Gun Shops: Don't ya just hate em!?

[The Average Joe]

I'm a somewhat collector/shooter, so when I go to a gun shop, I pretty much know what I'm after. Like creeky, I'm a silent shopper and patient. When asked if I need any help, I'll point to what I'm interested in and that's....when my choice is made.

Sometimes the guy behind the counter will say, "Oh no, you don't want that, you want this."

I actually had a guy argue with me that I didn't want a .410 Snake Charmer, but should get a double barrelled Ruger 12 ga. WTF?

I can mount something like that on my tractor to shoot snakes with...Much more, I would want to if that's all I had....

Needless to say he never took either one down off the rack and I avoid shopping there at any cost.

Most of the points have been covered in this thread and I think everyone, no matter their "gun savyness" wants the same things out of the shops they choose to patronize....courtesy, respect, knowledge, selection, etc.

If you've read just the first page of this thread, you're list of pro's and con's is probably almost complete.

[Guest DVC]

More reloading supplies.Bullets in bulk quantity both jacketed/plated and lead in the popular calibers and weights.Primers and powder in bulk quantity as well.Who buys primers a hundred at a time?.And keep this in stock at all times.

Edited August 18, 2008 by DVC

[Guest GUTTERbOY]

I'm a somewhat collector/shooter, so when I go to a gun shop, I pretty much know what I'm after. Like creeky, I'm a silent shopper and patient. When asked if I need any help, I'll point to what I'm interested in and that's....when my choice is made.

Sometimes the guy behind the counter will say, "Oh no, you don't want that, you want this."

I actually had a guy argue with me that I didn't want a .410 Snake Charmer, but should get a double barrelled Ruger 12 ga. WTF?

I can mount something like that on my tractor to shoot snakes with...Much more, I would want to if that's all I had....

This harkens back to my note about that fine line between advice and annoyance.

To my way of thinking, if I'm in a shop and someone marches in and tells me exactly what they want, I'd be inclined to engage them in some conversation and feel things out. The shopper might be Rob Leatham in disguise, who knows what he's doing and what he wants. He might also be someone who's never fired a gun before, decided he wanted a handgun, and one friend told him that the Taurus PT145 was the best weapon ever.

I think it's important to recognize folks in the second category, and maybe help educate them on the options out there. Conversely, it's important to also determine when a customer knows exactly what he wants, and isn't going to be swayed by my opinion, regardless of whether the customer is educated or not.

In the end, I suppose it comes down to a judgment call, along with experience in assessing folks. You need to be helpful to the folks that need help, but without annoying the folks who don't need it.

[molonlabetn]

The only gun-shops which have ever lost my business were for 2 reasons, usually in combination:

1. Treating their customers as if they were an unworthy, inexperienced waste of their time, who possess far inferior firearms knowledge than themselves.

2. Attempting to take advantage of said customers as if their patronage is owed, regardless of the price.

The gun-shops which have gained my business was also primarily for 2 reasons, usually in conjunction with one another:

1. Learn my name (even for just 15 minutes)

2. Waste no time in offering to put at least one of the guns I'm eyeing into my hands.

[Guest jwp]

This thread is a wealth of information.

But what about the view from the other side of the counter?

Check my avatar title.

[Metalhead]

Other side of the counter?

Please, don't call it "Smith & Western"

[Metalhead]

Oh, and don't get mad at me if I have to tell your unsupervised small children who are running around screaming and grabbing various longguns off the bottom racks to chill out.

[Guest bkelm18]

This thread is a wealth of information.

But what about the view from the other side of the counter?

Check my avatar title.

Now hiring huh? Shoot, if it pays better than my current job I'll lick your range floor clean daily. Ok not really.

[Guest GUTTERbOY]

Other side of the counter?

Please, don't call it "Smith & Western"

I think you could make an entire thread just off customer mispronounciations. I never worked in a "real" gun shop, but i did do a few years with Dick's behind the gun counter, so I got a minor sort of dose. Most common offender was Stoeger, which I've heard said as "stewger", "stugger", "stodger", and God knows what else. "Bernelli" is another crowd favorite.

[Guest jwp]

Now hiring huh? Shoot, if it pays better than my current job I'll lick your range floor clean daily. Ok not really.

It only needs to be licked clean every other day.

[Metalhead]

Ahh, Frenchy vs Franchi is another favorite of mine.

[Guest bkelm18]

It only needs to be licked clean every other day.

Sweet, count me in.

[Angus]

Great feedback guys, keep it coming.

(This thread is going to be required reading for my entire staff)

How things you consistently look for, but can never find at your local gun shop?

(dont bother mentioning that you can never find new Ed Brown for under 1500 bucks, or you don't understand why dealers dont sell new Glocks for 300 bucks out the door )

You gonna sell me a new Glock for $300 otd? I am in the market...lol

Edited August 18, 2008 by Angus
cuz I am me

[Guest mw.]

Condescending/arrogant people are probably my #1 complaint at shops. The condescension seems to take many forms- maybe it's the fact that I'm looking at a Taurus PT1911 instead of a Kimber.

