Your first time in a Brick and Mortar is always special

[22-rimfire]

.... I may have sprung for the 0609 right then and there but he was not willing to budge from the MAP price. I don't know his cost but when he told me the prices are fixed and he can't deviate, I was done. This is 2018 and that kind of attitude doesn't work anymore.

And you can do better on line? MAP pricing was done to create a level playing field for knife dealers/stores. The big difference is state sales tax now and that is likely to change to a level playing field as well as the states are complaining about the lost revenue.

Now, I look at MAP pricing and sometimes scratch my head.... is it worth it to me? With Condor stuff I have reduced my impulse purchases. But frankly if I really like a blade, it would go home with me at the store price. I recently purchased a Benchmade folder; yep MAP. Remember when everyone was complaining about Benchmade's MAP pricing move? No talk now and they seem to be doing just fine. I think you should have purchased the knife and not expect some sort of special treatment.

I also visited one Cutlery store in a mall in Dallas Texas. I had little foundation at the time to make a judgement on pricing, but the prices seemed high. But I also knew it was a mall store. Those are gone now.

 

[MSchott]

And you can do better on line? MAP pricing was done to create a level playing field for knife dealers/stores. The big difference is state sales tax now and that is likely to change to a level playing field as well as the states are complaining about the lost revenue.

Now, I look at MAP pricing and sometimes scratch my head.... is it worth it to me? With Condor stuff I have reduced my impulse purchases. But frankly if I really like a blade, it would go home with me at the store price. I recently purchased a Benchmade folder; yep MAP. Remember when everyone was complaining about Benchmade's MAP pricing move? No talk now and they seem to be doing just fine. I think you should have purchased the knife and not expect some sort of special treatment.

I also visited one Cutlery store in a mall in Dallas Texas. I had little foundation at the time to make a judgement on pricing, but the prices seemed high. But I also knew it was a mall store. Those are gone now.

Go back and read the posts following the one you quoted. I was mistaken about the meaning of MAP. This dealer is charging 10-20% above MAP. I would gladly pay MAP as I now understand it.

 

[Lapedog]

Love my local B&M store. Over here in Canada it is worth the little bit higher prices to not worry about the knife getting confiscated by an overzealous border agent and also to be able to check the knife in person for f&f issues or defects.

 

[22-rimfire]

Go back and read the posts following the one you quoted. I was mistaken about the meaning of MAP. This dealer is charging 10-20% above MAP. I would gladly pay MAP as I now understand it.

20% above MAP would trouble me regardless. I did just what you suggested and see others chimed in. I don't like to be overcharged either. B&M stores have their mark ups and if I don't like the price, I simply don't buy. One large store in my area sells Great Eastern Cutlery (GEC) slip joints. I enjoy looking at them in the store, but they charge way above (they apparently were asking full retail, I believe) what the online dealers ask and there is an amazing consistency between dealers which I have always found interesting. I don't know if GEC does MAP but the pricing is amazingly consistent, so I suspect they do MAP. I was taken by the selection there and when I looked at prices, I simply moved to other knives. I didn't want what they were selling at their prices. (Many of the GEC knives sell quickly and I suspect they made a judgement to sell at full retail to maintain an inventory in their store.) That's okay after checking, but I don't need to pay that unless I want to. That's the power of the purse and we're free to choose.

 

[CoryMc]

I got the chance to go into Cutlery Shoppe once which isn’t really a b&m. Pretty amazing nonetheless. Jeff was awesome Showed me knives out of his own collection and was dual-weielding ZDP-189 Enduras.

 

[22-rimfire]

Sportsman Warehouse carries a fairly broad selection of the name brands. Their pricing is just a tad above online pricing and I have purchased a number of Spydies and other knives from them. I value the opportunity to simply handle the knife I am buying in the store, make a decision to buy or not, and leave. I don't consider them a knife store and I don't really consider them a big box store either.

 

[marcus52AR]

A year or two ago we got a B&M store in our city. I love it!

We had sporting goods stores but not a full on knife shop. I really enjoy going and handling a good variety of brands and models I have only viewed on my phone.

