Was I in the wrong?

I went into a gun shop I hadn't been in before. I had a video gig in that town, about an hour from home, and wanted to stop in and see if they had some stuff I needed. Decent place, and they had some stuff I intended to purchase. He told me to go to Gander Mountain for some other stuff. Another customer comes in and asks if derringers are legal in the state. The owner said yes, depending on the caliber. He didn't have any in stock, and he didn't offer to order any. He told the customer to buy one online if he was interested, didn't offer to do the transfer fee or direct him to any specific store or site. The customer was about to leave, and I said, "hey, if you're looking, I have a derringer I might be willing to sell." The owner immediately got upset and told me "YOU DON'T DO THAT KINDA THING IN MY STORE." I apologized politely and told him I only mentioned it because he didn't have any in stock, and it was legal in our state. He said "I DON'T CARE, NOT HERE." The other customer must have been put off by this, because he left without a word and I followed. I almost told him he wouldn't be getting my business, which was true as I had several things I intended to purchase and was still looking, but I didn't know if it was justified.

Either way, I won't be going back there because of his attitude alone, but I wondering if it was wrong of me to mention it to the other customer. I get that he's a business and he's intending to sell things and make money, but he didn't have any in stock, didn't offer to get any, and didn't show any interest in assisting the customer find one and profiting from it. So, I mentioned it. Either way, he could have been more polite and I would have spend my money there, but I instead went home without any purchases made. The shame is that he was the only place in town that had primers.

I get that he's a business and he's intending to sell things and make money, but he didn't have any in stock, didn't offer to get any, and didn't show any interest in assisting the customer find one and profiting from it.

I think that's the key point right there. You weren't trying to take away any business the gun store was trying to obtain. I don't think you did anything wrong.

How dare you offer to sell something the store doesn't carry and seems uninterested in ordering!!

I think that's the key point right there. You weren't trying to take away any business the gun store was trying to obtain. I don't think you did anything wrong.

I paid attention to the customer because he asked about derringers, which I have and have interest in, and might be willing to sell. I was careful to make sure whether or not the owner had any in stock or offered to find one for him because it'd mean, if he did, I'd have to choose whether I wanted to chase the guy outside and offer him a deal or buy what I intended to buy. Once it was clear he has no interest in selling to this man, be it a firearm or his transfer services, I made an offer as he turned for the door.

The customer noted the owner's anger and said "maybe he thought I was an ATF agent trying to catch someone committing a crime or something?" and followed it with a shrug, an expletive, and "it."

He didn't have any in stock, and he didn't offer to order any. He told the customer to buy one online if he was interested, ...

Well, he couldn't have been bent about losing business then. Maybe it any deals going on in his store would incur the wrath of the BATFE? Still, that kind of "customer service" doesn't get overlooked easily ...

I agree with your response to his attitude and the situation. I would have done the same.

One thought - perhaps he perceived the transfer you proposed to run afoul of ATF regs/inter-state transfers or the like; hence, he was saying "I run an upstanding business here; how dare you conduct that sort of transaction here." I don't see anything illegal about your proposed transaction, but just trying to think of what could have provoked such ire.

I don't think you did anything wrong since the owner obviously didn't want to take any of this guys money. I do think however that many store owners do not want anyone else to make money off of their "overhead". That would be my guess.

Shawn

i dont think you really did anything wrong....

some store owners dont like people doing private sales on store property, liability or something like that.....

but the owner could have informed you of that without yelling and acting like a jerk.

something to the effect of "hey fellas, sorry for the inconvenience, but its policy that all private sales take place off company property, thank you" would have sufficed just fine.

....people wonder why small stores get put out of business by chain retailers.....if you cant beat their prices, offer something they cant, friendly and helpful staff.

I don't think you did anything wrong since the owner obviously didn't want to take any of this guys money. I do think however that many store owners do not want anyone else to make money off of their "overhead". That would be my guess.

Shawn

I can understand that, but I've seen similar situations in music stores where a customer asks for something, they store doesn't have it, and another employee says, "I've got one I might sell," and the shop owner has literally said "well there ya go."

