What Do You Want In A Gunshop?

Jgcoastie, you raise a valid point. Personally, I'm willing to pay extra for a good buying experience. If that means I get a Glock for 599 at one store rather than the 529 the guy down the street has it for, it's worth it to me. I will gladly pay the premium for fine service. But, having been a sales trainer years ago, it is very important to me. It might not be for someone else.
 
What Do You Want In A Gunshop?
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Weekly drawings for a free gun! :D

I'd would have said daily, but didn't want to push my luck. :)

In all seriousness, you need something to get folks in the door and keep them coming back. A drawing every once in a while would help. "Must be present to win" may be even better.

Good service, good selection, and reasonable prices are always a winning combination.
 
Honesty, knowledge without arrogance, friendly, good customer service, interest in what is best for the customer, stand behind the products the sell and fair prices.

Most places are just interested in making a sale with whatever gives them the most profit or what they are having a hard time selling. Several times I have been in different gun shops and the uninformed customer was not in a good situation. Several times the salesman behind the counter would give a customer a line of bull. I have politely stepped in at those times and asked questions to the salesman so they would have to give an answer the customer the customer should think about.

Here are a couple of examples.

A guy and his wife were at a gun shop looking for a house gun (no CC state). Neither the husband nor the wife had ever shot any type of firearm. The salesman was steering them towards a .32 ACP pocket pistol. I asked if a bigger frame handgun would not be easier to shoot. I asked how much energy and velocity is lost to the short barrel. I asked if the .32 ACP is typically what law enforcement use. I asked what they carried for .32 ACP personal protection ammo and the price of that ammo. I asked what they carried for .32 ACP range ammo and the price of that ammo. The couple decided they need to do more research. I suggested to the couple that they go to a club in the area and ask about the firearm safety course and talk to the club members. Take the course, shoot some different guns and get some info to make an informed decision.

A lady with two young boys was at a gun shop looking at a handgun for personal protection. She appeared to be a single mom that did not have a lot of extra money to spare. The salesman was steering her towards the $700 to $1,000 dollar handguns. His comment was to purchase the most expensive you can afford as you get what you pay for. I asked her a couple of questions at the gun counter and discovered she also had never fired any type of firearm. I gave her info on a club in the area and suggested she talk to the members as they would work with her so she could make an informed decision.

When I walk into the gun shops, the salesmen who know me stop talking to their customers. When the customer is being given good information, I do not say anything. When they are given a line of bull or poor information I start asking questions to the salesman.
 
Good selection of guns ...

People behind the counter who are friendly and know what they're talking about ...

A range ...

Good selection of accessories (holsters, mags, ammo, etc.)
 
jgcoastie has some good points. I think what frustrates many of us is that the local stores don't provide any additional service for additional cost we have to pay to buy from them. Many times going to the local store is not even a pleasant experience. If I buy from Bud's or GB and pick it up from my local kitchen table dealer it's always a pleasant experience and it costs less. If I just buy from a private individual f2f it's also pleasant and it costs less. Guess which two of those three options I am most likely to use. Ten years ago local gun stores still had a really captive market. No matter what they charged or how lousy their service was they were the only place to go within an hour's drive. Those days are gone but many shops still act like they haven't. For a brick and mortar store the only thing they offer over an online vendor is service. I will gladly pay for good service. I will gladly pay more for a nice shop so I have a place to stop in a couple of times a month and look around for a while.

My favorite gun store was a small shop run by a semi-retired guy. It was a great place to stop in and poke around. His prices were on the high side but I bought from him because I liked him and really enjoyed visiting his store. I have yet to find anyplace like that again.
 
1) Large inventory with every current production model. (from Wilson Combat to Glocks)
2) Large inventory of Military surplus. (500-to-1000pcs)
3) High end collectibles and gun library
4) Gun range with machine gun rental
5) Huge reloading and ammo section (5000 sq ft)
6) ......and no dogs sniffing at peoples crotches!


......am I asking too much?
 
A place for the regulars to sit and BS and play checkers (free labor).
Lots of publications (expert sales tools).
A gold showcase (you'll be amazed how much gold you'll sell due to guilt).
Lots and lots of ammo.
A willingness to order anything your customer wants.
 
Random bits from a NRA member, military veteran & gun owner...

Here are a few bits I'd add to this forum topic;

Keep the gun shop & property clean & tidy. I'm annoyed by local military surplus stores & small business gun shops that are dank, dirty, dingy pits.

Have ample security, CCTVs, lights, fences, alarms, etc. It may deter crime and more importantly may help protect your employees/customers in a violent crime.
Have ample free parking or customer parking in a clear, safe, organized space. Some of the smaller gun shops & FFL holders have jacked-up parking lots next to bars, pool halls, strip clubs, etc. A seedy or run-down area may have cheap rent but it could cause major problems later on too.
Train & prepare all of your clerks & staff. Walt Disney drove this point home with his theme parks & "cast members". All of them were drilled on all aspects of the business or were able to properly assist a guest(customer).
Good service & proper business conduct seem to be less & less common. :(
Don't hire "mall ninjas", "weekend Rambos" or "gun shop Rangers".
A tier-one spec ops veteran or type-A bodybuilder may look good on paper but if they are unable or unwilling to be polite & professional or can't avoid any bias or spite towards some models, companies or brands then don't hire them!

