Gun Superstore? Why Not?

[oneounceload]

There is a gun superstore. It's called Wal-Mart. They have a hard time selling guns at a profit even though they're the cheapest place around.

wally world is NOT a GUN superstore - a lot of them do not even sell guns. BASS, Cabela's and Gander are more of gun superstores than wally world. Besides, folks buying guns at wally world aren't going there to buy Kimbers, Kreighoffs, or Anschutz. They don't even want to spend the money on a Wingmaster..........

 

[oldfool]

I'm the OP.

Basically, what I gather from you guys is the reason people don't do it is because of capital. If someone had like $5 million, opened a big store + internet, would that be a good idea in a good sized city?

OP
the 7 habits of highly successful people are exactly the same 7 habits of highly unsuccessful people

lots of good reasons why those of us who do not do that , are real happy that some do that

all you really have to ask yourself is-
if you can get your hands on a $5M credit line (or preferably $5M in cash), would you rather put it into a gun shop, or would you rather buy some really, really, really, really nice stuff and shoot it all a lot
(there are no wrong answers to that question)

if you choose the gun shop, kindly drop us a note; I will look at your prices

PS
if you can do cyberspace well, suggest you look for podunk center real estate, or some vacant worn out farm with really good bandwidth
if you can do $5M credit line, you don't need need location, just a really fast servers and a bunch of people in shipping and handling who do not steal

 

[ClayInTX]

I’m not supplying an army and trying to get one percent off which amounts to thousands of dollars.

I’m buying one gun and willing to pay a premium for the privilege of seeing it, handling it, and trying the action. I cannot do this on the internet and I believe it unethical to check something at a local shop and then go to the Big Boys to buy.

I want to see it before I buy it. I drive a vehicle before I buy it. I walk through a house before I buy it. I try on a suit before I buy it.

So far they won’t let me try on underwear at Sears nor try a sausage biscuit at McDonalds before I buy.

 

[jakeiscrazy]

We have a Green Top in VA. I haven't been in, but I have driven past. I have a friend that says it is "AMAZING!!!!". Looks pretty big from the outside

 

[jl1966]

Oneounceload, I have no problem paying retail prices, as long as it is the lowest retail price I can find. If you will examine my previous post, you will see that I was talking about a local shop with lower prices than Sportsmans Warehouse, hence I buy my guns from the local guy. It often seems to me that people think a gun store is doing them a favor by selling them a gun or even just waiting on them when they come in. Regardless of what your bussiness is, I feel you should be grateful that I am giving you the opportunity to get my business. If your prices are too high, your employees are rude or unhelpful, or you never stock what I need, you won't get it. Thats business. So when I go in store A and the guy is trying to get $500 plus for a specific gun and you and I are the only ones in your shop. Then I go to shop B and it is packed, and he wants $375 for the same gun, who am I gonna take my business to? This is an actual experience of mine with two local shops. The guy at shop A is the one, crying about barely breaking even. I can see why.

 

[FenderTK421]

I will gladly pay 10% additional to support a local mom and pop shop rather than buying from a 'mega-store.'

 

[Bubbles]

Quote:
Bud's drop ships a lot of their items, which means they are not laying out the cash for inventory.

I've started hearing this over the last couple of months. Where did it originate?

Local dealers who do transfers are starting to notice. The customer tells the transfer dealer that he bought the gun from Bud's, but the paperwork on the package shows that it was shipped directly from a distributor.

Nothing wrong with the business model until you try it and all the distributors are out of stock. Doesn't work too well with Title II stuff, either.

ETA: We knew going into the gun biz that we couldn't compete with the big retail stores, so we focus on services like refinishing, gunsmithing, and custom builds.

 

[jl1966]

I will gladly pay 10% additional to support a local mom and pop shop rather than buying from a 'mega-store

.'
Yeah, me too, but not if the guy can't take the time away from consulting with his usual panel of "experts", that every gunshop seems to have, to ask me if I need something. I dont expect him to come chase me around the shop, just a "Hey, how are you, can I help you?", is all. Also, if I ask about a gun, If you dont have it, say so, and offer to order it, dont tell me they dont make such a model. I think big boxes are great, keeps everyone honest. If wally world or Gander is selling gun X for $200, then joe shmoe can't gripe about trying to get $400 with no takers. This works well with private individuals too. I had a guy at a gunshow get steamed when I quoted him the new price at wally world, which was lower than the price he was asking for a used gun. He stomped off muttering, "Eveybody knows the wal mart price these days." As I have said in previous posts, I believe in supporting a local shop, and most all my purchases are at the one I favor. This is because he does not try to gouge you, is knowledgable about all aspects of firearms, helpful, and actually seems to be making the volume thing work on a local level.

 

[gunfire876]

5,732 guns @ BUDS as of today

While alot of distributors and manufactors will ship for us, we have a couple guns in stock @ Budsgunshop.com I swear some of you guys know more about the place than I do. I understand while some dealers spread lies about us and we can't please everybody, but I guarentee the staff @ Buds tries to provide the best service possible. Have we ever screwed up yes, but we also try to make everything right because we wouldn't be in buisness without our customers. pm me if I can ever help. Marty

 

[MattTheHat]

^OVER 5,000 GUNS IN STOCK

Geeze, how do you ever get guys to leave? Sounds like the promised land to me!


-Matt

 

[danprkr]

Geeze, how do you ever get guys to leave? Sounds like the promised land to me!

Why would they want to leave?

 

[blaisenguns]

I honestly think that any gunshop makes more revenue from ammo, range fees, gunsmith services, etc. than selling guns. And you do have to take into account transfer fees and shipping when you buy online. $50 is the cheapest transfer dealer in my area, I would rather just go to a store and buy something.

 

[CoRoMo]

Few gun dealers have a larger inventory than the Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops that I've been to. Most have better prices though.