Planning on opening a gun shop...

[generalstore]

I am planning to open a gun shop and I figured I would ask the customers/consumers what YOU would like to see/expect when you walked in to a gun store.
What kind of pistol, shotguns, rifles?
What accesories?
Hunting Accessories?
What things do you not like to see?
etc...

This shope already had a 4 lane indoor pistol range.

Your opinions are appreciated.

Thanks

 

[WalkAbout]

Basic gunsmithing services, like boresighting scopes, trigger jobs etc. And quality optics on display. Asking me to pay 500-100 bucks for a scope I can't look though just isn't going to happen.

A nice collection of budget and high end optics, lasers, magazines, grips etc would all be nice.

As for shotguns: Mossberg, Saiga, Remington, Winchester, Beretta and Benelli.
Rifles: Marlin, Remington, DPMS, Sako, Tikka, Colt, Bushmaster, etc.
Handguns: Beretta, S&W, Springfield, Taurus, Glock, Colt, and Ruger

And it should be the size of a Wal-Mart. With 100 free rounds to sample each gun before you buy it.
b

 

[oneounceload]

see my response on the other forum

 

[CoRoMo]

Welcome to THR!

what YOU would like to see/expect when you walked in to a gun store.
Ridiculously low prices and an infinite inventory of everything that exists. Free trial at the indoor range, of any gun in the store would be cool too.
What kind of pistol, shotguns, rifles?
All of them, in every variation imaginable.
What accesories?
Highest of quality, lowest of prices.
Hunting Accessories?
Yes please.
What things do you not like to see?
High prices.

Basically offer something that none of your competitors can. I can't imagine that helped in the least.

But seriously, customer's tend to want as much as you can offer for as little as it will cost them... at least I do, but maybe there are people out there who enjoy getting hosed on price and service. When your shop charges twice what Walmart does, for a box of 9mm range ammo (or anything else really), it doesn't help you.

 

[danbrew]

Stripper pole.

 

[mesinge2]

Please don't have one of those "no loaded weapons beyond this point" signs.

If I owned a shop. The sign would read "no loaded weapons beyond this point, concealed permit holders exempt"

 

[mesinge2]

Also, please stock holsters (shoulder, cross-draw, IWB, leather, kydex, etc).

I hate having to order holster online sight unseen. Only to have it not fit.

I ordered a Tagua Beretta 92 holster that didn't fit my beretta 92, go figure. I returned it and it took over a month for the refund.

The one I bought from galco fit.

 

[Sam1911]

A bunch of really good ideas here:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=471029

IMHO, the best trick is to find a niche. What does your shop do that WalMart doesn't and "Fred & Ethel's Guns & Bait Shoppe" accross town doesn't do. And what kinds of things to folks really wish they could do/see in person?

I'd say a wide variety of holsters, good concealment holsters in lots of styles and from really respected makers, would be great. And figure out a spot and procedure for letting folks try them out with their guns. (A lot of planning goes into making such a thing safe...) Actually getting to handle and try on a selection of holsters might help a lot of us avoid the infamous "drawer full" of slightly used holsters we all seem to collect while searching for a good one.

Maybe discreet concealed-carry oriented clothing, too. Everybody likes 5.11 pants and "shoot me" vests, but concentrate on nondescript, non-attention-grabbing clothes that will obscure a sidearm. Something like this, maybe: http://www.bullfrogskin.com/

A good selection of handgun grips might be a nice addition. Offering to install while they wait would be nice touch.

If you can form relationships with local gunsmiths and leather-goods (or Kydex goods?) makers, grips makers, etc. where you can cross-advertise, and maybe even have them do demos/visits, that would be really cool.

IMHO, hunting gear is just a tapped out field. For every 100 deerslayers who wander around trying on camo coats and Realtree boots, 99 of them will go home and order it on sale from Cabela's anyway.

On the other hand, a KILLER selection of reloading components will draw folks from miles around. Especially heavy stuff like bulk cast bullets, and expensive to ship items like powder and primers. If your prices are good, those will fly off the shelves. If you have stuff IN STOCK...ALWAYS...LOTS...you'll have a very regular customer base.

Above all, I'd say be EXCEEDINGLY professional in every aspect of the front end of the business. Make the store bright, clean, and organized. And inviting from the exterior, too. (A lot of gun shops seem to go for the abandoned warehouse look. Yikes.) Get shirts & gear for your employees that look positive and upscale. No blaze orange, no camo. Business casual, good grooming. Employees must be polite, cheerful, helpful, and honest. ("I don't know, but I'll find out," should be your employees' default answer in place of any speculation or half-baked opinion.)

Make the shop the kind of place that your grandmom would stop by on her own without an escort -- and be happy she did.

Anyway, good luck, read that other thread for some even more in-depth responses. And let us know how it goes!

-Sam

 

[freakshow10mm]

Rough time to be starting a gun shop.

There's also so much wrong information in that linked thread above it's dumbfounding.

 

[Grassman]

Just have competitive prices is all I can ask. And don't be one of those know it all "gun store" types who have no time for such novices like myself. I think my money spends like all the rest.

 

[Dr.Mall Ninja]

Don't say stupid things ,in one of my local gunshops i was looking at a use RIA 1911 and the gun store owner said that he never heard of them but he wouldnt buy a gun from the Philippines, and i wouldn't be getting my money's worth, i am in sales and a gun guy, both sides of me tell me how stupid what he said was. They didn't get my money that day.

 

[Quoheleth]

Pick your target sales niche:
police will be different than hunters will be different than casual plinkers will be different than tacticool high speed, low drag

Stock for that target, with a little other stuff for others who may come in.