The store would have been trouble earlier on when I just got in to knives, I have since slowed down on impulse buys.

I did purchase a nice shun kitchen knife from there, as well as a couple of keychain spidies, sharpening stuff and knik knacks.

They have a nice selection, but this site has made me chase stuff I can't get from their store.

I'm hoping when they get the new ZT and spyderco knives in I can pick one out in person. The staff is great, and I hope they stick around, and maybe even open a location closer to my end of the city.

 

[GundaManiac]

Oops, forgot to hit reply.

They seem to have a decent selection, but I was disappointed with the experience. Keep in mind that it's an absolutely tiny storefront, so you'll walk in and have about 80 square feet of space to stand, surrounded by the counter and knives on 3 sides, which makes the experience a little awkward. They'll let you handle stuff but, at least with the guy I interacted with, he seemed to be trying to dupe me like he probably does with SF tourists rather than just talk with me about the products. I imagine a lot of tourists in that area don't know any better and don't know that people don't pay MSRP for knives.

If it's the only knife store you have access to, then go, but I hope you have other things to do that afternoon in SF because my bet is that you won't be in the shop for long.

I agree with this assessment. It is a high traffic touristy area. Honestly though, they have a pretty nice selection of brands and models. But the prices do seem high and the level of service is not the best, though that's probably a result of having so many non knife folk tourists passing through. If you're going to be in the area anyway then it's worth a stop to check out their wares, but I wouldn't make a dedicated trip there.

This is just making me miss that closed knife shop from the derelict mall even more.

 

[BTacticalKnives]

I will not vote on this but wanted to add some information. Owning a brick and mortar store is a love/hate relationship for me. We can break down our customers into 10 types. I tried to rate them worst to best!

1. The Dumbass. This customer walks in off the street and loves to tell you that XYZ knives are the greatest knives ever made, but we all know they are complete crap. They never shut up, and it is not uncommon that they inform us they used to be a Navy Seal. I am amazed by how many supposed ex Navy Seals live with in a 25 mile radius of our shop and love XYZ crap knives.

2. The slave driver. The customer that loves to come in and run your butt stupid. They want to touch every knife in the shop, but they almost never buy. You can watch them from our shop windows as they walk out to their car and start pulling up the knives they liked on their cell phones, just to see if they can get them cheaper. Just FYI our prices are the same in store as they are on line.

3. You owe me Joe! The customer that has bought 2-3 knives from you and thinks that you owe them the world because they are the only reason you are still in business. We get this line more than you would ever believe. I have personally been told by customers that have bought 1-2 knives from us that we owe them because they are the reason we can keep the lights on.

4. The know it all. The customer that thinks they know knives and wants to spend a ton of time telling you about everything they know. 75% of the time everything they tell you is inaccurate and they just want someone to listen to what a knife expert they are. Since no one they know cares about knives, they want to come in and share it with their captive retail seller audience. We have actually had a few of these guys that we have asked to leave and never come back. That sucks but when we look at it from a business point of view they have cost us enough time, and time is money.

5. Is that the best you can do? This guy comes in off the street and wants to know the best price we can give them on each knife. I have never understood this. We are not a pawn shop or a swap shop. Do folks walk in to a restaurant and ask the best price on the steak of the day?

6. The teach me customer. We love this customer. They want to learn and are interested in knives. They listen and sometimes leave empty handed, but they typically come back once they go home, research, and find out we are steering them in the right direction. 99% of the time these turn in to great long term customers.

7. That is the one! The customer that comes in and knows exactly what he wants but just wants to put it in hand to make sure. We are happy to see these customers. A lot of these customers develop over time from #6.

8. The wrong time customer. This does not happen often but sometimes a good potential customer walks in after we have just gotten our butts kicked with a customer that fits the description of #1 or #2 on this list. This customer does not get the time or effort they deserve. I wish I could say this never happens, but I would bet it happens once a month.

