genejockey 

Of course there's a business reason - the customer sees no reason to shop elsewhere, and all Walmart need do is put up a page on their site, and act as middleman for drop shipped products. They don't need to stock them at all. For the vendor who does, they get a wider customer base and they don't have to have their own online ordering business.

genejockey 

The problem is, you're misusing the term "house brand", which REALLY means "a brand name used by a retailer for a product or product line made specifically for or by the retailer. such a product, usually offered at a lower price than a comparable name-brand product", per Dictionary.com. Generally house brands, like "Signature" at Safeway, are on the shelf next to the name brand products.

BTW, Safeway doesn't can its own peas (for example). Retailers buy the product from the name brand producers and either label it themselves or have it labeled with their house brand by the company they buy from.

wolfchild

And yet many bike shops do mark up their prices and sell their stock at higher prices than what you can get online and their business is thriving...and people still go there and buy stuff from them. Majority of people still prefer in - store shopping instead of shopping online. A couple of regulars here on this list who prefer online shopping don't represent the shopping preferences of majority of consumers out there.

indyfabz

And what is my presumption?

genejockey 

VegasJen

I conceded above that I was mistaken about Walmart owning Blackburn. Now harping on the terminology is simply picking nits. But I have noticed that does seem to be a favorite pastime for some people here.
I wouldn't venture a guess. I am not as presumptuous as you.

Koyote

And you don't find those house brand products at other stores -- unlike Blackburn products, which are carried at a gazillion shops and sites other than Walmart.

genejockey 

So, kinda the opposite of a house brand.

indyfabz

Based on your previous post, why would you need to guess? BTW…Presuming means going with the probability. Thanks again. The jig is definitely up, if it wasn’t already.

Off to update my iggy list.

VegasJen

Not exactly. From dictionary.com:
But you go ahead and update your "iggy" list.

livedarklions

Around here, pretty much all of the stores still left have at least two locations (allows them to keep more stuff in stock)
​​​and emphasize service. You can definitely get people to pay a few bucks more if you can get them in the door.

livedarklions

Your original post was definitely a complaint about bike related goods generally, but now your complaint seems to be that Wal-Mart doesn't keep enough brands in stock in its store. (Geez, just go to the website).

The bigger picture is that you started this thread with a silly assertion about a "bicycle tax" and how we're getting "screwed". I don't think it's nitpicky to point out that literally everything you said about your supposed example of this was completely wrong.

VegasJen

No. I have simply been commenting about my exposure. Living in a more rural area, I do not have the retail options many of you have. It's not a complaint about Walmart not carrying enough brands. Besides, I don't think anybody goes around thinking "Walmart = quality". Walmart is a convenience retailer. I don't go there looking for the best of anything, only what I absolutely need.

"Literally everything"? Literally? OK.

dedhed

https://www.bicycleconnectionmd.com/...od-62048-1.htm
https://www.blueridgecyclery.com/pro...od-62048-1.htm
https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/dais...r-for-air-guns

Koyote

And your repeated assertion that Blackburn is a 'de facto' Walmart house brand is - from your own description - literally the opposite of what house brand means. Literally. As genejockey pointed out in post #183.

Again, it takes a strong and confident intellect to admit to mistakes and learn from them. It takes a different sort to double-down on errors in the face of such incontrovertible refutation.

Maelochs

There is no tax on bicycles or bike parts.

People who say silly things and try to weasel out by posting irrelevant internet quotes need to learn when to admit they were wrong and drop the topic.

People who make ridiculous claims which are thoroughly disproved should learn to say “ Okay, I was wrong about that” and move on.

If people lack basic honesty …. Well, we see how the world is now, and lots of people complain…. If you lack basic honesty. You are the problem.

Forget Red and Blue states…… there are “True” and “Untrue” states in which we live. If you will lie to win an internet debate, you live in a state of untruth. Not a healthy state. Please consider moving.

gene99

it figures a guy with a Vette wouldn't know which end of a pump to use.

livedarklions

Yes," literally ". I know what that word means and I chose it deliberately.
You asserted that this was an unknown house brand that " no doubt" was owned by Wal-Mart. Literally, every bit of that was wrong, as is your assertion that Blackburn is the only brand they sell. You can order pretty much anything you want through the Wal-Mart website, and select in store delivery.

You know your "bicycle tax" stuff was complete bs, you don't want to admit it but know you can't defend it, and instead attack people for "nitpicking".

Looks like dedhed found exactly what you said wasn't being manufactured anymore, so apparently you got that one wrong, too. "Literally everything" complete.

livedarklions

It also makes reasonable sense that a high performance racing tire is going to cost a lot more than a heavy duty one. Essentially, a racing tire is pushing the envelope of ratio of load to material--attempting to handle high stress use with the least amount of material possible. This requires much higher levels of quality control than the heavy duty tire because there really is no tolerance for defects with the racing tires. The smallest imperfection in construction or material is likely to lead to quick failure of the product. An "overbuilt" tire like the Marathon has enough structural redundancy built into it that a small imperfection will likely be compensated by some other aspect of the tire. Thus the marginal cost of producing one more Marathon is going to be lower than that of the racing tire at any level of production.

livedarklions

Kirkland Signature is a weird exception to this. It's definitely a brand wholly owned by Costco and supposedly exclusive to their stores, but the products are being resold through Amazon and Walmart sites. It appears that vendors are using the Costco retail stores as wholesalers, then reselling the bulk-purchased goods in smaller lots. I have several Kirkland products in my home, and I don't think I've had a Costco membership in the last 25 years, nor set foot in any of their stores in the 21st century.

dennis336

I literally just saw this movie for the first time this past Saturday so this reference made even more sense to me

livedarklions

Koyote

I stopped at the local Walmart today and had a quick look in the bike accessories aisle...And found plenty of brands other than Blackburn - sometimes for the same type of product. I suspect this is true at most Walmart stores, including the OP's. But as we know, she has a shaky relationship with the truth.

Yet another assertion on which the OP is -- literally -- completely incorrect.

tomato coupe

I count 8 house brands ...

bbbean 

Supply and demand. No need to look further than that. A merchant charges what the market will bear. Don't pay more than an item is worth to you.