How Much Are You Willing to Pay to Support a Local Gun Store?
I've gone to my local (well stocked ) gun store a few times to buy something and walked out because the price was 30-40% higher than I could buy it on-line, including shipping. I've bought one gun from them because the price was less than 15% higher than I could get it on-line, including shipping and FFL fees. I've also passed on a couple of guns and purchased them on-line because their mark-up was just too high. The don't have a price match policy, but they will dicker a little at times.
Now, I'm looking at a Savage rifle that has an MSRP of $869. I can find it on-line for $619, and my local gun store has it in stock and wants $799. Tax is a wash and shipping is free -- so the only additional costs is the $40 FFL. The difference in price is 23% plus the $40 FFL fee. They are telling me that is as low as they can go because bolt guns don't have a high mark-up.
I can also buy it from Grab-a-Gun on-line for $647 and drive a couple hours to pick it up in Coppell.
I want to support the local business and will pay a little extra, but I don't feel its my job to keep them in business if their prices aren't competitive.
What do you think?
How Much Are You Willing to Pay to Support a Local Gun Store?
Don’t have the luxury where I am. There is a FFL but really doesn’t stock much at all. Gladly does transfers. There’s no way for him to compete on pricing with Buds, etc. Generally the price for something at Sportsman’s in the big town is less than what he can get it wholesale. They have a huge shipping advantage.
One major complaint I have is there was a “local”retailer (50 air miles away) for decades. Now he ran into some ATF problems of his own makings, however he did stock a lot of reloading and other shooting supplies. Ammo, etc. Sportmans pulled in with a pretty decent stock of competing products for less, and wiped him out. He’s gone. This was before the COVID. Now, Sportmans has nothing for reloading. NOTHING. Oh there’s plenty of $30/box 9mm practice ammo. Who the heck needs that here? The stores in the lower 48 are starting to get more stuff every day, this one must be the last in line. In a small town, if you take someone out of business, that’s life. However, you have a moral obligation to carry on offering product and or service. This is the Alaska way. These corporate so-and-so’s don’t get it. Consequently their store is void of customers, always more minimum wage staff in there (from elsewhere on some
sort of corporate TDY) than patrons. I loathe them.