Any advice for new Gun Shops?

[Bvamp 604]

any advice?

[Shandlanos 1,470]

Sure - don't be the gun shop with insanely high prices on new firearms. If you can, try to keep your retail prices on firearms close to what a customer would pay to buy a firearm online, have it shipped and pay transfer.

[kevin.rose0@gmail.com 62]

Don't hire mall ninjas, guys who talk down to people, tell people their choice of gun sucks, won't take women buying guns seriously or otherwise fit the stereotypes of the gun store employees we have all run into or have heard about.

 

http://larrycorreia.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/random-updates-and-fun-with-internet-critics/

"Back when I was in the gun business, we had a rule for anybody that was working at the sales counter. Never ever, ever, never insult someone’s choice in guns. So if you were helping somebody and he started telling you about how much he loved his Lorcin, you could try to educate him about the diffence between guns, but you couldn’t come right out and say that the Lorcin was a POS. Why? Because if you insult someone’s choices, they will take it as if you are insulting them. People connect themselves to their choices. Boom. You just lost a sale.

 

"(Except for HK, because back then I would rather have gotten dental work done than deal with their customer service, but to be fair I’ve heard they’ve gotten tons better and are actually pleasant to deal with now. But on this topic, just look at the famous HK post that I wrote that is still generating hate mail a veritable internet-eon later. Those folks took me making fun of their choice as a personal insult.)"

[tatonic 159]

$10.00 Transfers.

[DrThunder88 912]

Definitely do not have the counter staffed by gear snobs. Like Kevin says, salespeople should suggest and explain the benefits of higher dollar products, but they should not chastise the customer for not going with them. Sometimes people just don't know any better, so a seller who can communicate the differences between high- and low-end products is a must. I guess that goes for any type of retail business, but brand chauvinists seem to be more apparent in the gun world.

 

I also like the suggestion to make the store more welcoming to female buyers. It seems like a number of gun shop employees see a woman walk into the store and immediately think to push something small and pink into her hands. Freudian implications aside, there are women who are competent shooters and might not be impressed by colorful grips. I guess it mostly boils down to having a staff that is knowledgeable enough to gauge a customer's needs (regardless of gender) through conversation and respond with appropriate product suggestions.

Edited December 20, 2011 by DrThunder88

[Dad2142Dad 6,559]

If you can swing it, have a range at the shop. People love to try before they buy.

[G O B 3,516]

Find yourself a cast iron BITCH to handle the money!!! Most small businesses that stay in business have the girls in the office to thank for that! Guys are good at what we know, but billing and filing are NOT our strong suite - and THAT is what keeps the doors open.

[nlacy 692]

+1 on service. Getting repeat business and word of mouth is your best advertising.

 

But you got to get people in the door to start with. So a good, user friendly website that shows your inventory is key. Don't cheap out, and don't let a friend of a friend do it, unless they really know their shit. I drove an hour to by a MP 15 a couple years ago because I didn't realize a store much closer carried the same thing at the same price. The farther store had a great website, while the store close by didn't have a website.

[RED333 1,025]

If you can swing it, have a range at the shop. People love to try before they buy.

+++1

FAIR price.

GOOD Service.

Long hours, say 8:00am to 8:00pm. 7 days a week. Yea it sucks, but if you aint there you cant sale.

[illuminos_9 4]

Honor the Constitution and the 2nd amendment.

 

[mgconnor13 206]

Customer service!

Make the shop a comfortable place to talk, shoot, trade and sell. One of the shops near my house is as much a hang out spot as it is a store, I find myself still there 2 hours after I paid for a box of ammo.

I really like out door ranges that have grills, picnic benches plenty of shade. Nothing better then a Saturday spent shooting and cooking out.

[BuffetDestroyer 969]

From a profitability standpoint, push the accessories that have a higher margin and keep the guns and ammo at a competitive price. If a guys saves $50 off a gun, then he can buy a holster or case and some targets to make up for the money you would have made on charging more for the gun. Holsters, slings, cases, cleaning products and targets all have high margins but can be a bitch to keep properly stocked.

 

Have happy salespeople that get to know the customer's names and you will keep loyalty. Preferred customers keep coming back to buy stuff.

 

Don't snub transfers for weapons you stock. If someone can buy a used Glock for $350 plus a $25 transfer (instead of new for $500 with a $60 margin) it is better to get $25 than nothing and keep the customer happy.

