What do YOU want in your local gun store?

[Zip7]

We have a small local Mom & Pop gun store here that is pretty much dedicated to guns and shooting rather than hunting or whatever.

We also have close by an Academy, a Bass Pro and a Cabelas.

If I need something, I go first to the Mom & Pop place. Finding things in Bass Pro or Cabelas is a problem, because I don't have a GPS thingy with waypoints logged for the item I need... It's been my experience that the more I need some small specific item, the less likely Academy is to have it or even know what it is. If the Mom & Pop doesn't have it, they at least know what it is, and will get it.

What I don't like about the place is they are located in an affluent area, and they have lots of very nice guns I can't afford and can only lust after.

Probably my best suggestion would be go to academy and look at all their gun cleaning supplies. You need much better stuff than that and more of it. Academy doesn't have a single cleaning jag, and I'm fairly sure they wouldn't know what one was.

 

[Crow1108]

Better ammo selection. One of the places I go to around here has every ammo caliber under the sun, but maybe only 2 or 3 different brands/types of it, and when it gets sold out, it usually stays that way for at least a few weeks. Sucks going across town to pick up some defensive ammo to squirrel away for the new pistol I bought, only to find out it's still out of stock. A gunshop should have an amount of ammo commensurate with the amount of guns they have in stock.

Better ammo prices. Both places I go to around here seem to be getting pretty greedy. I know cost of materials plays a part in this, but when a box of ammo is cheaper (even after factoring shipping) than buying it locally, the "cost of lead and brass rising" arguement goes out the window to a degree.

If you're going to incorporate a range, I know alot of people don't pick up their brass. Reload it, and sell it to people who just want some cheap ammo to use on the range. Two places I went to with my Dad when I was a kid did this, and a ziplock baggy full of 9mm or .45 FMJ compared to WWB was a steal even then.

 

[Dookie]

#1 - as mentioned, good customer service. even if your prices are higher and you cannot have all the inventory I want I will still come back if I like the place and fell welcome.
#2 - a very large selection of rimfire ammo. 223, 308, 7.62X39, 270, ect. all have thousands of different loads. Rimfire people want to buy more than golden bullets, xperts and blazers. Get a good selection of Eley, S&K, Wolf and you will get customers.
#3 - non insulting trade in values. I will not trade in my $2,500 Cooper for $350 because the caliber is not that popular and then tell me you only mark it up by 20%. BS! Stevens M87 are not a $200 dollar rifle and I know because you only offered me $50 for mine, in better condition, than the one you are selling.
#4 - Fair prices, don't have a beat up used Savage model 93 for $210 and have a brand new identical model for $220.
#5 - Parts. A good selection of small parts for popular firearms. 10/22 custom parts, Rem 700, Savage 110, 1911. An electronics store makes most of their profits from CD's, stereo cable, hard drives, MP3 players than they do selling the high dollar car or home stereo. If I know I can go into your store and pick up a common part for a my Ruger, even if it costs a little more, I will give you my business.
#6 - DON'T WEAR CAMO!!!
#7 - Have even a small selection of oddball and uncommon firearms.
#8 - Have staff who know what they are talking about. I don't care if the person behind the counter does not know everything. If I ask a question and that person behind the counter says "I don't know, let me find out". I will be willing to come back. A person who knowingly answers the question incorrectly and steers me wrong will never get my business again.
#9 - good selection of cleaning supplies.
#10 - People who do not have an opinion on a particular caliber and steer people away from that caliber even though that person has never used that particular rounds.
#11 - Cheap used guns. By cheap I mean fair priced. That Mossberg 46M(B) is NOT a $250 dollar rifle. and neither are the 7 you have sitting next to it. It's a 50 year old 22 that they made millions of and are not special
#12 - high end target rifles and sights.

I know that having a small shop means that you cannot keep the inventory of the big stores, and I also know that you cannot have the prices of the box stores. Some people, you know who you are, expect you to have every caliber of every rifle on hand in your 10X20' safe, I don't. You have to compensate for that with customer service.

 

[Darthbauer]

Everything Turners isn't. I just want someone that knows more about the guns than I do.

