Wal Mart, bleh! =P

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

grimlock3000

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2004
Messages
173
Reaction score
0
I usually try to avoid spending money at Wal Mart but the Estes engines are just to cheap to pass up along with some of the Launchables pacakges. Engines are $7 a pack at the hobby and craft stores, and do not come with recovery wadding. Wal Mart is only $5, comes with wadding, and much closer to my house. Sounds like a good deal? Well, not really...

To make it easier to stock, there is only ever one shelf tag SKU for all the Launchables rockets, and two or three SKUs for the engines, which come in cases of three types of engines so one SKU gets three different types of engines. The two Wal Marts close to my house have about 75 engines each, but they are all A10-3, C6-3, and C6-5s. Some of the boxes are tagged for A8-3, B4-2, and B6-4 engines, however those have all been bought leaving the excess of C6s and A10s. I have only seen a pack of A8-3s once, and I bought it. I keep checking Wal Mart every few days so I can stock up on As and Bs before I go flying again, but after wasting all this time and gas to check Wal Marts, I could have just spent the extra money on the hobby shop and got what I wanted when I was there :rolleyes:
 
You don't want the C6-5's? The majority of my Estes kits fly on those, and at our launches, those have been known to sell out at the vendor's tent!

I wish my WallyMarts sold rocket stuff at all! The Michaels in town just started selling some of the E2X kits, with A motors, and they usually only have 2 or 3 kits and about 5-10 boxes of motors.

WW
 
I am a newbie, to date I have recovered 3 of 3 launches with A8-3s, and I am 0 for 2 on recoveries with B6-4s after the wind carried off my rockets. At the reccomendation of people on this board, I went out and got some larger rockets that will not go so high and be easier to recover. I also did some homework and found some much larger launch areas close to my house (thanks Neil). Before I go out and lose some more rockets, I want to get additional launch experience with the A and B engines. Then once I get an idea for how much the wind is blowing on a given day and how much a rocket will drift, I will be using Cs more often :D

Michael's where I live carries a lot of Estes rockets, but not much that interest me. Almost everything there is a novelty rocket with something like gliders or helicopter recovery. Yesterday I used a 40% off coupon to get a Big Daddy for $7.20, then used another 40% off coupon and got some D12-5s on the cheap. Unfortunately I have to get a Sunday paper for each 40% off coupons, so it would not be a good way to stock up on engines.
 
This may be a little off topic, but are those Launchables kits different from the Estes "bags" in any way? That box form makes me think it's some kind of different kit.
 
All of the Launchables are $8.88, which makes some of them good deals, and others are more expensive than the normal retail price. I am fairly certain the kits are exactly the same thing inside the package.
 
Originally posted by Max_Power004
This may be a little off topic, but are those Launchables kits different from the Estes "bags" in any way? That box form makes me think it's some kind of different kit.

I bought a Baby Bertha in a Launchables box, and, AFAIK, the kit itself was identical to the "Estes bag."

I'd guess that Wal-Mart had Estes package the kits this way so they could sit on a shelf, rather than require pegboard space. (And, from my experience working for two companies who supply to Wal-Mart, when a customer who's that massive asks for something, you tend to do it...)
 
I also think the hard packs really cut down on the ammount of product damaged before the sale. I hate to think what would happen to thin cardboard tubes in the toy aisle at Wal Mart if they were only protected by plastic bags :eek:
 
Originally posted by grimlock3000
I also think the hard packs really cut down on the ammount of product damaged before the sale. I hate to think what would happen to thin cardboard tubes in the toy aisle at Wal Mart if they were only protected by plastic bags :eek:

I agree. I went through last fall when they marked down some of the 'end of season" stock. All of the kits are in ex shape. I also have taken loads of motors (in their shelf boxes) and am pleased as to how quick they re-stock. I have been trying to meet the dept. manager to see what kind of ordering pull they have but I suspect that if it doesn't come in a box, they probably won't stock it.
 
If only Wal-Mart carried D's....... :p

As far as the launchables packaging: Another difference you will find in rockets of any moderated length (the Patriot and Paveway missles being examples) the body tubes won't fit as one-piece tubes, so you get a couple shorter lengths and a tube coupler. Not that big a deal, but a difference none the less.
 
I suspected that my Launchables Patriot would normally have come with one large body tube so I searched around the net for more information. All the reviews I could find mentioned the multiple tube sections and two couplers. I guess they all came from Wal Mart :)

I did not get a tube couple with my Launchables Paveway III. The main section of BT (barely) fits in the hard pack. Speaking of the Paveway, I built mine last night, I think the directions could use a reworking. The fin side plates warped like crazy once they got wood glue on them. I did not have the correct clamps to keep them flat while they dried. I had to pull all four main fins off the rocket, glue on the side plates off the rocket, and keep everything under a book to keep them from warping. Once dry, I attached the fins and side plates to the rocket with no issues.
 
