What qualities bother you most about businesses which sell firearms?

jonnyc · May 29, 2017

Well, I got the part-time job mentioned above, pretty chuffed about it. Turns out the manager is a former student! Hope to do well with it and not spend to much with the employee discount! I do plan to seriously consider a number of the posts above.

Bad Ninja · May 29, 2017

My wife offered to work part time for guns at our LGS.

I'm lucky.
2 out of 3 of my local gun stores are incredibly professional and friendly.
Never pushy, love to talk about and handle everything in stock, fair pricing and in California, believe it or not.
The third store is a larger type outfit with indoor range and a serious "tacticool" feel that turns me off.
Their pricing is fair, but they give that wannabe operator attitude and give the eyeroll when I ask about Vaqueros and Blackhawks.
But they do have a fine selection of glocks.

TheSquire · May 30, 2017

There are a lot of 'sporting' gun shops over here that sell mostly shotguns with the odd rifle for rabbits or deer; but generally they only want to sell you very expensive shotguns or really expensive tweed hunting clothes. I have been in several where when they finally condescend to speak to you, don't actually listen for a reply unless they see the opportunity for a big sale.

My second pet hate are the small local shops that have a couple of chairs or stools at the end of the counter where the friends of the owner congregate to chat with the owner / drink tea and as you walk in they all stop talking and turn to stare at you, including the owner, then watch you as you go round the store.

lysanderxiii · May 30, 2017

I must be the only person that really doesn't have a beef with any of the gun shops/pawn shops I've gone to.

.455_Hunter · May 31, 2017

Let's see...

Shops that refuse to remove trigger locks due "security" or "safety" requirements.

Shops that refuse you to cycle the action or dry fire with snaps caps to evaluate trigger pull. I understand restrictions on "unturned" Colt SAA's or high-end 1911's, but a used Ruger Blackhawk?

Shops that clear a semi auto, remove the mag, give the gun to you, and then hold onto the mag like its some sort of magic talisman.

coloradokevin · May 31, 2017

Rude, and know-it-all salespeople. It seems like some stores have an attitude problem the minute you walk in them. This issue can manifest itself several ways:

1) The employee thinks they are automatically the all-knowing gun expert by virtue of their $10/hour job.
2) The employee wants to tell you what you want, which isn't what you asked for, even when you know what you want.
3) The employee can't be bothered to help you.
4) The employee gets irritated if you ask to see a gun.
5) The employee is rude in general.

I also hate seeing the employees spew bad advice to unknowing newbies, or sharing their knowledge of "new laws" that don't exist, and never have. Two examples here:

1) A self-admitted recoil sensitive young lady was asking for a gun for backpacking at a store here in Colorado. She told the employee she was worried about people in the backcountry. He tried to sell her a .500 S&W magnum with a short barrel, for "bears". We have no grizzlies here, and the black bears aren't a huge problem. But, giving a recoil sensitive new shooter a .500 S&W magnum as their first gun is a surefire way to cure them of wanting to own firearms!

2) Some idiot at another local gun store was pushing the panic issue during the reloading component shortage. His version was that primers were in short supply because the "new law requires the manufacturer to make primers that won't last for longer than two years because the government wants to make sure people can't fight back... Obama just signed this law". Yeah, nice try, a-hole.

coloradokevin · May 31, 2017

.455_Hunter said:
Let's see...

Shops that refuse to remove trigger locks due "security" or "safety" requirements.

Shops that refuse you to cycle the action or dry fire with snaps caps to evaluate trigger pull. I understand restrictions on "unturned" Colt SAA's or high-end 1911's, but a used Ruger Blackhawk?

Shops that clear a semi auto, remove the mag, give the gun to you, and then hold onto the mag like its some sort of magic talisman.

I really hate the trigger lock / no dry fire shops, too.

I get it, a select few guns can't be dry fired. I once saw someone dry fire a Glock in a local gun store, and the employee started red-faced screaming at the customer about the damage he just did to the gun and how he's going to have to buy the gun if he damaged it. I've probably dry fired my duty Glock north of 100,000 times. Whether or not it was store policy, the employee was WAY out of line, and dead wrong in his knowledge of these guns.

Danoobie · May 31, 2017

My pet peeve about gun stores is when they have the inevitable tag on the trigger,
with manufacturer, caliber, and price. And it's flipped upside down, under a bunch
of the guns. What a waste of time, asking "What's that gun? How much?" on every
gun you are interested in.

