Academy Sports--I felt like a criminal

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Sanctimonious Boy Sam indeed.

After all, he went through with the transaction and bought the gun from them so he gave them the business, right?

You can walk out on the transaction if you really are that dissatisfied so you can make a point with your wallet, which would reinforce your point a lot better than giving them your money then griping.

That being said, 4473 Nazis suck!
 
TxState101 said:
Look, I'm all for Academy hate because I worked there, but if you want to complain, don't complain because you feel that you were wronged because some poor guy is doing his job, to a level that clearly offended you.
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I don't endorse your attitude, but your overall post confirms what I expected - most general sports stores don't hire train sales clerks who know how to fill out a 4473 reliably. It would make sense to have a manager check it. The manager might not be very comfortable with the form himself - though he might very well feel very responsible.

John828 said:
I exchanged howdies and said, "Remember when you could walk into a hardware store get a gun, grab some ammo, and go to the cash register?"
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Wow, you really zinged them! Why hassle people doing their job? It doesn't sound like were in any way being rude or difficult. Does the fact you are purchasing something from them allow you to pick on them? Of course, if they respond back in kind, they get fired. Does that seem right to you?

Mike
 
I don't care one way or the other that you endorse my attitude.

They're supposed to train for you for two weeks in general BS that you'll need to know working H&F.

I got a 15 minute crash course in filling out the 4473 and signed off on the ATF crap.

RPCVYemen, don't worry about endorsing my attitude, worry about endorsing your own.
 
Big 5 only allows managers to do firearms transactions. No clerks allowed so you don't have the double checking and the dubious attitudes.

I remember hardware stores used to have guns and you can just pick them out and check them in the aisles right next to the kids in the toys aisle. Those were the days.
 
I don't see anything wrong. There isn't any big store that will sell a gun without a manager signing off on it.

As far as wait time, I have never waited more than 20 minutes at the most. Usually it is a lot less.

If you are only 35 years old, I seriously doubt you ever walked into a hardware store and bought a gun without filling out any paperwork.
 
Bozo, I do remember the days of hardware stores selling guns and ammo. My dad worked at one. Speaking of remembering things, remember smoking in the grocery store, hospital, or movie theater? I do and did.

Anyway, lots of bickering from some. I didn't mean to cause all that, I just related my experience. Except for Galyan's (now Dick's) I never purchased a firearm from a big chain store, so I related my experience from today.

My experience may have been filtered by my judgment which has been filtered by my experiences; nonetheless, I felt the way I felt and will make future decisions based on that. If I am wrong, I can handle that.
 
Academy Sports--I felt like a criminal
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If you felt like a criminal, then you have some issues with people being careful about data verification about you. It isn't the fault of Academy that you felt like a criminal.

Then, and this has to be purely coincidental, as I walk to my truck, there were to squad cars in the parking lot--city police and a county sheriff. I know that was a coincidence, but it sure drove home the feeling I had while in the store that I was a criminal.
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If you know it was a coincidence and yet still need to tell us about it, then you definitely have some issues.
 
Thanks for the berating and the psychoanalysis, doublenaughtspy.

I wish I could have explained myself fully or better when I posted my thread. Sometimes black and white type cannot fully capture the thoughts I was having.

Anyway, I feel comfortable enough to "bite my tongue" as said on another thread.
 
machinisttx said:
Thirty minutes?

I'm in and out in 10 or less, 15 at most. I've filled out so many 4473's I have it all memorized.
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After checking as many as I have, I can fill them out blindfolded.

I still need to get the clerk over, BS with them, check the gun out, BS some more, and then purchase it.

I can't complain about waiting.

Some do, but I don't. Probably because I don't have a care in the world when I'm purchasing a firearm.
 
Unless you go to a smaller gunshop that is specifically firearm oriented, you are not likely to find anyone knowledgeable or sympathetic in particular to firearms. The big sporting goods stores stock firearms but it counts as what... 5% of total inventory, if that? Coupled with the low profit margin and relatively long time and labor involved in each transaction and you see the low incentive they have to promote that part of their business. Sometimes I wonder why they even bother but hey, I am not complaining.
 
Had the same experience at an Academy here. Filled out the 4473, the mamager checked it, then had to initial another form that had a bunch of lines where I confirmed a bunch o fother stuff. Even though I have my CHL. Bought the last Rem. 597 in town. Shoudl have walked. I wasn't pissed really. Took about an hour (the counter guy was also training a newb).

I go there to window shop and price check, but I won't buy there and I'm not afraid to tell them why if they ask whether I wasn to buy something. A also won't hesitate to stop a transaction no matter how far I am through the paperwork process if they feel like deviating from the norm. While I can appreciate that they might do it because the ABC guys are on their case, do I want to buy from a store that's getting such scrutiny?
 
John828, you're probably better off doing business at local gunshops such as Don's Weaponry or Fort Thompson in North Little Rock, Bulls-Eye Guns and Ammo in (west) Little Rock, and FirearmsForLess.com (west) Little Rock. They are all good places to visit though the last two have limited hours and by appointment, respectively.
 
TxState101 said:
Once again, the manager has to check everything, because retail ain't looking for anything but warm bodies, even though the average retail worker knows how to get things done quicker than the manager. When I was checking 4473 forms, I missed a couple of things that my manager caught. Mistakes happen.
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The "warm body theory" is particularly true this time of year. Speaking from experience, when the holidays roll around, they'll hire anyone who professes to have thought about hunting or fishing, because they need the staff. Some of those folks turn out to be worthwhile, and stay around after the holidays; others are worthless peons and are gone mid-January.

I always did my best, when working at Dick's, to get folks in and out quickly. I could generally get a 4473 done and run in 10-15 minutes. I didn't like walking folks up to the front of the store, but hey, that's the way it was. I'd freely tell folks that I thought it was a bit ridiculous.

As has been said before, these are nothing more than corporate CYA policies.
 
A couple of purchases back, my Academy forgot to have me sign the acknowledgment regarding safety measures and guns. The manager called and asked if I could come back to sign it. As a result she gave me a $25 gift card. To me, it showed: (a) they do have to take the paperwork seriously and (b) they do value their customers.
 
Dont worry.... I know the feeling....

I bought one gun at wal-mart in my life and I will never buy one there again...

Sure it may be company policy to go over everything with a fine toothed come, but you can do that in a friendly, unoffensive, and un-speculative way.

When you walk out of a store with a new gun you should be jumping for joy, NOT feeling like a criminal.
 
One aspect that is overlooked by most is the fact that store personnel were probably reacting for the cameras. All big box stores video record all firearms transactions and save it for record purposes. Whereas a gun shop may have cameras installed but only to deter and identify robbers not for record purposes. The big box keeps a video record of all firarms transactions for liability purposes and to help in police investigations. A process that I find distateful.
 
Get used to it... cameras are part of our lives now. You might even have some inside your house that you don't know about. Just because we're paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you.
 
Oh, I'm used to it. Cameras are a big part of my company business. As it relates to this thread I thought it was appropriate to mention. Many don't factor that in on a consumer level.
 
I don't think I can go to any stores without seeing cameras now. Most point it out too with a big "SMILE, YOU'RE ON CAMERA" sign by every counter.
 
My manager liked to watch the live camera feed and try and catch us talking by the gun counter when we didn't have any customers in.

He would call us on the portable and tell us to wave at the camera, so he got the finger instead.

Cameras suck.
 
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