Black Friday is now over...... I want your thoughts.

I see black Friday and holiday sales alike in two ways.

On the consumer side, I see it as a way for someone who wasn't quite ready to pull the trigger on an item to buy it, as it most likely discounted. This can be good in numerous ways; if it's a firearm purchase (especially a first time purchase) , well then that's another firearm in a responsible owners hand. Secondly, money for most is tough to come by. Who doesn't like to save some money? As for buying unnecessary items, well that's the consumers problem. I'm hoping retails still make money on every purchase, by no means should someone expect to pay less than cost no matter how good the deal is.

For the retailers? Well this can be tricky. With sales constantly happening, regardless of black Friday or not, that dilutes the value of a regular retail priced item. Why would anyone want to pay full price for an item when they know if they wait a month that item will be significantly less. This puts retailers in a tough spot, as they won't get sales unless that item is absolutely necessary, or the customer is impatient and want the item now. We live in an age where there is so much competition, the only way retailers (especially online) can get any attention is to run sales. If one retailer runs sales, well guess what, that forces the others to as well or else they won't get any business. I take it that's why MAP pricing exists. If a consumer knows that item will never go on sale, or the price is what it is, then of course they'll buy it at any given time.

That's just my take on it. As for me, I rarely buy anything at full retail price anymore as I know a sale or coupon code is right around the corner.
 
I'm a very poor consumer in that I never bought into the hype around boxing day, black Friday, cyber Monday or any other holiday sale(s). There is one company that has a Christmas in July sale, WTF? I purchase what I need/want at anytime of the year. But I do shop around for the best price online. I try to by local first, town, regional, provincial then other provinces in that order. This goes for everything, not just firearm related goods. The internet has changed the way I shop. I really don't care about "sales" and I don't buy something just because it's "on sale". If I want it and I'm okay with the price, then I will buy it.
 
When I think of black Friday I think of those videos of the mobs of citiots trampling each other to death over tvs and sneakers. Just on principle I don't want to be a part of it.

Just my 0.02. :)
 
I’m betting that demographically the “Black Friday” sales thing is mostly a ladies thing. Generally, men don’t seem to like shopping around as much and I wonder if male dominated high testosterone type goods see much of an uptick in sales?

Also, I’m curious if 5-10% discounts draws in the type of shopper who’s rude and demanding?

I mean, when something I want at Canadian Tire is on sale for %40 off then I’m likely to bite. If I’ve decided to buy something then I might go to the place where the product is 15% off to beat the taxes.
 
I am constantly on the lookout for deals and the best ones seem to rarely be when you would expect them. It seems there is always a lost leader black friday deal or two, but it’s rare now that deals are like they used to be. Shoppers have become very savvy to online price checking and expect deals. I think it has become a tougher market for retailers as margins have tightened thanks to big box stores and big corporations setting the pace that others have to try and keep up with. It’s the slow death of smaller retailers and the big names setting pricing, sadly it seems to be nothing but bad news.
 
I think, in general, firearms business are at a very pronounced disadvantage competing with stores selling other less regulated things. Between gun/accessory manufacturers setting inflexible prices, all of the associated costs dealing with firearms in Canada, supply and demand, etc etc... it's hard for the consumer to get a genuinely good deal without the business blatantly losing money. Big box stores can eat the costs of a super discounted television, not much so for the smaller-scale retailer selling .223 black rifles to a much, much smaller and heavily controlled market.

That being said, it's nice to have some form of incentive during a time where nearly everything else is on sale. In the past I've seen shops offering a 20% discount on optics or accessories with the purchase of a full-price firearm, or other stores doing "no PST/HST" and the sort. I myself prefer these types of sales that can apply to everything in the store as opposed to the "50% off this one specific thing nobody would otherwise be interested in" that a lot of places seem to be going for. As for what I was looking for this year, a new .223 rifle and a "medium-tier" optic. Found a decent deal on the rifle, didn't have such luck finding the scope I wanted.
 
If it's discounted deep enough I'll justify the spend but I'm pretty cheap so It needs to be beating out another vendors regular sales that hover in the 10-15% range regularly. I bought a handguard and considered buying a weaponlight - both discounted from above $200 > $150. The handguard is funded by selling the old one so upgrade for a small cost. The weapon light probably wont happen as it's just an extra for a spare upper.

I usually buy from you guys when it's something I want - rarely at sale time. And the experience is always excellent.
 
Takes A LOT more hunting around to find "deals" these days. I did manage to save several hundred dollars on what i was looking for by waiting for BF. Biggest disappointment was (as it has been for the entire year) lack of stock... i could have easily spent a couple thousand more... but there is nothing to buy (at least that i want).
 
I have not found that Black Friday sales are great in this industry. I believe that to be because the costs are high and the margins are low. Throw that on top of the uncertain resupply and government trivia. I think the almost weekly promotions that various retailers offer are enough for me and my wallet. I buy when in need now, though it was not like that before.
As an aside, shipping has left me sitting on my wallet a lot. I mean a lot. C'est la vie.
 
I don't bother with Black Friday sales in the firearm industry. Like others have mentioned they never seem to be as extreme as sales in other retail areas. That being said I usually do my Christmas shopping on Black Friday for my family for other things such as electronics. For example Apple who never does sales had good offers such as gift cards on purchases which I took advantage of.
 
I'd be up for a Black Rifle Friday sale, any day of the week for that matter.

