Texas Hunting Forum

Academy slowing increasing prices?

Posted By: Texas Dan

Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 03:00 PM

It has always seemed that Academy and Walmart have been close to one another when it comes to price on the same item. Yesterday I was in a Walmart and noticed they had a bag of food plot seed (new stock) that was $3 or almost 25% cheaper than what I had paid just a few days ago at my local Academy.

Has anyone else seen recent evidence that Academy's new owner may have finally gotten around to increasing prices towards what you can expect to pay at BassPro and Cabela's?
Posted By: garyrapp55

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 05:06 PM

Were the bags of seed the same weight? Feed store only sells 50lb bags of xyz because it is the standard. Walmart sells a 40 lb bag for less and folks think they are cheaper. I usually shop online for the best price and start with Academy because they are a TX company. I never assume store a is less than than store b.
Posted By: Texas Dan

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by garyrapp55
Were the bags of seed the same weight? Feed store only sells 50lb bags of xyz because it is the standard. Walmart sells a 40 lb bag for less and folks think they are cheaper. I usually shop online for the best price and start with Academy because they are a TX company. I never assume store a is less than than store b.


Yes, identical items.
Posted By: ChadTRG42

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 05:13 PM

Seed should be a market driven price. Maybe old vs. new, different supplier, who knows.
Posted By: BOBO the Clown

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by Texas Dan
It has always seemed that Academy and Walmart have been close to one another when it comes to price on the same item. Yesterday I was in a Walmart and noticed they had a bag of food plot seed (new stock) that was $3 or almost 25% cheaper than what I had paid just a few days ago at my local Academy.

Has anyone else seen recent evidence that Academy's new owner may have finally gotten around to increasing prices towards what you can expect to pay at BassPro and Cabela's?



Academy’s new owners have only owned Academy for almost a decade...
Posted By: Texas Dan

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by BOBO the Clown
Originally Posted by Texas Dan
It has always seemed that Academy and Walmart have been close to one another when it comes to price on the same item. Yesterday I was in a Walmart and noticed they had a bag of food plot seed (new stock) that was $3 or almost 25% cheaper than what I had paid just a few days ago at my local Academy.

Has anyone else seen recent evidence that Academy's new owner may have finally gotten around to increasing prices towards what you can expect to pay at BassPro and Cabela's?



Academy’s new owners have only owned Academy for almost a decade...



I thought it was much more recent. First announced in June, 2011. How time flies as you grow old.

Still, with it being previously family-owned for 73 years, eight years probably does qualify as being recent.
Posted By: QuitShootinYoungBucks

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 05:52 PM

Companies re-price many items when new shipments come in. It might be a fall re-fill arrival and their supplier went up as well?
Posted By: BOBO the Clown

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 06:11 PM

Originally Posted by ChadTRG42
Seed should be a market driven price. Maybe old vs. new, different supplier, who knows.


It also has a germination shelf life, include the very slim usage time frame, it probably comes with heavy margin support as spring and summer whines down
Posted By: stxranchman

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 06:17 PM

Read the label to see the test date or bagging date is shown. That will tell you how old it is.
Posted By: BOBO the Clown

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by Texas Dan
Originally Posted by BOBO the Clown
Originally Posted by Texas Dan
It has always seemed that Academy and Walmart have been close to one another when it comes to price on the same item. Yesterday I was in a Walmart and noticed they had a bag of food plot seed (new stock) that was $3 or almost 25% cheaper than what I had paid just a few days ago at my local Academy.

Has anyone else seen recent evidence that Academy's new owner may have finally gotten around to increasing prices towards what you can expect to pay at BassPro and Cabela's?



Academy’s new owners have only owned Academy for almost a decade...



I thought it was much more recent. First announced in June, 2011. How time flies as you grow old.

Still, with it being previously family-owned for 73 years, eight years probably does qualify as being recent.



I’d say just the opposite they have almost doubled in size and revenue since then. Not even remotely the same animal.

Regardless your talking about a product with a very short marketability from a time frame stand point. It’s all comes down to sell through. If Academy has higher sell through then Walmart why would they take less margin.... they wouldn’t.

All about the analysis feedback... they are setting prices based off sell through, vendor support and time frames
Posted By: stxranchman

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 06:43 PM

I learned years ago that if a product has a picture of a deer on the bag...you will immediately be charge more. grin
Posted By: garyrapp55

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by stxranchman
I learned years ago that if a product has a picture of a deer on the bag...you will immediately be charge more. grin

or camo
Posted By: BOBO the Clown

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 08:04 PM

Originally Posted by stxranchman
I learned years ago that if a product has a picture of a deer on the bag...you will immediately be charge more. grin


Best is when you look at the seed % and it’s all winter rye
Posted By: stxranchman

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 08:14 PM

Originally Posted by BOBO the Clown
Originally Posted by stxranchman
I learned years ago that if a product has a picture of a deer on the bag...you will immediately be charge more. grin


Best is when you look at the seed % and it’s all winter rye

Rye Grass at that.
Posted By: Pittstate

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 08:15 PM

Academy is still cheaper than Bass, Cabelas, Gander, Sportsman, Dunn's, etc.

