My latest gun shopping experience: from crappy to great (rant)

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Vasconic

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Just thought i would make my first post about my gun shopping today.

Cashed my bonus check today and decided to go and purchase my first ccw gun. After debating and researching for months and months I had narrowed my choices down to 2 candidates a glock 26 and a M&P 40c. Instead of limiting myself to just one or the other I just decided to buy both but wasn't sure which one to buy first. I recently saw an ad online for a new gun shop not too far from home and after visiting the shop and seeing it for myself, i made my way down cash in hand to purchase my new toy. One of the things that piqued my interest was that this store has an on-site range and will let you shoot before you buy. I entered the store and was greeted by one of the counter guys and told him I was gonna buy a gun today. He showed me some of the different models and then asked me why I wanted two different calibers. Told him I don't really have a good reason other than I like to shoot different calibers. Well bad news was they were out of both guns I wanted and the guy wasn't sure exactly when they would get more in. Next thing I know without a word, guy leaves the counter and goes into a side room. I stood there for fifteen mins without a sign from the dude. I finally got fed up and left. I was kinda miffed at this point and vented to my little bro who was with me. He suggested we go to a big sporting goods store around the corner so off we went. This place was swamped and we had to wait about 20 mins (not a big deal) before someone was called over from another dept. to help us out. Poor guy didn't know much about guns and also informed that they too were out of my two choices. Being a little more miffed now my mind churned at the notion of having a wad of cash in my pocket and not being able to spend it! Finally my mind cleared up a bit and I remembered a mom and pop western wear/gun store that I had bought my remington 870 at about a month ago. I remembered these guys being incredibly helpful and having an awesome stock of ordinance. So off we were to shop three and upon arriving i noticed the guy that helped me last time was manning the counter and available. He gladly got out the guns and happily informed me he had both in stock. I decided on sweet M&P 40c and it was priced right at 479. Told the salesman that I would be back in a month to purchase that glock 23. He said he would look forward to it and that he appreciated my business. I will definitely purchase all my firearms from this shop in the future and will not even bother going anywhere else. Just thought I would share my 3 levels of service with you guys. Thanks for letting me rant.

Vasconic
 
Sometimes a pleasant experience is worth and extra $20. Sounds like this time you got it for free. Keep doing business with people you like. skip the ones you don't.
 
Your experiences are typical. We have a rant going on a local shooting forum about poor service (ignoring customers, etc) at what is otherwise a good, well-stocked local store. Clerks who know little about their products is too common at big-box stores. The good part is that you did find a good shop with good service. Just please, when you find them, don't shop there but buy on-line to save $15. If you don't buy from them they won't be there when you need them again.
 
Kind of hard to find a Sporting Good store clerk that is extremely knowledgable about firearms for $8-10 p/hour. Even with ammo, unless you know exactly what you want. Say a clerk at Wal Mart, is probably just whomever they could find that can scan the bar code and operate the cash register. Forget counting your change back the old way. Maybe a little better at Academy but very little. Cabelas is better but I think they're only located in Texas and not very many locations yet.
So if you go to purchase, go to a good gun shop that's has a proven track record but you will pay more for that service. Many Gun/Rifle shops cater to a highly knowledgable clientel of hunters, you generally see very few tactical weapons, milsurp weapons and the brands they carry are high end weapons w/high end prices. Do your home work first and know exactly what you are looking for! IMHO!
JT
 
Sometimes people ask me why I usually buy my guns at what is considered the most expensive shop in town.
The answer is simple, I get great service there both during and after the sale. I also have gotten a few great
deals there. It’s my money and I prefer not to give it to jerks if at all possible.
Steve
 
Paragraphs make for easier reading.

Glad you found a store where the customer service suited you.

Unless a business enjoys an excess of daily walk-in business customer, repeat business can be very important.
 
The internet has become both the cause and our salvation for the breakdown in traditional "brick & mortar" business establishments.
With everyone having the ability to search online to find the absolute cheapest price we are forcing the "B&M" stores out of business. They find that unless they cut prices to the minimum they can't stay in business. So they cut wages. You can't expect the most knowledgeable sales people to work for minimum wages. This forces you to search the web for the knowledge you once expected the sales force to possess.

Its a vicious circle.

When I used to work for the US Govt, when we wanted to buy equipment, the rules in place forced us to use "least cost" as the purchase criteria rather than "Best Value." Least cost now is some warehouse shipping the gun out cheap. Best Value is the Brick & Mortar shop, with knowledgeable sales folks. Those folks will be there as long as you use the best value as your purchase criteria rather than least cost.

Ralph
 
Welcome to the forum...

