I would love to support local businesses, but...

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GRS1959

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I stopped in a local gun shop today to check their inventory of knives. I've been wanting to buy my first Benchmade for a while now, and would love to buy from a local business.

I asked how much for the 556 Mini Grip and was told $95. When I said that I wouldn't pay full MSRP, the guy mumbled something about rent, utilities, etc. I understand that I would have to pay a premium for buying at a shop like this, but like the instant gratification and the idea of helping a local shop. If he had said $80-$85, I would have bought it with no hesitation.

I told the salesman that they would sell more knives if they had competitive prices and left. Just ordered one from a well-known online dealer (who also has a brick & mortar store and the associated overhead) for $65.49 shipped.

So how much of a premium are you willing to pay to buy locally?
 
Well I tried buying Griptilian from a local knife shop.
It cost $130!
Needless to say, I left after looking at the inflated prices on the others.

If you ask me the only advantage to buying local prices is being able to feel the knife itself.
 
I'd generally not pay more than $10 extra at a "local" store. REI is the closest store to me that sells quality knives. All the small gun shops got chased out of New Jersey a long time ago...
 
I know what you mean, buying locally can be a hard pill to swallow. That said I do it occassionally at the shops that I really enjoy going to and there can be some good deals to be found especially if the shop sells used knives as well. Honestly I usually only buy new items if they are hard to find online or if I can make a partial trade with them. However if its a place that you enjoy going in there, sometimes just to look around and talk knives, I believe that you should buy something every once in a while. Because afterall, if the store wasn't there you wouldn't be able to ever see anything first hand before buying except for pictures on the internet.

On the plus side I have noticed that many knife shops aren't up on the current secondary market prices. I've seen BM 42s going for $150-$175 and just last week picked up both a Chris Reeve small BG-42 regular Sebenza and a Shadow II for a combined total of $430.
 
I would love to buy locally and support small stores as well but the prices are way too high. Often they are well above MSRP and cater to those who are not aware to the prices online or the impulse buyer. Personally I would like to only pay about 5 dollars more than the average online price but that is not gonna happen.

I don't know much about business but what if stores were to lower their prices to match online prices? The stores will make a pittance off of each knife but the quantity they sell can bring in bigger profits then just selling a few knives here and there for over MSRP.
 
If I feel I need to handle a knife before buying, I will go to a local store that has it and try it. If I like it I buy it there. The ability to handle before buying is what I am paying for when I buy from a brick and mortar store.

This does not happen often, I usually buy on-line based on photos and reviews.
 
GRS1959 said:
So how much of a premium are you willing to pay to buy locally?
Click to expand...
None, to be honest. Thanks to this forum (and the handy search function), I can research a knife, what people's experiences with it have been, and so forth, to the point that I feel completely comfortable purchasing it (or not) without having handled it. And if I do decide to buy it, there are lots of online retailers to choose from with excellent customer service and prices.
 
A brick and mortar store owner might grumble about rent, utilities...and so on.

But doesn't the same apply to the online retailers?

I won't deny the possibility that some of the online stores are little more than an extra garage in some guy's backyard, with a server running in it, but then wouldn't the same costs apply to him as well? Plus, he has the added expense of running a server.
 
Gotta do whats best for you.Hes got bills but we all do.I would not feel guilty.Now if Im Bill gates,maybe I throw him a bone.In this economy,look out for number 1.
 
I will pay a little extra because I want to support the local guy and I get the benefit of handling the knife before I buy. I also hate having the fate of my knife purchase in the hands of the shipping companies.

Some models, like Chris Reeve and William Henry, are sold at MSRP so the deal is the deal.

I can usually get a good deal on other makers knives as the local guy does not like to turn away business.

When I go to the B&M I usually have two or three models I want to see and know what the price range is - that helps.

I try to avoid spontaneous purchases of models I am not familiar with the pricing on while there. I have, on occasion, walked outside to check the pricing on the internet on my phone, and will return if I think I can get a decent deal.
 
I want to support my local shops, but they are asking full retail prices, kind of makes it an easy decision not to buy from them.
 
I would love to support my local Knife store. Unfortunately, they keep their prices about 10-20 dollars above what I can find online and it's an hour away. With gas costing nearly $4/gallon you do the math.
 
I have 3 local stores. One actually asks OVER retail and obviously doesn't
care if he sells anything or not. Another employs a guy who knows
plenty about guns but could give a rats ass about the knives under
the counter while the third gives out plenty of attitude of you look
at what's in stock without buying anything. No real surprise I don't
patronize any of them....
 
This subject is a large part of my life. As a manufacturer in a different industry I am quite aware how quick retail business is changing. The decisions to make are impossible. Online retail will kill B&M retail on all products except service oriented durable goods IMHO. You need B&M to service warranty therefore they will survive by manufacturers need only.

People research and now shop online now for almost all things. Honestly I have made online mistakes in knives, but can always sell trade off $100 mistakes for less then 20% learning losses.

In a way its sad, but then as we adapt we have found electronic water coolers to hang around as we did the hardware store or local high electronics, bait shop, gun store or wherever you bought your hobby and sporting goods you relish.
 
The local mall shop closed sometime in 2010, I noticed when I went Christmas shopping last December.

I don't feel the least little bit bad about it, the one and only time I visited I asked the owner if he could give me a break on the MSRP of a Spyderco he had in stock. He told me that if I could find the knife cheaper I should buy it there.

Therin lies the lesson. Adapt or perish.
 
My local brick & mortar might do more business online than by walk-ins. I may have to delicately ask next time. You can email them and they will call or email back when something is "in." Their prices are usually within a few dollars ($10 give or take) of online(elsewhere not theirs). Since I usually like to handle a knife before I buy I buy most of my stuff there.
 
i will supportmy local shop every time. He usually runs 10 bucks cheaper than MSRP. It is because of people looking out for "Number 1" that this world is going to shit. Yall are a bunch of stuck up snobs that think your way is the only way and this will be my last tiem visiting this forum. Good day to ya, Ya bunch of mall ninja FAGGOTS.
 
Kiltknifeguy said:
i will supportmy local shop every time. He usually runs 10 bucks cheaper than MSRP. It is because of people looking out for "Number 1" that this world is going to shit. Yall are a bunch of stuck up snobs that think your way is the only way and this will be my last tiem visiting this forum. Good day to ya, Ya bunch of mall ninja FAGGOTS.
Click to expand...

WTF??? :confused:
 
Regarding local brick & mortar stores, sometimes, if something's on sale, it might actually end up costing less than from an online store. Happens a lot, especially with clearance stuff.

That said, it depends. If I just have to have it, right now, I'll pay a little more. But, if I feel I'm being "locally" gouged, I'm out.

Business is business, but it's my money. If the store owner's got a Mercedes in his/her parking spot, he/she sure doesn't need my hard-earned cash.

:cool:
 
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