Lay Away Plans a thing of the past.

stikbutter · 11-01-2007, 09:29 PM

I went to Academy Sports today to make a

payment om my Mossberg and the man behind the counter told me its a good thing I did it when I did because they are no longer are doing layaway. He said 20% of their firearm sales were layaway and 15% percent would come back and cancel the sale and get their money back, or just not come back. I went to walmart after that for baby food and went over to sporting goods like I always do, and ask the man if they were still doing layaways and he said no for the same reason. That sure does put a crimp in my gun buying. As always takes a couple of bad apples to ruin the whole barrel. I'm gonna have to find another way.

mrbassantlers · 11-01-2007, 09:38 PM

Check out gunbroker.com or auctionarms.com, some of the bigger gun dealers on there are still advertising layaway and/or financing plans.

mrloring · 11-01-2007, 09:43 PM

Walmart now only does layaway on jewelery. My local gun shop has a one year layaway plan and doesn't charge any extra fees!

stikbutter · 11-01-2007, 09:50 PM

Yeah I gonna go check the local shops here as well. The couple I have checked are crazy. For the same Mossberg 4x4 in 308 they wanted 450.00 Academy had it for 298.00. I know support your local but economics are economics.

troy2000 · 11-01-2007, 10:25 PM

Centerfire Arms in Riverside, CA still does layaway.

They have another habit I like: when they tie a price tag to a gun it has not only the retail price, but an "out-the-door" number that includes all fees and taxes. So you know to the penny what your actual cost will be, before they ring it up.

.22guy · 11-01-2007, 10:57 PM

That's a really good idea Troy. I hate having to figure out that stuff before I make a purchase. Besides, doing the math gives me time to talk myself out of it.

SPOCAHP ANAR · 11-01-2007, 11:24 PM

That's only 3 sales out of every on hundred that would cancel. Not a very good policy to say PISS OFF to 17 other buyers.

toolman · 11-01-2007, 11:43 PM

Yeah, most of the large retailers want you to go the "store credit card" route. The only problem with that is, I despise credit cards! I believe them to be the most evil thing Satan ever created.

cubbieman · 11-02-2007, 05:42 AM

why not just take the money you would put into lay away payments and put it aside in a wad of cash until you have enough for the gun? it takes the same amount of time to get it anyways.

TexasT · 11-02-2007, 06:08 AM

^When you have a spouse and kids...there is no money if you put it aside like that. You'll always find something else you can do with it.

troy2000 · 11-02-2007, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cubbieman

why not just take the money you would put into lay away payments and put it aside in a wad of cash until you have enough for the gun? it takes the same amount of time to get it anyways.

Well, that doesn't work very well with impulse purchases. If you see a particular milsurp or other used weapon you want on the shelves, it may be gone before you get back with the cash. And even with new ones they may be out of stock by the time you get the money together, or the price may have gone up. Or the sale might be over...

I've bought three or four guns at Centerfire Arms. Since California has a 10-day waiting period anyway, I usually hand them a down payment to start the clock ticking, and pay the rest when I come in to pick up my new toy. That gives me another paycheck to spread the financial hit a little.

Rave · 11-02-2007, 09:28 AM

This may be stretching it a bit,but like the Rhino in California blessing the fireing pin business,thus helping to pave the way to no California pistol sales,this may be another step toward doing away with cash and going to all plastic?

troy2000 · 11-02-2007, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rave

This may be stretching it a bit,but like the Rhino in California blessing the fireing pin business,thus helping to pave the way to no California pistol sales,this may be another step toward doing away with cash and going to all plastic?

I wouldn't say it's part of a conspiracy, Rave. But it's definitely part of a trend in the direction you're talking about...

stikbutter · 11-02-2007, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasT

^When you have a spouse and kids...there is no money if you put it aside like that. You'll always find something else you can do with it.

Amen to that when the kids come and give the puppy dog face I'm done. My wife says I have a lolly pop on my forehead but I cant help it, its those big eyes and droopy lower lip that gets me.LOL

SilverRun · 11-02-2007, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasT

^When you have a spouse and kids...there is no money if you put it aside like that. You'll always find something else you can do with it.