I sell online all the time, and if I don't have something someone is looking for, and have no interest in getting it for them (not worth trying to make a profit buying it and reselling), I'll point them in the right direction.

I have found most gun store owners come across as ass hats. With that said I probably wouldn't allow a FTF sale in my store when I'm responsible for what goes on in my store and I have the FFL at risk. You never know what kind of set up might be going down.

I would have waited to tell the customer outside. I think that would've been better form. That said, the owner acted like a jerk especially after you apologized.

I have a place like that here in FL, awesome inventory but horrible service just shuts everything down for me. I think he would have gotten an earful from me as I left the store, but I'm young, stubborn and cocky so...

I don't think the OP was going to sell it to the guy in the store. He just mentioned it.

If I would have been there I would have said that I may know of someone that might have what your looking for. Here is my phone number give me a call and we can see what we might do.

GRP

....people wonder why small stores get put out of business by chain retailers.....if you cant beat their prices, offer something they cant, friendly and helpful staff.

I went to every shop in town, this sadly was the nicest (and almost only one open). Two were disgusting little holes in the wall that looks like bodegas, two were only open 3 hours a day, 4 days a week, and one was in the back of another place's shop and only open a few hours a week. How the hell do these people stay in business?

Ash J; A lot of those little ones are just fronts so they can do the FFL thing. I know a guy who runs a GS that is open for 2 hours a week. He's got like three guns on the wall and a case with some ammo in it.
Not really sure why he does that but he's a millionaire any way so whats the point of running a gunstore if not for other hidden reasons.

The shop owner could have done himself a favor by simply saying, "Well, there you go. But look fellas, do your transaction outside the property, OK?" I'm quite sure you would have understood, and then bought your stuff to boot.

I start feeling bad buying all my guns and accessories online then I read something like this, and start remembering the run ins I've had at my local shops and I say the hell with it. I don't know what it is about gun shops, but they act like they are doing you a favor.

You did nothing wrong, even if it was against "policy" he could have handled it way better.

The shop owner could have done himself a favor by simply saying, "Well, there you go. But look fellas, do your transaction outside the property, OK?" I'm quite sure you would have understood, and then bought your stuff to boot.

Yup, woulda bought some primers, and was considering a Mosin. He had a big crate of them.

I've been overly cautious about this too and probably shouldn't be. Was in a local gun/pawn shop and a younger guy came in to sell a USP Compact .45. Gun shop owner offered $400 and younger guy thought about it a bit and said no. I was really tempted to follow the guy out of the store and offer him $500 in the parking lot for the gun. But I do a fair amount of business at the store and don't want the owner being upset with me since I sometimes get deals from him.

On the other hand, if the gun store isn't going to do the transaction, why not personally benefit from it? Seems silly to me, but some of these guys are wound a bit tight.

Screw him. If he wanted the business he should have offered to provide it. I am more inclined to return to a store that didn't have what I was looking for, but told me where I could get it, then one that acted as you described.

How you did it can have as much to do with it as what you did.

You did nothing wrong. I could see him getting upset if you tried to engage in a bidding war on his turf for some firearm a customer was selling or trading, but he had already concluded his business.

Gun shop owner offered $400 and younger guy thought about it a bit and said no. I was really tempted to follow the guy out of the store and offer him $500 in the parking lot for the gun. But I do a fair amount of business at the store and don't want the owner being upset with me since I sometimes get deals from him.

I've run into this situation many times. I've refrained, because it's closer to customer poaching.

"YOU DON'T DO THAT KINDA THING IN MY STORE."

I would have said...no I won't. I won't be spending any money here either.

That type of response from a manager at a retail chain store would not be tolerated by corporate. I am not sure why it should be considered acceptable at a gun store.

His store, his rules, but don't expect to keep or attract new customers acting that way. Retail is retail and customer service is customers service. This guy could have done better to help the other guy.

The Gun Store Owner, it's his store, he pays for the signage, lease, utilities, all overhead, and any advertisement associated with it. You would have had no opportunity to ever offer the gun to the individual had there not been a gun store paid for by the owner. The way he conducts his business is just that (his business). If you want to conduct personal business, do it outside, list it in the local paper, Craig's List etc. --Maybe you gotta be a small business owner to understand it.

