Walmart phasing out many conventionals/more $$

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I took a lap through the oil section at Walmart this morning and it looked like a tornado had gone through it. Probably 1/3 of the spaces were empty. Many oils, including MS5K, MS5K HM, Havoline, Havoline HM, Havoline Dexos, and 10w40 weights of most oils were gone. And most of the oil that was there had gone up in price. GTX is now $18.47 (!) and PYB is $17.98. And PP is $27.76. I asked a worker about it and he said that they were seeing that most cars now required synthetic and people weren't using much conventional any more, so they got rid of all those dinos and high mileage oils. The quarts looked even worse, nearly half were gone. So if you're a MS5K lover or a Havoline fan, try and stock up if you can still find any!


 
My local WM is still stocking plenty of conventionals. Probably a lot more older rigs here (and a lot of people that think the best oil is still "what granddad used") than up North.
 
Originally Posted By: TmanP
I took a lap through the oil section at Walmart this morning and it looked like a tornado had gone through it. Probably 1/3 of the spaces were empty.


Today is Sunday, the third day of a busy weekend.
Also, most Walmarts have 1-2 particular days for restocking. Ours here in Roseville is Tuesday - then they refill with whatever backstock they have Thursday night. So by the end of the weekend (like today), many items are missing from the shelves.

Find out what 1-2 days your store restocks their shelves. If the shelves are empty the very next day after restocking them, then there's concern about things being phased-out.
 
Originally Posted By: NormanBuntz
If you want a name brand conventional oil at a decent everyday price, Home Depot sells Formula Shell for $13.96 per 5 quart jug, with occasional sales at $10 or $11.


Menards has it on sale this week for $1.97 or $1.76 after rebate.
 
All stores, no matter who, at least up here, don't stock the same things. If conventional is popular at one particular store, then it will continue to be stocked. Same goes for the other way around. They get rid/quit stocking things that don't sell well and implement things that do.

I have 2 WMs fairly close to me (I am in the middle) and it's surprising to see the differences in what they stock, between them.
 
That's fine with me. Means Rural King that's always overstocked will get my business. HK Conventional $7-8 and their syn is like $9-10 is good with me
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted By: TmanP
I took a lap through the oil section at Walmart this morning and it looked like a tornado had gone through it. Probably 1/3 of the spaces were empty.


Today is Sunday, the third day of a busy weekend.
Also, most Walmarts have 1-2 particular days for restocking. Ours here in Roseville is Tuesday - then they refill with whatever backstock they have Thursday night. So by the end of the weekend (like today), many items are missing from the shelves.

Find out what 1-2 days your store restocks their shelves. If the shelves are empty the very next day after restocking them, then there's concern about things being phased-out.


Walmart is one of those stores with a crazy theory that if you don't spend that much money paying people to stock the shelves, you save money that way. Not sure how not having any product to sell works out for them, but they somehow make it work. So you also end up with some stores better stocked that others.
 
Originally Posted By: car51
That's fine with me. Means Rural King that's always overstocked will get my business. HK Conventional $7-8 and their syn is like $9-10 is good with me
smile.gif



Same here.... Atwood's sells Harvest King Full Synthetic (Dexos approved) for $9.99 a 5 qt jug.

walmart can keep their expensive oils.....
 
Every WM is managed differently. This may or may not be a corporate decision.

I bet the WMs that service poorer areas of the country still stock conventional in higher viscosities. Not too many poor people need Pennzoil euro formula or 0w20 oils.
 
Originally Posted By: Bryanccfshr
I don’t understand going into stores anymore. I get groceries from a place called farmers market that in,y sells groceries.
I get my engine oil and parts, and sporting good and housewares..online
Walmart is heading towards the Kmart/sears abyss. Do not cry for it.

Amazon.you can look for the best oil prices from your easy chair

https://www.amazon.com/Castrol-03096-ULT...p;keywords=5w30


Well....seeing how they have made at least two acquisitions to compete against Amazon this statement could not be farther from the truth.


Obviously-your a Walmart hater.
 
Quote:

Every WM is managed differently. This may or may not be a corporate decision.


Bentonville has big data on what stores should stock what and where the money is being made. No way the local store is making any purchasing decisions IMHO.

Their success is driven partly by not having what people don't want.

I believe it was once reported by a news show that even the temperature of the store is not adjustable by 'onsite' management.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted By: TmanP
I took a lap through the oil section at Walmart this morning and it looked like a tornado had gone through it. Probably 1/3 of the spaces were empty.


Today is Sunday, the third day of a busy weekend.
Also, most Walmarts have 1-2 particular days for restocking. Ours here in Roseville is Tuesday - then they refill with whatever backstock they have Thursday night. So by the end of the weekend (like today), many items are missing from the shelves.

Find out what 1-2 days your store restocks their shelves. If the shelves are empty the very next day after restocking them, then there's concern about things being phased-out.


Walmart is one of those stores with a crazy theory that if you don't spend that much money paying people to stock the shelves, you save money that way. Not sure how not having any product to sell works out for them, but they somehow make it work. So you also end up with some stores better stocked that others.


Interesting group of quoted points.

- Ive always encountered WM stocking issues, across multiple stores in multiple states over a long while. Nothing new there. WM sells a LOT of stuff and has just in time logistics of some sort, which aims to restock mid week.

- "conventional" oils are meeting more and more stringent specs. While it's disengenuous to sell SA oils next to the others, having some legacy spec oils good to SL or so might be useful given how much lives have changed since.

- Walmart doesn't care if you have to spend a few more dollars. If they could sell a lot more oil by offering more obscure viscosities or older spec oils for older cars, they would.

- newer spec oils serve older cars too. In fact, better than their older oils. I'm sure there's part of the math that savings from DIY outshadows the added coat for oil.

- I have to wonder if like all of retail, there's a shift to online/e-commerce, and reduced shelf space. It seems to me that WM is trying to do an Amazon Prime minus the delivery, so you can buy what you need from online portals, and get it at the Walmart pickup counter. So the store only keeps on hand what is sold and to be picked up in the next few days. At least for less-sold stuff that takes valuable shelf space and store footprint.
 
I'm all for the reduction of conventional oils on the market.

They harbor zero benefits over synthetics yet lead to higher fuel consumption, dirtier engines, increased waste due to shorter OCI's, (which in turn leads to more packaging needs, more space is taken up on semi's to deliver the oil to the stores, more oil filters, more time and money spent retrieving the products, etc.), increased engine wear with decreased engine life (SOMETIMES, not always) and I mean really the list goes on and on. Think of the cost to the economy regarding time spent changing oil at a conventional OCI vs. an OCI with synthetic. If we added up all those hours and multiplied them by some factor of GDP, I am sure the cost to the economy is in the billions. I truly can't get my head around all the factors but once tallied up I am very confident that OVERALL, the environment and the economies of the world would be best served by removing conventional oils and imposing legislation requiring the use of synthetics. Now, who here is a statistician and can compile this data and prove me right?
 
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Quote:

Every WM is managed differently. This may or may not be a corporate decision.


Bentonville has big data on what stores should stock what and where the money is being made. No way the local store is making any purchasing decisions IMHO.

Their success is driven partly by not having what people don't want.

I believe it was once reported by a news show that even the temperature of the store is not adjustable by 'onsite' management.



Simple way to know. Go to your local WM during business hours and ask to speak with a manager.

I bet you they DO have the authority to make SOME purchase decisions. Tastes vary. The WM in the hispanic part of town is going to carry more hispanic products, as an example.
 
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