It's hard to justify buying from a local shop.

No knife shops around me, but there is a local hardware store with a knife display.
I don't mind paying more here because it's owned by a good family who lives to support the community.
I was at an FFA auction to watch my cousin sell his pig, and they actually paid $16/lb for a kids pig.
 
Im in NC and when I went to buy my CRK I googled and found a knife store in TN that had the one I was looking for in stock 1 1/2 hour drive. So I called them up and asked if I could order it online from them but pick it up in the store, ( I was trying to get it quicker) said absolutely But I'd have to pay sales tax. They Would ship it to me tax free, but if I picked it up I'd have to pay taxes! I tried everything paying in cash, ordering, no way would they work with me, said they couldn't compete with the big boys!! Lol Needless to say I won't support them, I ordered from knives ship free!
 
Depends. There are several shops around me that offer discounts and stuff. If I can even get it for up to $35-50 more depending on the price then I will for sure get it because I actually know what I'm getting.
 
Brick and mortar stores are fast going away. Still, in 2019 you'll have to pay sales tax on ALL online purchases. That's going to be interesting. If the stores are gone by then there wont be any place to look at knives, and return shipping costs. It costs in time, and stamps, and the value of the time you spend getting it done. It's kind of like library's and bookstores. I love going and browsing for books. but Barnes and Noble killed all the mom and pop places and Amazon killed B&N. Now the chain bookstores sell more toys and coffee than books. And trying to find old books, something not in the mainstream, almost impossible. But I can't browse Amazon the same way, so my interests have narrowed and I don't know what I'm missing.
 
I’m very lucky to have a very good knife shop about 5 Miles away. They specialize in Case knives, but they also carry a respectable selection of other brands.

I’ll gladly pay a bit extra to support their business. In the final analysis they may have *saved* me money; on more than one occasion I realized a knife that looked so nice in photos just didn’t work for me “in the flesh.”

Additionally, the ability to handle several examples of a model and select the one I want is worth something to me.
 
mom and pop store with good service and stock and wants my business ill buy from all day even at higher prices. big box like cabelas and bass pro etc with high prices, non caring dopes who work there and wont learn the products they stock and sell and limited stock....nope. ill stick to online.
 
I bought my 940-1 for $10 cheaper at local store than online prices. benchmade keeps pretty consistent prices whether you buy online or in store. And that is why spyderco is doing MAP. If everyone just buys online though, there will be no more stores left to go see knives in person.
 
But just remember, physical stores have to charge more because they have to employ more people and pay more rent compared to their revenue and pay local taxes, and the employees pay local taxes. I purchase from local stores unless i have no choice. I do it for the same reason i prefer to buy American made.
 
microtech85 said:
But just remember, physical stores have to charge more because they have to employ more people and pay more rent compared to their revenue and pay local taxes, and the employees pay local taxes. I purchase from local stores unless i have no choice. I do it for the same reason i prefer to buy American made.
Click to expand...

not if they own the building outright. that aside.....if ya cant compete on price alone like a walmart......ya have to have good service and knowledge of the products and care about what ya do and your employees have to care and learn the products.

like gun stores. their crap attitudes for decades and ignoring new customers with cash to chit chat with the gun store flies that buy nothing and know nothing and run off new customers, drove gun sales to online. now they all cry about only doing transfers to survive and i remind them.....you caused this by being arrogant and forgetting the most important thing in business...knowing the products, caring and customer service. so be it. i have no sympathy for the brick and mortar chain stores dying off. their own fault and they killed off the mom and pop stores. its evolution in the end. the smartest and strongest survive.
 
Unfortunately all my nearest brick and mortars are over an hour away and I don't enjoy driving out of the way just so I can handle a knife - I'll usually research heavily before I buy, and if it isn't up to snuff I'll sell on here.
 
theobetts said:
There is something to be said for a local shop where you can handle the knife you want and support a local business.
Click to expand...
I call this the brick and mortar tax. My local shop has a fabulous inventory and I handle way more than I buy. I don't buy everything from them but 2 out of every 3 are purchased local because of the try it before you buy it factor. That should be rewarded
 
Got no shops near me, so online is where I have to go for most of my stuff.

When I go see relatives down Sweet Home way, I stop in to the local shop and buy a couple knives every time I visit. Good folks, good stuff.

Won't shop Cabelas for knives. No knowledgeable staff, above average prices, service is really "meh".

I enjoy a good brick and mortar knife shop. Getting really hard to find.
 
theobetts said:
There is something to be said for a local shop where you can handle the knife you want and support a local business.
Click to expand...
I agree with that but this one is 35 miles West of me in Los Angeles. Now, my cities gun shop.. support them all the time ;)
 
I don't mind a reasonable markup -- there are several B&M knife stores in Calgary. But if it's too high, I'll consider ordering on-line (there is also an excellent Canadian on-line retailer with reasonable prices). Since our kids live in the US, I can have a purchase sent to them and carry it back.
 
SoCalEDC said:
Now, my cities gun shop.. support them all the time ;)
Click to expand...

I was thinking about this the other day (how online sales are making the b&m business model untenable across the consumer product sprectrum), and I think there may come a day when gun shops will be the only small retail shops left in the USA, just due to the way gun sales are regulated. It would be cool if we could order guns online just like we do knives (direct shipping, etc.), but I'd sure miss my local gun shop, which I've been going to for over 20 years.
 
I don't have any knife dealers anywhere close to me ... and I really wish I did ... I would love to be able to handle some knives before buying ... and would gladly pay a bit extra to support a local business.

I don't have a knife store near but I am pretty faithful to my local gunshop ... if he can get it for me even at a bit higher cost I gladly buy through him ... I enjoy supporting his shop and being able to walk in look at whatever he has in stock currently ... and talking guns and whatever other subjects may come up.

Like visiting an old friend not shopping.
 
lzeplin said:
Im in NC and when I went to buy my CRK I googled and found a knife store in TN that had the one I was looking for in stock 1 1/2 hour drive. So I called them up and asked if I could order it online from them but pick it up in the store, ( I was trying to get it quicker) said absolutely But I'd have to pay sales tax. They Would ship it to me tax free, but if I picked it up I'd have to pay taxes! I tried everything paying in cash, ordering, no way would they work with me, said they couldn't compete with the big boys!! Lol Needless to say I won't support them, I ordered from knives ship free!
Click to expand...
They are governed and had no choice, I would still support them if possible.
 
Velitrius said:
Got no shops near me, so online is where I have to go for most of my stuff.

When I go see relatives down Sweet Home way, I stop in to the local shop and buy a couple knives every time I visit. Good folks, good stuff.

Won't shop Cabelas for knives. No knowledgeable staff, above average prices, service is really "meh".

I enjoy a good brick and mortar knife shop. Getting really hard to find.
Click to expand...
hard to find cause of online sales
 
I live in the middle of nowhere. While it is a fact that big box stores and online shopping have crushed mom and pop shops in most industries for some of us not having a knife shop is just a result of rural living. Online shopping has been nothing but a step forward for those of us who live in the sticks and have always had limited access to many things.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top