To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. Control Not The Answer I agree with Mr. Douglas Grindstaff from Columbia, Mo., but I disagree with his method (“There’s The Door,” Letters, Dec. 2006). This is still the land of free enterprise. Fixing prices, which is about what he is suggesting, amounts to being guaranteed a profit. Whoever told you when you went into business you would be a success? Find new ways. Believe me, new ways are there for the taking. I have been in the gun business for over 35 years and I have met those gun show “slut dealers” many times. I sell myself. The “SHOW HIM of having a THE DOOR?” idea c o m p a n y demand you E have a storefront and all kind of other things in order to do business is a step in the wrong direction. I had a When A Customer Wants An Internet-Sale Transfer, Should You Ray Oeltjen ditor’s note: In the September 2006 edition of Shooting Industry, we published a letter (“Wholesale For Everyone?”) from Mr. Arnold Roberts, owner of A&J Gunsmithing, a full-service gun shop in Raytown, Mo. He shed light on a growing trend: customers asking dealers to accept the transfer of firearms from wholesalers. “Don’t get me wrong,” Roberts wrote, “I believe that doing dealer-to-dealer transfers are a fine way to make a little extra money. But when the retail customers want a wholesaler-toretail-customer transfer, without the retail dealer getting his/her true profit margin, it’s wrong and destructive to this industry.” In response to Mr. Robert’s initial letter, I wrote, “Mr. Roberts, you’ve stated the case very well and we hereby open the floor for discussion. Manufacturers, distributors and dealers, what do you have to say in response to Mr. Roberts’ letter?” We received a deluge of letters from dealers, the most on a single topic in the past 13 years. We have yet to hear from a manufacturer or distributor. How should you handle a customer who demands a wholesale transfer? We asked Ray Oeltjen, a 35-year veteran of the industry and a SI contributing editor, to address the topic. Why Taser? I was surprised to see your obvious endorsement of Tasers in your magazine ( Self-Defense, What ’s Selling,” June 2006). I own plenty of guns, but I’m not a gun dealer. I read the article at a local gun store. It just seems Taser has a bad name. J. Nick Anderson via: russ@shootingindustry.com mation, much of it from law enforcement and other government agencies, that shows the viability and safety of Taser products. Mr. Anderson, I can understand your concern, however, the b ad name” is one imposed by the media and the anti-gun movement. Taser has been exonerated in case after case filed against the company. As of early July, the 21st and 22nd product liability lawsuits had been dismissed. I recommend you visit Taser’s Web site, www.taser.com, to view a wealth of infor- I am writing this e-mail to address an issue that has been bothering me for a long time. I am a full-service gun shop owner. We sell firearms, ammo and accessories, and do gunsmithing; I’ve been a gunsmith since 1989. I have noticed that more and more of my customers are getting knowledge of my wholesale prices through such publications as Shotgun News, Gun List and so on. Most of the wholesalers, when they send me their fliers, have printed on them, “This is your confidential price list. Your customer does not receive this catalog,” but they (consumers) will see the prices in the above publications. I believe this is one of the reasons why so many gun shops close every year. It takes the profitability out of the business. Firearm manufacturers spend a lot of money on research to offer a suggested retail price, but the gun shop cannot sell the product at that price or even get close Wholesale For Everyone? to it. Instead, the customer wants to buy from the wholesaler and just have the gun shop do the transfer for $20 or so. The shop misses out on the real profit margin and has to try to get along on the transfer fee, which is close to impossible. The shop will close and the distributor, in turn, loses a high-quantity customer. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that doing dealer-to-dealer transfers are a fine way to make a little extra money. But when the retail customer wants a wholesaler-to-retailcustomer transfer without the retail dealer getting his/her true profit margin, it’s wrong and is destructive to this industry. I am hoping that if Shooting Industry magazine prints an article on this subject, maybe we could bring higher profits to the dealers and save a few shops. Arnold Roberts A&J Gunsmithing Raytown, Mo. Mr. Roberts, you’ve stated the case very well and we hereby open the floor for discussion. Manufacturers, distributors and dealers, what do you have to say in response to Mr. Roberts’ letter? 9 “Nothing gets me hotter under the collar than a customer walking into my store quoting some trash Internet site and demanding I sell him a gun at the price they’ve listed.” “Just as bad are customers buying a gun over the Internet or through How many times does this scenario play out every day in gun stores across America? The Internet encroachment on retail firearm sales is aggravating, time consuming and frustrating. Dealers today are confronted with challenges from all sides. For years, they’ve contended with retailers in their 28 JULY 2007 a catalog and wanting to use my FFL as a shipping point. When someone tries that in my store, I show him the door!” “We’re going to put a stop to Internet sales and if the customer doesn’t like it, he can go to Wal-Mart and see if they kiss his behind.” efits, mortgage and lease payments, utilities, insurance, maintenance, taxes and many other expenses add to a dealer’s cost of doing business. Consumers don’t think about those factors, and quite frankly, they don’t care. They simply want what they want, when they want it, at the lowest storefront for over 20 years in two different states and I dealt with many salespeople who would walk into my store and want to sell me their product only if I would conform to their standards. Guess what I told them? Remember this, Mr. Grindstaff, when a person walks into your gun store, they already know why they are there. They didn’t come to buy a car. They came to buy a gun, so all you need to do sell yourself, not guns. I can guarantee they will come back if they have a pleasant experience. They will even pay more money for good service. More control of the industry is not the answer. P.S. — I like gun shows. They aren’t the greatest thing for sales, but they are great for advertisement and I get to meet a lot of nice people. They do further my business. I have a bank account to prove it. Learn to know your customer better and have the things they want. Larry Heinen Mountain Home, Ind. Articles Web site that are attributed to Shooting Industry. One that I haven’t been able to find is advice on what to do when planning to open a gun shop. I am seeking out information and advice from people who know about the business and might be able to give me some pointers. “The reason I am writing is to ask if there is any information available for someone like me that will help to get a store started.” I am going to be retiring from the Army in July after more than 21 years of service. While talking to my wife one day about what I planned on doing for employment after I retired, she asked me what my dream job would be. My answer was that I would love to own a gun shop. Before joining the Army, I worked for a short while in the retail business as a sporting goods manager. After three months of area, gun shows and catalog houses. Now, there’s the Internet — marketing to customers in dealers’ backyards. Adding to the “insult” are the layers of overhead a storefront gun dealer faces every day, which are not part of an Internet operation. Employee salaries and ben- Gun Shop Plans I have read several articles on the Find WWW.SHOOTINGINDUSTRY.COM 10 CIRCLE NO. 237 ON INQUIRY CARD www.shootingindustry.com • SHOT SHOW SUPER ISSUE 2008