Idiot clerks

[jaysouth]

This week was very informative for me.

At Dick's on Charlotte Pike, a "Manager" informed me that a federal law required all FFLs to keep trigger locks on ALL their inventory.

Today, at Walmart, also on Charlotte Pike, I learned from a clerk in sportings goods that there is a federal law that requires ALL ammo purchasers provide state issued ID.

I think that I will fire my shyster lawyer who charges me for bad advice. Why pay for it when I can get it free from minimum wage clerks at big box stores.

Pay an extra 10%, support your locally owned gun shop.

[Guest bkelm18]

10% adds up quick.

[Erik88]

Pay an extra 10%, support your locally owned gun shop.

I've heard far worse information at several "locally owned gun stores" than I have at any Wal-Mart.

[Lumber_Jack]

Y'all need to quit asking clerks in box stores questions. Jut go in, state what you want, buy it, and leave.

[swim615]

The laws and their interpretation are like opinions and we all know opinions are like a******s everyone has one.

No 10% mark up for my opinion either it is worth just what you paid for it.

Walmart keeps me from going broke even worked there as a teen, to bad I was in hardware, never got to move to sporting good. I wanted to be the idiot clerk.

[Guest Broomhead]

This week was very informative for me.

At Dick's on Charlotte Pike, a "Manager" informed me that a federal law required all FFLs to keep trigger locks on ALL their inventory.

Today, at Walmart, also on Charlotte Pike, I learned from a clerk in sportings goods that there is a federal law that requires ALL ammo purchasers provide state issued ID.

I think that I will fire my shyster lawyer who charges me for bad advice. Why pay for it when I can get it free from minimum wage clerks at big box stores.

Pay an extra 10%, support your locally owned gun shop.

Dicks? Meh, I don't even go there for my daughter's softball gear.

Wal-Mart, describe the clerk that you mention. I'm on pretty good terms with the two regular guys, to the point we say hi when we see each other outside of Wally World. One knows what he's talking about, admits when he doesn't, and won't lie to cover it. The other, with glasses, has been misinformed on a few things, of which I politely corrected him and he thanked me for it. I don't think he'd lie intentionally, but more so out of pride if at all.

[Guest lostpass]

If I ever have to work at a big box store I am def making up all kinds of things.

"This TV is 720 P, the "P" is for porn. You haven't seen naked til you've seen it in HD"

"This gun right here has a sensor in it that won't let you shoot reloads"

"This model? You have to clean it between every shot"

"They call it a semi automatic because sometimes it fires one shot, other times it is full auto. It's random"

"22LR? that's armor piercing stuff. I'll need two IDs and a cheek swab"

"Be sure to recalibrate the laser every two weeks on your Blu Ray player. Just run an album from Starship through it and the machine will recalibrate. Oh, listen the whole time cause if it skips you have a problem"

Then I'd search the nets for posts calling me stupid. Every time I found one I'd win.

[hornett22]

Screw big box stores. There prices aren't better than my local guy anyway. As for Dick's, don't get me started. No reason for anyone to go there.

[peejman]

As usual, expectations are a tad high for the kid making $7.50/hr behind the counter. And I too have heard far more stupid things in real guns stores.

[Guest PapaB]

I worked with a guy that had just left Wally World after 5 years. He started in HS and stayed on thru college. He was a Computer Science major at TN Tech and asked to be put in electronics because that's what he knew. He was put in Hardware and would help in Sporting Goods when needed. He told them he knew nothing about either dept but that didn't matter. He didn't watch sports, didn't fish, had no use for camping and thought hunting and guns should be illegal. He said he worked sporting goods at least 10 to 15 hours a week. He wasn't any more knowlegable at hardware but he got pretty good at mixing paint, as long as you knew what you wanted.

I always assume the people there are uninformed unless they prove differently. They never seem to disappoint me.

[Ebow1]

I tried to get a job at Dick's once. Telling them that you yourself are a dick is not as effective as you would think.

[Guest bkelm18]

Ok I can see where wanting the person at the gun counter to be knowledgeable would be nice, but the rest of the store? Who goes to Walmart looking for advice? As Jeff Dunham's Walter said, "Welcome to Walmart. Get your sh*t and get out!"

