How are mom and pop gun shops still around?

[Hanzo581]

To preface this, I do try to support local small businesses but I won't do so at a detriment to my budget, it's one thing to pay a little more, but 30 or 40% more? No way.

So my wife bought me a gift certificate at a little mom and pop gun shop I'd never heard of and I like checking out new places so I was excited. Walked in and to my dismay literally everything was well over MSRP. Looked around for a bit and settled on two boxes of .45 range ammo for my $50 and hit the road never to return. Then I heard a sale on the radio from another local shop, buy one get one free pistol. I call them up....it's a Taurus TCP or a Slim 709......priced at $350. So you jack the price of the gun up to cover your fake buy one get one deal?

How do places like this exist in a world where not only do you have to compete with online sales, but now the "panic" is over and people aren't buying like they used to? Are we going to see a lot of places folding in the months to come?

I've read a lot on this site about little local shops having the best deals, but my area must be a exception to that as I've never seen these bargain.

 

[sabbfan]

Hopefully they stick around otherwise it will be hard to find a place to transfer an internet purchased firearm. I'll gladly pay more to support a local business and be able to handle/inspect before purchase, but I agree I draw the line at excessively overpaying.

 

[George Dickel]

Locally we have 3 mom and pop stores, and we also have Dick's and Academy. Prices are pretty consistent between all of them but if you want to find the lowest prices check each store. The mom and pop stores in many cases have better deals than the big box stores.

 

[squirrelmurder]

I have purchased a few firearms online in the last 2 years, simply because it was easy and I could be relatively certain of the best prices. On my third purchase I ended up with a handgun that had a problem I did not detect before taking possession, (it was NEW, what could possibly be wrong?), and the whole issue turned into an ordeal. From that point forward, I have made more of an effort to look locally first, and I have been surprised to find that at some shops, the purchases I made online were at most 5 to 10 percent better if you take the transfer fee into consideration. I imagine it depends a lot upon the locality, but in my case I have located several shops within driving distance that have better policies related to problems, and I am willing to pay more now that I have gone through the hassles of dealing with a defective "new" gun. The compromise is that not every shop will stock every gun you may be interested in, and I think most of them will be high on certain supplies, which is really not much different than grocery shopping.

 

[Nanook]

I've seen it both ways. There is one store near me, who has sale prices higher than the regular price at another nearby store. I buy mostly from the second store, but it also has to do with the owner's personality. The higher priced store has an owner who sometimes acts like you're bothering him just by walking through the door.

I usually check guns out at a large stocking dealer a half hour away, but I will buy from the LGS if I can. He does transfers too. I bought a couple of rifles from Gunbroker and they were sent to him for the transfer.

 

[ilbob]

Some people don't like mail order or internet sales. Sometimes you can get pretty good deals at local gun stores. Sometimes not. A lot of local gun stores do Consignment Sales so if you are looking to sell a gun it might well be the place to go. Prices are all over the place at gun stores. always have been. Same thing with gun shows. I don't understand why some dealers even bother to go to shows with the prices they have because they aren't selling anything.

 

[Mark 40]

My Bro-in Law owns a shop in NJ of all places. He buys a lot from estate sales and such. So he end up with a lot of unique stuff and always has something interesting on hand. Has a good local following. Him and his buddy turned a hobby into a successful small business.

 

[HOWARD J]

Cabelas is about 50 miles from me.
There is a small shop not far from me. They have been around since the 50's.
Good prices, good people
I get all my powder there
It is less expensive & much easier to buy everything else on line than to drive to Cabelas

 

[forward observer]

I think a lot of mom and pop stores are surviving by also selling on Gunbroker and the like, which gives them a larger audience and allows them to move merchandise better when they can't do so locally.

It seems like every 3rd or 4th listing I see on GB.com has a warning that goes something like: Be aware that this item
is also for sale in our store, and therefore is subject be withdrawn before ending if there are no bids.

Cheers

 

[mjsdwash]

reloading supplies and cleaning. When you mark up ALL reloading components 70%, because you know people don't want to deal with the hazmat. I accepted the markup when it was at 50% for just that reason. Now that a pound of ANY powder in my area is 33$ or more, and primers are 44$/box (actually down from 55$ years ago, I mail order. these were the prepanic prices. They didn't rise much during the panic because no one would pay more.

 

[Solomonson]

There's more money in the sale of used guns and consignment guns than new guns.

