Deltaboy1984
Member
Thanks KR I do the same thing I shop at Downings for nearly all my stuff due to the fine family that runs the store.
Shop talk: Tinfoil Hats vs. Blissninnies
- Thread starter Kentucky_Rifleman
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Zilmo
Member
Thanks for a great read. I'm with you completely.
My favorite toy store doesn't "push" anything, especially an agenda. I can walk in, browse, bs with them a bit, and leave with no pressure.
My favorite toy store doesn't "push" anything, especially an agenda. I can walk in, browse, bs with them a bit, and leave with no pressure.
huntsman
Member
cool deal, maybe this will launch a whole new love affair
OP
OP
Kentucky_Rifleman
Member
If I could find a 721 or 722 to fill a hole in my collection elsewhere, absolutely! If I found an especially interesting piece at a decent price, maybe.
I collect older rifles of a very particular sort. Hensley's has sold me three of the eight 721/722 rifles I currently own. One I picked up from another shop, and the rest have come from gun shows. When Charlie finds one he knows I'm looking for at a decent price, he'll pick it up for me, and I'll happily give him a reasonable profit on it - he is in business, after all.
For new stuff, ammo, reloading supplies, accessories, etc. I absolutely go to Charlie. The only time I order from the Internet is for something Charlie can't get for me and clear a profit, once-fired brass for instance, or bulk quantity plastic cartridge boxes. Other than that, I'm a loyal customer - one of many for Charlie, but then Charlie is a good businessman and has a lot of loyal customers
KR
jnyork
Member
Best post on this board in months. Thanks.
cyclopsshooter
Member
Thank you for the opinion, as a gun store worker I agree 100% !
But where you have the freedom to come and go as you please, it is much more frustrating to have the wing nut customers going off on their rant... many of the "FOX is God's word" camp automatically assume that because they are at a "gun" store they can spout off-
it can be weary sometimes... especially when they stand at the counter droning on for an hour, but what can you do... just smile and nod
the old saying is true, "those that say the most have the least to say."
But where you have the freedom to come and go as you please, it is much more frustrating to have the wing nut customers going off on their rant... many of the "FOX is God's word" camp automatically assume that because they are at a "gun" store they can spout off-
it can be weary sometimes... especially when they stand at the counter droning on for an hour, but what can you do... just smile and nod
the old saying is true, "those that say the most have the least to say."
FROGO207
Member
KR be careful those lever guns are like Lays potato chips. Can't have just one.
Can't have just one.
Well written!
merlinfire
Member
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Two thumbs way way up for this thread. I agree 100%
As a Lexingtonian myself, I'm soooo curious to know who the offenders were.
I've had pretty good luck around here. The worst experiences I've had were at a hole in the wall shop in Lex. I walked in an hour before closing time, and the sole worker barely greeted me. I peered around a bit, complimented a couple of the guns, then told him I had a NIB commemorative Winchester 94 to sell, along with some old Thompson Center Hawken muzzleloaders and wondered if he was interested.
I asked if he was interested, and he asked what I wanted for the Model 94. I told him $600, and he literally laughed in my face.
I'm not one to go into a negotiation without knowing what I've got, so I'd already checked around the internet and determined I'd take $500 for it, but starting high but reasonable is a key part of the process.
So, anyway, he laughed in my face, and I frowned and said "well, you're the one who asked." I asked what he was willing to pay. He looked it up in the book and seemed taken aback when he saw a suggested "sell" price of $650. "Well, $50 isn't much profit, and that's if I can sell it," he said. I again asked what he was willing to offer me. He didn't make an offer. After a few more gruff statements, I left without buying anything, and I will never set my feet in that store again.
Well, that's not entirely true. Maybe I'll go back in someday to thank him for not buying those guns. A week later, I sold the Model 94 for $750, and the muzzleloaders for $850 total on Gunbroker.
I've had pretty good luck around here. The worst experiences I've had were at a hole in the wall shop in Lex. I walked in an hour before closing time, and the sole worker barely greeted me. I peered around a bit, complimented a couple of the guns, then told him I had a NIB commemorative Winchester 94 to sell, along with some old Thompson Center Hawken muzzleloaders and wondered if he was interested.
