Local Stores Saying They are Out of Reloading Supplies only to have them in Stock?

[James R. Burke]

Probably to lazy to look for them.

[Fullthrottle]

No I have not heard of any such thing. My local store has plenty of reload components (except certian projectiles) but primers/powders not a problem.

As to the acual question, my guess it you must have talked to an ex-Walmart employee(pronounced, retard), not willing to check the inventory before making that statement! As a matter of fact, around here primer and powder is plentiful compared to a year ago. They usually have enough to go around!

[Fox1]

My guess would be to keep away the "investors" who buy up all the primer inventory then resell it at a huge markup at gunshows.

During "The Crisis" (as I like to refer to it) when primers and ammo were rare, many gun stores made signs to hang right on the front door that read "No, we do not have primers."

At one of my favorite gun stores I jokingly asked, "So when are you going to get primers?"
The owner smiled and said, "In 2 days! Finally have some coming in."
The bad news was I wasn't scheduled to be back through that town for another week.

When I came back a week later, I noticed the sign still hanging in the window. I kind of grumbled about being there 2 days before they finally got primers and then missing the boat because they had all obviously sold out right away. The owner kind of "shushed" me and then he walked over and said he would talk to me about it in a minute.

After he got done helping a customer he motioned me over to the counter he was standing behind and asked what size and how many primers I needed. I told him I'd love a brick of small rifle primers and he ducked down and dug in the bottom of the cabinet and pulled out a new brick. I told him I didn't want to take primers out of his stash and he said they were some from the order he received the week before. When I mentioned the sign still hanging in the door, he said that was "just to keep the jerks away" and that he was going to sell primers to only his regular customers until the supply leveled out again.

I love that he is willing to pass on a lot of cash in hand right now in order to take care of his regular customers like this.

[wncchester]

Well, MY bet is it's a conspiracy! I bet all the dealers in your area use caller ID and tell their clerks to just say "No" when you call. Just because you have a persecution complex doesn't they aren't out to get you!

[dakotashooter2]

Around here they would tell you if they had stuff but would make no assurances if you didn't stop by within a few hours. They were getting flooded with calls from people who wanted to "reserve" primers. They wouldn't do it. Walk ins only, then limits. Since they were mostly under lock and key it made it hard for the specularors and profiteers to get their hands on too many.

[A_Gamehog]

All they need to do is limit your purchase to 1,000 Primers per visit. These store owners are only trying to take care of the many other than the few rich "Hoarders" from out-of-town.

We are our own worst enemy...

(dropped a couple grand there) and thanked the owner for not jacking the prices up
Now every Couple weeks I drop in and buy 1/2 of everything they have on the shelves that I can use (powder and primers)..... that works out to 20,000 primers and 40 lbs of powder!!!! I am a good customer.......

[Brian Pfleuger]

We are our own worst enemy...

Indeed we are.

The very suggestion that a high volume repeat customer is a bad thing...

That's nuts. That should be every business owners DREAM! Setting limits on purchases serves only to eliminate your most profitable customers.

"No sir, I would not like to sell you $2000 worth of merchandise every two weeks. It's much too important that I have a $25 brick of primers for the guy that stops in twice a year."

[alloy]

"No sir, I would not like to sell you $2000 worth of merchandise every two weeks. It's much too important that I have a $25 brick of primers for the guy that stops in twice a year."

In my business that only works if stock is easily replaced. But if it is going to sell at a standard price within the amount of time it takes to get more, I'd rather have the regular customers coming in and buying other things as well instead of avoiding my business because I am out of say for instance....pizza, and won't be able to get any more pizza for 2 months.

For me that's spark plugs, batteries, tires, air filters, motor oil etc. I run out of those and I am out of the game, I can't service the customers and they go elsewhere. With an easily replaceable item, I sell it as fast as possible.

[Brian Pfleuger]

For me that's spark plugs, batteries, tires, air filters, motor oil etc. I run out of those and I am out of business, I can't service the customers and they go elsewhere. With an easily replaceable item, I sell it as fast as possible.

The difference is if the item is your PRIMARY source of income. Primers are NOT.