I went into a local mom and pop gun shop one day. I know the owner. He and another guy were discussing what I thought was an old, well-used .410 SxS shotgun. They were haggling over the price in a rather cryptic manner. The seller wanted $12K (!?!) and the buyer offered 10. They settled at $11K. The buyer tossed two little ziplock bags onto the counter (each held a roll of fifty $100.00 bills), opened a third and pulled a grand out of it.

The seller said he had to be crazy to be letting it go for $11K -- that it was worth $15K. The buyer said the seller was lucky to get $11K (they obviously knew one another and were jousting a bit.) Once the sale was over and the buyer left, I asked the store owner why he would sell a gun worth $15K for $11K? His response? "Because I was in it for less than a grand."

The gun was an old Rigby double rifle, not a .410 shotgun. That's when I realized how the sharpies really do turn a buck selling things.

 

[toivo]

There is a family-owned store near me, but I wouldn't exactly call them "Mom and Pop" -- it's a large operation, and sells a lot of outdoor gear besides guns: fishing equipment, camping gear, outdoor clothes and shoes, that kind of thing. Their gun department is large and well-stocked, but their prices are ... yup, pretty high: MSRP on guns and no room to dicker. A lot of their clientele aren't hardcore gun people who are buying and selling all the time: more like hunters or people who just got their pistol permits for self-protection, and see guns as a once-or-twice-in-a-lifetime purchase. With one exception, I have only bought from them when they've had a particularly good sale or had a decent price on a used item, for example a like-new stainless Ruger MK II for $225.

The upside is that they provide good customer service. I bought a new Winchester 9422 from them -- my one exception -- when the discontinuation of that model was announced. I paid MSRP. Come to find out that the forend wood was badly fitted and was sliding around: not exactly what you want on a brand-new firearm. (My fault for not noticing this in the store, but I didn't.) The good news is that they took care of shipping the rifle back to Winchester for warranty service and had it back to me pretty quickly at no extra expense to me. If I had bought from a big-box store, it would have been on me to contact Winchester, arrange and pay for shipping, etc.

 

[dh1633pm]

My local dealer is always cheaper than the big box stores. He charges a set markup and keeps it there for everything. Always a crowd in the store.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

There are two "mom and pop" gun dealers near me. They almost always have better prices than bigger stores. Cash is also "appreciated".

 

[Alte Schule]

I live in town with a population of 100,00 and x2 that or a little over for the entire county. Last year we had four gun stores in the county now we have two. One shop, in a rural area, had been burglarized twice within the last two years before they closed. Both times they lost thousands of dollars in inventory. I'm pretty sure insurance rates were a big factor in their closing. The other one was co-owned by a couple of young military veterans. In reality they were in the "tacticool" business catering to folks that enjoy tactical type firearms, knives and tannerite. That's cool if that's what your into but it is a niche market and their prices were anything but competitive. They also alienated many, many potential customers with their condescending claims of if you didn't buy SIG or Benelli you were ignorant and putting yourself and your entire family in danger. For awhile they leased a firearm range and attempted to turn it into a tactical training center. The problem was, although they were veterans, it was my understanding none of them were close to being at the instructor level. They closed the range after a few months and after being in business for a little over two years filed for bankruptcy at the end of last year.

The other two stores are both true Mom & Pop type shops. One has been in business for I'm going to guess 50 years and has a loyal customer base. They are the local go to place for hunting rifles and accessories and they have a gunsmith service. Their handgun selection is modest but their prices are decent.
My go to LGS is on the other side of town. They started out 25 years ago renting a small store in the warehouse district. They were only open on Tuesday's and Wednesday's as the majority of their sales were at weekend gun shows. They have evolved into a large retail outlet with an indoor ten lane firing range. They know me by name and know the types of firearms I like. Their prices are always way below MSRP and usually 10-20% less than the box stores. I bought a NIB Glock 43 last year for $385. Yes I got the Glock Homeland Security/First Responders 10% discount but they also threw in a +1 grip extension for no charge. They called me a couple of days ago because they hadn't seen me in awhile. They also wanted to tell me that they haven't heard anything about when Colt will offer the new model Cobra for sale. Yeah they know me quite well but you don't get that type of service everywhere.

 

[cjwils]

There is mom and pop store near me. They sell lots of used guns. I think they stay in business by offering only very low prices (usually less than 50%) if you want to sell them a used gun.

