Women friendly gun store

[Warren]

I've been thinking about going through the process of getting an FFL and opening a gun store/range.

With only around 10% of women owning guns I would like to attract women to my store and was wondering what I could do to make the store appealing to women.

Most gun stores I've been in would not qualify as "appealing" to women, heck some were not appealing to anyone. These stores are full of macho posturing, gun shop commandoing, know-it-allitis, ect. These kinds of things just drive non-gunners away, both male and female.

So what to do to keep a friendly, accessible but defensible space?

I figure that well trained and friendly female sales staff would be helpful as would keeping the place clean and well lit.

Any other ideas?



Thanks,

Warren



Note to mods: Please delete any stupid, sexist or innapropriate comments.

 

[Thumper5]

All the women I have introduced to shooting ranges have been put off by only one thing --- the macho BS of all the gun store/range employees openly packing. Seems like a childish thing to do.

 

[Calliope]

As a woman who has been put off lately...

Try treating them as though they are worthy of the respect you give others. Some people see a woman in a gun store and they think either she's a dyke or she doesn't know what she's doing.

Treat them like you are happy for their business and not condescending and you'll go far!

Calli

 

[rustymaggot]

all the women ive taken to gun stores have hated the know it all gun store guys who try to impress the girls with their vast knowledge, yet they know less than i do. it is funny how they try to recover when i correct them.

it was awfully funny watching some nucklehead gun store guy try to hit on my friend, in front of her husband.


having women who know their stuff working at the store might bring in other women shooters. pick the employees for personality and knowledge and you cant go wrong.

 

[davhina]

Openly Packing

Seems like these boneheads are doing the one thing most of try to avoid...advertising the fact that we carry. Whom are they trying to impress? They do it at the indoor range i go to.

 

[vynx]

Hire women to work there!

I was at a gun store and their was a young women behind the gun counter - a customer asked a question and I wanted to hear her answer - she was very professional, she stated here are the facts not my opinion and she even stated why what she said was considerred the best.

I have met so many obnoxious know it alls at gun shops that I actually think its some kind of job requirement but this young lady was very professional.

She was working at a Turners in Southern Cal. for what its worth.

So maybe women willl relate to other women more - especially when you see how some men lecture and talk condescending to them when it comes to guns.

 

[Machete]

Make the guns look pretty

 

[Walkalong]

Actually, all those things turn off some of the guys also.

I won't go to a couple of places around here because they are SO MUCH more knowledgable and smarter than everyone else.

Give me a break Mr Macho, I've done plenty myself, but I don't feel the need to tell EVERYONE in the world how tough or brave etc. I was. Just did it, just like millions of others. :banghead:

 

[Soybomb]

When my friend was shopping for her gun she had everything from the guys behind the counter telling her she didn't want what she asked for, not waiting on her, addressing her husband instead of her despite several references that she was the buyer. Treating women just like you'd treat any other customer would probably go a long way.

Past that I think some out reach could be done. If you had a really good introduction to firearms and self defense class that was woman friendly and maybe promoted at women's self defense classes in the area it would help.

the macho BS of all the gun store/range employees openly packing. Seems like a childish thing to do.

I don't see it as anything macho at all. I personally wouldn't want to work in a gun store without being armed and open makes the most sense. It seems no more macho to me than police with a gun on their belt.

 

[Snap]

I'd agree with the "no macho BS" thing, hire decent people and no SQueals and you'll largely be fine. The reason for employees open carrying is fairly simple to my mind: In a decent sized gun store, there can easily be a few hundred thousand in inventory. While only an idiot would try to steal from a gun store, what harm can one more visual deterrent do? Besides, if you can't be publicly seen carrying a firearm in a GUN STORE anymore, where the hell can you?? What happened to all the talk around here of making guns an integral part of society again, merely a tool, like a car or a hammer? Aren't we shooting ourselves in the foot by dismissing open carry by gun store employees as "macho posturing"?

Ok, got on a rant there. I'm calm now.

 

[mete]

Set up shooting/defense courses for women .Preferably taught by a woman [Vicky Farnam has an excellent book on teaching women to shoot ]

 

[BobMcG]

It's really quite simple.

Treat them (and all of your customers) in the same manor in which you'd like to be treated. You don't have to show them how much you know but rather what they need to know. Be a helpful, courteous dealer. Don't be a macho, know it all dealer 'cause that behavior will turn off more than just the women customers.

 

[grizz5675]

It may be a gender thing but i on the opposite spectrum of things ,know of two woman who work in two seperate gun stores in which neither of the two could answer even one of my quetions and one had a hard time even giving me a price on the guns i asked about and both seemed as if tho they could care less about the gun i purchased as long as they made a sale.

