Big 5 Sporting Goods

[rr2030]

Today I dropped into our local Big Five Sporting Goods for a non firearm related purchase. Wile there I cruised by the firearms section, it was empty other than a few pellet rifles and a display case full of pellet pistols. I asked the clerk if they stopped selling firearms which he replied , no they just sold out of everything and were getting a few firearms a week.

I thought it was an odd answer because the firearm display area was empty and shelving to accommodate other than firearms was in place. After pressuring the clerk, he confessed they were phasing out firearm sales and were shifting focus to the lucrative electronics and ear-bud retailing business. My reply was, they wont be around much longer. Not because of the lack of firearms sales, but because they are embracing the electronic gadget sales market, oh brother.

Now I know many here may say, Big 5, big deal, I never purchased a firearm from them, so what. Yes, I agree however it was a good source for a Ruger 10/22 or that 10 or 12 ga Remington 870 for under $300. Also a great source for .22 ammo. You just had to peal through the weekly add for whats on sale.

Sad thing, it's another firearm retailer that gave up. The trend is away from the outdoors, hunting , fishing and recreational shooting and has shifted to Gym's and internet cafe's, and now electronic ear-buds........

BTW: The location of this store is Thousand Oaks, Калифорния

 

[Bill K]

Sounds like my local Walmart. They stopped handgun ammo and AR-15 ammo sales, when they bought into the kool aid that went around on assault rifles and handguns a year back. Now the other day, every other cartridge make and style is gone, the shelves are empty and they have a sign on the cabinets, "We no longer sell ammunition" . It is really getting crazy with these people and their belief that they will stop criminals from getting guns and ammo.

 

[ronsatspokane]

Reminds me of a scene out of a movie called Idiocracy. 300 years in the future Starbucks is a whore house. Only a step away once becoming a gym and internet cafe.

 

[rr2030]

Sounds like my local Walmart. They stopped handgun ammo and AR-15 ammo sales.

Was in the Simi Valley store last week. No ammunition sales whatsoever.

 

[Joe Maisto]

Reminds me of a scene out of a movie called Idiocracy. 300 years in the future Starbucks is a whore house. Only a step away once becoming a gym and internet cafe.

Internet cafe...that is my biggest beef with Starbucks. How they allow anyone to buy a cup of coffee and take up hours at a table to be on there pc...is a turnoff. Are they not aware?

 

[Bill K]

Really don't care what Starbucks does not days anyway. I gave up spending any money at their places when the supported gun control/confiscation and queers and same sex marriage. Have not been into one of their places for over 2 years now and will continue to avoid them, like the plaque.

 

[MGYSGT]

When they turned Police Officers away did it for me. As for the original post, am I seeing most of these stores are in Taxifornia?

 

[Bill K]

The vast majority of them are.. I believe they are following the communist ideas, issued out of sacramento politics, at the present time.

 

[NorCalMikie]

I believe they are following the communist ideas, issued out of Sacramento politics, at the present time.

Only WE as voters can TRY to change that. The old saying? Good luck with that.

 

[wkdickinson]

Sounds like my local Walmart. They stopped handgun ammo and AR-15 ammo sales, when they bought into the kool aid that went around on assault rifles and handguns a year back. Now the other day, every other cartridge make and style is gone, the shelves are empty and they have a sign on the cabinets, "We no longer sell ammunition" . It is really getting crazy with these people and their belief that they will stop criminals from getting guns and ammo.

I don't think that it has anything to do with the idea of "stopping criminals from getting guns and ammo". I believe they have caved to pressure from the far left, those that want to fundamentally change our society. The same ones who are talking about abolishing the police, prisons and ultimately gun confiscation. Walmart and the other retailers who have done the same thing, think their actions will placate that group and they will be left alone. That may be true for a while, but that same group also believes that profit and personal property are bad things. How will those businesses deal with that concept when it's time comes?

 

[Straightshooter1]

Frankly, I feel it has much more to do what our court systems involving Tort Laws. Having been involved in the insurance industry for 45+ years, I've seen what these laws have been doing to business where large class action suits are filed often resulting in huge settlements that can devastate even the largest of companies. While the laws are good, how they're applied often is not. And so, I can see a company like Dick's (struggling in these economic times) making a risk management move to reduce or eliminate exposure to what is becoming bigger and bigger exposures to loss as courts are giving large settlements over the years to class action liability claims for losses from events involving firearms. And it's NOT just firearms.

