How much loyalty do you feel you owe Your Gunshop?

[priv8ter]

Ever since moving to Washington a few years ago, there has been a little local gun store I have thought of as My Gunstore. The owner has always been very helpful to both myself and my wife, and has never really offered up bad advise that I am aware of.

When Sportsmans Warehouse came to town, I stuck with the local guy. Oh, I would go to Sportsmans to handle guns, and pick up ammo, because the local guy didn't have that good of an ammo selection, but I would pay the extra $10-15 to order a known NIB gun through the local guy instead of buying the display model at Sportsmans.

Now though, I am looking to buy a Remington Model 700 BDL or CDL, and Sportsmans Warehouse is selling them for $75 to $80 less than I can order one for through Davidsons at my local shop.

In your folks opinion, does there reach a point where money is money, and you aren't a bad person for wanting to save $80? Or am I just scum of the earth?

greg

 

[LiquidTension]

I support the local guys as much as possible, but sometimes they just can't compete with the larger chains. As long as you still do some business with them, you shouldn't feel like the scum of the earth

 

[P95Carry]

Greg - I have a similar gun shop - done a huge amount of business with and thru them - and my transfers are only ever $10! I do support them best I can but - at times yes - I do let the Green Buck speak and obtain things elsewhere. I can get consumables from a place only an hour's drive away - so save quite a bit on that. I have also bought some good deals elsewhere, including here (THR) and other shops.

In the end tho I reckon to not only ''play the field'' but maintain my PRIMARY business direction towards the local guy. This might mean now and again - asking him what his best deal is on gun ''x'' ..... knowing that he has to make his mark to survive - it ain't greed. If he can't get close enough to what I know can be obtained way cheaper then - if saving is really that good - I go elsewhere.

This is really just basic consumer choice in play. Still tho - I try to keep my loyalty to local guy active, even he misses out on one or two things where he just can't match the low seller's deal I go for.

 

[MikeIsaj]

Everyone has their own bottom line. You need to ask yourself, how much is all the free advice and help I get from the local guy worth to me? I gladly pay an extra buck or two for ammo from the local guy. And when I want a new weapon, he is my first stop. But I still bought a used Sig from another dealer because I wanted one and he had it at a price I could not pass up. I also rationalized that it was another private dealer and not some big box, mega store.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Since my local gun shop does not seem interested in being loyal to me, instead gouging for the all mighty dollar, I feel 0% loyalty.

Money is always money. Paying say 10% more ($80 on an $800 gun so you pay $880) to a place that charges roughly 30% more for ammo that I can get delivered to my door from online sources (including shipping) is silly.

I once asked the guy on the square (local dealer with whom I don't do business as a result) if he would be willing to try to match prices I found online for a shotgun. He said NO. He refused to compete with a disembodied, supposed gun dealer that had products he could not evaluate being comparable to being what he had to offer. He felt he had fair prices and those prices were what had to be paid to get guns out the door.

Of course, I am not the general newbie gun buyer with no knowledge of guns. I generally know what I want and don't need to have time spent by a clerk trying to convince me to buy brand A over brand B or getting features D, E, or F.

FYI, the shotgun I wanted was not in stock at my local gun shop, although he carried that brand of gun. He simply didn't have that model in stock. And what was he bargain price he was going to let me have the gun for that I was going to have to order through him? List price. I would have to prepay at list price of $999.95 plus tax. Bass Pro Shops located roughly 30 minutes away had the same gun for $889 and change. Of course there would be tax. The local gun show had them for prices a little higher and lower than Bass Pro, plus there would be taxes. On Gunbroker, I could order the gun from an out of state dealer for $850, pay $25 for the transfer, and have the same gun for $875 (no sales tax) that my local guy was going to have to charge me roughly $1070 after taxes.

Screw-em. There is no reason to piddle away money to pay ridiculous prices to a Scrooge.

In another example of saving money, I had the option of buying a Barrett from the local dealer for $7000. He would have to charge sales tax, roughly $490, but I could pick it up that day. Or, I ordered one from Colorado for the same $7000 plus the transfer fee, and saved enough money to buy a couple hundred rounds of ammo. The big difference? I had to wait roughly a week before it was finally shipped and delivered to a dealer.

