Death of the local gun store.

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  • hookedonjeep

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    Mar 11, 2009
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    With the other Sheepdogs
    Well written. LGS's are the backbone of the firearms community. I myself have purchased both off the internet, and at my favorite local shop. As to the reasons - usually has to do with pricing.... If I can find it for $100 cheaper online, that is a no brainer. But if we are talking about saving $30 - $50, then no, I would rather get it locally. And, as for buying from Walmart, I have found that their pricing tends to be closer to my LGS on average - again, in that 30 - 50 dollar range. :twocents:
     

    Trigger Time

    Air guitar master
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    204   3   0
    Aug 26, 2011
    40,112
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    SOUTH of Zombie city
    Well written. LGS's are the backbone of the firearms community. I myself have purchased both off the internet, and at my favorite local shop. As to the reasons - usually has to do with pricing.... If I can find it for $100 cheaper online, that is a no brainer. But if we are talking about saving $30 - $50, then no, I would rather get it locally. And, as for buying from Walmart, I have found that their pricing tends to be closer to my LGS on average - again, in that 30 - 50 dollar range. :twocents:
    Your a very generous person! I think my limit for overpaying local because of loyalty is about $20 IF I need it fast. I love my local gun shop and most times they can always be the same or beat online prices but I think they would understand me trying to save $20+ that way I can buy more in their shop later
     

    jaybird_123

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    Jan 9, 2012
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    Just around the corner.
    I have never bought a gun on-line. I have only bought from LGS. By the time you add in shipping, FFL fees, and tax, you may as well get it local. I have bought from Booneville and Owensboro, Haubstat and Terrible Haute, and Evansville, but I consider them a LGS.
     

    gregkl

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    33   0   0
    Apr 8, 2012
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    I have never bought a gun on-line. I have only bought from LGS. By the time you add in shipping, FFL fees, and tax, you may as well get it local. I have bought from Booneville and Owensboro, Haubstat and Terrible Haute, and Evansville, but I consider them a LGS.

    This is something some people don't think about. They look at the sale price and think, hey this thing is $50 less than my local shop is. Add $25 for FFL fee and $15 for shipping and your getting very close to buying local.

    That being said, I buy most firearms at a brick and mortar store(actually all but one so far), but I buy most everything else online. This is mostly due to being able to sit down and order exactly what I want(which LGS's don't have) and get it as fast or faster than the LGS can get it. And for less money.

    I do wish the LGS would thrive and survive but often times they are run by passionate gun owners with little business acumen. For example, years ago I bought a bike and for one year got a discount on any bike accessories in the store plus a free tune-up.

    How much more revenue could the LGS generate if they offered that to each person who bought a gun from them?

    Interesting read and a LGS with nice, friendly customer service oriented people can still compete with the big boxes. But the key is to have some interest in everyone who walks through the doors and not be a "good ole boy" network. And they don't have to stock the largest firearm inventory in town. Just order it for me at a competitive price and have it in my hands when promised. And...if you offer me an incentive to come back you will get the incremental sales which I believe are at higher margins for the LGS to boot!
     

    SEIndSAM

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    47   0   0
    May 14, 2011
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    Ripley County
    If there is a death of the local gunstore, it will come from poor customer service skills and not the competition of online pricing. Poor customer service skills are rampant in this industry.
     

    MAC100

    Plinker
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    0   0   0
    Jan 25, 2014
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    United States
    Actually I found the best customer service at the local gun shops near me. Cabelas and bass pro not so much. It was a struggle just to get someone to talk to me at the counter, and they were not busy I was the only one there. Then getting him to get one out of the case so I could look at it he acted like he had much better things to be doing. I was ready to buy even at there high prices because I did not know any better. All the idiot had to do was be nice and act like he gave a shat. Went over to my LGS was treated with a smile showed several guns and even got a better price than the big box store. :rockwoot:
     

    wizardfitz

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    21   1   0
    Jul 9, 2011
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    franklin,in
    Well written. LGS's are the backbone of the firearms community. I myself have purchased both off the internet, and at my favorite local shop. As to the reasons - usually has to do with pricing.... If I can find it for $100 cheaper online, that is a no brainer. But if we are talking about saving $30 - $50, then no, I would rather get it locally. And, as for buying from Walmart, I have found that their pricing tends to be closer to my LGS on average - again, in that 30 - 50 dollar range. :twocents:

    What hookenonjeep said. $50 is nothing when you figure in shipping, plus you get the great knowledge and friendly service the LGS provides.
     

    Whitsettd8

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    20   0   0
    Nov 15, 2011
    621
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    Floyd Co
    :):......can git 'friendly service' from a hooker......'at don' mean she's worth it.......:):
    You don't pay a hooker for friendly service you pay her to leave after you receive her friendly service...... Or so I'm told
    Orions gets about 90% of my new purchases Ingo gets about all my used and trades
     

    ghostdncr

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    4   0   0
    Feb 14, 2013
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    Louisville
    But the key is to have some interest in everyone who walks through the doors and not be a "good ole boy" network.

    ^^This^^

    I kid you not, several weeks ago I stood a little over arm's length away from five boxes of $30+/box ammo ready to buy it on the spot if someone would just hand it to me from behind the counter. After twenty minutes of both salesmen trying to convince a buddy they'd shot a coyote in the head with a 5.56 at 700 yards in low light and a heavy wind (or some such crap), I took my money and left. Ordered the stuff online cheap enough to get six boxes at their price for five. Will I go back? Not too likely, unless I wanna lean on the counter all afternoon, chewing tobacco and spinning yarns.
     

