Bass Pro Shop

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Sapper771

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Me and a friend took a trip out of town to go to Bass Pro Shop near Sevierville,TN the other day. I had called to see if they had any Sig P220 SAO pistols and they said that they did. When we got there, We found the two SAO sigs in the case. We had to wait for 15 minutes to get some help , which is about normal. The gentleman that helped us was very nice. He displayed the Sig P220 Carry SAO. Me and my friend had came to Bass Pro to try out the trigger on the SAO since we had never got a chance to see a SAO Sig before. Every pistol in the case had the red plastic trigger locks on them. I asked the gentleman behind the counter if he would remove the trigger lock so we could test the trigger. To my suprise , the gentleman told me "NO". I asked him why and he advised me that it is the store's policy to keep the trigger locks in place til the customer buys the pistol. This doesnt make sense to me at all. I handed the gentleman back the pistol and told him that there was no need in me looking at the pistol then. He told me that he was sorry and that the policy costs him a lot of sales. I told him that it wasnt his fault , but it more than likely just cost him another sale.

I was a bit frustrated and bummed out. We had drove all the way there to look at some pistols , and then we couldnt even evaluate the trigger !!!

It being policy or not, I think it is stupid and a poor business practice. If it is a matter of safety, then why would they put fully functioning shotguns and rifles out on the floor with thise security cords attached to them?

Is this policy nationwide at all Bass Pro Shops ?
 
That does seem a strange policy. I wonder, if you purchased it, if you could get a full refund if you don't like the trigger once you get to try it? My local BPS is across the state line so I've never bought a gun from them. I'll take a look and see if the locking tags are on them next time I'm there though.
 
Apparrently not. I've come across other posts where "policy" varies inside a single BPS depending on who is behind the counter.
 
I'm surprised that Bass Pro had the SAO SIG. :p I may have to stop in the one in Sevierville. (whistle)


As for the trigger locks on everything, you can probably blame it on an excessive fear of lawsuits.
 
Many shops will not let you dry fire a gun before you buy unless you have snap caps. Sometimes even then with hesitation.

The Sevierville BP generally has an excellent selection of handguns. I assume you had certain expectations before you drove to BP, I would have probably bought the gun anyway.
 
here at the gander in ny we can ask them to take it off to feel the gun without the lock on it. on long guns anyway i dont know anything about handguns.
 
academy and i think big box stores have the same policy. Other "real" gun shops might let you do that, but certainly not them. They will escort you out when you purchase guns and ammo too.

my wife wanted to see "sunshine cleaning", you'll understand in the 5 minutes of the movie why certain stores have that policy.
 
The Bass Pro here in Nevada let us try the triggers on the firearms here. I think the key though was talking to the salesman. Once he figures out you know what your talking about, that you do have a genuine interested in a pistol and not a "9" and you aren't some thuggy wannabe who wants to hold a pistol sideways, I find they are always very helpful and in some cases eager to talk to a genuine enthusiast. I asked the salesman out here and they say they do not get commission and are very honest about their recommendations.
 
Hmmm...

Snap cap = pennies

Gun sale = hundreds of dollars

Seems a bean counter somewhere would have caught that.
 
After going into a Bass Pro Shops location here in Michigan that is the last place I ever plan to look for firearms again. Their selection was notably poor, and their staff was lets just say less than knowledgeable. When I say that in reference to the staff I'm not just talking about their firearms knowledge which was fine, but their knowledge of what they had in stock, and what would be coming in, what they usually had and things like that. Also it didn't help that their prices were far less than spectacular.
 
Ain't just Bass Pro...

The big box stores near me, Gander Mountain and Cabela's, have a similar policy.

And at the Cabela's, if you bring a gun in to be gunsmithed, they take it away from you and an "associate" walks it to the gunsmith after putting a trigger lock on YOUR gun. If you buy one, they reverse the process--you can't actually have the gun after saying "I'll take it" until it has been locked up and walked to the checkout counter, you pay for it, and then you STILL don't get the gun in your hands until you're out the door. When I found out about this I told the Calbela's "gun walker" at the door that they'd lost my gun business right there.

Sportsman's Warehouse was a little more liberal--I had the one near me receive a gun I'd ordered. But after they "associates" brought it out THEY got to open the box, unwrap it and fondle it and check it all out--I wasn't allowed to even get near it until after it and I had been vetted through the NCIS system. Boy, that felt like a little brother at Christmas whose big brother bully takes his presents and "kindly" opens them for him. Served 'em right when their corporation closed my local store--even though it was apparently doing quite well.

Needless to say, after experiences like these, I plan in future to make the big box stores my gun dealers of last resort. The Sportsmans Warehouse did have a good stock of reloading supplies and equipment, more than Cabela's, much more than Gander Mountain. So of course that was the one of the 3 that closed.

Giant corporations--gotta love 'em!
 
I have purchased from Sportsman Warehouse. They pretty much allow you to do whatever seems reasonable when evaluating a potential purchase. I've had them provide snap caps as well on a Smith M63 that I was eyeing up. Once you say that you are buying the firearm, it is hand carried to the office part of the store near the registers where the transaction is completed. There is no further handling of the firearm until 4473 is completed at the gun counter, money changes hands, NICs check done, and you're on your way out the door.
 
