Gun Stores

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Why does it seem that every gun store has such short hours? For the past 2 weeks I have been trying to make it to 4 seasons and I always seem to get held up doing something and cant make it. Well I could have made it but I dont want to be that guy that rolls in 10 min before closing to buy something. Is there any reason that most of the stores are closed on Sundays? I am just saying that it would be nice for some of the shops in the Worcester area to be open on Sundays. Are there any that I am unaware of?? Sorry about the rant but damn having a LTC without a gun is like when you get your drivers license and you dont have a car to drive. It sucks.
 
I think that this is typical of most non-big-box stores. They are open from 9-5 or 10-6 5 or 6 days a week, so if you work you have to go on Saturday, and if you have something to do on Saturday, you are out of luck. Some shops stay open late one night a week.

If you are shopping for a pre-ban gun like a Glock, look at different shops. I have found that condition varies a lot and you shouldn't feel compelled to buy what a shop has at the moment.
 
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Well most if not all true gun stores are essentially small businesses with a rather limited staff. I think it is mainly due to overhead and costs. In Mass, at least where I live, most car dealerships are closed on Sundays too (when I first moved here, we actually had Blue Laws in effect where most businesses weren't allowed to remain open on Sundays.) Perhaps we have become so conditioned by national chains that we expect retail establishments to be at our beck and call.

Private small businesses frequently cannot offer really good benefits for its employees, and considering that working retail these days seldom guarantees having weekends or even holidays off, then offering Sundays off is a sort of employee benefit. It is also an employer benefit too, as most small businesses owners work their asses off to be successful. Store hours for a small business only tell part of the story. There are many after hours and before hours work that has to be accomplished to keep things running.

Also too, it isn't about you. Any merchant has the right to set the hours he/she wants to be open to the public.

Let me offer some suggestions: if you are a serious prospect, then contact a merchant and see if they could set up a special appointment for you, Even if you showed up just before closing time, no merchant is going to kick you out of the store if you are a serious prospect and not just a "lookey loo" (if you get kicked out of the store that;'s the store's loss not yours), consider a private sale. There are plenty of guns for sale here on NES that only require a FTF transaction and prices for many are quite fair.

Blue Northern (which is a comprehensive old fashioned full line outdoor hunting and fishing store) in Ayer is open on Sundays.

I think you have options here.
 
FS is open late on Thursday nights till like 7:30 or 8 I think.

Rileys in Hooksett NH is also open on Sundays. (I think they are open every day till 5 pm). MFL in Manchester is also open on Sundays (I forget what their hours are, but it's later than Rileys).

In MA there aren't many real gun stores open on Sundays. That's just the way it is. Part of it is a staffing problem. If you are open more than 5 days a week you run into the issue of either having to pay people more than 40 hours (eg, overtime pay) or hiring more people to cover. Monday is usually a garbage day anyways, so most gun shops close sundays and mondays. I think most of them would be better off just shutting down on Mondays and Tuesdays, though.

-Mike
 
It is also an employer benefit too, as most small businesses owners work their asses off to be successful.

There are other problems with Sunday employees:

1. The employee has the RIGHT to decline a Sunday shift.

2. Overtime/premium pay is mandated.

From http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=cagoter...orkplace_sunday_and_holiday&csid=Cago#_Sunday

Time and One-Half Premium Pay and Voluntariness of Employment
As a general rule, if a retailer has more than 7 employees, then any nonexempt workers (meaning those employees who are not exempt administrative, executive, or professional employees under M.G.L. c. 151, § 1A (3)) must receive Sunday Premium Pay, at a rate of pay at least one and one-half times their regular hourly rate. M.G.L. Chapter 136, § 6 (50). However, regardless of whether an employee is exempt from premium pay, employers covered by the statute cannot require employees to work on Sunday, and an employee's refusal to work may not be grounds for discrimination, dismissal, discharge, reduction in hours, or any other penalty. M.G.L. Chapter 136, § 6 (50).

A retail employer who fails to pay Sunday premium pay as required may be fined up to $1,000. M.G.L. Chapter 136, §§ 6 (50) and (52); M.G.L. Chapter 149, § 180A. Additionally, a retail employer who requires an employee to work on Sunday may be fined up to $1,000. M.G.L. Chapter 136, §§ 6 (50) and (52); M.G.L. Chapter 149, § 180A.
 
I would NEVER shop at The Gun Room in Shrewsbury. Rude people who think they know everything. Even calling them on a phone to see if they have something is a joke. And thEIr prices are through the roof on everything. I would never give them my money. May not be "local", but StateLine Gun Shop right over the line in NH is always a good place to go. That's a REAL gun store, where people actually don't mind shooting the crap with you. Always nice people there. Sunday hours are 12-4, and its not that far.
 
I would NEVER shop at The Gun Room in Shrewsbury. Rude people who think they know everything. Even calling them on a phone to see if they have something is a joke. And thEIr prices are through the roof on everything. I would never give them my money. May not be "local", but StateLine Gun Shop right over the line in NH is always a good place to go. That's a REAL gun store, where people actually don't mind shooting the crap with you. Always nice people there. Sunday hours are 12-4, and its not that far.

Huh , I've never heard about the Gun Room that before .
 
