Sportsmans in Boise hung a sign saying ammo would arrive on Friday

[BAMCIS]

I saw a sign in Sportsman's Warehouse in Boise on Wednesday (May 22) that said ammo would arrive on Friday at 9am. Fortunately I have plenty (for now) but the wife and I just finished breakfast and decided to take a look at the line that was sure to form. Here's what we saw at about 855:

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I'm glad to see stuff start to trickle in but I don't need ammo this bad.

The next day the wife and I made our back. The folks there said they sold out of the stuff that came in "pretty fast".

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[vertical ascent]

This is just plain insanity, it is scary when one person can do this much chaos/panic towards a certain industry. I can't even fathom what it would look like when there is a real threat to our normal daily existence.

 

[Mark W.]

Don't worry half of its all for sale on the internet. There's 50 ads placed on NWF for ammo for sale in the last week,

 

[RVTECH]

Why did they feel the need to advertise this? Like it wasn't going to sell anyway.

 

[nglayton]

Look at it from their point of view..... They post it up, telling everyone when it will arrive. They can prepare for the "MAD RUSH" one time every week, bring in extra staff, move all the impulse buy stuff up near the long lines, Etc. Etc. Pretty soon everyone just knows to show up every Wednesday and get your ammo. This is also the day they get powder, primers and bullets. Each and every Wednesday builds and builds. Record breaking sales days every Wednesday for 23 consecutive weeks! Better than Christmas!

The rest of the week it's nice and peaceful, almost deserted, no customers, no phones ringing off the hook asking about ammo. Like a tomb inside. They can run 1/3 less staff than a normal day.

The best part is they can charge any price they want with all those people standing in line. If the first 100 people past it up, one of the next 100 or so will be sure to buy it. Don' forget the 3 box limit.

 

[RVTECH]

Or they could just maintain business as usual and not play into the 'hype' by advertising when ammo is coming in and creating mad rushes, and either maintain their prices or actually reducing them as the Bend store has and maintaining a good reputation in the community as a store you want to return to.

 

[nglayton]

not play into the 'hype'

I know what you mean, but you gotta figure most of the people working at these places have no idea about the "hype".
It's just a job for at least 85% of them, heck half the people working the register probably have no clue why there is a line other than the standard "it's ammo day!" reason. They have no idea about the "real" reasons people are willing to stand in line.

It's the management that LOVES it.
It all looks good on the bottom line. - After all they are a business trying to make money, get new customers in the door and provide jobs and keep their own jobs.
I mean look at all the free advertising they are getting from us right now just in this one thread. They are just waiting and hoping it will go "viral" so the whole town will show up!

I'm pretty sure they aren't too worried about the politics of adding to the hype. There's no added money is business as usual. People complain all the time about how the economy is so bad and consumer spending is down. Not here, not on ammo day anyway.

Just adding a $1 a box and getting every 5th customer to buy an additional item besides ammo while they are standing in line is priceless to the bottom line. The longer they can keep you in the store the more things you will buy. Theoretically of course.

 

[RVTECH]

The best part is they can charge any price they want with all those people standing in line.

Well business considerations be dammed! I am glad the Bend store has not lowered themselves to this practice and is maintaining a standard retail profile and not creating 'black Friday' like frenzies.

 

[deadshot2]

Pretty soon all they'll due is post the sign when they want more customers in the store, period. Even if they have no ammo coming.

Cheap advertising and those who've been standing in line will most likely spend some money elsewhere in the store anyway.