How much loyalty do you feel you owe Your Gunshop?

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I do admit to buying some stuff at the chain stores but I do try to help the ranges and gun shops. Wal Mart does not stock used guns, handguns or mil surp and I'd be quite disappointed if I were not able to buy these firearms a reasonable distance from my home.
 
I buy bulk items like ammo and hard to find items online or from big retailers.

However I try purchase through the local gun shop whever I can. I want to support someone who takes the energy and passion to go through the legal hoops and scrutiny these days. I fear a little more what it will be like when these local smaller gun stores go away. Yeah, sure I might pay more from time to time, but it is worth it to me.
 
Terrible, downright surly, customer service wrecked the relationship I once had with my former favorite gun shop. I have been trying to scope out a new shop, but a lot of the ones in my general area are mom and pop type places that keep banker type hours and are closed on the weekends. I work Mon.-Fri. 8:00 – 5:00, so that does not work at all for me. Until I find another decent shop I am playing the field so to speak.
 
I always bought as much as I could from my little local store. When I went in asking for a particular gun they didn't have in stock, they tried to sell me what they had that was close. (I didn't have a problem with that, just business.) Then I asked if they could order me one and they told me they were having trouble getting them. I gave them another week or two, stopped in again and they still couldn't get what I wanted. I found a slightly used one at a great price at gunbroker, got a copy of their FFL and had it shipped to them. (My thought was if I couldn't give them the sale I'd at least give them some business.) When I went to pick it up it seems their transfer fees had "recently increased" and they hadn't posted the change on gunbroker's site. Instaed of the $30 shown on GB (already $5 higher than another local) it was now $50! What could I do for that gun, they already had it? I haven't bought a gun there since but have bought from another local shop rather than going to a major chain. Prior to that I had only bought guns from them, no where else. Since then, I spread my business around but still stick to one of the small locals whenever possible.
 
I hear people talk about how Wal-Mart "put" someone out of business. I don't know about where you live, but around here if a gun shop can't compete with a Wal Mart, they're not half trying. You could load all the gun related stuff that a Wal-Mart carries into a pickup truck.

I shop at the local gun shop when they've got what I want at a price I want to pay. I don't expect them to ask me to pay more than the price they have marked. I'm not going to ask them to come down from that price. I figure the price they have marked is what they want. If that price is more than I want to pay, I look elsewhere.
 
Several folks have posted fears on this thread that someday, all gun stores will be mega-chain operations that don't stock .500 S&W magnums or AR-15s.

:rolleyes:


If there is a market for the product, there will be an outlet for the product.

I know folks like to see doom and gloom and conspiracy theories everywhere.

But the simple fact is if there is a demand for the product, there will be outlets.

Even illegal products have outlets.

I could, if I wanted to, using only my two feet, find a source for any sort of illegal drug you'd care to list in Fort Smith, Arkansas within 24 hours of making the decision to buy.

As long as folks want to buy black rifles or great big handguns, there will be outlets to purchase them at.

hillbilly
 
I have a pretty simple formula I use for comparing local prices to online........

cost of the item + $25 for shipping + $25 for the transfer = x
Local guy's price before tax = y

If x is less than y, then I order it online and send the transfer to a local guy. I will also go to all three local dealers and let them know I am interested in buying and give them a chance to match/beat the online price.

When it comes to box store pricing versus local guy, $25 is about the max. If there is more than $25 difference in the before tax price and I don't get some kind of break (taxes, ammo, etc.) then I don't have any problems with buying from a chain store. It's not sound business practice for a local guy to try to compete with Wal-Mart on new guns. I don't see the need to subsidize their learning experiences.


W
 
SW is Coon Rapids, not Anoka!
Click to expand...

Big hairy-a$$ed deal. ;) To get there I take 169 to Anoka and either take 10 or Anoka's Main Street to get there. I guess right before you get to the retail area you cross into Coon Rapids, but if a person were to take the way districts are drawn up around here, you'd be crazy. I've heard stories that the boundaries of the northwestern 'burbs were drawn up over boozy poker games back in the 1950s, which explains why there is a section of Crystal that is surrounded on four sides by New Hope. A block north of where I live I go from Crystal to New Hope. One more block north of that I'm in lovely Brooklyn Park. Two blocks south I'm in New Hope again. Two blocks to the west I'm in Plymouth. Apparently there used to be a bar where the Walgreens on the corner of Broadway and Bass Lake Road stands, and upstairs there used to be a high-stakes mob-owned poker game. My neighbor who's lived here since the neighborhood was build said his dad once won a house up there. He said that's where they originally drew up the districts of many of the 'burbs in this part of the metro area, which is why we have such crazy borders. Unless it comes to paying taxes (taxes are much lower here than they are two blocks west of here), I don't worry about this nonsense. Look up Sportsman's Warehouse in Anoka with DexOnline and it will get you Sportsman's Warehouse in Coon Rapids. It's like food. It might look different going in, but it all comes out the same in the end.
 