You acted fine IMO.... ^ He paid for his car, car insurance, gas, shoes, etc. to get there....lol.

I like supporting local gun shops, but if you get treated poorly, vote with your feet & Dollar.

I've done that with product at the place I work.

I sat and watched a co-worker blow off and not care about a customers inquiry in a 700$ item that we carried but did not have in stock. We can order it and get it in 2 days but he didn't care to bring that up.


I, the opportunist I am, found the customer and apologized and offered her a NIB of the thing she wanted for less that retail and to call me after work. I had won the said item a week before. Easiest 550$ I ever made.

How you did it can have as much to do with it as what you did.

I was very polite. I figured running out to follow this guy to the parking lot (his car being parked right in front of the door, so from across the room, I would have literally had to run after him) would have been just as obvious, but seemed even more dubious. I said in a very polite voice, "you know, if you're looking for one, I have one I might..." and that's as far as he let me get.

The Gun Store Owner, it's his store, he pays for the signage, lease, utilities, all overhead, and any advertisement associated with it. You would have had no opportunity to ever offer the gun to the individual had there not been a gun store paid for by the owner. The way he conducts his business is just that (his business). If you want to conduct personal business, do it outside, list it in the local paper, Craig's List etc. --Maybe you gotta be a small business owner to understand it.

I get that. But that said, he didn't seem interested in selling anything to this guy, and I made sure of that before saying a thing. I also intended to purchase from him, which he should know an attitude like that will remedy.

I see your point that "the opportunity wouldn't have presented itself," and no, it's not a swap meet... but it is a place where people of similar interests go. And again, he didn't intend to sell to him. So, would you yell at two customers for having friendly conversation, or agreeing to go shooting together sometime? Because that wouldn't happen if he didn't present his business to the public, either.

Oh, and I do run a small business.

The Gun Store Owner, it's his store, he pays for the signage, lease, utilities, all overhead, and any advertisement associated with it. You would have had no opportunity to ever offer the gun to the individual had there not been a gun store paid for by the owner. The way he conducts his business is just that (his business). If you want to conduct personal business, do it outside, list it in the local paper, Craig's List etc. --Maybe you gotta be a small business owner to understand it.

i dont think anyone here blames the owner for not wanting a FTF in his store......

its the attitude in which he made it know that gets people upset.

like i said before, you can let people know without coming off as a jerk.

i dont think anyone here blames the owner for not wanting a FTF in his store......

its the attitude in which he made it know that gets people upset.

like i said before, you can let people know without coming off as a jerk.

And it's not like I had the gun on me, or even with me. We were just discussing, and didn't even get that far.

You did fine. The shop owner is an ass. Don't spend any more time worrying about it. The dealer could have enforced whatever he needed to enforce in his shop. But being courteous is not optional. He could have accomplished both.

I'm a self-employed carpenter. When I'm at the lumberyard as a customer and I hear another customer getting bad advice from a clerk, much as it irritates me, I bite my tongue unless I'm asked. It's not my store, it's not my business.

Tinpig

This was my experience in a good gun shop....

I came into my LGS to sell a Ruger LCP that I didn't really care for. Wendy (the owner) gave it a look, smiled and yelled to another customer in the shop. She said, " Al, (the other customer and a friend of mine) come over here, this guy (me) wants to talk to you outside about an LCP he has for sale."

We did the FTF in the parking lot in front of the store.

I went back in and thanked Wendy for her help. She told me that Al was looking for an LCP or P-3at but she had none in stock. She said she wouldn't feel right taking a markup on a gun that I had, he wanted, and she had none of. She also said that she knew for a fact that Al and I both stopped into her shop first, and often ordered in stuff that we could get off the shelf in a bigger store. I told Wendy that I would rather do business with her, even at my inconvenience because I know she is rock solid honest and she has taken care of me even when she didn't have too!

Wendy has a very loyal customer base. I wonder if this grumpy gun shop owner does?

I'm a self-employed carpenter. When I'm at the lumberyard as a customer and I hear another customer getting bad advice from a clerk, much as it irritates me, I bite my tongue unless I'm asked. It's not my store, it's not my business.

