.

BUT...all I'm suggesting is that we put this in perspective.

Phase 1 - No f-ing chandleries anywhere, or maybe a Mom & Pop or old curmudgeon (like me now :dance:)

Phase 2 - Randy starts West Marine in Palo Alto

Phase 3 - More stores

Phase 4 - More stores with knowledgeable salespeople AND a great variety of stuff of all kinds

Phase 5 - Great growth; cost cutting; children for staff; less service and less stuff

Phase 6 - whatever the f is going on now

Look, you can put years on those phases, point being that for a LOOOOONG time they were very, very good. You can also add price matching and its demise and all the corporate nonsense.

But, please, for those of you who may be new to sailing, recognize that for a LOOOONG time WM did really good stuff. For ALL boaters.

Just read their WM Advisors online and in catalogs to see what service they USED TO provide.

It's kinda like a sports team: If they haven't won division or sport titles for 39 years, you may, just may, think they're toast. When they start to win it's like the overnight folk music sensation who has been working their backsides off for the past 20 years!

They ain't what they used to be, but for a long time they were very good.

Too bad some of you weren't there then, but then you wouldn't be an old curmudgeon like some of us. :naughty::dance:

In the late 80's to mid-90's and later WM was a great set of stores, I admit. I wish it were true now. BUT--there were other local outfits that did not survive the WM juggernaut; so we're now left with a collection of basically crummy WM stores [a few bright spots] and not much in the way of alternatives. Maybe our Canadian friend from Vancouver does not remember the fine marine chanderly shop on Granville Island in the mid-1990's. It's gone now, replaced by a boutique where I bought my wife some woolen [SmartWool] socks when I was there last. Nearly marine gear, but not quite. There was also a nice chanderly on the harbor board walk at Santa Barbara that went away about 10 yr ago, another in Channel Islands Harbor that mysteriously disappeared about 5-6 yr ago. Maybe WM is just the last stand against a dying industry and is surviving by selling clothes, fishing gear, high-end electronics for navigation, and EPIRBs, etc. As if one needed a $1,000+ GPS/chart plotter system to find one's way across the San Pedro Channel to Catalina Island from Long Beach or Marina del Rey; or more absurdly, down the ICW between the Manatee River and Sarasota, FL??? You got me--as if anyone could get lost in there!!

Davidasailor26 · Mar 26, 2015

I heard a news story today about the ongoing Radio Shack bankruptcy proceedings and it made me wonder if WM could be headed the same way. Radio Shack started out devoted to a niche market of electronics enthusiasts. Over time they began to alienate that market with high prices and increased competition with online retailers. In an effort to stabilize or grow the business, they shoved their electronics components into the back corners of the stores, started trying to sell all sorts of other low to mid range consumer electronics, and replaced their staff with "kids" who knew nothing about the electronics components that were once their core business. Of course there were still other cheaper and more convenient places to buy all the consumer stuff so no one went out of their way to Radio Shack, and even last ditch efforts to get back to their niche roots were a failure because those customers had long moved on. Is clothing and apparel to WM what consumer electronics was to Radio Shack?

Terry in Naples · Mar 26, 2015

In my opinion West Marine bought the market. At one time there were lots on places and catalogs to,shop boat supplies. I cannot name them all but i remember of 3 or 4 big chains they bought and closed. e&B, boaters world are two. We still have a couple local store alternatives in my area but the rest are history. west is nearly twice the price in many items. Another change here now that we have a big new store. All the old. Managers and clerks are gone and it is filled with young kids who,know little if anything about boats, parts etc. They can tell you the best waterproof case for your iPhone or bluetooth gadget though. But do not ask about how something works if you ate repairing a crack, or fixing your motor. Forget price matching too.

Ron20324 · Mar 26, 2015

I have noticed that after the first of every year West had items on the end-cap(shelves) of things that would be dropped from their line, and a good price on those clearance items. Thus, they dropped what was not selling in the stores. Okay, so today I go to the store, and there are now more clothes(yeah, I bought a shirt), plus there are now THREE racks of stand-up and surf boards.

A married couple I know both worked at West in the time they were not in the islands for winter. They often suggested I work there, for the discount if nothing else. Okay, so now there are younger "kids" working there, as i assume they are the only employees they could muster.

seadaddler · Mar 27, 2015

West Marine

Well here in PG and PC we have 2 stores and mostly adults that have been there over many years and we also have other Marine stores in the area and yes their prices are not the cheapest but some times I have seen only a dollar
or 2 more than other stores.
One store carries more sailing stuff and the other more fishing and power boating and lots of clothes and yes kayak's and many other boating related hardware maybe like dick's.
I stop by often to compare prices and what 's on sale and often they have some good deals and yes most sailor's complain their prices are too high but when I need a part fast because no one else has it and I can't wait because we are going sailing or cruising I love them and for the most part they are very helpful for sure.
When I lived and worked on Long Island the Babylon store had a clearance room upstairs and boy that was great for good deals.
Nick

Capt jgw · Mar 27, 2015

WM's not totally worthless. I ordered a Blue Sea selector slide from Amazon, it ended up being not available. WM had it for about $1 more so I ordered it from them. At the same time I was looking at a Watertender 9.4 dinghy from WalMart of all places, $599 plus $10 shipping. When I went in pick pick up the Blue Sea part, I saw that the local WM had the same dinghy on close out (to make more room for clothing) for $509. I bought it. Last week I was going to order some Pettit SR21 from Wholesale Marine, $69.99. I checked WM, they had their version on sale for $49.99.
So at least some of their online prices are competitive, but their on the shelf inventory sucks. If I need something right away, I go to Torreson here in Muskegon. A little more expensive, but they have product on the shelf and they know sailing. They're a little large to be described as a mom and pop, and WM can't put a dent in their customer base. And they don't sell much clothing.

Caboteur · Mar 29, 2015

Future Shop also closing Canadian stores! Maybe it's the reality of the Canadian market and not WM that is the culprit here! WM never had stores in Québec which has a quarter of the Canadian population. There are many differences between the US and Canadian markets:
1- The population concentration is much less; we have 35 million in a country 1 1/2 times the size of the US.
2- 1/4 of the population speaks French and all business and management must be done in French in Québec.
3- We use mostly metric measures...
4- Being much more socialized our costs of doing business are generally higher. We are unionized at a much higher rate and have a higher minimum wage.
5- The fluctuations of the US$ play havoc on goods produced or purchased from the US. The CAN$ has been stable with the rest of the world while the US$ has vastly increased.

Target, WM, Future Shop have failed this year. Walmart lost a decade old fight against it's right to close stores they didn't want unionized... They went all the way to the supreme court!

Canada is Canada, American businesses trying to run businesses as if it were a 53rd US state have great difficulties.