Cheaper than Dirt, I didn't know?

[maq]

Hi all,
I've been looking for a particular Match Ammo that is available online but not so much in the local stores here in Dallas. Lucky for me I thought, we have a couple Cheaper than Dirt Stores in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area.

So I call the local store and ask if they have the ammo I'm looking forj in stock before I drive all the way out there. They say no. I say, "you have it in your catalog" can you order me some and I'll come by and picksome up. She says, "no that's called 'will call and we don't do will call'. I said Oh, well I was trying to save the shipping cost for Ammunition which is relatively high because of the weight of the purchase, besides its in your catalog, why can't I order some from the store?

Then she said, " we are not a part of the Catalog Store, they do their own thing". So I said, I see the catalog store is a subsidiary of the larger company and she said no. Oh... you subcontract the catalog purchases and she said no. I said, I don't understand, and she said, we are two completely separate companies with different owners and Boards of Directors.

So I said, Isn't this cheating? against the law, fraudulent advertising or something? You get the atvantage of the name, the catalog sales and massive national advertising, but you don't have to match the price or carry the same products at all. That doesn't sound right, It's like opening a restaurant and calling it P.F. Changs and just serving a few of the regular menu items

She then said, It's ok sir, I'll try to help you with your purchase, what is it that you want? All of a sudden she was willing to , "will call me some ammo" so I didn't have to suffer the shipping cost... wow.... Maybe everyone else knew this but I didn't know!

Something doesn't seem right? Am I wrong? Maq

 

[wally]

It their business so IMHO they can run it however they please OTOH if you don't like the way they run things, you can shop elsewhere.

Or are you calling for more government goons to force businesses to be run the way *you* think they should be run.

 

[Kyle88]

I don't like CTD because of the way they handle the multi warehouse shipping... This just makes them seem even more sketchy, affiliated or not...

 

[Hypnogator]

I haven't bought bulk ammo from them, but every time I've gone into the Ft. Worth store, I've been able to pick up anything they had in the catalog at their catalog desk.

 

[gatorjames85]

There is nothing legally wrong with that. Franchisees do this all the time("Only at participating locations"). Whether it makes good business sense is debatable.

 

[CountryUgly]

When the shipping started outpacing my purchase price I quit dealing with them. So if anything sketchy is going on it wouldn't suprise me.

 

[M2 Carbine]

There are basically two owners. One owns the store and one owns the catalog sales.
I'm not sure but the McKenney store may also be owned by the catalog sales.

The two stores run individual sales on guns, etc.

The store at 820 and 35 also has a catalog counter in the store. I buy most things there.

To add to the confusion not everything (ammo) that's in the catalog can be bought at the catalog sales counter, but must be ordered mail order.

Recently the 820-35 store has had some very good sales on guns. I've bought five and I hardly ever bought a gun at CTD in the past.

 

[Teachu2]

CTD is a relatively new concept, in response to Amazon's success. They are a bare-bones cut-rate retail consortium, and to expect customer service from them to be good is unreasonable. Unfortunately, consumers rarely consider anything but price in their purchase decision - and customer service costs money.

The next level of online retailer will not have humans answering phones. All correspondence will be electronic, and Special Orders won't upset them - 'cuz there won't be any. And all returns will have a hefty restockinf fee... but prices will be cheaper than Cheaper Than Dirt.

 

[Keeperfaith]

I dont like Cheaper than Dirt, Ive placed an order with them for items "in stock" and then they send an email stating ONE certain item is "out of stock" and will be shipped at a later date costing me an additional shipping fee.

I told them to cancel my order, well... it was too late they shipped a couple of small items (bullet puller and primer pocket cleaner) for a hefty $13.00 shipping fee and my other item (a book) was to be sent later for an additional shipping fee. i told them the only reason I ordered from them was because of the book and the other items were thrown in my order just to save on shipping (because they were very light and from the same warehouse).

They werent very friendly and after complaining to mngmnt they cancelled my order, reimbursed me my money and i had to send back their items (they wanted me to take them to a UPS store). I made them send UPS to pick it up because their fiasco was NOT my fault.

I havent ordered from them ever since.

I if a company wants your business they will bend over backwards to make you happy, as long as your not taking advantage. You just want what you pay for.

I shop from Brownells and Midway USA (neither one of them have charged extra shipping for backordered items that didnt ship w/ my original order) and they NOTIFIED me that the items are backordered and will ship for free when they are in stock!!

AND CTD shipping prices really shock me since I LIVE IN TEXAS and the other companies are out of state and their shipping prices are less...Plus their warehouse non sense blows me away. You can order two very small items that ship from different warehouses and get charged a "double" shipping fee which is TOTAL BS if they want to keep business.

Thanks

 

[buck460XVR]

So did the nice lady say the store would match the on-line price without any added costs?

 

[fallout mike]

I've never had any issues buying from them.