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And at the Cabela's, if you bring a gun in to be gunsmithed, they take it away from you and an "associate" walks it to the gunsmith after putting a trigger lock on YOUR gun. If you buy one, they reverse the process--you can't actually have the gun after saying "I'll take it" until it has been locked up and walked to the checkout counter, you pay for it, and then you STILL don't get the gun in your hands until you're out the door. When I found out about this I told the Calbela's "gun walker" at the door that they'd lost my gun business right there.

The Bass here in Vegas does the whole walk thing also. I always get a kick out of it because of the fact that I've got a 45 on my hip as I'm being escorted. We used to be able to use our CCW card to bypass the NICS. I once asked one of the guys walking me out if he understood what a CCW meant and he didn't have a clue that I might actually be using it for its intended purpose.
 
At the Bass Pro in Concord NC near Charlotte, not only will they not take the trigger lock off to let the customer handle it, they apparently can't even handle it themselves.
Saw a holster I thought might work for my PPS, seeing a PPS in their counter display I asked if I could try the holster for fit. The bulky trigger lock was making it difficult to tell if the holster would fit. I asked them to remove it, the guy actually said and I quote "That ain't gonna happen". He explained when I questioned him it was store policy. So I asked if he could remove the lock and try the holster for me behind the counter out of my reach while I watched. Nope.
So the holster went back on the rack.

BTW the "walk the purchase out the door" policy is common, WalMart, Academy, Sportsmans Warehouse all do it. WalMart won't even sell you ammo while you are buying a gun. Clerk told me to put the gun in the car and I could come back in and then buy ammo in separate transaction:rolleyes:
 
The trigger lock thing kind of bugs me. I see no problem with being escorted out the door with a firearm purchase. If I owned Walmart or Bass Pro, I'd do the same thing. I don't think they are particularily gun unfriendly in general. Depends on the local area more than anything.

I don't think the escort at Bass Pro is so much to ensure that you don't go "postal" inside the store, but rather a shop lifting thing and perhaps an insurance thing. You can carry a long gun inside a case into Bass Pro after it is checked to be unloaded. (I have never done this at BP.) Same goes with Sportsman Warehouse where I have done that more than a couple times. Concealed carry guns are not checked. They are loaded normally.
 
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At the Bass Pro in Concord NC near Charlotte, not only will they not take the trigger lock off to let the customer handle it, they apparently can't even handle it themselves.
Saw a holster I thought might work for my PPS, seeing a PPS in their counter display I asked if I could try the holster for fit. The bulky trigger lock was making it difficult to tell if the holster would fit. I asked them to remove it, the guy actually said and I quote "That ain't gonna happen". He explained when I questioned him it was store policy. So I asked if he could remove the lock and try the holster for me behind the counter out of my reach while I watched. Nope.
So the holster went back on the rack.

rhinoh was this yesterday (Saturday) afternoon around dinner time? I was reading this thread just thinking about having witnessed exactly what you described yesterday at BPS in Concord, if it was you I was standing behind you chuckling at the absurdity of the whole situation.

the "walk the purchase out the door" policy is common, WalMart, Academy, Sportsmans Warehouse all do it.

I'm sure this walk out the door thing is just some sort of common insurance requirement or stupid corporate policy, but this feels especially silly when you're already carrying a legally concealed, holstered, loaded pistol ready to go on your hip, but you can't be trusted to walk through a store with an unloaded firearm. :rolleyes:
 
Well, the Sevierville store had a P220 SAO, standard length, two-tone (black frame, stainless slide left au naturel), with night sights, for $949. While - when you consider the night sights - that is not really horrible or a ripoff, I could do better, and there is a 9.25% sales tax here, too. My pockets are empty now anyway. :rolleyes::mad: However, I have not seen this model in any gun shows.
 
I'm sure this walk out the door thing is just some sort of common insurance requirement or stupid corporate policy

Its a loss-prevention policy. Most retailers do this with "big ticket" items, not just guns. Its to ensure that you did, in fact, pay for the item.
 
If it is a matter of safety, then why would they put fully functioning shotguns and rifles out on the floor with thise security cords attached to them?
The long guns on display at our local store are not fully functioning. The bolts are removed on rifles and IIRC the shotguns have trigger guards on them.
 
motorheadjohn,
The shotguns and rifles on the circular racks were not de-milled in any way. I doubt that they would want to take the time to go inside a Rem 870 shotgun and remove the firing pin, especially when there are roughly four+ of these circular racks on the sales floor and they hold 10-12 rifles/shotguns. If the trigger locks were in fact a safety/security issue, then there would be trigger locks on the firearms on the salesfloor as well. Someone that is hell bent on hurting/killing people can normally do a lot more damage with a 12 gauge shotgun than an 8 shot 45 caliber pistol.......so I highly doubt that it is a matter of safety/security. At least a salesperson has to be with you when they show you a pistol, they do not have to be with you while you are handling the shotguns/rifles on the floor.

I agree that the staff is not very knowledgeable, at least the ones that I have dealt with are not. I called them to see if they had a particular pistol magazine in stock and they immediately told me that they did not stock that kind of thing. I got an oportunity to go to BPS later that day and I found the magazine that I was told they didnt stock.

I also agree that they are last on my "Places to gun shop" list now. Between the gun lock policy and the poor customer service, they really dont need my business. They have a great selection of high quality handguns in their cases, its just such a shame that they ruin it with poor policies that deter customers.
 
rhinoh was this yesterday (Saturday) afternoon around dinner time? I was reading this thread just thinking about having witnessed exactly what you described yesterday at BPS in Concord, if it was you I was standing behind you chuckling at the absurdity of the whole situation.

No, it was a couple of months ago.
 
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