Unfortunately, your buying experience is becoming all to the normal instead of the exception. The only way we can keep the Mom & Pop stores in business is to buy from them and tell everyone you know to buy from them. You're lucky to still have a small well run gun shop around where you live. They are becoming all too scarce around where I live.

BTW, Cabela's has stores in a lot of states now. I think they have over 30 locations in 23 states. Luckily there's one in my state of PA and it's only 70 miles away.
 
to ArchAngelCD: There is a Cabelas in Lehi, UT about 6 miles from where I live. I think I go in there about twice a week. They have a great selection but are often super swamped with customers. Their prices aren't always that great either but it is a great place to visit.

The shop I did end up spending my money in is Gunnies in Orem, UT. If anyone is ever out shopping this way I highly recommend stopping in for a visit. Great prices, extensive inventory, and helpful salespeople.

thanks
Vasconic
 
Vasconic,
I wasn't telling you to go to Cabela's, I was answering JTX because he wasn't sure if Cabela's has stores outside of Texas.

You're 100% correct, they are a nice place to visit but they do have very high prices on guns. I do buy powder and primes from them when they run a sale because then the prices are fair. (bullets too sometimes)
 
When you deal with the owner of the shop you will almost ALWAYS get better service. Obviously the bigger the shop, the less likely you are to get waited on by the owner.

I couldn't help noticing an inconsistency in your story. At the first shop, you said you were "going to buy a gun today". At the third shop you said "be back in a month to buy". Maybe there's a little more to the story than what you provided.
 
No, he bought the M&P he was initially after, and told the guy behind the counter he would return in a month to purchase an additional gun-the glock
 
There are only two LGS that I frequent any more. I buy 99% of my guns from those two. They do tend to have slightly higher prices, but service is excellent.
 
Originally Posted By:Lucky Derby
There are only two LGS that I frequent any more. I buy 99% of my guns from those two. They do tend to have slightly higher prices, but service is excellent.
Click to expand...
And I'm sure you, as I, feel the service is worth that small premium.
 
We're averaging a sale a week thanks to a shop twenty miles south of us that employs the indifferent and firearms-uneducated. Most come in, I greet them as they enter the door and ask, "how can I help you."
They tell me what they're looking for, I show it to them, or if we don't have it, look it up and tell them when I'll have it in, and they pull out money and we write it up. Then they tell me how they waited for anywhere from forty minutes to an hour, money in hand, and gave up in exasperation at the other shop.
We don't have people who don't understand guns, who don't put the customer first, and we don't take the full markup.
Small mom and pop store with a fair inventory.
 
BTW, Cabela's has stores in a lot of states now. I think they have over 30 locations in 23 states. Luckily there's one in my state of PA and it's only 70 miles away.
Click to expand...

Yep based out of Sidney Nebraska. If you want to one up Cabelas, try a Scheels. 20 something stores, great pricing, no "clerks" only salespeople, and product knowledge is top notch.
 
I'd like to buy local but I'm not willing to get ripped off. One of my local shops (Charleston, SC) regularly prices guns over MSRP. The others aren't really close to the internet on much stuff either. I understand payroll/expenses etc but if they can't compete, so be it.
 
Gun stores have changed alot since I was a kid. My best friend and I used to hang out at "Southwestern Guns" about 8 blocks from our houses. From 10 to 18 years old thats where we would be found The owner and the counter man both were a wealth of info and war stories, the Gun culture needs places like that to keep the home fires burning.
 
Yeah in Tulsa one can get boned big time. Be it guns, cars, homes, bongs. You name it. It can be over priced big time!!!! Drive outside of Tulsa and things can get real very quick. 40 miles south of Tulsa my 686p was 200+ $ cheaper than in the rip off city of Tulsa. O the last 10 firearms I have bought NIB. Only one came out of the useless over priced Tulsa market.

Tulsa use to be a completive worth while place. Now its a worthless version of South Detroit.
 
Hahahah.....

Man can I relate to this.....

It's like going to AutoZone..... I can walk into one of those places with the dang part number... and they still ask you what make and model it fits... and will not back off the question.... I actually went onto one with a part number for a bearing, I could see the bearing on the shelf behind the moron, and he still wanted to know what make model and year vehicle it fit.... I pointed to the bearing, and then pointed to my hand and said.. "It fit's right here... in my hand" :cuss: he didn't get it... :fire:

I like you went down the street to a privately owned shop and got what I wanted with a smile...

As far as help goes,, You get what you pay for.... in ANY business....
 
Yeah,times are a changing. Needed a haircut and tought I'd try out this new place. Walked in and they wanted my name address phone # I said I just wanted my hair cut but they said they needed all this info to send me good deals. I turned and walked out.

I remember when you could buy guns at the barber shop,drug store,hardware and food store. Yeah, times are a changing.
 
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