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View Full Version : Wideners going out of business?



Silvercreek Farmer
02-24-2017, 11:36 AM
Or dropping reloading supplies? They have been running some screaming good deals lately, but when I checked for powders they had very few in stock. They still had some primers left at the best prices I have seen in years, $20/1000 for Federal LP and Win SP if anyone is interested.

Love Life
02-24-2017, 11:38 AM
I suspect many reloading/shooting places will be hurting as they try to bleed off stock. Demand has dropped, manufacturers are catching up, and many expected Hillary to win so they laid in to much inventory. Get it while the getting is good.

PaulG67
02-24-2017, 12:14 PM
As of today at 11:15 AM all they have are small pistol primers, CCI and Winchester, no others. And No powder of any brand. That's disappointing.

Elkins45
02-24-2017, 12:36 PM
I would find that surprising, gven that they revamped their website not too long ago.

RogerDat
02-24-2017, 12:56 PM
I suspect there is a glitch in their website database. By brand should list the brands but lists nothing. The message for powder would be typical of web programmer generic message for no records found for display.

I sent them an email to let them know they had an issue.

If one was no longer going to carry reloading powder one would remove the parent record that provided the menu choice to list rifle, pistol, shotgun, or brands of powder. Why crowd stuff your customer can buy with menu links that lead to stuff you no longer sell. Menu real-estate is premium location for information.

psweigle
02-24-2017, 01:03 PM
Not going out of business, selling off 'panic' inventory.

RogerDat
02-24-2017, 01:19 PM
Not going out of business, selling off 'panic' inventory.

Not selling a damn thing! None of the menu links that go to powder work.

RogerDat
02-24-2017, 02:31 PM
Got a response and they are out of powder?!?


I appreciate you reaching out to us about that. Currently the only two powders that we have remaining in inventory are the Alliant BE-86 in 1 lb jugs and the Vihtavuori N350 in 1 lb jugs. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but if you have any other questions about that, please do not hesitate to ask!

Tempted to call the 800 number and follow up.

dragon813gt
02-24-2017, 02:50 PM
It's not surprising they are out. They have had really low prices for weeks now. I'm stocked and don't need anymore otherwise I would have bought more.

Blackwater
02-24-2017, 02:59 PM
No way for any of us to really know what's really going on, but deals on primers or anything else are always welcome. I hope they're not in trouble. They've always been good to deal with in my experience, and sometimes, I just order from them because they're closer to me, and shipping time is a day earlier oftentimes. I wish them well, whatever the problem might be. We need all the suppliers we can get, really.

And indeed, the so-called "panic buying" ("sensible planning" as I call it) may be at least part of it. But no way to really know for sure. Again, I just wish them well.

JonB_in_Glencoe
02-24-2017, 03:16 PM
This is too weird ?
there must be more to the story ?
whether it's Out of Business? or Sale of Business? or something else ? ...that'd just be speculation... but as I said, it's too weird? ...and no other suppliers are this short. The current political climate isn't gonna cause this?

starnbar
02-24-2017, 03:18 PM
It is a result of a Republican President companies were posed to really profit on the hysteria to follow with a Clinton win and it didn't happen. Here in Florida they have Colt AR15s for less than 600 dollars and a few companies have suspended the hazmat fee if you buy over 200 dollars. America what a country.

308Jeff
02-24-2017, 03:25 PM
This is too weird ?
there must be more to the story ?
whether it's Out of Business? or Sale of Business? or something else ? ...that'd just be speculation... but as I said, it's too weird? ...and no other suppliers are this short. The current political climate isn't gonna cause this?

It's definitely weird. But not just with Widener's.

Seems to me that powder and primer pricing and availability has been very weird lately. It's like the vendors are having difficulty adjusting to the current market.

JonB_in_Glencoe
02-24-2017, 03:29 PM
well, the weird part to me, is more the OUT of Stock on almost every powders and primers.
But yes, Prices are all over the place too.

308Jeff
02-24-2017, 03:30 PM
well, the weird part to me, is more the OUT of Stock on almost every powders and primers.
But yes, Prices are all over the place too.

You're right. Widener's situation is definitely unique.

farmerjim
02-24-2017, 04:00 PM
I am glad that I got mine early before they ran out.

308Jeff
02-24-2017, 04:15 PM
Thought I would mention I hate Hazmat fees as much as I hate mail-in rebates. :lol:

Hardcast416taylor
02-24-2017, 04:30 PM
On a local on line auction site the ammo section of it has a LOT of bricks of Winchester `Wierdcat` .22 ammo listed by the same seller, but people are still bidding it up as if O`hummer were still in office.Robert

RogerDat
02-24-2017, 05:08 PM
I have been noticing availability is up on some less common powders but nothing that looked like a massive glut in supply. You know seeing a few of the powders that have not been common or a place having a couple of cases of 1# jugs instead of 1/2 a case.