I have paid local gunstore (next town) prices and did so when I needed a lot of information about making a purchase decision. I didn't have a problem with paying the extra $ to folks who were taking the time to help me evaluate my options and had a good selection of guns to show me. It took a couple of hours, but I left with a gun that I thought fit my needs and had made the decision based on comparing several different models. Those folks deserved the higher money for the time and help provided. If you don't need that help, however, then you should not need to pay for it.

 

[taliv]

just remember that when the local guys go out of business, the big guys' prices will go up, to probably more than what the small guy was selling for.

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

I try to spread my business around, though I seem to buy most of my guns either used or from the local Sportsman's Warehouse. I've bought a few guns from Gander Mountain and a few from local independent shops, too.

I buy the bulk of my ammo from Walmart--I save about $15-$20 per week that way. It's pretty hard to turn that down.

 

[dolanp]

I support them as much as I can but when the prices are too high it's just not possible. The one I usually use has good prices though.

I think of it sort of like a small electronics store. If you can go into Walmart, Best Buy, or whatever and get an high-priced item for several hundred dollars less than the local electronics guy in his hole-in-the-wall store, it's no surprise the little guy will go out of business. It's unfortunate for him but you shouldn't start a business if you can't be even a little competitive.

Now if their prices are close, the little guy usually has expertise to offer that you will probably not find at the chain stores and that makes his knowledge worth something.

 

[Babalouie]

You might consider asking them what kinds of services they can give you to offset the price difference. You mention they give good advice so you know they are knowledgable. Perhaps they could mount and bore sight a scope, free float the barrel, clean and prep the firearm or provide some other service. There may be some things they would throw in to sweeten the deal a llittle...an ammo pouch, ear protection or something. I have found that shop owners in this business value there customers and enjoy their business and are often happy to provide some personal depth to keep good customers good customers.

 

[Trisha]

As much as possible, even when funds are a little lean and I only buy some fresh factory defensive loads.

The reasoning is straightforward - while more and more of the Bailey area becomes a bedroom suburb to the flatlanders, either we support our local gunshop or we won't have one this side of Kenosha Pass until you go into Jeffco.

Bailey Guns.

Carl can't be as low-priced as places in the flats, but he's good people.

We do what we can to support Park County.

Having said that, when it comes to making purchases, no matter what, I'll support the family-owned businesses like The Gun Room* - nothing will see me purchase weapons from a mega-store.

YMMV

* I'd go there first, then Coldfax of Life, then K2 ( I've got the top 10-20 shopping list at my fingertips, should mu first novel sell, or we win the lottery, {write your favorite financial daydream/fantasy here}. . . )

 

[Citadel99]

I'd ask him to meet it or at least split the difference. Maybe he can throw in a free bore sighting or service that will make up the value to you. Support your local gun stores!

Mark

 

[Tokugawa]

Hmmmm... Money is money- BUT- I have noticed a decline in the number of small independent gun shops in the western Washington area since the early '80s. And they are still shrinking in size and inventory. Remember, when it gets too "uncomfortable" for the chain stores to continue to sell guns, they will stop- -example? No ar15s, AKs, etc at Sportsmans warehouse. It is not to hard to imagine them stopping all handgun sales too. They can afford to do so because of their other product lines.
Every time I spend a bit extra in an independent shop, I look at it as dues paid to support the shooting community as a whole.
I'm not trying to be absolutist about this, but if we want them to survive, we have to patronize them.

 

[jrhines]

I would gladly lay down my life for my gunstore.

- Chris

 

[Monkeyleg]

I'm envisioning a future--maybe ten years from now--when all the independents who carry S&W 500's, Bushmasters, Barrett's, and other demonized guns are out of business. And the big chains won't carry them.

Pretty ugly picture.

 

[roo_ster]

My favorite gun store was sold to a new owner and then it burned down. I'll take that as a sign to move on & find another.

I have not ever bought a firearm from a big box store & don't expect to.

That said, I find it hard to pass up Wally World value Packs & CheaperThanDirt Wolf ammo.

 

[Standing Wolf]

The only place I seem to be able to find top quality used guns is on the internet.

 

[hkOrion]

I was a huge proponent of my gunshop, until i learned that they really didn't want to be a gunshop - they wanted to be a training center. Sure, they had guns and would order stuff for you, but they didn't want to be a gunshop. They even have a state-of-the-art range, but for 'training purposes'. The owner even said that he didn't go to gun shows becuase he didn't want "those people" as customers.