Tinpig

Bad advice is different. I've heard clerks telling customers, for example, that the tax stamp to cut down a shotgun below 18" barrel length is $5, and they can do it before applying.

However, this guy was through with his transaction. The clerk wasn't giving him bad advice or a bad deal; he wasn't interested at all, and the customer was leaving.

hso:
How you did it can have as much to do with it as what you did.

Ash_J_Williams:
I was very polite. I figured running out to follow this guy to the parking lot (his car being parked right in front of the door, so from across the room, I would have literally had to run after him) would have been just as obvious, but seemed even more dubious. I said in a very polite voice, "you know, if you're looking for one, I have one I might..." and that's as far as he let me get.

I beg to differ. I don't think it was all that polite to do an "end run" around the shop's proprietor. He probably thinks you were the jerk. I think you should have addressed him, saying "I might be able to help; do you mind?"

That way, if the proprietor had said, "I can't allow that" or "Take it outside", at least you've shown him proper deference, and the other customer still knows he can deal with you privately.

I would gesture to that store owner that he's number one.

hso:


Ash_J_Williams:


I beg to differ. I don't think it was all that polite to do an "end run" around the shop's proprietor. He probably thinks you were the jerk. I think you should have addressed him, saying "I might be able to help; do you mind?"

That way, if the proprietor had said, "I can't allow that" or "Take it outside", at least you've shown him proper deference, and the other customer still knows he can deal with you privately.

Sorry, but I can't imagine how that even functions in your mind. If the customer is leaving, and the owner has shown next to no interest in helping him or selling him anything whatsoever, I see no "end run" going on here, whatever that even means. I see a guy who hasn't gotten the answer he wanted, nor the service, leaving and someone else offering to give them what they came there looking for. If the owner wanted to make a sale, he could have done it a number of ways (from offering to order something in to giving the guy sites to order from in which he could do the FFL work for, and profit from) even if he didn't have anything in stock. He did none of this.

The end result is exactly the same. I can only expect someone hearing "I might be able to help, do you mind?" giving me a perplexed look, and then when I continue with exactly what actually happened, offering my property, it'll play out... exactly as it did. All you're suggesting is that I add another convoluted step. Hardly seems more polite to me.

I would have taken my cash out waved it in the jerks face. Let him know where I stand. " You blew that person off now I'm blowing you off "

I work in a small business. If we can not help a customer with a certain item, service or issue we offer to find it for them or direct them to the vendor that can help or address need. WE WILL even get on the phone for the customer track it down confirm stock and direct them to said supplier or vendor.

Just today I had a person come in needing head gaskets for a Laars Boiler. I told the cust we do not rep Laars. Made a phone call and got him setup with the local Laars Rep. Later in the day he returned and purchased a McDonald & Miller flow switch, level control and relief valve from us and thanked me for the direction as he started into the project of repairing the boiler.

I would have told that LGS owner to suck root right in his face!

No matter what the business, that is the owner's problem if he doesn't want to help.
But it is always better to catch people outside, if other people are not distracting an owner.

A guy here has a very tiny, dirty gun shop on Summer Ave.
When I did one dry fire 'click', his response was "One more and you are buying that gun". This was before I began to read that dry-firing is not always considered polite.

Anyway, his blunt response (instead of stating that it is better to first ask) and the nasty pervasive smell of cigarette smoke has kept me away for over 1 & 1/2 years, and there are two much larger shops within five or fifteen minutes.

I would have done the same thing

Sorta hard to apply one single rule of "gun culture etiquette" that would apply in all situations. However most would find it of poor taste to solicit sales, of any product, in the confines of another fella's store.

Almost sounds like you hit a nerve with this guy. Like he recently had some terrible experience with FTF transfers on his store grounds. Anyway I think you were fine.

The Gun Store Owner, it's his store, he pays for the signage, lease, utilities, all overhead, and any advertisement associated with it. You would have had no opportunity to ever offer the gun to the individual had there not been a gun store paid for by the owner. The way he conducts his business is just that (his business). If you want to conduct personal business, do it outside, list it in the local paper, Craig's List etc. --Maybe you gotta be a small business owner to understand it.
+1.

