Gander Mountain...Be serious!

[ants]

I stopped in the local Gander Mnt. this morning.

I brought in my Kahr MK40 all stainless, 1 yr old, spotless with original box, extra mag and paper work. $700 + new, about a year ago. I was thinking of trading towards a little lighter gun but was'nt sure which one or if I even wanted to.

Talked to the gun guy behind the gun counter and he told me that the store's new policy on payng for trade ins is (or for buying used guns) to pay only 50% of the guns value, up from 30% not that long ago. He was frustrated and said they are losing trade in sales like crazy, but that it was out of his hands. I guess the new genius management knows best. He offerd $285!! I know you get beat up trading with a dealer but this seemed waaay greedy! Since this store opened I've bought 10 guns from them and I'm done.

I would rather go to the small gun shops and give them my money. Bunch of geedy BS... IMHO

[phade]

Gander Mtn has had huge customer service problems and problems in general since being taken private...actually before that. But, of all things, their gun dept. is THE WORST. I walked in there three times last year at different times and days to BUY (not even needing a sales pitch) a specific firearm they had in stock. Each time, I walked out, after waiting more than 30 minutes to get help each time...they understaff the dept. a ton.

The jump to 50% is news to me...The prices for their used guns are mostly inflated, too....the one by me has hardly any used for sale now. Use to have 2-4 round racks and a few on the wall...now just a single round rack.

Edited July 17, 2012 by phade

[Early]

Agree: Gander Mountain's gun dept. stinks! That said, trading guns can be a distasteful experience, no matter where you do business. Personally, I know of only one small independent gun shop where I would even think of talking trade. Others that I deal with, operate pretty close to that 50% trade value. I have put eight different guns in a local consignment auction (one sportsman's auction a month, with 50+ guns)over the past couple of years and have always received more for them than I hoped to get...even considering the auction house's cut of each deal. I would not hesitate to do so again...as an alternative to trading with any dealer.

[ants]

Yeah.. 30% is bad enough. I assume the increase is for all stores. I'm done buying guns with em.

The guy I talked to told me that management called him in to to see what was going on with the low sales. When he told them that most people are walking out on sales (because of the rediculously low trade in offers) They just did'nt want to hear it. Corporate AH's I'm sure.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Yeah...$285 is total BS...I will give you $300..lol

[ants]

Thanks

[ants]

Forgot to mention, they offered $285 while rating my gun at 95%

Edited July 17, 2012 by ants

[ny hunter]

Thats too funny,I went to Gander MTN in Middletown on Sunday for a scope,I picked a Nikon and when they rang it up it was 50 bucks more then the sticker.I was told the sticker was wrong,So I said get me the boss this is BS after arguing over there mistake I informed them they just lost a customer,I would never set foot in the store again and I well write a letter to corporate this week F GanderMTn.

[oblivitar]

I was just at the one in kingston to see how much they would give me for my mossberg 835 ultimag but nobody was there to give me an appraisal, I guess the guy leaves at 5. There were 2 guys in the firearms section and 1 of them was from fishing or something and didnt have a clue about guns. Of course it took about a half an hour for somebody to come and help me. Seems like every time i go to that store its the same thing. I should know better by now. Oh and they didnt have the gun i wanted heh

[SteveNY]

I personally can't stand Gander Mountain. I will not set foot in their stores any more. Everything about the place is horrible, I only had one good experience there with a salesman when I bought some boots. It was refreshing to get someone who actually knew what they were talking about, but the other ~100 times I was in there, I was ready to rip my hair out.

Done with Gander.

[Lawdwaz]

They are a good place to buy a cooler or maybe some candy. Guns & ammo, not so much.

Your going to take a bath at any gun store on a trade in. I learned that lesson as a young lad when I traded a Ithaca M37 in on a USED Leupold 2x7, that was in 1982. Funny thing though, I still have that scope!

[WNYBuckHunter]

Gander is a joke for the most part. I still buy a few things there, but only when I need to pick something up locally and Dicks doesnt have it. Ive purchased 2 guns there in the past, and got good deals on them, but will never trade one in there. I was talking to them about trading my SA XD40 in on a Kimber once. The price they offered me on my gun was about $250. I laughed at the guy and left.

I dont understand what alot of gun dealers are thinking with trade stuff. I wanted to trade my deer gun earlier in the year for a handgun that was worth less, and they wouldnt do it. Said they could only give me x dollars for it. I said, youll get more for it than you will for the handgun. They said yeah but I just cant do it. Makes no sense to me, not like i was trying to trade up lol.

Ill just stick to selling stuff on the private market, trades with dealers are usually a losing proposition.

