My first time knife-shop buying experience

G

Gary007

Joined
May 17, 2002
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Went to a local knife shop and spent about an 1 1/2 hours looking around, the sales clerk kindly spent all that time chatting and showing me different knives.

I didn't see anything that really struck me, but felt obligated to purchase something. I went ahead and bought a Buck 110, I wanted one anyway, but it was at full retail, $65.00. It's $40.99 at the OneStopKnifeShop, plus $8 in shipping.

He also sold me the one in glass display case, not a fresh one out of a box. I didn't know if that was standard practice or not, but didn't say anything, didn't want to seem petty. The brass could even stand a good polishing.

Yeah, I know I wasn't really obligated to make a purchase, and maybe should have asked for a NIB knife.

Most of the new knives he had in the case had a layer of dust on them.

What do you think about this experience?
 
You got to spend an hour and a half looking at, studying, touching, handling many many different knives and your conversation with the shoppie was apparently good. Could you have gotten all of that through an internet sale?

I'm lucky enough to have a good knife shop in my city. Even with his retail prices, I feel I'm fortunate. I sure do go in once in a while and make a purchase, checking out other knives that I may end up buying over the 'net.

You probably could have driven to the local discount house and bought a 110 for $40.00, brand new and in the box or clamshell pack. But boxes don't cut, and clamshells are a pain in the rear.

All in all, seems like your experience was a bargain.

Phil
 
Gary007 said:
Went to a local knife shop and spent about an 1 1/2 hours looking around, the sales clerk kindly spent all that time chatting and showing me different knives.

He is making minimum wage and could care less.



I didn't see anything that really struck me, but felt obligated to purchase something. I went ahead and bought a Buck 110, I wanted one anyway, but it was at full retail, $65.00. It's $40.99 at the OneStopKnifeShop, plus $8 in shipping.

Dumb move.




He also sold me the one in glass display case, not a fresh one out of a box. I didn't know if that was standard practice or not, but didn't say anything, didn't want to seem petty. The brass could even stand a good polishing.

Another dumb move.


Yeah, I know I wasn't really obligated to make a purchase, and maybe should have asked for a NIB knife.

See above.


Most of the new knives he had in the case had a layer of dust on them.

Mainly because he works in a shop that doesn't sell a lot of knives due to the high prices and lousey condition of the knives.
What do you think about this experience?
Click to expand...

Not a good experience.

tom.
 
Hello Gary,
Well I don't think you had a bad experience but it could have been better.
Yes I would have asked to see one in a box and if possible go over a few of the same model and find the one you think is nicest.
You have no obligation to buy anything when shopping thats your choice.
It is nice to support the local dealer though and if his selection is good go there again and see if you can make things turn out better.
JMHO

Kap
 
I would tend to agree that it wasn't an ideal experience. I have bought from retail shops before, and paid the full retail, sometimes more. But with one exception I was given a new knife, in box never before opened, with a chance to inspect it before purchase. The time I did buy a display model it was understood that I was getting a display model, and given a discount.

I like having a real knife ahop around that I can go to and check out some new knives, without having to put down any money. For that reason I would go in and spend a few bucks in the place every once in a while. Unforunately it closed, probably due to overly high prices and thus not selling much merchandise. I also didn't go all that often because they carried mostly fantasy and junk knives along with some lower end CRKT, Benchmade, and Spyderco. If they had anything better in stock I would have went more often.

Basically I feel that a good retail shop is hard to find, and not just for knives. I don't mind paying a bit more if I know I am getting better service out of the deal. Unfortunately no knife shop in my area has ever provided me with service even close to that I can find from some of the internet shops. If I am getting the same exact product I would always prefer to give my business to the guy who will give better service.
 
Yes, you should have asked for a new knife. I never sell the item off the shelf unless that is the last (or only) one.

BTW, a retail store is expensive, so paying retail prices shouldn't be a shock.
 
if the knife wasnt new ya shoulda gotten a discount imho, and ya are never obligated to buy anything, i guess it was 'ok' IF ya needed a buck 110, the price wasnt crazy, and ya didnt mind it being a display model.

have a shop near me sells guns/knives etc, most of the knives are wayy overpriced, i dont mind paying a small premium to be able to look it over before buying, but 40% or so is a little much imho, so i rarely buy knives there, do buy ammo /etc there though. oh and ya gotta add in tax too,

also, when purchasing things, as long as the clerk isnt a total ass his attitude/friendliness doesnt really matter to me, i am not looking for buddies, nor conversation, i'm looking to save money if possible and make my purchase.
 
Working in a knifestore, I tell you that whenever we can sell a NIB knife, we do. When it does come off of the shelf, we always clean them off with a good flitzing, and generally we will give a 10% discount. I also don't think it is terribly out of place at all to ask if a deal can be made in such a situation. What I do mind is when the customer gets all rude and angsty about it but does not say anything.
As for the dust, I can't say I'm happy about that. That sort of thing is common in smaller, locally owned, knife stores. What usually ends up happening is that the owner can only work so many days and has too much to do. Something like regular cleaning can just be too much some times. The worst part is that, because it's locally owned, some of the kids hired to work the store durring the day just don't care enough to do labor that's not specifically asked of them. It gets hard to find new workers, so an owner will have to settle for sub-par employees.
I don't say all the kids are like that. At my local place they are always keeping busy with some form of work or another. Some of the older, less popular knives, do end up with a layer of dust once in a while.
But please, do not feel out of place to ask for a discount. I think it very odd that one was not extended to you to begin with.
 
Everything we have on our website, plus more, is on display in our locked cases. Many years ago, we had two pricing tiers...online (internet is very competative) and walk-in. I justified a higher walk-in price for the very reason cited...I must pay someone (and not minimum wage) to open up the cases, answer questions and BS with the customer, as well as wipe off every knife the customer handles (or bleeds on). While many would buy at the higher walk-in price, smart shoppers would either ask for our internet price (which we would extend upon request) or go home and order from the 'net'.
Realize, it costs much more to have a walk-in showroom (our lockable glass cases cost over $60.000.00) Case in point: We have a real nice knife nut that has been to the store 4 times in past 5 days. Handles at least a dozen knives...buys one...brings it back next day..wants to exchange it for another....same fellow, same story, several times in one week. Even though I like the guy, that gets old.
We have now adjusted our walk-in pricing to our internet prices. Interesting thing, the walk-in folks still want to dicker on the price. HELLO...go on the net and beat the price...NOT!
From a retailer perspective, if I am getting full retail, I surely should be able to give you a face to face discount of 10-25% and not feel it. If I am selling at 40% off retail in my store, don't ask for futher discount.
It is going to be interesting in November when we have our Christmas Open House. We have a Case Rep come in and promote most Case products at 50% off retail. At 9AM, you can't get close to the Case displays....folks love a bargan and everyone know what 50% off is. Unfortunately, with the knives already stickered at 40% off, the customer may very well think they are not getting a deal, if they only save 4 bucks...some shoppers are hard to figure.
At any rate, if you do not support you local guy, he won't be their for long. Even though we have a high web presence, I still think you should shop at home whenever possible.
md
 
I know exactly how I would run a knife shop.

Which is precisely why I do not run a knife shop.

Kudos to those who do. Wish I had one around here.
 
:yawn: Ashes? :yawn: Ashes? Where is that little girl when you need her expertise. Get ov'a here. I am sure she has some good insight and some great stories.
 
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