How do small gun shops survive?

FrankenMauser said:
On the flip side...

A couple years ago, I spent a few weeks scouring the region for a Ruger Super Redhawk or Super Blackhawk in .480 Ruger. At the time, I was leaning toward the Redhawk and would have taken almost any barrel length except for the Alaskan "snubby". But I couldn't come up with ANYTHING.
I had to turn to the internet. It was so difficult to locate enough revolvers in the hands of dealers that I felt I could trust, to even get a good idea on price, that I actually ended up looking up regional phone books and calling hundreds of gun shops, sporting goods stores, and pawn shops all over the country.

I found about a three dozen .480s total, and about a dozen potential candidates with photos, but most were eliminated for various reasons -- up to and including $130+ for shipping.
Finally, I found the best price on what seemed like a good revolver (first run SRH 7.5").

It arrived at the LGS, and the owner asked, "Why didn't you buy the one right there? It would have been cheaper." I turned around to see a 9.5" SRH .480 Ruger sitting in the revolver case across the store. :rolleyes:
I had to remind him, "Because you didn't have one when I was looking, and you told me you didn't want to find one."

It would have been cheaper. But I can't buy what's not available.
Click to expand...
This is the problem I've run into with every store for a decade now. I remember when I was 17 I really wanted to buy Grand Theft Auto IV for my Xbox and so I went with a friend into town to get it and I remember telling him, "They'll have the game... for Playstation."

Sure enough, they have it for Playstation and not Xbox. Couldn't buy it.

Fast forward a decade (oh God, I can't believe it's been 10 years) I hit the same snag with gun stores, even gun shows. I go to a gun show in New Hampshire and look for the North American Arms black powder revolvers... nobody has them. I go to a gun show in Indiana, nobody had any Kel Tec's.

Even when my lgs have something I want, it's not exactly what I want. Sorry, I don't want a Glock with the MOS mount that I'm never going to use. Sorry, I don't want to spend more than double on a used Ruger SP101 over a used Charter Arms .357.

Nobody around me sells .327's, nobody seems to have any antique rifles from the 19th Century, nobody carries any single shot muzzleloading pistols.

Even if they did, I have to wait 8 days to take possession of it and if it's something that costs over $500, it's cheaper for me to buy online and avoid sales tax.

$130 for shipping is ridiculous.
 
Coloradohtr said:
I visited a LGS in Denver last weekend and was highly disappointed with their customer service.

No one asked me if I wanted to see anything or if I needed help. They had alot of consignment guns as well as alot of used ones. I did find an HK USP 40S&W magazine in a $15 cash only bin. It was a hell of a deal so I bought it. I only had $12 cash on me at the time and I asked someome if they would take the $12 cash or take $15+tax with a card and the guy was rude and short with me and was told no. It wasnt packed so they weren't busy. I asked if there was an ATM around and was told there was one at the bar next door. Mind you its 11am on a Saturday...the bar wasnt open, so I had to leave and go find a different ATM. I came back and bought the magazine and the guy who helped me was a different guy and the others were just standing around. I tried to talk to the guy and tell him it was a deal I couldn't pass up and that I own 3 HK pistols and he just said yeah and haded me my change like he didn't even want to be there. I wont be going back.

Word of mouth gets around pretty quick and we always have people coming back or people who tell us their friend or a family member told them about us. To me it all boils down to customer service and satisfaction. If the customers are happy and enjoy being in your store, they will come back and tell others.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it sure does. There's one LGS that I use to like because it was out in the country, the store had hard wood floors, a gunsmith section in the back... it felt like a store from the 1800's. The issue is the employees don't want you there or your money and most of the guns are used made in the early to mid 1900's.

The owner wanted my money because I went there when they were closed one day to buy powder and he let me in and did the sale without any tax added. He's not there everyday, so it makes it tough to want to go back.

