. . .
G “I made a killing.”
A “You’ve got to love it. A totally private sector stimulus with no government funding at all.”
G “None. Totally self-executing. The frenzy built up until the 2008 election and then exploded like wildfire, like gang busters. One guy wanted a gun, any gun and bought a .243. But I didn’t have any more .243 rounds, so he bought a few boxes of .308s. It didn’t matter. It was crazy.”
A “I assume that he could use a ball peen hammer to pound the round into the receiver.”
G “I don’t know what he planned to do. By the Inauguration, there was almost nothing in the store. And then the crazy thing, last summer, guys came back with the guns and asked to sell them back. A lot of them were in financial trouble. One guy’s wife was still giving him a ration of grief as they walked in the store. It was painful. If they were unfired and still in the original box, I bought them back at half price. I can’t resell them as factory brand new.”
A “I followed the price rise and availability of ammo throughout that time. .22s rounds in the 525 box went from $14.99 in Nov. of 2007 to $19.99 in Nov. of 2009 to $18.99 today. I lost my notes for the most pivotal time in Nov. of 2008.”
G “I can find the price.”
A “As you saw, in early 2009, boxes of every caliber were plucked off the palates in the aisle. They never made the shelves. Yet there was not a great run-up in prices. Since Nov. of 2007, large caliber ammunition has gone up 24 to 29 percent.”
G “The big box stores keep us honest, and we keep them honest. There are just enough small owners like the two of us still hanging on. The real money is in the gear like the sling, case, scope, scope rings, bore sight, the whole shooting match they walk out with. My wife always worried in the past that there is no pay check or pension or health insurance or anything for us. We are on our own. We manage to keep the doors open. I still come in early if someone needs to pick something up on the way to the office. I’ve stayed late if someone is leaving on a trip in the morning and has to have something. Whatever it takes.”
A “The plight of the self-unemployed. Today, the stores are stocked with ammo, the shelves are stacked. Even .380s and .10s are readily available. And you’re offering rebates?”
G “Factory rebates. On a few select rounds, mainly shotgun shells.”
A “There is $5.00 in-store sale across town. $16.99 a box. At the big box store of course.”
G “I’ll match it. I’ve got to match it.”
A “And $24.99 a box at another big box store. I’ll pay a $2.00 premium to protect the market.”
G “I can throw in a hat, but, get this, it is not from the same manufacturer.”
A “Anything to keep you from throwing in the hat. I should stock up today. Based on the increasing cost of the components, I expect the price of ammunition to explode in the near future. Ammunition soon will cost a fortune.”
G “I really owe my fortune to O’Bama.”
A “With all the O’Bama signs in here, you could’ve fooled me.”
. . .
Bumper sticker of the week:
What happens when you take an arrow out of the quiver, nock it with care, draw back purposefully, release while slowly exhaling and then look up to see that you have hit the bull’s eye?
