I used to frequent Lindy's gun store in Boone when I lived over there. He would generally have the best prices in central Iowa. I was there looking for .22 during one of the shortages and asked if he had any. Old Lindy said, "I always have .22, but right now I'm not putting it out on the shelf. The only way I'll sell you any is if you buy a .22 gun. It doesn't do any good to sell .22s if the new owners don't have any ammunition". It kind of made sense when I thought about it.
On a related note, I don't live near Boone any more, but Lindy's was a helluva gun shop. It wasn't much bigger than a walk in closet, but he always had a lot of good stuff in there. I understand it changed hands a couple years back. I should get back over there and see if the new guy is keeping it up to snuff...