Oh, I don't know about all the arguments of local shops being driven out by Wal-Mart. Isn't that what's been said for decades? I mean, come on, Sears sold guns for decades (and through catalogs, no less!), so did KMart, Woolco, True Value hardware.....couldn't the same be said about buying from any of those places? In many instances they were cheaper than the local shops. To blame Wal-Mart is kinda out there I think. I wonder if our grandpas sat around saying the same thing about Sears. Probably.
I bought guns back in the '80s from KMart, and they were always cheaper than the locals. People have been doing it for years. The good local shops will stay in business, the not so good ones, well, sometimes they need to be put out of their misery, don't you think? Something about overpaying, and many times getting just as crappy service at the local shop, just doesn't sit well with me. Some shops, you walk in, and unless you talk/act/look like some tactical Rambo, or are in a LEO/military uniform, they don't want to have anything to do with you. Am I going to go to a shop like that, and spend $50 or more extra, just to "support the local guy"? Uh, no. I got a local shop that closes sometimes for a week at a time, just because he can. I like going there to get surplus stuff, and ammo, but it hacks me when I go there during regular business hours and he's closed. Wal-Mart gets my business then, because I ain't waitin' around a week for him to get back from vacation so I can buy some 7.62x39. Sorry.
The good local shops stay in business by providing what the Wal-Marts of the world cant. Specialized goods, great service and knowledge. I'll gladly pay extra, when warranted. Sometimes I go out of my way to go there to buy something from a shop like that, because they deserve the business. But you can't really fault folks for not wanting to pay an extra $50 or more for a gun, especially if they're treated poorly. I can get treated poorly at Wal-Mart, but at least I'm saving $50 by doing so. $50 can buy 500 rds of ammo for my SKS, that's a lot of shooting.