What You Want In A Gun Store

What You Want In A Gun Store

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me after i won the lotto

Demilled-- the last thing a retail shop wants is people who sit around all day, drink coffee, read magazines and don't buy anything! If you want that, join a gun club... most have a bunch of old guys who sit around and chew the fat in the clubhouse all day.

Ditto!

As a store owner I am paying for every square each of the store. The more space I take away from merchandise the more I cut into my profit.

How would you feel if a bunch of guys came into your living room every day, watched TV, read your books, pawed over your possessions and drank up your coffee without giving you a penny? Oh and they would hang around any visitors you have and listen in on your private conversations.

Believe me I know from first hand experience how this type of good ole boy customers hurts business.

A lot of book stores have a coffee area where customers can read, visit and drink coffee.

Here's what they need - money, lots of money. I happen to be the banker for one of my local gun shops. At my previous bank I was the banker for two large gun shops in the area. (we're lucky, we have three really good shops in my town). Anyway, the current shop has taken years to work up to an inventory value of just short of one million dollars. While his inventory suits my personal shooting needs other may feel that it falls short. This is not the level of a Cabela's or Bass Pro, just a good selection of guns, reloading gear and ammo. His inventory model is this - stock only products which sell year 'round. No camo clothes, deer piss-in-a-bottle, hunting gadgets, etc. It has worked well for him.

All that said, reread what I wrote - it is One Million Dollars in inventory.

Two dudes starting a gun shop with Ruger 10/22's, Mossberg 500's and three AR's won't be in business long.

One million is on the small side for a decent inventory... especially if you are getting into high end shotguns as a part of your business. Most decent gun shops probably have at least double that in inventory.

"One million is on the small side for a decent inventory... especially if you are getting into high end shotguns as a part of your business. Most decent gun shops probably have at least double that in inventory."

That was my point - one million dollars is a pretty small inventory but the average "gun-guy" wanting to open a gun store doesn't have anywhere near a million bucks.

Only this:

Not sure what I'd rather do, go in the store or make a pass on the lady in the hat.

Well obviously not everyone can start out with a million dollars for inventory, so what would you guys say would be a good amount to start with? I would say that I would rather shop in a store that didn't have the largest inventory but had nice people working to help you find what you needed rather than one that had everything but didn't care about helping you find what you really needed.

NavyLCDR, any idea of the location of the store in the picture? Both vehicles have Colorado plates. so I thought I might pay the joint a visit.

A.Rifleman said:

jdex,

I will not go into any shop for anything that has loose dogs.

One shop out of town has a dog that runs over, pokes its dirty nose at you and all. I did find a nice rifle there years ago however I won't go in there again.

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I can't say that I ABSOLUTELY wouldn't shop in a place with a loose dog, but I certainly do not find being slobbered on and begged at a plus for my shopping experience.

What do I really want in a gunshop besides free guns... good customer service, maybe a farly good looking girl or two who likes firearms, and fair prices. I didn't say "cheap" prices. I expect people that own stores to make a profit and a living and I am willing to pay more than typical "online" prices (just don't get carried away on this).

I also think the gunshop clingons drive away business.

Things I want to see... a clean public restroom, a fair inventory of guns, ammo, and accessories offered at competitive prices, being able to get a cup of Joe might be nice, but not necessary, and access to a gunsmith that is reasonably good.

Knowledgable, respectful staff
Good stock of firearms/ammo
Appreciation for the business I give them - not a foregone conclusion, unfortuneately

a clean public restroom, a fair inventory of guns, ammo, and accessories offered at competitive prices, being able to get a cup of Joe might be nice, but not necessary, and access to a gunsmith that is reasonably good.

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big +1 on the clean bathroom. for some reason i have always found myself judging a place by the quality of the bathroom. having a good gunsmith could very well set you apart from other shops in the area. free coffee? sounds like a dang fine place to hang out and just talk guns. im not sure i would ever want to leave...

Is 'Store Credit' a bad answer? lol

JEB said:

free coffee? sounds like a dang fine place to hang out and just talk guns. im not sure i would ever want to leave...

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You're proving my point from earlier in this thread. Retailers want you to come in, spend your money, and clear out. They don't want you there for endless hours chatting with your friends. A coffee machine is the biggest incentive for the hangers on to sit around.

Years ago, we had competition... heck, I'll even say that there shop may have been better than ours. Every morning, the owner bought donuts, and the boys would go piling into the place for donuts and free coffee. He had stools at the counter, and overstuffed chairs in the back. People would be lined up at the door when he opened, and there was always a crowd in there, but there didn't seem to be much product moving...

We have no coffee, no stools, no overstuffed chairs.

We're still around, and he's long gone.

drsfmd said:

Demilled-- the last thing a retail shop wants is people who sit around all day, drink coffee, read magazines and don't buy anything! If you want that, join a gun club... most have a bunch of old guys who sit around and chew the fat in the clubhouse all day.

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I see your point.


Ya know, I never thought about it from the shop owners view point before.

Alright. I thought about it and I still would like coffee and cookies with my guns.