Yep, some emergency seems to always require you to spend what you have put back. Funny thing is, that when you do the layaway and the emergency comes up - the money still seems to show up from somewhere. That's why I do the layaway deal as well. I am lucky that my local gun shop will let me do 1/3 down and the rest in two months. I have a Glock 34 waiting on me now! Sometimes this is the only way to go for working folks - especially those with a kid in college and a wife with a shoe fetish!

lefty o · 11-02-2007, 07:51 PM

i personally would never even consider using layaway, but from a stores standpoint it makes sense to offer it. they basically give the incentive to buy something you could not otherwise afford. seems like an easy way to increase sales, with the only negative being the small administrative costs. plus they hold some of your money, making interest off of it while you pay it off.

stikbutter · 11-02-2007, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverRun

Yep, some emergency seems to always require you to spend what you have put back. Funny thing is, that when you do the layaway and the emergency comes up - the money still seems to show up from somewhere. That's why I do the layaway deal as well. I am lucky that my local gun shop will let me do 1/3 down and the rest in two months. I have a Glock 34 waiting on me now! Sometimes this is the only way to go for working folks - especially those with a kid in college and a wife with a shoe fetish!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA LMAO mine likes shoes to and pures that match.

BattleRifleG3 · 11-03-2007, 07:16 PM

Layaway with no extra fees makes sense. Layaway with no cancellation fee doesn't. May depend on the type of store and goods. Type of goods would also affect whether layaway makes sense to you.

If a store stocks a product regularly, it amkes no sense to lay it away vs saving up for it. However if it's a rare item or an unbeatable price, laying it away makes sense. So the independent gun shops have more incentive to do it in the first place. Also, if X percent of customers jerk out of the deal, a big store, usually a chain that sells new guns at lower prices, will get hurt more. Also, if they hold a hard line and the customer makes a public stink, it affects a larger store, maybe even the whole chain.

One gun shop had so many layaway cancellations that they would keep layaway guns on the shelf to show people who would be interested if the layaway was cancelled.

aris_unlimited · 11-04-2007, 01:00 AM

Wal-mart does not allow lay-a-ways here either, but thankfully all the gun stores I go to still do. They realize that not many people can walk in and just throw down $400 and up (depending on the type of gun) on a gun and not have it alter their lifestyle for that pay period at least.

SPOCAHP ANAR · 11-04-2007, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lefty o

i personally would never even consider using layaway, but from a stores standpoint it makes sense to offer it.

I don't usually use lay-away either, and I definately will not use a credit card. If the item I want is less than $300 I will usually buy it outright, anything over that I will layaway just because I don't like to spend that much money all at once. Just in case of an emergency, ya know, and to keep the wife from saying "You spent how much on another gun?"

11-01-2007, 09:29 PM	#1
stikbutter Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Keystone Hieghts FL Posts: 354	Lay Away Plans a thing of the past. I went to Academy Sports today to make a payment om my Mossberg and the man behind the counter told me its a good thing I did it when I did because they are no longer are doing layaway. He said 20% of their firearm sales were layaway and 15% percent would come back and cancel the sale and get their money back, or just not come back. I went to walmart after that for baby food and went over to sporting goods like I always do, and ask the man if they were still doing layaways and he said no for the same reason. That sure does put a crimp in my gun buying. As always takes a couple of bad apples to ruin the whole barrel. I'm gonna have to find another way.

