Walmart and Estes Booster Motors. Lol

So here in the Boise Idaho area if you go to Walmart they have rockets and motors. Not sure if all Walmart everywhere have them or not but they are actually a decent price.

But what is interesting is that they sell D12-0's and not a single rocket they have is 2 stage or even a D motor spec for that matter. One Walmart I went into had ONLY D12-0 motors in it.

Anyone else seen this?

There should be Booster-55s and Booster-60s in stock alongside the appropriate ARFs. That's what the D12-0s are for. If they're out of stock, I guess they're out of stock.

It is October 2, 2014. they are just warming up for the Holiday sales season and dozens and dozens of shipping containers full of toys will be arriving week after week and the night crew will be stocking the shelves as items arrive.

You will not see EVERY toy item magically appear all at once. They will arrive over time.

Do not freak out if only "some" Barbie items are on the shelf and others are not. Ditto for rockets.

Take whatever medication is required to maintain a calm state while you await the arrival......

And grab those Elsa dolls when they arrive.
https://www.google.com/search?q=els...crosoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=&oe=&gws_rd=ssl

It's not magic?

This is the typical shelf stocking year round. It is not a seasonal thing. They have never carried D capable rockets and definitely nothing capable of doing 2 stage D's.

Lord how I hate this practice. I really wish big box store purchasing managers would have a clue. I often see *-0 motors on store shelves and no 2 stage rockets (or add on boosters) available to go with them. What's worse is when those are ONLY motors available.

You would not believe how many *-0 motors LUNAR swaps out at the safety check table on single stage rockets. (At least a few every launch.) It's usually first-time flyers and they bought what was on the shelf next to the rockets, not knowing any better. (To be clear, I'm totally not blaming them.) We have a motor swap-out policy and a supply of motors available just for this purpose. We want kids (and their parents!) to have a successful and safe flight - especially if it's their first time flying with us. We also try to take a few minutes to explain what the motor designation code means and why they wouldn't want to fly a booster motor in their single stage rocket.

Still, it worries me how many people end up with less than optimal experience having picked up a starter pack, a launch set and a pack of booster motors when flying on their own for the first time.

In all the big box stores I have visited around here that carry the D12-0 two-packs I have also seen the boosters and the ARFs the boosters are for, as well as A8-3/B6-4/C6-5 motor packs. This includes the few WalMarts that are carrying rockets at all, as well as Fred Meyer stores (a northwest US regional chain). It is true that I've sometimes not seen all of it in stock at the same time, but there has always been space and markers on the shelves for all of it. Compared to the last time WalMart was carrying rockets when there were truly nonsense combinations being stocked, I have been pleasantly surprised that one could actually get coherent combinations all in one store.

No idea what the problem is at the Boise WalMart you stopped in. It looks like there are three WalMarts in Boise and two in Meridian....maybe you went to the wrong one

BEC said:

In all the big box stores I have visited around here that carry the D12-0 two-packs I have also seen the boosters and the ARFs the boosters are for, as well as A8-3/B6-4/C6-5 motor packs. This includes the few WalMarts that are carrying rockets at all, as well as Fred Meyer stores (a northwest US regional chain). It is true that I've sometimes not seen all of it in stock at the same time, but there has always been space and markers on the shelves for all of it. Compared to the last time WalMart was carrying rockets when there were truly nonsense combinations being stocked, I have been pleasantly surprised that one could actually get coherent combinations all in one store.

No idea what the problem is at the Boise WalMart you stopped in. It looks like there are three WalMarts in Boise and two in Meridian....maybe you went to the wrong one

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The one over here by where I live doesn't have anything and it's (I don't know if it's true anymore) the largest WalMart there is. No rockets at all. I make most of my purchases online anymore so that's no bother. What is nice is my store has a huge crafts section so many of the other things I need are there.

Our Walmart in Berlin, Vermont, has nothing but D12-0 also. Not only that, but they have had the same Display Carton of them and the same 4 Rockets that don't use D Motors for like 5 Years now.
Most Vermonters don't know what a Model Rocket is because most Vermonters are dumb as Bricks.
I suspect that eventually our Walmart will just throw the Rocket stuff away, as the Packages have had a rough go of it over the Years.
Eventually someone will happen along and say, "What are these things, and why do we never seem to sell any? Perhaps we should get rid of them as they take up an entire two and a half Feet of Shelving Space."

