Just Browsing?

[newTexan]

I tend to ask a lot of questions. Here's another one.

How do people feel about visiting gun stores to "browse"? With the proliferation of sites where you can buy guns cheaper than the local gun shop, there's a temptation to go to the local store just to chat and handle the merchandise then go buy it cheaper online, but it seems a little wrong to me. I will freely admit that I don't tend to browse for anything - clothes, cars, guns, whatever. I tend to know that I plan to buy something then go look and make the purchase. Spending time in someone's store looking at things when you know you're not going to purchase just seems like a waste of time to me.

Am I wrong on this? Do gun stores want people to just look at things?

[mr surveyor]

yes and yes

[scottmeador]

Some consider this practice to be unethical if there is no intention to purchase the product from the brick and mortar store. I am not one of those...though I give the brick and mortar and opportunity to price match or make an offer to earn my business.

[karder]

Every time I go into a gun store "just to have a look" I end up buying something. Not everyone is going to make a purchase, but every store owner needs to have traffic. It seems that about half the guns I have, I bought while visiting a store just to browse.

[Jim Beaux]

Without qualification it is wrong. Buying at the lowest price is not wrong, but utilizing a brick and mortar's inventory with the intent of buying online is theft of his time & resources.

Local merchants support our community, & if they lose enough business (or cease to exist) then our taxes increase....it's not just a matter of ethics, but also a matter of pay now or pay later.

[Abraham]

I may be off by a year or so, but there have been no new malls constructed since 2005.

Can you guess why?

I think some stores (I hope) will always be with us like Home Depot, but many, many others are going to go the way of the buffalo...

[rotor]

I have only purchased two guns by mail, one was a shotgun for my wife that the local dealer couldn't get but he accepted it as my FFL dealer. The other was an AK from Kvar. Everything else I buy from brick and mortar. But, you go into Academy and they have a trigger lock on so you can feel the gun but you can't really feel it. You can't feel the trigger. My local store never has what I want and I have to drive from North Texas to Fort Worth and hope I can find what I want. And they too have a trigger lock on. Might as well buy by mail and save money. Are there stores that let you really test trigger pull, etc?

[Teamless]

I will browse at a local store, whether it be Academy, The Arms Room, or any other brick and mortar store, without the intention of buying 'that day', sometimes.

Not with the intention to buy online (I have never bought a gun online), but with the intention to learn the feel and then do some more research.
Will I go back to that store where I originally felt the gun and buy it?

Depends.... Do they still have it? is it priced competitively with other Brick and Mortars? Am I in a different store and see it and have the money burning a hole in my pocket?

I have had the opportunity one time, to go to a gun show (4 years ago I think) when I first held the Springfield XD sub compact 9mm.
I liked it, but wanted to check something out.
Went home to get my wife, as I thought she would like it, took her to The Arms Room, and they showed her (and I) a lot about it, and I was ready to buy, until they said the price was $630, when the Gun Show in Pasadena was just $410
I thanked them for the explanations and immediately drove back to the Pasadena and bought it for a savings of over $200.

I have bought 2 or 3 other guns at The Arms Room, and knowingly paid $30-50 more than Academy, as I do appreciate the mom-n-pop gun stores, but $200 was way too much of a premium

[n5wd]

I have only purchased two guns by mail, one was a shotgun for my wife that the local dealer couldn't get but he accepted it as my FFL dealer. The other was an AK from Kvar. Everything else I buy from brick and mortar. But, you go into Academy and they have a trigger lock on so you can feel the gun but you can't really feel it. You can't feel the trigger. My local store never has what I want and I have to drive from North Texas to Fort Worth and hope I can find what I want. And they too have a trigger lock on. Might as well buy by mail and save money. Are there stores that let you really test trigger pull, etc?

If they have a trigger lock on the gun, have you asked them to take it off so that you can try the trigger?

