From Midway: State of the business

[ddaniel1]

Got this from midway on facebook, love this company:

State of the Business

In the spring of ‘77, I left the Air Force and moved to Columbia, MO to pursue my dream of running a gun shop. You see, I’d always loved the outdoors; especially shooting and hunting. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve shooting and hunting with my dad and brothers. Then, as an adult, some of my greatest joys have come while shooting and hunting with my wife, my kids, my friends and now my grandkids. I love this industry, I love our way of life and I love serving Customers.

Now, our way of life is being challenged like never before and our Customers are responding with a flood of orders. In the 35 years I've been in business, I've never seen anything like this.

We’re monitoring the political environment, our industry’s capabilities and our business on a daily basis and making policy and process changes to better serve Customers. But please understand, while we’re still able to get most orders out the same day they’re placed, you may experience longer than normal wait times on the phone or when you chat with us on the web. Also, it’s taking us a few extra days to respond to emails. Finally, we’re out of a bunch of products I know you want which breaks my heart. And when we do get them in, they rarely spend the night in the building because they’re ordered almost immediately. We’re tirelessly working to get products in the door and out to Customers as fast as we can. But, until supply catches up with demand, we’re having to limit quantities and backorders on certain products.

One thing we haven’t done is change our prices because of this surge in demand. Prices do change from time to time as they always have, but we’d never change prices because of something like this. Our pricing strategy is one of the reasons we've put quantity limits on certain products. We've all seen certain products selling two or three times higher than normal, and MidwayUSA doesn't want to enable that type of activity. Also, we want to serve as many Customers as possible when we receive high-demand products. If it’s any consolation, none of our Employees can order products with quantity limits (myself included). We've all agreed to put Customers first. And that’s the way it’ll always be at MidwayUSA.

As always, everything we do is intended to be in the best interest of our Customers and we’re eternally grateful for your patience and loyalty.

Thanks for Your Business!
Larry Potterfield,
Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA

[MBTcustom]

I doubt he had any idea that the business would ever grow to the point that it has.

[Crash_Corrigan]

I have been doing most of my firearms related by shopping with Midway USA. It has been 17 years of steady business with Midway and they have never dissapointed me. Fast shipping, good website and helpful and knowledgeable people on the phone when you have a question. Honorable people and pleasure to do business with.

I could possibly find something somewhere else cheaper but I seldom do except for the shortage of 15 rd mags for my Sig SP 2022. CTD has some 17 rd mags for $32 apiece and I snagged 4 of the them as Midway cannot keep them in stock. They sell out in hours.

[ddaniel1]

Midway is one of the few that haven't missed a beat since the flood of demand hit the shooting industry, they and Cabelas also are still shipping orders within 24 hours. The only complaint I have with them is gun powder, since they cant stock it it ships from the manufacturer which is out of their control and now takes 12 weeks even when it says in stock, to me that is a back order, they told me today that since their building was close to the interstate they werent allowed to store large quantities of powder. Everything other than that they kick ***.

[imashooter2]

I doubt he had any idea that the business would ever grow to the point that it has.


A dream that you know will never come true... until it does. Good for him (and all the folks he brought along with him).

[fcvan]

Back in the 1980s, I read an ad in Shotgun News inviting potential customers to request a fee subscription to the Midway Commercial Reloader's Report they called the "Com-Load Report." I received the first copy and marveled at all of the products that were of little use to me. Don't get me wrong, an automated reloading machine capable of producing 4500 rounds per hour interests me but I couldn't possibly benefit from ownership. Automated casting machines, bullets in 10000 round lots, cases of ammo or primers, lots of bulk aimed at the commercial sector, not necessarily the hobby reloader. What to do?

I started a letter writing campaign with my reloading buddies, asking Midway to consider the benefit of selling in smaller lots and targeting the handloader, not just the commercial buyer. The very next issue of the Com-Load report had an article about receiving letters from handloaders and how Midway was going to start selling items aimed at the handloader. I also received a customer ID number which back then was your zip code plus a 3 digit number, sequentially issued. I thought being 93561-001 was pretty cool. A few years later, I moved north and was disappointed to be 95538-002 or 3 or 4, I don't recall. Somebody beat me to it!