 

[IMTHDUKE]

I got a bad taste in my mouth for Cheaper than Dirt when 380s were not to be found and CTD jacked up their prices higher than most everyone else.

 

[Soapy5]

I dont know about the paper catalog, but you can walk in to the McKinney cheaper than dirt guns and use one of the computers in the back to order ammo off the website and get free shipping- still have to pay tax though.

 

[flyskater]

Yup, CTD is a franchise. The one in FT worth is owned by another. The new one at McKinney is owned by the person that owns the website and catalog. Thus you can order stuff from online/catalog and have it shipped to McKinney store, but not to FT worth.

 

[dogtown tom]

maq Am I wrong?

Yes.
From their FAQ's on their website:

Question: Do you have a retail store in Fort Worth, Texas?
Answer: Cheaperthandirt.com is a catalog company and online retailer only. CTD Outdoor Adventures is a separate company with a retail store located in North Fort Worth, Texas. CTD Outdoor Adventures carries many of the same products (those products where the part number starts with a letter) as Cheaperthandirt.com.

CheaperThanDirtGuns in McKinney is another seperate entity as well.

Keeperfaith: their warehouse non sense blows me away. You can order two very small items that ship from different warehouses and get charged a "double" shipping fee which is TOTAL BS if they want to keep business.

+1

IMTHDUKE I got a bad taste in my mouth for Cheaper than Dirt when 380s were not to be found and CTD jacked up their prices higher than most everyone else.

But CTD did indeed HAVE .380.........I could price .380 at $2 a box and it doesn't do you much good if I'm out of stock does it?

A retailer won't be in business very long if they base their profit/markup on what an item cost them.......you base it on what it will cost to replace that item in stock.

flyskater Yup, CTD is a franchise.

Nope.

 

[IMTHDUKE]

IMTHDUKE I got a bad taste in my mouth for Cheaper than Dirt when 380s were not to be found and CTD jacked up their prices higher than most everyone else.

But CTD did indeed HAVE .380.........I could price .380 at $2 a box and it doesn't do you much good if I'm out of stock does it?

A retailer won't be in business very long if they base their profit/markup on what an item cost them.......you base it on what it will cost to replace that item in stock.

Its called gouging. Before a storm hits and merchants triple their price of plywood that is already scarce....that's called gouging. You may do what you want but...I wont do business with those merchants. We run a B&B. When people are fleeing from a storm and moving inland....our room prices remain the same. Some establishments more than double their rate. That's profiting at the expense of someone elses pain and suffering. I understand that 380 rds are not a necessity, however, the principle remains the same. Would set a tone of integrity if they did not go into a feeding profit frenzy when they get an opportunity in times of shortage. It would make me want to do business with that company if they did not gouge. Maybe not you....only speaking for me.

 

[chevyman097]

I dont oder from CTD. If you look at prices they really arent all that "cheap" so I dont really understand the name cheaper than dirt.

 

[dogtown tom]

IMTHDUKE .....Its called gouging. Before a storm hits and merchants triple their price of plywood that is already scarce....that's called gouging.

No, its not.
"Price gouging" is illegal and requires a "civil emergency" (like hurricane) to become a crime. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_gouging

The scarcity of .380 ammunition in 2008-2009 was not due to any civil emergency......but market demand.

If high ammo prices were a crime, 90% of the gun stores in my town would close.

 

[IMTHDUKE]

dog....you do what you want...I think that is to argue...I will do what I want...have a nice day.

 

[fallout mike]

Duke, if no one else had. 380 then how could ctd jack up their prices higher than everybody else? You said everybody else was out right?

 

[B!ngo]

Interesting story and information. Sounds like it's some form of 'Ace Hardware' where a number of separate companies come together to form a franchise and create new ones thereafter.
However in the case of CTD (where they often have good prices), the issue of paying separately for shipping based on where they stock their items is a non-starter for me. I did it once before I really understood that those would be separate and incremental payments. They are going to have to optimize their warehouse system and drop that model before I order a second time.
B

 

[orionengnr]

Back 4-5 years ago I was a fan and a regular customer.

Had a few too many of these "semi-shady" deals and now I may go there once a year. Can't remember the last time I actually bought something there.

(Barely) Cheaper Than Gold Dust is what I have called them since The Great Ammo Scare of '08...

 

[Tony617]

At my local gun store the ammo is very expensive. I bought a couple of boxes of 40 S&W Hornady Critical Duty for $27.99 each plus tax. I looked at CTD and for 5 boxes($18.20) per box so it is $91.00 + $16.05 shipping.

 

[scaper]

I don't buy anything from them. They really are not cheaper than dirt. I can buy anything they sell for less somewhere else.

 

[JoelSteinbach]

Cheaper Than Dirt is no longer cheap, I have found most of the items quite pricey, I prefer Midway with my C&R discount