Mathews bows

[Greg Mullins]

What happend to Mathews being pro shop only. I just seen that Lancaster now sells them. When I got into archery only Rainier and Fleth setter had them within an hours drive. Now on way from home from work I drive past 3 places to get one almost like coffee stands anymore.I remember when PSE did the same thing. Im just venting it just pisses me off to see theese big box stores take from our little proshops like Doug and Craig

[romaknows]

Its all about the money   A small archey shop I just found in Granite Falls is probably more expensive than online or a big box store but they will get my business as they seem to be great people who love archery and helping people.

I love to support  small startups with passionate people running the operation.

[RadSav]

Been sliding that way for about five years. 

When TV shows and wannabe movie stars drain your profit margins and new high end bows like Elite and G5/Prime cut into your market share.  When affordable healthcare goes up 250% and it takes three full time employees just to keep up with taxes. When bad debt figures exceed 7% and you have millions in receivables more than 120 days late.  When more and more people start buying bows on Archery Talk than at their local pro-shop. When ghost store fronts sell more on eBay than brick and steel business fronts. And when back door deals to Buick Trunk dealers destroy MAP pricing control standards...The whole system goes to heck.  It sometimes leave a manufacturer no choice but to become flexible. 

I hate to see it happening.  But I think it is an early sign of things to come in this digital faux store front / tax the rich beyond reason age we are now moving into.

[JBar]

I'm always amazed at the folks that support the big box stores over the pro shop.  Sportco held the Mathews dealership after Rainier went out...Hello Mathews its a box store! Oh sure they didn't sell them directly to Sportco at first but you could sure go down and have one sent from Outdoor Emporium. Even after realizing Sportco was a box store/warehouse they let them keep the dealership because they were buying bows which = $$$ to Mathews. At least now they have a couple guys that seem to know what they are doing. True Pro Shops are becoming rare and it's not an easy business to get going from the ground up these days and I commend anyone that gives it a try but get ready for Top Ramen dinners for awhile. Who do you think is going to fix what Cabelas did to your bow because they don't know their A** from a hole in the ground. You bought it there take it to them to fix for free or buy the bow from a pro shop and get expert service the first time round! Sorry Rant over!!

[RadSav]

I thought the logo was all you needed.  You mean even a Hoyt or Mathews needs to be tuned?  Isn't that included in the extra $800 price tag

As far as Lancaster selling Mathews - Lancaster is dang near the most kick arse pro-shop you will ever witness.  If you are ever in PA I definitely suggest you stop by.  I have not seen Mathews bows through Lancaster discounted below MAP unless on clearance.  And even then there are limitations.  They are a unique business model and definitely not your run of the mill internet store.

[RG]

Now you got me irritated again.  I've been suppressing this irritation for 20 years since I closed my shop in Mill Creek, (Diamond Hitch Sports).

I sold PSE and Hoyt bows which I bought direct from the factory.  I went to PSE's dealer tech school at their factory in Tucson where I spent an entire week in a classroom with Pete Shepley and the guys who designed, built, tuned, and shot their products.  I learned how to make bows shoot their best and how to match the right accessories to each bow.  Part of the school was an entire day in class with techs from Easton Archery who showed slow motion videos of arrows in flight and taught us the science and physics of arrows.  Long story short, that training along with spending all day every day in my shop working with bows and helping people get the most from their bows allowed me to call myself a professional.  I was able to get people into the right bow for them and set it up with the right products, then teach them how to shoot it well.  This in turn builds good will for the manufacturer and the sport because people have a good experience with archery and become ambassadors for the sport rather than complainers because it's too hard to shoot whatever bow they have.

My business was good, great, for a while then first PSE, then later Hoyt products started showing up in all the mail order houses and discounters.  I have a college degree in economics and I understand, and support, the free market system and fair competition in the marketplace.  What I saw though was these manufacturers offering such sweetheart deals to the big discounters that they were able to sell the same bows I sold but they were selling them at retail for the wholesale price the manufacturer required me to pay.  Of course if I was able to buy the same huge quantities these places bought I could get their price too, and, even if I could, I had an actual store front, and all the associated expense, which if you've rented retail space you know is very expensive, to pay for which allowed my customers to have a place to come to for help and service when they needed it.  The discounters worked out of a warehouse or drop shipped products so they had a minimum of overhead.  This made it possible for them to survive and even thrive on profit margins that I could not afford.