Seeing as this might be the last gasp to buy and store NR black semis for the near/foreseeable future, I think it's incumbent on everyone in the culture to get themselves squared away (so to speak).


Take the wk180 or wsmcr for example. I'm trying to figure out how to juggle buying 2 or 3 more while we're still able to. If you guys think that the scumbags in charge aren't going to drop a surprise addition to the ban list (sooner than you think) then I've got a bridge to sell you.
 
I had a few things I was eyeing. Mostly thing that I've been checking out in the last few months (things I've spotted as needing improvement in my hunting accessories, etc). I just did my usual price check and saw that a few things were advantageous to purchase, with a -30% off and free shipping (these were heavy/bulky items). Mostly camping/hunting from big hunting store. I've checked their offering for ammo, but the stuff I want just isn't available at the moment.

Hope that answers your question!
 
As a Canadian, I always looked forward to boxing day. With the internet, I would have imagined it would pick up in popularity, but black Friday seems to have detailed it.
 
I was shopping for a Steiner Predator 4 rifle scope and Cabela’s had the 4-16x50 for $999. That’s the lowest price I found. There is also a manufacturer promotion to have free rings by posting a card, but I think this spans over several months.

I was actually surprised by the sales this year (some shops having 10-15% off for optics, free shipping, clothes/equipment up to 30% off, etc.)

Waiting for sales in itself can be quite rewarding I find. You get to chose what you want, wait for it and save money. Some people become crazy and buy useless stuff or cause stampede, but there is a way to benefit from sales intelligently if you know what you are looking for (e.g. I know Canadian Tire has good sales on Summer tires around Spring, so why spend 20% more cash now?).
 
Wendell said:
I assume that most consumers assume that most retailers are still making money even at the 'sale' prices.

Am I wrong?
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Yes and no, loss leaders exist to draw people in BUT the name of the game is "Don't loose money" .You start adding these things up and what it truly costs you to do business...... any discounts hurt. Most sales that I have seen this past week either people are only making a few bucks or calling it even and moving product but are no further ahead after its all over aside from customer relations. Financially the sale doesn't garner growth but you may or may not have had a new consumer.... BUT said consumer most likely is a sale shopper only, regardless of your business, your customer service or your mission statement. Saw something cheap, bought it, and may never come back. However that doesn't mean every shopper.


Kezh1729 said:
From my understanding, for 50% of my shooting supplies I buy it on Black Friday, I can save about 20-30% by just doing that, MDT had an amazing sell though, I'll give them that.
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I'm glad someone mentioned something like this, MDT is a great example! MDT is an excellent manufacturer of stellar products whom sells direct to consumer, and also distributes products to retailers. As the manufacturer it allows them to have a larger sale direct to consumer like your example of 20-30% off... However when something like this occurs, being a reseller of the products, it becomes that much more difficult to stock it.. Why let it sit on my shelves when it comes on sale from where I buy it potentially lower than what I bought it for?

drift1122 said:
I always thought black friday was a way to move old stock.
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In this business if its old stock no one wants it.... regardless of the price. Hence why its old :) Generally old stock becomes a loss at some point. ...

Conquest66 said:
In years past I spent thousands at the wolverine black Friday sale (hope you guys remember me i bought up all your sks), this year zero, waiting for some deals to come back.
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Dirt cheap surplus.... gotcha will let ya know.. Don't hold your breath.

GunnerTech said:
If one retailer runs sales, well guess what, that forces the others to as well or else they won't get any business. I take it that's why MAP pricing exists. If a consumer knows that item will never go on sale, or the price is what it is, then of course they'll buy it at any given time.

That's just my take on it. As for me, I rarely buy anything at full retail price anymore as I know a sale or coupon code is right around the corner.
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Your statement is factual and correct..... if sales are constantly running on non-controlled items then why ever pay retail ( non-sale ) if you aren't in a hurry or have the chance to look around right? Couple reasons why you would, service, support, and that jazz. If you care at all about whom you support or what/where your buying than this is irrelevant.

As well a lot of places have price match as well, but someone constantly having it on sale basically just drives the price down for everyone... said it before and I'll say it again. Profit aint a bad word... constant sales devalues products.

Tudenom said:
Also, I’m curious if 5-10% discounts draws in the type of shopper who’s rude and demanding?

I mean, when something I want at Canadian Tire is on sale for %40 off then I’m likely to bite. If I’ve decided to buy something then I might go to the place where the product is 15% off to beat the taxes.
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5-10% discounts generally get the most complaints yes ..
 
It seems to me that once the inversion (in consumer spending) took place, the value (to the economy) provided by the 'Black Friday sales' phenomenon disappeared, a victim of it's own success.
 
The only thing I would have wanted this year was ammo, but I refuse out of principal to pay for the US Election/Covid exploitative prices by US Factories and US & Canadian importers/exporters.
I'll straight up stop shooting if I have to until things unf*ck themselves.

So sales were pretty insufficient across the board for the items I had in mind.
 
Black Friday is a weird one now. like lots of people have said; its not as special as it was 5-10 years ago when it was a one day massive sale where we could get months on enjoyment from youtube videos from "wal-mart people". Now its a week before and week after sale and seems to be pretty watered down.

Especially in this industry, in this weird time i found black friday a little lack-luster. One company i deal with locally had a nice big sale on stuff i wanted (surefire lights) but didn't bite, just wasn't in the toy budget yet. other than that, not a whole lot that i wanted at a price that really caught my eye and made me impulse buy.
 
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