Gun's E-Z Own on TV's & Sports

Do you remember what it was like back in the day watching sports on a 19" TV? Some of may not remember what a big deal it was to get your first color tv. I sure do. Now TV's have all the bells and whistles, old guys like me don't know how to use.

I go back further, but Back in 1997, my family purchased a Crosley 27" tube TV from E-Z Own. We had been married for 7 years and now it was time for our first NEW TV. A 27" screen was a huge back then. The sizes went from 19" to 27" to 32" to 55". And man were they heavy. Back then the 55" rear projection TV's were available then, put for a hefty price. Over time the TV sizes became more diverse, bigger and better. The company had delivered 42" tube TV's with speakers on the side. Call the Chiropractor.

Recently, with the flat panel TV's becoming more and more popular, I kept waiting from my 27" to die. But it wouldn't. I waited and waited. I wasn't looking for a fancy TV with all the bells and whistles. Just a larger screen to watch sports and movies on. What the heck does one need a smart TV for?

Well, finally in 2014 there was a good deal from one of our distributors and that cinched the decision to upgrade. What a great deal for a 47" LED TV. 47"!!!! I'll be honest, I didn't read all the specs, my TV stand would hold a 47" TV and that is what mattered. I ordered one for the family and 3 more for the store. (They weren't on the floor long.)

The TV's arrived, I paid for ours and brought it home. Got the TV un-boxed, set it up, turned it on. WOW!!!!! What an outstanding picture. Great colors and going from a 27" to a 47", it was like being at the movies.

Looking at the remote I thought, "Wonder what this does?" Oh, cool, it has apps on it. It's a smart TV. Ok, cool not a big deal, I won't be using that. HA!

After about two months, I started using more and more of the Smart features like, Netflix, Yahoo, Amazon Plus. I watch more of that then regular TV. The guy who didn't need any Smart features now can't get along without it. This made the value of the TV even more significant.

In the mean time I watched a lot of sports. I'm into Football college and pro, Gopher Sports, especially wrestling. NCAA Men's Basketball. I do enjoy an occasional Twins baseball game. The occasional hockey game. This year the Commecialympics.

One evening the family decided to watch the Twins game. I was in awe of how clear and bright the picture was. The green color of the field was awesome.

Being a former a wrestler, I didn't learn the intricacies of a basketball game. The plays, strategies and the like. So I really didn't enjoy watching basketball on my 27" TV. The players looked liked they were just running around in circles, getting jumbled up throwing some round object up into the air and then running to the other side of the court.

With that new 47" LED TV, I was able to actually see the pick and roll, how the defense was setting up, how the offense was moving the ball around. That brought back the joy of watching the game.

Then we get to football. I'm not sure about you but when at a football game in person, I would rather be up higher in the stands as to see the whole field and watch the play for the offensive and defense set up during the action.

With a larger screen you can see most of that action and you don't have to squint. Of course the TV cameras doesn't cover the secondary during the play, just in re-plays, but boy is it fun to watch.

Two years later, I turned the TV onto a baseball game and turned to my wife and said, "Wow, I am still in awe of this picture. It is so cool."

Not everyone is into sports, but almost everyone is into clear, colorful pictures, And that is what Gun's E-Z Own carries. TV's that will give you a clear, colorful pictures.

We carry LG, Sharp, Samsung, Sony, Haier. 24" up to 65". Smart, 1080p, 4K 120hz and more. We may not have them in stock, but we can order them in from our distributors. If you are looking to upgrade your TV or need a second TV, Stop in the store and take a watch.

GOOD TV WATCHING to all my readers.

Have a safe and blessed day.

Why does Gun's E-Z Own have used furniture?

Good Question. We do get asked that quite often as to why Gun's E-Z Own has used furniture on the store. Well it's not because we like to have used furniture in stock.

