You walk into a shop where you're not known, strike up a conversation, look at few guns, etc. You've been there 20-30 minutes and have decided you like the place, do you find yourself buying something small that you don't especially need? What might that be?
I have several joints "I like", but I'm not gonna spend money just 'cause...
Great excuse to pick up a box of 22's, perhaps a pound of powder if they have something....in stock....I have an interest in. Have bought a couple of boresnakes this way.
I do think we need to support small shops however we can.
I have noticed that it's pretty common to see folks in small shops, including gunsmiths, that seem to think nothing of taking up the owners time for no good reason.
Box of .22's, bore cleaning products, reloading items. Something small but useful.
I enjoy browsing gun shops when I travel. I usually have a "Needs/Wants" list in my shirt pocket to refer to. If I can't find something on my list I will try to buy a box of bullets that I use, or a brick of .22s. I always try to buy something, unless the shop folks are total jerks, even if it's just a bag of cleaning patches.
Bottle of pop, stick of jerky, brick of primers, box of bullets, pound of powder, Lee trim gauge and holder, set of dies and shellholder, bag of brass, lenspen, sling, maps, flashlight, camping doodads, knife, and whatever used loading components happen to be laying around as long as they're my caliber.
Yeah, I usually buy components, a little ammo or maybe some small reloading tool--though on occasion I've also been known to buy a rifle!
Good camping doodads include a match safe, magnesium fire starter, compass, and fluorescent glo sticks (for the kids to play with while I'm trying to sleep in the tent). There's all kinds of neat toys in the camping department.
Not too many nice small shops around anymore.Walmart,Gander Mt.,Scheels,Fleet Farm have put a hurtin on them.
That is exactly why we need to support the small shops as much as we can. At least the ones that deserve it.
If it is a small shop, and I can say I "feel good" about the place I will find something to buy.
edited to add...
The larger chain stores, I have no problem leaving without buying something, I usually don't get the same "feeling" in these places anyway.
Yeah, those are the places that I pick up odds and ends that I forget when I make a mad dash to the big city with a laundry list that doesn't include some of the small essentials. Those kinds of places often have a pound of powder, a box of bullets or some other item that are always out of stock in the bigger stores.
You walk into a shop where you're not known, strike up a conversation, look at few guns, etc. You've been there 20-30 minutes and have decided you like the place, do you find yourself buying something small that you don't especially need? What might that be?
No.
If I see something I want and the price is right, I'll buy it. If I don't like the place (and we've discussed this in other threads), unless the price is a real bargain, I'll pass.
I have done it many times, I figure the conversation and such is worth the dollar or two I would save going to one of the box stores
Box of .22's, bore cleaning products, reloading items. Something small but useful.
Yup, for me the other day it was a can of Wipe Out.
I have several joints "I like", but I'm not gonna spend money just 'cause...
I hope one isn't Hoffmans
You walk into a shop where you're not known, strike up a conversation, look at few guns, etc. You've been there 20-30 minutes and have decided you like the place, do you find yourself buying something small that you don't especially need? What might that be?
The gunsmith I use is a old timer who also owns a classic old-time gunshop A small little shop stuffed to the ceiling with merchandise--but his merchandise ain't cheap. He is also a classic oldtime grumpy curmudgeon gunsmith/gun shop owner......if he takes dislike to you, ya' may as well give it up.......
I went to pains to develop a good working relationship with him--so yeah, I stop in for "face time" on occasion, and be sure to buy a pound of powder, or maybe some cleaning stuff. He also had primers on hand during the primer hoarding era. He would only sell a couple hundred at a time, that way he took care of his regular customers--including me when I ran out of one brand of small rifle primers!
Casey
You walk into a shop where you're not known, strike up a conversation, look at few guns, etc. You've been there 20-30 minutes and have decided you like the place, do you find yourself buying something small that you don't especially need? What might that be?
No
I would buy something I needed like cleaning patches or solvent or brushes.
Snake
I worked in a gun store, and saw no end of people that thought they owed nothing for the time they took away from clerks, nor the fact that the inventory, rent, taxes, insurance, utilities and more don't get paid by "Just looking."
Knowing that, I ALWAYS buy something, thank them for their time and smile when I leave.
I was in the Seattle area a few years ago and checked out a few gun shops that came up on the GPS. If someone asks if he can help me, I reply that I'm just looking. Doesn't seem to cause a problem, but I'm usually in and out in under five minutes. One shop had reloading components on sale so I bought three pounds of powder even though I wasn't doing a lot of reloading at that time.
There's also a local shop that I check out every once in a while. Previously I'd bought a brick of Blazers on sale. The last time I picked up a three screw Ruger Flattop
. Point being, they don't always have the same stuff and you might walk in when they have what you want.