 

[Zedicus]

Para Ordnance 1911's - Not many shops have them.
Armalite Rifles - Same as Above, Not many places have them.
Fulton Armory M1A's and M1A EBR's - have yet to see any shops stock any
Barrett Rifles - Not enough shops stock Ronnie Barrett's products
Sharpes Rifles (45-70 on up) - Not many places even have reproductions.
Bulk Reloaded Ammo - Always a good idea
Pro 2A Stickers/Hats/Coffee Mugs -Always a good seller.
Mill-Surp Ammo Cans - Always popular
Savage 10FP-LE - A low priced tack driver that to few know about.
Anzio Ironworks 20mm - Nuff Said
Stealth Recon Scout Rifles - Have yet to see a shop with these Link

 

[TAB]

The only thing that has not been said, is a women on the staff that actually knows what she is talking about it. Its not so much something I want, but its something that would be helpful should I bring the GF/wife in the store. Not to mention it will help in sales to other women.

 

[RonE]

I hate seeing bubba behind he counter with a pistol strapped to his side. Wearing a handgun may be advertising in some peoples minds, but it turns me off. Put your personal pistol under or behind the counter.

If you have a range, offer the NRA hunter safety course.

Have an annual turkey shoot and let civic groups and churches use your range for turkey shoots.

Use your range for 4H shooting classes and competitions.

Free (even though cheap) blaze orange vest with purchase of deer rifle.

Free shop baseball caps with gun purchase.

Have lots of dead animale heads on the walls.

Hot dogs, chili, cokes and coffee is easier than a full blown deli counter and says the same thing for less investment...."Pull up a stool and rest and bs a while."

Big deer contest every year with results posted in the store and local paper. If in phesant country, longest tail feather contest every year with pictures and publicity.

Clean restrooms and no cigerette butts littering around the front door. Good and easy parking.

Good lighting and accent lighting for pistol cases.

A company Labradore (greeter) and official cat that hangs around the store.

An arrangement with other dealers of brands that you don't carry to cooperate back and forth to sell the customer what he/she wants through your store.

 

[moe.ron]

On site gun smith.

I would ditch the diner too, a Coke machine and a little rack with chips and jerky and such would be cool though.

 

[WayneConrad]

Be friendly to open carry. If my sidearm will remain holstered, allow it in the store without requiring me to unload it.

Re a pop machine: No thanks. I don't want everything in the store getting sticky. Hey, it's a gun store. The soda shop is down the corner.

 

[Boomer]

Well, people have pretty much covered what the ideal gun shop should have. It inspired me to think about what the ideal car dealership should be like.

1. Stock every car that is made.
2. Stock each accessory that is made, for each of those cars.
3. Sell all the varieties of fuel that are available for each of those cars.
4. For those who want to make their own accessories or fuel, stock the components or raw materials needed to do so.
5. Special order any of the above that isn't at the dealership.
6. Buy my old car for almost as much as a new one.
7. Sell me a used car for way less than a new one.
8. Operate and maintain a track, where people can race their cars.
9. Offer classes on how to drive a car.
10. Be sure the salespeople don't shoot the breeze with other customers (in case I want to buy a car now).
11. Be sure the salespeople are willing to shoot the breeze with me (in case I want to).
12. Be sure the salespeople are not so gross as to be seen actually sitting in a car. (Comparable to gun store clerks openly carrying.)
13. Hire only automotive experts as salespeople. (Hang the expense.)
14. Give me access to those experts for free.
15. Be willing to do a lot of free research for me. (To show my appreciation, I may buy something again in the future.)
16. Be willing to transfer cars that other people are selling cheaper (because they don't do all this stuff), and do the government-required paperwork for the transfers.
17. Do all of this for really cheap.

 

[ErikS]

I havent been in that many gun stores, but I've visited a lot of fishing stores as well as computer stores, so I think I can speak a bit of what makes one of those local stores work, and why I would spend more money buying something there than I can get it from a bigger store, or online, since no smaller shop can compete pricewise with the big ones.

