a great gunshop is closing :(

[Click Boom]

Just saw on their FB page that TDS guns in Rocklin is closing ;(

These guys are the salt of the earth and we're instrumental in getting me my SSE'S. A great family gun shop, I guess with no SSE sales must have been hurting. They might not look like much because they don't stock a huge inventory, but that had kept their prices great. Plus they are always willing to work out a deal. They are even selling AR pistols still (single shot, somehow or another) for a grand. It says tomorrow is the last day to DROS, I might have to drive on down there and see what kinda deals/sales they have going... but damn, that's a shame because Craig,, Maryanne and the boys are great people. Just thought I'd post this so people were aware. Quite a bummer!

[Felix168]

The idea was to dry up inventory. Then let the sad truth of basic economic kicks in.

[Deadon]

Those guys were soooo high priced!

[Click Boom]

Those guys were soooo high priced!

Their listed price was kinda high but they would give fat discounts if you asked.

[tankton]

What!!? They were the most convenient shop for me, though I've only bought one gun from them (they honestly don't have much in stock). They had a fair price on their Berettas, last time I was there.

[teg33]

What's so great of TDS ?

[USMC VET]

They did have some high prices and good prices. Sad to see a gun shop close though.

[MarkInFolsom]

Great? Both times I was in there, their customer service sucked big time. Never went back.

[USMC VET]

I think Sac Black Rifle ate them alive. Whether you like SBR or not, they did way more in terms of putting their business out there. TDS was always an afterthought

[sealocan]

"Their listed price was kinda high but they would give fat discounts if you asked."

my favorite home based FFL
" San Jose gun trader" , who's a vendor here,
does the same thing.
unless he's having a sale the posted prices seem a just little high.(this is normal for the Bay Area = prices on everything are normally a little higher than the rest of California.)...

but yet every time I've asked him for a deal (and he knows I'm serious about purchasing.) I've received some amazing prices.

I think stores do that so the people that can afford to pay the big money just walk in and pay full price but people who need deals...can still ask for and sometimes receive money off the listed price.

I'm sorry to hear that another mom and pop type gun store closes.

[Deadon]

"Their listed price was kinda high but they would give fat discounts if you asked."

my favorite home based FFL
" San Jose gun trader" , who's a vendor here,
does the same thing.
unless he's having a sale the posted prices seem a just little high.(this is normal for the Bay Area = prices on everything are normally a little higher than the rest of California.)...

but yet every time I've asked him for a deal (and he knows I'm serious about purchasing.) I've received some amazing prices.

I think stores do that so the people that can afford to pay the big money just walk in and pay full price but people who need deals...can still ask for and sometimes receive money off the listed price.

I'm sorry to hear that another mom and pop type gun store closes.

Yeah never asked for a discount. See the problem with posting high prices is people wont come back. For me I always skipped them because I knew the prices were high. I bet thats what happened with a lot of guys.

[sealocan]

^^ It's probably just the way I see things... I remember when SKS's were selling in like new condition right out of their crates for $169 and I thought that was overpriced back then.

in some areas of the country I see great gun prices but expensive areas I've lived, like Maui or the Bay Area, you're just going to pay more.
So it could just me thinking it's high-priced when it's not.
I don't think it hurts to ask " I'd like to make you my regular FFL /gun store, so what's the best you can do on this?" if their answer is nothing or a few dollars, you just move on from there. it's not like you're going to keep knocking it down from there.
with smaller shops always look carefully at the used guns, I think they have greater leeway on pricing those.
and while I don't recommend used guns for first time buyers for a few reasons I think almost the majority of the people on this forum could buy a used firearm using gun- knowledge and come away with a great deal.

[Chanelbomb]

I don't know how any gun shop in Ca stays in business nowadays.

[Merc1138]

I don't know how any gun shop in Ca stays in business nowadays.

There's actually a lot of gun shops in CA(not necessarily evenly spaced out, but that's another matter). Regardless of CA's crappy gun laws, there is a lot of money in this state and a large enough population that even a minority can generate a lot of business.

What it really comes down to(aside from local municipalities trying to screw shops), is dealing with the competition. You need a decent location, inventory, and pricing. If everyone can pay 10% less without having to drive out to BFE... you might have a problem. If your pricing, selection, and location are on par with the other competitors in the area then it's going to come down to marketing(can't get customers if no one knows you're there) and customer service.

Because of that you can end up in situations where a LGS is right off the freeway, has great prices, everyone knows about them, but has the worst customer service on the planet. Another shop might require 15 minutes of driving around on surface streets, is tucked into some random industrial area no one knows about, has amazing customer service and knowledgeable staff... but high price tags scare what little traffic they get out the door.

[Stanced]

Down here in San Diego I already see a few LGS's suffering from SSE ending.