People dropped the small guy like a dirty shirt and bought the cheapest deal they could find.  Then they got mad at me because, when they couldn't get it to work, I charged them a fee to set it all up and tune it for them.  Of course if I sold you the bow and accessories all of this was free for the life of the bow.  I can't say I blame the consumers because that's the way the market works.  I blame the manufacturers who allowed themselves to be influenced by the big discounters and who made deals that didn't allow the people who were really the pros to make a profit.  I found ways to make a few bucks on camo and accessories but on bows and arrows my margins had to be ridiculously low if I wanted to sell anything.  Actually I started getting into the flyfishing market because the manufacturers still believe in taking care of the local dealer.

Enough said,  I got a new job 20 years ago but I still believe the professionals who operate out of local archery shops were betrayed by the manufacturers and sold out for a quick buck.

[RadSav]

Hey Ryan   You and I had to deal with the Kenmore Buick Bandits and the ever wonderful Spencer Land back then too.  Those were some tough times to be archery dealers. 

Our local archery shop was up for sale a few years ago.  I took a look at the numbers and was shocked at how small of margins these guys are working on.  Back in our day we sold bows for $295 with a GPM of +40%.  These days shops are selling bows for $1,200 and making 20% if they are dang lucky.  I know our shop was full of accessories we could sell for 60% GPM if we bought right.  These guys are carrying very few accessories because they can't afford it due to so many of them being less than 30%.

Back then I remember top store managers and department leads making 18K salaries with part time employees making $5.50 an hour.  Now it's not uncommon to see managers making over 40K and part time employees making $12 - 15/hr.  I used to ship bows back to PSE via UPS for about $3.25.  Now a single package of broadheads to a guy in Tucson costs $7.25  Bows are close to $15.  And you wouldn't even imagine how expensive it is to have a Block target shipped from Minnesota

When we moved the shop because we could not afford rent it was $3/sq plus triple-net.  I looked at space the other day...GTFO!!!

Best thing I ever did was walk away after my accident.  I don't see why anyone would endure the frustrations of owning a pro-shop today.  Between state, county, local and federal regulations, employer penalties for having employees, healthcare, lawsuits, insurance, advertising, dollars of stock on hand and low margins...it's insanity!!

Todays Pro-Shop owner is a brave dedicated individual.  They need every bit of help they can get.  I know a lot of them that wake up every morning not knowing if they will be able to pay their mortgage that month.  Let alone keep the business open if one more WDFW/Timber Company regulation changes.  Not the glamorous life many think.  We need to appreciate them making the sacrifice and risking their livelihoods so we can enjoy quality service and fill emergency needs that online stores can not meet.  Life without them would be rough to the majority of archers in this state. 

Please support your local pro-shops!  And a "Thank You" every once in a while goes a long way too!

[RG]

You are absolutely right RadSav.   Nobody I know who owns an archery proshop is getting rich.  People manage to keep the bills paid and continue on because they love what they are doing.  I used to tell people I could make more money if I worked for McDonalds with the amount of hours I spent on my business.  I ended up closing it because I had three kids who were approaching college age and there wasn't going to be enough money to take care of that if I kept the store going.  It's always a hard decision because you have so many wonderful customers and you love what you do but, in the end, at least for me, I couldn't afford to keep it going.

Pro shops will always be the backbone of the archery industry.  The people at these shops are the experts who spend their time, day after day, improving their knowledge and skills and who are willing to make sure their customers always have the right equipment for the job.  They take care of people and ensure they have a positive experience.  That's the only way they survive, by bringing back happy customers.  The discounters and mail order guys are just skimming the industry trying to rake in as much money as possible with no interest in providing excellent customer service. 

Support your local experts even if you spend a few extra bucks, you will agree with me that they are worth every penny in the long run because they will be there for you every time. 

[Special T]

This trend has happened across many industries. It hits the hardest when a product REQUIRES service. Great service is hard to come by so support those who give it to you.