i havnet tried (I dont' like to play the price match game unless i really
have to) but I've heard on other forums that they indeed no longer match
internet prices...  i bet their sales are going to drop even further...

pascal
miami, fl

----- Original Message -----
From: "Keith" keith@anastasia3.com

Was this not inevitable when they bought-out Boat US?

Is there anyone giving them (AKA Lowes v HomeDepot)
a run for the money????

Pat Fitzsimons
Forked River NJ

--- Pascal Gademer pascal@sandbarhopper.com wrote:

http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawlers-and-trawlering

West Marine probably has not priced themselves out of your budget,
rather, the internet stores have priced themselves into your budget.

It was only a matter of time befor WM made this move. I wonder if in
(insert number here) number of years, we will not have the ability to go
into a store and "just look around", or just pop in for that part we
need to finish a project as the retail stores will not be able to compete

Jeff

--
Jeff
39.42.411 N
82.59.444 W

I suppose that like everyone else I have endured
the gouging for a few years, and then I blew a trailer
tire on the Garden State parkway.......spare would not
work....
Had to find a "trailer tire" (a euphemism for
undersized, low quality, make believe tire)....
By friends at West Marine charged me over $200. for
a 60.00 tire...
I suppose that I have presumed that boating stores,
like virtually all the real boaters I know, would be a
bit more understanding in helping a boater in
need.....I think I was more disturbed by fellow
boaters screwing me than anything else!!!
They really are not Boaters.

--- David Hart davehrt@yahoo.com wrote:

http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/trawlers-and-trawlering

I wonder if in (insert number here) number of years, we will not have the
ability to go

REPLY
Isn't that what is called a catalog store? No merchandise on display, you go
into a bank like area with tables holding catalogs and order forms. Hand
your completed order form to a clerk and in a while someone brings out the
boxes from the ware house section.
We had one of those stores where I used to live, but it eventually closed,
because people didn't like not being able to look at products before buying.

Arild

Here, we have had catalog stores dating back to the seventies...Service
Merchandise comes to mind.  All of the products are on display, but you get
yours from the warehouse via a conveyor.  Summit Racing has a similar store
near me now.  I don't mind the wait to get the product and you can touch and
look at most of the products except for small repair parts as in an auto
parts store.  I'm sure it saves money to do this and maybe the marine stores
can do the same saving worn and handled part on the shelves with torn boxes
that always find their way to the discount bin or back to the manufacturer.

I like shopping the internet for a bargain but you have to watch the
shipping and handling charges.  Here I save 7% tax if bought out of state.
Several internet merchants offer free shipping.  I like a deal but if I am
in the middle of something, I sometimes pay the piper.

As far as tires and wheel for my trailer,  I saved hundreds $ for 4 D range
tires and wheels from an internet merchant even including the
shipping...over marine stores, Northern Tool and other locals that stocked
the items.

The market will decide if WM will survive...look at Ace Hardware...direct
competitor of Home Depot and Lowes....convenience sells well.

Bob Clinkenbeard
24' custom trailer trawler
http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-aboardbobbinalong

'Lo All,

Price matching often results in trying to match prices on generally
similar, albeit different products. Zincs are a good case in point.
Based on my own experience, there are great differences in the
qualities of the various brands of zincs. These differences are
primarily in the precise composition of the zinc alloy, and,
therefore, how well it works and how long it lasts. Also, some have
inserts to assure good electrical contact, others don't. Some have
metal (non-zinc) tabs moulded into them to keep them in place (so the
zinc wont disappear around the attachment points resulting in the
zinc falling off), others don't. Any deviation from the "perfect
alloy" results in a different alloy - with the electrical and
chemical properties of that alloy. That is why all zincs are not the same.

An interesting read is the series of postings found at:
http://www.bertram31.com/bb/bbs.cgi?noframes;read=66070
This is a forum, something like here, where folks give their opinions
based upon their experiences - some posts are informational and some
are not.....

Panama Marine Supply, located in Panama City, FL, sells Camp brand of
zincs, as they contend that their customers - primarily commercial
operators - complain mightily when they get a "bad" zinc, as
evidenced, by how long it lasts and the protection they give -
primarily evidenced by damage to the props. The store manager said
that they (the store) carry only Camp zincs, as the result of many
years experience based on their customers' experience and complaints.

I have no idea what brands were being compared in the email above,
but if a cheap zinc is being compared to an expensive one, there
should be a price differential and price matching would not be
appropriate. Boatzincs appears to buy their zincs from various
sources, as stated on their website:

"BoatZincs.com is the leading online distributor of marine corrosion
control products
for North American recreational and commercial boaters. We specialize
in the sale of
sacrificial zinc, aluminum and magnesium anodes at the lowest possible prices.
All our products are manufactured to the highest quality standards,
conforming to
U.S. Military specifications.

Our boat anodes come from leading North American foundries that
collectively supply
over 90% of the U.S. pleasure craft market. These are the exact same products
you find at major boating supply stores and local boat yards."

In other words, there is apparently no way of knowing who makes the
zincs. They may be the best - or not. I prefer to know for sure.

Just my thoughts....YMMV.

Take care and be safe.

Wayne
M/V Celestial
Albin43 Sundeck

Company referred to in this message is Canada Metal (Pacific) Ltd, Delta,
BC. Website is www.canmet.com. They do manufacture a line of zincs.
CAMP zincs are manufactured by Camp Company of St. Petersburg, FL. Website
is www.campcompany.com.

Ted Stehle
Cruising & News Editor
Waterway Guide
www.waterwayguide.com
tstehle@waterwayguide.com
45 Californian
Good Times
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Rogers" rcrogers6@kennett.net
To: "T&T List" trawlers-and-trawlering@lists.samurai.com; "Albin43SDtr"
Albin43SDtr@comcast.net
Sent: Friday, January 26, 2007 1:04 PM
Subject: T&T: Boat Zincs - CAM