Bud's VIP... Really?

[Panzercat]

I've noticed it a few months ago and found another few instances of it the other day while window shopping for guns . Every now and then I get the urge to buy from Bud's but then I'm reminded of this inventory game:

Annual Cost (without annual auto renewal): $24.95
Annual Cost (with annual auto renewal): $19.95

Subscribe NOW:
VIP Member benefits:

• Minimum 72 hour advance purchase opportunity on ALL hard to get guns, ALL used guns, and any other special offers.
• YOU always get the "first shot" ! Click HERE to view our current offerings
• 30 Day Price Protection on all new firearms*
• Same Day shipping on select guns for BUDS VIP members only**
• FREE classifieds listings on our website ! Advertise your items on a website with over 72,000 Unique views per with absolutely no listing or selling fees. ***
• A 1-888-Toll-Free number for BUDS VIP members only
• An expedited email option for BUDS VIP members only

Now the internet isn't my primary firearms purchasing portal, but I've a lot of buying here otherwise. I've never seen this at any major retailer and it reeks of bad business at first glance. So much so that it effectively turns me off from actually buying from them.

Of course, that may just entirely be just be me, but $24/yr just to get the jump on your fellow customer seems seedy; to the point where I'd just hop on over to CDNN to purposely not buy from buds. Anyway, just been bugging me for a bit and had to get it off my chest.

 

[FruitCake]

Ya I've just recently noticed this VIP crap on there too. Seems like BS but if you buy a lot there I guess it makes sense.

 

[El Mariachi]

It can pay for itself within two purchases, or less....if you're so inclined. And they're a helluva lot more fun to shop with, than say Costco.....

 

[orionengnr]

I believe it was PT Barnum who said that nobody ever went broke overestimating the intelligence of the American people.

He also had a saying about how often suckers are born.

Sounds an awful lot like buying a PSL at Texas Motor Speedway or at Cowboys Stadium (both of which are local to me, and I know people with each).

Let's see, I will pay an upfront fee to be allowed to buy something else?

Thanks. But no thanks.

 

[El Mariachi]

You guys need to look at this way----if I charged you a small fee for a VIP card, and then offered to sell you as many twenty dollar bills as you wanted for just 17 bucks....would you do it?....

 

[orionengnr]

Well...what is the the fee for the VIP card...and how many $20 bills are you selling at that price?

If you want to sign me up, then sell me.

 

[Panzercat]

You guys need to look at this way----if I charged you a small fee for a VIP card, and then offered to sell you as many twenty dollar bills as you wanted for just 17 bucks....would you do it?....

No, it's more like if you had a bird in the hand that sold you two dollars and one of them came back to you and charged you a fee to... what the heck are talking about? ...Especially when there's no price break involved in the membership.

 

[El Mariachi]

Panzer, you obviously missed their S & W police trade in special.

For one.....

 

[El Mariachi]

Actually, in retrospect, their VIP thing really, really sucks. So please don't join up. Cuz there's probably much better clubs out there to join that give better financial reward$---like Border$, or Co$tco, or $tarBux, or $am'$, or Blockbu$ter, or or or or........

 

[Panzercat]

Sam's and Costco: No membership, can't shop. Period. Your allusion to Bud's fails on that premise alone. There is no special tier structure in either example. The ordinarily public cannot shop at these places for discounts without buying in.

Starbucks, Blockbuster, Boarders: Out of all three, you only got one right. The other two are loyalty programs. You don't pay for special treatment. You shop, you get points, you get free stuff just like everybody else.

I'd keep going with this, but boredom is setting in.

As for the S&W Police special, I did see that. I wasn't aware that was a VIP only thing. I'll assume you weren't wrong like you were on the Sams or Costco analogy, but I still have to shrug at a one off price savings event. Frankly, I'm sensing a diehard Bud's fan here, so have it your way. No point in arguing.

 

[ch45x7]

Amazon has a similar deal called Amazon Prime. It gets everything you buy upgraded to 2 day shipping for free. If you shop from them a lot then the cost is covered by the price difference in the shipping cost.
Same goes for this Buds plan. Check out the price difference for same day shipping vs their regular shipping methods. If you buy from them often it may be worth it just to have your gun sooner.

Another comparison, American Express. A yearly fee for the privilege of using them over Visa or Mastercard or Discover.

 

[lono]

Buds is my local gun shop so I would not be interested in the VIP bs. I think that it is a poor excuse to ring a few more bucks from customers. I have bought over 10 guns from Buds and would recommend them to anyone.

 

[Sam Cade]

Its more like the Food Lion MvP card. If you shop there regularly there isn't any reason to NOT have it.

 

[captain awesome]

I personally have purchased from buds a few times and it feels to me that they are metaphorically crapping all over their loyal customers. I don't give money away for slight buying priveleges and I don't think any one else should either. But hey its a free market and as such they can do what they want with their business, and I can shop elsewhere.

 

[El Mariachi]

captain awesome
Member



I personally have purchased from buds a few times and it feels to me that they are metaphorically crapping all over their loyal customers. I don't give money away for slight buying priveleges and I don't think any one else should either. But hey its a free market and as such they can do what they want with their business, and I can shop elsewhere.

