Why do gun shops close on Sunday?

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.45FMJoe

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Or any retailer for that matter? For example, I work in a service business M-F 7-7 and Sat 9-2 except if I'm in class. This leaves me with little to zero time to visit any gun store other than the one that is also a range that is open Sunday. If he majority of America works M-F then why are the retailers open M-F and closed Sunday and maybe Saturday too? In Tampa..well techincally across the bridge in Pinellas county there is a motorcycle/jet-ski/small boat dealer named Barney's. They are closed Sundays. Now if you don't work Sunday and you are at the beach and you see someone having fun on a jet-ski and you think hell I'm gonna go down there and check them out... But you can not because the retailer is closed on Sunday! They just lost a potential multi-thousand dollar impulse buy. It's the same principle with gun shops. Say on Saturday afternoon/evening/night whatever you hit up the local range and someone near you has a new Super-X Mega Blaster 6000 and you fall in love. He is even nice enough to let you fire it, now you think you must have one! So you decide tomorrow you are going to get up and go buy one but you cannot because the gun shops are closed. By the time you get around to it, the thrill will be long gone and you will probably not want to buy the gun anymore anyway.

It makes no sense to me. Close Monday and Tuesday if you want to be closed 2 days a week. I cannot tell you how much money I would have spent with the local guys but because of their silly hours all my money goes to the online vendors. eBay, gunbroker, gunsamerica, you name it. Almost all my guns have been purchased online and shipped to the small time FFL in the same plaza as my business so I can just mozy over really quickly and pick them up.

Your thoughts? I guess I'm kinda ranting because after I got off work Friday night at 7pm until about 11pm I was soding my yard with my cousin. Then we woke up bright and early Saturday morning to continue (my mom covered for me a work - which is something she never does lol) and finished at 6pm. So I'm sore, dissapointed I didn't get to take my gf shooting on Friday night and I have nothing to do today so I wanted to go fondle new guns.. Who knows what could follow me home?:cool:
 
Around here we still have some Blue Laws on the books. Mostly about liquor sales. But there are some business owners that will close or have short hours on Sundays so their employees can go to church/spend time with their family. Usually just the small family run business, which would cover most gun stores. A notible exception in larger businesses is Chik-FilA, part of their permanant signage is "closed Sunday", it's thier corporate policy to give everyone the day off for family/worship. Being closed on Sunday (or anytime for that matter), sure, any business will lose the impulse buyer. But that's not where the majority of sales comes from, it's the repeat/regular visit customer that keeps them in business.

As a customer, the hours a shop is open is of less concern to me than how I'm treated while I'm there.
 
Lots of reasons

Reason 1: Many people observe Sunday as the Lord's day. I choose not to shop or work either one unless i just have to, for example a trip to the Pharmacy or emergency at my work.

Reason 2: When the kids are home from school it is nice to be off from work.

Reason 3: Sunday is the slowest day of the week at sporting goods stores. IIt ranks with Monday and Tuesday. Restaurants do a great business, but not most retail. Same expenses, less business and therefore less profit.

There is a place called 4 Day Tire in the Dallas area. They are open 12-hours on Wed through Sat. They do a hugh business being closed the other 3 days. So why work on those 3 days if there is no need?
 
Sundays

Hell, I'm open 7 days a week,I'm glad the others are not :>)
When I bought my second range in Belmont,NH-the previous owner was closed on Sunday -It's currently the second best day financially-with Saturdays always rocking.

Some states still do have "blue laws " on the books.
In Manchester, NH - I'm required to purchase a "Sunday operating license" in addition to my FFL/SOT/Alarm Permit/Certificate of Existence/license to sell pistols/revolvers etc etc. A lot of bull to collect more revenue :fire:
 
We are caught up in a relentless drive for profit, profit profit. Open on Sunday open at 6am open till midnight can't miss a sale. And our free time as a society is being flushed away. work work work. The store actually being closed is a holdout from days past. I say hoist a glass to them, they actually let their employees have a day off. The amount of time americans have free from work is noticeably less than 30 years ago. I don't remember the exact figure but I think it was on the order of a couple of weeks less per year.
 
They're open here! I guess it's a matter of business owner preferance. If it were me I'd take Monday myself. If I was in a recreational business I would want to be open when most people are off work. People spend money when they aren't working.
 
As someone that has owned / operated small business's over the years I am still unable to understand why a business would close at 5:00 PM and at noon on Saturday and not open at all on Sunday.

