Trop Gun

[sdeen]

Just noticed on Trops online store that they give free shipping for orders of 250 dollars or more. My nephew lives in Arizona, I sent him a case of 9mm ups ground without insurance and it ran me $44.87. That was the cheapest rate available. So, if I drive over to trop and buy a 300 dollar case of ammo they charge me 300 dollars, but if someone from Arizona buys a case they also pay 300 dollars but Trop is willing to eat the 44.87. Yes, they may get shipping discounts but that doesnt change the fact that they take care of someone 1800 miles away better than someone 2 miles away. Before you pay 16.50 a box for 9mm look around the web I bought a case of Blazer from Midway for 13.87 a box shipped. Inventory is still hit and miss online but prices are dropping. I also picked up 2 bricks of ar tactical 22 at kentucky gun company for 21.47 shipped. It was only 18 dollars before shipping. Amoseek,Slickguns are good places to start

[Yellowfin]

I wonder if they get VZ 58's in these days.

[SirStefan32]

Just noticed on Trops online store that they give free shipping for orders of 250 dollars or more. My nephew lives in Arizona, I sent him a case of 9mm ups ground without insurance and it ran me $44.87. That was the cheapest rate available. So, if I drive over to trop and buy a 300 dollar case of ammo they charge me 300 dollars, but if someone from Arizona buys a case they also pay 300 dollars but Trop is willing to eat the 44.87. Yes, they may get shipping discounts but that doesnt change the fact that they take care of someone 1800 miles away better than someone 2 miles away. Before you pay 16.50 a box for 9mm look around the web I bought a case of Blazer from Midway for 13.87 a box shipped. Inventory is still hit and miss online but prices are dropping. I also picked up 2 bricks of ar tactical 22 at kentucky gun company for 21.47 shipped. It was only 18 dollars before shipping. Amoseek,Slickguns are good places to start

How are they taking care of someone living 1800 miles away than you?
They are giving them the same deal you and I get. You can also order it online and they'll ship it to you for free, so you get the same deal.

Trop's prices are great, and they never jacked up their prices during the ammo/ gun crisis, so they get to keep all my business now that the crisis is over, even if I can save 5% buying from some place 1800 miles away, as you put it.

[sigarms229]

I think he feels that since they offer free shipping, then he should be able to buy it at the local store for the price less what they would ship it. So if the guy in Arizona is paying $300 with free shipping (but shipping cost trop say $30), then sdeen wants to pay $270 in the store.

Personally it's a ridiculous complaint (but well within his right to make), as many vendors offer free shipping at a certain price point. If he's that concerned he should order it online, get the free shipping, then he doesn't have to worry about the costs of fuel and wear/tear to go pick it up in person.

[jack76590]

From my standpoint they can charge what they want, include free postage or not. I will just buy where it is cheapest. However, I find not selling at the store for "mail order cost less postage" a strange business decision on the part of Trop.

Their profit margin is the same with "mail order cost less postage" and they create TRAFFIC at their new retail establishment. They spent what I gather is a considerable sum for an upscale RETAIL establishment and they pass up an opportunity to encourage people to visit, many of whom will buy more stuff than just ammo on sale.

Again to me it just seems a strange business decision from people I thought were pretty smart. But then I am not looking to invest with them, so it is of no concern to me. Merely an observation.

[twency]

From my standpoint they can charge what they want, include free postage or not. I will just buy where it is cheapest. However, I find not selling at the store for "mail order cost less postage" a strange business decision on the part of Trop.

Their profit margin is the same with "mail order cost less postage" and they create TRAFFIC at their new retail establishment. They spent what I gather is a considerable sum for an upscale RETAIL establishment and they pass up an opportunity to encourage people to visit, many of whom will buy more stuff than just ammo on sale.

Again to me it just seems a strange business decision from people I thought were pretty smart. But then I am not looking to invest with them, so it is of no concern to me. Merely an observation.

It is common in retail to charge different prices for internet vs. in-store purchase. This can lead to illogical seeming situations, e.g. sometimes you can hop on your smartphone and buy from Best Buy's website with in-store pickup and get a product pulled from the shelf for you while you wait for less than the tagged price.