TrickyDick · Jun 1, 2017

Meplat 308 said:
Know-it-all's on both sides of the counter.

This would've been my pick it it had been an option.

I remember years ago at my LGS, one of the owners tried telling me that my Czech silvertip 7.62x54R ammo was "Greek ammo" . I don't think he understood that Greece is a NATO country and wouldn't produce it.

Anyways, this is the same guy who spends a ton of money on an overpriced AR that just sits in the case so he can brag about it.

22250Rem · Jun 2, 2017

My only real complaint about the LGS would be the high transfer charge, and lack of selection. But the owner is very knowledgeable and has helped me out greatly over the years. The lack of selection is mostly because it's not a huge shop so I don't expect to find everything in there.

DAP90 · Jun 2, 2017

I don’t spend enough time in gun stores to hear much political stuff. I can ignore bad information now that I know to educated myself on the subject before I even go looking. I find the commando types pathetic, but our encounters are brief. High prices mean I keep looking. I’m never in a rush.

What bugs me is the curmudgeons. I used to live near a gun store that had a gunsmith. Every time I went in there to have something done he’d hand me a ticket and say if I lost it, he’d keep my gun. It didn’t matter if I had a receipt with the serial number, or that he’d written my name on the tag attached to the gun.

I doubt that’s legal, but maybe it is. I never lost a ticket, so it never directly affected me, but it bugged me so much I stopped using him and drove further away to a smith who handed me a ticket and said he’d call when he was done.

A Patriot · Jun 2, 2017

This is not listed on the poll but it is what caused me to stop going to a certain LGS. I ordered a gun from an online dealer to be sent to the LGS (I've done that a lot). It was shipped by FED-EX and I kept track of the shipping progress. I knew when it was going be delivered so I went to the LGS at about 2:00 pm. There were two people behind the counter and I asked them if FED-EX had delivered yet. They both said 'no'. I asked one of them to check in the back of the store and be sure that the gun was not there. He came back after about 30 seconds and said it was not there. I didn't want to be a pest and hang around so I went across the street and waited in a place where I could see when FED-EX made the delivery. After about two hours I went home thinking I would go back the next day and get the gun. At home I signed on and checked the tracking number again and got a surprise. FED-EX had made the delivery 2 1/2 hours BEFORE I got there. If you work there how do you forget a delivery that was only 2 1/2 hours before? The store is not busy so how could they forget? I printed the delivery info showing delivery time and the name of the person that signed for the delivery. It was the same person that went and checked to see if the gun was there. He lied. When I picked the gun up the next day I didn't say anything, I just got the gun and went home. When I started to clean it I found out why they said the gun was not there the previous day. The chamber, bore and bolt were filthy. Thick powder residue on them all. I mean this gun had fired at least 100 rounds and probably a lot more. This is not how Ruger sends out new guns. Since this model of gun was new and the store had not gotten any of them the only conclusion I can come to is that the store staff lied to me then took my 'new' gun home and shot the hell out of it since they had not seen one then brought it back the next morning.

Is there any other conclusion that I could consider? It makes me wonder about several other guns I got transferred there that I thought were a little dirty.

U.S.SFC_RET · Jun 3, 2017

What bothers me above all things is when you get swept by the muzzle of a firearm by a customer. I can never get over it.

Solomonson · Jun 3, 2017

DAP90 said:
I don’t spend enough time in gun stores to hear much political stuff. I can ignore bad information now that I know to educated myself on the subject before I even go looking. I find the commando types pathetic, but our encounters are brief. High prices mean I keep looking. I’m never in a rush.

What bugs me is the curmudgeons. I used to live near a gun store that had a gunsmith. Every time I went in there to have something done he’d hand me a ticket and say if I lost it, he’d keep my gun. It didn’t matter if I had a receipt with the serial number, or that he’d written my name on the tag attached to the gun.

I doubt that’s legal, but maybe it is. I never lost a ticket, so it never directly affected me, but it bugged me so much I stopped using him and drove further away to a smith who handed me a ticket and said he’d call when he was done.