Well I have ordered from them from time to time, always decent service.

rototerrier
02-24-2017, 05:48 PM
Only thing I've noticed weird lately is cabelas raising prices on s&b primers from 24.99 to 27.99 just prior to the 15% off reloading sale. They didn't sell many. Shelves remained full. No one was fooled apparently. Can't stand sneaky stuff like that.

Greg S
02-24-2017, 05:55 PM
Widner's was resently sold within the past year or two and moved to a new location I believe. This was real evident in product changes and pricing.

Houndog
02-24-2017, 06:46 PM
Widener's was resently sold within the past year or two and moved to a new location I believe. This was real evident in product changes and pricing.
You are right about Stan selling the business but they are still at the same location they have been at for years. I don't know if they are in money trouble or not since I no longer buy from them like many of the other locals. Most of the old crew that worked there are long gone. They stopped in store pickups when the new owner took over and I absolutely refuse to pay haz mat fees, Tennessee sales tax and shipping when it's only 9 miles from my front door to theirs.

MUSTANG
02-24-2017, 07:54 PM
You are right about Stan selling the business but they are still at the same location they have been at for years. I don't know if they are in money trouble or not since I no longer buy from them like many of the other locals. Most of the old crew that worked there are long gone. They stopped in store pickups when the new owner took over and I absolutely refuse to pay haz mat fees, Tennessee sales tax and shipping when it's only 9 miles from my front door to theirs.



Seems they are going "Counter Trend"; Amazon and JC Pennies are exploring warehouses with Storefront "Pick-Up" as a business model for some cities.

jonp
02-24-2017, 09:09 PM
someone posted a thread on them a little while ago and the powder prices looked like a misprint. I'm surprised anything lasted this long.

I just got an email for the first sub $400 Ar's I've seen. New XD's, latest gen, under $350. Tanfaglio Witness's well under $300. If you waited to buy now is the time as the massive inventory is going to lead to many deals now that Hillary is not in the picture

runfiverun
02-24-2017, 10:29 PM
I was holding off on buying some powder locally until I got my taxes done.
I got them done and the powder went up 10$ a jug so I passed.
I got to checking online and it's up everywhere like there is more demand not less.
which there must be, since I can't find more than 2 jugs of anything the same anywhere.

dbarry1
02-24-2017, 10:46 PM
They had primers on sale last weekend for $12/1000. Crazy deal. At that time they had lots of powders. I suspect folks loaded up for hazmat and depleted supply.

RogerDat
02-25-2017, 02:12 AM
Being down to only two powders in stock is not people adding an extra jug or three to an order to get more bang from the hazmat fee. They said they were sold out of all but a couple of flavors. That says to me they were dumping their supply. Why no idea. Could be to free up cash from inventory, maybe a tax bill came due, could be due to not wanting to deal with powder and primers anymore. Time will tell why but getting down to only the couple of flavors was intentional.

jonp
02-25-2017, 07:47 AM
Could be they are moving the warehouse or building a new one and don't want to transport the inventory.

jmort
02-25-2017, 09:12 AM
^^^ That or a sale of the business is pending. It is, what it is.

9.3X62AL
02-25-2017, 09:26 AM
Possibility here.......March 1 "floor tax" on inventory? California had that for a time, and businesses habitually cleared out inventory right after Christmas until late February--reported on inventory status for March 1--and stocked up afterward. Just a thought.

abunaitoo
02-25-2017, 10:28 PM
Ever since the new owners, I have not done any business with them.
They don't want any one from Hawaii/Alaska buying from them.
I used to buy $3k to $4k a year.
Friends here no longer buy from the either.
Midway charges Hawaii handling fee on USPS flat rate box. What's up with that?????
I no longer buy from them.

dragon813gt
02-25-2017, 10:34 PM
I haven't bought from them either. I was never given an answer about what happened to the photo they had of my drivers license. I was never happy about the old owner's policy requiring it to purchase powder and primers. But then they sell the business and no one has an answer about what happened to it.

BigMagShooter
02-26-2017, 05:35 PM
I can't even find powder or primers at ALL on the website.

jonp
02-27-2017, 08:09 PM
Ever since the new owners, I have not done any business with them.
They don't want any one from Hawaii/Alaska buying from them.
I used to buy $3k to $4k a year.
Friends here no longer buy from the either.
Midway charges Hawaii handling fee on USPS flat rate box. What's up with that?????
I no longer buy from them.

Hawaii Handling Fee? Last I checked, Hawaii was still in the USA. What is that for?