Like a lot of people have allready said, friendly staff. I often know a lot more than the sales people about what I come in asking for, but I never give that impression. Some people misjudge me as a know nothing and either try to denigrate me, or try to feed me some BS why I should buy what they want to sell. This is a really bad business move on their part. Usually I just leave, never come back, and tell everyone I know not to go there either. If I'm in a bad mood I might first respond by asking highly specific questions that they dont know the answer to, and do so in front of other customers. (Some of my friends find that really funny to watch.)
Bottom line, treat everyone with respect, and do your best to help them.

Knowledgeable staff, but if they dont know everything, they are willing to find out and learn.
If you dont know the answer, dont try to fake it. It's better to say "I'm sorry, I dont know the answer to that question, but I can find out for you", than try to pretend by giving a fake answer.
One of my favorite fishing stores years ago had the owners wife standing there a lot of the time. She was far from an expert, but she kept asking people what they used and how they liked it, so she could always tell you what the local experts used, and why they liked it. And she never tried to look more knowledgeable than she was. That was the reason I spent loads of money there, often buying things just on her recommendation.

Competitive prices. You probably cant compete with the big stores or mailorder businesses, but you should try to keep it as close as possible too. If you charge $250 for something I might find online for $200, the convenience of buying it from you, seeing it before I buy it, and be able to maybe get some tips along the way, will make it worth it. If on the other hand you charge $400 for it, it will make it harder to justify myself for buying from you.

Quality products. Only sell products you yourself think is good quality. I dont mean to just sell your own favorites, recognize the difference between objective quality, and subjective favorite opinion. But if you keep getting complaints on a specific product, quit selling it. This way customers will have confidence in knowing that the chance of making a bad buy at your place is really low, if it was bad stuff you wouldnt have it. (One of the computer stores I visit quit selling equipment to protect modems from lightning strikes, because too many people complained they didn't work. Instead they bought a load of cheap modems, and sold them at bottom prices to people that got their modems burned. They felt that was a better deal for everyone.)
This does not negate the other suggestions of selling cheaper guns, and cheaper ammunition. Just make sure that the cheaper stuff is still worth their price. As long as a $100 gun is worth the money you sell it for, I'd consider it "quality" in it's own pricerange.

I also like the idea of a hang-out corner of some sort. Just a coffeemachine, a few chairs, a bulletin board with local news, and maybe a video running a selection of shows would draw people just to come in and see what's new. This would make the store a regular visit for people when in the area, even if they dont plan on buying something that day.
A possible benefit of that is that when you do get a customer with a question you cant answer, there's a pretty good chance someone hanging out in the store can. I've done that myself on more than one occasion.

These things all have the same in common that the small store offer something the big store dont, which makes it a better place to buy from.

 

[3KillerBs]

Another vote for top-notch customer service. I've been a waitress and I've been in retail sales and I know that this is easier said than achieved, but as another person said, a good salesman can learn about guns more readily than a gun expert can learn how to smile politely at the biggest jerk customer on the face of the earth how to provide the same stellar level of service to the person buying a box of cheap .22lr or a low-priced used gun that's been in the case so long you're practically giving it away to make space as they provide to the person buying the highly customized AR-15 or the top-flight, $3000 shotgun.

Make sure that women are treated well. Consider this story I posted on the Women & Guns board a month or so ago:

We were out running errands and stopped into the pawn shop to see if any used .22 revolvers had come in.

In the course of the conversation I commented on how much I like the feel of the little Taurus .22 with the tip-up barrel but I needed to carry something that makes bigger holes.

I continue on for a few moments looking at the guns and the salesman asks, "How about this one?" then hands me a very nice, Taurus .44 magnum revolver that they had used with a quite reasonable price tag. Unfortunately, the thing is so big that I can't come anywhere near reaching the trigger since my hands are so small. LOL

But I liked the fact that with a lady looking at used revolvers, expressing a desire to make larger holes than a .22, and commenting on liking the Taurus grips he casually handed a small woman a .44magnum without the faintest hint of "women should stick to small calibers" attitude that I've heard of here and on other gun forums.

