ASP, Joelton

[jaysouth]

I am usually the last to get the word, but I went by ASP (academy of self-protection?) today and found they had gone out of business.

 

There was a snarky sign in the window saying that they were the victim of "price point shoppers".  I guess that means people who are looking for the best price on guns/ammo/range time?

 

I feel their pain.  Small gun shops appear to be a thing of the past because folks can get a better deal somewhere else like Budsgunshop.com.  Natural selection is a brutal game.

[TripleDigitRide]

I stopped in their twice. I'd say they went out of business due to lousy prices and a range that would require the use of a gas mask.

[runco]

The market can be a ditch (with a b ) to some, and windfall to others! 

Edited July 2, 2014 by Runco

[101]

I moved five miles up the road seven years ago.  Was SO excited there was a gun store and range to boot this close to the house.

 

Went in there two times.  They were rude and the prices were just about 100 dollars more than guns and leather.  The range was horrible also.  Second time I told them I won't be back.

 

They put themselves out of business. 

[jaysouth]

Not adapting to the internet is going to kill a lot of small businesses.  A good example is West Plains Pawn and Gun in West Plains, Mo. to name just one that I am familiar with.  They are not much larger than ASP in their sales area, but they got internet savvy and have a much larger presence on the net and appear to be successful and prosperous.

 

I had an interesting conversation with an owner of an Ace Hardware store.  He claims to be able to compete head to head with Lowes because of their good customer service.  But he says he is getting hurt by the internet.  People want the convenience of home delivery and some just don't want to interact with other humans.  Even though the price is comparable weighing sales tax against shipping charges.

 

Local gun stores have a LOT of competition from chains and the internet.  It seem that a lot of them compete with themselves with sales prevention techniques that include bad customer service.

[hipower]

Not trying to beat a dead horse here...but

 

I was in the store twice. Not impressed with the attitude. If you weren't a friend of theirs you were going to get no service at best, and screwed at the least.

 

The final straw for me was when I was in Eastside Gun Shop(now closed as well) and the owner, a friend of Rabbi's, called asking him if he(Bill) wanted a Smith revolver they had gotten in. Bill didn't, but since I had bought several Smith's from Bill's shop; I was asked if I would like it.

 

I said yes, and Bill handed over the phone to me. I spoke and asked a few questions, said I would take it and would be up the next morning. We made an agreement and I was told that was fine.

 

Less than 5 minutes later, ASP called back; telling Bill to tell me it had been sold to someone who just walked in.

 

This after we made an agreement on price and I was told it was mine. I swore never to go in there again, nor even mention the shop to anyone.

 

I'm surprised it took this long to shut down. Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch.

 

And I strongly suspect that the seller on Armslist and GunOwnersClub working out of the Joelton area is the same bunch. Selling "new" safes and weapons.

[charlessummers]

Well... I wouldn't consider myself on their "friends" list, but did take my HCP class there and used their range pretty often until I started shooting at Nashville Armory. The older man there was quite a nice guy once you got to talking to him. He showed me a lot of stuff concerning the firearms that I already had. The instructor for the HCP class was also a pretty nice guy. He knew how to teach, and lead a class. When I showed him my .38 speclal that I intended on shooting for my class, he convinced me to use one of their Glock 17s and I scored MUCH better with that than I would have with the revolver. (BTW: The revolver is an awesome shooter now that I know what the hell I'm doing with it :)) I would buy some ammo and supplies there from time to time... even though their prices were a little higher. I always figured that once I included shipping charges with any online purchased, it would equal out the about the same anyway... and without the wait.

 

I guess now that I'm divorced and really have no reason to escape the in-laws house not too far from there... I won't miss them entirely, but at least I never got ricocheted on at their range like I did at Gun City, USA (Why is that place still open??). Plus, he never charged me for my son when I would bring him along.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Several years ago I went to a FFL I had used several times to transfer online purchases from. This time I went and noticed the hours on his door had changed. I knew he was doing the HCP classes full time so I figured that is why but asked anyways. I asked if his classes were so popular that he had to reduce his hours. His response made me take a step back and never step foot in his shop again. He said the idiots who are buying online are what caused me to reduce my hours. The gun I bought was bought online and had the receipt inside so I am sure that is what upset him. BTW, he wasn't the cheapest FFL to do transfers but I felt a loyalty to him because he had done several for me in the past and I always bought something in his shop when I picked up a transfer. After his comment I walked out with my gun and never walked back in.

[maroonandwhite]

I guess some of these folks think they are owed a living wage. Gotta get tough and adapt or you go under. As you pointed out in your story you don't get or keep loyalty by being a jerk.

[TMF]

Some of these small gun shops would do better if they would smile more and not talk to folks like they're idiots. Not saying that is true of every gun store, but it has been a recurring theme I've noticed in gun shops around the country. Dudes behind the counter who assume you know nothing and act as if they are super type A personalities. Crack a smile. Tell a joke. No one will think you're a puss for doing so. They just might come back for the friendly service. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TrickyNicky]

That's why I go to Nashville Armory, D&T, and G&L. In the case if Nashville Armory it's all about service. Their pricing is mostly good, but nothing ever super great. Their service on the other hand is impeccable. No type A commando jerks there. Well, one guy who worked the range, but I haven't seen him in months so I'm guessing the issue corrected itself one way or the other.

I was in one store once talking ARs and the guy told me to join M4forum or whatever because it was "full of real operators like us, not those wannabe losers who have never used their rifle off range" at that point I just smiled and said "I am one of those wannabe losers." Not sure where he got in his head or why that I was military, but it took him aback when I said it and was pretty much the end of his interest in me as a customer. On my way out the door however he was nice enough to tell me that I had better vote the popular/conservative vote in TN as I had brought up the move from Ca. I thought that was super duper professional and not ****headed at all. :rolleyes:

I agree that attitude goes a lot longer with me than anything. I don't even ask for sunshine and butterfly farts, just don't be a complete ass and odds are good we'll get along well enough for me to spend some money. Amazing that someone could own a service or retail based business and not have figured that out.

[MacGyver]

I took my HCP class out there 20 years ago.  I've since sat through several classes with other people, and at least in that instance, they put together a great class.

 

It's interesting to me how many brick and mortars approach towards the internet seems to be to pretend like it doesn't exist.  We've got a few vendors on here who understand how to sit between the internet and the consumer and make money doing it.  I support local shops because we need them.  They play a really important role, and are taking a big risk but tying up a lot of money in inventory.

 

But, the world is definitely changing.  If you can't compete on price, you better compete on service.

[TMF]

[quote name="TrickyNicky" post="1164538" timestamp="1404317701"]That's why I go to Nashville Armory, D&T, and G&L. In the case if Nashville Armory it's all about service. Their pricing is mostly good, but nothing ever super great. Their service on the other hand is impeccable. No type A commando jerks there. Well, one guy who worked the range, but I haven't seen him in months so I'm guessing the issue corrected itself one way or the other. [/quote] I've been into Guns and Leather 4 or 5 times and never had enough of a conversation to determine the personality of the staff. It is just always so packed full of people, I get in, do my business and get out. I thought with the new store being so much bigger it would be a little less cramped, but they just have more people in there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hipower]

Both G&L locations are staffed by what appears to be intelligent and friendly people. I have bought from both stores, though not a lot; and always been satisfied at the least.

 

Personally, I have spent fore time talking to a couple in the Hendersonville location and prefer it because of it being far closer to me.

 

I have shot at both ranges, though not at the new one in Greenbriar. Hendersonville's range though short at 27 feet or thereabouts, is a good stable place to use.