TopRamen said:

Our Walmart in Berlin, Vermont, has nothing but D12-0 also. Not only that, but they have had the same Display Carton of them and the same 4 Rockets that don't use D Motors for like 5 Years now.
Most Vermonters don't know what a Model Rocket is because most Vermonters are dumb as Bricks.
I suspect that eventually our Walmart will just throw the Rocket stuff away, as the Packages have had a rough go of it over the Years.
Eventually someone will happen along and say, "What are these things, and why do we never seem to sell any? Perhaps we should get rid of them as they take up an entire two and a half Feet of Shelving Space."

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Fascinating that the carton of D12-0 twin packs has been there for five years because they have not existed for five years.

My Walmart does not have any rocket stuff at all, but the new Hobby Lobby does. And the new Hobby Lobby has a bunch of F15-0, but nothing with a delay for single stage rockets or upper stages. I didn't see the booster that would take this motor. So it's a motor without a rocket. I've seen that too with 24mm. They clearanced the Vagabond a few weeks ago, and I don't see any more 24mm rockets to take its place, but they have D12's and E9's, even though they aren't stocking rockets that will use them.

I could use a pack of F15-6 in the next 2 weeks, but I doubt they will get any.

I have been to pretty much every Walmart in our area and the situation is the same at all of them. I don't really care honestly because I don't buy rockets there. It was just an amusing observation. Maybe they stock booster cans and they just don't ever have them when I go.

Talk to the department manager of the Hobby Lobby and ask them what day the truck comes in, what they have on order (type and qty), etc.

They often stock one of each motor type and the truck comes one day per week. They MANUALLY place orders since they do not use bar code scanning. in other words, inventory is observed by the human who works the department and they order what is missing or low (if they stock multiple of that item). They used to order with paper but now they use an iPad. They still look at paper printouts of the orders that have been placed to determine what is expected to arrive.

Also, if the Hobby Lobby warehouse is out of an item, it may be weeks before it finally arrives.

They will take your order, your name and your pphone number and they will call you to let you know if they have any in the warehouse, if they are expected and when they are expected. They can even hold them in the back so they do not go on the hook and get snatched up by another shopper.

ThirstyBarbarian said:

My Walmart does not have any rocket stuff at all, but the new Hobby Lobby does. And the new Hobby Lobby has a bunch of F15-0, but nothing with a delay for single stage rockets or upper stages. I didn't see the booster that would take this motor. So it's a motor without a rocket. I've seen that too with 24mm. They clearanced the Vagabond a few weeks ago, and I don't see any more 24mm rockets to take its place, but they have D12's and E9's, even though they aren't stocking rockets that will use them.

I could use a pack of F15-6 in the next 2 weeks, but I doubt they will get any.

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shreadvector said:

Talk to the department manager of the Hobby Lobby and ask them what day the truck comes in, what they have on order (type and qty), etc.

They often stock one of each motor type and the truck comes one day per week. They MANUALLY place orders since they do not use bar code scanning. in other words, inventory is observed by the human who works the department and they order what is missing or low (if they stock multiple of that item). They used to order with paper but now they use an iPad. They still look at paper printouts of the orders that have been placed to determine what is expected to arrive.

Also, if the Hobby Lobby warehouse is out of an item, it may be weeks before it finally arrives.

They will take your order, your name and your pphone number and they will call you to let you know if they have any in the warehouse, if they are expected and when they are expected. They can even hold them in the back so they do not go on the hook and get snatched up by another shopper.

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Thanks for the tip. If this is their system, then I suppose it doesn't help that they often have motors with the wrong delay hanging from the hook, like a zero motor hanging from the hook for the F15-6 that I want. If they are eyeballing the hooks, they probably think they are fully stocked with everything. I do reorganize when I see something like that.

ThirstyBarbarian said:

Thanks for the tip. If this is their system, then I suppose it doesn't help that they often have motors with the wrong delay hanging from the hook, like a zero motor hanging from the hook for the F15-6 that I want. If they are eyeballing the hooks, they probably think they are fully stocked with everything. I do reorganize when I see something like that.

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(grrr... had a reply all written out - then lost it with an erroneous click....)