After dropping close to $5k at this place on specific items I wanted that didn't come is as ordered (I could have refused them, but I would have had to wait 6 more months to get what I really wanted) I figured the hell with them. They can't take the time to call their members to let them know that hours have changed, don't update the website - I figure they WANT to go out of business.

So I'll go somewhere else now. There's always someone out there willing to take my $$$. I won't spend another dime at that place though.

 

[thebucket]

I like my little shop here. The owner will help you with pretty much any problem you have with a gun, his prices are pretty good, usually amounting to what you would pay for the gun online, after transfer fees and shipping. Which reminds me, he quoted me $380 for a Taurus Tracker 44 Magnum 4 inch blued and $420 for stainless. I haven't looked much at Trackers lately, so I'm not sure how the price is on it. Plus in the small shop you can stand around and BS with the owner and customers and just have fun. I like the people more in little shops.

 

[Lobotomy Boy]

I think a person needs to strike a reasonable balance. I'll pay an extra $10 to buy a gun from my local shop just to support the store. I spend a lot of money there on range time, and have bought some guns and a lot of accessories for them. But if it means saving $15 to up to $200, which can sometimes be the case, I'll drive the 15 miles to Sportsman's warehouse. my local store has reasonable prices on CZs and outrageous prices on Kel Tecs and Bersas, none of which are available at Sportsman's Warehouses. I bought a CZ at my local store and a Bersa at Gander Mountain for about $70 less than my local store asks for the same gun. My next handgun will be a Taurus .44 Magnum from Sportsman's Warehouse, which is about $100 cheaper than the same gun is at Gander Mountain and $200 cheaper than it is at my local store. This week I am buying a gun for each of my sons, a Thompson Center .50 caliber muzzle loader and a Nova .12 gauge. I can get the Nova for the same price at either Gander or SW, but the TC is $110 more at Gander than SW. The Nova is about $150 more at my local store and they don't carry muzzle loaders. Since Gander doesn't have the Nova in the barrel length that my son wants, nor do they have the camo pattern he wants and SW has both, I expect to make a trip to Anoka and drop the better part of $900 sometime this week. To get the same guns from Gander would cost over a grand, and I'd have to wait while they ordered the guns. SW has both in stock. To get the same guns from my local dealer would be impossible.

Ultimately I think that if a store can't compete in the current market climate, you are only delaying the inevetible by spending extra money to float their boat. The free market has its flaws, but in my experience it beats the bejeezus out of socialism.

 

[P0832177]

SW is Coon Rapids, not Anoka!

 

[Gordy Wesen]

The only time I stray from my favorite gun store is if I find a good deal or trade on something they will never have.
Otherwise, I don't shop around. Period.

 

[bogie]

Look at the place...

Is he trying to sell SKS rifles for $300? (saw that in St. Louis a coupla weeks ago...)

Is he charging $25/pound for powder?

$15 for a box of .22s that you can buy at Wally World for $9.99?

I can got a little over, but when things get purely ridiculous, I go someplace else.

 

[peacefuljeffrey]

I would tell the good-guy local shop owner that I really want to purchase from him over the big store, and could he help me out somewhat on the price difference so that I can buy from him instead.

If he knows what's good for him and his business, he will move at least a little on the price, to give you a reason to feel good about continuing to spend money with him.

-Jeffrey

 

[peacefuljeffrey]

doublenaughtspy wrote:

Screw-em. There is no reason to piddle away money to pay ridiculous prices to a Scrooge.

Wait a minute. In my thread about having to buy ammo from the range/gun store, didn't you defend them and their policy, and say I was out of line complaining about them? Yet here you are decrying the small shops tweaking prices out of whack compared to larger shops.

How do you reconcile this?

-Jeffrey

 

[rick_reno]

We had a nice gun shop here in town until Walmart came in - he closed down, said he couldn't compete with their prices. I bought and sold a few guns there and he'd order what reloading supplies I wanted if he didn't have them in stock. He stocked an amazing amount of stuff for a small store. That said, I have ZERO loyalty to Walmart. I'll even drive 45 miles one way to the next gun store down the road, just to avoid shopping there.