quote:

Originally posted by vulrath:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Semi-related.
Noticed that the local Academy stores have a much smaller handgun selection & have pretty much no semi-auto rifles, Only shotguns & bolt rifles.

I was at my local Academy yesterday - the shooting accessories and gun racks were barren. Almost like they were selling everything off or something. Haven't seen semi autos outside of 10/22's there in a hot minute (been at least 4-5 years). I think after one of the big shootings or something they "quietly" yanked them off the shelves for the most part and just haven't put them back.

I recall them pulling ARs from the website, but still had them on the shelf in store.
Last time I went by the local Academy, the pistol shelf was 1 section wide. Before, like when I bought my P320 there, it was easily 4-5 cases wide.
Now it's knives & optics, with a tiny pistol selection.

But, their ammo stock has risen dramatically.
Just a bummer that a 20rd box of 5.56 is now $13 when it was something like $8 a few years ago.

Well they are dicks after all.

Oh well, I’d rather do business with an old time gun store and old time smithy.
I’ve only been in Dicks once. I just like to do business with people in the gun stores, develope friendship & knowledge.

That is worth more to me than what Dicks offers me…at least in my area.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
Quite frankly, does anyone really shop at Dicks? They did all that pandering, their stocks tanked and never recovered, massive layoffs and they doubled down.

Good for them being stuck on stupid. The whole “never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake” bit.....

Sadly yes. The one in my area has a nice two story building that gets off duty officers on the weekend. It also has 2 exits on different corners of the building which helps with getaways.

What's the point of calling yourself a sporting goods store if you
don't sell firearms or hunting equipment? just call yourself a golf
and shoe store.

I've only been in Dick's a couple of times before they quit selling guns. My impression back then was that they had a very small corner of the store that was outdoor sports & the rest of it was dedicated to team sports, clothes, & shoes. Never was my kind of store even when they did sell guns.

I agree. I quit them over a decade ago.

I stopped in to Dick's to look for a leatherman for my nephew before Christmas. At the time my leg was bothering me so I didn't want to walk up and down the store looking for them. It took me quite a while to find someone on the floor to ask where they were hiding them.
They walked me over to the display, and then left me there; for me to realize they were all locked to the rack and to purchase one, I had to find someone to help me. <face palm>
I left.

All of the Dicks in my area stopped selling firearms and accessories several years ago. There's a field and stream that they own nearby and they still have guns.
All of the local Academies have quite a few handguns but I haven't seen an AR on the shelf in a few years.
I wouldn't be surprised if all of the big box stores completely stopped selling firearms.

In my neck of the woods, the notion of purchasing a firearm anywhere expect a private gun shop seems foreign. While I have never personally purchased a firearm at a "sporting goods" department store, I was under the impression Cabela's, Dick's and etc. tend to be pricey. Is there an advantage I am unaware of in choosing a large retailer for firearms purchases?

Yes, Dicks is a store of last ditch desperation for me now. I’ll go in once every couple years.

Too bad really, I bought two guns from them that I got great deals on. The guns have been gone a long time here.

As far as supporting local gun stores, that’s wonderful if you have local gun stores worth supporting. I was telling somebody just the other day about ordering gunpowder online. I got some in this week. Crazy unprecedented high prices, plus paying Hazmat, and shipping. And with all that, it comes out to about two dollars more a pound than the local stores were charging eight years ago.

Dicks is still in business? They opened a store here locally several years ago, then had the big snafu with AR's and no one went to that store. They shut it down. I haven't been into a Dicks since nor will I ever again.

The one's I went into in West Palm Beach and Stuart got rid of them a while ago. Come to think of it, they got rid of the archery supplies/area as well.

I went to Dicks one time and never went back. They were over priced on anything.

Here in Texas, I shop at Academy. How far they have come. I remember when they were just a pure army surplus store with two locations in Austin, TX. Now they are a sporting goods store with lots of locations.

From wikipedia:

"Since September of 2021, Dick’s has been in a multi-year agreement to be the official retail partner of the WNBA."

Questions?

quote:

Originally posted by mrapteam666:
I used to shop at Gaylans all the time when I lived in Columbus, OH.

Then when I relocated to Richmond, VA I continued to shop there.

They used to be a very impressive store on all items not just fishing/ammo/guns.

Then Dicks bought them....

I still remember the exact location in the display case of the Colt Python with a 2.5 inch barrel that was on clearance.

I didn't have the money at the time to buy it and it still haunts me. That is one of the fond memories I have of the Columbus OH Galyan's.

We had a Galyans near my house in GA. I used to be able to get gift cards for them using holiday inn hotel points and bought a few guns from there with those.

I was pretty unhappy when Dicks bought them and stopped selling handguns.

quote:

Originally posted by hjs157:
Is there an advantage I am unaware of in choosing a large retailer for firearms purchases?

Big-box stores usually beat small gun shops with its consistent inventory, the variety & volume of that inventory and ultimately prices.

The flip-side is, that independent gun shop likely has staff that is knowledgeable, the level of customer service may be better and their inventory might be more to your liking. And, your money is going to a local business and not to some large, faceless corporate entity.

As most of us know...not all gun shops are created equal. You need to be the smarter bear when it comes to where you patronize.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:

quote:

Originally posted by vulrath:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Semi-related.
Noticed that the local Academy stores have a much smaller handgun selection & have pretty much no semi-auto rifles, Only shotguns & bolt rifles.

I was at my local Academy yesterday - the shooting accessories and gun racks were barren. Almost like they were selling everything off or something. Haven't seen semi autos outside of 10/22's there in a hot minute (been at least 4-5 years). I think after one of the big shootings or something they "quietly" yanked them off the shelves for the most part and just haven't put them back.

I recall them pulling ARs from the website, but still had them on the shelf in store.
Last time I went by the local Academy, the pistol shelf was 1 section wide. Before, like when I bought my P320 there, it was easily 4-5 cases wide.
Now it's knives & optics, with a tiny pistol selection.

But, their ammo stock has risen dramatically.
Just a bummer that a 20rd box of 5.56 is now $13 when it was something like $8 a few years ago.

Ours still has all the pistols, but the rifle shelves are barren, and the optics selection that USED to fill the wall next to the gun counter is now filled with random crap, and they've got almost no decent scopes (and what they do have in quality scopes more than likely has a BDC reticle).