Rant warning: Cabela's, Sportsmens Warehouse, etc

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I think an apt analogy is the mom and pop restaurant and the mom and pop gun store.

My wife and I continually go to several mom and pop restaurants or small local chains that have 3 or 4 locations over the chains, if we can.

That's because they have good service, product and know us. I have yet to see most local gun stores come up to that level.

There's one around me that I will use. Sometimes their prices are a touch high and I'll buy a gun elsewhere but they are pleasant.

The other stores - blah.
 
The big chains—gun stores, restaurants, book shops, et cetera—all do a mediocre job of providing goods and services.

That said™, many of the mom and pop operations are every bit as bad, and some are worse. I try to find the best local enterprises, then stick with them.
 
If everyone stops buying guns at Gander Mountain and ammo from Walmart, pretty soon these store will stop selling their guns and their ammo.

I tried the small store route a couple of years ago.
I wanted a certain rifle with certain features and decided to go to a privately owned gunshop. The shop quoted me the retail price + $50 for using their FFL to order it in, I asked if I could get a break on price because I frequent that shop and I'malready paying retail price, the shop owner pretty much told me to get bent. :what: I went to Gander, they gave me a lower price, plus they located the model I wanted in a different store and had it shipped in free of charge. I no longer buy anything at that particular gun shop.
 
I did my part!!!

I supported my local gunshop for years!!!
I bought a lot of guns there, even though they were MSRP+10%!!!!
The owner finally had a stroke and retired.
None of his kids wanted to take over the reigns.
All they wanted to do was liquidate the vast inventory for as much cash as they could get, and now they are waiting for the old man to die so they can get their grubby hands on the rest!!
Sad, very sad!!! :(
The store had the best sign for a gun shop that I had ever seen!!!! :evil:

Mandallssign.jpg
 
I get friendlier customer service from my local Sportsman's Warehouse than from any gunshop in my area, with only one exception, and that shop is in Tacoma, a 45 minute drive from my town. SW also beats -- by a wide margin -- the local shops as far as price, and has a much better selection of handguns, rifles, shotguns, ammo and accessories. The only thing SW doesn't do is used guns, but I can go to the almost monthly gunshow for those.

The small gunshops are our 2nd Amendment advocate over the bigbox retailers? I don't agree; I just don't see the participation. There are only two shops in Western WA that I see active on the RKBA front.
 
Monkeyleg, I think you're seeing doom and gloom where there is none.


If the big retailers stop selling handguns or Evil Black Rifles or any particular type of gun, this is good news for your little Mom & Pop gun stores.

Whenever the big retailers get out of a certain segment of the market, that creates a vacuum ... and like nature, the free market abhors a vacuum.


Walmart, Cabela's, Sportsmens' Warehouse et al don't "put Mom & Pop out of business", the businesses that fail to adapt to the change in the market created by the big retailers put themselves out of business.

Those small businesses that see where the big retailers fall short will step up and fill that gap and thrive ... that's one of the beauties of Free Market Capitalism.

If the big retailers became the be-all-end-all of gun stores then your argument would be gone (unless you just don't like the idea of a large company being successful on principle).



Some of you guys really need to relax and trust the free market.
 
Interestingly enough, back in the days when I worked for the evil Dick's Sporting Goods, I found myself referring customers on a regular basis to the nearby little gun shops for things they couldn't get through us, whether it was handguns, ARs, Mini-14s, or whatnot. Hell, we kept a copy of the pertinent Yellow Page back on the gun room door so we could easily tell people phone numbers and addresses.

As long as the little guy offers something that the big boxes dont, be it that Springfield XD carry gun or a Bushmaster with extra bells and whistles, they will be able to compete. Hell, two stores in Raleigh stay open, when they have the reputation of being way overpriced (for one), and having a total jackass for a proprietor (for the other). I don't shop at either one for those reasons, but I support another local shop staffed with helpful and friendly people. At the same time, I've bought two guns from Dick's and one from Wal-mart, which consists of 60% of my purchases.
 
Economics drives my purchasing habits, though it is guided somewhat by ideas of propriety and supporting the little guy.

WalMart is (fortunately) not in my area, so I am not tempted to buy things there. Even if they were here, I certainly wouldn't buy from them anyway.

The local FFL has a good selection, is generally busy, has high prices ($30/pound of IMR4064!), but is quite knowledgeable. The shop also has a gunsmith who knows his stuff. Interstate transfers are not conducted, and face-to-face transfers are expensive.

