I believe it has been changed that an e-mail is acceptable (but I will admit error if shown otherwise).
You know, I don't shop for groceries at Wally World, except for drinks (Sam's Cola is real cheap and I'm not enamored by name brand anything). But you see, that is self-preservation. My wife works for a major chicken producer (one of the largest in the country) as an accountant . Walmart does not buy their chicken, focusing on Tyson's products (doesn't hurt when a member of the Tyson family married a Walton).
So, while we get our chicken at wholesale, it doesn't pay to buy our other groceries at Walmart when Winn-Dixie carries her company's chicken. Kind of like cutting our own nose off, so to speak.
And yes, I do go to Hill Hardware for my local needs, as well as the two local lumber yards. I do buy my sockets and the like at Lowes because Kobalt is formed at the same foundary as Craftsman (Danaher Tools) (the US made stuff, not the Taiwanese stuff) and Kobalt tends to be cheaper for the same tool with the same warranty than Sears. I like Blackhawk tools, but they are very expensive. However, I sure wouldn't expect my CarQuest guy to accept a shipment of Kobalt sockets for me.
In any case, if I were to run a shop and I had, say, an SKS on the rack which I have to pay inventory taxes on, and some guy wanted to save some cash and get the same thing from another supplier, I'd tell him to hit the road.
If the FFL goes out of business, then how, pray tell, will you get your transfer? Now, I'll admit my FFL can be pricey on some of his stuff. But as my interests are eclectic, he seldom carries what I shoot.
I've got a tight budget like everyone else, but I do have to look in the mirror when I shave. Because of that, I kinda stick to that whole Golden Rule thing. If I refuse to help a guy with a flat tire, then I cannot expect anyone to help me. If I would get pissed that a guy ordered through a catalogue when I had the same thing (and had it shipped to my shop), then I sure wouldn't do that to a dealer.
Man, I don't even use a service-station bathroom without buying a drink or package of crackers or something.
Ash