It's a shame there is no club house in my town.

BSA1 said:

Demilled-- the last thing a retail shop wants is people who sit around all day, drink coffee, read magazines and don't buy anything! If you want that, join a gun club... most have a bunch of old guys who sit around and chew the fat in the clubhouse all day.

Ditto!

As a store owner I am paying for every square each of the store. The more space I take away from merchandise the more I cut into my profit.

How would you feel if a bunch of guys came into your living room every day, watched TV, read your books, pawed over your possessions and drank up your coffee without giving you a penny? Oh and they would hang around any visitors you have and listen in on your private conversations.

Believe me I know from first hand experience how this type of good ole boy customers hurts business.

A lot of book stores have a coffee area where customers can read, visit and drink coffee.

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The living room comparison is a bit of a stretch, don't you think?

I actually got the idea from book store coffee shop set-ups.
I was sitting there drinking coffee and reading a gun magazine when I had the idea "Wouldn't it be great if I could do this in a gun store.".

Cleanliness and good prices are a must.

I have a tackle/bait shop that I sometimes use when I don't have any choice. Piles of merchandise on tables. You have to weave around everything. Crickett in every corner, to include the restroom. The topping? A huge lizard that is a cross between a Kimodo Dragon and a Skink that lives under the chair the old man sits on.

My wife refuses to go into the store, and therefore by default, my time is limited in the store.

As for customers spending too much time just hanging around, a midget with a rubber baton would work. A couple of good wacks on the shins should keep the grinding wheel moving.

A drivethru window.

"Yeah, I'd like a brick of Stingers, 900 rounds of M855, aaaaand let me get a couple boxes of double ought 12 gauge."

"Would you like ear plugs or eye protection with that?"

I certainly do not find being slobbered on and begged at a plus for my shopping experience.

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I guess you don't shop at Wal-Mart much then?

I'm happiest with good prices and a large inventory, but a dealer that makes it possible to trade without losing your shirt is a real find IMO. There was a gun store in the town where I work that had prices that were noticeably higher than his competitors, but he would value your trade equally as high or even higher than his inventory, so trading with him usually cost less than the other shops in spite of the lower prices on the tags. Unfortunately they closed their doors when the owner passed away. There was a similar shop in the town where I went to college, but it closed a few years ago because the owner suffered from some sort of disabling illness.

I really miss those shops because a lot of the shops I'm around these days think they are used car lots in terms of how they value trade in guns, even ones they know won't stay in inventory long. Give me a shop with decent inventory and a dealer who will value trades fairly and I'll be a customer for life.

Couple of thoughts

I have a few thoughts on the gun stores I have done business with.

• Whoever talked about a clean bathroom, I agree. My favorite FLGS for transfers has a filthy bathroom. That is the only problem with the store.
• If you will have dogs in the store, get low allergy dogs as some customers may be allergic and you don't want to scare them off.
• No Smoking. The best store for gunsmithing in my area will get caught sooner or latter for violating state law. I don't want to walk out of a store smelling like cigar smoke.
• Don't have a coffee table, locate above a cafe or as a secondary business next door.
• Have more capital than you think you will need.
• I agree on having cheap ammo for sale. Also stock more unusual cartridges like non-corrosive 7.62x54r (even if its just a box or two)
• Leave politics out. You don't know who will walk though the door and I know quite a few non-traditional gun owners. On the same note, don't say dumb things about gun bans that I know is not true.
• Have an email list and send out unadvertised specials to customers.
• Get involved in the community. There is a nearby pet store that has a tradition of local politicians visiting it and getting a picture with the parrot. Try to get to the same point.
• Don't try to spread FUD
• Do have a knowledgeable, pleasant staff. I am willing to pay slightly more for it.

Good luck!

Don't forget the ladies. We don't want to be talked down to or be "helped" to make a decision. Stock the holsters designed for female carry, offer a "ladies night" with discount, and treat us with respect. This will earn you not just our business, but our family and friends' business too. Word of mouth can be the greatest and cheapest marketing tool you can have.

Make sure your second in command has enough authority to be effective. Calling you every time somebody sneezes will only make him feel like a peon and your customers will feel like they're in a big box store.

Great discussion. I read through the whole thread and didn't see "open late evenings for retail business" mentioned (might have missed it).

It will cost more to stay open late (say 9pm), but that's the only time a lot of people have available. Weekends are great, but often too crowded.

It would be nice to have a decent restroom, in case you have to go. I was in one years ago that was scarier than a lot of porta johns I've been in. And it smelled as bad as some of them too. A dog is a positive, in my opinion. I used to go to a hardware store that had 2 huge and two medium sized dogs that made going there a lot more fun than going to Lowe's. They followed people around and never bothered me at all. The things that bug me most about gun shops are insanely high prices, one local place is so high that you can almost buy 2 new guns on Gunbroker for what the charge for one, and the endless crazy political stuff that comes up. From birth certificate nonsense to religious loonery, keep it out of the public, please. It concerns me that some of these people are running loose without supervision, some with a LOT of guns.