There are two reasons we have used furniture in stock:
1) We repossessed it
2) it was on a short term rental

Referring to #1 Repossessions. Our contracts are an Interest Bearing Promissory Note and Security Agreement. Well, what the heck does that mean?

It means because we are giving our customers a loan, we hold the product they purchased as collateral. How So? Remember we have Gun's E-Z Own Sales and Gun's E-Z Own Financing. Gun's E-Z Own Sales sells the product and Gun's E-Z Own Financing, finances the purchase with a loan to the customer. Like a car loan.

So if a customer can't or won't make their monthly payment, we will repossess the product from them.

In the State of Minnesota we have what is called Self Help Repossessions. We, Gun's E-Z Own, will go to customers place of residence and knock on doors to collect money or the property.

I am a member of St. John's Red Wing.This past Sunday the pastor was giving the Children's Message. The sermon was based on Judges 7:1-8a and related it to door knocking.. During the Children's Message, he told some knock knock jokes to the kids and then asked the kids what they expected when they knocked on the door. Since I have been doing the E-Z Own thing for almost 20 years, I leaned over to my wife and said, "Money, I expect money when I door knock." This is suppose to be tongue in cheek humor.

Honestly, most of our customers are good paying customers, so I don't have to door knock as often as I use to. But I still have to do it.

Repossessing furniture is not as dramatic what you see the Repo Men do on TV. Most customer are relieved that they don't have the financial obligation any longer because they fell on hard times. I have had people shout, threaten and be complete jerks, but that is a rarity. I can tell you some of my war stories at a later time. I have a few.

As for #2 Rentals. If you remember from a previous BLOG, We use our used/previously owned furniture first for the short term rentals and when in a pinch we fill in with new furniture. And since the renter used it, we must categorize it as used.

When you are in the store you will see to different colored price tags. The White tag is new items, the Yellow tag is previously owned items.

To the right are what you would find.

Bottom line, as a rule of thumb, we do not purchase people's used furniture nor do we do consignment sales.

I hope that answered the used furniture question in clear form. I think I have mentioned before that there are many twist and turns in running an E-Z Own store. Some can get complicated.

Until next time, have blessed and safe day.

What can I find on Gun's E-Z Own Website?

Back in 2006 I was asked by my boss at the time if I was willing to take classes to learn how to code html for our website. I told him I was interested. It was interesting learning something technical and a new language that I hadn't known before. Not quite the same as working the control room during a cable cast, but I can get my tech fix by working with coding.

So I signed up for an online course from our local technical college in Red Wing. It was a 10 week course. From start to finish, the class would give instruction, the student got "homework" using practical exercises and each class finished with a test. Believe it or not I passed the course. See that to the right, that looked like Greek to me before I started.

And now you know the rest of the story. I've been doing the then E-Z Own and the now Gun's E-Z Own website ever since.

Now if you have already been to our website, you have already seen what content Gun's E-Z Own has. I like to go by the K.I.S.S. system. Keep It Simple Stupid.

I know it's not flashy with all the bells and whistles, but I wanted to keep it simple so it was easy enough to do a quick ix to coding if needed and so that customers can navigate is easy. Find where they want to go without having to look for the sometimes, hard to find links. You know what I'm talking about. You are trying to find a specific thing and you can't find the link and then you do. And when you try to go back to find that certain link, you can't remember were you found it in the first place. Yep, been there.

Our official website address www.gunsezown.com, 

So what will you find on Gun's E-Z Own website.

Well of course the HOME page. You gotta have a home page. Currently there is a video of me explaining Gun's E-Z Own.

Then there is the ABOUT US button. This page answers common questions that we get. But if you have been following my blog, most of those questions have been answered.

And if you want to do some shopping, you can click on our PRODUCTS button. This page brings you to several links like IN STOCK items, SPECIALS, and links to our distributors' pages.

Now on our IN STOCK link, that will bring you to a google page with folders that break down the pictures categories. For pricing you will need to call the store. Give use the first six digits of the item you are interested in and we can quote you a price.

