How are your local gun stores doing?

[berettaprofessor]

Gun stores in my area all seem to be surviving, but most complain about the difficulty of getting new guns in and the lack of ammo to sell. One told me yesterday that they have sold 3 guns for everyone that's been delivered and most guns are on backorder.

Another told me that two different people had offered to buy every firearm and bit of ammo in the store as a lump sum....one of them with a wad of cash in hand. The owner declined because he didn't want to go out of business or have nothing to show customers for awhile. I told him he should have stated a price that would have allowed him to double his money on investments and got out.

 

[TMCCOY]

Sportsman's warehouse and a few local larger privately owned shops that continued operations through the last rush the same as always are doing well around here. A number of smaller outfits have opened but their lack of investment doesn't bode well trying to compete. The gun shows are no longer a source of much value with the exception of bulk ammo, some accessories, and maybe beef jerky.

 

[Potatohead]

and this statement likely lost that LGS a customer for life. You don't win customers by belittling them, or "punishing" them for not having shopped with you. You HELP them, and thereby EARN a loyal customer. Customers don't drop out of the sky, and business owners aren't entitled to sales just because they exist as a business.

Back a few years ago when I discovered internet gun auctions, I shopped around a few LGS's to decide who was the best to run transfers through.

One guy acted like it was a travesty that I was buying online instead of purchasing his $700 glocks. I never went back...in fact, the guy was so rude I cancelled the transaction, told him why, and walked out.

Another guy, retired LE charged an extra $40 for his own additional "background check" in which he ran your DL through his old LE friends back at the station. This was on top of the transfer fee of $50. That guy isn't even in business anymore, I don't think he did a repeat sale in his short career as an FFL.

The next guy was nice enough, but charged $50 for transfers. Again, I never went back.

My "go-to" shop is owned by a nice older woman, and she was very willing to take transfers and has not once said a harsh word about doing them.
Since then, I have done app. 30 transfers through her at $30 each. You do the math....that's $900 of pure profit that didn't require a lick of effort on their part to pursue, and no inventory to stock or maintain.
More often than not I have also purchased goods while I was doing the transfer. Hell, She's so smart she will read the invoice she gets, and order an extra mag or two so that when I come in to pick up the gun, she has a few mags to sell me at the same time!
I have also purchased guns from them that I saw in their case while doing the transfer, and walked out with more than one gun....she has paid attention to what I order in, she knows I like revolvers, so she will call me when they get a nice revolver in on consignment.
I have sold guns on consignment there, and done well, and their consignment fee is reasonable, and they have a lot of traffic because it is a popular shop.
Its a popular shop because she runs it like a real business owner and not some grumpy hobbyist who thinks they should be showered with business and money because "they aint no gubment corpration"

That's how you run a business. Not by browbeating, punishing, or cowing the consumer into meekly accepting your overpriced goods.

LGS's seem to have more than their fair share of antisocial, arrogant, clueless owners who end up being their own worst enemy.

Good post Sili.

 

[docsleepy]

We had several new ones spring up for a while, but the smaller shops seem to have gone under currently. A smaller shop where I bought a good rifle is gone now. The 3 long-term stores in town are still in business. I think we had a miniboom, and it isn't sustainable.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Gun stores in my area all seem to be surviving, but most complain about the difficulty of getting new guns in and the lack of ammo to sell. One told me yesterday that they have sold 3 guns for everyone that's been delivered and most guns are on backorder.

Another told me that two different people had offered to buy every firearm and bit of ammo in the store as a lump sum....one of them with a wad of cash in hand. The owner declined because he didn't want to go out of business or have nothing to show customers for awhile. I told him he should have stated a price that would have allowed him to double his money on investments and got out.

Same at mine the owner aggravated about delays and backorders.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Another told me that two different people had offered to buy every firearm and bit of ammo in the store as a lump sum....one of them with a wad of cash in hand.

Doesn't that sound like a scam? As in fake money? I don't know. It just sounds fishy.

The LGS's in my area are doing great as far as I know. Yep, complaints about lack of ammo are the main complaint.

 

[JTHunter]

One LGS today had Rem. 500 rd. bricks of Subsonic but at a price I refuse to pay.
They were asking $43/brick!! (That's 8.6/rd.!)

They seemed to have a fair amount of handgun ammo (.380, 9mm, .38/357, .40, .45) and a goodly amount of .223/5.56 and at more reasonable prices than the .22s.

 

[Sav .250]

The local Gander Mountain has a ton of weapons..................and plenty of parking.

Would like to comment on there Archery dept but that wasn`t part of the question.