Why try and support the LGS?

[jy951]

There are milestones that a business has to reach before they are required to charge sales tax. Larger businesses will get there first, smaller one may not do enough business in state to reach them.

This is correct and the larger mail order shops will all need to collect sales tax. Midwayusa, buds, natchezss etc.

 

[croy]

I keep 7 gun stores in mind when I'm buying. None of them had what I was looking for and neither did the 2 corporate stores close by. So I ordered it from my LGS and even after taxes it was the same price as buds. Except I put more than a small transfer fee in the pocket of a LGS.

 

[wtburnette]

Right now we live in a kind of a perfect world. We have online shops and we have local shops. I can and do take advantage of both. To me this is similar to buying printers and computers from Amazon instead of Best Buy. As mentioned, you have to compete in order to get my money. 4 years ago, on Christmas day an online shop had a NiB Sig TacOps 1911 for under $680 with free shipping. I paid $15 for a transfer fee and had less then $700 in it total. I looked in local gun shops over the next few months and most didn't carry that model. When I did find a couple who carried it, they had it for $900 - $1100 depending on the store. No local shop can have the inventory of online shops. Even the huge guns stores don't, because keeping too much inventory is a problem with brick and mortar stores. I understand the plight of the LGS, but you have to do something to get me to overpay for something by as much as is normal. I had a gunshop owner the other day try to rationalize the difference in price to me. "Well, you pay at least $25 for shipping and the same for FFL and most online place charge 3% more for credit card purchases, so when it comes down to it my price is very close". I was thinking to myself of how many places don't charge 3% more for credit card, offer free shipping and then I go to my normal FFL for a $15 transfer fee. I know how to compare prices with everything added in and if the price is too large, I buy online without feeling at all bad about it.

 

[Winamac]

A friend of mine owns the LGS. His parents started the business in the late 60's and is still in business today...barely. I was just in there this week and asked him if the pending deer season was good to him? He indicated
"honestly...no" He said" in-fact if things do not improve, and very soon he will have to shut the doors." He said he just cannot compete with places like Big R and Rural King, they are killing him. He did indicate he gets people in his shop that maybe experience problems with guns bought at the afore mentioned places and want him to fix them. Which he does because ne needs the business. I must be naïve, but I never thought I would see the day he would be as serious about shutting the shop up. Like Alan Jackson sings... God bless the little man.

 

[croy]

A friend of mine owns the LGS. His parents started the business in the late 60's and is still in business today...barely. I was just in there this week and asked him if the pending deer season was good to him? He indicated
"honestly...no" He said" in-fact if things do not improve, and very soon he will have to shut the doors." He said he just cannot compete with places like Big R and Rural King, they are killing him. He did indicate he gets people in his shop that maybe experience problems with guns bought at the afore mentioned places and want him to fix them. Which he does because ne needs the business. I must be naïve, but I never thought I would see the day he would be as serious about shutting the shop up. Like Alan Jackson sings... God bless the little man.

A lot of people only care about what's on sale. Not what gun is best for me. For my last few purchases it wouldve been the same price whether I bought online or in store.

My last purchase was a glock 19 MOS. My total after taxes was $640.

Buds wanted $606. Add in a 3% CC fee and a $15 transfer I'm at the same price.

The difference? I put more than $15 in the pocket of my LGS owner.

 

[MarkC]

A friend of mine owns the LGS. His parents started the business in the late 60's and is still in business today...barely. I was just in there this week and asked him if the pending deer season was good to him? He indicated
"honestly...no" He said" in-fact if things do not improve, and very soon he will have to shut the doors." He said he just cannot compete with places like Big R and Rural King, they are killing him. He did indicate he gets people in his shop that maybe experience problems with guns bought at the afore mentioned places and want him to fix them. Which he does because ne needs the business. I must be naïve, but I never thought I would see the day he would be as serious about shutting the shop up. Like Alan Jackson sings... God bless the little man.

If I'm purchasing a firearm, I will go to my LGS, which is owned by a former co-worker and his wife. This paid off for me recently when he talked me out of buying the Glock I thought I wanted and got a Sig P938 instead (More like a 1911, right?).

Whether I get the good deal or great deal does seem to depend on what day it is; however, I worked with him for years and know that just how he is.

I've seen him with other "off the street" customers, and he is honest and straightforward, and didn't oversell. That is the kind of service you cannot get at Rural King or Big R or the goose store.

 

[firefighterjohn]

My job requires me to drive all over central Indiana. I always Google LGS in the town du hour. What I've found is that for the most part, everyone is very friendly but let's be honest, a LGS has to cater to the new gun owner and not a fanatic like myself. I don't need another Glock, Sig, or CZ. I'm not in the market for another AR-15 or pump shotgun.

I walk in knowing that I'll probably leave empty handed unless they have something unique. I'd never go to a local store looking for an accessory because I realize it most likely won't be in stock.


What I would never do is begrudge the owners for their inventory choices.

I agree but most of the time for me it's what used guns someone might have traded or sold for whatever reason. If found some great deals just by stopping in and looking around.

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

I agree but most of the time for me it's what used guns someone might have traded or sold for whatever reason. If found some great deals just by stopping in and looking around.