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I would NEVER shop at The Gun Room in Shrewsbury. Rude people who think they know everything. Even calling them on a phone to see if they have something is a joke. And thEIr prices are through the roof on everything. I would never give them my money. May not be "local", but StateLine Gun Shop right over the line in NH is always a good place to go. That's a REAL gun store, where people actually don't mind shooting the crap with you. Always nice people there. Sunday hours are 12-4, and its not that far.

Huh , I've never heard that about the Gun Room before .

damn , double taps .....
 
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The last time I checked, R&R in Belchertown was open to 8:00pm Mondays through Friday, 6:00pm (IIRC) on Saturdays, and 9am-3pm on Sundays.

The last time I checked.
 
Not to make this into a Gun Room sucks thread...

But...... I wouldnt give the Gun Room my business on ANY day of the week.........I used to buy some odds and ends there, quite a a bit of reloading supplies even though they are a bit over priced and usually you had to blow the dust off of it......might have bought a gun or two........I actually spent a decent amount in there buying that stuff over the years.....at least I was supporting an LGS right? Though Dowd owns it, and I don't like giving him any money, it was pretty much the only game in town where I could go from work at lunch and browse and pick up a few things.....

Last time I went in there, as I was looking thru the racks I over heard one of DB counter help say..."oh..that guy...he never buys anything......I walked out...never to return. Mind you this was not the only issue I've had with them over the years, this was the final straw though.......

Now I need reloading stuff it's either online, or over the line with the NH tax stimulus plan. Thanks to the Gun Room I save more money that way.
 
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Not to make this into a Gun Room sucks thread...

But...... I wouldnt give the Gun Room my business on ANY day of the week.........I used to buy some odds and ends there, quite a a bit of reloading supplies even though they are a bit over priced and usually you had to blow the dust of it......might have bought a gun or two over the years........I actually spent a decent amount in there buying that stuff over the years.....at least I was supporting an LGS right?

Last time I went in there, as I was looking thru the racks I over heard one of DB counter help say..."oh..that guy...he never buys anything......I walked out...never to return. Now I need reloading stuff it's either online, or over the line with the NH tax stimulus plan.

I drive by the gun room everyday on the way to and from work. After reading about it a few times on here I dont want to give them my business either. I have not read one good review and dont want my first time buying a gun to suck.

I mean I am not trying to be an ass but It would make much more since to me, and I think they would make more money, if most stores took say Monday and Tuesday off. I know that working the weekends suck because I have worked in retail for plenty of years. I know that it sucks to work on Sundays but if you can get more customers in your store and in turn make more money for the business it makes since to me.
 
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Northeast Trading Co. in North attleboro is open M-F 9-8 sat 7-5 and sun 7-2. cant ask for much better hours than that

Fred, who works there sells cast boolits at reasonable prices from his home. When he first got into casting commercially, someone said they would not buy his boolits. Then when it was discovered that Fred supplied "someone's" supplier, someone wanted to cut out the middle man. Fred said no thanks.

I have given Fred lead that helped move things along in the beginning and he is a good guy in my mind. Occasionally, I stop in to chat with Fred but haven't spent a nickel there in a long time.

Sent from the Hyundai of the droids, the Samsung Replenish, using Tapatalk.
 
I mean I am not trying to be an ass but It would make much more since to me, and I think they would make more money, if most stores took say Monday and Tuesday off. I know that working the weekends suck because I have worked in retail for plenty of years. I know that it sucks to work on Sundays but if you can get more customers in your store and in turn make more money for the business it makes since to me.

Unfortunately the reality is...retail is all about shopping when people have time....especially for toys.......and for most that's still weekends or nights. One of my favorite shops is only open nights and weekends.
 
If you call me at Remsport I will make provisions to meet you at the shop during after hours. Just call me.
Thanks
John
413 579 1994
 
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Not to make this into a Gun Room sucks thread...

But...... I wouldnt give the Gun Room my business on ANY day of the week.........I used to buy some odds and ends there, quite a a bit of reloading supplies even though they are a bit over priced and usually you had to blow the dust off of it......might have bought a gun or two........I actually spent a decent amount in there buying that stuff over the years.....at least I was supporting an LGS right? Though Dowd owns it, and I don't like giving him any money, it was pretty much the only game in town where I could go from work at lunch and browse and pick up a few things.....

Last time I went in there, as I was looking thru the racks I over heard one of DB counter help say..."oh..that guy...he never buys anything......I walked out...never to return. Mind you this was not the only issue I've had with them over the years, this was the final straw though.......

Now I need reloading stuff it's either online, or over the line with the NH tax stimulus plan. Thanks to the Gun Room I save more money that way.

Whadya mean Dowd owns it? I thought he sold that off many years ago. I actually enjoyed his shop in Northboro. He was willing to wheel and deal and when he decided to close shop he gave me some fantastic deals on components.

I've bought a few things in the gun room over the years...it depends who is working the store. Its true that you won't find much in the way of deals there.

I'm in the same boat as the OP but my issue is with stores closed on Mondays. I'm off Mondays and sometimes take rides to visit gun shops. Many that are closed on Mondays never get the pleasure of hosting me as a shopper.
 
True, but we wont hire someone who cant work sundays. Its retail, people want to shop on sundays, someones got to work.

I was just gonna reply to his post with a "haha, you've never worked retail in MA, huh?" Not only will you not be hired, but if you suddenly pull out the "i can't work sundays" card, you'll find yourself w/o any hours.
 
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