I don't mind paying a LITTLE extra at my local shop. I see it as supporting his business and keeping a good gunsmith in the neighborhood.

ave a similar incident happen

7.62x54r ammo
Dunhams:  3.99$
local gun store: 14.00$

Keving67

[url=www.midwayusa.com/midwayusa/applications/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?SaleItemID=176986]Midway[/url] has 'em for $18.74/100.  

You're right, that's a ripoff.

CETME .308 rifle:

SOG or Wholesale Guns & Ammo:  $295 with shipping

T&T Gunnery: $599

I'm willing to pay more at my local gun shop cuz I get to pepper the owner with questions, and learn stuff.

But not like 2x what someone elses price is.

I also don't mind spending a few extra bucks to help the little guy, but my local gun shop sells Wolf .223 for $5 a box!  Thats a little extreme.  Yes, a case of Wolf can be yours for only $250!

The one that I like,

Day before yesterday a guy walks in to a local gun store looking to trade his "Pre-Ban Colt 6601 20 Inch it had the flash hider, but no bayo lug with the A2 stock and sights" setup for something more compact ie. a carbine 16 inch barrel and a collapsible stock.  the guys behind the counter inform him that that gun is not a pre-ban , but a "transitional gun" (he had the box and the serial number was on the box with the blue label), that a collapsible stock would not be legal on this gun, and that "it was not a desirable gun"?? What gives?? are there the type of people I want to give my business to??

I had the chance to by it for a $1000.  I felt funny even trying to give the guy the right information, with the "guru behind the counter giving the babble double talk"  I under stand that the store in in the deal to make money and can not give the full value for the gun (whatever that is),  But why the bad info?


The second one I like,

When I built my first AR on a Rock River Receiver - I have a buddy FFL order the receiver and used J & T for the kit to build.  I had a bunch of 30 round mags, but wanted a 20 to shoot off of a bench with....a different local store wanted 39.95 for a used colt 20 rounder?  I offered 24.00 and they would not take it..  I tried to give these guy my business, but they wanted their merchandise more than I did. ( I ordered some off of the equipment exchange.)

The guy seems like an unethical crook, perhaps he should seek employment at Aldelphia, Worldcom, Enron, or who knows the next one. I would have told the guy with the rifle that I wanted to talk to him outside, then told him what the gun was worth.

I fully support my local shop, I don't have a problem paying 35.00 for a box of 300 win mags. I don't shoot but a box a year anyway. Now, If I shot alot then I wouldn't buy them there and I'd tell him why. He would understand. It's worth the damn 15.00 bucks "extra" to me to buy it someplace other than Wally world. He isn't selling enough to make any real money off ammo anyway. He would have to turn hundreds of case of ammo a year in order to make it feasible to him to lower his price on a box price. ANyone in business understands the turnover rate vs the amount of space something takes up = the price one should charge.

I read somewhere that 78% of all statistics are
made up on the spot, which leads me to my next
comment.

I believe that 94.87% of everyone in the
firearms/ammunition resale business are 99%
pure JACKASS!     Sure, these guys have to deal
with the average, off the street schmoe, of
which, most (91.37%) don't know an ejector from
a front sight post.    But, rather than exercising
what I call the "Customer Prevention Program",
by berating, brow beating and ripping off potential
customers, they should think ahead to future sales
and help folks out.

Sure, I know answering the same old questions gets
tiring, especially when things get really busy. But the
only advantage that the local shops offer over the
internet gun sites is face time and hands on Q&A.

With this said, I get treated pretty well at ONE
local shop, but I still see this shop treat the less
informed gun shoppers like lepers...bad move!
I'd like to see the average gun shop employee
walk into a computer store or a home theater store
and have the tables turned on them....
the sad thing, the average gun shop employee
wouldn't learn anything from the experience.

Maybe Dunhams is selling military surplus while your local gun store is selling Wolf's commercial load.  But having seen Wolf's it's hard to tell.

I'm pretty "IN" with my local gunshop.. he gives me free bullets all the time and gun rags and just little things.. for my birthday he put my name up on his sign outside and gave me 150 rounds of q3131a for free!

The stuff at my local gun shop is the same as the stuff dunham's sells.  My buddy works at Dunham's and says they actually come in and buy it when it is on sale and then jack the price and toss it on their own shelves.  They also carry wolf for about the same price.  

Keving67

For me it's not the $$ but the service I have the problem with.

Local shops need to take some customer service training. I have spent over $5K at a particular shop just this year alone.

While I am not expecting any special treatment per se, I am expecting to not be treated like some dirtbag wannabe when I deal with the exact same people who know how much I spend. It's funny how their tune changes when they look up my customer record and see how much I have spent. However, I have to commit to buying something before they are reminded from looking my name, etc... up in their customer database. They need to pay more attention.

Hell, I see them as much as they see me and I can remember all of their names and faces.

Now I know that they probably get a lot of tire kickers and time waster wannabes. However, there's a certain service protocol that goes along with running a successful retail operation.

As a side note, I have started driving 30 miles out of my way to go to another shop who remembers who I am.

I guess some people want the business more than others.

At Wade's Guns in Bellevue, WA you can get a 300rnd battepack of South African .223 for only $59.95 plus 8.8% tax.

Why? Because he's a crook!   It's not as desirable as an unblocked green label but not a "preban".

Did the guy walk? I sure hope so.

I can top that , $54.95 at Larry's Gun Shop in Olympia .

I went to a local gun shop a couple months ago and asked how much for a Bushy A-2. About $750 I was told. I go in to the same shop recently to check on a Colt post-ban for sale. I then ask how much to order a Bushy A-2. Over 960 dollars. What gives with the huge jump in price?

CRC

My thoughts.

Episode #1
Last week I went to a local gun shop to buy 2 boxes of 223 (I know, I know, but I couldn't wait for Ammoman's delivery - should be here today).  Total cost = $16, or $0.40/round.  This was plain vanilla Winchester range, box not labeled Q3131 or anything.

I walked in on the way home from work, dressed in a suit but no jacket.  As I walked in there were three counter guys hanging out at the cash register, and they watched me walk in.  I went over to the counter where the ammo is and waited for 10 min before someone came out of the back & asked if I needed help.  During those 10 min the three counter guys were chatting & looking at me - and didn't bother to see if I needed anything.

Funny thing is that I was prepared to buy a full case (and hopefully negotiate the price to something less than $0.40/rnd) - but the customer service was so bad I didn't bother.

Seems to me that if you don't look the part of a gun nut, and don't fit the profile, you're a time-wastin' looker and don't need to be attended to.

Episode #2
Late last year, after deer hunting for the first time, I went into a local shop to see what types of rifles were available (had used a borrowed Rem 700 in 7mm to harvest a 98-lb doe).  I really didn't know anything about rifles.  The counter help treated me like I was an idiot - though I had come in prepared to spend $$.  They were unwilling to explain features, define terms, and discuss relative benefits/drawbacks of different models & calibers.  I noticed the same treatment with other customers.

These are just 2 in a string of poor experiences.  I really want to support my local guys, but I don't feel like their customer service is any good and they take advantage of unsuspecting & uneducated (about guns) consumers.


Or am I expecting too much?

There are price increases on the wholesale level about one or twice a year (according to an FFL buddy).  Usually it happens around July and then Dec/or Jan.  Other places it's quarterly.....

(My buddy lets me get things at cost.....his cost and shipping... if he isn't ordering something at the same time.)

Please.  That's amateur league.  Try Davis Sport Shop in Sloatsburg.  $79.99 for a SA battlepack.  Yes, you heard me, $79.99.