Bud's Gun Shop VIP peeve!

H

Hoosier_Daddy

New member
Maybe it is just me, but today I went to one of my favorite online gun shops and I look at a Beretta PX4 compact and it is only available to Buds VIP customers. I've ignored the VIP program.There are other places for me to be better served.
If I were buying multiple guns a year, OK, maybe worth the yearly FEE for the VIP privalege of buying from you but for the one or two guns a year I buy, I will go elsewhere. Bud's, you lost my business.
I don't belong to Sams Club and I don't belong to Costco because I do not pay a yearly membership fee to shop.
Sorry for the rant. I feel better now.
 
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Pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered. I've bought many guns and accessories from Bud's over the years but it looks like they've moved into the slaughter stage. Too bad. They were good to deal with. I hope all the member fees makes up for the lost business. They lost mine too.
 
on the contrary

I am not sure of the annual fee, but it seems like if you are saving 20-30$/gun by buying from buds and have good service this is something that they can easily justify from a business standpoint. If you are only buying 1-2 guns a year this shouldn't matter because you can afford to pay 40-60$ more a year for your guns elsewhere, no? If you are buying 10 guns, thats 200-300$ and makes it worth being a VIP. I think everyone understands this point, but don't want to say it because they don't buy 10+ guns a year. Instead of thinking about it as penalizing you, think of it as rewarding the larger customers who have lost out to you in the past for buying guns before they could get their hands on them... they are rewarding the larger customers at the expense of the small guys, and if you don't shop there, the fees they gain and loyalty of larger customers that grows strong will by far outweigh the few bucks they make off you a year... just my business opinion. Do a swot analysis, i am sure it makes sense - after all they are fairly successful, i doubt they did this mindlessly. but then again, what do i know.
 
I kind of frown on paying a fee just to spend my money.
Click to expand...

I'm with you Trex. I make a point of not paying for buyers clubs. You want my money, give me your best deal and if its better than anyone elses I'll buy.
 
I dont see a problem with it. It is their business to do as they see fit. Its nothing strange in the world of firearms to see regular customers that spend more in one way, whether a VIP fee, or just volume alone, get the first and best pick, lower price, etc.

Even your local FFL may face this when the next latest and greatest firearm comes out. Some distributors place FFL's on an allocation list, the more volume you have, the more of a chance you get on new items, sale pricing etc.
 
Is it over the top?
No.
Warehouse clubs have been around for decades.

Bud's used to be that LGS we could all use to buy stuff at a good price on the net.
It's now joined the greedy and screw the little guy club.
They can offer incentives, black Fridays, etc to their big guys without pushing out the little guy. It was a business decision and probably a good one for them but in the end the little guy gets the shaft.
 
Some of the VIP-only guns are available to everyone else a few days later at the same price. If anything, the VIP customer pays more if you factor in the cost of the priviledge to buy before everyone else. The Ruger SR22 was VIP-only for a while, now it's available to everyone (though they're sold out last I looked). Personally, I'd rather wait a couple weeks.

You also get this for VIP Access:

Minimum 72 hour advance purchase opportunity on ALL hard to get guns, ALL used guns, and any other special offers.

YOU always get the "first shot" !

30 Day Price Protection on all new firearms*

Same Day shipping only on "Fast Track" guns for BUDS VIP members

FREE classifieds listings on our website ! Advertise your items on a website with over 72,000 Unique views per with absolutely no listing or selling fees.

A 1-888-Toll-Free number for BUDS VIP members only
An expedited email option for BUDS VIP members only.

That could be worth the $25.00 to some.
 
Wow, a whole lot of folks getting mad because their pricing is becoming more in line with regular retail........

Get a clue, prices will get higher before going lower, as the days of cheap stuff is over.
 
I'm not crazy about the VIP program either but I don't think that's a major deal to me. Don't you folks have a local gun shop that will give it's regular customers a heads up when a gun of interest comes in? Basically, the same thing but more formalized (for money) because it's a bigger store.
 
Some are complaining about $25? You shouldn't be in this hobby then.

More guns for the rest of us that stays with Buds.
 
I had one transaction with Bud's a year ago and was very unhappy with them. I've spent a small fortune since on guns and accessories but not one cent at Bud's.
 
I simply choose not to participate in the VIP program, even though I have bought and will continue to buy guns from them
 
If you guys don't want to get a VIP membership then don't. I don't know if I will. I made one purchase at Bud's, and I'm more than pleased with what I got. IF I think I'm going to be making a lot of purchases from them, and save a substantial amount of money, I might get a membership. But from what I've been seeing the savings aren't all that great. It's more of a convenience thing from what I can tell.

I kinda agree with the idea that if you are grumbling about a $25 fee you might be in the wrong hobby.
 
I not only refuse to pay to shop but I make my LGS give me and junior a free camo hat with embroidered logo rather than pay the $10-12.99 on the tags...

I wear it proudly and always remember I am representing their shop while wearing it... So a couple per year so they are nice and crisp is just part of their advertising costs...:D

Brent
 
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