Ron, the idea is sound. The shop I go to in Jacksonville gives a discount to club members. It helps offset the cost of joining the club and people who join are more likely to stay in the hobby long term and spend more. If I ever get around to opening a shop up, I'd do it with AMA or club membership. You're in business to make money. This is just a method of increasing potential sales. Not something to get worked up about. It's not the perceived elitism that some guys (who don't belong to either) will talk about.

FWIW, I've never been to a club that was snobbish to newcomers. I have seen newcomers that come up to our club demanding things. Guess how that turned out?