Most of the gun stores I peruse (Cabelas, a few local FW or Decatur shops) don't have trigger locks on the merchandise - they're under glass, usually, or behind the counter. But none of them seem to have a problem with you fondling....errr.. handling the gun and pulling a couple of dry fire trigger actions. A couple will even give you some snap caps to use, if they're worried about the firing pin hitting something.

I personally see no problem with shopping a local store (assuming that the store has the model gun I've been looking for - too often, they don't), and giving them an opportunity to price match - I'll easily pay the state sales tax penalty for buying locally, if the total price is pretty close to what the total mail-order or internet-order price would wind up being. A local shop that is consistently 20-30% over the online cost is not a shop that's wanting to stay in business, anyway, unless they offer something that's worth that price differential (could be a range attached to the gunshop as one local shop has - wanna try out that gun? Or maybe a good gunsmith on premises, whatever).

And for those that are so adamant about not shopping online - I suppose you won't purchase at a gun show, either?

[newTexan]

I really have loved my local gun shop. I've gotten great service from them, and all but one of my gun buys have been bought from them. However, no single store can match the internet. The fact they will always have a "limited" selection at any moment as well as additional overhead cost puts them at a real disadvantage compared to stores that don't have to pay rent on a storefront.

In my case, what got me looking online was the ammo shortage. When my local store couldn't get ammo, I had to go online. That led to a few online purchases, mostly ammo, pmags, and one really sweet handgun. Now, I'm kinda browsing for my next purchase, so I'm looking at both online and physical stores. I like the relationship with the local guys, and I do want to support local businesses. There's also something to be said for being able to touch the gun you're actually going to buy and check it out before you plunk down the cash. On the other hand, I like the online prices. Not sure how you guys balance that in your own lives.

[Jim Beaux]

SNIP

And for those that are so adamant about not shopping online - I suppose you won't purchase at a gun show, either?

Who are you asking?

[mr surveyor]

My "yes and yes" answers were to the specific "questions" as asked. I figure it's no more "wrong" to look for the best deal than it is to by foreign made guns and commie ammo, just because it's "cheaper" (which I don't do). As for internet gun purchases ... never done it, and have no immediate need for or intention to do. I do browse the local shops and have bought several guns from all but one of the seven shops in the area, and my browsing his shop has sent him more "paying customers" than what would have been recouped from my meager dealings, as well as developed a good friendship. I have on occasion run across a gun in one of the shops that intrigued me until I saw their price tag, then some time later run across it for a better deal at another of the local shops. I will not do the sight unseen internet deals as I personally want to check out what I'm about to lay down cold hard cash for. But, I don't think any of the guys I know in the business would hesitate to have one of their "regulars" to order a gun from Buds, or whoever, and have it sent to them to do the ffl transfer. I do support my locals in every way possible, but unfortunately my gun buying almost came to a standstill 5-6 years ago.

We all see things differently and have had differing experiences.

JD

[Selina Kyle]

I find this discussion particularly interesting, as I work in retail (corporate side, not in the field). While I do think that the it's ethical thing to do is to purchase the gun from the store where you handled it and received attention from a sales associate. However, I do understand that it is often times much more cost effective to order from online retailers. I personally would not want tomorrow purchase a gun that I have never even touched.

Based on spending time chatting with my partners in the field, I know that folks will often shop our store then head elsewhere. I also know that we have benefitted from our competitors as well. There was a particular campaign that ran non-stop on their commercials throughout the entire Christmas shopping season, and we happen to also carry that product. People saw it in our store and purchased it from us, noting that they had seen it on TV. So it does go both ways. I also know that sometimes just getting people in the store will go a long way. If you treat them well, they might just end up purchasing something!

I look forward to continuing seeing everyone's thoughts on this.

[Texas_Blaze]

suck it up. that is what i tell my in-laws about their store. they face the same issue. not a gun store, but very retail-ish. i tell them to find a way to bring people in. dont blame your competition and internets.