I've done business with Miday (now MidwayUSA) long before they offered all the other cool stuff now available. I can remember when shipping was basically 4% of everything over $100. The monthly special of hitting $100 usually meant some 'goody' such as a set of ear muffs and a bore cleaning rod. I put together at least one $100 order every month, stuff for me and my buddies, just to get the goody.

When Midway offered a Lee Reloader for $10 with the purchase of a set of carbide dies I bought a lot of dies. Some of the dies were for calibers I didn't shoot but for use by friends who did shoot those calibers. I then ordered a lot of the Lee Carbide Speed Dies in 38 Special (one die body did it all) as that was our duty weapon and most of my shooting buddies had one. That Christmas I gave out 8 starter sets. Two years ago, I gave away the last Lee Reloader/Speed die set to a buddy who was retiring. Midway made that possible with their deals and specials way back when.

I've heard a lot of folks grumble about shipping costs with Midway and how they can do better going to some other distributor. Shop wherever you want, it's America, you can do that. I still go to MidwayUSA first because I still appreciate their service. I got to watch Larry Potterfield hand over a huge check at the NRA Annual Meetings last year, part of their NRA Round Up program. I don't feel like I'm supporting some faceless corporation by shopping at MidwayUSA, I know I'm supporting a businessman who has been successful and has shared that success in the form of support and defense of our Constitution, not just my hobby.

Like many, I have a 'wish list' at MidwayUSA, and I know better than to have an order split up with back ordered product. It certainly does jack up the shipping. I make sure when I order little bits (decapping rods, small nuts or bolts) that I'm ordering something else it will be boxed with. I've had to sit on my hands and wait for odd stuff like 38-40 brass or some popular boolit mold. With all the madness ordering going on my wish list is half full of back order/out of stock items. I'm just as frustrated as the next guy. Frustrated, but patient.

This whole situation may take a year or more to settle down. Big businesses, like MidwayUSA, may weather this better than the smaller mom and pop shops. My biggest concern is for the little shops around the corner who are having an even harder time getting inventory for our consumption. Let us hope this panic buying doesn't end up creating a greater hardship for the small businesses struggling to survive in an already messed up economy.

[Cherokee]

+1 for Midway, I started buying from them soon after they went mail-order and have been happy with them.

[1Shirt]

A very good thread! We have a local gun shop that has not raised prices. Was there today! Not a rimfire ctg. in the place, but they had Win Large/Small Rifle primers in quantity for $33.00 a K. Cabellas asking way higher!
1Shirt!

[DrCaveman]

I like midwayusa a lot, I have bought almost all my molds and most of my dies from them. Not to mention furnace, holsters, brass, knives, slings, etc they are great and when I lump orders I always feel I got a fair shake on shipping.

I am also disappointed by all the 'backorder' products at the moment but I understand. I have kinda decided to shoot a lot more rifle until this all changes since 1000 CCI Large Rifle that I have will last a while. Pistol will go quicker and prob be slower to restock on shelves.

What this makes me concerned about is the ability of small gun shops to continue to meet monthly overhead when they can't stock any new powder, primers, bullets, or semi automatic weapons. Those who didn't price gouge are surely out of stock or will be soon. And I see people coming in to gun shops trying to sell off their rifles for ridiculous sums then walking away.

I don't want to be stuck with Cabelas and sportsmans warehouse for firearm purchase. The local shops are great, and probably being hit the hardest.

[MtGun44]

I first shopped at Midway when he was in a 20x40 or so concrete block building with a bunch
of gun racks out where you could walk around them and pick up anything you wanted. This was
about 1980 or 81 and I have always regretted not buying one of the nice 50-70 trapdoors he
had a BUNCH of then.

Bill

[Shiloh]

I doubt he had any idea that the business would ever grow to the point that it has.

Me either.

He started it out of love for the shooting sports and to make a living. His dedication to improvement, increasing his stock, and love of customer service, made it what Midway has become. I have done business for years with this company.

SHiloh