I agree 100%. And believe that probably most of their profit is selling used. Keep a marketable supply of reloading components and I'll also keep stopping in. At least keep a Brownells AR parts kit for that odd spring or pin that someone needs on a Saturday afternoon. That will get me in the store, then I'll check out whats in the used counter. Re; deer hunting season, keep a few boxes of related ammo in stock. That gets people thru the door... Again, taking a look at other fun stuff.

 

[Sniper 79]

I don't support any local business hardly at all. I can find pretty much anything on-line on sale coupled with free shipping. Push the go button on my phone and move on with life. UPS guy probably hates me. Just picked up bullets and bags of charcoal off the porch.

 

[Route 45]

I agree but most of the time for me it's what used guns someone might have traded or sold for whatever reason. If found some great deals just by stopping in and looking around.

Other than to pick up an FFL transfer, that's about the only reason I even stop in a gun shop anymore. Just to browse and see what interesting used gun they might have in the counter.

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

I don't support any local business hardly at all. I can find pretty much anything on-line on sale coupled with free shipping. Push the go button on my phone and move on with life. UPS guy probably hates me. Just picked up bullets and bags of charcoal off the porch.

Thats something I never thought of on-line... charcoal. and I thought cat litter on-line 2 day shipping was heavy. Especially when you see if come in overnight air. Genius.

 

[CraigAPS]

Remember, quite a bit of special order guns/parts ends up collecting dust on the LGS.
Customers often demand a certain part, and it be wrong. Or they just refuse to come in and pay for the damn thing.
So the shop usually sits on it forever, or loses money by eventually dumping it below cost.

Because if the truth was told the "customer" would go on a forum and lie his/her arse off about what really happened.

Just sayin'.

The LGS can't stock everything and their customer service is often abused.

I've gone in and ordered stuff from my LGS. It's hit and miss. The first and third times were good. The second and fourth, not so much. The second time, I ordered a holster they stock (they were just out and I wanted to make sure I got one from the next order). I was assured I they would have it in a week, and they would give me a call when they came in. I paid up front so I could just run in and pick it up (I don't normally have cash on me. So, if I try to hang on to it for a week, I'd just end up spending it!). After two weeks, I hadn't heard anything. So, I went in and was nibbing until the clerk was done with the customer she was helping. Lo and behold, the exact holster I had ordered, paid for, and was waiting for a call about was right there on the wall! Strange! The fourth time, I ordered some Mossberg parts. Again, I paid up front. I was told it would be about a week. I waited a week and a half, then went in. There records showed they came in, but no one could find them. They'll reorder. I came back two more weeks later, and they still didn't have them. Clerk told me they had ordered them three times and Brownel's says they were sent and delivered. I got a refund, ordered online, and received in three days.

My LGS just seems hit and miss in general. Customer service is at both ends of the spectrum, from being willing (before I bought my first gun) to let me handle everything in the case and answering all of my newbie questions even though I already stated I wouldn't be buying that particular day to trying to pressure me into buying an accessory I didn't want and wasn't even for any gun I own as well as being somewhat condescending on some occasions. It's a struggle sometimes to even want to go in there, tbh. I try to support local, but...

 

[Ark]

Other than to pick up an FFL transfer, that's about the only reason I even stop in a gun shop anymore. Just to browse and see what interesting used gun they might have in the counter.

Same. Pick up transfers, skim the used rack, once in a while have a little gunsmith chore than I can't do at home.

Of course, apparently all the FFLs got together this year and decided to jack up their transfer fees. One local pawn shop went from $15 to, like, $35. Never going there again. The $15 "returning customer" rate at my regular LGS apparently only applies about half the time depending on which mook is working the counter that day.

 

[lester]

...Of course, apparently all the FFLs got together this year and decided to jack up their transfer fees. One local pawn shop went from $15 to, like, $35...

Not trying to thread-jack, but we do them for $10 bucks in Greencastle.

 

[firefighterjohn]

I agree 100%. And believe that probably most of their profit is selling used. Keep a marketable supply of reloading components and I'll also keep stopping in. At least keep a Brownells AR parts kit for that odd spring or pin that someone needs on a Saturday afternoon. That will get me in the store, then I'll check out whats in the used counter. Re; deer hunting season, keep a few boxes of related ammo in stock. That gets people thru the door... Again, taking a look at other fun stuff.

Exactly, you'll never know what you might run across; like a used BCM RECCE 16 that I should have pounced on but didn't and missed out. I've even run across boxes of LE hollow point ammo that was traded in; older 50 round boxes not the new 20-25 boxes. Sweet!

 

[firefighterjohn]

Other than to pick up an FFL transfer, that's about the only reason I even stop in a gun shop anymore. Just to browse and see what interesting used gun they might have in the counter.

The LGS where I've found some great used handgun deals is out-of-state so they transfer to a local in-state for me to pickup. Wouldn't you think the in-state LGS might ask themselves why? Well, the out-of-state LGS has better pricing even with the transfer fee and better customer service. Sure, I'll stop there too once in awhile but there prices are still too high. The out-of-state LGS will even call me when they've dropped it off to let me know. Now that's great service!