Technical Why can’t they leave well enough alone?

I do a lot of my shopping at the local Wally’s. Last week I went in for some motor oil and a filter.
They no longer stock Fram PH 5’s. I checked the website, no PH 5’s unless you order them. Can there be that little demand for the quintessential SBC oil filter?
I don’t mean to rouse the Fram hater’s, it just kinda bugs me when things you use get harder to buy.

 

Tried to buy a buggy whip lately?

 

last used on vehicles around the year 2000, eh?

yeah, they only stock fast moving items at WM.

Used to be I could buy all kinds of neat stuff there, but no more.

 

If it doesn't sell often enough there isn't enough profit in keeping one or several on the shelf. Which sometimes can lead to genius decisions such as only stocking one brake disc, when you don't sell enough in a year to motivate having two on the shelf...

 

Yup, I’m old too

 

Not only fast moving but high-est priced stuff ...

 

Instead of relying on Walmart to stock them for you, figure out how many you need over the next 2-3 years and order some from Rock Auto or your favorite supplier. Put them on your shelf and save the headache.

 

Well Amazon has plenty in stock..........What the bean counters never see is that many times the slow moving item draws the guy into the store and while he is there, his wife buys a lot of other stuff.

 

Squal-Mart has an on line thing too, where you can order stuff and they deliver it to your local store fer ya...saving the shipping cost to you....
6sally6

 

I don't buy anything that I can't use in 6 months , too much junk around here to dispose of as is .

 

Yep, went to the HW store today for Silver Solder. I have no idea if it used to be lead free 30 years ago or not. , but all the solder there was “lead free”.
If the old stuff had lead, I assume I now have to do some practice on the lead free stuff. And hope it hold to 150psi.

I understand the move away from lead, but dang it. I want it.

 

This. When Amazon can have my filter and oil on my porch in one day, free delivery, who needs to stock stuff? And I am too busy to hit several stores looking for what I want.

 

yup, I order 4 at a time.

I've ordered a few things from walmart this year, free shipping and shows up quickly and same price as buying it in town, but they don't stock it at our store.

 

I stock up on oil filters for early Olds/Pontiac and Corvair. Also spark plugs. No trouble getting them so far, but I expect them to get more expensive and harder to get as time goes on. I often find good deals on eBay. Living out in the boondocks usually means two trips for the item, one to find out they don’t stock it and one to pick it up a day or two after I needed it.

 

Exactly, it is shopping in the 21 century; if you can't wait a day or 2, it's just poor planning.

 

There's a difference between silver solder and lead or lead free solder.

 

I know there is between solders, but would you know if Silver Solder ever had lead in it?

Edit: Because everything sold as Silver Solder had “lead free”. Maybe just marketing what could have always been?

 

Heck, guess I should have googled it. Seems it may not have ever had lead, hence why used for copper water pipes.

 

All fair enough for they only stock fast moving items .... same time is the only place local that stock & sell the 7" round seal beamed headlights I need for my 49 Dodge ..... when was the last vehicle they were used on?

 

I try to support my local parts stores instead of folks like Walmart or Amazon. Seems there are plenty of threads on here about parts stores going out of business.

 

To tell the truth I couldn't tell you if the local Walmarts even stock filters at all. I get most of my oil there simply because their prices beat the crap out of O'Reilly's or other parts houses. A 10 buck difference on a 5 qt jug for my OT car. Filters either O'Reilly's or Autozone both 2 miles from the house.
I'd have to agree with the shelf space and how fast stuff moves at Wally world. If it doesn't move off the shelf at a prescribed pace that shelf space goes to something that does.
I was never in a Walmart until 1989 in Hayes Kansas to buy a trailer hitch ball but used to shop Valuemart and KMart when you could go and get oil, filters, a tune up kit and spark plugs for just about anything and the spark plugs were cheap as was most automotive because the plugs were a loss leader item to get you in the store and then buy a cart full of other stuff along with the plugs.

 

They also don't carry oil anymore, it's either blend or full synthetic

 

I’d probably shop at Walmart to save a few bucks, but it’s two towns over and over an hour round trip.
We don’t have local parts houses anymore within two towns anymore, all chain places now.
Well there is a Napa two towns over, but nothing I need there that I can’t get locally.

 

We make fun of @Moriarity for his spark plug wires but he has a great idea, but in bulk and you will always have a fresh supply of your hard-to-get items.

 

I'm pretty sure they still charge you a minimum $5 shipping & handling fee ...crooks ..

 

We are talking USA here are we???
$5 shipping & handling fee would buy 1.38 gallons of gas. [@ $3.60 gal]

If your clunker only got 15 mpg , you would have to live closer than 10.5 miles away for the round trip.

 

Just bought two 5qt jugs of Castrol, non syn.

Ben

 

I hear what you are saying, but I think that most bean counters also know that the wives will find their way to the stores with, or without the husband and while she is there, - still buy a lot of other stuff…….……….