I went into a shop one time looking for an Astra revolver in .357. I had just gotten one in .38 and really liked it. I can't remember the quote exactly since it's been about five years or so but I was more or less told they didn't have crap like that. Never went back. I might have just hit them on a bad day since most of the people on here seem to speak highly of them. It doesn't take but once to make a bad impression.

[Guest GUTTERbOY]

I went into a shop one time looking for an Astra revolver in .357. I had just gotten one in .38 and really liked it. I can't remember the quote exactly since it's been about five years or so but I was more or less told they didn't have crap like that. Never went back. I might have just hit them on a bad day since most of the people on here seem to speak highly of them. It doesn't take but once to make a bad impression.

I generally give anyone at least two chances before swearing them off for good, unless something just ridiculously heinous happens the first time. I figure that everyone has a bad day, and one experience with a short employee is not indicative of a pattern, so I give them a second chance. Same or similar treatment then is usually enough to get me to not come back.

[Guest sermon8r]

Oh, and don't get mad at me if I have to tell your unsupervised small children who are running around screaming and grabbing various longguns off the bottom racks to chill out.

I thought thats why you keep Paul around....

[Guest sermon8r]

What i dont like is when the shop puts all the firearms on the counter and doesnt offer a towel to wipe the drool off.

I have purchased from 3 shops in middle TN. 2 are represented on this board and both are a long drive.

they both called me by name when they learned it. +1

they kept to what i wanted to see +1

one recomended something like i wanted but better and not 1000.00 better +10

the shop that is close to (havent purchased firearm from) priced retail+.... notice havent purchased ...-100

a great product will sell itself but a jerk will keep you from buying it.

I am a people person and believe a buyer/seller relationship is important to develop if you want repeat customers.

if you have an email check with your customer in a few weeks and see if they are happy with their purchase and thank them.

more to follow but my wife said dinners ready.... LOL

William

[TripleDigitRide]

If you guys were just a little bit closer to Nashville or had a 2nd shop up here, that'd pretty much eliminate my only complaint.

Ain't that the damn truth! Luckily, my Friday route just changed, so I may have a chance to stop by Hero Gear a little more often. The 115 mile/2 hour drive from my home can be a killer. There is definitely a market for a Hero Gear in the Nashville area.

[Metalhead]

I thought thats why you keep Paul around....

True. But we cant unleash the full destructive power of Paul for just anyone, you know!

[Im Neero]

Several of the gun shops in town have staffs that seem to go out of their way to ignore you. "How can we help you?" and "I'll be with you in just a minute" if you're busy seem obvious, but at least one gun store in town tends to treat you like you just walked into a private club without an invitation when you walk through the door.

A local shop does not allow you to disassemble a gun before buying it. I will not buy anything from there again.

[robbiev]

Qualify the customer - if a client walks in wanting to purchase a firearm, qualify them in detail - experience, desired usage, etc. Asking a question or two generally isn't enough, especially for newbies. Only after fully quantifying the customer's needs should any recommendations be made.

There's a place around here that, if a woman comes in and says she is looking for a gun, they go straight to the revolvers, pick up a Lady Smith, and hand it to her, and say, "Here." That's pretty much it.

No one in Memphis gets it right, IMO. It's very frustrating, as retail isn't hard when people stop considering themselves experts and focus on the fact that the client is the most important thing.

I was in a gun shop a while back and the customer asked what was the purpose of hollow point bullets. The answer was, "The hollow point causes the bullet to expand in the air so it's bigger when it hits the target."

Something that really hits me is gun shop people (and customers too) that stand around pointing guns at each other. I have been shot at. I despise having a gun pointed at me and I will not allow it to happen if I can prevent it. If you point a gun at me and I react to it, you have no right to be offended. It's YOUR fault. Not mine.

I was in a shop once and the clerk took a gun from the counter, pointed it directly at the customer's chest, pulled the trigger, then locked the slide open. After the customer looked it it, the clerk took it back, pointed it directly at the customer's chest, pulled the trigger, then locked the slide open.

Edited August 19, 2008 by robbiev

[Guest Brian@GunDepot]

A local shop does not allow you to disassemble a gun before buying it. I will not buy anything from there again.

I've had a few customers (that didn't buy I might add) come in and ask to see an ar/ak... disassemble it without asking, then tell me they have no idea how to put it back together. I had one guy 'claim' he was ex marine and didn't know how to remove the charging handle from an AR.

Let me get something straight though, I don't mind showing a customer how to field strip any weapon I have in the store... but my request and plea is please don't do it yourself unless you know how to. I'm not afraid to tell you I don't know the precise answer to a question, so I ask the same respect back.

I'm with Joe's theory. The guns sale themselves... its the shops job to find the best fit for the customer's needs and price requirements.

Edited August 19, 2008 by Brian@GunDepot

[TripleDigitRide]

1) The simple fact that some of them think that since they are a local business...you are somehow a traitor if you don't buy from them.

