Atlas Tactical

So I guess I qualify as a «frequent flier» at Atlas Tactical as I am there almost every week purchasing ammo or some sort of other accessories. Due to this unique relationship I have had the distinct opportunity to see «inside the sausage factory» as far as how the business operates. I also work in the software/​services industry so I would think I have a better than average understanding of supply/​demand along with customer care and how retail/​list pricing relates to actual costs.
All that being said, when I read Mike A’s review above I took some significant exception with some of his points and agree with others. So let me share with you my points of view on the same topics:
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Mike: «owners themselves» /​«experience was pleasant» /​«One of the gentlemen is a very funny individual, the type of guy who can make you want to come back to the shop due to his sense of humor and friendly demeanor alone.»
Me: I completely agree with Mike here. The current operating owner Jason is EXTREMELY personable and friendly.
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Mike: «The owners of the shop have hired others to run the place and they are anything but funny. That is not to say they’re bad people, however unprofessional is a good term to use.»
Me: As Jason has other businesses to attend to and a family life, he *HAS* hired new staff. Instead of «Unprofessional» I would say is that some of the employees are not as polished in the area of customer service simply due to age and minimal retail experience. *HOWEVER* I have never seen a lack of passion for firearms, personal experience, customer education, or straight up friendliness.
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Mike: «Earlier this year, when ammunition was fairly hard to acquire at the local Wal-​Marts this store front had stock. However they were gouging the customer base at incredibly high rates. Nearly double the going rate in same cases.»
Me: If you Google the phrase «ammo price trends» or something similar you come up with *TONS* of articles talking about how the Sandy Hook tragedy created an unprecedented spike in ammo prices. The easiest to read write-​up I found here:
If you look there it will show that .223÷5.56 ammo basically doubled in price between June 2012 and March 2013 ***across all retailers*** which seems to coincide with the time frame you are discussing
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Mike: «If you’re not a familiar face to the store you can expect a different rate than regulars as well. Something which I believe speaks volumes to the kind of business they are running at the shop.»
Me: You and I would use similar words to describe the way Atlas treats «regulars» vs «one-​time customers» however the intent of those words are probably different. What you are describing is Atlas rewarding repeat customer loyalty and volume purchasing. This happens *ALL THE TIME* in both big businesses and small.
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Mike: «The shop also has the most expensive transfer fee’s in the area.»
Me: Atlas charges $ 25. Other quotes I got today in the area (NRV) were $ 40, $ 25, $ 35, and $ 50.
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Mike: «On top of that, you can expect a rather lengthy wait in the shop for your transfer to be completed» /​«my last transfer took 45 minutes»
Me: I think you have a good point there. However Jason and Joe are making significant efforts to reduce this time and get things more streamlined.
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Mike: «You get the impression they would rather you not transfer firearms from online purchases but instead purchase from them.»
Me: I don’t think that this is true in a strict sense. Of course retailers would rather you purchase products from them directly but I would stop short of saying that Atlas, or any reputable firearms retailer, would actively attempt to dissuade someone from transferring a firearm.
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Mike: «And in what has proven to be a unique incident at any FFL dealer I have been to, a gentlemen was writing any and all information about my transfer into a note book. Some of which included the make, model and serial number of my firearm. The individual doing the notation was also curious about who shipped the firearm» /​«This was not the 4473 process, or anything else legally required by the BATF» /​«What else was included in their notation is anybody’s guess?»
Me: I 110% disagree with this. What I *THINK* you are describing is called the «firearms acquisition and disposition record book» (AKA: Log Book) which is legally required by the BATF. Requirements to maintain one and how to fill it out are in this BATF Quick Reference Guide:
*ALL FFLs*, including Atlas, are required to document the firearms that come into their possession, where they come from, and where they go. Specifically read the sections titled «Required Acquisition Information» and «Required Disposition Information» on page 8.
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I 100% agree that the choice of which businesses to work with is the sole choice of the consumer! I would just ask you to visit Atlas and experience it for yourself. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!