I will be the first to say im not loyal to my local store. And I'm not afraid to say it. They over charge on everything and when they charge over MSRP I say its time to move on. Example they are trying to sell a Colt Blue Goldcup for $1399.00 now thats 99 bucks over Msrp. I got the same gun from a store a hour away for $859.00 out the door. Now should I be loyal? I dont think so. This same store also wants to charge $50 bucks for a transfer and they want you to jump through hoops to do it. At the same store where I got goldcup $25 will get you a transfer and they will give you all the signed FFL's you want so you can do your buisness...I'm going where I can get a bargain, I don't think they will go under, there are alot of people willing to pay MSRP I'm just not one of them. :cuss:
 
There seems to be a common thought here that small stores=nice people and good customer service, while big stores=robotic people and lousy customer service. That's not been my experience. I've gotten the best customer service in the entire area from Sportsman's Warehouse and Gander Mountain. The gun guys at the Gander Mountain in Maple Grove really know there stuff. I've bought one new gun and two used guns from them and have been completely satisfied. Their gunsmiths are generally very good, at least at performing basic services, and they'll match the price on anything Sportsman's Warehouse has in stock. They have a great selection of used guns, which is not the case at Sportsman's Warehouse, and they also carry brands not available at Sportman's Warehouse, like CZ, Kel Tec, and Bersa. The downside is that they have a much smaller selection of guns.

If anything, the customer service is even better at Sportsman's Warehouse than at Gander Mountain (though as I said above, their gunsmith's are nothing to write home about--they sort of suck, to be truthful). Their selection is the best around, as are their prices. And while some of the employees aren't as knowlegable about guns as they should be, some of them are very knowlegable, and all of them are extremely helpful.

Ever since Bill's in Robbinsdale has been under new management, the service and staff there have been very good, and I give them a lot of business because of that. But the service and staff at Gander Mountain and Sportsman's Warehouse are equally as good. I don't feel one bit guilty about supporting the good people at any of these establishments.

The one chain that had terrible service was Gaylens, which is now Bill's Sporting Goods, which has a gun department that is pathetic even when compared to Fleet Farm. I haven't spent a dime there since they quit selling handguns.
 
If a small gun shop tries to go head to head with Walmart or Bass Pro by selling the same products then they should probably evaluate their place in the market very quickly because they will be squashed.

After saying that, my loyalty is to myself. When I buy a new gun, I will give a local shop the ability to offer me a sale. If they can convince me that the $25-30 more I will be paying them will be worth it then I will buy from them. If not, best overall package gets the sale, sometimes that is price, sometimes it is service.

When a small gunshop goes out of business, it is not because of "insert big chain store here." It is because the small gunshop did not have the forsight to recognize who his customers were and how his market should change. This is the markets natural way of cleansing itself and it is a good thing. For ever store that closes, that offers opportunity to someone with the forsight to be that much more profitable. That's the free market.
 
If you really like the place, you're going about it a bit backwards. I guarantee he makes his living off accessories. Buy whatever ammo, gear, cleaning supplies, holsters, clothing, storage etc. you can off him (this stuff tends to be cheap at the big stores, but usually not-so-great brands, either.) Feel free to save a few bucks on the gun itself; if you ask him, and he knows he can trust you, he'll probably tell you he'd be fine with giving the big chain the business on the gun itself if you buy the holster, sling, cleaning, targets, case etc. from him.

Guns themselves are big investments for a small shop and the profit on them is slim to none for most of these guys anyway. They stock them because they're gunshops and you couldn't stay afloat on the accessories and ammo if you had no guns for customers to look at. If he knows his business, you're not going to be hurting him.
I do a "sort of" version of this. I'm just too broke to buy guns right now and have been for quite awhile, but every time I go in I buy something. Some cleaning stuff I need, a case, some reloading stuff I don't have. If I don't need anything, I buy powder, primers, bullets, cases or ammo; it's not going to go bad or anything.
Believe me, even though they don't see me often, they know me and my kids there now even though I have never, ever bought a single firearm from them!
 
I used to do a LOT of business with a small local gunshop. But after the store changed hands and I got ripped off by the new owners - I haven't darkened their door for a couple of years now, and I've recommended to other folks that they shop elsewhere. Comparing notes with shooters at local matches, well, it turns out other people have had bad experiences with these guys, too. I just wish there was some way of letting them know HOW MUCH business they've lost.

Other local gunshops are often ridiculously overpriced, some actually buy ammo at a big box store, mark it up, and sell it to their "loyal" customers.

I've found the staff at Sportsman's Warehouse to be as courteous, friendly, and knowledgeable as any of the local "small" shops . . . both at the local store in Austin and one I stopped in at during a business trip to Denver. (BTW, both carried EBRs . . . ) And both prices and selection were a whole lot better than the small shops.
 
Good posting here! Altho I would generally chose the small shop, I would NEVER buy from ANY shop with por customer sevice or a surly attitude. I run a small business and bust my butt to make sure my customers are happy- the people I buy from can do the same or my business goes eleswhere.
 