I asked if he was interested, and he asked what I wanted for the Model 94. I told him $600, and he literally laughed in my face.
I'm not one to go into a negotiation without knowing what I've got, so I'd already checked around the internet and determined I'd take $500 for it, but starting high but reasonable is a key part of the process.
So, anyway, he laughed in my face, and I frowned and said "well, you're the one who asked." I asked what he was willing to pay. He looked it up in the book and seemed taken aback when he saw a suggested "sell" price of $650. "Well, $50 isn't much profit, and that's if I can sell it," he said. I again asked what he was willing to offer me. He didn't make an offer. After a few more gruff statements, I left without buying anything, and I will never set my feet in that store again.
Well, that's not entirely true. Maybe I'll go back in someday to thank him for not buying those guns. A week later, I sold the Model 94 for $750, and the muzzleloaders for $850 total on Gunbroker.
I think it is unrealistic to expect gun dealers to stop engaging in this kind of fear-based hard sell when it is obviously so effective. As a group, firearms enthusiasts have demonstrated themselves to be remarkably gullible.
When the NRA launched a comically overblown 2008 ad campaign falsely warning that candidate Barack Obama had a specific "10 Point Plan" to outlaw guns and close down gun shops, there was no protest from the NRA membership at the NRA's mendacity -- in fact, the membership ate it up, not the least bit offended by being treated as if they were stupid.
If you were a gun-store owner and you saw the market behaving like that, I think it would take a tremendous amount of self-discipline not to push that lucrative paranoia button, especially at a time of economic crisis.
When the NRA launched a comically overblown 2008 ad campaign falsely warning that candidate Barack Obama had a specific "10 Point Plan" to outlaw guns and close down gun shops, there was no protest from the NRA membership at the NRA's mendacity -- in fact, the membership ate it up, not the least bit offended by being treated as if they were stupid.
If you were a gun-store owner and you saw the market behaving like that, I think it would take a tremendous amount of self-discipline not to push that lucrative paranoia button, especially at a time of economic crisis.
SSN Vet
Member
My philosophy regarding the kind of "hype" you speak of...
Pro 23:9 Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.
Pro 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.
Pro 23:9 Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.
Pro 26:4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.
Shear_stress
Member
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- 2,728
Great post, Kentucky Rifleman. And it goes for any retailer who tries to play on a customer's fears to make a sale.
NMGonzo
Member
Great post!
I too try to give my business to seemingly sane people.
I too try to give my business to seemingly sane people.
searcher451
Member
That was a thoughtful presentation, KR. Thanks for taking the time -- and it clearly took you some time -- to think it through, to write it, and then to post it here. There are many reasons why I frequent some gun shops and avoid others -- and there are a few shops in my neck of the woods that I avoid like the plague. You listed some of those reasons nicely in your essay. There's no question that some shops have a particular odor to them that keeps you at bay. One of them, for example, a couple of hours drive away, is a steady source of the most hateful "jokes" that I can imagine; consequently, I won't set foot in the place again, regardless of the good deals the place might offer. Crude and offensive is not my idea of a good time.
I had an experience similar to that when I first moved to Ohio. Went in to have some minor work done on my shotgun, and got the distinct impression that the owner would rather not have my business. Haven't been back since.
KR: Well said. My favorite shop has a friendly, professional staff, and if any of them harbor any far-fetched conspiracy theories or engage in high pressure sales tactics, they certainly don't do it when I'm around. It's an hour drive from my house, and there are several shops closer, but for me it's always worth the trip to shop and shoot in a comfortable environment.
R
xcgates
Member
Hehe, the last time I was in my local gun shop, I was stopping in to see if he had anything unique to try out in my shotgun, either buckshot or slugs, as I had just recently got the 870. This was supposed to be a quick trip, as I was on my way back to school (~200 miles). My mistake, as I forgot that any time you wander in, you better be ready to chat with the guy for a long time. I think I was in for a good 45-60 minutes just shooting the breeze about everything, from women to yes, paranoia.
Oh, well, there are worse ways to waste time. (And yes, he had some less-common varieties to play with)
Oh, well, there are worse ways to waste time. (And yes, he had some less-common varieties to play with
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