It's not like pizzas. It's like pineapple topping on my pizzas. If I have a case of pineapple and somebody wants to buy them ALL, for a profitable price for me, and I know that I can't get anymore for two weeks then I'd be a FOOL to not sell them all. The other people between now and then who are wanting pineapple on their pizza will live without it, and they'll still buy pizza from me.

Gunstore:
I'm not selling EVERY SINGLE GUN in the store, I'm selling primers, a small side section of the business. I still have 99% of the products that 99% of my customers are there for and they know that I'll get the other 1% eventually.

[alloy]

I don't know, I go to the same store always....why?
Cause every time I go he sells me a couple hundred primers for 3 bux per. Sometimes he makes a sale on a gun too.
Then again, I don't need a couple thou primers I only would like to replace what I shot up last week...so I am totally out of the hoarding equation.
Why?
Cause he sells me a few hundred whenever I need them.

[Brian Pfleuger]

I don't know, I go to the same store always....why?

Cause every time I go he sells me a couple hundred primers for 3 bux per. Sometimes he makes a sale on a gun too.
Then again, I don't need a couple thou primers so I am totally out of the hoarding equation.

I don't necessarily think that it would be unreasonable to hold back a couple of boxes. Like if I had 50k primers and someone wanted them ALL then I might say "How about 45k? I'd really like to have a couple of boxes for other customers."

I'd make my decision on what to sell based on the response to that. There's another right if business owners... refusing business to anyone at anytime. If they go bonko about only getting 90% of 50k primers, and in this case it's obviously not for reasonable personal use, then I tell them to take a long walk of a short pier.

[alloy]

I should be at work right now but 3 feet of snow and I don't wanna shovel till it's done.

I guess the point I would make is that business sometimes has to be flexible with a particular item's sales if the supply is low and demand high, depends on the item, and especially with items I call consumables, but I trust some level of consistancy to help me not become part of the hoarding problem. Which may or may not be the root of alot of discussions over the last year.

Like an overweight person trying to lose weight....some things are as easy as don't eat so much, and I choose to see primers from that point of view. As mentioned, we could be our own worst enemy.

[Crosshair]

It is probably a case of poorly trained or lazy help. Either they are too lazy to look or are deliberately telling you they are out for any number of poor reasons.

Having worked retail, I can tell you the reason. We hate phone shoppers who ask about fast moving and frequently out of stock product. A customer calls, saying they will be right there, and then shows up a day later and wonders why we are all out, then goes on a tirade about the "poor service". Yes I have had people say that they would be there in an hour and show up a day or two later, then get ****** at ME.

Then there are the ones who call on a Tuesday and whine incessantly asking us to put fast moving product on hold for them until they can get there on the weekend. Unless you pay in advance, discreetly bribe the appropriate employee, or we REALLY like you, you might as well go talk to a wall cause it aint happening.

One also needs to realize that phone customers get bottom priority vs customers who are standing in front of me. If I have 4 people in front of me, each with money in hand and one person on the phone asking about something that will take 5 minutes to look for guess who is gonna get helped first? Call it unfair, but in the medical profession this is called triage.

[Double Naught Spy]

This may just be me, however I have called several local stores to see of they had reloading supplies in, mainly primers, only to have them tell me no. Later when I have gone in I found that they did in fact have them in stock. Once I called and was told they were out only to go into the store an hour later and see them on the shelf. Anyone see anything similar or am I just coming up with some conspiracy theory in my head?

See the fly in the ointment? You call at one time and the answer is NO, but when you visit at some later time, the answer is YES. It is conceivable that the store has added inventory between your call and your visit. However, to test your paranoia, go to a store where you have experienced this and check the shelves for the supplies. If the supplies are present, call them on your cell phone while you are there (not at some later date) and see what answer they give you.

[Shane Tuttle]

Originally Posted by Tex S

Seeing "boolit" spelled like that is aggravating. I guess its cool if you like to appear illiterate, but other than that I don't see a point.

Plus, the mods here don't like it and its not allowed on this board.

Not do dig up an old sore since we've moved on, but a point of clarification is in order for future reference...

Yes, the word "boolit" is frowned upon here. However, the term was used in conjunction with another website. That's where we draw the line. We DO allow the term in this instance since it becomes a proper name of said site. At that point, it's poor form to delete or correct in the name of our rules.