We have RENTAL INFO for those who are only looking to rent an item for 3-6 months. You will also find the Rental Customer Info Sheet, Rental Agreement, and Package pricing

Then there is the CREDIT APP. You can download this, fill it out and fax it to us at 651.388.3951. If you are savvy enough working with pdf files, you can filled it out and e-mail it to us at gunsezown@gmail.com.

Then the final page is our MAKE A PAYMENT page. You can make payments to us online. You won't be able to get a balance on your account online, remember we are just a small business. But you can call in to get a balance.

There you have it, our website in a nutshell. I hope you have time to visit our website and then stop on down to the store to say, "Hi" and see in person what we have in stock.

We are also have a Facebook page. We try to keep it light a positive. Just showing some highlight furniture some funny memes and a joke or two.

Thank you for reading today. Have a blessed and safe day.

Does Gun's E-Z Own do Rentals?

When it comes to RENTALS, Gun's E-Z Own does Short Term, Long Term and Staging Rentals. We rent the products we carry.

Be it a Apartment, house, bungalow or the dog's house, we can furnish for you for the length you need it for.

Let me explain the difference between financing and rental. Gun's E-Z Own is NOT a rent to own, we are a licensed finance company. So when you finance a purchase, you are paying for the item to own it in the end without a lien on it. Similar to a car loan.

When to rent something, it does not go towards the purchase of the product. So if you rent a $500 sofa and end up paying $200 in rental fees, the sofa retail is still $500 when you have completed the rental. Now I know you are going to ask WHY or What the....? The reason is that we MUST follow Minnesota Regulations. Rent to owns can not operate in the State of Minnesota and if we discounted the product for the rent paid, it looks like a rent to own and we could be fined heavily.

So if you think that after a year rental that you may want to purchase the rented items, you may want to consider financing instead of renting.

A majority of Gun's E-Z Own rentals are Xcel contractors that are in Red Wing for 6-12 months and want to give the furniture back and move on to their next job. Or down in Rochester, we have had several rentals of people from the middle east whom are getting medical treatment at Mayo.

Another popular rental we do is lift recliners. If you have had surgery on your knee, hip or shoulder and really won't be able to lift yourself out of a recliner, a lift recliner is just the thing. Our lift chairs will lift you to your feet so there is little stress on your affected body area. It would also be comfortable enough to take a nap in or sleep overnight in.

If you are trying to sell your home, we have worked realtors, stagers or individual home owners. We have a staging package, so if you wish to stage a home, contact us and and if you want someone with a good eye for putting rooms together speak with Marcia. Marcia has a better eye then I do. Hey, I'm a guy, I see only one shade of red, not nine. If you can't make it into the store, we have gone with pictures of the inside of the home that is trying to be sold. Then e-mail photos back and forth.

What we DON'T rent is constructions items, folding chairs, folding tables or plates, forks knifes and the like. We are strictly Furniture, Electronics and Appliances.

Back to the regular rentals, we have different packages for different needs. There is the economy one or two bedroom and the Executive one or two bedroom packages. You can see what is included in the RENTAL by clicking on RENTAL. We have only select in stock items that we will let go out on rental.

The items we rent is based on what we have in stock. If you need to rent a California King Mattress set and we don't have one, you would need to stay with a queen or regular king set.

And if this a service you need, we will do our best to see to it, your temporary stay is a comfortable one. Our contact info is 651.388.3951 or gunsezown@gmail.com.

Have a wonderful and blessed day.

How to save with Gun's E-Z Own Low Interest Program.

For those who are interested in interest, this blog will be explaining the different interest programs Gun's E-Z Own offers.

Now the first option is to pay cash out right and you get a 20% cash sale discount on regular priced items. Here you pay zero percent interest and get to see my smiley face as I count the cash. I kid. You can pay with cash, check or credit card.

