bought a 10/22 from sports athority

[HardKnox]

now dont get me wrong, i'm all about supporting the gun stores around here (because there is only a small number of them) but when i was in the mood for a 10/22 i went to 4 gun stores and the cheapest one was 239, but dicks and sports athority had them for 189, and supporting the little guys means paying extra sometimes but there is no way im paying an extra $50 on what should be a sub $200 purchase.

so i walk in and go to the gun counter, it took about ten minutes to get someone over to me, and about twenty minutes to go see if they had one in stock, finally they guy comes back and he one, in a beat up looking box. i inspected it and really liked the wood and there was nothing wrong with it, so i said "i'll take it". Then it took him about ten minutes to grab a 4477 because he had to help another customer, and then twenty minutes to go over the 4477 with me, because he wouldnt let me write anything in it without telling me exactly how and what i had to write, even after i told him i've filled these out more than a couple times.

finally thats over with and heres where i got pissed off, so ive already been here for about an hour when the sales guy calls in nics, and i got a proceed, great i figured i can finally get out of here. NOPE the guy has to call two supervisers to go over the 4477 AFTER it was approved which took literally a half hour, because the manager said she had no clue what she was doing! thats done i go pay, but the manager needs to walk me out of the store, with my unloaded gun in a box in her hands, and hand it to me after i leave the store!!!! *** so i feel like a stupid ****ing child or something, (the whole tone of every employee who saw the box that said ruger on it was very negative as well)

so over an hour and a half after i walk in the lady hands me the box and said "please dont shoot anyone in the parking lot"

 

[PavePusher]

I think after that last statement, I would have returned the rifle and demanded a refund. I can understand and even sympathize with being meticulous about the form, but the lousy customer service and commentary makes the gun store price seem a lot more palatable.

 

[Cesiumsponge]

Hah wow, I've never had an experience that bad. I bought the cheapest 10/22 model at a chain store last month as well because they were about $50 cheaper than most smaller stocking stores. While I did the "walk of shame" exiting the store, it only took about 15 minutes (mainly because I wandered off for a bit during NICS to look at reloading gear)

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

even after i told him i've filled these out more than a couple times.

If you told him you'd filled out a 4477 a few times and knew what you were doing, I don't blame him for trying to help you out with the details.

 

[blutarsky]

...guy has to call two supervisers to go over the 4477 AFTER it was approved which took literally a half hour, because the manager said she had no clue what she was doing! thats done i go pay, but the manager needs to walk me out of the store, with my unloaded gun in a box in her hands, and hand it to me after i leave the store!!!!

i've purchased a few guns at academy stores around houston, and the process was much the same -- mind you, they are pretty speedy and friendly about it unlike the experience where you went. and they're generally more gun friendly, too. it's taken me as little as ~20 minutes before to get a shotgun from the time i hit the counter until the time i was walking out the front door.

but the process was pretty much the same -- the guy at the counter would briefly go over the form, i'd fill it in, he calls in for the check and gets the proceed. at that point they get on the intercom for a manager needed for a gun purchase where they come over and inspect all the paperwork again before signing off. then they'll have someone escort you up to the register for checkout and walk it out the front door before handing it off -- it's probably a liability thing, and i can't really fault them for it. it's a bit weird, but it's their property and they have good deals.

in all of my experiences with them anyway, while being escorted out and waiting for checkout, the person with my gun was usually interested in shooting, if not an enthusiast, and we had some pretty friendly conversations. each and every time, though, when i've bought a gun from them they've always thanked me with a smile and wished me fun and happy shooting.

some of the comments and reactions you received, however, kinda sucks. but all in all the process with having multiple people involved and being escorted out isn't really that much to get worked up about. i think it's pretty standard for the bigger stores.

 

[Nomad101bc]

Hmmm I think a letter to the owner is in need.

 

[Robert]

Seems like $50 for a little dignity and customer service might be worth it... but that's just me. Sucks that you had to go through that.

 

[CherenkovBlue]

i had the same exact experience buying a gun (just so happened to be a 10/22 also) at gander mtn last month, i even had to get a new drivers license because a number in my address had been scratched off a little from normal wear on it. except they did let me walk my own gun out of the store.

 

[JWarren]

so over an hour and a half after i walk in the lady hands me the box and said "please dont shoot anyone in the parking lot"

This is where I would have DEMANDED the manager, a FORMAL WRITTEN appology, and a suspension of the employee.

-- John

 

[Feud]

so over an hour and a half after i walk in the lady hands me the box and said "please dont shoot anyone in the parking lot"

This is where I would have DEMANDED the manager, a FORMAL WRITTEN appology, and a suspension of the employee.

I probably would have laughed and replied with a "I'll try not to." Honestly, it seems like a joke to me, no reason to get worked up over it.

 

[Javelin]

It is sad but this is where our society is heading.

 

[BlkHawk73]

Reason #43 why I support the local shop and not the chain stores. Worth the $50 for me and more so just to kep the $ locally.

 

[zoom6zoom]

"please dont shoot anyone in the parking lot"

Ummm.... I've got a SIG229 on my hip, ya moron.

Just think of them carrying your gun out for you as being one of your minions. After all, if you were on safari you'd have to PAY for a gun bearer.

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

In all honesty, to me at least, price is everything. At the end of the deal, extra money in the pocket is still money in the pocket. Emotions and attitudes cost nothing and are worth noting. Price is real.

