Support your local gun shops!

[Dustbuster]

I'll always try lgs first. If it's over 600 I won't unless it's a private buy as buying private or online saves 10% whereas the ffl costs 35.00. A 1500.00 something can cost @165.00 more w tax and fees.

Some stores go out because they manage themselves to death or have poor inventory. I believe some stores never believe in making every purchase fun, or making their buyers feel good about buying there. I've bought a few little things at aps joelton and have used their cloudy range.nothing to rant or cheer about.
Most shops treat their customers worse than fast food restaurants do. That's the 1st biggest problem I see in all reality.
The 2nd is buyers having the ability to avoid paying that 11 % on a new gun by buying online...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 of course it ate my spelling.

[senfinger]

I've been to Green Dragon in Fairview. Great group of guys and not to bad on prices. They have a great price for ffl and we have bought ammo from them. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

[KahrMan]

We are losing another lgs.  From D&T Arms Facebook page:

 

 

D & T Arms, LLC will begin our GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE beginning Monday 7/21/2014. EVERYTHING MUST GO!!!
This past year we have faced shortages and did not price gouge, changes in many state and national regulations which shrank the National market, changes in the ability to advertise on GOOGLE, BING, YAHOO, FACEBOOK etc because of uniformed social pressures of the media, increased government regulations, increased taxes, and an economy that has failed to recover for the gun industry. We are one of many local small businesses that either have closed or are barely surviving. 
We have met many wonderful people these past 4 years and will miss our patrons. Tell your friends to stop in and get great deals while supplies last, as we liquidate. We will also offer bulk discounts! EVERYTHING MUST GO!

[Rightwinger]

Bud's depends on something for his wonderful plan, something Lowes and Walmart don't need because of the special needs these types of transactions need.  A LGS with an FFL.  So when Bud's and the other gee whiz entrepreneurs have competed so well they have cornered the market.....who they gonna send that transfer to? Walmart? You all can crank all you want about saving the bucks on the internet.  The fact remains that most of what I saw in my time serving the masses was complaints over less than 20 bucks difference and then using the local guy for nothing other than the transfer.  No ammo, no accessories, just please give me my transfer and I'll be on my way, and oh, by the way, I have two more coming next week.

 

Have I bought on the internet, sure thing.  Sometimes it's just something that no one local carries.  But I also knew the local guy liked me showing up and getting that box of ammo, a holster, heck even a machete one time.  I liked he was there or had what I wanted.  Have driven to the old Hero Gear many times to support Joe, bought from Guns and Leather, Eastside (gone), Hunt's (gone), Uselton's (gone) and worked at for two years and bought from Dave at D&T this morning (going).  You figure out the trend.  I'm out.

[TripleDigitRide]

I don't believe we'll ever see a time when local FFL's become a thing of the past. Things have a way of weeding out the less competitive shops, so I'm not too concerned when a few of them close. We'll probably see a few more close before it's over, even those owned by some decent people. If there's a market for local FFL's, they will be around.

D&T is a good example. They were always pleasant and helpful, but I'm not completely shocked to hear they're closing. When you have two Guns & Leather's within about 15 minutes, Phil at Bellshire, and what seems like another half-dozen or more shops within a short drive, the competition was stiff. Buying online to save only a few bucks isn't generally worth it to many folks, but driving 10-15 minutes down the road certainly is worth it to a lot of people.

I was willing to knowingly overpay at D&T for a hard to find pistol, and another time for an optic. But most of the time I found G&L to be quite a bit cheaper on almost everything I was looking for. On top of that, G&L was the more likely to have it in stock. Plus they have ranges.

Expecting customers to spend more money with someone because they are nice business owners is like expecting our employers to pay us more because we are nice employees.

The system always has a way of working itself out. Some will make it, and some won't. Those who have a business plan that's willing and able to change with the times are far more likely to succeed. The Internet is becoming more important by the day, and far too many don't seem to be willing to utilize it. The fact that we're having this discussion should be enough evidence to prove just how important the Internet has become.