 

Don't hire "The Sky is Falling and you won't ever get this product again" employees. When the customer comes in a month later and sees five more of that item on the wall, you lose credibility.

 

Keep local LEO's happy and see if you can work a partnership on ordering some of the products/supplies they need. This can be profitable enough to run the gunstore by itself if you do it right and know the right people.

 

Lastly, see if you can find a good local remanufactured ammo company that you can push their product cheaper than Wal Mart plinking ammo. This will keep you as a reason for people to always come in since you have the cheapest ammo in town.

[IndyArms 10,186]

Everything that has been said above for sure... but I think truly the EASIEST thing to have... and the most WORTHY service to offer... is Honesty and Integrity!!!!

 

That keeps all of the above in line...

 

Honesty when dealing with those who do not know... none of that " Oh... last ones in the country... EVER !! They are gonna be BANNED!! buy it now!! bullshit... and integrity when setting prices... Sure you gotta make money... you dont gotta ask for the customers firstborn on top of it. Earn a living... dont RAPE the customers for one!

 

[Fallschirmjager667 729]

try not to fill the whole shop with fishing equipment

 

and dont hire those crusty old men who don't like anything to do with them newfangled metallic cartridges.... and $5 transfers

[magsite20 1,664]

Have a good gunsmith or hook up with some so you can offer just about any mods or repairs including refinishing.

Hire at least one hot chick regardless of her knowledge of anything including English.

 

In "Who Owns Guns? Criminals, Victims, and the Culture of Violence" (American Economic Review, vol. 88, no. 2, May 1998), Edward L. Glaeser and Spencer Glendon reported their findings on the characteristics of gun owners. They concluded that gun owners are most likely to be:

• White, married men, over age forty, with teenage children (rather than infants or young children)
  
• High-school graduates with higher incomes who own their own homes
  
• Hunters
  
• Residents of the South who live away from large cities and in areas where police are less available
  
• Members of social groups in which gun ownership is the norm, perhaps because of a mistrust of public justice or because reliance on public justice is seen as a lack of individual competence
  

Edited December 20, 2011 by 20-Mags

[YARP 300]

Lot's of good advice on here.

One-Don't sell shit products. Example:If you think Kel-Tecs products are crap don't peddle there stuff. It's just more overhead for you to carry.

Two-find an area that you can specialize in.

Three-get your armors certificate for any gun brand that you sell (yes, even if you know how to fix something then you now have a piece of paper to prove it.

Four-The space your selling from is just as important as the product your selling. Spend $ and make it look nice, there's nothing that screams crappy online vendor to me more then a room filled with peg board.

Five-think of other avenues of business other then guns to make money in. The first of course being T-shirts from Juggernaut! You will get people who want to just come hang out in your shop.....The line "no spend money, no stand around" doesn't tend to bring alot of business. Suggest that they purchase a coffee and one of your cold cut beef, buffaloe, ostrich, kangaroo, some weird dead animal cold cut. Jerky is a pretty big business. People who buy guns typically like to eat dead animal.

Six-have a bathroom....can't tell you how many times I've made the long drive to a gunshop about two hours away from me and left early just so I could go take a wizz at the McDonalds down the street from all the coffee I drank on the way there.

Seven-have a range

Eight-sell archery stuff and have an indoor range for it, this brings alot of guys through when the weather's crappy and all they can think about is hunting.

Nine-understand book keeping and taxes BEFORE you open the doors. This is where I see 60% of small business fail. My suggestion would be to hire a good Enrolled Agent that does book keeping also or hire a CPA and a seperate book keeper. It may seem like it costs alot but if your a business owner time is money. More time you spend dicking around on a computer figuring out how and where money needs to be the less time you spend working and actually making money.

Ten-Don't try and screw the IRS.....you may get away with it for a few years (or think you are), but the truth is no matter how much you beg and plead they will rarely lift penaltys on money owed.

[YARP 300]

Wait, wait I forgot one more thing. If you sell a gun SELL THE FING AMMO THAT GOES WITH IT>

Example:I have this Glock 20 addiction, I see one and I must have it. It's much like cookie monsters reaction......

What I can't stand is buying a gun and then not being able to buy extra mags and ammo for it. ESPECIALLY the ammo part. I buy a gun, I want to go test it right away, not when I get ammo for it through the mail two weeks later.