9. The regular. This is the guy that truly does keep the lights on. Sometimes they run us pretty hard around the shop, but they typically leave with a new knife in hand. They love knives and just want a chance to make sure they are 100% sure on the knife they have had their eyes on before pulling the trigger. This customer is typically knowledgeable and the overall experience on both sides is great. A true knife knut in our shop is always a good thing. It is not uncommon for us to learn new things from this customer.

10. The Unicorn. This is the customer that walks in the door, buys one or multiple high end knives, ask a few or no questions, pays cash, teaches us something new, and is out the door in less than an hour. We call this the unicorn because while we all claim to have had one in our presence, no one else saw it or could verify it.



I hope you guys enjoyed this. Especially the other dealers on here that have a retail store. This list is not absolute but true for 75% of our in store clients. I hope you will keep in mind that we are located in a small downtown retail space and we get a lot of non knife folks and total quack jobs that walk in the door. I am sure other retailers in higher end space do not deal with the same things we do but I am probably wrong in that assumption. If you have a smaller Mom and Pop retailer in your area that sells decent knives, please support them. While it is a very fun business and I love what we do, keep in mind that like any business, there are headaches. Of course if you are reading this on a knife forum so the chances are you are going to fall in to the last half of this list. If you happen to fall into #8 with us, or any other retailer, give them a second chance. Also make sure the owner knows you had a bad go the first time out. Chances are they will make it right on your next shopping experience!

I drive over an hour to this store and have left with 3 Hinderers and a Southern Grind so far. I am deciding on a ZT or two my next trip. I immediately loved the personal attention and elementary explainations given to a recently new enthusiest. Hopefully I fall into the later half of the list. I know I will be concentrating
on those my next visit.

 

[Mr.SATism]

To address the sporadic comments that you'll be seeing on this thread in the next couple of days: I'll be trying to chime in on what everyone said, because everyone here so far has given a more rounded perspective to both the good and bad of B&M's

Thank you all so much for responding with your experiences, for better or worse. TBH every day is really Forrest Gump, and hopefully those with sour experiences can find something else that is interesting nearby. Like @Fixall I know of someone who is learning directly from a Master Knifemaker (Or bladesmith, I forgot the term). So there's always an adventure around the corner! Keep on exploring, keep on collecting, and find new ways to make your wallet scream

I will not vote on this but wanted to add some information. Owning a brick and mortar store is a love/hate relationship for me. We can break down our customers into 10 types. I tried to rate them worst to best!

1. The Dumbass. This customer walks in off the street and loves to tell you that XYZ knives are the greatest knives ever made, but we all know they are complete crap. They never shut up, and it is not uncommon that they inform us they used to be a Navy Seal. I am amazed by how many supposed ex Navy Seals live with in a 25 mile radius of our shop and love XYZ crap knives.

2. The slave driver. The customer that loves to come in and run your butt stupid. They want to touch every knife in the shop, but they almost never buy. You can watch them from our shop windows as they walk out to their car and start pulling up the knives they liked on their cell phones, just to see if they can get them cheaper. Just FYI our prices are the same in store as they are on line.

3. You owe me Joe! The customer that has bought 2-3 knives from you and thinks that you owe them the world because they are the only reason you are still in business. We get this line more than you would ever believe. I have personally been told by customers that have bought 1-2 knives from us that we owe them because they are the reason we can keep the lights on.

4. The know it all. The customer that thinks they know knives and wants to spend a ton of time telling you about everything they know. 75% of the time everything they tell you is inaccurate and they just want someone to listen to what a knife expert they are. Since no one they know cares about knives, they want to come in and share it with their captive retail seller audience. We have actually had a few of these guys that we have asked to leave and never come back. That sucks but when we look at it from a business point of view they have cost us enough time, and time is money.

5. Is that the best you can do? This guy comes in off the street and wants to know the best price we can give them on each knife. I have never understood this. We are not a pawn shop or a swap shop. Do folks walk in to a restaurant and ask the best price on the steak of the day?

6. The teach me customer. We love this customer. They want to learn and are interested in knives. They listen and sometimes leave empty handed, but they typically come back once they go home, research, and find out we are steering them in the right direction. 99% of the time these turn in to great long term customers.