[Hershmeister]

I would think a business model that could work for a LGS is to leverage the e-commerce and FFL requirement by owning the transfer business. With the internet offering unlimited selection, why be the showroom for someone else's sale. Become the showroom for the net, reduce your inventory costs of guns and focus on items like ammo and accessories while informing the public on their internet options. Lots of folks have no idea they can "order a gun". And if the transfer fee is less than the tax on the gun, its a win-win

[R1100R]

I know of one shop to close and then reopen as a transfer only (Eastside). They are
doing it as a sideline to another business venture. There are a lot of FFL out there that do special orders transfers only. Edited July 21, 2014 by R1100R

[Oh Shoot]

I know of one shop to close and then reopen as a transfer only (Eastside)....

 

So is that still Bill doing it?

 

- OS

[R1100R]

So is that still Bill doing it?

- OS

For Sure :)

[maroonandwhite]

The best model for a gun shop / range I PERSONALLY have ever ran across is Range USA in Memphis. They had a very good sandwich shop in the building and on Fridays and Saturdays they did a date night. I think it was around $40-$45 for two meals, a lane rental and two boxes of ammo. My wife and I loved it and they were busy every weekend.

[runco]

The best model for a gun shop / range I PERSONALLY have ever ran across is Range USA in Memphis. They had a very good sandwich shop in the building and on Fridays and Saturdays they did a date night. I think it was around $40-$45 for two meals, a lane rental and two boxes of ammo. My wife and I loved it and they were busy every weekend.

That would be a cool place. 

[DaveTN]

The major players in the business can’t make money if you can’t get their guns. They will make sure you have a place to buy guns unless gun sales in your area is so pathetic it’s not worth messing with; I doubt there are many areas of Tennessee that fail into that category.

[hipower]

I wouldn't be surprised if it's upwards of 70-75% for complete firearms on gunbroker.  It seems every firearm I look at on there comes from a small store somewhere in these United States.  It's just the modern way for them to let people window shop and buy if they see something they like.

I know of a shop in the middle Tn area that is very involved in online sales. No names, but figures I've heard place 80%+ of this as online and auction sales.

[HvBikeWlTravel]

The best model for a gun shop / range I PERSONALLY have ever ran across is Range USA in Memphis. They had a very good sandwich shop in the building and on Fridays and Saturdays they did a date night. I think it was around $40-$45 for two meals, a lane rental and two boxes of ammo. My wife and I loved it and they were busy every weekend.

Wow, that does sound like a business model that could work in your larger metropolitan areas. Similar to Bowling Alleys.

[jbravo]

[quote name="maroonandwhite" post="1170712" timestamp="1405979507"]The best model for a gun shop / range I PERSONALLY have ever ran across is Range USA in Memphis. They had a very good sandwich shop in the building and on Fridays and Saturdays they did a date night. I think it was around $40-$45 for two meals, a lane rental and two boxes of ammo. My wife and I loved it and they were busy every weekend.[/quote] I do most of my transfers at Range USA mainly because selling firearms is not their main business. Selling firearms is just a small part of their business so there is not the pressure of buying a gun from them.

[contendershooter]

We are losing another lgs.  From D&T Arms Facebook page:

I hate to see D&T go. I feel unless you have a range, you won't survive unless you can out-price everyone else. That is why Bellshire does so good is because if I can go in there and get a Beretta Nano for 342.00 whereas everyone else is selling them for over 400.00 I will go to Bellshire. Guns and Leather has always had real nice people with the exception of a couple I have posted on here before, but otherwise top notch. The rivergate area has became much like madison and inglewood, the MTA bus lines has brought a different clientele of people in and that is why most have moved on to hendersonville or gallatin. 

 

On a side note, Is Goodlettsville Gun Shop still open?