What Do You Want In A Gunshop?

D

Daekar

New member
I have been thinking lately about trying to get into the gun business after we find a house and settle down. Where I live, there seems to be a distinct shortage of top-notch gun shops. None of them seem interested in helping you make the best choice, offering advice, or any kind of customer service... they're just interested in getting you out the door with the lightest wallet they can mamage, regardless of what you really need. I'm not dissing people who make a profit, here... that's the name of the game. But that should mean EARNING that profit, and nobody seems to. Everywhere I go, they seem ticked off that I have te nerve to ask for help, and that just doesn't seem right.

So... I was thinking about what I would want to see in the perfect gun shop. The first thing that comes to mind is a test range... right now, none of the shops have any rental guns at all! I've never seen a ballistics chart to help people make the right caliber selections, Ive never seen anything about bullet construction... and I darn sure haven't seen any good ammo prices. What do YOU want to see when you go to a shop? If I ever actually get the chance to do this, what would make you a repeat customer?
 
-Large range with not very restrictive rules and that can handle high power rifles.
-Rental Guns
-Rental Machine Guns :eek:
-Gunsmith
-Not cramped inside the range or store.
-Stay open late, I would love to go shooting at 2AM (well maybe not that late)
-Try to be like Buds Gun Shop in terms of prices. I have no idea how they are so cheap.
-And finally just have ALOT of stuff.
 
Knowledge and honesty. I'd like to see a HUGE glass counter filled with all different type of guns, but at the end of the day, if I'm set on buying a gun, I will have done extensive research and I'll pretty much know what I want. That being said, if you don't have that particular gun with the specs I'm looking for (M&P45 with night sights for instance), I hope you'd be more than happy to special-order it for me, rather than try and send me home with an in-stock gun I'm not interested in.

If I have questions, the staff should know what they're talking about and point me in the right direction. A rental range would be nice, as well as cleaning supplies and a wide range of defensive ammo for the major calibers. Oh, and prices around MSRP would be even better :D
 
cheap transfers, lots of used guns, friendly staff, activities to encourage networking of like minded individuals.
 
I imagine bud's prices are achieved by high volume of sales.

As to the OP, Good people in the store, a rental range with a reasonable number of the for sale models for rent. FWIW, I currently prefer to drive to the range/gunshop that's significantly farther from my place and a little more expensive because the people are that much nicer and actually enjoy talking to the customers about firearms even if you're just browsing before using the range.

Also...reasonable transfer fees. Around me at least, it almost seems like some of the shops have high fees just to discourage transfers. Like charging more for a new gun vs a used gun, I'm pretty sure the same amount of effort goes into filling out the paperwork no matter the condition or price of the gun.
 
This might sound funny but;

Not so much rental holsters, but have a variety for your customers to use.

$.02

Edit: as sigcurious said, fee's in the $15 to 25 range.
 
Last edited:
Definitly like good customer service, knowledgeable staff and great variety. A test range, gunsmith and perhaps a inhouse holster maker would be the cherry on top.

Well, that and I would like to see me with an unlimited budget in there as well :D

Sent from my SPH-M910 using Tapatalk
 
Prices that aren't 30% higher than they should be.

Counter people that are professional and don't constantly talk about "effin Obama is screwin up our country".

Decent selection, concentrating on the 'good' stuff and not junk.

Reloading and casting supplies.

There's a shop about 30 minutes from my house that is outstanding. I *could* just get my stuff from the closer one, but their prices are still in line with the 'Obama Scare' inflated rates and that just irks me to no end.
 
Range time for the employees with the rental guns(this pairs with having a large portion of the sales items to rent and try). I like when people in a LGS can offer opinions of things they've at least shot and handled. Not just the general word on the block about what people think of a particular model.
 
The number one thing you can have is a stellar reputation for customer service. I was a retail manager through part of college, and I saw competitors tank that were seemingly better stocked and funded. If people don't care about service, they'll go to a megastore or the Internet. Gun stores aren't just for providing products and planograms. You should be able to make the experience of parting with hard earned cash a pleasant experience.

Forget charts, bullet construction, and all of that junk. Imagine going to buy a car and being pounded with fact sheets on torque, gear ratios, and so on. Or trying to buy a computer with some sales guy in your ear talking about floating point processors and solid state drives. Spare me the nonsense. Answer questions if I ask in a way that's relevant to me, not in a way you THINK should be relevant.

Example: What is a good, lightweight gun I could carry easily in the summer?

Bad response: Well, polymers are lightweight, but scandium and alluminum frames can be as well. It kinda depends on the... (blah blah blah... lecture continues)

Correct response: There are many good guns that will be perfect for summer carry. Let me help you narrow it down a bit. Did you have a preference of caliber? Are you looking for a revolver or auto? Do you want a safety? Great! Here's three that fit the bill quite nicely. Get a feel for them. Which do you like? Great! Have you already decided on a holster? Let me show a couple. (helpful tone and add-on sales continue)

See? The bulk of your customers don't care. They want an exceedingly overwhelming task made simple and fun. Do that. If you can't put aside your preferences and sell what they want, you'll be the proud, temporary owner of a 1500 square foot store front destined to become a Quizno's. Why? Cause their employees greet you when you come in. They ask how they can help. They sell you what you want and offer you a drink and chips to go with it. They thank you for your business. And, they have funny hats and a colorful environment. That's called branding. They had it, and you didn't.