Unless you have major space & capitol, you probably won't be able to cover it all, so pick your target and serve it exceptionally well with product, service, and support.

Reloading is huge right now. If you go that route, hire someone who knows reloading. Make him full time. With all the rookies into reloading, they need solid advice from someone.

Have a woman on staff who knows firearms. Makes a big difference for a woman to talk with a woman sales clerk.

Talk with locals before you open --- hang out at a coffee shop, cafe, Waffle House, barber shop, or car garage and talk with folks. See what they want. See if their perceptions match what you THINk folks want.

Q

 

[CWL]

Anybody can open a store, but if you want to survive, your gun prices will have to be better than everyone else, especially the online stores.

Dunno what state, city you are in, but hereabouts, people are going to comparison shop.

 

[MJU1983]

I am planning to open a gun shop and I figured I would ask the customers/consumers what YOU would like to see/expect when you walked in to a gun store.

What kind of pistol, shotguns, rifles?
Major brands, large selection. Unique weapons that bring in customers, .50's/.408 Cheytac, SCAR's, etc.

What accesories?
Optics, Optics, Optics.

Hunting Accessories?
I don't hunt.

What things do you not like to see?
Small, crowded, dirty, smokey gun shops w/ un-helpful grumpy old men working there.

My comments are in bold above.

 

[iScream]

Talk with locals before you open --- hang out at a coffee shop, cafe, Waffle House, barber shop, or car garage and talk with folks. See what they want. See if their perceptions match what you THINk folks want.

That's the best advice I see. I think it depends almost entirely on your location. I would love to see a nice stock of higher end target pistols close to where I live. What is the economy like where your shop is located? Are most of the people there hunters or will self defense guns be your main sellers? Seems to me that asking a bunch of people on the internet what they would want could take you in a direction that really doesn't serve your particular business well.

-Chris

 

[BURN]

I do not care what you carry....

but make sure your clerks leave the Firearms BS to the movies/Hollywood....

and anyone working there must be "POLITE"

 

[highorder]

Above all, I'd say be EXCEEDINGLY professional in every aspect of the front end of the business.

I'd love to find a gunshop that isn't racist, sexist or fuddist. It's a huge let-down to walk into a shop and immediately hear comments that made people cringe in the 50's, nevermind present day.

Maybe it's just Cincinnati, or maybe just 2 of the shops in town, but I can't believe that people still think women are weak, and "blacks" (not the word usually used) can't be trusted...

 

[Balog]

Run it like a business. The majority of gun stores I've been to have been glorified hobbies for people who love guns. Piss poor service, ignorant and arrogant sales drones, poor selection etc etc. Do you want to make a lot of money, or sit around all day and play with guns?

Get a real marketing strategy, from a real marketing person. Advertising works, and almost no gun shops are good at it. Boom, competitive advantage.

Good salesmen are worth their weight in gold, good female saleswomen are worth 2-3x their weight in gold. Don't hire: racists, elitists, Fudds, misogynists, know-it-alls, or your friends who will spend the day BSing with you and ignoring customers.

You can't compete with online shops for prices. Focus on an underserved local niche, and offer something online can't: service, try before you buy, and convenience. Price competitively, and the advertising and good service will draw people in.

And I say all this from personal experience as both a customer and employee.

 

[wishin]

Stripper pole.

For refinishing stocks I presume

Lots of reasonably priced ammo in all the popular calibers.

 

[[Pb]]

The most annoying and easily preventable thing I hate about my local gun shops is the grumpy, piss-poor customer service.

 

[.38special]

Great customer service

Popular gun brands. If a customer comes in looking for a certain model that you don't carry, then order it. Let customers know that you are willing to order any gun that they put the down payment on.

TONs of reloading supply. Granted, you won't be able to stock everything at the point in time.

Grips, 1911 parts, optics, gunsmithing, cool targets

Give customers the ability to fire a few rounds few a pistol before they buy it.

Info on where customers can get CCW permits and hunting permits

AMMO AMMO AMMO at the most competitive prices you can afford.

 

[jagugator]

The most annoying and easily preventable thing I hate about my local gun shops is the grumpy, piss-poor customer service.

Amen brother! I won't go into a pretty decently stocked shop close to me just because of the know it alls behind the counter.

 

[NinjaFeint]

Don't smoke in it and keep your dog at home or at least in back/behind the counter. Those are my two pet peeves. I hate real hard sell stores, hate high prices and stores were it is basically a club house for a select group of customers. Nothing worse than trying to get someone's attention when they are BS'ing with their drinking buddies for an hour. The high and mighty act is also a turn off. I have six gun stores within 30 minutes of me and I wouldn't buy anything from 3 of them. Make it an inclusive environment and you will pull all walks. It all comes down to good customer service and decent prices.

 

[Vicious-Peanut]

your gun prices will have to be better than everyone else, especially the online stores.

Not true for me, I will pay slightly more to not have to deal with the pain of buying one online.

 

[Cosmoline]

Make sure to have a good website, keep it updated, and work the on-line auction sites constantly. The goal is to make profitable sales by whatever means, whether that's locally or by gunbroker.

Customer service is critical, and as noted many gun stores fail miserably on that front. The rudeness displayed by some of them still boggles my mind: Chewing out staff in front of customers for fifteen minutes at a stretch, walking off when the customer starts to ask a question, taking phone calls while talking to a living person in front of you, staring menacingly at the customer and refusing to answer questions, making your aging mother do all the work, or just being a flat-out nasty jerk with an abrasive New Jersey accent.

These days just HAVING basic items will go far, and if that means you have to bypass the accepted local middle man you should do it.