That actually happened to me once at the small LGS closest to my home. I went to pick-up a firearm -- an old Browning A5 Buck Special. I had the receipt (with the S/N on it -- the work was paid for) and the gun itself had a tag (an 8.5x11" tag) on it with the S/N and my name on it. The owner was not there and the 'smith gave me the same story -- no ticket (I don't remember any ticket), no gun with this unsettling smile on his face.

I was holding the A5 and checking his work (sights) when he gave me this little spiel. Without missing a beat I said that he should have the owner call me if there are any questions. Then I left with the A5 as the 'smith was reeling off a list of curse words in a highly agitated little girl's voice. I have never been back.

wanderinwalker · Jun 3, 2017

jonnyc said:
Well, I got the part-time job mentioned above, pretty chuffed about it. Turns out the manager is a former student! Hope to do well with it and not spend to much with the employee discount! I do plan to seriously consider a number of the posts above.

Speaking from experience, good luck with not spending more than you make at the shop!

I worked 6 months full-time as a gun shop clerk, and will say I did everything possible to make the customers to feel welcome, not pushed into products they didn't want and not condescended to.

Pricing, however, is a huge pet peeve of everybody everywhere. Remember, there isn't a lot the clerk at the counter can do about it. That gun the small shop is selling for $475 when you can find it all day online for $400? It cost the shop $400 to get from the distributor. Buying power makes a huge difference. When you can only buy 3 or 4 at a time, the wholesalers don't cut you many breaks. And the shops aren't making hundreds of dollars on guns selling in the sub-$1000 range.

And might as well throw in one of my favorite ignored at a shop stories: Right before I got married I wanted a Colt 6920. (This was a couple of years ago, after the Sandy Hook shortages were subsiding but availability was still "if you found what you want, you did well.") Went to a local shop that's close to a college. Looked over the rack, waited patiently as the staff was busy. FINALLY, I get asked if I wanted to see something. I said I wanted a Colt 6920. Turns out he had 2 or 3 in boxes out back. I picked one and decided I'd take it. As we're doing the paperwork the gentleman looks at my ID, sees my birthday, must realize I was 30 and not the 17 I looked (still look?) like, and said "Oh, I thought you were just a kid from the school looking around." :what:

In hindsight, I should've walked away, but I really wanted a Colt AR and wasn't sure I'd be able to get one at a later date.

Sks39 · Jun 3, 2017

One that bothers me the most I didn't see an option for. I prefer the small mom and pop stores over the big box stores. When I do go to Walmart , Bass Pro, or Cabela's it almost always happens. Being under staffed drives me nuts! I dont care to wait in line within reason. At Bass Pro and Cabela's seven out of ten times I go there. There are 2 or 3 clerks and 15 people standing at the firearms counter. At Walmart I'd say nine out of ten times they have to call someone to help me because no one is in the department.

Sav .250 · Jun 3, 2017

Attention to detail..................... Customer service or the lack of.

Solomonson · Jun 3, 2017

A Patriot said:
This is not listed on the poll but it is what caused me to stop going to a certain LGS. I ordered a gun from an online dealer to be sent to the LGS (I've done that a lot). It was shipped by FED-EX and I kept track of the shipping progress. I knew when it was going be delivered so I went to the LGS at about 2:00 pm. There were two people behind the counter and I asked them if FED-EX had delivered yet. They both said 'no'. I asked one of them to check in the back of the store and be sure that the gun was not there. He came back after about 30 seconds and said it was not there. I didn't want to be a pest and hang around so I went across the street and waited in a place where I could see when FED-EX made the delivery. After about two hours I went home thinking I would go back the next day and get the gun. At home I signed on and checked the tracking number again and got a surprise. FED-EX had made the delivery 2 1/2 hours BEFORE I got there. If you work there how do you forget a delivery that was only 2 1/2 hours before? The store is not busy so how could they forget? I printed the delivery info showing delivery time and the name of the person that signed for the delivery. It was the same person that went and checked to see if the gun was there. He lied. When I picked the gun up the next day I didn't say anything, I just got the gun and went home. When I started to clean it I found out why they said the gun was not there the previous day. The chamber, bore and bolt were filthy. Thick powder residue on them all. I mean this gun had fired at least 100 rounds and probably a lot more. This is not how Ruger sends out new guns. Since this model of gun was new and the store had not gotten any of them the only conclusion I can come to is that the store staff lied to me then took my 'new' gun home and shot the hell out of it since they had not seen one then brought it back the next morning.