 

[jmace57]

The closest (and relatively new) gun shop to me opened about 3 years ago. Their prices are INCREDIBLY high. A gun for sale on Bud's at $500 is usually $850-$900 at this store. However, most of the walk-in business they get are from first-time gun purchasers, who don't know any better. I was there one day, when a guy was picking up a Savage Axis deer rifle for about $450 (and I was thinking "wow, only $50-$100 overpriced) and the sales guy then sold him a $900 scope to go on it.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

I live in a town with roughly 36,000 people. We have two "really" LGS (pretty much in town) and one LGS and a box store that verge on the border of our county and another. The two aforementioned are about a 15min drive from the house and the latter two are more like 30min.

I support all of them but more often than not it's a toss up between online and the locals. As far as firearms go, if it's within $50 or so of what I can get it online for I'll buy it local. I bought my current carry gun from the "local" Cabela's (45min away) because they had $100 off sale and it was comparable to online pricing. I bought my first AR online because it was $200 cheaper than anyone local.

I'm currently buying ammo locally but am in the process of considering bulk purchases online. LGS's will always have a place for me with last minute ammo purchases, targets, cleaning supplies, accessories, etc., not to mention the used gun market locally.

 

[BigBore44]

I have 2 LGS's that I shop at almost exclusively. I do buy guns online and FTF. But they are always deals that a LGS couldn't touch. But when I have a problem, or need something for that firearm, I go to them. And I send others to them. I buy my powders there, bullets, occasionally brass. I won't tell you how cheap all their powder is because I like having it always available. When everyone was having trouble finding Varget a couple years ago, I walked in and bought several pounds. SEVERAL. At I believe $24/lb. Owner told me I could buy 100lbs if I wanted. And that's why I go there. They stay stocked when others don't, and they never price gouged $1 on powder. On top of that, they are very friendly.

So while some small places do gouge and other trickery, not all do.

 

[Twiki357]

All the independent gun shops around me seem to be surviving without any problems. That’s at least five gun shops (that I know of) and two FFL pawn shops within about a two mile radius of my house, not to mention a Dick’s sporting goods for whatever that’s worth. If I extend that radius to 10 to 12 miles, there is probably close to 15 FFLs, including J&G Sales and a new Sportsman Warehouse. I’m not aware of any that have closed during the 15 years that I’ve lived here. The good part is that only one of the gun shops has outlandish prices of the ones that I’ve actually been to.

 

[FROGO207]

There are several "local" gun stores near me (less than 1 hour drive). A couple sell their stuff at outlandish prices and I never buy but do wander through fairly often though just in case there is a deal. The closest is the one that treats me well and always has prices that will rival on line stores so he gets most of my business these days. The bullets/primers/propellant I order in bulk on line as nobody can compare to say Powder Valley Missouri Bullet, RMR, or Natchez SS. Like anything else worth doing you will have to invest some time/effort into whatever you do to make it pan out in your favor.

 

[1911 guy]

It's been my experience that prices are somewhat negotiable when you have cash in hand. Almost 100 percent true on used stuff.
There's some shops with shady business practices, I've seen a few. But assuming malice on the part of most business owners is to not understand what is going on in the totality of the operation.

1) We like to complain about low trade in prices in gun shops, but take it for granted when we trade in cars. Same reason. They are going to buy it for less than it is worth so they can sell it at a used price and still turn a buck. It's a business, not a charity.

2) Prices are inconsistent among shops because the price shops pay for goods depends sometimes on volume of sales. For example, Wholesaler X offers price tier 1 to dealers who sell A amount, tier 2 to dealers who sell B amount, etc.

3) Big box stores and online buying have a place, so do "Mom and Pop" shops. I've found that when I want to special order something, I can get better terms from a small shop. Lower down payment, longer layaway, etc. They are also often more willing to order something than push a sale of what is already on the shelf.

Maybe I'm spoiled. I've got two good shops within a short drive from my house. I've also got a big box store within 45 minutes and internet. All have their place, but some of the complaints against small shops are unfounded.

 

[CopperFouling]

The local dealers around me almost invariably beat the big box retailers by 20 percent on firearms prices. It's not even close.

 

[Ramone]

You're in Tidewater. Lot's of smaller LGSs around

Try Ron Hess on Tidewater Drive, just off I64.

Bob's, on Granby, is a big shop, but always feels kinda Mom & Pop to me.

The Armory, on Indian River Rd, is pretty Mom & Popish.

 

[JR24]

Dunno, the mom and pop type stores in my area have the best prices on guns vs the big box stores.

I had coupons for Gander and couldnt wven choke down their reloading goods prices (ordered brass/bullets online, powder from Fleet Farm) and ended buying an only slightly marked up speedvault.

I buy all my guns through a local store