Are shops busy lately?

[FortCourageArmory]

Summer is the usual time business slows down in the retail world. However, the retail gun biz is an exception. I did good business last summer, but less than in the spring or fall. This summer, I am way busier than I was last summer. Good or bad economy doesn't seem to matter in the gun world.

[ibanezfoo]

I went into a couple shops today on my way home from work & noticed it was pretty slow -- few employees & even fewer customers...is it the economy? time of day? just the wrong time of year?

Not that I have noticed. Everywhere I go to buy stuff is busy as ever. I have only noticed the freeway being a little less crowded but then it is summer and it is always less crowded... how it compares to previous years I can't remember. Of course this is "the o.c." and if you aren't spending money your image suffers, and nobody here wants that....

-Bryan

[Pulsar]

If anything, I've noticed with the economy slowing down we've been getting a lot more guns coming in for repair, people are fixing the guns they have rather than buying new ones to replace em.

I would have never thought it when getting into this business, but the gun world seems to be fairly recession proof.

And yeah, we are getting lots of people asking us to order lead free ammo for em.

[Moonclip]

I've seen the opposite than FCA, summer in many area is traditionally slower for range/gun industry. Back issues of trade magazines for the gun industry I have sometimes talk about it. Gun shops maybe a bit slower, economy does affect them because it is not a total necessity for most people like bread or gas.

Range trips and extra guns and ammo are items that get cut from a budget real quick in hard times. An exception I see is with high end guns and gun shops sometimes. Rich people generally stay richand buy what they want it seems. A millionaire I knew though was fairly miserly.

[CRTguns]

The shop I work at has been insanely busy lately, and it's getting worse with hunting season opening in august, all the hunters are coming in asking for scope mounts, clean and oils, trigger jobs, bedding jobs and lots of other stuff.

Second that- Sierra is busier than ever. 4 years ago, 1-2 guns per day plus accessories was average. I brought that up to 4-5 guns @2006-2007.

These days it's @ 8-12 daily on average.

"Feel good" spending- Gun stores and liquor stores probably report the same "up" business these days.