[runco]

Idiot clerks do not have to be an idiot. Either know the subject or keep their mouth closed. I had one bad experience as a teenager that shaped my life to this day. When I was 16 years old, I had a '78 Jeep. I remember I was getting out the jeep somewhere, maybe Krogers or something, and someone asked me if it had a 304 engine in that Jeep. I wasn't for sure, and I wanted it to sound quite knowledible and intimidating at the same time, so I said it had a 430, or 450. I knew a lot kids at school had Novas, Camaros, Mustangs, which they bragged about their engines like 302, 351, 350, 454, 400, etc. So to not be outdone, I said something dumb and stupid. I knew I was an idiot when I saw the grin/smile and strong laughter from the guy who had asked me the question. So moving forward I was never going to get caught off guard again regardless of the subject, and I wasn't going to BS anymore. I began to read up on car magazines and whatnot to learn (no internet or message boards back then). A few years later when I went to work at Walmart, I was lucky enough to work in Sporting goods and I sold rifles and handguns (that was 25 years ago). I knew about 22lr rifles, but nothing more. So I bought handgun and rifle magazines so I could read up on the guns/ammo that I was selling, so I could talk the talk factually. I even actually read the back of the 4473 forms and informed customers what I could help with and what I could not. No Wally manager told me to do this, I just did. So if clerks want to be taken seriously, they need to study and know the items they are selling, or keep their dumb mouths shut. Its repulsive when I know more than the sales person knows, because he is paid to know, I am not.

[Guest asaxton]

If I ever have to work at a big box store I am def making up all kinds of things.

"This TV is 720 P, the "P" is for porn. You haven't seen naked til you've seen it in HD"

"This gun right here has a sensor in it that won't let you shoot reloads"

"This model? You have to clean it between every shot"

"They call it a semi automatic because sometimes it fires one shot, other times it is full auto. It's random"

"22LR? that's armor piercing stuff. I'll need two IDs and a cheek swab"

"Be sure to recalibrate the laser every two weeks on your Blu Ray player. Just run an album from Starship through it and the machine will recalibrate. Oh, listen the whole time cause if it skips you have a problem"

Then I'd search the nets for posts calling me stupid. Every time I found one I'd win.

So on the flip side, be the customer that always throws the clerk off. Something I do from time to time to see people react is when I check out and use my debit card. Get really excited, clapping and exclaiming loudly that the bank still thinks we have money, when it approves the purchase. The wife doesn't like to play the game but the kids do. Great fun.

[Patton]

So on the flip side, be the customer that always throws the clerk off. Something I do from time to time to see people react is when I check out and use my debit card. Get really excited, clapping and exclaiming loudly that the bank still thinks we have money, when it approves the purchase. The wife doesn't like to play the game but the kids do. Great fun.

I hate it that places don't check ID's so when I go somewhere i hold one card in my hand and ask, "Do you need to see my ID"? When they say no and they almost always do I put the card back and hand them a different one.

[rgaper]

I hate it that places don't check ID's so when I go somewhere i hold one card in my hand and ask, "Do you need to see my ID"? When they say no and they almost always do I put the card back and hand them a different one.

If you own your own business, you find out that they're really not supposed to ask for ID unless they need to do so for age verification purposes. As a cardholder, if a business asks you to see your ID, you could report them to Visa or MasterCard and get them "in trouble."

If you don't sign the back of the card, or sign it with "please ask for ID" it throws the process off because the card is supposed to be signed. Technically, the clerk just needs to see ink there. They have no idea whose signature it is, right? You should sign it with something like "I love hot dudes" and see how few clerks even notice it. Of course, yours might already be signed that way, and in that case... I gotta go...

[Guest nicemac]

If you own your own business, you find out that they're really not supposed to ask for ID unless they need to do so for age verification purposes. As a cardholder, if a business asks you to see your ID, you could report them to Visa or MasterCard and get them "in trouble."

I thought this was the case as well. So when Wally World asked for my ID just before Christmas, I picked up the phone and called my card company. They promptly told me that outside of California, the merchant CAN ask for ID. It is only illegal in Cali…

[rgaper]

I thought this was the case as well. So when Wally World asked for my ID just before Christmas, I picked up the phone and called my card company. They promptly told me that outside of California, the merchant CAN ask for ID. It is only illegal in Cali…

This thread is getting off track, but I wanted to provide some clarification.......