[DogMan 2,343]

If your best customer says he doesn't want drones flying over his backyard..........just let it go.

[Bvamp 604]

How's about a sign on the front door that says -

 

"Pull your pants up and put your hat on straight before you enter the premesis"

[dayofruin 425]

I too have been thinking of opening a shop. Only thing is, there are already 2 gun counters and 2 shops in my county. One counter sucks. The other focuses mostly on hunting but has some other cool stuff. One store is owned by an older couple, hunting and pistol focus mostly. Any trip to that store is at least an hour because he likes to talk. My cousin owns the other store. He has the widest variety of them all. He sells hunting supplies, tacticool, pistols, bows, etc. including candles and perfumes. He tries to have something for everyone. I'm trying to get a list of things that the others don't offer, that would make my shop stand out a bit. Gunsmithing service and refinishing are the big ones that I should offer. Cheap ammo (as cheap as I could sell it). Curio and relic type firearms. Nobody here offers anything like makarovs or tokarevs, or the ammo to feed them. So just take a look around see what you can offer that other people don't.

[kdbutler 563]

From a profitability standpoint, push the accessories that have a higher margin and keep the guns and ammo at a competitive price. If a guys saves $50 off a gun, then he can buy a holster or case and some targets to make up for the money you would have made on charging more for the gun. Holsters, slings, cases, cleaning products and targets all have high margins but can be a bitch to keep properly stocked.

 

Have happy salespeople that get to know the customer's names and you will keep loyalty. Preferred customers keep coming back to buy stuff.

 

Don't snub transfers for weapons you stock. If someone can buy a used Glock for $350 plus a $25 transfer (instead of new for $500 with a $60 margin) it is better to get $25 than nothing and keep the customer happy.

 

Don't hire "The Sky is Falling and you won't ever get this product again" employees. When the customer comes in a month later and sees five more of that item on the wall, you lose credibility.

 

Keep local LEO's happy and see if you can work a partnership on ordering some of the products/supplies they need. This can be profitable enough to run the gunstore by itself if you do it right and know the right people.

 

Lastly, see if you can find a good local remanufactured ammo company that you can push their product cheaper than Wal Mart plinking ammo. This will keep you as a reason for people to always come in since you have the cheapest ammo in town.

 

^^^This! What a great thread, with lots of good advice. Good luck to you Ben! Here's to hoping things work out for you!

Edited December 20, 2011 by Kevin in Texas

[RobRez 1,895]

100% customer service!! The fellas at a local shop here were so helpful and such good guys, many of us customers would go and hang out on our day off and just have a good time talking guns, or hunting/fishing fun stories. Amen to not insulting a customers chioce!! Polite education works great and shows that you care about them being happy with getting exactly what they need.

edit: I Really HATE when a fella selling guns responds to my request by saying "Oh, you don't want THAT gun...what you really want is THIS gun!".......pardon me but "Fuck You!".....we customers generally have done some reaserch, and I hate them trying to sell me what they have in stock, instead of what I WANT!!!!

Edited December 20, 2011 by RobRez

[gunfun 3,931]

stock really cheap ammo in the plinker calibers: .22, 9mm,.45acp, 7.62x39, 223, 38spl. I would rather buy from a local store than wallmart, but most of the gun shops are too expensive for me to go. Even if you aren't making much, it gets people in the door to restock.

 

And don't sneer at the guys who buy it. Maybe when they get a better job they will want the premo stuff you are hawking, but they will remember how you treated them while they had to be cheapskates. I personally will always mostly buy cheap ammo except for an occasional box of HD stuff. The thing is friends who will always pay top dollar ask me where to shop and what to buy for firearms. It pays to at least be polite to the stingy bastard and keep him in your store. I am not saying to neglect your top customers for him, but don't look down on him.

 

I have personally deliberately paid $60 more for a gun from one shop over local going rates, because I knew the store would take care of warranty issues. I know of at least 4 friends who made firearm purchases at a shop with the same circumstances based on my recommendation. I like shops that charge flat percentages over cost. (If I am looking for something oddball, a reasonable finders' fee is ok)

 

The number 1 thing to earn my loyalty as a customer, is to talk a customer including me out of high dollar gimmick into quality cheap to your own detriment. If I see a store steer an ignorant customer straight that they could have sold useless crap, I will do business there. I have expressed interest in known junk just to see if new stores would tell me what I wanted to hear. If they tell me it is the best ever, I am not coming back. If they politely steer me to a better buy and explain the reasons, they have a customer.

