Membership Requirement & Cost
Membership Requirements
Not everyone becomes a member of A.R.R.O. We have strict guidelines our Board of Directors must follow when voting on an application. The applicant must be a legitimate retail operation in a retail location for at least the last three years and gross at least $75,000 in archery in each of the past three years. The credit ratings of the applicant must be excellent/prompt pay with current suppliers and any others we may inquire about. The membership application must be filled out in its entirety and sent to the A.R.R.O. office with the past three years of business financial statements and a personal financial statement. Pictures of the applicants store, inside and outside, must accompany the application and financial statements before membership will be considered.
Cost to Join
The annual membership dues are $400, payable on January 1 of each year. The first year of membership, a purchase of four shares of A.R.R.O. stock at $50 per share ($200) is required. Therefore, the initial cost to join is $600, and each year thereafter, annual membership dues are $400. A.R.R.O. will repurchase the stock at its par value should membership be dropped or terminated.
A.R.R.O. is controlled by seven Board of Directors, who are member dealers of A.R.R.O. The Executive Secretary manages the central office/warehouse. The office has four employees, including the Executive Secretary and also employs temporary help during peak seasons.
A.R.R.O. Hot Show
A.R.R.O. holds its own trade show each year. The Hot Show is held the day before the A.T.A. Archery Trade Show, in the same location. At the A.R.R.O. Hot Show, the participating manufacturers offer the A.R.R.O. members additional savings on selected items from their product line. These prices are only offered on orders placed at the Hot Show. Our members are given a detailed listing of Hot Show items in advance so that they may plan their purchases. The Hot Show benefits the manufacturer and the A.R.R.O. member. It allows the manufacturer to be present with their products, and take this opportunity to make sure our retailers are aware of their line, which opens the door for them to sell the remainder of their product line to our members on the yearly program. Our members are able to purchase best quality, top selling archery equipment at an excellent savings, and program these orders for shipment during peak season in most cases.
Travel Reimbursement
A.R.R.O. will reimburse a portion of travel expenses to its members who attend the Hot Show and our annual membership meeting. The member is required to purchase a set dollar amount of merchandise at the Hot Show and attend the annual membership business meeting to qualify for reimbursement. You not only buy at excellent prices but are paid for attending the show. Hot Show orders are not allowed to be canceled or modified without prior approval of the A.R.R.O. office and the manufacturer involved.
To Read Testimonials from our ARRO Dealers ... Click Here
Archery Range and Retailers Organization
Strengthen Your Independent Buying Power
Are you in the Archery business? If so, you should be a member of A.R.R.O. By belonging to A.R.R.O. you will still be able to make independent buying decisions, but with the buying power of over 180 retailers. This will allow you to buy at better pricing than as an independent retailer. We believe that the independent archery retailer should be able to compete in their market and still make a healthy profit. You will make more money if you are able to buy right. Every day that you are not a member of A.R.R.O., costs you money.
High Volume, Best-Price Buying
A.R.R.O.’s purpose is to help independent retailers, such as yourself, strengthen your independent operations by joining together for high volume, best-price buying. The buying power of many retailers working together is better than working alone. As an A.R.R.O. member, you will receive best-price. This gives you the flexibility to compete better in your market place. It allows you to put more profit in your pocket.
Member / Stockholder Cooperative
A.R.R.O. is a member/stockholder cooperative buying group. When you join A.R.R.O., you become an owner as you will hold stock in the association. A.R.R.O. members are located from Vermont to California, Canada to Texas. We are over 180 members strong. Our members must meet and maintain strict credit and financial status.
Patronage Dividends
At the end of each year, after expenses are covered and necessary cash reserves are in place, A.R.R.O.. is required to distribute the remaining capital among members as cash patronage dividends. You not only save money on your purchases from participating manufacturers, but A.R.R.O. will give you a percentage of those purchases back at year end.
Yearly Buying Programs
A.R.R.O. works with over 175 of the industry's manufacturers. The programs are set up to offer our retailers the best-price available without all the restrictions. On average A.R.R.O. members are buying at stocking distributor prices without the minimums normally required. In most programs, orders are placed directly by the member to the manufacturer, which eliminates the middle man and keeps shipping errors to a minimum. Invoices are generally billed to the A.R.R.O. office with the product being drop shipped to the member. Therefore the member, in most programs, pays only the A.R.R.O. office and doesn’t need to issue checks to various suppliers. This procedure keeps the members’ accounts on a current status as the office is checking balances daily. The office guarantees payment to the manufacturer as long as they follow strict guidelines on billing and shipping. A.R.R.O. also has its own warehouse. About two dozen programs are set up as warehouse programs which allows the member to call the A.R.R.O. office with its orders and the office will combine these companies into one shipment which saves on shipping costs to the member.