I've met more than a few "hard-chargers" & "head-cases" that clearly did not have the right mindset or conduct to be in a gun shop or outdoor store with piles of guns & ammunition.
I may think of a few other suggestions later.
Clyde
ps; A clever way to ID any threats or possible robbers is to post a few bikini girl/hot women posters/logo items right by a color CCTV camera.
These guys will look directly into the lense as they look at the poster. ;)
The gag was in the 1979 comedy film; Hot Stuff, www.imdb.com .
 
From a customer's point of view:

I try to buy from locally owned businesses when I can. That doesn't mean I'm willing to pay exorbitant markup to do so.

If you can order it, I can too. I realize a local store doesn't have the buying power of an internet juggernaut, but I'm not going to pay significantly more to order from you. Meet me halfway, or just say you can't, no hard feelings.

If you make it a hassle to buy from you, I won't. Keep regular, set hours. Have more than one employee available to ring up a sale if someone is buying a gun and tying up the register.

Keep consumables in stock. (primers, powder, bullets, etc.)

Be willing to negotiate prices. I'm not trying to take food out of your kids mouths, but I'm not going to pay $50.00 more on something I can order or buy down the road at the big box store.

Don't have an attitude, I don't expect to be fawned over, but don't ignore me, either.

Just say so if you don't know something, you come off as a liar and and idiot if you try to wing it...

I don't expect you to have everything under the sun in stock, but keep shell holders, die sets, case lube, scope mounts, etc. for popular calibers/guns in stock. Sometimes I need that stuff right now, and don't want to wait for shipping.
 
Thanks for the input everybody! This really helped me focus my thoughts in on what kind of services and stock would help distinguish one shop from another. Since I would have to start very small if I ever did this, I was pleased to see that service and the presence of a range rated so high on people's lists. Maybe someday I'll be able to offer the huge range of everything that was high on the lists as well. :D
 
I get most of what I want (decent prices, great service, non-douchey employees, etc) out of a gunshop from Virginia Arms in Manassas, VA (including being nearby, I'm less than 2 miles away :D ).

What they, and most other shops, lack for me is a good selection of handloading and casting supplies. I'd also like a better selection/availability of revolvers, specifically older models, but that's a rarity everywhere in today's tactical obsession.

Chris
 
Good ventilation at their range.

Air conditioning at their range.

Less ego and advice giving from the clerks... If I ask a question about a gun it's nice if they are knowledgeable about the product but when I ask to look at a BHP I don't need a clerk to tell me that the 9mm has no stopping power and I should be looking at .45 instead. :mad:
 
Daeker, here is what I expect of a good gun shop:

- First and foremost is good customer service. Each employee should be polite to everyone and knowledgable of what they sell. This could literally make or break your business.

- A decent facility. Even if your shop is small, if the selection is decent and you have a good shooting range in working order, business and customers will come.

- Good prices. Profit is good, but if a gunshop charges too much or is not willing to negotiate with prices, i'm not buying there.


I'm sure there are others, but these are what come to mind when I want to go to a good gun store/range.

For example, the local range I frequent (which is the best out of all the others in the area) have excellent customer service. You are greeted by at least one employee as you walk in the store. They are very helpful at the counter with whatever you need and they never force you to buy a particular firearm or brand. The shop is clean, and the range is well lit and ventilated. Prices are reasonable and the range is $10/day all you can shoot and you are allowed to bring your own ammo. This alone is a big seller and the range is always packed with shooters; people are even willing to wait in line if the range is full.

Hope that helps and good luck to you.
 
:) I would like to have a local gun store that had good prices. I have to buy most of my guns on the net. If dealers on the net like Buds and Jet "just to name a few" can sell at a good price why can't my local gun shop. They do sell a lot of guns and have one of the largest inventory in middle Tennesse. Don
 
If dealers on the net like Buds and Jet "just to name a few" can sell at a good price why can't my local gun shop.
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An internet dealer can set up a warehouse out in the sticks where rents are cheap. A LGS has to have a storefront in a shopping area, pay city taxes, etc.
 
What do I want from a gunshop?
A self serve kiosk where I can fill out a 4473 and have myself ID'd and NICS checked in 20 minutes, then pick up my online pre-ordered weapon in a nice cardboard box and walk out. Bonus points if it allows me to make returns to the wholesaler. That's the extent of the service I need.

I only need a gunshop for the FFL and fulfilling the legalities of purchasing a firearm.
When I enter a store, I already know what I want, have already handled someone else's at the range and likely have already shot it. I've researched it ad-nauseum online, and read as many reviews as I could get my hands on. I suppose I'm like the majority of internet purchasers these days: I buy every shooting related item except for the receiver or full firearms via internet vendors who have huge stocks, readily posted inexpensive prices, quick shipping, and excellent customer service.

Gunshops are very helpful for inexperienced purchasers though, and for that reason, I hope they stay around to guide new people into responsible gun ownership. They just aren't very necessary for me, however.
I'll also add that I've worked gun shows as a vendor before, assisting an acquaintance's shop. So I have some small perspective on the business.
 
It would be nice if the closest gun shop to my house (2 miles away) didn't charge an arm and a leg on guns and ammo.

Unfortunately the only one with decent prices is a 7 mile drive from my house, and even then, the shop is full of "tacticool commandos" who laugh at me every time I buy a few boxes of .380ACP and tell me that I should buy a real gun (chambered in .45) so I can ensure 1 shot kills, or at least blow someone's arm off if I am ever in a self defense situation.

Then there is the shop 10 miles from my house, where they worship and market Glocks as the best gun in the world.
 
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