You do realize, doncha, that there's actually people in America that will spend $6.75 on a cup of coffee?


On purpose?....

 

[B1gGr33n]

I don't see how it's much different than building a good rapport with your LGS. who then calls you when he gets in something he thinks you'll like. Except your buying the rapport right off the bat without all the time consuming friendly banter and such.

 

[captain awesome]

You do realize, doncha, that there's actually people in America that will spend $6.75 on a cup of coffee?

I sure do realize that and not being a coffe drinker, I believe that to be insanity also. Most people that do that do it every day. 5 days a week......$6.75x5x52=1755$ a year. Imagine the guns and ammo/reloading components you could buy every year just by giving up your coffe addiction/fix. Not to mention the time and gas money you would save on a daily basis by not making that stop.......

But I am failing to see what that has to do with me not liking buds vip program. The basic principle behind it is that they are selling guns for the same prices as before only now you have to pay extra to buy some of them. Then they try to make it sound better by adding all this other bs that people like me don't want or need to justify it. I choose not to participate, as I can usually find the same deal or better else where if I search arround enough

 

[oneounceload]

to the point where I'd just hop on over to CDNN

Bud's is selling new and latest guns, CDNN is selling out of date, out of production guns

This is apple to barb wire comparison

IF you are the person who buys a lot of guns, and wants the latest and greatest first, then this is a no-brainer and worth the few bucks

 

[Bojangles7]

Most of the guns I've considered buying from them were not in stock. I'd much rather deal with the LGS.

 

[Panzercat]

Dammit, Bud's. No matter how much this policy rankles, I'll admit they always have something I want not affected by their VIPness. Like now.
Apparently Bud's is the evil nemesis that I love to hate. Like a crack dealer.

Bud's is selling new and latest guns, CDNN is selling out of date, out of production guns

You're not honestly going to make that a blanket statement are you? Here's the catalog. I'm preeeetty sure you can find something new in there.

 

[CraigC]

The cynicism and negativity of my fellow shooter never ceases to amaze or disgust me. If you don't like it, don't join. If I did all my buying online, I would join. For nothing else but to get the 72hr drop on anyone who didn't. I've bought 100 guns from my local gun shops over the last 25yrs and they have yet to call me 72hrs before a gun hits the shelf to see if I'm interested.

CDNN is selling stuff that didn't sell otherwise. It may be "new" but they bought it from a distributor at cut-rate prices because that distributor could not sell it at normal prices. This is their reason for being.

I sure do realize that and not being a coffe drinker, I believe that to be insanity also. Most people that do that do it every day. 5 days a week......$6.75x5x52=1755$ a year. Imagine the guns and ammo/reloading components you could buy every year just by giving up your coffe addiction/fix. Not to mention the time and gas money you would save on a daily basis by not making that stop.......

I don't know what they're buying. They must think they're buying time but it only takes me 2minutes to brew a fresh pot on my $100 Bunn. Surely it takes them more than that to get their Starbucks. I have no idea what mine costs but it's a hell of a lot less than $6.75. Either way, for me it ain't an "addiction/fix". I drink it because I like it and I pity anyone who doesn't have 'something' they drink that brings them as much pleasure as a good cup of coffee brings me. Well worth every single red cent.

 

[ZCORR Jay]

I see it as them trying something new to try and build loyal buyers. Clearly people are hesitant when they see a membership fee to buy things but if the program is developed well and offers good benefits then some will see past the membership hurdle.

If they do sell you on the membership they hope that the next time your looking to make a firearm purchase you'll consider them first because of the benefits offered, and to get your money's worth out of the membership.

 

[JohnBT]

"And they're a helluva lot more fun to shop with, than say Costco....."

You can pick up women at Bud's too? I never knew.

 

[Panzercat]

The cynicism and negativity of my fellow shooter never ceases to amaze or disgust me. If you don't like it, don't join.

I wouldn't call that either negativity or cynicism to make a value based judgement call. That mentality circles back to the 'they're not my values therefore it's negativity and cynicism' based logic which nobody here really wants to entertain. It already got several posts removed so lets not dance on back there.

Lets put this another way: Have you actually bought into this program if its such a good deal? In fact, has anybody commenting here bought in on it? I know not everybody here buys from bud's so its irrelevant to those people, but for everybody else, lets be intellectually honest: Did you spend the $25 to go VIP?

I'm genuinely curious now.

 

[CraigC]

I wouldn't call that either negativity or cynicism...

I would.

...to make a value based judgement call.

If that's what you want to call it.


If you were genuinely curious, you would've simply posted a query without your own whatever-based conclusion.
"I've never seen this at any major retailer and it reeks of bad business at first glance. So much so that it effectively turns me off from actually buying from them."


Ok, so if they want to offer this service to customers or potential customers, how do they do this WITHOUT a membership of some sort? You obviously can't just let people sign up for free to get dibs on new and used guns before they get posted on the site because then everybody would do it. To me, it is no different from Amazon Prime or any other retailer membership. Except that it has MORE to offer. You guys amaze me at what you can find fault with.