Jimmy from the Boise Bicycle Project here, thought I'd chime in with our experience. 

Dealing with the Devil might be the right way to think about it, but maybe not in the sense that you think. First let me say that we have met so many kind and generous people who work at Wally's that we would never say anything bad about their floor staff, and they should keep up the good work where ever they are employed. The store philosophies on the other hand is a different story that reaches far beyond the bicycle, but that is another topic. The adult bikes that they put on the floor are not only tremendously poor quality, and a huge disservice to the uneducated customer, but they are extremely dangerous. 

At BBP, we refuse to sell bicycles that are not sustainable and that we wouldn't ride ourselves. Because of our philosophy we will not even consider selling any of their bicycles in our shop, and when they do come in from community donations or from Wally's directly the only option we consider is "parting them out." I use the quotes, because there are really so few parts that are worth keeping (Saddles, cables, grips, threadless headset spacers, and maybe a few other things at most). Why are they dangerous? You will discover when you strip them down. It is very difficult for some of our new volunteers to take apart a brand new bike from Wally's, but a great learning experience when they discover that 7/10 bikes have half of the bearings missing in the hubs and bottom bracket (7/10 in the last batch, no joke). These are bikes with shocks and disc brakes that are selling for $150-$300. That means Wally's is paying $50-$100 for them, and the means the actual manufacture is spending $20-$50 to make each of these bikes. At that price, quality control does not exist, and neither does any other responsible business practice. 

Some of the bikes from Wally's are full suspension 29ers and fixies. I challenge you to take these on the trails and streets to see how they actually hold up, but wear a helmet and some good walking shoes, because you'll end up walking home. Wally's should be in legal trouble for selling these bikes to people who actually think they are buying a mountain bike, or bike that can be ridden in high traffic urban setting. Wally's buyers know that these bikes are not what they seem, but they also know they are targeting uneducated people who won't be able to tell the difference in the store. When the bike breaks, the customer is left with a bike that will be more expensive to repair than what it is worth, or they are injured, or worse. Wally's may take returns, but then what? The process that it takes to make bicycles of any quality is extremely bad for the environment. What makes a bicycle environmentally friendly is riding it, riding it often, and riding it for a long time. Wally's bikes are not designed for any of these things, and each time somebody buys one of these bikes instead of finding an old Rockhopper or a Trek Antelope at your coop, the cycle continues. 

Maybe you can take them and recycle them for scrap (at least it keeps them from the landfill). Maybe you can save a few of the parts, but be careful with what you save because that wheel is going to come back with a bent axel and blown bearings, and now it will be your fault. Maybe you can take the kids bikes since every kids bike out there is made in China, but if you do, you better be taking that bike completely apart and checking every bearing because you will be the first person to be doing quality control in it's history. 

Be careful with this stuff. As coops, it is our responsibility to do a better job and be a better service to the community than the folks at Wallys and other big box store. It can be so temping, but it is a slippery slope. 

Sorry for the rant, and I'm sure I missed some grammar and spelling in there, but that's how it goes. 

Good luck, keep up the good work. 




On Sat, Jan 26, 2013 at 2:35 AM, Matt VanSlyke <vanslyke.matthew@gmail.com> wrote:
Harold,
If you're asking me about the store that has donated to the one-day event then sure, I'm happy to help. I am not the direct contact so I will have to check. But let's talk outside the listserv to spare everyone's inbox. 
Matt V
NYBC

On Jan 25, 2013, at 10:58 PM, Harold Schreckengost <mewshi@gmail.com> wrote:

Excuse me, I have a question.  Would you mind giving me this DMs name and general info?  I am looking at getting a co-op going, and I work at Walmart... I would love to get something like this at my store.

On Jan 25, 2013 7:17 PM, "Matt VanSlyke" <vanslyke.matthew@gmail.com> wrote:
You're not alone, Doug. WalMart started donating their scratch and dent bikes to a one-day give away to kids 3 or 4 years ago. I would guess that they've donated about 200 brand new bikes. 

Matt V. 
NYBC

On Jan 25, 2013, at 7:05 PM, david bosch <davidmbosch@yahoo.com> wrote:

Doug,
 Very interesting. You will have to keep us posted. Maybe if this works out, Wal*Mart will reach out to other non-profits to establish a similar arrangement. Maybe, OK this is a long shot, we can have some influence the the bikes that department stores carry in the future.
David


From: Doug Franz <doug@coatesvillebikeworks.org>
To: 'The Think Tank' <thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org>
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2013 6:45 PM
Subject: [TheThinkTank] Deal with the devil!

The strangest thing happened last night.  I was at an open house for another charity here in Coatesville, talking up our charity because it’s my job, and I was introduced to the District Manager of Wal*Mart. 
 
I’m not a Wal*Mart fan.  I understand they fill a need in society, and obviously lots of people don’t subscribe to my point of view or else they wouldn’t be as successful as they are.  But for me, I would rather give up other luxuries to afford the more expensive products at my neighborhood store than buy them from the Wal*Mart in town.  I actually feel some joy when one of our kids asks me what his Wal*Mart bike is worth, and I answer “10 cents a pound!”
 
Anyhow, this woman explained to me that Wal*Mart doesn’t have a system for handling the bicycles that get returned to them or that arrive with defects from the manufacturer.  She asked me if they could be sent to us as a donation.  I explained to her that we accept bicycle donations, but typically the Wal*Mart bikes get stripped for parts and recycled.  She asked if they could send them to us anyhow.  I pointed out that we incur some costs in the processing of this material, and if we decide to fix some of them up there is the costs of the parts.  She asked if they could send a check along with the bikes. 
 
So, we made a deal.  Wal*Mart stores in her district will send us bikes they can’t use, along with $20 per bicycle.  We have 35 bikes arriving next week.
 
This will be interesting. . . .
 
Doug Franz, President
 
<image002.png>
 
 
 
I respect your right to manage the amount of email you receive.  If you want to be removed from this email list, please reply to ONLY ME, with "unsubscribe" in the subject line. 
 

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--
Thanks,

Jimmy Hallyburton
Executive Director
Boise Bicycle Project
(208)-429-6520
1027 Lusk St Boise, ID 83702
www.boisebicycleproject.org

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