Gander Mountain, per Reuters, is on the verge of bankruptcy.  If this doesn't go well for them, all of the company's stores will be closing, including ones in Illinois.

This does not come as a terrible surprise.  At their Champaign, IL store, Gander seemed very proud of their merchandise, charging about 15-20% above other stores in the area marked their firearms and accessories.   Frankly, their sale prices brought their guns down to everyday street prices for other nearby gun sellers. 

What's more, I've gotten multiple reports of Gander Mountain staff (and even a manager?) giving customers a hard time for buying a case or two (1000 cases) of 5.56 ammunition.  "Why do you need that much ammunition?!  Nobody needs that much ammo!"  The first time I heard that I brushed it off as a misunderstanding.  The second and third times, I considered contacting senior management for a comment, but in the end decided it wasn't worth the time or trouble.

What's more, when our GSL members asked if we could put out some GunNews, they were flatly (bordering on rudely) told no.  Why?  Because it contained advertisements from GM's competitors they were told.

Given all of the above, I personally never spent a nickel in their store and I've bought a lot of guns from a lot of stores over the years.

Gander Mountain preparing to file for bankruptcy this month

(Reuters) – U.S. hunting and fishing chain Gander Mountain Co is preparing to file for bankruptcy as early as this month, after an aggressive effort to expand its store base failed to pull in new customers, according to people familiar with the matter.

…Gander Mountain, which bills itself as America's firearms superstore, has faced challenges capitalizing on a booming gun market. The Federal Bureau of Investigation carried out a record 27.5 million background checks on people seeking to buy guns in 2016, up 19 percent from the year before.

Gander also has stiff competition from rivals like Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's Inc, which have been revamping their stores to attract customers with restaurants and shooting activities.