I don't think things have changed a lot in the retail world as far as profit margins go and sporting goods has always been used as a lure in the big box stores not a huge profit generating departments. Back in the 60's and 70's I worked retail sporting goods and profit margins were low. Most of the firearms we sold were at wholesale. We got a 10% discount if we paid the bill in 30 days. Ammo was low margin as well. Shooting accessories, Camping, fishing and athletics filled the gaps for profit mostly. The main reason we had a sporting goods department was to lure the males to the rear of the store. (you'll notice sporting goods is almost always in the back of the stores.) The strategy was for the guys to pass by merchandise in other departments and be tempted to buy something while their wives shopped. The store made big profits on soft-lines which carried the stores. We hard-lines managers called the other side "rag merchants"Beiruty wrote:How many cases of Pistol Ammo (specifically 9mm) does Walmart get per shipment? For last few weeks whether I call or stop by at any local Walmart, all 9mm are out of stock.
