midway

[1moredeer]

Are those stores of similar size, similar staffing numbers, similar assets?

I wouldn't presume to know that information but it doesn't really matter to the buying public. Price, service, and convenience are the only things that matter to the consumer. If they can't or won't offer competitive pricing, great service and an easy way to make a purchase they will alienate customers and lose business to their competitors. Looks like he is more concerned with his assets than he is retaining customers.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Seems to me if you don't have the same supply of items to sell, yet your overhead is still the same, wouldn't you need to increase prices?

Why wouldn't that apply to other retailers? Besides, Larry has a much larger inventory of related items to keep him going. His business isn't confined to reloading components.

IMO and knowing that Midway is one of the largest mass marketers in the country for firearm related supplies, I believe that he is able to purchase goods for LESS then most of his competitors who are quite a bit smaller. However, most of them haven't jacked up there prices like he did.

It almost looks like he added a Covid surcharge to boxes of bullets, cans of powder and other hard to find items.

It's never a good idea to alienate your own customers but Larry certainly seems to have done exactly that. He may get even richer because of it but it still isn't a good idea.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

Are those stores of similar size, similar staffing numbers, similar assets?

Many are probably smaller so they don't get quite the volume deals that Midway can command. This reminds me of stores like Sears and Monty Wards that just were not competitive with Wally world, etc. and didn't try to be. They are now in the ash heap of retail history for all intents and purposes... You can command a bit of premium pricing (ie. Apple) if your products/services are generally better than the competition, but if you are both slinging the same box of bullets into a box and tossing it in the mail, you probably ought to at least try to be close to your competition.

 

[cjl2010]

Man, I don't know. He is higher but it sure doesn't seem gouging higher. But you guys got it figured out, in a world of people trying to take away any and every way for us to buy gun parts and components, let's hope one of the biggest retailers for us across the nation fails?

 

[cjl2010]

Many are probably smaller so they don't get quite the volume deals that Midway can command. This reminds me of stores like Sears and Monty Wards that just were not competitive with Wally world, etc. and didn't try to be. They are now in the ash heap of retail history for all intents and purposes... You can command a bit of premium pricing (ie. Apple) if your products/services are generally better than the competition, but if you are both slinging the same box of bullets into a box and tossing it in the mail, you probably ought to at least try to be close to your competition.

In a shortage like we are seeing, do companies still get volume discounts?

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

In a shortage like we are seeing, do companies still get volume discounts?

I love these straw man arguments... He's probably buying a pallet of whatever he buys when he can get that volume. He will not be paying for a breakdown price at the very least. Most likely he does better than that.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

Man, I don't know. He is higher but it sure doesn't seem gouging higher. But you guys got it figured out, in a world of people trying to take away any and every way for us to buy gun parts and components, let's hope one of the biggest retailers for us across the nation fails?

I live a few minutes from a Scheels and nearly everything they bring in is a better price then Midway at present... They are pricing a bit higher, but not at 3-5X last year like some of these places. (9mm is going for a bit under 40 a hun lately and primers are coming in at 40 or so a brick for the most part... A shopping cart of primers would clear out in a day or two when they show up... The 5.56 and 9 usually show up as a pallet...I wouldn't even tease the idea of ordering online at all but they usually don't have much in the way of oddball stuff...

 

[cjl2010]

I live a few minutes from a Scheels and nearly everything they bring in is a better price then Midway at present... They are pricing a bit higher, but not at 3-5X last year like some of these places. (9mm is going for a bit under 40 a hun lately and primers are coming in at 40 or so a brick for the most part... A shopping cart of primers would clear out in a day or two when they show up... The 5.56 and 9 usually show up as a pallet...I wouldn't even tease the idea of ordering online at all but they usually don't have much in the way of oddball stuff...

I'm the straw man and you talk about a company that doesn't ship hazmat? Nobody knows what the deal is with midway but everybody wants to hate. Good luck to you sir.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

I'm the straw man and you talk about a company that doesn't ship hazmat? Nobody knows what the deal is with midway but everybody wants to hate. Good luck to you sir.

who cares if they don't ship haz-mat... they don't need to as they have a physical store you can buy from...btw. that is more overhead than a warehouse by far...

 

[Ross1147]

From what I've heard suppliers are still sending out product at the same prices. My brother is the head manager at a big box hunting store. He called me 3 weeks ago to tell me he was staring at pallets of powder and primers that they were going to put in the floor the next day (before you ask no, he's a jerk and will not even hide a lb of powder for me ). I ask him if they were marking up the prices and he said not at all. A brick of primers is still being listed at 35 bucks. Said they make a couple cents a brick on primers. If the store he works at still sells at pre-covid prices I'm sure Larry can....but chooses not too.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

We all know what Midway is doing. Lets talk about a major, mail-order retailer that isn't taking advantage of its customers. MIDSOUTH SHOOTERS SUPPLY has always had fair prices, doesn't scalp you for shipping, and normally has an exhaustive inventory. They have NOT increased prices on powder and bullets when they get them. Midsouth is the first place I look now that I put Larry on my list of last places to look.

 

[Mattbowen61990]

Oh yay! another one of these post. On one side there are the people who don't run a business, who don't own buildings that cost money to operate and don't understand more inventory requires more space, more space requires more cost, more cost get passed on to you.
Your LGS is hurting, if they can't get a steady supply of powder, they don't make the sale, they don't make the profit. No ammo on the shelf? Sell less guns=less profit.
Same thing with Midway, there is a price to pay to operate a business that size, websites cost money to maintain, buildings cost money to maintain. Midway has the same shortage, empty shelves setting, every single slot there is an empty, the product in stock has to raise to make up that offset cost. In a warehouse empty space cost as much as filled space if it's empty for long, it cost more than filled space.

Trust me, Midway doesn't care if you won't buy powder of primers from them. Just judging by the speed at which it goes from "in stock" to "not available" means your opinion really doesn't matter. They have more customers now than they can support.

 

[1moredeer]

Found this article this morning, looks like Larry's not running the show at Midway anymore. Also looks like they are relocating to expand the business. I guess they are planning on short term financing for the new facility by raising prices.

MidwayUSA names new CEO

Matt Fleming will take over for Larry Potterfield at the shooting sports and outdoor accessories supplier.

www.columbiamissourian.com

 

[Mass-n-Trash]

Found some powder available I needed at Midway...but then I noticed how they had raised the price. Long story short...out of principle, I passed on the powder. Having said that, It was gone just minutes later.