11-01-2007, 09:38 PM	#2
mrbassantlers Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: north central Oklahoma Posts: 84	Check out gunbroker.com or auctionarms.com, some of the bigger gun dealers on there are still advertising layaway and/or financing plans. __________________ Never try to teach a pig to sing.... it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

11-01-2007, 10:25 PM	#5
troy2000 Resident Armed Liberal Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Southern California Posts: 9,465 Images: 9	Centerfire Arms in Riverside, CA still does layaway. They have another habit I like: when they tie a price tag to a gun it has not only the retail price, but an "out-the-door" number that includes all fees and taxes. So you know to the penny what your actual cost will be, before they ring it up. __________________ If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. -Anatole France

11-01-2007, 10:57 PM	#6
.22guy Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 4,158	That's a really good idea Troy. I hate having to figure out that stuff before I make a purchase. Besides, doing the math gives me time to talk myself out of it. __________________ Guns: they are like baseball cards except they are cool and you can kill things with em. -Billy

11-01-2007, 11:24 PM	#7
SPOCAHP ANAR Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: SC-upstate Posts: 4,096 Images: 3 Blog Entries: 4	That's only 3 sales out of every on hundred that would cancel. Not a very good policy to say PISS OFF to 17 other buyers. __________________ Spocrest Out!..........

11-01-2007, 09:43 PM	#3
mrloring Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 10	Walmart now only does layaway on jewelery. My local gun shop has a one year layaway plan and doesn't charge any extra fees!

11-01-2007, 09:50 PM	#4
stikbutter Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Keystone Hieghts FL Posts: 354	Yeah I gonna go check the local shops here as well. The couple I have checked are crazy. For the same Mossberg 4x4 in 308 they wanted 450.00 Academy had it for 298.00. I know support your local but economics are economics.

11-01-2007, 11:43 PM	#8
toolman Mr. Fixit Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: abilene,tx Posts: 5,582 Blog Entries: 22	Yeah, most of the large retailers want you to go the "store credit card" route. The only problem with that is, I despise credit cards! I believe them to be the most evil thing Satan ever created. __________________ Don't be messin' with my gun!

11-02-2007, 05:42 AM	#9
cubbieman Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Alaska Posts: 1,481	why not just take the money you would put into lay away payments and put it aside in a wad of cash until you have enough for the gun? it takes the same amount of time to get it anyways.

11-02-2007, 06:08 AM	#10
TexasT Mrs. HMFIC Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Everywhere you want to be. Posts: 4,218 Blog Entries: 16	^When you have a spouse and kids...there is no money if you put it aside like that. You'll always find something else you can do with it. __________________ I'm just a little bit caught in the middle. Life is a maze. Love is a riddle.

11-02-2007, 09:28 AM	#12
Rave Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tampa Posts: 6,877	This may be stretching it a bit,but like the Rhino in California blessing the fireing pin business,thus helping to pave the way to no California pistol sales,this may be another step toward doing away with cash and going to all plastic? __________________ USAF '62-'66 .

11-02-2007, 07:51 PM	#16
lefty o Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: mn Posts: 4,807	i personally would never even consider using layaway, but from a stores standpoint it makes sense to offer it. they basically give the incentive to buy something you could not otherwise afford. seems like an easy way to increase sales, with the only negative being the small administrative costs. plus they hold some of your money, making interest off of it while you pay it off.

11-03-2007, 07:16 PM	#18
BattleRifleG3 Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Western PA Posts: 11,401 Images: 13	Layaway with no extra fees makes sense. Layaway with no cancellation fee doesn't. May depend on the type of store and goods. Type of goods would also affect whether layaway makes sense to you. If a store stocks a product regularly, it amkes no sense to lay it away vs saving up for it. However if it's a rare item or an unbeatable price, laying it away makes sense. So the independent gun shops have more incentive to do it in the first place. Also, if X percent of customers jerk out of the deal, a big store, usually a chain that sells new guns at lower prices, will get hurt more. Also, if they hold a hard line and the customer makes a public stink, it affects a larger store, maybe even the whole chain. One gun shop had so many layaway cancellations that they would keep layaway guns on the shelf to show people who would be interested if the layaway was cancelled. __________________ Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf

11-04-2007, 01:00 AM	#19
aris_unlimited Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Payson, UT Posts: 82	Wal-mart does not allow lay-a-ways here either, but thankfully all the gun stores I go to still do. They realize that not many people can walk in and just throw down $400 and up (depending on the type of gun) on a gun and not have it alter their lifestyle for that pay period at least. __________________ "Strength is not in numbers, it's in singular determination." Life Member NRA Life Member NAHC