What is going on right now is that a lot of products are under additional tariffs right now. If you look at ladder stands, you will find a big increase in prices this year over last (steel tariffs that took place last year).

Some companies have old inventory in their warehouse and don't have to pass on higher prices until they begin to receive new product at the increased cost.


And here is a bombshell for some of you that plant foodplots with store bought seeds. The big companies came together to create an industry standard. They now allow retailers to relabel the seed info with test date one time. Supposedly, the companies are retesting a portion to validate it's germination rate. I have no info on who has done it yet, but I was told that most have done it. Don't know if it is true or not. I know when I was a buyer at Gander Mountain, we were selling seed that was 4 to 5 years old. Our vendors would not take it back and/or replace with new bags. This is the reason Academy completely sells out of most their hunting products each year and clearances out most of their hunting stuff each year before spring.

Regardless, I will only buy retail seed directly from the company or from my local seed store.
Posted By: BOBO the Clown

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 08:30 PM



Originally Posted by stxranchman
Originally Posted by BOBO the Clown
Originally Posted by stxranchman
I learned years ago that if a product has a picture of a deer on the bag...you will immediately be charge more. grin


Best is when you look at the seed % and it’s all winter rye

Rye Grass at that.


Yelp, .80 a pound at TSC roflmao
Posted By: stxranchman

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by BOBO the Clown


Originally Posted by stxranchman
Originally Posted by BOBO the Clown
Originally Posted by stxranchman
I learned years ago that if a product has a picture of a deer on the bag...you will immediately be charge more. grin


Best is when you look at the seed % and it’s all winter rye

Rye Grass at that.


Yelp, .80 a pound at TSC roflmao

And it is probably last years or year before that seed to boot.
Posted By: Texas Dan

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by Pittstate
Academy is still cheaper than Bass, Cabelas, Gander, Sportsman, Dunn's, etc.

What is going on right now is that a lot of products are under additional tariffs right now. If you look at ladder stands, you will find a big increase in prices this year over last (steel tariffs that took place last year).

Some companies have old inventory in their warehouse and don't have to pass on higher prices until they begin to receive new product at the increased cost.


And here is a bombshell for some of you that plant foodplots with store bought seeds. The big companies came together to create an industry standard. They now allow retailers to relabel the seed info with test date one time. Supposedly, the companies are retesting a portion to validate it's germination rate. I have no info on who has done it yet, but I was told that most have done it. Don't know if it is true or not. I know when I was a buyer at Gander Mountain, we were selling seed that was 4 to 5 years old. Our vendors would not take it back and/or replace with new bags. This is the reason Academy completely sells out of most their hunting products each year and clearances out most of their hunting stuff each year before spring.

Regardless, I will only buy retail seed directly from the company or from my local seed store.


Thanks for sharing this information. I have always viewed these labels as something the USDA requires the manufacturer to place on them so the buyer knows exactly what's in the bag and how long it's been in there. If retailers can change it later, it would seem the information is worth little more than the paper it's printed on.

Still, the intention of my post wasn't to draw attention to a bag of seed so much as it was to see if others have seen a trend in the prices they're finding at Academy. Of course this only applies to those who like to compare prices before making their purchases. While it may have been several years ago, I do remember "chatter" in these forums from others who feared Academy would eventually become more like it's higher-priced competitors after the buyout.

Thanks too for the comment on the increased price of steel and it's impact on the price of hunting stands. I noticed the price increase too but thought it might be more as a result on increased liability protection costs.
Posted By: Double Naught Spy

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 10:07 PM

The premise of the thread, here, are so interesting because of the assumptive leaps made.

The OP notices the price of a product at Academy and Walmart, noting it is cheaper at Walmart, and asks about Academy slowly raising prices over time, noting that they are usually similar in price on stuff. There is no issue of time in the sample chosen (just a few days). There is no historic comparison of prices on the products. The interrogative assumption is made that Academy is raising prices instead of the equally possible different action that Walmart lowered the price for some reason (as noted by several). Also implied is that prices on other Academy items have gone up as well. The increased price is then attributed to Academies new owners.

You just can't compare Academy's prices over time by looking at a singular product that is being compared to the same product sold at a different store at the same time as there is no historical reference. What Academy does and what Walmart does may not coincide as each company has their own business practices. The price of one product is not representative of all products, or can't be known as such without sampling the other product prices.

With that said, prices have gone up over time at Academy and at Walmart, regardless of ownership. That is the nature of inflation.

So maybe Walmart lowered the price on old stock they are trying to unload. Maybe Academy got in new stock that costs a lot more right now, hence why their prices have gone up on that particular product. Maybe they have different vendors on the item. I am sure that there are dozens of reasons why Academy and Walmart may not have similar prices on this one item at this time, many or most of which won't be knowable by the consumer.
Posted By: Texas Dan

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/08/19 11:02 PM

Originally Posted by Double Naught Spy
The premise of the thread, here, are so interesting because of the assumptive leaps made.