And that pawn shop is the less friendly, less helpful, less accommodating of the 2 reputable gun-buying places in town (the other pawn shop having a very iffy feel about it that had us turning around to leave almost as soon as we'd gotten in).

BTW -- that's part of what I mean about sales talent -- paying attention to the customers and being proactive about offering things they want even though they don't know they want them.

Same for new shooters. Do something to promote youth shooting -- if only featuring a rack of Crickett rifles.

Stock both defensive and hunting targets. Stock the necessary targets for the various NRA qualifications and maybe even keep a bragging board for customers to track their progress and compete with other customers.

Be upfront about things you can't change. The owner of our favorite gun shop is upfront and honest about the fact that he can't pay as high a price for used guns that a person might get in a private sale -- because he has regulations to obey, paperwork to track, and limited space in his inventory. Nor can he sell them as low as a private seller might because if he doesn't make a profit on the deal he doesn't stay in business. BUT we make him our first choice for used guns because we know that anything we buy from him has been cleaned, was checked by experts, and can be expected to function correctly. Sellers choose him because he pays cash now without the difficulty of running an ad and vetting potential buyers.

 

[Realbigo]

A wide variety of newer handguns for rent, so that folks can try out things before they buy them.

 

[RNB65]

Less emphasis on hunting and more emphasis on target/clay/fun shooting. Black rifles, target rifles/handguns, target specific accessories, etc. Quality stuff and not just cheap Uncle Mike's crap.

Hunting is a dying sport and gun stores that cater extensively to hunters are going to die with it. 90% of my shooting equipment was bought online (Midway, Natchez, etc.) because the local gun stores don't stock what I want.

 

[kingpin008]

I don't mean to single RonE out, but he brings up a point that I hadn't thought about - gun shop employees who open carry.

Personally, I wish more gun shop folks would open carry while in the store. Of the few shops I know of and visit in my area, only one has staff that open carry and to me, it gives the impression of professionality. It's just a tool, ya know? Where I live (Maryland) neither OC nor CCW is legal for common citizens, so it's really refreshing when people who are allowed to excercise those rights do so.

Just my .02

 

[Happiness Is A Warm Gun]

I hate seeing bubba behind he counter with a pistol strapped to his side. Wearing a handgun may be advertising in some peoples minds, but it turns me off. Put your personal pistol under or behind the counter.

Really? Do you wish cops would start conceal carrying or keeping their pistols in the patrol car out of sight.

This statement just seems bizarre to me.

 

[Drgong]

Been thinking about this (I don't have the finances, but would love to be a gun shop owner as well, perhaps that will be my "retirement" job.

1. Good service, and train any employee to be quite alright to say "I don't know, but I will look it up"

2. Find a women who knows her stuff, and then make a day "ladies day" where the girl is present and can help any women with there needs, women many time feel better talking to another women when it comes to guns and such.

3. as for the food, get a drink machine and a vending machine, better yet, sell the space for a vendor to sell stuff though machines. Lets you focus on selling shooting supplies but still get reveanue and lets people get some crackers and a soda.

4. Have good lighting, nothing worse then a gunstore that is a cave.

5. Keep your guns rotating, if you have a gun that not selling, put it on a auction site and get some cash to buy something new.

6. have a range of guns, for example, if you have 1911s, have some Kimbers, but also stock some RIAs.

7. I don't mind if the local store won't buy my old guns, but be willing to trade in stuff and also offer consignment.

8. Have some T shirts and such, as I know from my experience in retail, that that Shirts and hats are high margin goods. I know for example I would love to find a "Don't tread on me" or Molon labe type shirt.

9. Have information on how to join the NRA and other pro gun groups, also check to see what the groups have in the way of programs to sign members up.

10. Keep a few things that are "Cool" in stock. such as a a Barrett .50 cal or something.

 

[Crow1108]

Something I just thought about to add to the above: Donate a small amount of the proceeds to the NRA/GOA/other second amendment groups, and maybe even a few pro-gun political candidates. It doesn't have to be a huge amount. These are the guys who keep our rights intact so we can buy firearms and ammo.

