StrikeFire83
Member
Okay, so I'm in the market for a red-dot/holo sight for my AR-15. Thanks for those who've helped me in the process.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=606988
So I head in to a LGS in south central Texas, and I'm not naming names, I'll just say this is a store that's been here for a long time and was once much better than it is now.
Long story short, after a stroll around the store that turned up $550 USED (battered) 2nd Gen Glocks, a NIB Kahr PM9 with standard sights for a shade over $900, and a S&W AR-15 Sport for $899...I was pretty sure we wouldn't be doing business based on price alone. But I decided to give them a shot.
When the "optics guy" finally showed up, he said "we don't have anything from Aimpoint right now and they haven't been sending us anything for a long time. (they're an Aimpoint authorized dealer) He then told me that they didn't have an EOTech 512 in stock, and could get one for me, but he couldn't tell me what the price would be at the moment. He then tried to steer me to the XPS2 (after I had told him that I really liked the AA battery feature of the 512 and that I don't care about size). He quoted me a price of $559+tax. I whipped out my Iphone and went to EOTech's website and found that MSRP is $519. I asked him why I would ever pay MORE than msrp. He said that they are a small shop and can't compete with the big guys. I was going to argue the point further, but decided against it and just thanked him for his time and left.
Now this shop has been here since the late 40s or early 50s, and back in the day, according to my Dad, they were THE go-to place for guns and accessories. I bought my CZ-75b from them used several years ago and I got a great deal and still own and love the gun. However, in the past few years their prices seem not only to have gone UP, but their selection and service has fallen off a cliff. The only people I saw completing transactions there today were white haired men in their 60s, 70s, and beyond. I guess these type of customers are willing to pay OVER msrp for good conversation and a slap on the back. I'm not, and I don't know too many people my age (27) who are. When this crop of old timer customers dies off, I don't know how stores like this are gonna make it.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=606988
So I head in to a LGS in south central Texas, and I'm not naming names, I'll just say this is a store that's been here for a long time and was once much better than it is now.
Long story short, after a stroll around the store that turned up $550 USED (battered) 2nd Gen Glocks, a NIB Kahr PM9 with standard sights for a shade over $900, and a S&W AR-15 Sport for $899...I was pretty sure we wouldn't be doing business based on price alone. But I decided to give them a shot.
When the "optics guy" finally showed up, he said "we don't have anything from Aimpoint right now and they haven't been sending us anything for a long time. (they're an Aimpoint authorized dealer) He then told me that they didn't have an EOTech 512 in stock, and could get one for me, but he couldn't tell me what the price would be at the moment. He then tried to steer me to the XPS2 (after I had told him that I really liked the AA battery feature of the 512 and that I don't care about size). He quoted me a price of $559+tax. I whipped out my Iphone and went to EOTech's website and found that MSRP is $519. I asked him why I would ever pay MORE than msrp. He said that they are a small shop and can't compete with the big guys. I was going to argue the point further, but decided against it and just thanked him for his time and left.
Now this shop has been here since the late 40s or early 50s, and back in the day, according to my Dad, they were THE go-to place for guns and accessories. I bought my CZ-75b from them used several years ago and I got a great deal and still own and love the gun. However, in the past few years their prices seem not only to have gone UP, but their selection and service has fallen off a cliff. The only people I saw completing transactions there today were white haired men in their 60s, 70s, and beyond. I guess these type of customers are willing to pay OVER msrp for good conversation and a slap on the back. I'm not, and I don't know too many people my age (27) who are. When this crop of old timer customers dies off, I don't know how stores like this are gonna make it.
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