 

[Tokugawa]

Hmmm- If it was me, I would go to some lengths to find the most knowlegable female shooters I could find. Also attractive, and I do not mean in a T and A way- articulate, well groomed , friendly. And ADVERTISE FEMALES WELCOME.
I swear, if half the motorcycle and gun stores did this we would not be fighting a rearguard action for our rights. Female self defense courses also. Find a lesbian shooter if you can. Cracking the stereotype has the potential to make some big bucks.

 

[DWARREN123]

Treat them as people and with respect. Womens Self Defense classes and Family days.

 

[telomerase]

If you open a range, don't put the submachine gun rental operators in the adjacent stall to first-time female shooters just as they get ready to fire their first shot

In fact, when you get a bunch of first timers (of any gender) it might be a good idea to ask people to stick to .22 for a few minutes.

As far as open carry goes, everyone I have taken shooting, no matter how inexperienced, expected gunshop employees to carry... they hope SOMEONE is keeping the guns from walking off.

The female sales staff is a good idea... they'll probably do a better job anyway.

 

[DogBonz]

soybomb

is right. this is 2007, women can vote, hold property, and own a business, so I think that treating women like any one else might go far. Other than that, how about sponsoring a womens self defense class at the local range where you bring some women appropriate guns for them to try. By the way, my gf loves my sig 229 in 9mm.

 

[rangerruck]

colors and lot s of light in the stores, not animal heads. women eimployees is big. Also do a kind a happy hour thing, such as women come in mon thru fri, 1/2 off, with a friend.

 

[General Geoff]

Having a majority of women as staff sounds like the best idea.

Might want to push an "outfitter" or tailor type image for the store. Many women might be interested in the concept/logic behind owning and possibly carrying a firearm, but are put off because of the general hobbyist attraction to guns. I'd venture to guess that a major portion of gun owners consider it a hobby/interest of theirs. As such they have no problem doing their own research, shopping around, picking out firearms they know they'll like, etc..

Many women, on the other hand, may not. You have to market towards the many women who would view a gun as a tool, nothing more. Imagine someone who wants a gun for home protection "just in case," and wishes to be proficient in its use, but who doesn't necessarily want to clean it and oil it every week, nor do they want to know how to detail strip it.

Compare it to cars. There are gearheads, and there are non-gearheads. The gearheads, when shopping for a car, already know what they're looking for, and most likely do all their own maintenence. But with cars, there's a HUGE market for those people (men and women alike) who don't know/don't care how to work on cars, and/or don't have a passion for them like gearheads. These people make up the majority of car owners. If you can successfully market guns in a similar fashion to car dealerships (minus slimey commission-driven salesmen), you might catch a large market of "non-gun nuts," so to speak.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Wimmenz Friendly Store

Well, first I gotta vent:

. . . macho BS of all the gun store/range employees openly packing. Seems like a childish thing to do.

As stupid as it would seem to be, people do actually try to hold up gun stores. There are a couple of hair-raising stories (possibly even on this forum) about just this event.

I'm actually happier to know, when I'm in the store, that somebody is equipped to deal with critters.​

Back to the topic at hand:

Wimmenz:

• Have at least one lady working the counter.
• Have a clean rest room (yeah, I know, I've never seen one either, but somebody has to start).
• Require that anyone working the counter receive formal training in communication. That includes listening. It also includes never tell someone what they think or feel. I've stood at counters and had goofballs tell me, "You don't want that." I have stood at other counters and had the proprietor say, "I could sell you that, but there are some things you should know."
• Have a large chart on the wall with a diagram of each major type of weapon, with labels showing the names of the parts. Hell, I needed that myself.
• Oleg Volk wall posters featuring wimmenz.
• Feature a catalog of bags and/or CCW clothing for wimmenz.
• Special wimmenz shooting classes (maybe once a month). Maybe even an SD class.
• Section dedicated to small hands.
• Cleaning class.
• Green stuff. Plants.

That's what you get for letting me ask my wife.

 

[Waitone]

Use the search function on THR. Considerable pontification has taken place on this exact topic.

 

[Eleven Mike]

Female staff? No. Male staff. Beef-cakey male staff. Tight garments.


Seriously, though, two or three of Oleg's posters would be a good idea, but avoid those with the more obvious sex appeal. You want posters that say "I'm confident in my ability to protect myself and kill tasty animals," not "I'm a fantasy from a Girls N Guns video."

 

[ArfinGreebly]

ElevenMike

Chippendale Tacticals?

 

[kd7nqb]

COFFEE, this will go a long way. I agree on the small hands stuff to. Also what about some of those Purse CCW options. Also women in the store would help. Finally I think with any new shooter make sure they know that dumb questions are ok. Also drop the tactical crap. Just because most of us carry Condition 1 does not mean that I would yell at someone who wants a gun with a manual safety. (The reason I like XD's manual passive safeties.)

 

[boredelmo]

Have attractive male workers, lol.