--and--

2) I swear that some gun shops don't know who their competition really is. If you own a shop you are not only competing with Wal-Mart, but Midway, Brownells, and any number of online retailers. Some of them really, really need to spend about 30 minutes online and see what they are up against. I am sorry, but if my local shop has something that I can get for 50% of what they are asking via online retailer...they don't stand a chance.

The margins are thin on actual firearms...there really isn't a price difference worth mentioning between local vs. anywhere else...a cardinal sin however is the thinking that one can screw their customers eyeballs out by charging huge amounts for everything else.

Good example...I can buy bulk 7.62 x 39 ammo at $180 per 1000 shipped all day long...That is $3.60 per box. How much are local shops charging for the same thing? Don't even get me started on reloading components/supplies.

I really have to agree with most of this.

I've spent entirely too much time visiting gun stores, gun shows, sporting goods stores, online retailers, ect., and it always amazes me at the price differences I often find. It's not necessarily the actual price difference that's somewhat shocking, it's which dealers are charging the highest prices.

I have a hard time understanding how dealers who are obviously selling items in a much greater volume, sometimes have the higher(est) prices. It would seem to me that they should be able to sell these items cheaper than many other dealers, simply based on the volume of business they're doing. If they are selling more, one would think they are getting a better deal from their suppliers. Most suppliers I've dealt with will usually give a discount to those who buy and sell in larger quantities. If this is the case, they should be able to pass that saving down to the customer. I don't seem to be seeing this very often.

As an example, I was recently in the market for some PMAG's. Most of the places I looked were seeling them (30-round, black, windowless) for $15-$17, before taxes. I was in a couple gun stores (who obviously seem to be making a very nice living) who wanted $20+, before taxes. I ended up buying some for $16/OTD from a vendor here on TGO. No, the roughtly $15 savings (on 3 PMAG's) isn't going to make or break me, but it's the fact of the matter. I guess as long as people are willing to pay the extra money things will stay the same.

Ever since Al Gore invented the internet, things in the business world have not been the same. A company can no long base it's prices simply on what they guy across the street is charging. It's a whole new ball game. The competition is much more vast. Like it or not, that's just how it is. The internet is the devil, just like Wal-Mart. I've talked to more than one gun dealer who has major issues with the online vendors, but takes no issue with a company like Wal-Mart. They want to b***h about how online vendors cut the throat of the little local guy, but seem to love shopping at Wal-Mart. This doesn't make one ounce of sense to me. I bet if Wal-Mart was to open full fledged gun stores in every location, the little local guys would be singing a whole different tune. They would all of a sudden hate Wal-Mart for taking most of their business away.

Fact is, this is no longer the day and age of the little guy. Most people actually care about getting the best price possible. Most people actually care about living the best lives, themselves, and keeping as much of their own money as possible. Not everyone has the ability to forget their own quality of life just so they can keep spending more at the little guys store. That does nothing but help ensure the quality of life for the business owners who already have the money. Is this the way things should be? Well, that's debatable. What's not debatable is reality. Like it or not, that's the way things are. The little guy needs to learn how to adjust to the changes.

Hearing business owners b***h about where consumers spend money can be quite irritating. This is especially true when the said buisness owner is living in a home that's worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, with a driveway, yard, home full of vehicles and toys worth hundreds of thousands of dollars more. The same business owner usually manages to take great expensive vacations and spend money like many American's only dream about. No, there is nothing wrong with living the best quality of life possible, and that's the exact reason it irritates me to see business owners get down on those who try to save money where they can. Business owners want to keep as much money in their bank accounts and pockets as they can, so why is it such a shame for the rest of America to want the very same?

Anyway, I really didn't really mean to get off on such a rant. Fact is, there's very few dealers I refuse to deal with. If they have what I want, at a price I'm willing to pay, I buy it. I don't generally get worked up over some of the other complaints I've seen in the thread. As a consumer, I understand where most of them are coming from, but as consumers, we must understand that there are a whole lot of us with different personalities, needs and wants. No matter how hard the dealers try, they will never be able to make everyone happy. Just reading through this thread, it's obvious that the way one customer wants to be treaded when walking into a shop, may not be the same for the customer who walks in right behind him/her.

[Im Neero]

I've had a few customers (that didn't buy I might add) come in and ask to see an ar/ak... disassemble it without asking, then tell me they have no idea how to put it back together. I had one guy 'claim' he was ex marine and didn't know how to remove the charging handle from an AR.

I understand that, but I've bought guns before that I have found rust on after getting home and taking apart. I don't ask to strip a weapon until I am ready to purchase it, but I don't want any surprises when I get home.

[Guest Hawk]

I like being greeting when I walk into the store. I can understand if all the staff are busy at the moment.

Don't let your customers walk completely around the store and not ask if they need assistance.

Arrogance is the worst thing in retail, it can kill a sale.

I hate pushy know it all guys who only approve of their favorite brands.

If they hate brand x why do you carry it?

Not all of us are rich, so please take some time with us when we are trying to figure out what we want. Don't pawn us off if we don't buy something right away. We like to shop around for the best price.

Customer service is the #1 factor in my book.