Secure Storage
Retailers Can Be The Educational Resource For Sales
Image: Prathaan / Adobe Stock
Long gone are the days when we could drive around with rifles in the back window of our pickup trucks. It’s the world we live in now. People steal without a second thought. On top of that, with the increase in mental health struggles, we don’t want our guns falling into the hands of someone who might use them on themselves.
While we wish it weren’t so, it’s up to all of us to keep our firearms out of the wrong hands. How can retailers help their customers?
Educating New Gun Owners
For new gun owners, the need to purchase a safe for storing their gun can be a surprise. They may not have considered this aspect of gun ownership. They may be so focused on finding the right gun and worrying about learning it and how to shoot it that they never even think beyond that part. So, as a retailer, you can help educate them.
Start by having a quick conversation with each gun purchased. You likely already advise them to get eye/ear protection, so asking them if they need a gun safe is just a continuation of the conversation. If they haven’t considered how they will store their gun when it’s not being used, it’s a great time to educate them about the various options.
Gun Locks
First, talk about the locks that now come with all guns. Let them know it’s the first layer of safety but it doesn’t keep the gun from being stolen. Sure, someone can’t shoot it, but no one wants their property simply stolen, either.
Gun Safes vs. Gun Storage
Gun safes run the gamut in size and price. A customer’s first thought may be of the big long-gun safes, and they might immediately say they don’t have room. But just because they might live in a small upstairs apartment, doesn’t mean they can’t store their guns in a safe.
Show them the wide variety of small safes that easily fit in any size of space they are living; in their closet, under their bed. Be mindful of covering ways to secure smaller safes so they can’t be stolen.
Make sure to address the differences between something that will just store their guns but won’t protect against fire and storage that is fire-rated to protect everything inside the safe from fire.
Finally, let them know if your state doesn’t charge sales tax on safes, helping to make them more affordable. Everyone loves to save on sales tax.
Vehicle Storage
Next, ask them if they have thought about storage in their car for transporting a firearm to the range or entering a facility that doesn’t allow them. Again, they probably hadn’t considered it, and if they did, they thought they could just put it in their glove compartment or console like they’ve seen on TV. This is another opportunity for further education, and not just gun safety.
For example, my husband and I first used a car safe when we traveled to California and learned we had to be very careful about how we carried in our car. We were surprised to discover we found the safe very useful, so we bought a second one for our other car. It could be used for any activity where our guns weren’t allowed, but even where they were allowed, we could use it for something else.
If we wanted to go hiking but not take my purse, I could put my wallet in and lock it away. I don’t believe in just locking a purse in the car because thieves know women do this and they’ll simply break in to steal it.
As part of these educational conversations around storage, be sure to cover the pros and cons of simple key locks vs. combination locks vs. fingerprint locks vs. electronic locks. Some people worry an electronic lock won’t work in the moment they need it.
A person’s familiarity and trust of each option can make a difference in whether they feel comfortable using it on a regular basis, if at all.
Information For Seasoned Gun Owners
What if you have customers who already know they need a safe and are searching for a newer, better or larger safe? How can you help them? Again, be their resource. Make sure your staff is knowledgeable about the materials the safes are made of, which safes can meet which needs and fire-safety ratings.
One of the greatest ways to become the go-to store for safes is to produce educational material for your website. Many people like to do their research and will come into your store knowing exactly what they want. From exploring your website, they will know you carry or can quickly order what they want.
“Most people come in already knowing what they want,” said Aimee Webb of Therrell Lock & Safe Company in Waco, Texas. “They have done their research and don’t really need much help from us except to see what we have in the store.”
However, David Ballestrase, VP of Northwest Safe in Enumclaw, Wash., shared that he has a mix of customers coming in to peruse the shop’s 200 unique safes, vault doors and gun safe accessories in its 18,000-sq.-ft. warehouse. Some customers already know what they want, and others seek out assistance.
But he also noted, “As we get better ourselves at creating content and writing articles and putting up videos, we’re getting more and more informed customers.”
Helping customers establish a starting point is crucial, Ballestrase contends.
“I would say this industry is notorious for customers just not knowing where to start. A lot of times with big purchases such as vehicles or appliances, they have some experience and some kind of brand loyalty,” he said. “But oftentimes with something like a residential safe, it’s the first time someone in their family has made a purchase like that.”
Consequently, customers are utilizing Northwest Safe’s website and educational materials to learn more before coming into the store.
Advice For Retailers
When asked what advice he would give other retailers, Ballestrase said the “biggest thing” is people want to be informed.
“The market itself kind of sets the bar low. It seems like there’s this race to the bottom of who can build the biggest, cheapest safe. When you go into Costco or Home Depot, they’re not offering someone the full range of what’s really available,” he said. “They’re offering something easy for their employees to move and something that can sell itself by price. Their goal is to reach a price point not a certain level of security and fire protection.”
Become The Resource For Safe Storage
We all want gun owners to know how to keep their guns safe and secure. New gun owners may not know to ask the questions yet, but retailers can guide them. Seasoned owners may know what they are looking for but want to see the latest and best innovations.
Retailers can take it further than just a conversation by ensuring their customers have the best information easily accessible on their website. By becoming the trusted resource for safe and secure storage, new customers will appreciate it and seasoned customers will return again and again as their needs change.