 

[Riesel]

I've read a lot about how stores like Walmart, Dick's Sporting Goods, and others are phasing out the guns and ammo section of their stores. It's a different
marketing world out there. The gun and ammo section in a Walmart was for the men. Wife wanted to go to the store, Dad's pick was Walmart because they had guns, fishing,
camping, automotive etc so while Wife or the kids Mom was cruising the back to school or Christmas stuff Dad could stay occupied browsing. Guns and Ammo are loss leaders, there
is no money made and profit per square foot is dismal. It eats up an employees time showing the person every other thing in the case, showing a rifle, then another, and another.
These companies and these stores saw an opportunity and took it. They sold almost all their inventory and are as happy as they can be and will be replacing it with more ear
buds, sneakers, and clothing. That's were the real money is. The time will come when almost all gun and ammo sales will be in bonafide guns stores that don't sell
sneaker, clothing and every other thing you kid needs for sports. This will be part of the "New Normal" Better start getting use to it. Also, they can sell all that other stuff on line
hassle free.

 

[wkdickinson]

No question, business is totally about return on investment and the bigger the business the more it is driven by the numbers, as Riesel stated. That said, there is also the "public image" factor at play (which relates to my previous post). Dick's and to a lesser degree Walmart can now claim the high moral ground by having had an epiphany about the immorality of selling firearms and ammunition, even though that is likely secondary to "the numbers". They will exploit it to their benefit, or attempt to, Dick's certainly has tried. I'm not sure that they've found that strategy particularly successful though.

 

[wedgy]

Interesting decision from Big 5 in that the only reason they got to reopen from the covid closure was that they SOLD GUNS and deemed essential(gun stores were initially closed then ordered reopened in CA). As stated they are a good source of .22's and bird shot, but I hate seeing any gun store close.

 

[ronsatspokane]

Internet cafe...that is my biggest beef with Starbucks. How they allow anyone to buy a cup of coffee and take up hours at a table to be on there pc...is a turnoff. Are they not aware?

It's a hipster wannabe pickup joint. The problem being deciding whose mothers basement to return to once the pickup is complete.

 

[PatMiles]

Big 5 here in Albuquerque is the five and dime version of a decent sporting goods store. Absolute crap in every department.

 

[hoz53]

Today I dropped into our local Big Five Sporting Goods for a non firearm related purchase. Wile there I cruised by the firearms section, it was empty other than a few pellet rifles and a display case full of pellet pistols. I asked the clerk if they stopped selling firearms which he replied , no they just sold out of everything and were getting a few firearms a week.

I thought it was an odd answer because the firearm display area was empty and shelving to accommodate other than firearms was in place. After pressuring the clerk, he confessed they were phasing out firearm sales and were shifting focus to the lucrative electronics and ear-bud retailing business. My reply was, they wont be around much longer. Not because of the lack of firearms sales, but because they are embracing the electronic gadget sales market, oh brother.

Now I know many here may say, Big 5, big deal, I never purchased a firearm from them, so what. Yes, I agree however it was a good source for a Ruger 10/22 or that 10 or 12 ga Remington 870 for under $300. Also a great source for .22 ammo. You just had to peal through the weekly add for whats on sale.

Sad thing, it's another firearm retailer that gave up. The trend is away from the outdoors, hunting , fishing and recreational shooting and has shifted to Gym's and internet cafe's, and now electronic ear-buds........

BTW: The location of this store is Thousand Oaks, Калифорния

in one of the walmarts close to me the other day and there was nothing in the gun or ammo cabinets. I asked the help what was going on and one told me they were just remodeling- another employee told me they are getting out of firearms all together.

 

[dolek]

I just bought the last of the primers my local Walmart had, CCIs and some Sierra bullets made my day . People can complain all they want,but when Walmart has primers and none of the small shops do I have no loyalty...I will shop anywhere that has what I need .

 

[coldboreshot]

Reminds me of a scene out of a movie called Idiocracy. 300 years in the future Starbucks is a whore house. Only a step away once becoming a gym and internet cafe.

$6 for a " specialty" coffee, its a whore house today.

 

[coldboreshot]

Internet cafe...that is my biggest beef with Starbucks. How they allow anyone to buy a cup of coffee and take up hours at a table to be on there pc...is a turnoff. Are they not aware?

It wouldn't bother ME so much if they were online searching for ammo deals.