As summer comes to an end and the fall season is peaking around the corner, many of you have begun attending college football games, and kids are back in school. This means numerous trips to crowded Wal-Mart or Office Depot stores for school supplies. Perhaps you’re moving your son or daughter into a new dorm or apartment. I just did it. Twice. With four trips to Target and five trips to Bed, Bath, and Beyond behind me, I feel that my girls are as settled as they could possibly be.
I even tried something new, and it definitely wasn’t by choice. I was charged with putting my daughter’s shoe rack together, which came in a box with a thousand pieces. Not my thing, but I knew I had to do it. Cussing the entire time, I finally accomplished what I set out to do, and it wasn’t so bad after all. In fact, I did a pretty good job. While this simple task may be routine for many of you, it was new for me, and I passed with flying colors despite being reluctant even to try.
Many of you reading this article are asking yourselves, “Why in the world didn’t she just order everything from Amazon?” The answer is easy. There are no humans at Amazon. Everything is digital, and it’s impossible to have a conversation with anyone there or ask questions. Don’t get me wrong. Our family uses Amazon for many items, but blackout shades with the properly sized rods to fit a specific window in a tiny room is not one of them. You must do this in person.
Last week, our wholesale members also tried something new, and we did it in person. To help our entire association move forward, many of our wholesale members participated in the first-ever NASGW Wholesaler Summit in Atlanta. This gathering provided our members with some valuable insight into perspectives on wholesale trends both inside our industry and out. It also created an open dialog on industry issues, and we discussed ways that two-step distribution can make a more significant impact within the shooting sports industry. The meeting was a success, and everyone left there with confidence that the past couple of hours were well-spent.
Years like 2019 force us to look at our organizations a little differently. NASGW is no different, and this year has created more questions than answers. The industry and society, in general, are changing, and we must all prepare. Most of our wholesale members have seen these ups and downs in the industry many times before, and we are built to endure lean times because we are prepared and open to change.
To help us all prepare for 2020, I can help but remind you that our NASGW Expo is around the corner, coming at you full speed ahead, on October 22-25. However, I will not remind you to get your teams registered or make hotel reservations. I will not remind you to sign up for the amazing industry Appreciation Dinner on Tuesday night. I will not be reminding you that we will have Happy Hours available to all attendees on both Wednesday and Thursday afternoons on the show floor. I’m sure by now you’ve already checked these items off your to-do list.
The NASGW Expo plays a big part in preparing for the upcoming year, and we hope that this association can provide you the tools, connections, relationships, and insight to keep moving forward into the future. I look forward to walking around and seeing all of our exhibitors and welcoming you to Orlando. And if you need help assembling your gun rack upon set-up, perhaps I can help. Or at least I can try.
Until next time,
Laurie Aronson
NASGW Chairwoman