May 23, 2008

An inventive car dealership in the US has found a great new way to increase sales.  He’s giving a free gun away with each car purchased.

Max Motors in Butler, Missouri, says sales have quadrupled since the start of the offer.

Customers are given the choice of either a gun or a $250 fuel card and it’s the firearm that most have chosen.

Dealership owner Mark Muller boasts “We're just damn glad to live in a free country where you can have a gun if you want to."

The Dealership sells both new and old vehicles and with it’s logo showing a Cowboy holding a pistol, It’s no great surprise that potential buyers are drawn to the pistol offer.

Mr Muller said that every buyer so far "except one guy from Canada and one old guy" chose the gun, rather than the gas card.  Thirty cars have been sold in the last three days, with the increase being put down to the promotion.

The promotion was inspired by Barack Obama’s comment about “those people in the Midwest, you've got to have compassion for them because they're clinging to their guns and their Bibles.”  This comment riled Mr Muller who said “I found that quite offensive. We all go to church on Sunday and we all carry guns.".

As the guns retail at around $250, or maybe slightly less, the offer means good business for Mr Muller, as it’s more cost effective than the fuel card.

The web offer does state that an approved background check on gun ownership is required.  Good to see they’re not giving these weapons away recklessly.

It’s hard to see what UK dealerships would be able to offer to entice buyers into the showrooms, although a petrol card to the value of 100 litres would be an excellent giveaway in the current climate, as it would increase in value each time the price of fuel goes up.  punters would possibly hold on to part of the value on the cards until the prices look to have peaked?

British dealerships tend to rely on the offer of cheap credit to help oil the wheels of car sales, but as people tighten their belts dealerships will have to become more inventive with the methods they use to attract new custom.

Leave a comment

Type into the box below