I'm not saying the owner couldn't have handled it better, because he could have. But once you're inside his door, any business is his, to accept or turn down as he sees fit. Making any sort of side deals while in his shop is out of line, period.

No matter what the business, that is the owner's problem if he doesn't want to help.
But it is always better to catch people outside, if other people are not distracting an owner.

A guy here has a very tiny, dirty gun shop on Summer Ave.
When I did one dry fire 'click', his response was "One more and you are buying that gun". This was before I began to read that dry-firing is not always considered polite.

Anyway, his blunt response (instead of stating that it is better to first ask) and the nasty pervasive smell of cigarette smoke has kept me away for over 1 & 1/2 years, and there are two much larger shops within five or fifteen minutes.

Following him out was my other option, but as I said, being that his car was right outside the door, it would have been just as obvious, except the owner wouldn't have heard my actual offer, so he could have constructed whatever dubious and illegal scheme he could think of. It's like showing a movie monster off-screen. Your mind always makes it scarier when you don't see it.

There were two places similar to the one you described. One was a pawn shop, their prices were way too high and everything inside was disgusting, reeked of cat pee, and the other was obviously at one point a little bodega, and they still sold candy and cigarettes, but it was so smelly and gross inside that I didn't even ask if they had any of what I needed.

+1.

I'm not saying the owner couldn't have handled it better, because he could have. But once you're inside his door, any business is his, to accept or turn down as he sees fit. Making any sort of side deals while in his shop is out of line, period.

You seem in the minority on this one.

Judging from his choice of words and his immediate response, it doesn't seem to me like he was upset that someone else was trying to sell something. That doesn't seem to be his issue, at least to me.

I wouldn't worry about it. I wouldn't worry what others think either. If you just put it out of your mind, it will stop bothering you after a while. If you keep thinking about it and debating it, it will nag at you longer.

He didn't want you talking about selling a gun in his store, you likely won't be going back to his store. So I would say that issue is pretty much resolved. Life's too short to let the trivial stuff like that nag at you.

You seem in the minority on this one.

Judging from his choice of words and his immediate response, it doesn't seem to me like he was upset that someone else was trying to sell something. That doesn't seem to be his issue, at least to me.

Won't be the first time, nor the last. :)

What do you see the owner's issue being then?

Shop owner could have communicated his wishes without being a jerk. I once arranged to meet someone for a FTF sale of a long gun; we chose a gun shop we both knew that was pretty close to being half way between us. I arrived first, and decided to browse the used racks. Owner asked if I was looking for anything in particular, and I said, "No, thanks; just waiting to meet a guy for a private sale." He said, "Fine," and then asked politely that we not conduct the transaction on his premises. He didn't offer an explanation, and I didn't ask for one. When the other guy arrived, we did our deal outside. No big deal. Owner wasn't offensive, I wasn't offended, and I continue to frequent the shop. Dealer you ran into was a jerk.

I don't see that the OP did anything wrong. Maybe the store owner's problem was with notion of a derringer. If you'd had an unhappy circumstance among your friends or family with a derringer, you might overreact.

Sounds like a cranky old geezer that's stressing because the O'bama panic is over & people aren't willing to pay MSRP + 20% anymore...

Wrong or right, I don't know but I woulda probably followed the guy out & talked to him in the parking lot. Kinda bad form to do that in front of the owner, even if he is a jackwagon.

I would have taken my cash out waved it in the jerks face. Let him know where I stand. " You blew that person off now I'm blowing you off "

I work in a small business. If we can not help a customer with a certain item, service or issue we offer to find it for them or direct them to the vendor that can help or address need. WE WILL even get on the phone for the customer track it down confirm stock and direct them to said supplier or vendor.

Just today I had a person come in needing head gaskets for a Laars Boiler. I told the cust we do not rep Laars. Made a phone call and got him setup with the local Laars Rep. Later in the day he returned and purchased a McDonald & Miller flow switch, level control and relief valve from us and thanked me for the direction as he started into the project of repairing the boiler.

I would have told that LGS owner to suck root right in his face!
^^^ This.