Thirsty, if you are talking about the HL in Dublin; their truck arrives on Mondays, and they place thier orders on Wednesdays or Thursdays (I forget which.) I know this because I missed the cut-off to get a rain-check order for a bulk-pack of motors placed on this week's truck by a day . (I wanted them for Rocket Jamboree this weekend - they are probably going to be on next Monday's shipment.) Oh well, at least I'll have plenty of A8-3's for my scouts to fly at Moffett later this year.

If you see they are out of something, ask them to do a rain-check order for you. They will order an extra (And hold it for you!) especially for the things that the keep very little stock on hand. Also - I wonder if helps them know that maybe (just maybe) that particular item would sell better if they had more in stock?

HL does carry two PSII E2X models (Majestic and Ascender) and the PSII booster that takes those F15-0s. Check to see if there's a spot on the shelf below the motors for the booster. But as Fred noted, they don't stock very deeply. Now if they'd just straighten out the pricing on the F15-0s that has been wrong since they started carrying them....

shreadvector said:

Fascinating that the carton of D12-0 twin packs has been there for five years because they have not existed for five years.

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OK, I was exaggerating, but they've been there for as long as I can Remember.

Just because a store doesn't sell a rocket to take a motor they sell, doesn't mean the motors won't sell. Some buyers will be ignorant of what they are buying and get the wrong motor for their rocket (of course, the kit does say what to buy). But there are others like us, who have rockets that do take those motors, that will buy them. Especially at a HL with a 40% off coupon.

rbelknap said:

(grrr... had a reply all written out - then lost it with an erroneous click....)


Thirsty, if you are talking about the HL in Dublin; their truck arrives on Mondays, and they place thier orders on Wednesdays or Thursdays (I forget which.) I know this because I missed the cut-off to get a rain-check order for a bulk-pack of motors placed on this week's truck by a day . (I wanted them for Rocket Jamboree this weekend - they are probably going to be on next Monday's shipment.) Oh well, at least I'll have plenty of A8-3's for my scouts to fly at Moffett later this year.

If you see they are out of something, ask them to do a rain-check order for you. They will order an extra (And hold it for you!) especially for the things that the keep very little stock on hand. Also - I wonder if helps them know that maybe (just maybe) that particular item would sell better if they had more in stock?

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Thanks for the info. I'll ask about getting a pack of F15-6 motors through the rain-check process if they don't put a pack on the shelf on Monday.

BTW, if you are short of 18mm motors for your Jamboree and will be anywhere near Dublin, I have some Estes and Quest A, B, C motors in various delays that you could swing by and pick up today or on the weekend.

ThirstyBarbarian said:

Thanks for the info. I'll ask about getting a pack of F15-6 motors through the rain-check process if they don't put a pack on the shelf on Monday.

BTW, if you are short of 18mm motors for your Jamboree and will be anywhere near Dublin, I have some Estes and Quest A, B, C motors in various delays that you could swing by and pick up today or on the weekend.

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Thanks for the offer, but I think I'm good. I did get one of their bulk-packs a few weeks ago with the coupon (and kept checking back waiting for them to re-stock so I could get a second - before I thought to ask someone about it.) I have slightly fewer boys coming out the to event this weekend than I thought, and there will be motors for sale on-site. I should have enough to guarantee 2 flights per kid. (Especially since one of my boys is flying his blue ninja and low power Kraken, which eat D's. So I can give his 18mm motors to another scout.) If they want to fly more, they can get more motors at the trading post.

Oh jeez, I just remembered I was going to divvy up motors, igniters starters, and wadding into baggies last night so I could hand them out easily on-site tomorrow.

(Wow - way to derail this thread, Robert....)

rbelknap said:

Thanks for the offer, but I think I'm good. I did get one of their bulk-packs a few weeks ago with the coupon (and kept checking back waiting for them to re-stock so I could get a second - before I thought to ask someone about it.) I have slightly fewer boys coming out the to event this weekend than I thought, and there will be motors for sale on-site. I should have enough to guarantee 2 flights per kid. (Especially since one of my boys is flying his blue ninja and low power Kraken, which eat D's. So I can give his 18mm motors to another scout.) If they want to fly more, they can get more motors at the trading post.

Oh jeez, I just remembered I was going to divvy up motors, igniters starters, and wadding into baggies last night so I could hand them out easily on-site tomorrow.

(Wow - way to derail this thread, Robert....)

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Have fun! And Happy Bagging, you thread derailer!