Oil selection at Walmart

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Patman

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I cross over the border to Niagara Falls about once a month and when I went there yesterday to their Walmart I really noticed a big drop in the selection compared to previous visits. They no longer have Castrol 0w40 (but they have a huge supply of the other viscosities) they don't have Pennzoil Ultra at all, none of the Euro Pennzoil choices, they don't have any ESP Mobil 1, no Valvoline 5w40, they basically seem to be ignoring the needs of European cars, other than M1 0w40 (and even that supply seems lower than before)

I was hoping the Niagara Walmart might stock the new M1 ESP Formula 0w40 this fall but based on what I see in this particular store I don't think they'd even bother. It looks like they only want to stick with the most commonly sold stuff, and forget about the smaller markets (other than allowing people to order it online for store pickup). Are you guys finding the same thing where you live too?
 
Patman, that sounds about right. WM's don't seem to carry many of the oils you mentioned, other than the M1 and Castrol 0w40. I did see Castrol 0w40 there the other day.
 
Supply and demand is driving it.
Vehicle owners who change their own oil have been on a decline for years. And very few people change their oil every 3K miles anymore which was the norm for most DIY'ers until the turn of the century.
Add the fact many places advertise oil & filter changes for the price of doing it yourself or $10-15 dollars over what it cost you is also taking a toll.
 
Walmart oil selection varies greatly by location and also over time.
There are certainly other locations within a reasonable radius of the one you shopped and you could check availability online before setting out for one of them.
Some of the stores in this general area offer a really wide selection while others don't.
Selection will vary over time in any given store and may range from only the basics in common grades to a really comprehensive selection of brands and grades.
The size of the shelf facings also seems to have nothing to do with the variety offered.
It seems like they clearance out the slow sellers but then gradually filter them back in on a cyclical basis.
 
In the heart of the US here and the oil selection at our Wal Marts has dwindled a great deal. It is not only the oil, but a lot of their auto repair and maintenance items. Oil and air filters, bulbs/lamps, etc. I was looking for spark plugs the other day and was told they will no longer stock them. I assume a lot of it is driven by shopping being done on-line.
 
Over the past year I’ve seen the brand selection dwindle at our local WMs. The Supertech lineup stares you in the face as you enter the aisle with the other brands further down.

As mentioned above, if it doesn’t move it gets cleared out. Looks like Supertech took over most of the non selling brands.
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Add the fact many places advertise oil & filter changes for the price of doing it yourself or $10-15 dollars over what it cost you is also taking a toll.


Also add to the fact that one of those places is the very same Walmart with the dwindling oil selection
 
Originally Posted By: Patman
Valvoline 5w40


That stuff seems be very hard to find. The only place I've ever seen it was at a Walmart here in Arlington,Tx. They were selling it at $6 a quart I think.
 
Originally Posted By: ejes
In the heart of the US here and the oil selection at our Wal Marts has dwindled a great deal. It is not only the oil, but a lot of their auto repair and maintenance items. Oil and air filters, bulbs/lamps, etc. I was looking for spark plugs the other day and was told they will no longer stock them. I assume a lot of it is driven by shopping being done on-line.
Walmart hasn't carried spark plugs in years. People come in all the time asking for spark plugs, and brake pads.
 
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Walmart is all about shelf space.

If it doesn't sell, it loses it's shelf.

Yep. Its all about high volume sales. Not oil bottles collecting dust.
 
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Walmart is all about shelf space. If it doesn't sell, it loses it's shelf.

I couldn't help noticing at my local Wally World that half the space Mobil 1 AP once had has been given over to Mobil 1 High Mileage Extended Performance. That's not a great vote of confidence in either as I see it.
 
Originally Posted By: Astro_Guy
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Walmart is all about shelf space. If it doesn't sell, it loses it's shelf.

I couldn't help noticing at my local Wally World that half the space Mobil 1 AP once had has been given over to Mobil 1 High Mileage Extended Performance. That's not a great vote of confidence in either as I see it.


Same at my Walmart. They used to have a mountain of it on the ends of two isles. Now its on two shelves three jugs wide in three weights. They now have more of oils you mention on the end of one isle and on a shelving area bigger than the Hyped AP.
 
Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
They are really pushing Supertech here, and forced out some others. They never seem to discount it , however. Marketing nut jobs!



The 5-quart jug for their synthetic stuff is always about $17.00 at my local Walmart.

I think what they charge for oil is a regional thing.

On edit-I just checked-it's $17.47/5 qt. jug.
 
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Last couple of times I would check stock on oil I wanted at Walmart. It would state it's in stock. I would go down there and it wouldn't be on the shelves. So I ordered online to pick up in store and would pick it up the same or next day. Also it was like $2 cheaper that way also. Same thing with Maguires Vinyl protectant which wasn't on the shelves but got next day for the sale price of $4 by ordering Walmart online to pick up at store.

Try it.
 
Originally Posted By: ejes
I was looking for spark plugs the other day and was told they will no longer stock them.


Other than oil/air filters, Walmart carries almost nothing that will be vehicle-specific. If someone came up with 3-4 oil filters that would fit the majority of vehicles, Walmart would LOVE it !

It seems as though things like spark plugs have become very engine-specific, haven't they ? I mean, the spark plugs for my wife's Fusion will fit any vehicle with the same engine (1.5L Ecoboost) but a different spark plug is required for the 2.0L and 2.5L Fusion (and Escape and Focus and so on). Or look at wiper blades - there are vehicles out there with blades from 12" up to 28" (I think I've seen 32" but don't want to say with certainty) so places that sell wiper blades devote a lot of shelf space for this part.

Brake pads ? It would seem like those could be standardized a LOT more than they are. That would benefit the automakers themselves but even they don't put a big emphasis on it.
 
I wish Walmart carried all oem and Wix oil filters. How come no one carries Wix? The only "store" I've ever seen them in was the old Chief Auto Parts and now O'Reilly.
 
I always thought the Niagara Falls Walmart moved a lot of oil too, as they've always devoted a lot of space for their oil and I've always seen a lot of people buying oil at the same time as me too. That's in huge contrast to the Walmart near my house in Oakville, it has a very tiny selection and anytime I browse that section I never see anyone else buying oil ever.
 
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