[TheBigO]

Just an update to confirm my suspicion, I called a local gun store from their parking lot on my cell phone. The person inside told me that they had no small pistol primers in stock and to check back later. I then got out of my truck walked inside and guess what.... on the shelf behind the counter was one single box of small pistol primers. So there you have it, you better go in person and make the drive because you might not get the correct info on the phone. I think that they are putting out 1000 at a time and saying that is all they have.

[Double Naught Spy]

Now isn't that cool! Great follow-up! Proper testing can be quite revealing. The next step will be to see if the process is replicable. Try again next week.

[TheBigO]

That is the plan. I am going to try this at two different locations next weekend. I will keep you all posted on what I find. What I want to do is call see if they have them, go in buy what they have, call again and go back in later and see if they have another 1000 on the shelf.

[Ignition Override]

Those comments about sleazy primer scalpers were interesting. They live in this area and resell at shows.
Not knowing the tricks in Memphis-at Bass Pro- to find even my first hundred (got first reload gear from Santa), my brother found 1,000 rds. in southern IN for $50. It was amazing that any store had them. Can't do first solo reloading without them.

peetzakilla:

Would you mind describing the pluses and minuses of cast bullets (boolits), and why they appear to be sold at very low prices sometimes? Might consider buying a couple hundred or so.

Read somewhere also about low muzzle velocities, i.e. 2,000 fps for 8mm Mauser. An 'insurgent grapefruit' at 50 yards might not care, as with the slower bullets from my LE "Jungle Carbine" (2,000 fps).

Can't find the website forum (I read about seven sites) which has a thread about them.
My question would apply to either 8mm Mauser, .303 or both.

Am just a plinker who began my very first reloading: (only) Prvi .303 two weeks ago. My Mauser is an original 48A.
If you prefer a 'pm', anything is appreciated.

[Uncle Buck]

One also needs to realize that phone customers get bottom priority vs customers who are standing in front of me. If I have 4 people in front of me, each with money in hand and one person on the phone asking about something that will take 5 minutes to look for guess who is gonna get helped first? Call it unfair, but in the medical profession this is called triage.

I hate when I am in a store and get put on hold while the clerk answers the phone and discusses the weather, politics and everything in the store. I have walked away from the cash register and left my items sitting on the checkout stand because of this. I do not mind them answering the phone and telling the person on the phone "Welches Gimme Stuff Shop, Would you hold for a minute?" But I have the cash and if I am at the checkout stand, I am ready to leave.

I asked at one of my favorite gun shops if they ever do the 'No Primers here' thing and he said all the time. Unless he knows who you are, he will tell you no, he does not have them. They do not last very long anyways and he would rather have a repeat customer in his shop buying things than a telephone seeker looking for the lowest prices in town. Usually when I am buying primers, he is also selling me bullets and powder, maybe new cases and who knows what else.

This is the same guy who kept his mouth shut when my wife bought me the new Blackhawk revolver. Along with the revolver he also sold her 2K primers. He never let on that she had been in the store and ordered the revolver for me. He will definitely be getting another Christmas card next year.

I think I would do business like he does if I was an established business. Save as much stock for the people who actually come into the store repeatedly instead of the once through customer.

If I was a new business owner, I would tell anyone who called what I had in stock, just to get the traffic into the store. But then again, there are so many different business models and depending on who you talk to, each one has it's merits.

Like the pizza shop. If I went to the pizza shop on the right side of the street and they seemed to never have pineapple, but the one on the left side always seemed to have it, I would eventually quit going to the one on the right because they "never have what I want."

[mapsjanhere]

Telling the guy on the phone you have a limited supply item he's looking for available is not a wise move. The guy is not coming to your store to see your offerings, browse the regular merchandise and walk out with a brick of primer. He's jumping into his car, drives over there, grabs the primer and is out most likely.
So I have to admit to becoming a mini-horder myself. Last visit to sportsmen's I walked out with a couple bricks "large rifle magnum" of a different brand than I normally use thinking "I find a way to use them". My shoulder answered "that's what I'm afraid off".