The second closest FFL charges 200% on ammo. I can get a thousand rounds of Wolf 7.62x39mm online for $88 plus shipping (say $100 total). The shop wants $220+ for the same case. Maybe if I was buying one box of deer ammo per year that'd be ok, but with the amount I shoot (and reload) that's simply not economically feasible. Interstate transfers are priced excessively high so they don't have to deal with it. They order guns easily and on-demand.

The third closest FFL charges reasonable rates on ammo (but doesn't justify the 30 minute drive). No sales of bullets for reloading (there's so many, they don't bother stocking them), but they have great prices on powder and primers ($17.50 for 1,000 CCI 200 LR primers, $22 for IMR 4064). No smith, moderate selection, great prices on guns. Interstate transfers are cheap, they will order just about anything you want. They stood up to local city anti-gun pressure to open their new store (they moved from a neighboring city), attend all the local gun shows, the folks who run it frequently go to the local range with me, etc.

Guess who gets my business? The third shop, and occasionally the first if there's something I don't have but need (their price on XM193 wasn't that bad, and they had cases in stock).

Ammo is purchased almost entirely online. I'm sorry, I may spend a few extra dollars at local gun shops if they have a good deal and its not too much more than online prices, but I refuse to pay 200% the price I can get it for online, espescially when buying in bulk. I also try to buy from smaller ammo companies like Miwall, rather than supporting corporate giants like Federal, Winchester, etc., though I do buy quite a bit of the mega-corp ammo anyway.
 
Since so many of you know better how to run a small gun shop than the people that are doing it now, why don’t you liquidate your life’s savings, invest it in an inventory of firearms and related merchandise and show the rest of us how it is done!

I have been making a living selling guns for 20 years and the guy I work for 40. We have survived Jimmy Carter, an oil boom, an oil bust, Bill Clinton, K-mart, Wal-Mart and now Sportsman’s Warehouse.

You know what? We are not the cheapest place in town. Thank God we have a good customer base that is willing to pay reasonable prices for knowledgeable people and good service.
 
You know what? We are not the cheapest place in town. Thank God we have a good customer base that is willing to pay reasonable prices for knowledgeable people and good service.
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You are either doing something right, or your customers are confusing condescension with customer service. :neener:
 
Vis35, if you have followed this thread closely you will find that money is only one factor. The level of cusomer service is another very large factor. You probably run a very nice shop. I would be happy to stop by one day if you were not 3,000+ miles away.

I once paid a significant mark up on a Russian 91/30 Nagant from a small shop in Iowa City. You know what, it was worth every penny. In addition to the rifle I got a 30 minute histroy lesson on early Russian arms from a man who liked his job and enjoyed talking to (instead of talking at) people. His shop is to far to go to on a regular basis, but I try to stop by when I am in the area.
 
Chris Rhines is dead on when it comes to Central MD gun shops. I spend a fair amount on guns and gun related items and when I walk into a shop it's because I've made up my mind that I'm going to buy something.

I haven't been to Gilbert's but have heard enough to know not to bother. Atlantic treated me like a leper for looking at some EBR's. And there's a place in Kensington (Potomac?) that was just downright weird.

By contrast, the new place in Annapolis has what I want in stock. The owner says hello to me the second I walk in, shows me what I want, answers my questions and I leave happy. Same with Christian Soldier up north of Baltimore......I drove 45 minutes out of my way the first time because he had what I wanted in stock. I'll go again because he treated me well.

Back to Monkeyleg's original post......I think that all of us simply want to be treated well, given a decent price and a decent selection. When there are no local shops that can meet those criteria, I have no problem with going to a chain.
 
This thread is funny. For years people will start threads about how much they hate the lack of service they have at WalMart et al., and then run to defend them over the local small business.

I am the President of a local store, and I can tell you that being a mile from the largest WalMart in the region is tough. We survive by having better pricing on most items than anyone, but we still feel the pinch.
 
This has gone back and forth in discussion for years. It is rare for a local shop to have the purchasing clout to match prices with Wallyworld. It is rare for WallyWorld to have knowledgable employees. Seems like buying guns and supplies is always a trade off.
I usually buy my guns from a local shop. I first did business with them back in 1967. Harry Beckwith, Gun Dealer, Micanopy Florida. I don't think that there is a finer gun shop in America. Harry is a bit high on his prices, but the shopping experience is far and away better than at a chain store. I moved years back, so now its a 5 hour drive to visit Harry and the guys there. I go as often as time permits.
 
Some legitimate points made, both pro and con, regarding "mom and pop" gun shops and larger retailers.

I prefer to shop at smaller and more personal shops but, to be honest, their selection often lacks what I'm looking for.

That wouldn't necessarily mean much if they were interested in ordering what I do want...I'd more than likely be willing to wait on it.

