I don't recall the name of it but it was on Main Street in Kannapolis across from the old Mid State Marine. It's now a vape shop...... Sad...... Numbers decreasing??
Gun Shop Gone...
- Thread starter Bailey Boat
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Internet is slowly running our LGS’s out of business. I’m guilty of it too. Cheap parts/guns online can lure the best of us, and the gun shops just can’t compete.
BurnedOutGeek
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Agreed
Yep. It also seems to me that the good shops carry a good quantity of accessories which sell at higher margins, amd habe more than the eveyday $500 or so Glocks and M&P's. Nothing wrong with those guns, but that market is a race to the bottom. A good shop has to offer more.
I’ve bought a couple from Backwoods and I agree, they’re one of the only dealers I’ve ever dealt with that has great prices and knowledgeable employees. They aren’t local to me though, as I only see them at gun shows.
BurnedOutGeek
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If anything is to blame in this case it's definitely customer service. I went in the shop maybe 3 times looking for different things and left empty handed. He always seemed too busy to even acknowledge my presence or offer assistance. If he was on the phone he just looked the other way and kept talking. I saw him at RCWA a couple of times and tried making conversation but he always kept it short so maybe he wasn't the personality type to deal with the public.
^THIS !^ I've never been to the shop in question, but I am constantly amazed how many times I run into businesses with customer-facing people who simply are either not any good at dealing with the public, or absolutely DESPISE doing it and it shows. A business owner needs to have the common sense to realize that isnt one of their strengths and they need to hire good people to do what they themselves apparently cant do: be polite and handle customers one on one with a smile.
If you are dealing with a commodity item like 90+% of all firearms and accessories price is important, but people tend to want to do business with people they enjoy being around.
You might want to look at the type of customers local gun stores deal with.
I can tell you for a fact a margin of them are the type of people I would not want to be known for hanging with.
At this point most customers want to kick tires and buy at the lowest rate no matter where the location is.
Same situation with best buy and Amazon.
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Fact is, too many "gun stores" have about 2 dozen overpriced pistols, a rack full of old hunting shotguns and 3 overpriced ARs. They have dusty boxes of 22 with post-Sandy Hook prices marked out and the typical smattering of common ammo at higher than Wal Mart prices. They may have a few holsters, likely Fobus crap, absolutely no AR parts, no real optic systems and a few random Ruger mags. Couple all of this crap with a mediocre attitude, at best, and the ship sinks.
I love supporting a local store, but do this as an experiment - drive to 10 of your local stores and ask for a AR15 mag catch or a 686 pancake holster, and dollars to doughnuts, you are going to be SOL. I think Highlander Armory in Newton is about one of the only worthwhile brick and mortars I have been to in years, as they are friendly folks, and have an actual decent selection. Honestly, I can buy about anything they sell from Midway or Brownells and save 10-20%, but I'll go up there for the good attitude and charismatic Belgian Malinois and pay the extra.
I love supporting a local store, but do this as an experiment - drive to 10 of your local stores and ask for a AR15 mag catch or a 686 pancake holster, and dollars to doughnuts, you are going to be SOL. I think Highlander Armory in Newton is about one of the only worthwhile brick and mortars I have been to in years, as they are friendly folks, and have an actual decent selection. Honestly, I can buy about anything they sell from Midway or Brownells and save 10-20%, but I'll go up there for the good attitude and charismatic Belgian Malinois and pay the extra.
jmccracken1214
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I feel like thats what most carry... a shotgun or two, maybe 3-4 budget bolt guns, a few AR's.. from budget to stupid expensive and then GLOCKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
ew.
Most gun stores i feel, have A'holes working in them... Cocky, know it all pricks. Id say a good half of them that ive visted are that way.
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So the Lone Coyote Gune Works in Fort Mill, SC Does mostly transfers and taxidermy and Honey. His transfers are wait for this....$10 TEN DOLLARS. You just can't beat that. He keeps just the corner of a shipping UPS type store.
https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=e...ved=0ahUKEwixvJip8OjXAhWH5oMKHUoBBAcQoioIcTAK
Agreed however market trends show that CS is valued less and less, in favor of price and instant gratification. Case and point, Amazon dominates ecommerce and is beginning to blur the lines of ecommerce and retail. Retailers who have failed to adapt to the modern age are all failing (HH Gregg, Gander, Sears, JCP, radio shack, etc).
IMO the best way for LGS to survive is to specialize, be the go-to in the area for a profitable product (holsters, 1911's, NFA, gunsmithing, etc.) and/or create a second arm of the business that aggressively deals online, kind of like Hyatts has done.
This is true but he has no overhead like a brick and mortar store and is usually below MAP pricing because he does not mark or advertise anything, this alone gives a huge advantage over brick stores. Brick stores have to honor MAP pricing at least in there pricing you see on the counter.
Couple the fact that brick stores have to carry inventory, pay insurance, pay to keep the lights on and have a very small market, usually 100 mile radius if you are competitive and then compare to a Cheaper Than Dirt or Buds Gun Shop that has a 50 state market, can carry an inventory to reflect that and the small gun store is doomed. Just like the interstate highway system and Walmart killed small main street business.
Gun margins right now are horrible and everyone wants them for next nothing. That is why I am getting out of the guns show business. I make way more just doing my transfers.
Chuckman
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There is a relatively local shop, "high end", with whom I have had a tough time, bad service, etc. I went a couple times, benefit of the doubt and all, but the three times I went, I spoke with different people, all of whom were jerks.
It was recommended that I email one of them for something specific, which I did, got back a three-word response; when I emailed for clarification, never emailed me back.
I will never, ever, EVER go in there again.
It was recommended that I email one of them for something specific, which I did, got back a three-word response; when I emailed for clarification, never emailed me back.
I will never, ever, EVER go in there again.
lol, I have been in there! I stopped and checked it out while eating over at the Flip Side Cafe.
Running a brick and mortar store these days is tough. Keeping good people is also difficult, let alone employing enough of them to adequately help when there are a lot of customers.
Never mind figuring out which items to stock that will actually move off the shelves before celebrating birthdays!
I'm doing my best to stay out of this thread. In the mean time, I have a bowl of popcorn.
Brick and mortar gun stores are facing the same problem other niche brick and mortar stores are, they simply cant compete with online prices. The last store I went into had prices that where wildly over priced. When the same gun online + shipping + 4473 fee is still significantly less than what the store will sell you the same gun for its just not a good financial decision. I.E I can find a SP2022 online for $389 + shipping and tax is $403 + $20 transfer is $423. How many brick and mortar store would be able to match that?