So far I have not returned to many many gunshops over the years. There are still a few that I go to in order to learn new things and interact with owners that know how to be nice to potential sources of income.

The rest can pound sand.

I don't see that the OP did anything wrong. Maybe the store owner's problem was with notion of a derringer. If you'd had an unhappy circumstance among your friends or family with a derringer, you might overreact.

A derringer killed his son. Molested his daughter, too.

natman:
I'm not saying the owner couldn't have handled it better, because he could have. But once you're inside his door, any business is his, to accept or turn down as he sees fit. Making any sort of side deals while in his shop is out of line, period.

Ash_J_Williams:
You seem in the minority on this one.

So whether etiquette and respect are worth pursuing is now a matter of whether one is in the majority or not?

The clear majority of folks nowadays have precious little in the way of taste, class or morality. Does that negate those values?

There also seems to be a clear majority of folks nowadays for whom their own feelings trump anybody else's. You seem to be a member of that majority; Congratulations.

Majority rule is mob rule. That's why we're a republic and not a democracy.

You titled the thread "Was I in the wrong?" By my reckoning (and the reckoning of several others in the minority) Yes, you were in the wrong. You can dismiss that opinion because it's a minority opinion, or you can accept it and quit rationalizing that you were in the right.

You don't want to shop there again? Fine! The owner knew that was the risk when he told you off. And he certainly didn't have to be a jerk about it. But you were still out of line, and it's not always about your feelings.

I don't believe in competing with a business owner for business on his own property,
but guns are not hard to find, and neither (unfortunately) are ass hats
That guy don't need my money, and I don't need whatever he is selling, because he doesn't understand that he is selling service, not hardware.
I am not walking into a LGS with the expectation of them handing me money; I hope to hand them my money, and I require extreme little cooperation to get that done.

As much as I prefer to pay a little extra to do business local, it is not my patriotic duty, just my preference... "Buds" et.al. need to feed their family too

"The rest can pound sand."
yep

He was wrong just for the way he told you. I'm too old to take that crap from anyone. I just suggest a place where he can go and not need his long undies and walk out. I also furnish free advertising for the establishment to everyone I know.

I agree with the general consensus, you did nothin' wrong. Myself, personally, I would've politely waited for a pause in conversation and said "Hey, guys, if you wanna talk, talk. I just wanna be perfectly clear that for a number of reasons, I can't allow any private transactions on my property. Cool?"
I've seen interesting things happen in that vein. A cop saw a couple guys once exchanging a case (presumably containing a rifle) for money outside one of the LGS's here, and raised all sorts've hell, assuming it was a straw purchase.

I agree. I don't think you did anything wrong either, especially considering the quick apology. Seems like the owner might have been one of those uppity types who always leave you wondering, why are you even in this business?

The OP's question is "Was I in the wrong?" and things seem to be concentrating on the owner, so let's split this into two separate questions, the first concerning the OP and the second concerning the owner:

Was the OP wrong to step into a transaction between the shop owner and another customer?

Yes. The shop is the owner's business and while you're in it you should mind your own. Period. It may seem to you like the owner's not interested, but it's not your call to make.

Did the owner overreact?

Maybe. Was the owner justified in objecting? Yes. Could the owner have phrased his objection better? Probably.

It still doesn't make the OP right.

You obviously got in the way of this guy telling someone NO. That being the main reason people open gun stores.

You didn't do anything wrong, but keep in mind that the gun store owner has to protect his FFL. BATFE will do anything to get rid of a gun store. They send undercover people into stores to do all sorts of crazy stuff in order to entrap sales people. "Operation Fast and Furious" demonstrated that the BATFE will illegally send guns into a foreign country and promote the managers in charge of operations where their agents commit multiple felonies. The organization clearly is willing to commit the worst of crimes and has no qualms about entrapping citizens engaged in commerce.

There is also the issue of sales in his place of business. Best to do it outside on "non-gun store" property.

Was the OP wrong to step into a transaction between the shop owner and another customer?

Yes. The shop is the owner's business and while you're in it you should mind your own. Period. It may seem to you like the owner's not interested, but it's not your call to make.

Did the owner overreact?