Let me first mention our regular interest rate up front. Our standard rates are 18.0%, 24.0% and 28.8% simple interest. We are a high risk lending institution and do not apologize for our rates. Heck, if you saw our books some months you would wonder why we don't charge more. : ) Anyway, the 28.8% is first time customers and problem customers who are always late with their payments. The 24% is used for our okay paying customers who maybe late 3-4 times per loan. The 18% is for our good customers who do not have any late fees and long time customers. So if you are a new customer and are at the 28.8% simple interest, you pay off your loan with NO late fees, we will lower you down to 18% on your next loan.

Now for our lower interest rate programs.

We have a 90 day interest free financing option. You would pay 10% down, make your monthly payment and pay your account in full within 90 days and you get your purchase interest free. So an example would be, for $1,000, you pay $100 down, and your monthly payment is $84.00 per month. You would pay your monthly payment of $84, not being late, for two months and on the third month you would pay your loan off. Zero percent financing.

We also have a 6% and 12 % interest program. And each of these programs works the same. You must pay the 10% down to qualify. Now this will be a little more difficult to explain. As to try not to bore you to tears, I will give a simplified explanation. There will be a little more to these programs. You can stop by the store and get more info.

Scenario: $1,000 purchase, $100 down and 16 months at $84 per month. This is at a 28.8% simple interest. We do up the contract. Let's say you tell us that you can afford $100 per month. With our 12% Interest program, we would have you to sign a form that you agree to make 12 monthly payments of $95.00 per month and have NO late fees, we would then credit your account any interest you paid over the 28.8% interest, so you end up only paying 12.0% simple interest.

For the 6% program, you would need to pay $182.00 per month for 6 months with NO late fees.

The nice thing about this program is that you can always opt out. So if the paychecks are not quite up to snuff you can say you wish to only pay the regular monthly payment and void the low interest rate program.

You must decide at time of purchase however if you wish to opt in this money saving program.

Phew, congrats, you made it through the blog. I get it, this stuff is tough to read, but I wanted to make you aware of these programs so you can save yourself some hard earned money.

Thank you for reading. Next time, I will be tackling questions Gun's E-Z Own receives about our Rentals. Rentals? yes, we do rentals as well.

Stay safe and have a blessed day.

How do I get financing at Gun's E-Z Own Financing?

Recently, my son was going to purchase a car from my father and needed a loan to do so. My son went to his bank here in town and they wanted documents from my dad like home mortgage papers, banking information, Tax return information and more. Then they wanted more documents from my son. Well why did they need my dad's info. he wasn't getting a loan. This can be very frustrating.

At Gun's E-Z Own, we make it as simple as we can. So what we have you do is fill out what we call a Customer Information Sheet, aka credit application. It only takes to 10 to 15 minutes to fill it out.

Page one of our CIS asks for your name, address and landlord name. Previous address, place of employment and their contact information.

Page two, we get a copy of your Driver's License and proof of your SSN. Four character references, two relatives and two friends all with different phone numbers and addresses. We try to get you approved within one day. Sometimes we have to fax stuff to employers and landlords and then they take a little extra time to get back to us.

Our minimum requirements are 3 months at your residence and 3 months at your place of employment. We ask all this information because we DON'T do credit checks. You must also live in our service area. Within 30 miles of Red Wing or Rochester.

If we can't get a hold of your employer and landlord in a reasonable amount of time, we will ask you to bring in pay stubs as proof of your employment and a copy of your lease or utility bill as proof of your residence.

Once approve you pay 10% of the retail price. For example if you wish to purchase a Sofa and Love Seat that retails for $999.99. You would put $100 down and pay an estimated $84 per month. It's works like a car loan. Put a down payment and make monthly payments on the loan.

Estimated, what do you mean estimated? Well there are different factors, such as what interest rate you would be at, do you need delivery and where is the delivery. We charge to deliver the product. (Hey, those chiropractic appointments to adjust my back don't pay for themselves.) Then we also offer credit insurance and extended warranties which would factor in.