 

[Dumpster Baby]

I bought a 10/22 at Wal-Mart and had a very similar or worse experience. I was amazed at how totally incompetent and paranoid they were. The clerk took my 4473 and had me initial and date each and every entry I made in every box. Then HE initialed and dated all my initials and dates. The 4473 ended being a messy blob of hen scratching all over it. That was after he had to search high and low to even find a blank 4473, and called in someone to help him find it. Then I got escorted out of the store where the box was handed to me. The clerk stood guard at the front door until I was in the car and out of sight.

I used to work in cop shops and dealt with hundreds of 4473's for customers and quite a few of my own. It's so simple a drooling moron can do it. :banghead:

 

[Feud]

Just think of them carrying your gun out for you as being one of your minions. After all, if you were on safari you'd have to PAY for a gun bearer.

How funny would that be, show up at the store in khaki bush cloths, monocle, bushy mustache, and a pit helmet. Buy a cheap 10/22 then, as they are walking out with you, spout off loudly in a thick British accent phrases such as "come along Reginold, the Cape Buffalo waits for no man!"

 

[buck460XVR]

Reason #43 why I support the local shop and not the chain stores. Worth the $50 for me and more so just to kep the $ locally

For me, maybe on a $1000 gun, but not on a $200 gun. I work too hard for my money to throw it away foolishly. Saving 20-25% on anything generally means giving up something. In a restaurant it may be the difference between paper and cloth napkins. In a clothing store it may be the size of the changing rooms......in a gun shop it's generally the service. Saving $50 on a $200 gun to me would be worth the little bit of grief the O.P. endured. All of the guns I have bought new the last several years have been online shipped directly to my FFL guy. No waiting lines, no rude clerks and always the best price.

 

[oneshooter]

I had that happen to me at Wally World( initital and date every answer). Was told that it was "store policy". I refused and was denied purchase. Made a call to the local BATFE office and tol them what happened. The next day I got a call from the manager saying that I could come by and get my rifle. I told her "No Thanks, I have another I found for the same price, and I don't have to call the Feds to get it!"

Oneshooter
Livin in Texas

PS: I later heard that the BATF told them that it was a FEDERAL FORM and thier "store policy" didn't matter!

 

[Dravur]

hmmmmm

Let me see if I get this right....

You went to a big box store and had to jump through some extra hoops cuz they are trying to cover their liability. And for this extra hassle, they knock some bucks off the price.

I have never bought a gun from a big box store. Not because I get my panties in a twist over their practices, just never found a deal on anything I want at them. I am heavy into EBRs and pistols.... However, even I know they make you jump through some extra hoops. I KNEW Wal-Mart escorted you out. I KNEW they had someone double-check the paperwork.

So what?

If I found a gun I wanted in there and it saved me 20%, GREAT! I would buy it in a flash and who cares if they have their own corporate policies. I saved some cash. If I have to be escorted out and told in the parking lot not to shoot someone... I would say thanks and ask em if they have a selection of ski masks.

But, finding the manager and crying that you want the sales guy fired... for doing exactly what he was told? Hmmmm, don't think so, Bwana Bob.

 

[Str8Shooter]

Pistol purchase at Sports Authority

Last year when Sports Authority was purging their stores of evil handguns, I bought a Browning Buckmark from the Littleton, CO store at 20% off. Went through the same drill with being walked to the front door, although the middle-aged guy who carried the gun was definitely gun-friendly. He didn't like it that SA was dropping handguns either. (This was a former Gart Sports store that had always carried handguns.)

What really got me upset, though, was that after I'd looked over a Buckmark in the display case and told the counter guy I wanted to buy, he said, "I think I've got one in back still in the box." I thought, "Great.", since it wouldn't have been pawed by a zillion customers. He brought out the gun in the box; I opened the box and gave it a cursory glance. Since it was still wrapped in plastic, I didn't bother to inspect it any further. So, I get out to my car in the parking lot and take it out of the box for a look. The gun looked like it came from a pawn shop and was covered with dings and scratches. I about had a cow, because the store policy is no returns on guns. Immediately went back inside, however, and told them the situation. Fortunately they took it back and gave me another in flawless condition, but I was probably there for another hour while they re-did all the paperwork.

Guess I learned my lesson about always inspecting a gun before walking out of the store!

 

[goon]

I think after she and put her request in for me to "not shoot anyone in the parking lot" I would have probably thrown a fit.

It was obvious from the start that you knew more about what was going on than any of those morons.
Actually, in your position I would have given up and gone to another store long before you did.

 

[Avenger29]

Now, to be fair, my local walmart must follow very strict procedures. They didn't try the initial and date every box routine, but the clerk does walk you through it and calls the manager and everything about that. Boring, but I asked the guy about it and he told me that they had several cameras watching him, so he HAD to do everything by the book. The last purchase I witnesed, however, wasn't too lengthy or cumbersome.

The last three guns that I purchased, however, were from private sellers or a regular dealer. The private sale didn't involve any paperwork, but the dealer's purchase involved only 10 minutes or so.

 

[TCB in TN]

Last gun I bought at Wally world was from a young lady who was filling in back in sporting goods and I had to explain to her how to fill out the 4477. So I was not to upset when she called the manager for some help! Didn't take very long at all and they were very nice, even during the "walk of shame"!

 

[The Deer Hunter]

I bought a bunch of birdshot bulk packs at a Wal-Mart once. One of the employees ringing me up asked me what I need all those for. In retrospect maybe I should have told him I work at the post office but that may have put me in a bad place. Either way I didn't appreciate the negativity of the employee.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

Here's a thought. You've filled out the forms, paid the money, purchased the firearm. It's your's. By not handing the gun over to you at the point you paid for it, they would seem to be preventing you from taking possession of your property against your will. There are places where that's thought to be a crime. Might want to investigate if where that happened to you is one of those places.

900F