I found 5qt jugs outside Walmart!

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I had thought that Walmart had an exclusive deal with the 5qt jugs which is why the other stores switched to either 5.1 or 5L jugs, But today at Kmart, I saw Castrol and M1 5qt jugs.
 
Yep,parts chains have the 5 quart jugs too,I've noticed. And my Castrol Edge empties I've saved (bought from Walmart) don't say "Recycle your oil at Walmart" anywhere on them like they used to.

Did Walmart's patent run out?
 
I reckon someone returned a Walmart purchase at Kmart without a receipt for store credit.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Yep,parts chains have the 5 quart jugs too,I've noticed. And my Castrol Edge empties I've saved (bought from Walmart) don't say "Recycle your oil at Walmart" anywhere on them like they used to.

Did Walmart's patent run out?


Please tell me you are kidding! Patent on 5 quart jugs? Seriously?
 
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Yep,parts chains have the 5 quart jugs too,I've noticed. And my Castrol Edge empties I've saved (bought from Walmart) don't say "Recycle your oil at Walmart" anywhere on them like they used to.

Did Walmart's patent run out?


Please tell me you are kidding! Patent on 5 quart jugs? Seriously?


Of course. Walmart is a VERY powerful entity in the retail world. Why else would they be the only retailer who had the 5 quart jugs (everyone else had the 5+ quart jugs,and the 5 quart jugs from Walmart had their logo all over them. Fast forward to the present. They no longer have their logo on them,and can now be purchased at all the auto parts chains.

A lot of powerful retailers have patents on certain products. Yeas ago when I sold shoes/men's clothing for JC Penney,New Balance made models of running shoes that were exclusive to JC Penney. The box even had the JCP/New Balance combo logo on it. Walmart also sells electronics and food packaging that's exclusive to them. The packages even have patent #s on them.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm

Of course. Walmart is a VERY powerful entity in the retail world. Why else would they be the only retailer who had the 5 quart jugs (everyone else had the 5+ quart jugs,and the 5 quart jugs from Walmart had their logo all over them. Fast forward to the present. They no longer have their logo on them,and can now be purchased at all the auto parts chains.


Product labelling is easily attributable to stores requirements. And it's sure believable that when you sell millions of a widget you can get the company to print whatever you want.

And I'd bet a custom size would be doable too. Walmart has a history of jacking with the sizes of products to make a price point.

Quote:

A lot of powerful retailers have patents on certain products. Yeas ago when I sold shoes/men's clothing for JC Penney,New Balance made models of running shoes that were exclusive to JC Penney. The box even had the JCP/New Balance combo logo on it. Walmart also sells electronics and food packaging that's exclusive to them. The packages even have patent #s on them.


I get what you are saying but those patents on clothing are design patents (the stylized "N", the Swoosh, Asics' Stripes, Skechers rip off of other designs, etc) and maybe technology patents. Nike had patent #'s in their sneakers for years relating to Air and other technologies.

If I'm ordering 150,000 widgets from you and want a special package or a logo, you better believe you are doing it!
 
I've seen recalls on products sold exclusively at Wal-Mart. I only buy oil there and sometimes work jeans.
 
You cannot patent, copyright or trademark a quantity. You can enter into exclusive agreements with a supplier that they only provide a certain size of a product but that does not stop other suppliers from supplying other customers the same size.

This whole 5 quart or 5.1 quart Wal-Mart thing is more urban legend than provable fact.
 
In Texas Oreilly's has them, Autozone has them, Advance Auto Parts has them, Pep Boys has them....maybe it is a just a regional difference in your area?
confused2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Hootbro
You cannot patent, copyright or trademark a quantity. You can enter into exclusive agreements with a supplier that they only provide a certain size of a product but that does not stop other suppliers from supplying other customers the same size.
This whole 5 quart or 5.1 quart Wal-Mart thing is more urban legend than provable fact.


^^This. I have a 5-quart engine oil container that was manufactured sometime during the 1920s, LONG before Sam Walton ever thought about building his first WalMart store.
Sams and WM can put some incredible pressure on their suppliers (do a Google search for "WalMart and Vlassic pickles"), but the size of the jug was not patented.
 
So if Walmart didn't have dibs on the 5 quart jug (I'm talking years ago),how come they had their name and logo all over them,and they were the only place you could get them until recently,while at that very same time,their logo and name disappeared off of the jugs' labeling? Maybe not a legal patent,but a "deal" with the oil companies at the time?

The older member here will remember when Walmart was the only place you could get the 5 quart jugs.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
So if Walmart didn't have dibs on the 5 quart jug (I'm talking years ago),how come they had their name and logo all over them,and they were the only place you could get them until recently,while at that very same time,their logo and name disappeared off of the jugs' labeling? Maybe not a legal patent,but a "deal" with the oil companies at the time?

The older member here will remember when Walmart was the only place you could get the 5 quart jugs.


I don't think the 5qt exclusivity was so much an accomodation to Walmart, but rather to all the other retailers, who were tired of price-matching Walmart.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
So if Walmart didn't have dibs on the 5 quart jug (I'm talking years ago),how come they had their name and logo all over them,and they were the only place you could get them until recently,while at that very same time,their logo and name disappeared off of the jugs' labeling? Maybe not a legal patent,but a "deal" with the oil companies at the time?

The older member here will remember when Walmart was the only place you could get the 5 quart jugs.


You can get 5 qt jugs here at AAP or AutoZone - have for YEARS.

When you buy something in the quantities of nearing or over a million units the vendors will print whatever you want on them...
 
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
So if Walmart didn't have dibs on the 5 quart jug (I'm talking years ago),how come they had their name and logo all over them,and they were the only place you could get them until recently,while at that very same time,their logo and name disappeared off of the jugs' labeling? Maybe not a legal patent,but a "deal" with the oil companies at the time?

The older member here will remember when Walmart was the only place you could get the 5 quart jugs.


You can get 5 qt jugs here at AAP or AutoZone - have for YEARS.

When you buy something in the quantities of nearing or over a million units the vendors will print whatever you want on them...


Nope. Read and search through some of the old posts here. The parts chains only had the 5+ quart and gallon (4 quart) jugs,and Walmart had the 5 quart jugs,and ALL of Walmart's 5 quart jugs had the Walmart logo on them.
 
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