Hello OKshooters
Yes I understand the no local retail pick option thing is annoying to some, especially to those who live very close. Honestly if it makes someone feel that the deal is not fair then they should probably buy the ammo elsewhere. The issue is a little more complicated then what you possibly perceive. Its really more about privacy than anything else, but security and efficiency come into play as well. My current warehouse is located directly behind my home on a property zoned for commercial & residential, so having customers come pick up there order would be the same as having them come to my home. I really do not feel comfortable about having strangers stopping by to buy ammo being that I have two children who spend a lot of time outside in the same yard as the warehouse. Additionally I just don't want people stopping in and treating it like an ammo convenience store. We used to allow select customers to stop here and pick up by appointment, however it got out of hand to the point where people we had never spoken to before would just stop by because they hear we had ammo for sale and they wanted to look around and see what we had, it just got very uncomfortable and eventually it had to come to an end. Right now my plate is full and working 98-105 hour work weeks, managing 3 employees, 2-3 LTL semi trucks coming in a day, two full semis a week, 300-600 web orders and packages a day, and trying to maintain some interaction with my family other than what we share through our work. There just is no time to take on a whole new business model. We use the E-commerce business model only where all orders must ship through the same process because it allows us to serve all of our clients quickly, efficiently, fairly and in proper turn. The bright side is that we did recently purchase a new warehouse that is away from the home and after we have moved, adjusted, and settled in there and E-commerce is running smoothly again, then the local pick up option may become available. I really would like to better serve our Stillwater area customers in that regard but this will take time and development, and when it happens it will certainly not be a storefront experience, just a narrow time frame once or twice a week when pick up orders that are made online will be available for pick up. I honestly think that if anyone lives more than 30 miles away its still cheaper to ship if you calculate depreciation on your vehicle, cost of fuel and the value of your time, additionally the convenience of have UPS do all the leg work is really worth something in itself
Regards
sam
Yes I understand the no local retail pick option thing is annoying to some, especially to those who live very close. Honestly if it makes someone feel that the deal is not fair then they should probably buy the ammo elsewhere. The issue is a little more complicated then what you possibly perceive. Its really more about privacy than anything else, but security and efficiency come into play as well. My current warehouse is located directly behind my home on a property zoned for commercial & residential, so having customers come pick up there order would be the same as having them come to my home. I really do not feel comfortable about having strangers stopping by to buy ammo being that I have two children who spend a lot of time outside in the same yard as the warehouse. Additionally I just don't want people stopping in and treating it like an ammo convenience store. We used to allow select customers to stop here and pick up by appointment, however it got out of hand to the point where people we had never spoken to before would just stop by because they hear we had ammo for sale and they wanted to look around and see what we had, it just got very uncomfortable and eventually it had to come to an end. Right now my plate is full and working 98-105 hour work weeks, managing 3 employees, 2-3 LTL semi trucks coming in a day, two full semis a week, 300-600 web orders and packages a day, and trying to maintain some interaction with my family other than what we share through our work. There just is no time to take on a whole new business model. We use the E-commerce business model only where all orders must ship through the same process because it allows us to serve all of our clients quickly, efficiently, fairly and in proper turn. The bright side is that we did recently purchase a new warehouse that is away from the home and after we have moved, adjusted, and settled in there and E-commerce is running smoothly again, then the local pick up option may become available. I really would like to better serve our Stillwater area customers in that regard but this will take time and development, and when it happens it will certainly not be a storefront experience, just a narrow time frame once or twice a week when pick up orders that are made online will be available for pick up. I honestly think that if anyone lives more than 30 miles away its still cheaper to ship if you calculate depreciation on your vehicle, cost of fuel and the value of your time, additionally the convenience of have UPS do all the leg work is really worth something in itself
Regards
sam
