scout26
Member
Well a couple of things happened today at the Kane County show that has me sending "Upset customer" letters out.
The good things:
Man was it crowded. I’ve never seen sooooo many people (and I mean people, not just the usual older white guys, but lots of younger couples and dads/families with kids). Definitely much more challenging to keep my 7yo son from getting run over as we weaved our way through the crowd.
More vendors then I seen in quite a while, kudos to the organizers for their recruiting/salesmanship. The vast majority do sell guns or gun related items. There was only one jerky vendor and one guy selling a “miracle” metal polish (and they’re been at every show for years), everyone else had mostly guns/gun related stuff on their tables, except the three politician’s tables. Yes, the RonPaulites were there, as well a two of ‘R’ candidates running for Denny Hastert’s seat, IL-14th.
Now the bad.
There was a book seller there that in addition to usual guns, ammo, various EOTWAKI titles and other goofy roll your eyes titles (The Nazi Bell, Hitler’s UFOs and similar other ‘works’
) but there were also some questionable ones that appeared to promote/glorify/recruit the Aryan White Power/Nazi beliefs. 
There was another table we a guy had the usual collection of a couple of misc guns (including a nice SxS shotgun) and other stuff, when I saw sitting in the back corner of the table a copy of “The Synagogue of Satan – a screed about “Jewish World Government Domination”) Needless to say didn’t even bother to look at the SxS. It could have been a bespoke London gun that would have fit me perfectly and all he wanted was a bucket of warm spit for it and I still wouldn’t have taken it. I did go up to the organizers table but there was no one there. I did get their name and number and will give them a call tomorrow. I’d hate to see what was a great gunshow turn into Wasn’t Uncle Adolf Great/Neo-Nazi recruiting forum.
The other was my monthly visit to the "Powder Guy". He carries a wide selction or IMR, Hodgdon, and Alliant powders, inadditon to ammo and other reloading supplies/tools. I had promised "mack" here at THR that I would ask if he does any other shows in Illinois in particular near the Peoria/Bloomington areas, since his prices are ~$3.00/lb cheaper then Gander Mountain, which is cheaper then the local gun shops. He normally has price stickers on everything on his table. Well today he had 3 cases of Winchester 209 primers (10 sleeves of 100 per case) on his table, but no price tag on any of the boxes. I wait until he's done with another gentlemen and ask what the price of the primers are. "$31.25" he replies. I tell him that I'll think about and before I can ask him what other shows he does, he just goes off on me that I'm not going to buy them.
Sorry, I like to go through the whole show, see what's available, figure out what I want to buy (based upon the amount of cash that I brought) and go back and buy. Have I lost out on somethings I've had my eye on, because someone came along behind me and bought what I had looked at. Yep, it happens sometimes. Othertimes, I've found the same or similiar item cheaper at another table or I've managed to go back and haggle the price down a bit. Most the time I pay the asking price. All part of the experience.
Anyway, I don't have his name or number. So at the next show, I'll hand him a letter of the above, explaining that he not only lost a customer but also that once I gone through the show and I figured out my finances for the day, I probably would have bought all three boxes of primers, a pound of Unique, and IMR3031 along with a couple of boxes S&B 12 ga slugs and one of the 100 round baggies of 200 gr JHP .45 ACP reloads. Probably totaling around $175-200.
Anyway. I just walked away. I've done a lot of business (probably over a $1000 over the last 2-3 years) with this guy and he goes off on me because I asked how much he was asking for an unmarked item on his table.
The good things:
Man was it crowded. I’ve never seen sooooo many people (and I mean people, not just the usual older white guys, but lots of younger couples and dads/families with kids). Definitely much more challenging to keep my 7yo son from getting run over as we weaved our way through the crowd.
More vendors then I seen in quite a while, kudos to the organizers for their recruiting/salesmanship. The vast majority do sell guns or gun related items. There was only one jerky vendor and one guy selling a “miracle” metal polish (and they’re been at every show for years), everyone else had mostly guns/gun related stuff on their tables, except the three politician’s tables. Yes, the RonPaulites were there, as well a two of ‘R’ candidates running for Denny Hastert’s seat, IL-14th.
Now the bad.
There was a book seller there that in addition to usual guns, ammo, various EOTWAKI titles and other goofy roll your eyes titles (The Nazi Bell, Hitler’s UFOs and similar other ‘works’
) but there were also some questionable ones that appeared to promote/glorify/recruit the Aryan White Power/Nazi beliefs. There was another table we a guy had the usual collection of a couple of misc guns (including a nice SxS shotgun) and other stuff, when I saw sitting in the back corner of the table a copy of “The Synagogue of Satan – a screed about “Jewish World Government Domination”) Needless to say didn’t even bother to look at the SxS. It could have been a bespoke London gun that would have fit me perfectly and all he wanted was a bucket of warm spit for it and I still wouldn’t have taken it. I did go up to the organizers table but there was no one there. I did get their name and number and will give them a call tomorrow. I’d hate to see what was a great gunshow turn into Wasn’t Uncle Adolf Great/Neo-Nazi recruiting forum.
The other was my monthly visit to the "Powder Guy". He carries a wide selction or IMR, Hodgdon, and Alliant powders, inadditon to ammo and other reloading supplies/tools. I had promised "mack" here at THR that I would ask if he does any other shows in Illinois in particular near the Peoria/Bloomington areas, since his prices are ~$3.00/lb cheaper then Gander Mountain, which is cheaper then the local gun shops. He normally has price stickers on everything on his table. Well today he had 3 cases of Winchester 209 primers (10 sleeves of 100 per case) on his table, but no price tag on any of the boxes. I wait until he's done with another gentlemen and ask what the price of the primers are. "$31.25" he replies. I tell him that I'll think about and before I can ask him what other shows he does, he just goes off on me that I'm not going to buy them.
Sorry, I like to go through the whole show, see what's available, figure out what I want to buy (based upon the amount of cash that I brought) and go back and buy. Have I lost out on somethings I've had my eye on, because someone came along behind me and bought what I had looked at. Yep, it happens sometimes. Othertimes, I've found the same or similiar item cheaper at another table or I've managed to go back and haggle the price down a bit. Most the time I pay the asking price. All part of the experience.
Anyway, I don't have his name or number. So at the next show, I'll hand him a letter of the above, explaining that he not only lost a customer but also that once I gone through the show and I figured out my finances for the day, I probably would have bought all three boxes of primers, a pound of Unique, and IMR3031 along with a couple of boxes S&B 12 ga slugs and one of the 100 round baggies of 200 gr JHP .45 ACP reloads. Probably totaling around $175-200.
Anyway. I just walked away. I've done a lot of business (probably over a $1000 over the last 2-3 years) with this guy and he goes off on me because I asked how much he was asking for an unmarked item on his table.