    Lebowski

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    5   0   0
    Jun 6, 2013
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    Between corn and soybean fields.
    What hookenonjeep said. $50 is nothing when you figure in shipping, plus you get the great knowledge and friendly service the LGS provides.


    Exactly. I see people complain on a local firearms buy/sell/trade group on Facebook. Someone will post a gun for sale, then some ass will respond, "Well you can get this one brand new for the same price from <insert any number of random online shops here>!"

    Well, yeah. Or you can buy it TODAY, with cash, for the price the seller listed it as or a little less. Or you can order it online, pay shipping, drive to your LGS when it finally comes in, and pay them their fee. One of those two situations seems to be more ideal to me.


    Ammo though, I buy from Wal-Mart. I don't care. My LGS is closed on Sundays and Mondays, and closes like at 4 or 5 throughout the week. I can go to Wal-Mart at noon, 5:30PM, or 2AM... it doens't matter. They usually have ammo and the price is good. I buy carry ammo from the LGS, though. But target ammo that I can buy at my own convenience and for less? No brainer, I'll choose Wally world for that.
     

    42769vette

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    52   0   0
    Oct 6, 2008
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    Very well written. I've personally had hundreds of people take hours of my time answering questions, and at the end come right out and say "well I can get it online for the same price without paying tax. After I get it Ill let you know if I have questions because x vendor I'm buying from doesn't know scopes like you do", and thousands I just never hear from again, and see them post up later about the scope they bought (knowing they didn't find it cheaper). Sometimes it really gets you fired up, but fact of the matter is giving free service is just part of the business, and hopefully the folks who wont take advantage of you outnumbers the folks who do.
     

    ryknoll3

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    Sep 7, 2009
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    From my experience, the gun stores I've been to never have what I want, are much higher on everything and they're often not very honest. We don't have good gun stores up in NWI.
     

    gregkl

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    33   0   0
    Apr 8, 2012
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    Very well written. I've personally had hundreds of people take hours of my time answering questions, and at the end come right out and say "well I can get it online for the same price without paying tax. After I get it Ill let you know if I have questions because x vendor I'm buying from doesn't know scopes like you do", and thousands I just never hear from again, and see them post up later about the scope they bought (knowing they didn't find it cheaper). Sometimes it really gets you fired up, but fact of the matter is giving free service is just part of the business, and hopefully the folks who wont take advantage of you outnumbers the folks who do.

    I promise, I will buy from you. I just have to get my daughter married so some funds will loosen up! Four more weeks and the wedding is behind me.

    Of course, I will probably have a few lingering bills...
     

    Trigger Time

    Air guitar master
    Rating - 98.6%
    204   3   0
    Aug 26, 2011
    40,112
    113
    SOUTH of Zombie city
    Very well written. I've personally had hundreds of people take hours of my time answering questions, and at the end come right out and say "well I can get it online for the same price without paying tax. After I get it Ill let you know if I have questions because x vendor I'm buying from doesn't know scopes like you do", and thousands I just never hear from again, and see them post up later about the scope they bought (knowing they didn't find it cheaper). Sometimes it really gets you fired up, but fact of the matter is giving free service is just part of the business, and hopefully the folks who wont take advantage of you outnumbers the folks who do.
    I appreciate all your help. Especially since you saved me from buying a scope that was less money but not the best value. Sure youve talked me into saving up for a more expensive scope but once I get it from you it will be the one I want. Buy once cry once.

    on another note sometimes even before tax local vendors aren't the best price. Unless they price match. $20 or so dollars is no big deal but if I can save $50 or more after giving the local vendor a shot to match and earn my money I don't think buying from the other source is unfair. $50 is almost a stripped lower.
     

    LEaSH

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    43   0   0
    Aug 10, 2009
    5,802
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    Indianapolis
    I think that the small, vocal (loud), minority that is crying about the prices of gunstores, are also the ones crying about 22lr flipper/houders, and groceries, and gas station, and, etc. etc. etc.
     

    ryknoll3

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    3   1   0
    Sep 7, 2009
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    His article is nice and all, but there is a LOT of BS and false information slung at the LGS too. He falsely assumes they're all knowledgeable and friendly. Also, as far as the transfer threat, as long as it is legal to do so, there will ALWAYS be people willing to get an FFL and do transfers. I use a home-based guy.
     

    Mossberg84

    Plinker
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    0   0   0
    May 7, 2012
    92
    6
    Crawfordsville
    I went into a local gun shop that opened up a couple months ago, for the first time last week. Didn't have a huge selection, but said he could order pretty much any gun I needed and he could price match as much as possible. Asked about his transfer fee, $20 unless it was Buds or CTD, than it was $40. Wonder if this is what a lot of LGS will have to do to try and compete with online gun sellers.
     

    DanVoils

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    43   0   0
    Feb 20, 2010
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    I owned and operated a local paintball pro shop for many years. I closed it in March of 2011 due to sales dropping to almost nothing. I was at MAP on everything and was following all the rules and agreements from the manufacturers. Problem was that the online companies didn't. They would sell items for pennies above cost.Sometimes they would even sell them for less than my cost because they would order so many for immediate and future deliveries. When I would report them the manufacturers wouldn't do anything about them. In the end 3 people lost their job and Indianapolis lost a legacy. Did the players notice? No not really since they were still buying their stuff online to save $10-$30. I still get the occasional call from someone looking for the store. They didn't realize it was closed 3 years ago but they still need service. That's one thing that is hard to do online. If LGS's are going to survive they need to step up the personal interaction and service. Sales of new items won't cover costs. Plus a lot of them need to lose the arrogance and "know it all" attitude.
     
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