7. That is the one! The customer that comes in and knows exactly what he wants but just wants to put it in hand to make sure. We are happy to see these customers. A lot of these customers develop over time from #6.

8. The wrong time customer. This does not happen often but sometimes a good potential customer walks in after we have just gotten our butts kicked with a customer that fits the description of #1 or #2 on this list. This customer does not get the time or effort they deserve. I wish I could say this never happens, but I would bet it happens once a month.

9. The regular. This is the guy that truly does keep the lights on. Sometimes they run us pretty hard around the shop, but they typically leave with a new knife in hand. They love knives and just want a chance to make sure they are 100% sure on the knife they have had their eyes on before pulling the trigger. This customer is typically knowledgeable and the overall experience on both sides is great. A true knife knut in our shop is always a good thing. It is not uncommon for us to learn new things from this customer.

10. The Unicorn. This is the customer that walks in the door, buys one or multiple high end knives, ask a few or no questions, pays cash, teaches us something new, and is out the door in less than an hour. We call this the unicorn because while we all claim to have had one in our presence, no one else saw it or could verify it.



I hope you guys enjoyed this. Especially the other dealers on here that have a retail store. This list is not absolute but true for 75% of our in store clients. I hope you will keep in mind that we are located in a small downtown retail space and we get a lot of non knife folks and total quack jobs that walk in the door. I am sure other retailers in higher end space do not deal with the same things we do but I am probably wrong in that assumption. If you have a smaller Mom and Pop retailer in your area that sells decent knives, please support them. While it is a very fun business and I love what we do, keep in mind that like any business, there are headaches. Of course if you are reading this on a knife forum so the chances are you are going to fall in to the last half of this list. If you happen to fall into #8 with us, or any other retailer, give them a second chance. Also make sure the owner knows you had a bad go the first time out. Chances are they will make it right on your next shopping experience!

Thanks for letting us know what you see when you look at us making your display cases foggy!

You know us millennials so well! This is like a better version of a Buzzfeed article (with a little less gifs, but who's complaining )

I am definitely a 2 and a 6, but I hope to be a 7 (and can only dream of being a 10, much like my looks IRL ). Luckily I have never been an 8, mostly because I was usually skipping classes or going on the weekends, so there was plenty of time to talk to someone who just let me feel out my new hobby (it wasn't my best year, and please don't tell my parents lol).

If you want a shameless plug, go for it. You've earned it!

 

[PirateSeulb]

I am sadly more of a #2 from that list but I will try and justify my actions. I have few stores that sell better knives they are all sports stores and small gun & knife stores. The selection is limited but decent I do find some gems that are beyond my price point/wallet but I must fondle. I also want to get a feel for some and some multiple times even if I don't/haven't bought one yet. I only have 1 knife that I could have bought at one of my local B&M stores but didn't as when I bought it it was along with some items that I wouldn't have found at the B&M store. The main thing holding me back from buying a knife from any my B&M is that the few knives they do carry that I like/want are ones that I need to be certain I have the funds for and not have a higher priority item or items that is not available from them.

 

[lieferung]

Regrettably never been to one. I don't think there are any round here, atleast not knife-specific and within, say, an hour's drive.

 

[whitty]

I am sadly more of a #2 from that list but I will try and justify my actions. I have few stores that sell better knives they are all sports stores and small gun & knife stores. The selection is limited but decent I do find some gems that are beyond my price point/wallet but I must fondle. I also want to get a feel for some and some multiple times even if I don't/haven't bought one yet. I only have 1 knife that I could have bought at one of my local B&M stores but didn't as when I bought it it was along with some items that I wouldn't have found at the B&M store. The main thing holding me back from buying a knife from any my B&M is that the few knives they do carry that I like/want are ones that I need to be certain I have the funds for and not have a higher priority item or items that is not available from them.

Trust me on this one. If you are on this forum I am 99.99% sure you are not a #2. It is one thing to be knowledgeable, appreciate knives, want to see a lot of them, and another thing to just want to look at every knife in the store with the knowledge you have no intent of ever spending money with us. A customer with an appreciation of knives and no money at that time is always welcome in our shop.