People ask if we are a Rent to Own. NO, we are not. We hold an Industrial Loan License and we must follow the Minnesota Department of Commerce regulations. Speaking of which I better put this disclaimer in. You can read it or skip it. Sample Disclosure: for $1,000 loan, $100 down, 16 payments of $84 APR 31.62%.

So if you need financing, stop in the store or download our Customer Information Sheet and we will get you set up with some nice furniture.

Back to my son's loan. I told them to go to my bank, which they did. He filled out a two page loan application and got approved within two days.

Just like my son, who was able to get a newer car, you can get a loan for new furniture, appliances or electronics from Gun's E-Z Own, Which will make you happy. If that doesn't I'll have to tell you an Ole & Lena joke.

Next time, I will go over our different interest rate options. I will let you know how you can pay zero percent interest which will make you even happier. I don't know if it would make you happier than an Ole & Lena joke but it will be close.

Thank you for reading my blog. Until next time, Stay Safe and Have Great Day.

What kind of appliances & electronics/computers does Gun's E-Z Own carry?

The last two weeks I have volunteered time helping people from my church with their moves to other locations. Isn't funny how we accumulate items over the years and don't realize how much we have accumulated. I also found that I really hate stairs. Especially with a 1970's 16 cubit foot chest freezer in my arms. I know where you can get an updated chest freezer and it will be 50 lbs lighter. And more energy efficient.  But I digress.

Oh, look This week I just happen to be going over different types of appliances and electronics/computers we carry. Hmm, coincidence?

APPLIANCES

Let's start with appliances. We carry Crosley products. Washers, dryers, chest freezers, upright freezers, refrigerators and dishwashers. 

The next question who is Crosley. They have been around since 1920. Crosley started out with radios, then in the '30's got into refrigerators with the shelvador. I had a Crosley radio growing up. A little white box with a dial tuner. I wish I still had that radio. Crosley also manufactured cars in the '30 & '40's.

Why Crosley? Because they have a 10 year warranty. 1 years parts & labor and 9 years major parts. We do offer extended warranties to get parts & labor for the first 2 or 3 years. We have had very little problems with the Crosley brand.

Gun's E-Z Own also has access to LG, Frigidaire and Danby appliances, but those would be a special order. Danby has some cool items like camo freezers for the guys & wine coolers for the gals. If you have a camo freezer, how would you find it again? Just asking.

ELECTRONICS

On one of the moves I volunteered for, this gentlemen still had an old console TV. I didn't know those were still around. And man was it heavy. We put it on a two wheel dolly and wheeled up a steep hill to get it to the moving truck. It took one person pulling and three more pushing the dolly. It was like participating at the Vikings training camp with a blocking sled. Which reminds me that one of my favorite seasons is coming up. FOOTBALL. Got see the Vikings & Gophers on a bigger screen TV. And a TV that is much lighter than an old console TV.

When it comes to electronics/computers, we have many different options. Unfortunately we don't have a catalog for electronics. We have 4 different distributors we can order from. So just let us know what you are looking for and will ask our distributors if they have it or can get it.

We generally carry LG televisions on the floor. Typically 32" to 60".  For TV brands we can also get Sony, Samsung, Haier, Phillips, Vizio etc. The Haier TV's don't have a lot of features, but they have a great picture.

We can also order in stereos, soundbars and more. 

In the computer area there are many options as well. Laptop, desktop, tablets and the like. In general we carry HP & ASUS but have access to Acer, Dell & Samsung.

There you have it. Furniture, Appliances & Electronics all under the same roof. Now next week i plan to discuss our finance options and Cash Sales Discounts.

Have a wonderful week. Hope to see you in the store soon. Remember to like us on Facebook and visit our website at gunsezown.com. There you will find answers to common questions, what we have in stock and links to our distributors.