But the price differences are typically because

1. online and local stores are nominally competing in two different markets, natonal vs. local, and
2. the painful truth that it costs vastly more per product and per customer to operate a bricks-and-mortar establishment than a website+warehouse, so on average bricks-and-mortar customers cost more to serve than mail order customers.

I can see both sides of this coin, having worked retail and also been a customer at stores with seemingly strange policies. I'm not saying either position (price parity or price differential) is right or wrong, just trying to explain some of the reasons for a differential.

[Gunowner99]

I still think they could encourage some commerce here.

[jack76590]

It is common in retail to charge different prices for internet vs. in-store purchase. This can lead to illogical seeming situations, e.g. sometimes you can hop on your smartphone and buy from Best Buy's website with in-store pickup and get a product pulled from the shelf for you while you wait for less than the tagged price.

But the price differences are typically because

1. online and local stores are nominally competing in two different markets, natonal vs. local, and
2. the painful truth that it costs vastly more per product and per customer to operate a bricks-and-mortar establishment than a website+warehouse, so on average bricks-and-mortar customers cost more to serve than mail order customers.

I can see both sides of this coin, having worked retail and also been a customer at stores with seemingly strange policies. I'm not saying either position (price parity or price differential) is right or wrong, just trying to explain some of the reasons for a differential.

You raise some interesting points. However, I suspect your example of Best Buy, which could have been Sears, Lowes, Home Depot, etc all have stand alone mail order centers. And these stand alone mail order centers are probably in lower rent districts near mail terminals rather than in prime retail locations. Also I suspect these specialty mail order facilities are set up for fast packing, logging in orders, etc. I doubt if this is the case with Trop, at least now, who knows about their future plans.

I was surprised when Trop announced it was building an indoor range. I felt an indoor range is a tough way to make a buck, especially in an area where there are several gun clubs with annual dues under $75. Then I thought maybe they will be happy to come close to breaking even on the range, if it creates other business. While I don't plan to use their indoor range much I would probably rent new pistols to try before I buy. And those who use the range will probably go to their retail portion and both window shop and buy. The promotion of traffic idea. So again I was a bit surprised by their policy on ammo. But I am sure, as you suggest, they have considered these matters with a view to the bottom line.

[sdeen]

I know my nephew Steve, has spent several thousand dollars at Trop just this year. He gets irritated when I bad mouth them. I introduced him to CZ handguns and he bought one from Trop. Since then he has purchased 4 more none of which came from Trop. I know he just picked up a p 01 from outback in Columbia for 80 dollars less than Trop had it for and the one at Trop didnt have p 01 stamped on it or the nato stock number. They arent a big issue to some but nato stock number makes for a conversation piece at the range. I know he hasn't bought any ammo from Trop for months due to the fact that it can be found with a little extra web surfing for much cheaper. I actually picked up 3 100 round boxes of Federal 115 grain burgandy box at Wal Mart for only 19.97 a box plus tax, they had 4 more but would only sell me 3. All I am saying about Trop is take care of us locals and we will take care of them. Until then I will surf the web for the best deals.

[SirStefan32]

I know my nephew Steve, has spent several thousand dollars at Trop just this year. He gets irritated when I bad mouth them. I introduced him to CZ handguns and he bought one from Trop. Since then he has purchased 4 more none of which came from Trop. I know he just picked up a p 01 from outback in Columbia for 80 dollars less than Trop had it for and the one at Trop didnt have p 01 stamped on it or the nato stock number. They arent a big issue to some but nato stock number makes for a conversation piece at the range. I know he hasn't bought any ammo from Trop for months due to the fact that it can be found with a little extra web surfing for much cheaper. I actually picked up 3 100 round boxes of Federal 115 grain burgandy box at Wal Mart for only 19.97 a box plus tax, they had 4 more but would only sell me 3. All I am saying about Trop is take care of us locals and we will take care of them. Until then I will surf the web for the best deals.

What do you consider "taking care of?"
They've been taking great care of this particular local for months. They had ammo when nobody else did, and they never jacked up their prices. They took great care of me. Perhaps our definitions of "taking care of" are not the same.
If they'd charge you $350 for something and sold it online for $300, I wouldn't think that was right, but apparently you want them to charge you less than they charge online. Would you like them to give you free stuff too?