FOMO... Crowded at the GEC counter...

HEMI 49

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I'm not trying to sound whiny, rather just wanting to state an observation...... I'm new to knives but as an old codger I've learned many life lessons....... The one pertaining to today is : If you want to be taken care of, you take care of the person caring for you..... To wit; I wanted to have a dealer, or two, that appreciated my business and looked out for my needs.... In most business/customer relationships, that bonding can occur and benefits both parties...

But with today's acquiring FOMO climate and lottery like selling, the ability for the dealer to bond with a willingly loyal customer seems lost..... The loyal customer is at the feed trough battling with the Johnny Come Latelys for a small percentage of the desired knives...... I'm glad there are new people interested in the hobby as it supports continued growth....... But it has put a damper on dealer/ customer relationships....
 
I'm not trying to sound whiny, rather just wanting to state an observation...... I'm new to knives but as an old codger I've learned many life lessons....... The one pertaining to today is : If you want to be taken care of, you take care of the person caring for you..... To wit; I wanted to have a dealer, or two, that appreciated my business and looked out for my needs.... In most business/customer relationships, that bonding can occur and benefits both parties...

But with today's acquiring FOMO climate and lottery like selling, the ability for the dealer to bond with a willingly loyal customer seems lost..... The loyal customer is at the feed trough battling with the Johnny Come Latelys for a small percentage of the desired knives...... I'm glad there are new people interested in the hobby as it supports continued growth....... But it has put a damper on dealer/ customer relationships....

I get what your saying but I think dealers might have been trying to be fair and spread the love with a lottery type selling method. I don't collect those types of knives but in another high demand situation. My gunshop has been utilizing by appointment and limiting quantities of certain purchases to allow for more customers to be "taken care of". Instead of swarms of people bum rushing, buying large quantities of ammo to hoard. He made it a more pleasant atmosphere then what's happening at other shops around me. Alot are brand new gun buyers, probably alot that were even anti-gun previously. Should I feel like screw them Johnny come latelys?
I've been a long standing customer for years with
thousands of dollars in purchases. Should I have expected to have him take care of me at the new people's expense? I don't know, I felt he had a fair system, his shelves aren't bare like all the other gunshops and everyone is getting an opportunity to get some guns and supplies
 
I get what your saying but I think dealers might have been trying to be fair and spread the love with a lottery type selling method. I don't collect those types of knives but in another high demand situation. My gunshop has been utilizing by appointment and limiting quantities of certain purchases to allow for more customers to be "taken care of". Instead of swarms of people bum rushing, buying large quantities of ammo to hoard. He made it a more pleasant atmosphere then what's happening at other shops around me. Alot are brand new gun buyers, probably alot that were even anti-gun previously. Should I feel like screw them Johnny come latelys?
I've been a long standing customer for years with
thousands of dollars in purchases. Should I have expected to have him take care of me at the new people's expense? I don't know, I felt he had a fair system, his shelves aren't bare like all the other gunshops and everyone is getting an opportunity to get some guns and supplies

You bring up good points..... Possibly the present system is the fairest there is.... I don't know...... It just seems that the customer/dealer relationship is getting less important.... More like buying a pack of underwear from Walmart..... Possibly very fair, proper and state of art, but seems lacking in interpersonal relationships....
 
You bring up good points..... Possibly the present system is the fairest there is.... I don't know...... It just seems that the customer/dealer relationship is getting less important.... More like buying a pack of underwear from Walmart..... Possibly very fair, proper and state of art, but seems lacking in interpersonal relationships....

Probably so, but internet buying isn't much interpersonal compared to a brick and mortar to begin with When I walk into that gunshop, the reaction I get is almost like norm on the old show cheers. That customer/dealer bond is hard to get when your not face to face.
 
You bring up good points..... Possibly the present system is the fairest there is.... I don't know...... It just seems that the customer/dealer relationship is getting less important.... More like buying a pack of underwear from Walmart..... Possibly very fair, proper and state of art, but seems lacking in interpersonal relationships....

Life ain't fair and GEC knives aren't life. Save up your money and buy a Bose/Case they are better knives in premium materials.
 
I can't speak for every dealer; as there are great big ones with customer service departments and then there are those that one person handles the whole shooting match. Me personally, I am one of the "one's". As much as I would love to call up customers and do all those things that make the experience more personable; I am left with a full plate most times. The last year or so has just been a good exercise in how much one person can handle. Finally got the boy in a college apartment and worked it out with the school so he can get his monthly treatments without missing too much. Now we just have to worry about covid since the doctors main objective is to keep him without white blood cells. Got my check from the insurance company for my roof last week from a May hail storm. Hope to get another next week for 112mph straight wind three weeks ago that caused flooding and blew my 15kw solar arrays over into my neighbors hay pasture. And, hey, we even had time to work in some forum knife logistics - nice to have something fun on the list. I'm here and I'm still loving life.

Even during calmer times I figured out that I either needed to work harder (as in, more people) or work smarter. My solution for smarter was the Early Reserve System. Many people now do something similar, but my main objective was to be completely transparent and completely fair. This system saves me countless hours of copy/pasting in a spreadsheet. It makes me sick when a brand new customer misses a product they want; much less someone that I have known for years.

There are dealers that still keep manual tally's and are always there to answer the phone. I wish the volume of things one man can handle would allow me to; it is something I cherish. But I am very close to my capacity even given the streamlining I have done; not necessarily in the business - but also in those things we get on the hook for in life. But my toll free number rings my cell phone even while I'm out and about.

My advice would be to prioritize what is important to you in this great hobby we enjoy. Then spend a few purchases finding a dealer that can provide your top priorities. Dealers know that customers buy from other dealers just like customers know that dealers sell to other customers. If you are not enjoying it, try something a bit different until you are.
 
As a small home based crafstman _not knife related) I try to sell with a balance of both. I can only make so many items a week so do a drop every week or two at different times so more people get a chance. In between I may take a few email orders from those who can never catch a drop....those working long hours, deployed, etc. I also recognize customers who have supported me time and time again over many years and will often give them a heads up on certain things. I even give a few away at times.

I have suppliers that have done the same for me and years ago when more heavy into GEC stuff had a few knife dealers do the same. Eithed let me know something is on the way or that they had a few extras come in after a drop and before they relisted.

In business one needs to strike a balance to build new business and show appreciation for those that have gotten you to where you are.

As a customer you cannot expect to be first in line as small one man shops have a lot on their plates and the big guys are, well, maybe to bug to notice.
 
I totally agree. Don't bother with GECs, go after the ultra limited run knives which cost on average $300 more and are released yearly (and gone just as fast). LOL
Well you only get aggravated once a year in that case.
 
I totally agree. Don't bother with GECs, go after the ultra limited run knives which cost on average $300 more and are released yearly (and gone just as fast). LOL

Well you only get aggravated once a year in that case.
Well, that makes sense. :D When I can't score a GEC #35, I only save myself $120. If I start trying to score Bose collaborations, I can save $400! :thumbsup:
 
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