The other lgs I've done the most business with this year was going great, they have one employee who's given me free ammo and a free transfer after some complications recently with lost 4473 paperwork. He makes everything run smooth, but he's not the owner. The new owner has expanded the business and they do duracoating/cerakoting in the back now, but... the customer service has dropped. Wait times are hitting 30 minutes just to get a 4473 done, lines are getting longer, and it's all because the owner is the only guy working during the week. He doens't want to schedule more than one person for the counter.

It makes for a piss poor experience because the one guy behind the counter is answering the phone, doing calls to the NICS, signing for packages, taking payments, etc.

It's hit the point that I just can't deal with it anymore. If I want to wait 30 mins, I'll go to Cabela's. Better yet, I'll go to the next closest LGS. Yes, it'll cost me $15-30 more for a transfer, but at least I can get in and out faster and in the mean time, look at some of the "new" used guns that have come in.

For me, when it comes to a gun store, I'll like you if you talk to me like I'm a person. If we can converse about guns, gun laws, or how it's nice that we live in a more tolerant society that gay men don't have to hide their sexuality and marry women and have kids only to come out as gay when the kids are in high school. Yes, that was an actual conversation I had with an employee at a gun store.

But the big one for me is I don't want to be waiting in line. I wait in line at enough places, the gun store shouldn't be one of them.
 
Your looking in the wrong local store. My local guy most times can beat "cheaper than dirt" on prices.

He goes to area gun shows and sells. It's not just "in store" sales.
 
Most of us here are probably savvy online buyers. Surprisingly a lot of people are not sure or don't want to try to buy online. You know, the fear of the unknown.
I see people in my LGS come in and really aren't sure what they want. They need to see it, hold it, and have the shop explain differences between platforms.
They will pay xtra for that service. I venture to guess, we are not the average gun buyer. A lot of us spend tons of time researching and have much more experience with firearms.
Even some of the guys I shoot with, won't buy a gun online. Lets face it, we aren't their targeted consumer.
All that said, I've bought some new and some used guns from my local gun shop. I also buy my cast bullets and some other stuff from them. I want them to succeed!!!
 
I live in a very rural community and there isn't a LGS within an hour of where I live... and it stinks.

Fortunately there are a few guys with their FFL that can do transfers, but I wish there was a storefront with knowledgeable staff I could talk to about gun stuff. Have thought about starting my own... but, like the OP stated, "how can they survive?"
 
I use a local guy most of the time. His prices are reasonable, he generally has what I want, and he will get what he doesn't if possible. He values my business and doesn't jerk me around on price. He gives me his best price and I take it or leave it. If I have to wait for him to fill out my paperwork while he tends to another customer, I couldn't care less.

Because he is a small shop, some of the more popular guns or ammo take a little longer to aquire. I'm good with that too. I value having a guy I can call who will answer all my questions and get what I want without having to go in to pay a deposit or waste my time with stuff I don't want. He is not my only source of new or used guns, or ammo but he is always my first choice. I occasionally pay a little premium for dealing with a local shop, but that is far outweighed by having a local guy to deal with.
 
A lot of them don't. I've seen a few small local shops go out of business.

A lot of it is low information buyers. I think a lot of shooters are older and technologically impaired. My dad wouldn't really be able to check prices online, let alone on a mobile device. And then, the process of ordering online and transferring is daunting to him. He'd rather just buy in person, every time.

Every now and then, I get a phone call from him asking if $275 is a good price for a Jiminez pistol.
 
Every now and then, I get a phone call from him asking if $275 is a good price for a Jiminez pistol.
Click to expand...
That explains why one of the local stores near me is selling a used Kel Tec Sub 2000 for $500 or AMT Automag .22 Mag semi auto's for $700.

This is why I like to be an informed consumer.
 
I know this goes counter to getting the best price, but I don't mind paying a few dollars extra for the ability to have my LGS within a couple miles of me. As to how much a "few extra dollars" are depends on each person individually. To me the extra is worth the hassle of going through the whole online purchase while wondering if the gun I'm getting is really NIB. Just worth it to me to work with the owner, who knows me by first name. I know he has to make a profit to stay in business so I buys something ever time I'm there.
 
copied from Colorado #17---

Word of mouth gets around pretty quick and we always have people coming back or people who tell us their friend or a family member told them about us. To me it all boils down to customer service and satisfaction. If the customers are happy and enjoy being in your store, they will come back and tell others.


