Reader Question: What Should I Look For in a Gun Store?
Chris asked “The town I live in now only has one store but I’ll be moving to a place soon that has a few. How do I know which is a good one?”
Whichever one is cheapest? Just kidding. I see what you’re getting at. There’s actually a lot more than just price that needs to be factored in, as far as I’m concerned. When I travel, I love to stop in to gun stores that I come across both to make new contacts and to get a good idea of the regional prices. Through that time, I’ve come across things that impressed me and things that left me shaking my head.
So here’s what I’ll do: I’m going to list off a bunch of the things I’ve seen over the years to design my “perfect” gun store. Then it’ll be up to you to find the store that matches as many of the things on the list that you agree with. Does that work for you? If so, great! If not, too bad, that’s how I’m writing this article.
The Building
I like to see a nice building. Now, it doesn’t need to be some palatial estate. It could be in a strip mall or even someone’s garage. I just don’t want to feel like it’s falling apart or that I’d need a tetanus shot before touching the door handle. I also don’t want to feel like I would need a bulletproof vest just to walk from my car to the door. The parking lot should be appropriately sized and easy to get in and out of and well lit, depending on the hours they keep.
While I’m not crazy about security doors where you need to be buzzed in, I understand the need for them sometimes and I won’t deduct points from a place for it.
The Interior
I like a store to be well lit and clean. I remember a place that had thick dust over almost everything that wasn’t primary stock. Even some of the guns had dust all over them. This wasn’t like “yeah we just did some remodeling and the dust got everywhere” kind of dust either. It was disgusting.
The stock should be organized and displayed well. It shouldn’t be cluttered. I also like price tags to be easy to read from outside of the cases. I understand those might not be the final prices but it would be nice to know the starting point before I ask to hold it. Also, a place gets major bonus points in my book when it’s decorated nicely.
The Staff
The previous stuff was cosmetic. They weren’t make or break type of things. Now we’re getting into the meat. The staff is something that on it’s own can make or completely break a store. That dusty store I was telling you about? The guy behind the counter was almost as nasty both in appearance and personality. The staff should be clean, friendly and knowledgeable. They should have a good attitude and, of course, be attentive. If the place is busy, a simple acknowledgement of your existence can go a long way.
Also, and this is a personal thing that applies to more than just gun stores, I prefer to shop at a place where the staff is paid salary rather than commission. I just feel that if the clerk doesn’t have that life and death “I’ve got to shove a gun in this guy’s hands and get him out of the store so I can make my next sale or my kid doesn’t eat” mentality, you can trust the salesperson just a little bit more. My favorite store pays its staff like that and I’ve had them, on more than one occasion, tell me flat out that a gun is crap and the cheaper option B is the better choice. That’s the kind of stuff that builds repeat customers….even if the owners might not be thrilled with them pointing customers to the cheaper alternative.
Their attitude goes a long way too. I’ve seen staff in some places roll their eyes when someone asks a noob question. I also like to see staff that understand that men aren’t the only people that like guns. My personal favorite story: Mrs. Noob and I were looking at the .40 caliber Beretta 96. She loves her 9mm and wanted to check out something with a little more meat on it. The salesman kept insisting that she try out the Ruger LCR and ignored her multiple times when she said, “We already have one and I really don’t like shooting it at all. I already have a Beretta 92 and I shoot it just fine”. Still, he insisted that the Beretta was too big of a gun for her hands. We finally just walked out.
The Prices
If a business is a body, the lifeblood is profit. If a business can’t make money, it goes out of business. As we explained in the MSRP vs. Reality guide, there are three prices to every gun. I understand that a place has to mark up their guns to a point where they make enough money to keep their doors open. That doesn’t mean I’m willing to pay $700 for a gun that everyone else charges $500 for and they bought from the manufacturer for $400. I’m going to shop around and haggle until I get a price that I feel is fair. If the store’s prices are fair right off the bat, that saves me time and effort and I like that.
The Website
When I’m not wearing a stupid hat and shooting guns, I make web pages for a living. Specifically the functionality side that no one ever really sees. Either way, I’m very pissy picky when it comes to websites. I have little tolerance for half-assed efforts. With the glut of developers out there, the prices are reasonable and there just isn’t an excuse to have a bad site.
Yet so many do. Heck, even the manufacturers tend to skimp on their sites…but that’s a rant for another day. There are things I feel are an absolute requirement for a store’s web page. For starters, the site should have the address and phone number of the store in a place that’s easy to find. It should also have the hours prominently posted. You’d be surprised how many places don’t have those three simple things! I also like to see sales and/or specials on the site that are regularly updated. Six months between updates is far too long. There’s one site I stop by every now and then that hasn’t updated their specials in 3 years despite having regular sales in the store. The person in the store told me they don’t update because no one goes to the site. The reality is, no one goes to the site because they never update it. Talk about a vicious circle!
Finally, is it too much to ask to tie your inventory system in the store into your website? I can understand why you wouldn’t want to display your prices due to MSRP and Minimum Advertised Price agreements and such. All I’m asking is, at the very least, to just be able to see what’s in stock.
Well, there’s my perfect gun store. If I were to find a place within a reasonable distance that hit every note I mentioned here, I’m certain there would be a glimmering beam of light shining upon it 24 hours a day and a choir of angels would sing every time the doors opened.
Keep in mind, a place could match every one of these things to a T and still be a crappy place for whatever reason that I didn’t list. Sometimes you just don’t like a place for a reason you just can’t put your finger on. In those cases, go with your gut and try a different store. Google and Yelp can also provide good insight.
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First two images used under creative commons license from Marcin Wichary and paljoakim.
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