What is up with all those mom 'n pop tactical gear stores????

I am so tired of seeing all these internet stores touting themselves as the best tactical gear sites. I have been on each and every one of them and most of them are a joke. You know that most of these 'tactical gear' sites are actually some guy either working out his basement (or more like his mother's basement because he's a total loser and can't afford to get a place of his own) or his tiny apartment bedroom.

It's super easy to tell the big boys from the wannabe tactical gear sites. Here are some really simple ways...

First, check out the About Us section. If there is just a PO box or a street address but no phone number, that's the first clue. Is the only way to contact the company is via an email address?And if a phone number is listed, is the phone number a toll-free number?? A toll free telephone number usually starts with 800 or 866, etc. Little wannabees cannot afford to pay for the customer's call. Therefore, the customer will rack up the phone bill calling this basement dwelling site.

Second, check out the products and the brands. Yes...everyone and his mother (including the guy living in the basement who has his mom 'working' for him) is selling 5.11 tactical products. But how do you know who's better than whom? Another easy way to check...Does the tactical gear site sell every single item of that brand? And does this site offer special deals along with the product? For example, buy a pair of 511 tactical pants and get a free belt, or buy a 5.11 tactical shirt and get something else for free or discounted. Only the big tactical gear sites can afford to offer special deals to their customers.

Third, one sure fire way to know (yes...a play on words for those who know) if the site is the real McCoy...does it sell the Surefire Flashlight brand? Why is this important? Because the Surefire company only allows reputable sites to carry their brand. They inspect and check each and every one of their dealers so there is no mom n' pop, fly by nite site carrying the surefire flashlight brand. And if this site does carry surefire flashlights, does it carry only a handful of the models or does it carry the entire product line for the entire brand? It's easy for someone to buy a surefire flash light on ebay or through a yard sale and stick the product on their site. But unless they have Surefire's approval, they will be unable to carry anything else.

Finally, a good tactical site will have lots of information about the tactical world. Look at the customer photos and videos. Look at the wealth of knowledge of the pages. Look at the variety of brands and how many products are listed for each brand. And make sure to contact the customer service people. If you get a home recording as your answer, you know you've called little Timmy who's playing 'pretend big man' down in his mommy's basement!