FFL and selling reloading equipment ?

[Cold Bore]

Between trying to compete with the internet, where everybody can comparison shop in a few minutes (possibly while sitting in front of your shop in their car, after checking out your prices), and the ever-increasing burden of taxes, regulations, insurance and other related bureaucracy, I can't see how a small-time, mom and pop type business, can compete in just about any field right now.

 

[amlevin]

Between trying to compete with the internet, where everybody can comparison shop in a few minutes (possibly while sitting in front of your shop in their car, after checking out your prices), and the ever-increasing burden of taxes, regulations, insurance and other related bureaucracy, I can't see how a small-time, mom and pop type business, can compete in just about any field right now.

It's called "evolution". There was a time when we hunted, harvested, and made just about everything we needed. Then some hunted, harvested, or made, more than they needed and started trading with others.

Today you don't need to go out of your home for just about everything but medical care (and even that can come to you short of major surgery).

I can even sit and do my grocery shopping from my hand-held device if I choose and it will all be delivered within a matter of hours.

When a marketer is faced with building hundreds, if not thousands of stores, with all the overhead involved for property, employees, etc ---OR----- merely take orders electronically and ship from a mega-warehouse located in a central area (think Amazon), why not go after the entire market and utilize the reduced costs of doing business to drive out your small competitors?

About the only small businesses that are surviving today are those that provide skilled services to consumers that they can't provide themselves (or don't want to). Roofing, Plumbing, Electrical, HVAC, etc.