Maybe. Was the owner justified in objecting? Yes. Could the owner have phrased his objection better? Probably.

It still doesn't make the OP right.

Weird. I wouldn't call a disinterested, unhelpful shop owner being walked away from by a customer with his hand on the door as having a transaction for which someone could "step into."

Working in a pawn shop i have some experience with this kind of thing, and i for one do not believe you were in the wrong at all, like you said the owner didnt offer to really help the person therefore there wasnt any money at stake for him anyways

The only time i have ever said anything like that to somebody is when i am trying to buy something off someone and another customer tries to one up me , then i tell them i pay for the license to operate the buisness, the power bills, employee's salary and a whole ton of other cost and if they want to be competition they should open up shop down the street otherwise i get first shot.....If i were you i wouldnt do buisness there if the owner got ugly and it wasnt justified.

The only buisness the shop lost was that of the OP's. The propriator may have had a legitimate reason to not allow a transaction to occur in his store, or for the OP to take away business if the shop owner had any intention to assist the other customer in some way (order the gun, FFL transfer, etc.) But it appears the owner had no intention of doing business with the customer. IMHO the shop owner was out of line and I wouldn't be returning there anytime soon.

I think I would have followed the guy out and approached him outside of the store. It just strikes me as bad form.

i dont think you really did anything wrong....

some store owners dont like people doing private sales on store property, liability or something like that.....

but the owner could have informed you of that without yelling and acting like a jerk.

Yes he could have and should have. +1.

He didn't have any in stock, and he didn't offer to order any. He told the customer to buy one online if he was interested, didn't offer to do the transfer fee or direct him to any specific store or site.

These are the key elements showing that the gun store person was not interested in pursuing a transaction with the customer.

Many gun stores will break out the catalog and try to find what you're looking for. Maybe my experience is out of the ordinary.

Gun store owner was most likely thinking by blowing off the derringer the customer would buy something he had in stock. Many people will browse and leave just to come back and buy something after looking around. If you sold the guy your gun the owner thinks the customer then has less chance of returning to buy. He didn't have to be a jerk about it though. I can see both sides of the story here. Personally I would not have done that inside the man's store. Personally I would not do business with that store after seeing that treatment of a pontential customer. You don't always have to yell at someone to give them a lesson and explain why.

It is incredibly rude to try to conduct business in someones else's establishment, no mater how it was done. It's just bad manners. Not to say his reaction wasn't over the top, but you should have gone outside to conduct business.

These are the key elements showing that the gun store person was not interested in pursuing a transaction with the customer.

Many gun stores will break out the catalog and try to find what you're looking for. Maybe my experience is out of the ordinary.

This is my experience too. That is, with stores that don't treat your business like a chore. Could explain why gun stores are becoming less and less frequent. I called a guy today about a guy in the classifieds who had "pistols for sale, too many to list." He was incredibly terse, and after listing a few that were all collector's pieces, I said, "I'm not looking for collector's pieces, just something to shoot, so my price limit is maybe $500?" and he said "I don't have anything under $500" and yelled about how all his stuff was collectable and if I want collectables I better expect to pay for it... Some people. Another guy, whoever, was very polite and we both said "thank you, have a good day" after we knew neither had anything the other wanted. There's no reason to treat business like a hassle or customers like you're doing them a favor.


I think I would have followed the guy out and approached him outside of the store. It just strikes me as bad form.

Done that before. Which would you, logically, be more apprehensive about: a customer stating their entirely legal offer in front of you, or a customer running outside after someone else, standing nearby and talking where you can't hear their conversation, and then coming back in to finish their purchase as the other person drives away? If he's worried about legality, which is the only logical answer, then one makes you look like a honest person selling your personal property in a venue of shared interest, and the other makes you look like a shady weirdo who can't state their business in public.

The dealer should have asked to order one for you but you shouldnt try to sell your own stuff there, its HIS shop! Secondly, ATF doesnt like it either.. All firearm transactions in a gunshop MUST go through the dealers A&D book. You can however go out to the parking lot and exchange phone numbers.

That's the kind of store folks who make others look bad and get stereotyped.Lots of that iilk these days.