Is there any other conclusion that I could consider? It makes me wonder about several other guns I got transferred there that I thought were a little dirty.

I would have documented things as best I could (including letters from Ruger and the distributor) and taken the store's owner to small claims court for the price of the gun. Just as a lesson. That's hardcore wrong and they probably do it to other peoples' weapons as well.

Wanderling · Jun 4, 2017

A small local gun store is usually the best place to meet the thrice-divorced bitter a-holes with no customer service skill, a very high opinion of themselves (which nobody else seems to share) and a very bad temper that they are desperately, and rather unsuccessfully, trying to contain.

Has been my experience in most of them.. unfortunately. Not that I ever get into arguments with them, I'm usually the nice customer they're bitching to about all other customers.

Proinsias · Jun 5, 2017

Of the options, curmudgeons are the best term for #1. I would like to support LGS, and the big box store employees tend to have less knowledge. But I normally come in knowing what I want, I don't need much advice. Too many LGS I've been to make you feel unwelcome unless you're "in," or are too opinionated, whereas Cabela's is happy to take my money. Some of them are kind of like the movie old west saloons where when you walk in, the piano player stops playing and everybody looks up. Add that to some are still stuck in the last century, and do things like look at you sideways for using credit/debit and put a 3% or whatever fee on that.

One LGS is super friendly, though specialize too much to shop there much. Tacticool isn't the right word, but it's mostly ARs and striker pistols, which is fine if I'm in the market but am not most of the time.

stchman · Jun 5, 2017

A lot of gun stores I've been in the people that work there act as though they are doing you a favor by selling you a gun.

Another gun shop I used to go to the guy won't sell 5.7x28 ammo or guns unless you're LEO or some other kind of government official He say they are "cop killer bullets".

Fine, I will take my money elsewhere.

Ironicaintit · Jun 5, 2017

I've had fantastic luck mostly. There're been isolated instances of being ignored, or whatever...but that can happen anywhere.
Besides just being friendly, I tend not to talk a lot (can't put a foot in a closed mouth) and it can be pretty funny, listening to the crazy things the Rambos, bubbas and fudds say.

the only time I left a store and refused to return was when I saw a hi point 45 for $300. I understand marking up prices, but geez that was ridiculous.

9MMare · Jun 5, 2017

Wanderling said:
A small local gun store is usually the best place to meet the thrice-divorced bitter a-holes with no customer service skill, a very high opinion of themselves (which nobody else seems to share) and a very bad temper that they are desperately, and rather unsuccessfully, trying to contain.

Has been my experience in most of them.. unfortunately. Not that I ever get into arguments with them, I'm usually the nice customer they're bitching to about all other customers.

Wow, this and similar comments, like reference to 'curmudgeons,' are really common in this thread.

Why do you think this type of salesperson/owner is so prevalent in LGS's?

Lakeshore · Jun 5, 2017

Indifference. Closest option in the OP's menu is probably "being ignored".

Years ago, when I decided to take up handgun shooting, I bought a new Ruger P95 from a LGS. Very first time I fired the pistol at the range the front sight came off and was lost - turned out it was not pinned at the factory. No big deal, but when I mentioned it to the LGS counter guy he just shrugged and made some comment to the effect 'yeah that happens what you want me to do about it?'. In my gun cluelessness at the time I didn't know about calling Ruger for replacement parts. The guy wasn't willing to lift a finger to help. The store (and his job) went away not too long after that.

jmorris · Jun 5, 2017

Same as anyother business, people who when they don't know the answer just make up BS.

It have been many years since I went into a firearms business looking for information though.

I go them to buy these days and either they have the best price or availability on what I want, as I have already done my homework before I ever get in the car.

What qualities bother you most about businesses which sell firearms?

What qualities bother you most about businesses which sell firearms? (Choose up to 3.)

Lack of selection.

High prices.

Lack of technical knowledge.

General ignorance/stupidity.

Prejudice/bigotry.

Unwillingness to deal.

Overly political.

Pushy salesmanship.

Being made to feel unwelcome.

Gossip.

Being ignored.

The spewing of flat-out bad advice.

Crusty gun shop curmudgeons.

That special "deliverance" feeling.

A "stressed-out" atmosphere.

Poor organization.

A dirty store.

I don't care for big-box stores.

Extremely expensive transfer charges where applicable.

An overly "tactical" feel.

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