 

[Malice]

My single biggest suggestion to someone who is thinking about opening a gun shop:

Tags and labeling. When I go to Wal-Mart, and I pick up a can of beans, I immediately know the exact price, what kind of beans they are, what company canned them, etc.

When I go to a gun store (most of them anyway), the guns under the glass/on the racks have little yellow tags tied to the trigger guard. They are handwritten in cursive script or ALL CAPITAL LETTERS ".45 ACP" on one side, and maybe the price if you are lucky. If you are unlucky, the price is on the other side, face down.

I am not saying you need to open a printing press in the back. All you need is software you probably already have and label-paper for your printer.

The tag should say in 20 point Times New Roman font

"Rock Island 1911, Fullsize Tactical

Caliber: .45 ACP

Type: Single Action Only

Condition: Store Stock, New ( or Store Stock, Used; Consignment, Used)

Price: (in bigger font, maybe) $425

Ask us about it!"

Any other pertinent information can go on it as well, but that is a nice example of the MINIMUM amount of information I should be able to tell about a gun before even ask to see it.

 

[kingpin008]

Good point, Malice. I can't tell you how annoying it is to deal with that sort of labeling system (the tags). I don't like to be the guy who just comes in to "kick the tires" and take up clerk's time (whether they're busy or not) but it's kinda hard not to with the little tags. If I want to see the price or description, first I've gotta try to decipher the chicken-scratch on the tag, which can be a chore. And then like you said, the price is on the back of the damn thing! So I've gotta drag a clerk over just to see what they want for the thing!:banghead:

Awhile back, there was a 2214 I was drooling over in the used case of my local shop. I hemmed and hawed for about a week on it, and then finally came back, cash in hand.I called the clerk over so I could function check it real quick before I slapped the cash down, and the second he picks it up he flips the tag around to see the price, and lo and behold - there was a huge SOLD stamp over the price. AARGHH!

 

[Atla]

Good ideas folks.

And I don't agree with not carrying in the store. Sorry, but I will be carrying.

NC isn't a 'open carry' friendly place, theres no law against it - but cops like to jack you up against walls and point guns at your head if they see you.

So I'll be concealed most of the time.

Keep them coming, getting some good ideas and debates out of this.

 

[yesit'sloaded]

Don't sell .357 and .38+P airweight snubbies to women as concealed carry guns. Ever. A guy told my ex that she needed a little snubby and I have not been to the store since. I carry a non airweight snubby and I practice with it constantly to stay proficient. They are not beginner's guns. My ex has a fullsize SA/DA auto in .40 that she can shoot, much better than a small cute gun that she can't hit squat with.

 

[kingpin008]

Uh, my fiancee has a 642, and shoots circles around me with it. She never shot nor even held a real gun before meeting me. I shoot far, far more than she does, yet she whips me with that little airweight. I'm not trying to imply that she's the standard - I just think that your suggestion is painting with an overly broad brush.

I say sell the customer what the customer wants, and let them worry about whether or not they can handle it. Just because some customers can't or don't like to shoot X type of gun doesn't mean that the staff at shops shouldn't suggest them as options or sell them to those customers.

 

[yesit'sloaded]

A lot of shops think that women somehow can't handle semis and need a small revolver. Snubbies are expert's guns. Your fiancee has a talent most people don't have.

 

[Sitting Duck]

From another thread but it looks like it would apply here.

Viking499 wrote: "Tried to buy a few used guns. Didn't want to deal any. Acted as though they didn't care if they sold something or not."

I find this to be the case at every gun shop, pawn shop, and Big Box Store that I've visited. One gun store guy wouldn't even look up from his solitaire computer game to talk to me. It's like if they don't know you they don't want to talk to you.

I don't like salespeople swarming all over me but some attention would be nice. And don't treat me as if I'm ignorant. Even if I am. Show me your knowledge and some salesmanship.

These businesses could use a little "used car sales training". You know, sell me something and make me feel good about it. Even though I know I'm taking it in the south end.

Sorry for digressing off topic but Viking's post hit a nerve with me.