Dealers prefer selling Glocks?

[Tom Servo]

Ease of dissasembly... Put a 1911 in a "virgin's hands" and tell them to take it apart and wipe it down with oil....good luck.

It might be a generational thing. When I was growing up, I learned my guns. There were no shortcuts. I understood the obligation to maintain the machine, and the grave responsibility of owning it. Nowadays, people don't care. They want things cheap and easy, even when it comes to weapons.

most of these people were at the range and know that 5-6 shots just isn't going to cut it when they only put 50% on paper.

If they're only putting 50% on paper, they really need training, and they shouldn't even consider using the gun for self-defense until they get it.

Of course, that's not the way it works out, and it really worries me. I see the same things you do on a regular basis. This paraphrases conversations I've had all too many times:

"Some guy looked at me weird in the parking lot, and I got scared. I need a gun. My buddy who knows a guy who used to play poker with a cop said to get a Glock. Training? I don't have time for that. Give me the cheapest holster you've got, too. Oh, and I don't need defensive ammunition, just give me the cheap stuff. So what if I keep sweeping you with it? It's not loaded, right?"

Now, is this Gaston Glock's fault? Of course not. Nor is it an indictment of the gun. They're good guns. However, they're not for guys like the one in the above paragraph. They require training and discipline to use safely.

I see it as a catch-22: many of the people seeking them would be better served by a rimfire or a revolver, but there's no telling them that.

 

[IanS]

I've been gunshops that push XD's. Some pushed Glocks. Some push M&P's now. What I mean by "push" is that the employees were decidely biased towards them. None that I've gone to pushed HK's, SIG's, or 1911's like the others because they're at a higher price point. Tougher sell to the general public unless it sounds like a great deal like $400 SIGPro or RIA 1911's. Although at one shop everyone carried 1911's so that caused a lot of customers to enquire about them. Its easy to influence the buying decisions of people who are new to handguns and guns in general. They ask for recommendations and they usually go with what they're told. It doesn't mean they necessarily made an informed decision.

Glock has the advantage of brand recognition and that creates momentum in sales which creates even more momentum. Coca Cola. Apple. Starbucks. Unfair? Underserved? Well, brands that have created a solid product and a good reputation over the years tend to have earned it in the free market. If its a product driven by fickle things like its something trendy or driven by hype it always only lasts a few years. Glock has proven they're more than mere trend or hype. All the slings and arrows and battle scars over the decades is proof enough. Esp. from all you guys on TFL. The un-charitable things you guys say about Glocks today is nothing compared to the hostility Glock faced when it was trying to break into the handgun business.

 

[predecessor]

What I mean by "push" is that the employees were decidedly biased towards them. None that I've gone to pushed HK's, SIG's, or 1911's like the others because they're at a higher price point.

From my experience, at least 90% of the folks behind the counter have very little experience when it comes to shooting a variety of pistols. This why they "push" what they do. Most don't have much experience shooting the higher priced pistols so, without out the proper knowledge of their entire product line, they "push" what they are familiar with.

 

[IanS]

From my experience, at least 90% of the folks behind the counter have very little experience when it comes to shooting a variety of pistols. This why they "push" what they do. Most don't have much experience shooting the higher priced pistols so, without out the proper knowledge of their entire product line, they "push" what they are familiar with.

Also, they may be pushing whatever they have in their inventory. If they're sold out of Glocks and have a bunch of XD's in the warehouse or storage room which becomes the "greatest pistol in the world"?

 

[hk45ctp30]

I work at one of New Mexico's largest gun stores. When customers come to the gun counter, I try and find out what kind of experience they have when it comes to shooting a handgun. If someone comes in and says "I want to buy a Glock 19 with night sights", then that's what I sell them and move on. If someone comes in and says "I want a pistol in 9mm with a safety" then I'll steer them toward Ruger, Beretta, Stoeger, or HK. If they say they want the best there is I point them toward either a Glock, Sig, or HK. My preference is the HK, to be honest. However, I do my best to try and find out what the customer wants before I show them merchandise.

I also try and be perfectly honest with them. For instance, if they want to see a Taurus, I will be glad to show them one. If they ask my opinion of Taurus, on the other hand, the only thing positive I can say is that they come with a lifetime warranty. We have more Taurus weapons returned as being defective than all other brands combined. But that's another story.

When it comes to Glock pistols, we have no restrictions on what we sell or don't sell the customers. There are no quotas with us, and we don't know how much of a mark-up there is on the weapons we sell. I personally carried a Glock through several years in the Border Patrol and lastly as a Criminal Investigator with the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security. My Glock was always reliable and shot very well. That being said, I didn't like it, but I had no other choice but to carry it. Of all the weapons I carried with the feds in 38 years, my choice of best weapon (for me) was the HK USP Compact in .40S&W, which had HK's LEM trigger.

Today, I still have the authority to carry concealed all of the time, and I carry an HK45CT pistol in .45ACP everywhere I go, 24/7. I tried the Glock .45's, but they are simply too large to fit my hand. I did try one of the Glock single stack .45s at the store, but I prefer my HK45 more.

I will admit that there are some salesmen at the store that don't have a lot of experience with various weapons, and sometimes they make some unbelievable statements to customers who really don't know better, but for the most part I think our store really tries and put someone with the weapon that suits them, whether it be a revolver or semi-automatic. I personally have sold many Glocks, but not because I was ordered to sell them over another brand. They are great pistols and very reliable. I do get tired though of people pushing Glocks to the detriment of anything else. They are almost rabid about Glocks and put anyone else down if someone says they prefer something else. Some people, like myself, simply don't like them. I prefer HK pistols. And that's something that is non-negotiable on my part.

 

[Steven_Seagal]

I talk to dealers from all over the country nearly every day and they tell me their margins on a GLOCK are not that great so they rely on volume to make any real $$$ off them

 

[lawnboy]

As a business person, not involved in any way in the gun business, I can tell you a basic rule of all business: Give the customer what they want.

People want Glocks because they see them on tv, its a cool name, cops carry them, gangsters carry them and Glock provides a gun in every common caliber and frame size. They also happen to be effective, reliable and proven. In simple terms the Glock is both Popular AND Good!

Sometimes you can influence what the customer wants. Sometimes customers will talk to you enough that you'll realize they made up their mind based on false or partial information (then you MIGHT be able to guide them). But sometimes it's just better to pick the low hanging fruit and give them what they ask for. A really good salesman knows when to do one or the other.

Glock has worked hard to build a name that sells. I don't grudge them that.

I love Glocks. But I'll never carry one because I prefer a gun with a hammer. Every gun I've ever carried has had a hammer. It's what I'm used to. Silly, but there you go.

 

[Tom Servo]

margins on a GLOCK are not that great so they rely on volume to make any real $$$ off them

I can't really think of any one handgun that gets an appreciable margin over others, so it's not really an incentive to sell one brand over another. In general, margins on guns stink. You have to make it back up on accessories.

It's far better in terms of profit to sell someone a gun they'll like, then make it back up in training.