My local guy in Pittsburgh is awesome! He doesn't stock firearms, doesn't even have a true shop (it's in his basement, but he supplies the local LEO orgs and is a director at a local sportsmen's club). I get my ammo from him when I can, and every firearm save three that I have bought has gone through him. I live 2 hours away, and I'll still use him for firearms. I recoomend him to anyone I know, and most of the people I have sent his way are loyal to him now as well. If anyone in the Pgh area or surroundings are looking for a good dealer, shoot me a PM and I'll give you his info. He's 100% worth it.
 
IMO it is not a good gun shop if they don't carry EBRs. The local gun shop that I frequent carries them, mainly because the Wal-Mart and the new Gander Mountain doesn't :). I think that is the main way a local gun shop will survive, by offering products and services that the chain stores cannot or will not offer.

Sad but true, the best and worst sales people I have ever met have been in gun shops. To this day, I cannot understand why somebody working in a local gunshop would be rude and discourteous to the customers that keep them in business. Once upon a time I walked into a gunshop in Abilene (The Shootin' Shop) and putzed around the store for about 15 minutes until the guy behind the counter put down his donut and asked me if I needed help. I was looking at a Remington 700 PSS .308, and I asked him if they gave a Law Enforcement Discount. He replied in a rude, loud obnoxious NO!!!!!!! I handed him his rifle back and walked out the door, never to return. It is not the fact that they didn't give a LEO discount, it was the way he said that they didn't. The sad fact of the matter was that he was eating a donut and would not give a discount to a cop :).

BTW, the last time I walked into the local Gander Mountain gun section, I saw a lot of people looking and not anybody buying. They are proud of their stuff, most of it at MSRP.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
IMO it is not a good gun shop if they don't carry EBRs.
Click to expand...

No offense, Leon, but this sort of empirical, exclusionary statement sends my bull$h!t meter into the red zone. All through my professional life I've run across this: "The only real guns are flintlocks;" "The only real motorcycles are Vincent Black Shadows;" "There hasn't been anything worth reading written since 1917;" "Any music written after 1827 is crap;" "Cars that use incandescent lightbulbs instead of brass gas lamps aren't worth the scrap metal they're made of;" "The only television worth watching is PBS."

I'm not saying your sentiments aren't valid. They are... for you, and I agree with the rest of your post. I'm just saying that when you start narrowing your options by imposing artificial and arbitrary boundaries, you are limiting your usefulness.

BTW, Sportsman's Warehouse carries a decent selection of AR15s and other EBRs.
 
2nd home

Before my daughter arrived (she is 18 years old now), that was my second home and the owner, his wife, and his mom had become my second family. I also made friends with a lot of LEO's who dropped by the shop just to see what the latest-greatest gear/guns were. Also they dropped by to unwind, swap stories, etc., etc., it was the place to hang out.

I stayed loyal until he closed down... :(
 
I think it is ALL about service. I don't want to hear BS about a gun (that is a lie), don't want to be charged 3 times what a transfer costs and don't want to be pushed towards stuff I didn't ask for. WalMart doesn't provide the SERVICEs I want. A couple of my locals do. A couple of my locals DON'T. Those that don't provide SERVICE don't get my business. I'll never understand folks that don't understand how being pleasant to the customer is a part of good service.
 
Mr. Lobotomy Boy,

I made that statement not to single out any one particular class of firearm, or to show narrow mindedness or preference to any class of firearm, but to say that most gun shops IMO that don't carry EBRs tend to have an air of "elitism" to them, i.e. "What do you need that crap for?".

Also, I began that statement with IMO, which means In My Opinion.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
If they dont carry EBR's etc..., then they're carrying the same thing wallyworld and gander mountain are, shotguns and bolt-actions. If they are going to inventory the exact same thing as the competition, then they should be exected to compete price-wise or value-wise. Either compete on the same terms with the same product, or find a niche (EBRs).

Gun stores that only cater to "Hunters and sportsmen" and won't sell EBR's or semi-auto handguns don't get my business unless they can go lower than wallyworld or gander mountain etc... If you choose to compete in the same market, give me a better deal or my green walks. Give me something those other outfits don't have and my money wil be seeing you often.
 
I buy almost all my consumables (ammo and targets) through the local shop, even though they are slightly more expensive than on-line.

Same rational as many others. They are always helpful and spend a fair amount of time answering my questions and explaining things I don't understand to me. Good customer service is worth a few bucks.

-PB
 
I don't think that the size of the store makes any difference in frindliness/competence. Over time, my experience is that it is a was, people, not place.

I believe in support your local store, but currently don't have one.

While I have known many great gun store clerks, I know of no other line of work that attracts ans many maladjusted weirdos. Don't know why.
 
LeonCarr, I honestly meant no disrespect, and tried to choose my words carefully to avoid directly attacking you. We all tend to fall into the trap I described. My point was that by doing so one limits his or her effectiveness. I apologize if I offended.

NinesevenN, Gander Mountain carries a fine selection of semi-auto handguns. I've bought two such guns from them so far.
 
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