[Lawdwaz]

Remember the Swap Sheet? IIRC at one time you paid .25 for an issue. I used to love reading the ads for used cars, trucks, guns, boats etc. Bought & sold a bunch of stuff with the SS years ago.

[Big Indian]

What is their re-sale price when they put your used gun back on the rack??? I am sure they make a good buck.

[landtracdeerhunter]

Never been able to purchase much of anything at Gander. Now my son has walked in, gets deals. His last gun.. Clerks told me they can't sell displays. He walk in paid less than anyone else and got 50 bucks knocked off for a display. Resale is bad on anything, new- used. Try it with a automobile.

Edited July 18, 2012 by landtracdeerhunter

[Grouse]

Whenever I sell a gun, I sell it on Gunbroker.com. I always get close to book value for it, sometimes even more depending on the gun I'm selling, even after the very small fee that Gunbroker.com takes, and the buyer pays the shipping charges.

Put it on there and thousands of interested buyers from all over the country will see it. All you need is a signed FFL from the dealer they are using for you to ship it to and you take it to UPS and ship it to the FFL.

Selling a gun any way else IMHO, will get you a lot less money for it.

[erussell]

Our local Gander in Binghamton, Flooded, sold a handgun to a massmurderer who gunned down a bunch of people at the local civic center, then it caught on fire and then flooded again. They called it quites now all we got is Dicks sporting goods. And there clerks are just as worthless as ganders for the most part.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Was the guy a prior felon when they sold him the gun? If not, they didnt do anything wrong. He still would have had to pass the background check and have a pistol permit. How are they to know the guy would flip out?

[erussell]

I dont think he was a felon, but the victims familys filed a suit against them non the less. I dont know what happened in the end but they just had a rough time of it. Spooky thing, my manager at the time had interviewed the guy for a job in my dept and had passed on him for another person. He had the interview sheet and everything with the dudes name and stuff on it. I told him to keep it some sick sob will probably pay good money for it down the line.

[Doc]

I was so impressed when they first came to Henrietta. It was a huge outdoor store like I had never seen before. More darn hunting products under one roof, and everything done in a real "top-shelf" fashion. What a dismal disappointment that outfit has become. Products are stocked in such a way that they seem to never have what I want. Inventories are kept so low that many shelves are empty. Trying to find someone to help you out is a huge task because they keep the staffing at a completely useless level. Intelligence and knowledge of what few clerks that you can find there is somewhat suspect. Prices that were quite reasonable at first are now higher than almost anywhere else that stocks the same items. It is about a 40 minute drive for me to get there, but for the past bunch of years, I have driven the hour and 15 minutes that it takes me to get to Auburn to get to the Bass-Pro shop there. I may not always be happy with the prices there, but I have yet to go there and not find what I want.

[fasteddie]

I havn't traded any guns at GM but have bought a pistol and rifle . Got a good deal on both .

Like Doc said , when GM first opened in Henrietta , the store was impressive .I thought the place was awesome . They had some great stuff at great prices . That has faded away . Their ammo is pricey as hell and I have found DICK's to be less expensive .

[Early]

It would appear that the Gander Mountain MO is to attempt to wow the local customer base with good service and prices early on....and then raise the prices, cut staff and screw the customers shortly thereafter.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I dont think he was a felon, but the victims familys filed a suit against them non the less. I dont know what happened in the end but they just had a rough time of it. Spooky thing, my manager at the time had interviewed the guy for a job in my dept and had passed on him for another person. He had the interview sheet and everything with the dudes name and stuff on it. I told him to keep it some sick sob will probably pay good money for it down the line.

Of course the vic's family sued them. That our culture in this country, dont ya know. Sue everyone and see what sticks.

[SteveMcD]

I personally can't stand Gander Mountain. I will not set foot in their stores any more. Everything about the place is horrible, I only had one good experience there with a salesman when I bought some boots. It was refreshing to get someone who actually knew what they were talking about, but the other ~100 times I was in there, I was ready to rip my hair out.

Done with Gander.

I agree. I only go there as a last resort. Gander Mountain like the other one, use to be the best place to shop for quality and price - WHEN THEY WERE MAIL ORDER CATALOGS! However, they have over-extended themselves and to make up for the horrendous overhead in employees, real estate and inventory. They are now pricier than 5th Avenue. Too Bad. It's a shame.

[ants]

Agree.. the exact same thing happened here (Cicero, outside of Syracuse) they were great. Now some five or so years later, service stinks, prices stink, selection stinks and now they are shafting people (or at least trying to) on trade in value for guns. Greedy BS!!! I would'nt even order from the catalog anymore.

Fortunatly Dick's is'nt much farther away.

Edited July 20, 2012 by ants