Edited December 21, 2011 by GunFun

[Fallschirmjager667 729]

also, have gun racks out to browse through sort of like cabelas and gander mountain, i like to go into a store just to look at guns without having to bother a guy at the counter just to keep handing me guns i want to look at

[Marc 147]

Offer layaway! I can't tell you how many guns I've bought on layaway from this one shop in FL when I lived down there. 10% of total cost down and 2 - 3 months to pay it off really helps a guy out if he is on a budget and needs a new gun. If he can spread the payments out he might also be more prone to buy a higher end gun then a lesser one because it will be easier on his budget.

 

I also have to disagree with YARP about selling "shit" guns. While you may not like a certain brand of "shit" gun, having a few of them to offer to those who may only be able to afford something in the range of the average Hi-Point is good customer service, be honest about the cheapo gun and do them right they may come back to buy higher end gun later. You certainly don't have to stock your shelves with "shit" guns though.

[Marc 147]

Don't put shit like this on your door either,

 

I turn around and go elsewhere when I see these signs on gunshop doors.

 

However, I would have a sign that says something like "Carrying a loaded gun? That's fine by me, leave it holstered and come on in."

[Shandlanos 1,470]

^^^^^^^^ THIS! Any store that sells firearms and doesn't welcome lawful carry can eat shit and fuck off.

[storm6490 2,768]

They nailed it when the other guys were talking about shop snobs. Don't hire dicks. Hire hunters and military, maybe even a retired cop. People who know weapons and shoot the hell out of them! I hate shop snobs.

 

Good selection of accessories. AVOID CHINA!

 

You will sell the hell out of the binary explosive targets. They are fun and cheap.

 

Sell basic stuff cheap and people will be back to accessorize and upgrade them.

 

I spend my time and money in shops that allow me to openly carry without being weird about it. Not sure what the laws are in your state but every gun shop should be well armed, as should their customers!

 

Best of luck to you!

 

Nick

[DrThunder88 912]

Customer service!

Make the shop a comfortable place to talk, shoot, trade and sell. One of the shops near my house is as much a hang out spot as it is a store, I find myself still there 2 hours after I paid for a box of ammo.

I really like out door ranges that have grills, picnic benches plenty of shade. Nothing better then a Saturday spent shooting and cooking out.

I'd warn off making the store too much of a hang-out. Certainly do not discourage casual browsers, but a barfly (storefly?) will act as ersatz salesman who you can't hire, fire, rebuke,or reward. If the store has a range, a social area there might be better than on the sales floor.

 

Speaking of ranges, if the store does not have its own range, try to contact a local gun club and work out an agreement so that customers who purchase guns at the store will get range time at the club.

[Arik 565]

Consistent pricing. I know this sounds odd but a store near me has some of the oddest ammo prices I've ever seen. A spam can of x54 for $160...WTF! 5.45 surplus, 30 rounds for $9...WTF...again. At the same time I'll find German 308 for $5 a box and the next week for $15. Just inconsistent and not very competetive since they arnt the only ones selling that ammo.

 

If you can try to get a distributor (or however it works) who deals with Police trade ins. I frequent those shops constantly. The one shop I go to will sell out of police glocks and Berettas just as soon as they come it. So far I've picked up a supper clean S&W5946 for $300, G19 with night sights for $320 and as a Xmas present for myself I put a Colt AR 6721 on layaway for $680. They have a Police S&W 1006 10mm that I really want. Very clean and barely used with a $500 price tag its about $200 cheaper then anywhere else Ive seen.

 

Dont price AK, AR, FALs...etc...etc..especially those made by Century, through the roof just because it has rails. See this all the time. WASR with wire folder, railed HGs, and a cheep Chinese red dot for $900. As soon as I see one like that at a store thats the first and last time I'm in there.

 

Layaways are a big plus. At least for me. I do it even when I can afford to just flat out buy it because this get me the gun and still lets me keep my money and work with it for a while (bills, everyday expanses, ammo). Dont be supper strict with the 30 day thing. All the stores I buy from always say "30 days max" just to cover their ass but in reality if they see you making considerable, constant payments they let it go for as long as you need it.

 

+ what everyone else already said