I can not stress how important the friendly customer service part it is. I can take five sales trainees that know almost nothing about guns and have them selling anything in the store in a day. You can do the same. Don't hire gun nuts. Hire salesmen. That grumpy old Vietnam vet you hired because you thought his experience brought "credibility" to your staff? Fire him. Now. Go down to your local RadioShak and find some 23 year old kid that is making people smile and making product move. Hire him.

I wish you the best of luck. Just remember this. Bud's Gun Shop is full of product reviews that compliment their customer service as much as the gun. That's why they're successful. Mimic it.
 
Last edited:
An in-house gunsmith. An indoor range, with lots of rental guns for customers {especially beginners} to try out. Decent selection of firearms without the prices being near or over MSRP. Excellent customer service from knowledgeable, yet not condescending, staff. By that I mean, if you buy from them and the product {gun or otherwise} is giving problems, the store takes care of it for you. They either repair, replace, or send it back to the manufacturer. Oh yeah, and as long as I'm dreaming...a complete absence of those "regular customers" in every gun store I've ever been to. The guys who hang out on the sales floor all day, every day, call all of the store employees and each other by name, but never buy anything. These folks are usually nice enough, but many of them are the usual gun shop commando types who tell you a .45 FMJ will tear a man's arm off, even if it hits him in the thumb....that is, when they're not telling you to shoot all possible burglars at the front door, drag them inside, and plant a knife on them.
 
Last edited:
I'm going against the grain here:

1. Start small. Unless you have millions in the bank just waiting to be used up, I'd start with the basics. I would have more faith in doing business with a small start-up shop that eventually grows to a reputable and popular shop in the future.

2. I want an honest salesman (if there is really one) that isn't condescending, knows how to take care of more than one person at a time, and knows how to say, "I don't know that answer, but I will find someone who does".

3. Everywhere I go, especially to big box stores, the reloading section is shrinking. Gander Mountain is a prime example. Cabelas is the exception right now. I would sure like to see an ample supply to choose from.

4. I don't mind seeing a smaller inventory of guns. It's hard to have a large one when dealers can't mark up much on new ones due to internet pricing and overhead. But I do want to be able to order one, the shop receive it in timely fashion, and I can still walk away if I don't like it in person. It's a gamble that shops should take without pressure on the customer. Mass produced guns only, of course. If the shop isn't willing to have one for a demo, then the customer shouldn't have to be pressured into buying it after viewing the one that's shipped. This can be a sticky mess. But there has to be a way to make this work.

Those are a couple of items off the top of my head...
 
Shane, in reference to your point #2, you're absolutely right. A gun rag reader or firearm forum haunt does not a salesman make. A real customer service professional can sell without being dishonest and can help several people at once. I believe it's the key element to gun shop success.
 
shortage of top-notch gun shops
Click to expand...

Your statement indicates you do have shops in your area. You just don't like any of them. But, consider, if any of them have been in business for any length of time they have customers.
Which means there may not be room in the market for another store. Unless you are willing to risk investing huge amounts of money in a store that is bigger, fancier and better inventoried, then you may be out of business before starting.
But, to answer your question: I want courtesty, honesty and knowledge from the people in a gun shop I am dealing with. I tried to offer that when I had my gun shop.
 
* Knowledgable and curteous staff
* Good pricing
* Sufficient inventory
* Good gunsmith with quick turnarounds.

That's really all it would take for me to become a repeat customer. :)
 
Only three things, as far as I am concerned.

1. Knowledgeable and honest staff:

Gun customers vary greatly in what they know, and I certainly don't claim to know everything I need to know, so if I seek the knowledge/expertise of a gun shop staff member, I want to be able to trust the information they're putting forth. I've seen too many gun shops offering things that could cause people to break the law (e.g. selling unconverted Saiga rifles with 30-rd mags, this not 922r compliant), or giving advice that could even be dangerous (e.g. saying PSL rifles work better with heavy ball rather than light ball ammo, when in fact extensive use of heavy ball can slowly rip a PSL apart).

As far as honesty goes, I've also seen gun shop owners apparently lie just to make a sale; once saw a woman going to a gun shop in search of a 9mm Glock, asking for the most compact model. The gun shop guy pointed her to the G19, saying it was the smallest 9mm the Glock makes. When in fact it was simply the smallest 9mm Glock that particular shop had in stock at the time.

2. Fair prices:

I understand gun shops are a businesses and need to make a profit, and I have no objections to that. I also understand it's often difficult for local gun shops to compete with giant online sellers like J&G, and am willing to pay more to support a local shop (plus I avoid the hassle of waiting on shipping and all the other stuff revolving around an FFL transfer, and get to go home with the gun I choose that same day). At the same time, I've seen gun stores offer up the most insanely unjustifiably high prices, like asking $1100 or $1200 for something that routinely sells for $600-700, or asking $800 for something that routinely sells for $350-425. Once saw a Phoenix Arms .25acp saturday night special sell for $400+, no joke!

3. Decent/varied selection:

I just can't get into a shop that seems to focus on one thing. There's a shop here and 70% of their inventory is AR's and AR accessories. I'm not an AR guy so I rarely go to that shop at all. But I would suspect even AR guys would like a some variety.
 
A seperate clerk to run the cash register.

I hate going in, picking up what I want, ready to pay and leave, but instead having to wait until some clerk has to spend forever trying to tell some would be customer that 7.62X39 wont work in a 7.62 X 51.

Sure have knowlegable, helpful clerks, but have someone at the register so others can pay and leave.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top