"I want my local gun shop employees to be USPSA GM's who are former Navy SEALs with degrees in gunsmithing who have a 145 IQ and are moonlighting from their day job as SWAT officers for a fed .gov agency. Also, I don't want to pay more than 5% markup over wholesale."— Tamara K. (@TamSlick) December 2, 2019
People don't seem to understand that most small gun shops are just another kind of Hobby Retail.
If you went into a model train store or an R/C car/plane shop, you'd expect to find the owner, maybe one full-time salesperson/manager, and the remainder of the crew cobbled together of part-timers, mostly students and retirees who are enthusiasts of the hobby and are willing to put up with crappy pay for love of the game and employee discounts.
Your typical small gun shop is no different. I should know, I've worked in a few.