What you said is a common misconception. Don't confuse illegality with what Visa and MasterCard will let you (the business) do or not do. Yes, there are some states that will NOT allow businesses to ask for ID for a credit card transaction. However, what I was describing in my previous message is that Visa and MasterCard do not want businesses to ask for ID except for in some very specific situations. If the card is unsigned or says "ask for ID" then it's okay for them to ask. If the signature panel is signed, they're allowed only to compare the signature on the card to the signature on the receipt. If they ask for ID, they can get "in trouble."

As a customer or cardholder, think about the implications of that. If you leave your signature panel blank and it gets stolen, the bad guy can sign it, and then the store will see two matching signatures.

[10-Ring]

Screw big box stores. There prices aren't better than my local guy anyway. As for Dick's, don't get me started. No reason for anyone to go there.

Do you mind sharing who your local guy is? I'm about fed up with trying to buy ammo at the Murvul Wally World. I have to track someone down with keys everytime I need something and then pay for it right there, then pay for the rest of my stuff later. I usually pass through sporting goods several times while I'm shopping to catch an employee in the area.

As far as the Walmart clerks go it's hit or miss. I used to work at the Walmart in Clinton and the sporting goods manager up there really knew his stuff when it came to guns, he was a gun and outdoor enthusiast and was an armorer in the Army. We talked guns a lot and he was very knowledgeable. I'm sure that is the exception to the rule.

[peejman]

Do you mind sharing who your local guy is? I'm about fed up with trying to buy ammo at the Murvul Wally World. I have to track someone down with keys everytime I need something and then pay for it right there, then pay for the rest of my stuff later. I usually pass through sporting goods several times while I'm shopping to catch an employee in the area.

As far as the Walmart clerks go it's hit or miss. I used to work at the Walmart in Clinton and the sporting goods manager up there really knew his stuff when it came to guns, he was a gun and outdoor enthusiast and was an armorer in the Army. We talked guns a lot and he was very knowledgeable. I'm sure that is the exception to the rule.

You can pay for everything but produce at the sporting goods counter. A tad inconvenient if you've got a full buggy, but possible. If I'm getting a few things, I try to make it the last stop and just pay for everything there. The line is usually a lot shorter too. It does, on occasion, require a little looking around to find the clerk. There's an older gent at the 411 store who I've found easy to deal with.

[Oh Shoot]

...It does, on occasion, require a little looking around to find the clerk. There's an older gent at the 411 store who I've found easy to deal with.

In every store I've bought ammo, the guy at the automotive service counter has key and can come over, if he ever gets free.

- OS

[billyscott]

I went to Wal Mart once to buy ammo for a 7x57 Mauser. The clerk tried to sell me 7mm Magnum ammo. He said it's the same thing! I tried to enlighten him but he didn't seem interested.

[Makiaveli]

I for one will head to my local store since I am not an expert and since I want to talk to one when I try to pick out my "real" gun (I have a POS 9mm atm), I am more than happy to pay a bit more.

Granted I get what Bkelm is saying, buy alot of guns and ammo and it adds up. But if you are buying on a regular basis, then ask for a frequent flyer discount.

Or just call it a donation to the 2nd Amendment charity. Wally World trying to blow people's guns up with the wrong ammo sure isn't going to help spread goodwill.

[Guest HvyMtl]

I do not like what WalMart did to our economy, or them siding with the Chinese against US companies in court.

So, I spend my $ elsewhere.

And the adage does ring true, you get what you pay for. Most of those people get paid minimum wage or little better. So, what do they really care?

Do support your Local Mom and Pop, like some here on this forum. Find the ones who treat their employees well, and have employees who care. Those are the best. IMHE Guns and Leather, and D&T Arms are places worthy of my dollar.

[Spook]

I worked with a guy that had just left Wally World after 5 years. He started in HS and stayed on thru college. He was a Computer Science major at TN Tech and asked to be put in electronics because that's what he knew. He was put in Hardware and would help in Sporting Goods when needed. He told them he knew nothing about either dept but that didn't matter. He didn't watch sports, didn't fish, had no use for camping and thought hunting and guns should be illegal. He said he worked sporting goods at least 10 to 15 hours a week. He wasn't any more knowlegable at hardware but he got pretty good at mixing paint, as long as you knew what you wanted.

I always assume the people there are uninformed unless they prove differently. They never seem to disappoint me.

And some people want to raise the minimum wage.....