Wal Mart Native!

Are there any plans for a Walmart Native for those of us way up here in Canada? I'd love that! Especially since much of Walmart's line-up was Schrade stuff, which is now gone of course. I'd really like to go to Walmart to see Spyderco. Hmm... maybe Wal-Mart will get sucked into the Spyderco vortex! HA!
 
I really hope Wal-Mart don't put the screws to Spyderco, I have seen to many companies fall for the Wal-Mart scheme and end up Bankrupt, big companies too, Levi's is a good start, Magnavox, Schrade. Big time isn't always the best bet.

Wal-Mart electronics such as TV's are cheaper made versions of TV's sold elsewhere made just for Wal-Mart and sold cheap, and are cheap. Hope this will not cheap a good solid knife company or put them into a bind. I would have rather not seen Spyderco go this route.
 
No joy at my local walmart for the native. Had to pick up a $24 buck 110 to help with my grief though. :)
 
I prefer the Calypso Junior Lightweight design, but I don't think I'll buy a fourth one of those until Sal picks another alloy to try. I want to support this idea of Spydercos at Wally World so I went out and bought a Native on my lunch break. I got on the Walmart website where I could find all the local store phone numbers. The first one that I called had them in stock. The clerk had bought one for her son so I got my pick of the best of a couple left. The fit and finish are fine. The edge isn't as good as the Caly Jr, but I'll fix that. The grip is a little uncomfortable in my right hand, but it is fine in my left. I guess I need to move or remove the pocket clip.

Anyway this is a heck of a deal!
 
I'll be lookin for the WalMart Native. The S30 Native was among my fav for quite some time.....

I have the same sense of dread that others have voiced about the WalMart Vortex....
Remember the Claussen Pickle disaster.
Claussen contracted to supply big pickles in a glass jar. They had such demand and so little profit they were in a deep pickle as Claussen had to rework their plants to make the WalMart prod at the expense of more profitable prods.....
Is Claussen still around?
Tom
 
Wow! I'm all over this. I hope I can find a store in Houston stocking them. $40 for a knife with S30V is an extraordinary deal, no?

Edit: I too hope this doesn't backfire for Spyderco financially, but I don't think it will. I think there will always be a demand for higher end knives from us knife nuts that just wouldn't fly in Wal Marts. Additionally, quality is a major selling point to knife nuts so I think cheapening knives just wouldn't happen. Who knows though... look at Gerber.
 
This is probably going over like a fart is a spacesuit with Spyderco's longtime dealers. Not to mention the various distributors who are sitting on more than a few Natives that will now have to be deeply discounted or warehoused.

Sheesh. :(
 
I think this will turn out to be a very smart move on Sal's part. It opens the market up quite a bit for Spyderco. Once people try the Native they will look for other models. I think dealers will end up benefitting too. I have purchased several S30V Natives for less on Ebay so I don't see WalMart adding much to price pressure for dealers, they are already pressed. I suspect this will also be a model WalMart will find difficult to keep in stock.
 
spyderknut said:
I think this will turn out to be a very smart move on Sal's part. It opens the market up quite a bit for Spyderco. Once people try the Native they will look for other models. I think dealers will end up benefitting too. I have purchased several S30V Natives for less on Ebay so I don't see WalMart adding much to price pressure for dealers, they are already pressed. I suspect this will also be a model WalMart will find difficult to keep in stock.
Click to expand...
This will work out only if Spyderco and Wal Mart can convince the general run of the mill Wal Mart shopper that the extra price for S30V steel is worth the money. That will take some doing, as the typical Wal Mart shopper is, in my experience of them, the sort for whom price is the ultimate determinant in buying anything.

As the older Randall Knives catalogues used to say, "There is hardly a product of our culture that someone cannot make a little worse and sell for a little less, and the one who puts price above all other considerations is the natural prey for this man." John Ruskin
 
Hi Harry,

FWIW, Of the dealers and distributors that have complained, their sales history indicated that they had purchased few or no plain edged Natives in the past 12 months.

I think that their fears are based on what they think we might do in the future.

sal
 
Sal many of the people here are worried that Wal Mart will corrupt or destroy Spyderco. Perhaps you can reassure them?
 
Apparently Wal Mart has destroyed many companies. Including some knife companies. They think Spyderco may fall prey to them too.
 
redhawk44p said:
Apparently Wal Mart has destroyed many companies. Including some knife companies. They think Spyderco may fall prey to them too.
Click to expand...

I also would like to know of the many companies that Wal-Mart has destroyed, knife or otherwise.

TIA
 
I sometimes think that Wal Mart is the current devil for many people and it is blamed for many problems that do not rightly belong to them, at least not totally. You know, Wal Mart is like General Motors once was, the hugely successful company that everyone loves to hate.
 
Certainly Spyderco does not believe in Wal Mart's business practices...I hope not.

"Integrity is when no one is looking?"

Let us not forget how many Wal Mart employees go without Health, Dental and Eye Insurance and tax payers are expected to pay for a growing population of families that need help desparately.

I understand that it is difficult for many companies to help their employees with health care...but for Wal Mart? Last time I looked up their annual reports (public record) it seems that they have more than enough to "spread the wealth" for folks that work hard for Wal Mart!

On top of all that, Carlos has mentioned that this is a test market. Would you mind horribly if I asked? What are you testing? Mind you, I don't mean to cause any trouble here...I speak for myself when I say that I worry that Spyderco might get caught up in the black hole that Wal Mart usually creates in their wake. Doesn't Spyderco have some responsibility to associate itself with retailers that are reputable?

I'll admit that I do believe in free enterprise...But, I also believe that companies do have responsibility to conduct themselves in an honorable way (insert "integrity" here). This means helping their own employees, as I have mentioned before...but also in creating a nice economic environment. I can't remember exactly the program that I saw this, but, wasn't there a program on PBS about Wal Mart and their somewhat negative business practices? They had interviewed folks in towns before, during and after a Wal Mart was put in.

Seems that Wal Mart does present $ values of revenue generated by their locations opening up anywhere. City counsels see that within 5 years of a Wal Mart location opening up, they make millions upon millions in sales taxes. The politicians even give Wal Mart tax breaks to open a location in their town. And then...they come in. Profits are up the roof! Surrounding smaller retailers shut down because they just can't compete...and after the tax breaks expire, Wal Mart shuts down this location. The politicians and citizen never get any benefits after the fact because Wal Mart claims that they were not making any money? Now does this sound like a good idea after all is said and done?

I certainly wouldn't argue that business is not business and companies must make a profit. But there are plenty of businesses out there that do hold themselves at a higher standard and I would expect that Spyderco is one of them.

Just my $.02.

Oh, BTW, love that thing that you do, with your knives...they're groovy.
 
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