Dealers prefer selling Glocks?

[osallent]

Disclaimer: I do not want this thread to turn into a Glock bashing thread. This is a serious question.

I have noticed at the two gun stores near my house that whenever a customer walks in to buy their first gun, or a CCW, or a home defense gun, the shop assistants always automatically say "Let me show you the Glocks" no matter what the customer says their needs are. In fact, every single time I've gone to buy a gun, the first thing one of the shop floor assistants say is "Let me show you the Glocks." It seems like they will only show you another gun right after they've given you the Glock speech and the sale is not happening. This got me thinking... do dealers make a higher margin on Glocks than other firearms? Or perhaps they automatically go to the Glocks because that's the firearm they think most non-gun people are familiar with and thus an easier sell? I would think dealers would want to see all their inventory move out quick, not just Glocks.

 

[Amin Parker]

I think the Glock catalogue is one of a few manufacturers that covers everything. Full size, compact and sub compact are all popular, its an easy thing to sell and the manual of arms is simple to explain to a newbie. They are very good guns so returns are as minimal as can possibly be and re sales are very good basically guaranteeing a profit more than once from the same pistol.

Most newbies walk into a gunshop knowing what a Glock is anyways so the customers sees something familiar and there is less chance of him saying he needs time to think, he just opens his wallet.

 

[Tinner]

Look for accessories. The majority is glock. All city police dept, and county sheriff in are area carry glock. Our ccw class teachers are county sheriffs.They recommend buy glocks. Just say in.

 

[Webleymkv]

There are a few reasons that I can think of (though they are just hypotheses since I don't currently nor have I ever worked in a gun shop).

Glock is known for giving some pretty significant discounts to police departments who buy in volume, perhaps they do the same thing with shops. If, by buying a certain number of Glocks you get them significantly cheaper, then selling a lot of Glocks would be more profitable.

Another thought is accessories, as Glock accessories are plentiful. If these shops also stock a lot of Glock accessories, then selling more Glocks would also probably mean selling more accessories.

Finally, maybe the people who work at these shops just like Glocks. It is human nature to reccomend to others what you yourself like.

 

[jeepster11]

i dont think

that they just open their wallet just because they see a glock. in my personal experience selling firearms its what that particular customer is feeling on that day. were all gun nuts so you know what i mean when you just get the itch you have to scratch it. im not a glock fan but i know they have their place in the market. i just like the xd because it has an extra safety. i dont think really everyone goes straight to the glock counter. when i sold firearms i would always ask the customer what they were looking for and show them what they are interested in and give them some information on different brands so they will feel comfortable with whaterver firearm they may go with.

 

[warpig602]

Im not a Glock fan at all, some might even say im anit Glock. That being said, they are an easy sell. They win almost every time on the a non-gun enthuisiasts check list....they are easy to use/learn and they are cheap. Add to that they are as reliable as anything else out there and you have an easy sell to someone who is not well versed in fiearms. The name also helps, its a common name and uninformed buyers feel better buying a "name brand" gun.

Its the same reason why LE agencies adopt them.....price vs performance ratio. People claim Glock to be the best gun ever because a bunch of agnecies use them. That doesnt mean Glock is the best gun ever, all that tells me is that Glock has a good gun at a better price than its competitors. If Sig,HK could sell their guns at a Glock price point, Glock would lose a big share of their market.

I'll keep paying more for my Sigs and sleep better at night knowing I truly own the best

 

[MTT TL]

I can't think of a single reason not to get one. Since they are used by the majority of LEAs in the US everyone has seen one and knows that it is a gun and that the pointy end means business. So they tend to sell themselves unless the person does not want one for some reason.

Margin on some guns is much better but then the price is much higher too.

 

[jcsturgeon]

I went into a gun store once looking for a Glock 22 and the guy convinced me to buy a Sigma Series .40 instead which actually cost a good $200 less. Funny enough, I would probably have preferred the Glock after all.

I would tend to side with the people who say they are "user friendly" as in anyone could pick one up and figure it out. Not only that but each one comes with a magazine speed loader, two mags, and a cleaning kit. Why wouldn't a first time gun buyer want a Glock? It's got name recognition, it's highly visible in movies and it's practically idiot proof in terms of use.

 

[jerryg]

If you were a new gun owner and went to buy your first gun, the salesperson shows you a complete line of one brand. Then he tells you about all the accessories, the different barrels to change your guns caliber, the reliability, the simple design, resale value. Lets be honest for a first gun it is a no brainer. Sure there are better guns, but a Glock is not a bad choice to start out with by any means.
Yes the dealer will probably get a kickback for selling more and he can probably get you what you want faster because of his relationship with Glock. Sell more get more, just like the car business.
Another thing if you are a beginner once you learn one Glock you known the whole line as they are all the same just different sizes. So if you and your wife had different Glocks she could pick yours up and already be comfortable with it because it is so similar to hers.

 

[warpig602]

I can't think of a single reason not to get one. Since they are used by the majority of LEAs in the US everyone has seen one and knows that it is a gun and that the pointy end means business. So they tend to sell themselves unless the person does not want one for some reason.

Margin on some guns is much better but then the price is much higher too.

