Disappointed with my local gun shop

[Trailrider]

Well I have to say that today may have been the last time I'll shop there for awhile. At least until all the madness blows over. I don't want to name them because I've been a long time customer and know the owner and his son but I was disappointed to find out today that they've sold out to all the panic buying. I went at lunch to buy ammo and it was insanely packed. I waited for a good 30 minutes before it was my turn at the counter and noticed they had a few AR-15s and other rifles, along with the usual semi-auto pistols and revolvers. I inquired about the ARs and was told that they aren't selling them in the store at their sticker price because they can make more on GB.com. They'd only sell them on GB at auction prices. That alone disappointed me but I let it slide. Then I noticed a nice clean Gen 4 Glock 21 with night sights with a sticker of $465!, used but in good condition. They told me the same thing about this, they can't sell it at sticker price because they're going for much higher on GB and that any gun, rifle or pistol, that comes with a high cap mag is selling for much higher on GB so they'd rather sell it there. I then asked what if I wanted to buy this gun here with cash in hand, and was told they can't do it for less than $600 even though it had the $465 tag on it. Wow. Needless to say, I left without making a purchase. What bothers me the most is that I've done a lot of business with them and sent a lot of business their way. They're usually the best priced gun shop in town, below Academy prices, but it seems they have decided they'd rather make an extra buck on GB than sell to a local long time customer... What's funny is that of the 25 or so people in front of me, most of them didn't buy squat because they got turned away with the same excuses I got.

 

[Salient 1]

Those type of business practices will hurt them in the longrun...

 

[chopper duke]

Sounds like they're more about their bottom dollar than their community. I would like to know who they are so I don't ever give them my hard earned money.

 

[Flammenwerfer]

Sounds like they're more about their bottom dollar than their community. I would like to know who they are so I don't ever give them my hard earned money.

Same here

 

[Jester7]

I know it's a bummer but if you get 2 or 3 times as much on GB, it would be hard to sell em local. It would be nice if they put them in the backroom so not to tease people! I'm sitting out the madness and will wait on purchases until I see what happens... in the meantime, I wish the small shops well. It's a tough gig and a lot of em fail, they might be able to make enough to make up for the rest of the year in the next month or two.

Wait and see after the madness... hopefully they will be back to the store you know and love. I would hate to lose a good local store.

BTW, I was looking at picking up a Daewoo from a company that I like... they put it on GB for 799, I told em to let me know if it didn't get a bid I know it's different with actual ARs (one of the ads on GB listed a Daewoo as an AR15 ... smart, most of the people fear buying don't know the difference and it does take AR mags

 

[Trailrider]

I know it's a bummer but if you get 2 or 3 times as much on GB, it would be hard to sell em local. It would be nice if they put them in the backroom so not to tease people! I'm sitting out the madness and will wait on purchases until I see what happens... in the meantime, I wish the small shops well. It's a tough gig and a lot of em fail, they might be able to make enough to make up for the rest of the year in the next month or two.

Right I was thinking the same thing. Why have them on display with regular price stickers on them, but then tell people you have to bid on them online? I think that's what bothered me the most. In the past whenever they had an item on Gunbroker they would put a note on the auction that if it sells in the store first the auction will be pulled. Well sometimes I would be browsing their items and call about a certain gun and they'd pull the auction if it had no bids, and sell it to me at sticker. Now they aren't doing that and yet still have all the guns on display and want you to pay the "projected" auction price that it would sell for on Gunbroker if you want to buy it in the store. If not you have to sign up and bid on it... Pretty bad business.

 

[Al Capone]

They my as well shut down shop until madness is over then.

- - - Updated - - -

**** them.

 

[Trailrider]

I should add that the owner/son weren't there today. I spoke with one of the gun counter employees who said that he was just doing what he was told. He even went as far as to pull up some random auctions on gunbroker to show me what he could sell a certain gun for and therefore that's what I'd have to pay in store. Pretty much the exact opposite of how they used to do business. I remember plenty of times coming in and showing them an Academy ad or something and saying can you beat this price and they'd beat it by $50 just to get your business. Oh well.

 

[ishopauto]

Same here at my favorite gun shop.

 

[GA-Silver]

Its is going to be funny when these gougers sell off all their inflated stock and can't get anything from from distributors...........Maybe they've made enough off their inflated prices so that they can retire early.