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Would you patronize a "Prepper Supply" store?
- Thread starter StevieP
- Start date
In this context, people aren't lazy at all. I can get a better product - or the exact product I want - for less money faster by ordering online than I can by going to a shop that I have to go out of my way to get to and may or may not have what I want. Best of all, I save myself a lot of time, which for me is the most valuable commodity there is.
Why would anybody spend hours driving around, going from store to store looking for something when they can order it on their lunch break and have it at their door in 2 days?
it is not always cheaper on line and I am very impatient, when I decide to buy something I don't want to wait
in
In God We Trust
NES Member
Make sure you have a big parking lot to accommodate all the undercover Feds.
LOL. Bad idea IMHO.
Without an FFL, there's nothing you could sell that I couldn't find online, more easily and conveniently, with more information/research provided, and for less. If you want to make a brick & mortar store successful, you need to offer something that people can't get online and that they're willing to pay for.
Gas is $3.50+/gallon, and my time is priceless. If I have to buy anything, I'd rather do it from my computer at work, or from my laptop at 11pm after my wife and kids have gone to bed, rather than waste my Saturday afternoon driving around from store to store.
These days, I rarely buy anything besides groceries from brick & mortar stores...
Gas is $3.50+/gallon, and my time is priceless. If I have to buy anything, I'd rather do it from my computer at work, or from my laptop at 11pm after my wife and kids have gone to bed, rather than waste my Saturday afternoon driving around from store to store.
These days, I rarely buy anything besides groceries from brick & mortar stores...
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If you combined reasonable prices with incredible expertise, I would probably be willing to spend a bit more at a local shop.
The restaurant I frequent most doesn't have the absolute best food in its category, but it's drop-dead consistent and the staff treats us great.
The restaurant I frequent most doesn't have the absolute best food in its category, but it's drop-dead consistent and the staff treats us great.
I used to use Peapod here and Safeway delivery in AZ. Problem is they generally suck at selecting produce and I also have to say "no substitutions" on certain items or else they would give me cat food instead of tuna fish if my brand was out....I hate the grocery story..
Years ago when there was one outside of Spags, a high school teacher I knew at Voke (he was the Freshman auto-shop teacher) got curious and stopped to talk to the vendor. The vendor gave him rough numbers on hours worked, product costs, etc. After doing some quick math on his way home and estimating how many hotdogs this cart probably sold per day, he guesstimated the vendor made more than him per year...
![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
I agree that it would be hard to compete with the online stuff.
That said if you built your model on a store with the stuff and classes, experience based knowledge you might make a go of it.
There is so much S#!t out there now it is hard to tell what is worth it and what isn't. A store front where you can put your hands on an item to feel how well it is built and how it works would be worth something.
Would that be enough???
You could also offer a 'taste it before you buy it" feature for all the long life foods.
I suspect there will be a lot of people wishing they had bought more Tabasco if the SHTF and their eating that stuff for days on end.
That said if you built your model on a store with the stuff and classes, experience based knowledge you might make a go of it.
There is so much S#!t out there now it is hard to tell what is worth it and what isn't. A store front where you can put your hands on an item to feel how well it is built and how it works would be worth something.
Would that be enough???
You could also offer a 'taste it before you buy it" feature for all the long life foods.
I suspect there will be a lot of people wishing they had bought more Tabasco if the SHTF and their eating that stuff for days on end.
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Though this over ( the store ) and dropped the idea before.
One possible upside is the chance of going out of business with a F-ton of wholesale supplies left over in your cellar - obviously I'm a money retard but I bet one could work out a personal horde for four or five families at a discount ... Maybe.
One possible upside is the chance of going out of business with a F-ton of wholesale supplies left over in your cellar - obviously I'm a money retard but I bet one could work out a personal horde for four or five families at a discount ... Maybe.
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You would have a better chance opening a franchise.
Be careful though - some franchises are gold mines (these are the ones that require a lot of capital, and are hard to get approved for - McDonalds, Dunkins, etc.) and some are little more than low wage jobs in business that repeatedly fail and get re-sold to new suckers (Sign-a-rama).
Be careful though - some franchises are gold mines (these are the ones that require a lot of capital, and are hard to get approved for - McDonalds, Dunkins, etc.) and some are little more than low wage jobs in business that repeatedly fail and get re-sold to new suckers (Sign-a-rama).
StevieP
NES Member
Ayup - everything's on the table. I actually did send for a bunch of franchise information, last night. As mentioned in post #1, she's been in insurance for most of her adult life. Allstate has franchises available in the area we're looking to move to -- western NC (Morganton, Lenoir, Hickory, Marion and surrounding areas).
Thanks everyone. Keep the ideas coming for businesses which can be run by your average couple. I'll have the equity in my house ($200k), 401k (~$350k before tax considerations), and savings to put toward making a complete life reboot.
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The general rule with franchises is that if you aren't already financially secure, you can't afford a "good" one. If the franchise company does not insist on a solid record of proven business/management experience, and will accept you without it, watch out.
The second and third tier franchises are often little more than "sign away your life savings, slave 12x7, and make less than minimum or perhaps even lose money".
Artie
NES Member
Worked for Ron Emma. I am pretty sure he started out with a hot dog truck at the baseball fields in Bridgewater
www.emmaspubandpizza.com
I would say that, in general, a small business could NOT be run by your average couple. The average couple doesn't have the stamina, commitment and willingness to invest the money, risk and time into such a venture.
I'm a small business accountant, and I've seen more than my share of small business successes and failures. And with the exception of consultants or those who have exceptional technical skills which they can sell, the one thing that all the successes have in common is that they all take a lot of WORK. We're talking 12+ hours a day, 6-7 days a week, no weekends, no vacations, no personal time for a substantial stretch of time.
If you're not passionate and committed to the business, and willing to basically dedicate your life to getting it up and running, a small business may not be for you.
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I agree. Today people don't have the time to be driving everywhere for a deal. It's called convenience.