The OP notices the price of a product at Academy and Walmart, noting it is cheaper at Walmart, and asks about Academy slowly raising prices over time, noting that they are usually similar in price on stuff. There is no issue of time in the sample chosen (just a few days). There is no historic comparison of prices on the products. The interrogative assumption is made that Academy is raising prices instead of the equally possible different action that Walmart lowered the price for some reason (as noted by several). Also implied is that prices on other Academy items have gone up as well. The increased price is then attributed to Academies new owners.

You just can't compare Academy's prices over time by looking at a singular product that is being compared to the same product sold at a different store at the same time as there is no historical reference. What Academy does and what Walmart does may not coincide as each company has their own business practices. The price of one product is not representative of all products, or can't be known as such without sampling the other product prices.

With that said, prices have gone up over time at Academy and at Walmart, regardless of ownership. That is the nature of inflation.

So maybe Walmart lowered the price on old stock they are trying to unload. Maybe Academy got in new stock that costs a lot more right now, hence why their prices have gone up on that particular product. Maybe they have different vendors on the item. I am sure that there are dozens of reasons why Academy and Walmart may not have similar prices on this one item at this time, many or most of which won't be knowable by the consumer.


I think you earned a prize for using the most words to identify the possible motives behind a simple three-sentence post.
Posted By: Sneaky

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/09/19 02:35 AM

Originally Posted by Texas Dan
Originally Posted by Double Naught Spy
The premise of the thread, here, are so interesting because of the assumptive leaps made.

The OP notices the price of a product at Academy and Walmart, noting it is cheaper at Walmart, and asks about Academy slowly raising prices over time, noting that they are usually similar in price on stuff. There is no issue of time in the sample chosen (just a few days). There is no historic comparison of prices on the products. The interrogative assumption is made that Academy is raising prices instead of the equally possible different action that Walmart lowered the price for some reason (as noted by several). Also implied is that prices on other Academy items have gone up as well. The increased price is then attributed to Academies new owners.

You just can't compare Academy's prices over time by looking at a singular product that is being compared to the same product sold at a different store at the same time as there is no historical reference. What Academy does and what Walmart does may not coincide as each company has their own business practices. The price of one product is not representative of all products, or can't be known as such without sampling the other product prices.

With that said, prices have gone up over time at Academy and at Walmart, regardless of ownership. That is the nature of inflation.

So maybe Walmart lowered the price on old stock they are trying to unload. Maybe Academy got in new stock that costs a lot more right now, hence why their prices have gone up on that particular product. Maybe they have different vendors on the item. I am sure that there are dozens of reasons why Academy and Walmart may not have similar prices on this one item at this time, many or most of which won't be knowable by the consumer.


I think you earned a prize for using the most words to identify the possible motives behind a simple three-sentence post.


At least he made a point in direct relation to the subject instead of dancing around it with a bunch of philosophical nonsense.

Hint.....
Posted By: Espy

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/09/19 03:21 AM

I plant several small food plots. At the end of hunting season Walmart and Academy closes out the remaining food plot seeds at up to 75% off so I go to several stores and stock up. Walmart has been 3-5 dollars cheaper than Academy for identical seed for several years now.
Posted By: Texas Dan

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/09/19 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by Espy
I plant several small food plots. At the end of hunting season Walmart and Academy closes out the remaining food plot seeds at up to 75% off so I go to several stores and stock up. Walmart has been 3-5 dollars cheaper than Academy for identical seed for several years now.


IMO, Walmart is actually better than Academy at dropping prices until all current stock is gone. Could be wrong but what doesn't sell at a slightly discounted price at Academy seems to return the following the season. Walmart on the other hand has been known to drop prices to ridiculous levels on firearms and ammo until it's gone, as evidenced by those who have tipped us off to these sell offs with their posts. I know the same Weatherby rifle that I paid $657 for at Walmart (still a very good deal) was later offered at just $399. Might have been even lower.

It was several weeks ago before they had received new stock that I noticed a bag at Academy that had an early 2018 test date on the label. The bag that I picked up just last week (identical item) has an early 2019 test date. However, based on the comments shared earlier about retailers being able to change/update these labels, not sure that means as much I thought earlier.

I remain an avid Academy shopper and spend a lot more time there than at BassPro or Cabela's. The purpose of my OP was simply to solicit feedback from others to see if perhaps I had missed a trend to increase prices at Academy, just as I unfortunately find out too late about the ammo sell offs at Walmart.
Posted By: tlk

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/10/19 10:14 PM

Originally Posted by stxranchman
I learned years ago that if a product has a picture of a deer on the bag...you will immediately be charge more. grin


And if it is a glossy picture of the deer then price goes even higher! LOL
Posted By: snake oil

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/11/19 11:41 PM

I believe a target will inflate the price also.
Posted By: dogcatcher

Re: Academy slowing increasing prices? - 08/12/19 12:22 AM

With the tariffs being imposed on China, some things from China will also see increases.
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