I was successful not because I was an extraordinary businessman, but because I opened at 9:00 AM and closed at 9:00 PM Tuesday through Saturday and 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sunday. The amount of traffic I experienced after 5:00 PM during the week, all day Saturday and ALL day Sunday made the difference.

The guy that bought my last business failed within 6 months because he had the 9-5 mentality, 5 days a week. I couldn't help but laugh in his face when he said I screwed him and must have been cookin the books somehow. :banghead:
 
dunno about retail and I agree, should be open on the weekends, most people shoot on the weekends. Go look at gander or sportsman's, they crank on the weekends. And while yes, I try and honor the sabbath and not buy anything, I have no problem opening a business and taking the heathen's money. :p
But in regards to auto sales, I was told that at least in Colorado they are required to be closed by law on sundays (probably old blue law), but all the dealers want the law to stay in place
otherwise, one woudl stay open and then they all would have to stay open, this way they can all stay closed and get a day off.
Makes sense to me.
 
Reason 3: Sunday is the slowest day of the week at sporting goods stores. IIt ranks with Monday and Tuesday. Restaurants do a great business, but not most retail. Same expenses, less business and therefore less profit.
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I'm sorry, I just don't buy that one bit. If the majority of America works during the week then reasonably you believe they spend most of their money during the weekend. Where did you come up with your thesis there? I'm not trying to be a horse/donkey hybrid offspring I just can't imagine how that makes any sense. Ever been to a Bass Pro Shop on Sunday? I drive to Orlando to go there occasionally and it's always PACKED on Sunday.
 
Being closed on Sunday (or anytime for that matter), sure, any business will lose the impulse buyer. But that's not where the majority of sales comes from, it's the repeat/regular visit customer that keeps them in business.
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With the hours most gun shops keep, they prevent me from being either an impulse OR regular buyer.
 
there's only one local shop that is open on Sunday, until 12pm. the rest of the gunshops are closed. but they do open on saturdays.

There's a local custom ammo maker, that seems to be open from 1pm-4pm, M-F. Anytime I pass by the store, it's always closed. I guess I'll be getting my ammo somewhere else!

For retailers, weekends are always have the most sales.
 
I doubt religion plays much of a part in it. According to recent numbers less than 20% of Americans attend church even once a week. These numbers deline yearly. They spiked briefly after 9/11 but did not stick. I think it more a habitual thing. People like to be off on Sunday.

Gun shop owners need to shop too and Sunday is a good day to do it since most retailers are open. I guess they figure a gun purchase is something you will work into your schedule during the week since it is not like you can just go anywhere and get one.
 
Closed Sundays

Back when I was in retail it was in the "toys" business (not guns but like that; and consting major bucks for a main purchase) and we were always open Sundays, though for shorter hours.

You got your 2 days off per week as a salesperson, but they were likely to be Tuesday and Thursday or some such.

The idea was, when everybody else has playtime, that's when we have to work.

It did work--the company for which I worked was the local 800 pound gorilla in the business. High quality product, expert sales staff, expert repair staff, always XLNT service. We routinely murdered the competition.

From the inside, the one problem it caused me was that whenever all my friends wanted to go do something of a Saturday/Sunday, I usually was working and couldn't join them. :-(
 
.45FMJoe,

I see that you are off work on Sundays. Why are service businesses closed on Sunday? Most of us work M-F and sometimes Saturday, sometimes other things come up for Saturday - why can't I get appliances, etc., serviced on Sunday without paying exorbitant overtime charges?
 
I guess Fundamentalists just don't need the extra money.
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How sad that some people will give up profit for religious convictions or for more family time.:uhoh:

When I read history, or nineteenth-century novels, it seems that Saturday was treated much as any other work-day. Given our very secular culture, though, I'm surprised we still have any distinct weekend. Anyone know how things are in Europe?
 
Anyone know how things are in Europe?
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At least in rural/small town germany, everything except for emergency services are closed, even the grocery stores.
 
Funny...just before I opened this post I was thinking "I need to go get some ammo...oops it's Sunday."

Worse than being closed on Sunday, the two stores I patronize most close at 6pm every weekday. I work until 5:30 and just can't get there by 6 unless I leave early. Then, they are usually P.O.ed because I get there 5 minutes before the close (I've spent over $3k there in the last year!)! One time I got there at 5:50, money in hand, just as they were locking up! "We have a family emergency" they said.

If I were them, I'd stay open until 8pm at least one weekday.
 
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