I tried to buy some primers once, empty box in window, simple request, might just as well have asked for the crown jewels, pointless exercise in wasting my breath. SO PLENTY OF ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.
I would have thought reloading components at keen prices would be the way forward, with maybe a discount for NRA members to encourage more to join. Assuming the NRA has sufficient funds to buy at good prices and pass some of the benefit on should be a success.
Lots of good stuff there and I will take it in. Please keep the ideas / thoughts / comments coming.
I intend that, from Easter, the Armoury side of the NRA business will be open whenever the ranges are open plus a bit before and afterwards. That's a hard schedule on the Armoury staff (Fred and Paul plus me as Manager filling in when they take their deserved time off).
The three of us have to justify our existence in cash terms. Some of what we do is core business (ie directly meets the charitable objective so is a legitimate charge on NRA funds), but every department is (rightly) being expected to contribute to the NRA bottom line and I want to do it with things that make members / customers happy to give us money rather than with things that they have to pay if they want to hang onto their guns / sport. Even better, I want to do it with things that make non-members happy to give us money for goods or services provided.
So, more ideas please. This forum is the best customer service review the NRA has right now.
I rang the range office last week to enquire about the cost of N140 to be told that they only sell AA2520 (lovex) I know its a staple .308 powder but with the changing fashions in target calibres maybe a wider range of powders is called for ?
My entire handloading experience (13200 rounds for the GB team to SA leaving next week) has been with Vhit N140. You could say that I didn't realise there was a choice. I will ask questions.
Personally as a non-reloader, I would particularly like to see a choice of factory ammunition. I purchase my 7.62 Once fired from the NSRA because I buy HPS. I sincerely hope that as a commercial venture the 7.62mm ammunition on sale in the NRA would not be restricted to RWS and anything not for competitive use.
I have mentioned before that I will not purchase 7.62mm at 95p. If the NRA can sell HPS 7.62mm for the same price (or a penny cheaper) as the NSRA I would fully support the NRA and buy from them!!! there will always be people who will buy cheaper as well as more expensive.
I would also have the NRA consider what other camp retailers are selling, do you really want to try competing with Fulton's? Maybe not. However, competing against the NSRA I think would be a good idea.
Consider what FB shooters want / need. Make your products appear more appealing than your competitors.
Have you considered looking at other models or taking over a flagging business on camp, turning it around and making it work? There are also common features in shooting that can be sold during any meeting as well as during smallbore events.
What about an HPS franchise within the NRA making sales mutually beneficial? (I might get shot down here but HPS sells and what is the NRA profit at the moment?)
I appreciate that the NRA does not wish to be endangering any other businesses in what they do, however as you are my NRA, I am more concerned with your future right now than some other Shops who promise to do something and never get back etc.
Offering a Registered Firearms Dealer service would be a good touch. It is as easy for many to have firearms sent to the Range Office as it is to make a special journey to another RFD and then on to Bisley to test the item out. An offshoot of this is of course range hire and ammunition sales.
Similarly, I have gone several months trying to source a FAC item for my shotgun. I finally did it last week by going straight to the importer and had it sent to a (not so) local RFD. I would much rather have done this through the NRA and had them benefit from the profit that has been made for next to no work.
I have to agree with above comments re waiting in line to pay for ranges, any shop like dealings would need to be conducted elsewhere or people would quickly become peeved,
DM
Without order and without a goal, six million people unarmed and unprovisioned, driving headlong. It was the beginning of the rout of civilisation, of the massacre of mankind.
Forever Autumn, War of the Worlds.
my view is if the NRA have the staff, and the space then if they can sell reloading and shooting gear they should be able to comfortably undercut F*ltons however that is not the point here. What they should be able to do is catch the casual shopper with small must have bargains and from that point help them to realise that the Armoury/Range office is actually a good and cheap source of consumables.
/d
Du lytter aldrig til de ord jeg siger. Du ser mig kun for det tøj jeg har paa ...
My entire handloading experience (13200 rounds for the GB team to SA leaving next week) has been with Vhit N140. You could say that I didn't realise there was a choice. I will ask questions.
Iain
then I guess you didn't buy it from the range office then :P
My experience as someone who visits once or twice a year is the opportunity to 'stock up' rather than buy bits and pieces is what I'm looking for. In fact I can imagine making a special trip (500 miles round trip) to stock up for all my pals in the NW if the deals are good enough and stock was certainly available.
I think its reasonable to compete with Fultons; they compete with the NSRA already. I would hope a deal could be done with the NSRA that they sell small bore and the NRA sells full bore.
"A man may fight for many things. His country, his friends, his principles, the glistening tear on the cheek of a golden child. But personally, I'd mud-wrestle my own mother for a ton of cash, an amusing clock and a sack of French porn".
European 2012 FTR Champion (November 2012 I had +- 112 very lucky shots in a row)
“F-Open shooters are compensating for something”
I make an awesome friend and even worse enemy.
phil