However, not too long ago, I was looking for a new set of Lee carbide pistol dies in .40 S&W when I mistakenly picked up 10MM (my older Lee dies in .40 S&W are usable on 10MM whereas the new ones are not).

Realizing my mistake I called the shop when I got home and was told they would order me a set of .40 S&W in the next order.

Three weeks later I had to call them for an up-date and was told that they had not placed the order yet and were unsure when it might even happen.

My point, I think is clear,.........are most people willing to wait on "mom and pop" to order something they want right away or is the public tending to go where they know they can likely find what they when they want it?

I took the set back and got a refund from "mom and pop" and went on over to Sportsmen's Warehouse.

Their gain...."mom and pop's" loss and I ain't losing no sleep over it.
 
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Poway Guns? I left the SD area in the late '90s. Bill was my favorite shop.
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Seeing as how I live just north of Poway, that would be perfect, and I have heard good things about their 'smithing. But alas, the most recent reference to them I can find online is from '01 and the store is not where it is supposed to be. I spent the better part of a day looking for it a couple months ago.

There is Duncan's in Escondido, (San Marcos Turner's refers people to Duncan's for smithing,) but they seemed pretty run down, and didn't have the stuff I was looking for last time I went in.

I have hope for SoCal Guns down by MCAS Miramar, but they also had a fairly haggard looking store.

Whenever I go up to OC to visit my folks I check out Fowler's Gun Room, The Stockade, and Armory of Orange.

Ya know, the motorcycle forum I frequent has a stickied thread just for listing good shop experiences, maybe that wouldn't be a bad idea here.
 
i do a lot of shopping at my two local stores. i've bought numerous guns & accessories at both. gotten some good and not so good advice at both, but that's to be expected. i also do price comparisons and when i find a gun i can order online and have it shipped and transferred for up to $120.00 less than the local shops have it for, guess where i'm buying it? if the local guys are within $60.00 on price i'll get it from them. as for ammo, i get it online, wally world, or my local guys, whoever is cheaper.
 
I can see your point, but what do you do when your local gun shop doesn't have the gun you want and Cabelas, et. al. do?
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I don't know what you do, but I know what I do. I go to my local guy, tell him what I'm looking for, tell him I saw it for $xxx at ____, and ask him what he can do for me.

When that happened at the time I had a hankering for a Henry lever action .22, I think Wal-Mart was selling it for $149.95. My guy was up-front and said he couldn't even buy it for that price. I asked him what his best price could be (I don't remember now what that came to), and bought it from him. Same thing with a Para LDA pistol and three Ruger 6-guns. He didn't have any of them in stock, but I didn't need to shoot anyone that same afternoon so I just said "Order it, and call me when it comes in."

I've lost count of how many guns he has ordered for me. The only thing I've bought from "stock" was a Colt Pony that he had in the case on consignment.
 
I always shop at the local stores first and then if they don't carry what I need or can order it I go to the bigger chains. They just put in a Bass Pro Shops here and they carry quiet a few guns, rifles, handguns, and shotguns but as has been mentioned like most chain stores don't carry used guns.

Even the local shops don't carry much in the way of reloading supplies. And as for Bullet casting forget it...

Think you all have problems... There used to be a really great Buckskinning store here in Vegas, Ray's Beaver Bag. Ray decided to retire and now NO ONE carries much in the way of muzzleloading or Black Powder supplies. About all you can get are the big selling items for inline muzzle loaders and such. Sure can't get bulk lead, any size round balls, buckskinning supplies, casting supplies, or non-popular BP guns around here anymore. :evil: :fire: :banghead:
 
I guess I've been spoiled by the shops we have around here. None of them charge anything close to MSRP. Between the three larger shops in the area, I can find just about anything I want.

And maybe I've been spoiled by talking with the owners of shops on my site such as GreenFurniture. The majority of shop owners I have come across strike me as very friendly and helpful. Of course, the majority of shops I now have are those recommended by THR members.

When I first started calling, I got the attitude many of you are referring to. Gruff, rude, completely non-professional. And that's before I even told them why I was calling!

Reading all of the replies here has caused me to reconsider the position I took in my original post. But I'm still concerned about large corporations dominating the gun business. It's very easy for them to cave to Political Correctness.
 
Hey, Monkeyleg, I'm not sure which shops you are talking about, but I'm sure the Shooter's Shop is one of them. I've gone there once and had outstanding help and service. Unfortunately, they are almost a 40 minute drive away for me. There is at least one shop in my area that I won't step foot in again however.

The shop that I bought the most guns though in the last few years was a mile from my workplace, but unfortunately thy went out of business when the owner lost his FFL when the Feds found some questionable dealings between him, a friend of his and between his friend and gangbangers from Milwaukee.
 
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