Originally posted by grimlock3000
...
then used another 40% off coupon and got some D12-5s on the cheap. Unfortunately I have to get a Sunday paper for each 40% off coupons, so it would not be a good way to stock up on engines.
We don't have any Michael's around here but we have a Ben Franklin store that uses 40% off coupons, also. They have coupons on a rack right when you walk in the store so, my other half grabs one and I grab one...and sometimes we'll go back later in the day...and sometimes 2 or 3 different days in the week that the sale runs. A REAL GOOD WAY to stock up on motors. ;)
 
Kind of odd, but both Long's drug stores in Eureka carry rocket motors and live bait.

shrox
 
Live bait!:confused:

I think that's against the NAR rules.

Well, worms are launchable.

sandman
 
Originally posted by Fore Check
If only Wal-Mart carried D's....... :p

They DID!!! At one time when Estes released the "The Dude" inflatable rocket, they used to sell D 2-packs for $5. I forget what nifty name they had, but believe it or not WalMart indeed did carry D12-5s!
 
Originally posted by eugenefl
They DID!!! At one time when Estes released the "The Dude" inflatable rocket, they used to sell D 2-packs for $5. I forget what nifty name they had, but believe it or not WalMart indeed did carry D12-5s!

I remember reading that here before.......

I guess I should edit my previous statement.

Too bad Wal-Mart doesn't sell D's now........ ;)
 
Originally posted by eugenefl
They DID!!! At one time when Estes released the "The Dude" inflatable rocket, they used to sell D 2-packs for $5. I forget what nifty name they had, but believe it or not WalMart indeed did carry D12-5s!
Eugene's right. I found a few packs of those lying behind the motor boxes, in a few stores after they discontinued carrying "The Dude". IIRC, the purchasing manager can't even decide to order D's for the store unless the main office decides to. The main office being in Georgia, or something like that. I believe the airconditioning for Wallyworld is controlled from the main office...for all stores. :rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by eugenefl
They DID!!! At one time when Estes released the "The Dude" inflatable rocket, they used to sell D 2-packs for $5. I forget what nifty name they had, but believe it or not WalMart indeed did carry D12-5s!

I think I bought the last 2 pack of D's at the North Tampa store.
I have checked around at 3 or 4 other Walmarts since then, but never found any more D's.
 
Originally posted by Stones
IIRC, the purchasing manager can't even decide to order D's for the store unless the main office decides to. The main office being in Georgia, or something like that. I believe the airconditioning for Wallyworld is controlled from the main office...for all stores. :rolleyes:

It's in Bentonville Arkansas, and yes as I understand it, the temperature for each store worldwide, as well as the volume of "Wal-Mart radio" is set there. Quite an operation. As far as ordering goes, I'm betting it is all automated.

Len
 
Originally posted by pdooley
I think I bought the last 2 pack of D's at the North Tampa store.
I have checked around at 3 or 4 other Walmarts since then, but never found any more D's.

Ah, so you're the one we have to compete with in Tampa! "Hey Vinny...Guido...go take out that wiseguy's knees!" Seriously though, I think the rocketry scene in Tampa has a lot of potential.
 
Originally posted by eugenefl
I think the rocketry scene in Tampa has a lot of potential.

Absolutely. We probably have a bunch of people who would attend the HERC launches and become TRF's if they knew about it.
Nice weather, decent flying fields, etc..
 
That Wall*Mart in in Falmouth (Near Staples and that movie theatre) has A10s thru C6-5s, for $4 a pack, no matter what kind of motor... Its my preffered place to get Estes motor on a budget...

Have you ever been to that wall mart? They usually have a decent supply of motors, but a really stinky supply of kits... They have like 5 astrocams....:confused: :mad:

You will have better luck recovering rockets at the fields I mentioned... I have launched Ds there and recoverd them... If you go there, can you see if my Alpha 3 has come down yet?:D ;) (actually I have two up there....:kill: )
 
WalMart also stocks Krylon paints, making it a one stop LPR shop. I also use the 40% and the occassional 50% Michael's coupons for the Blast-off Pack, which keeps my motor box full and happy at $1/motor.
 
Originally posted by prowlerguy
I also use the 40% and the occassional 50% Michael's coupons for the Blast-off Pack, which keeps my motor box full and happy at $1/motor.

I hear you guys talk about these Michaels coupons from time to time. Where do you get them? The store?
Is this done seasonal? Does Michaels say when they put em out??
 
Pat,

You can usually find the 40% off coupons weekly in the Sunday paper. That's where I get mine!

Jason
 
Originally posted by jetra2
You can usually find the 40% off coupons weekly in the Sunday paper. That's where I get mine!

Exactly. Usually they have a 40% off a single regularly priced item, not to be combined with any other offer. The coupon is on the front page of the Michaels circular.

WW
 
Man, I have been searching the Sunday papers for the longest time...

Do you get the Portland Press Herald, Grimlock?:confused: Where was it??? I wanna get a designers special kit for cheap...:D ;)
 
Man, I have been searching the Sunday papers for the longest time...

Do you get the Portland Press Herald, Grimlock? Where was it??? I wanna get a designers special kit for cheap...

It was in the Maine Sunday Telegram which is the weekend Portland Press Herald. The 40% coupon was in the front A section of the paper under some news. It was not in a seperate ad or anything. I started looking from the middle of the paper and could not find it in any of the small circulars or the entertainment sections. I finally found it after going through all the sections one page at a time.
 
Back
Top