I think the majority of first time gun owners would be better served with a revolver. Most of these people will take their gun home, load it up......maybe fire it at the range a few times and never touch it again.

I think for people who wont take the time to train and practice malfunction drills, a revolver jsut makes more sense. No stove pipes, FTE, FTF,double feed etc. Just pull the trigger again. Not to mention athey probaly wont excersice the "finger off the trigger" rule under stress, in which case they would be better suited with a 10-12lb DA pull over the Glock 5.5lb

If someone wants an auto, then sure, nothing wrong with a Glock. I would personally recommend a revolver to most first time gun owners who are completely new to firearms.

 

[warpig602]

Margin on some guns is much better but then the price is much higher too.

Good point, I know of a shop in Phoenix, who carries everything but Glock and I mean everything!. I asked him why and he said you cant make any money on them, palin and simple. He said to price them competively with the other 1k+ shops in Phoenix he would have to sell them at cost and try and make money on the back end accessory sales.

 

[JohnKSa]

I think the majority of first time gun owners would be better served with a revolver.

There's probably something to this, however it comes down to what the customer wants. I think that the appeal of 16-18 shots provided by a full-sized automatic without a reload is a strong deciding factor that pushes many first-time gun buyers to get an automatic instead of a 6-8 shot revolver.

The fact that Glock is big in the LE market also plays into the issue. A lot of folks don't know much about guns but they figure that police officers do and so they look for what the police officers in their area are carrying.

It's simplistic, I know, but my guess is that dealers prefer to sell Glocks because it's easy to sell Glocks. Same reason that Glock is able to sell a lot of them to LE.

 

[jmr40]

For the record I like Glocks and think anyone would have a hard time making a better choice all things considered. But I've been in enough gunstores to know that gun dealers are just like all of us here at TFL. Some guys just like one particular brand and that is what they push.

If I were selling guns I'd try to steer customers toward guns that I had had good experiences with and away from brands that I'd had bad experiences with. I think we all would.

 

[bearone2]

warpig602:
i love german engineering but don't like the long da pull in a sd/hd situation.

i have 9 sigs, 9/40/45 and 3 glocks, 21,22 and carry a 30.

5 of the sigs are triple s/n, w german, some new.

 

[warpig602]

i love german engineering but don't like the long da pull in a sd/hd situation.

Trigger pull in one of those situations makes no difference to me. Ive shot them long enough that it really doesnt matter what mode its in. Given the circimstances I could always just cock the hammer.

Like I said before....when you combine novice/untrained shooters and light triggers.....the end result can be bad. Generally people who get "sold" their first gun are both novice and untrained.

 

[bearone2]

like you said before, you're not a glock fan.

i wasn't until i fired one.

you've tried to turn this into a thread about newbies and what you think they should buy as a 1st firearm when the crux of the thread was "why do some dealers seem to push glock's".

if ali-bubba ends up in my house, i don't want him/her to hear cocking or the slide being racked before and is then forewarned that he/she may end up with some fist sized holes in the chest.

 

[warpig602]

like you said before, you're not a glock fan.

Nope, so what, I woudnt recommend a Sig to a new shooter either.

i wasn't until i fired one.

I fired Glocks well over 5k times, carried a Glock 33 everyday for 3 years. Still not a Glock fan.

if ali-bubba ends up in my house, i don't want him/her to hear cocking or the slide being racked before and is then forewarned that he/she may end up with some fist sized holes in the chest.

What does that have to do with anything I said? You must be a ninja if your getting out of bed and grabbing your gun is quieter than me possibly cocking the hammer on my DA/SA auto. Id much rahter have someone hear it and leave, hes going to hear me anyways when I yell for him to get out of my house....its the least I can do before I take actions to end his life for trying to steal my tv.

 

[bearone2]

your comment:
Trigger pull in one of those situations makes no difference to me. Ive shot them long enough that it really doesnt matter what mode its in. Given the circimstances I could always just cock the hammer.

 

[ClydeFrog]

Glocks, sales methods-training...

I did not read over all the member posts but I'll add my input.

Glocks have become very popular all over the US for a number of valid reasons. Price, ease of cleaning/service, simple design etc.
In many places the Glock semi auto is in use by sworn LE, private security, armed citizens. Some of these Glock owners or users may equate the Glock model they use as the "best".
While this may be true for them, it may not hold true for EVERY handgun owner or armed citizen. A more mature, professional way to address these issues to identify the firearm owner's or officer's training, skill level, budget, etc. Those are factors that more clearly indicate what brand or model would work best.
FWIW, Glock has LOST several major law enforcement/procurement contracts in the US(Detroit MI PD, ATF, ICE-CBP).
Clyde Frog

 

[gearhounds]

"FWIW, Glock has LOST several major law enforcement/procurement contracts in the US(Detroit MI PD, ATF, ICE-CBP)."

Every gun manufacturer that caters to it has lost and gained contracts in the LE market, and for a plethora of reasons. My ATF buddy tells me they are switching from Sig P226 .40's to Glock .40's because Sig won't honor the old contract price on new weapons. Recently, a local sheriffs dept switched from Sig P226 .357's to Glock 21's because the Sheriff liked them. Politics, not a perceived weapon issue dictated the change in both cases. Both agencies were happy where they were, but the powers that be made the decisions.