 

[BD_01]

A customer with an appreciation of knives and no money...

Is that #11?
There’s plenty of us around here.

 

[22-rimfire]

I try to be a respectful customer (with regards to the merchant) who likes knives. I don't know a lot and I'm always learning. Makes it fun. The 10 points are making me wonder what kind of customer I will be at Knives Ship Free after they move from Michigan and open their new facility in TN. My suspicion is that I will be like a kid in a candy store the first couple of visits. $ reality will set in and hold me back from being a pest at the store.

My one sister's husband has visited the Sevierville store ("worlds largest knife store"). He is ho hum about it where as I get excited visiting. I think we are just in different stages of our knife appreciation. I doubt he'll change. My other sister's husband is truly the person that put the bug in my ear about higher quality knives. I lusted after his Randalls in the 80's and within a few years, had my own. But he had knives that I had absolutely no real appreciation for at the time that years later I sort of just go "Oh wow!" I usually take a couple knives with me when I visit. He got very interested in a flipper I have as he has trouble opening the classic slip joints he loves now.

 

[cbach8tw]

MrSATism, can you PM me with the location of that store near Richmond, VA? I am near Fredericksburg, so there are so few real knife stores in the area, it may be worth checking out. I cannot PM you.

My experience with the store in Sieverville was overwhelming, especially at that time they had the knife museum display. Mostly on line stuff now, but I miss being able to handle a few good quality knives, the local camping stores sporting goods store do well for the variety and quality, but most too many souvenier shops with fantasy or mall ninja stuff.

 

[SharpieB]

Regrettably never been to one. I don't think there are any round here, atleast not knife-specific and within, say, an hour's drive.

Same here.

Strangely I’ve never been in a store that sells knives except a couple of army surplus stores and my local Canadian Tire and Walmart. There is a huge retailer about an hour away but I haven’t got around to visiting.

I like online as I am a cheap bugger.

 

[Mr.SATism]

I have not found a true B and M knife store where I live other than Cabelas and Bass Pro Shop. Neither carry anything of interest and the prices are far too high.

Yup, I always view for us knife nuts that Sports stores are usually the tip of the iceberg, but they're still fun to visit!

It's just too bad they had to close up shop...that mall is totally deserted now except for a movie theater, and I heard even that is going to shut down this year.

Change is happening, and it's kind of scary for niche shops to be able to keep their doors open

Fast forward to now, and the closest thing we have is a large locally owned gun store that has a couple of 100 square feet of knives. The salespeople or lazy, not glitter it with knives, and only own and carry a few knives. The worst part about them is they act like they are secret agent/death-squad ninjas but know something about knives that you could never figure out. None of them are hunters, campers, or users that appreciate the utility value of a good knife as a tool. All they know about knives is the latest and greatest super steel, the fastest opening knife, and the most expensive ones that because of cost just have to be better than the rest.

From my experience in the gun store I've been to, is that the people's edc knife was just a knife they carried, they didn't care about name brand or super steel, as long as it worked it worked. Unfortunate to hear that they were 7th level ninjas when we all know members on here are 5th level lol

 

[lieferung]

Same here.

Strangely I’ve never been in a store that sells knives except a couple of army surplus stores and my local Canadian Tire and Walmart. There is a huge retailer about an hour away but I haven’t got around to visiting.

I like online as I am a cheap bugger.

If I had a B&M around me, I would also primarily buy online if the better prices were online, unless the B&M could price match. That's the free market/American way. I would only buy in store if there was something I wanted and didn't want to wait for it to ship.

 

[BD_01]

If I had a B&M around me, I would also primarily buy online if the better prices were online, unless the B&M could price match. That's the free market/American way. I would only buy in store if there was something I wanted and didn't want to wait for it to ship.

I would easily pay an extra $5-10 for the ability to handle a knife before purchasing. That would save me gobs of money and hassle. Now if the difference were $50, it would be another story.