Exactly.. The old addage-the best advertizing is word of mouth. Satisfied customer tells couple of people-dissatisfied tells the world.

Couple of LGS seem to not need the business.

Best one I remember was many yrs ago. I wanted a 22 bolt-stainless-Ruger. Talked w/ the owner and he said they are available many ways. I said find out his supplier has and what $$. Week later he hadnt checked yet. I never did get that gun.

Was an amazing LIFE member of NRA, maybe. Bitched about politicians continously. I supported a fellow for US House and asked the LGS guy to sign a nominating petition. He read it and said "I cant sign I dont know him."

Found out later the guy wasnt even registered to vote...
 
The small shops must provide customer service and must procure repeat business. You can have the screw people once mentality, or you can have the create a customer for life mentality. My dealer works out of a tiny shop. He does not even have a sign. Its all repeat and word of mouth referral. He is cheap, but makes a killing on high volume with almost no overhead. I can walk in, sit down at his computer and put my stuff in the cart for his next order. I know my price; $10 over on guns under $500, $15 over on guns under $1k, $20 over on guns over $1k.Plus tax of course, most of the time, a couple distributors circumvent it. Free freight. He orders 4 to 5 times per week from each distributor. He probably averages 40 guns per day. Because he sells cheap and does high volume, his prices are cheap and he can compete with and in many cases beat the big boys. :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
I try to save money on the things I buy everyday that actually add up to a lot. Paying $20 or $30 more for a item that I only buy once and will hold it's value over the years is not something I worry about. I like to do what I can to keep the small shops open. You may spend more money but you get better value.
 
Repeat customers. Knowledgeable counter help. A fair price asked for their goods and services. Seldom will a small shop not help with a warranty {fix}.

I rather buy from a Mom & Pop business than a big store any day. As such small store folks continually to this day buy what I made for a living once upon a time.. It's only fair to return the favor. >reciprocation is good for any community.<
 
Rockrivr1 wrote:
I know this goes counter to getting the best price,...
Click to expand...

Good, I'm glad you're swimming against that tide. The obsession to get a piece of merchandise for the lowest price is a contributing factor to our manufacturing jobs being moved to low wage countries.
 
Sadly most LGS's don't stay in business especially the mom & pop type shops. The world is changing whether we like it or not. Heck I remember my dad granddad and uncles bought their guns mail order out of catalogs at the Western Auto or local hardware store.
 
I buy some online and some from a local small shop. I can always get a better price on line but if the local guy can get anywhere close I buy from him. I buy nearly all my powder and primers from him, most rifle bullets, the odd die or small items. i also use him for transfers. I hope we can keep him in business. It's good to have a local guy that stocks reloading stuff.
 
So far, all the guns I've purchased have been from local gun shops. I don't mind paying a little extra to keep them in business. I'm very much a touch/feel kind of buyer, so buying guns online doesn't appeal much to me.
 
Any small business(and many large businesses) will find it a continuous struggle to stay viable. Competition, changing tastes of local customer base, the overall economy, etc. It takes good sense, knowledge and imagination to keep folks coming in the doors. In the last decade several new LGSs have opened here in my area. It's a gun friendly rural environment with many small towns in the area. I generally check out each one as it opens and in many cases, could tell the first time I went in there, whether or not they were gonna make it. I'm an average gun owner and if I don't have a desire to go back or am not impressed by the inventory, atmosphere and prices, I'm thinking most others aren't either. Several of them have made it tho along with several in the area that have been around for a long time and continue to make money. Most are simple buildings, have friendly and knowledgeable staff(if they have anyone besides them and their spouse), have what you want/need when you want/need it(or can get it in a reasonable time) at a price, that while may not be the cheapest, is not highly overpriced.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top