Confusion at the gun counter

[morcey2]

I went in to a LGS last year to get 2 boxes of 9x18 makarov. I could see them on the shelf behind the counter, so I asked for them _and_ pointed at them. He walked over to the other end of the shelves and grabbed 2 of the most expensive 9x19 that he had.

"No, I want the 9x18 makarov. Two of the silver bear ones."

"You're gun's probably a 9 luger. It's a common mistake."

"No, it's a CZ-82. It's definitely 9x18."

"I know you're trying to save some money, but these are what you need" while walking the two boxes he grabbed over to the register. I asked to talk to the manager and he refused to get him for me. One of the other customers overheard what was going on, told me to hold on a sec, pulled out his phone, and called the manager. The other customer was related to the manager somehow. The manager came flying through the door to the back room like his hair was on fire.

The soon-to-be-ex-employee told him that I asked for the 9x19 and that I wasn't sure whether I was getting the right loads. The other customer chimed in with what really happened. The employee was then told to clock out and grab his stuff on the way out, with many creative expletives thrown in. I got the correct ammo and went shooting that weekend.

I went back about two weeks later and the same employee who had been asked to leave was standing behind the counter. I turned right back around and haven't been back since.

Matt

 

[MRH]

Al: I had a somewhat similar experience, only when I asked the customer what type of gun he had, the guy said "just give me some .32"

So I got a box each of 32 auto, 32 S&W, and 32 H&R Mag and put them on the counter for the guy to choose. He selected the 32 auto.

We had a No Return policy on ammo.

The next week he was back and asked for a box of "the longer 32s" So, he either had both an auto and an H&R mag, or he ended up with a box of 32 auto he couldn't use.

Mike

 

[lefteye]

I doubt the clerk was confusing the .22 WRF with the .22 WMR. He did not mention the .22 WRF and probably didn't even know the cartridge existed. The .22 WRF is a very old cartridge not commonly found in stores or at gun shows. I have a Win 1890 .22 WRF that has been in my family for well over 66 years (I'm 66). I look for the same model at every gun show, rarely see one and those I see are usually in terrible condition. I suspect the clerk's knowledge of firearms and ammunition is in the early stages of development and he simply didn't know many cartridges are referred to with common, interchangeable, "short-hand" names.

 

[DeepSouth]

Reminds me of a guy I work with, he went into our local Walmart to buy some form or the other of short magnum. Well they were out of that particular caliber and the guy handed a different caliber short mag but told him it was ok, "all those short magnums are the same anyway."





I blame all typos on iPhones auto correct

 

[TimboKhan]

I bought some 9x18 ammo and the clerk gave me the same "Are you sure" question, which I didn't mind. This wasn't that long ago, and with 9mm so hard to find, I could see why he asked. The difference here was that when I said "Yup, it's for a Makarov" that was the end of the discussion.

Arguing past that would have been annoying, though.

 

[Agsalaska]

Considering ammo is normally non refundable, at least in my neck of the woods, I would consider that good customer service. The Academy by my house had a bunch of 9x18 behind the counter the other day for that exact reason.

 

[mnrivrat]

I asked for ".22 magnum" for my Ruger Single Six. He said, " We have no .22 magnum, just .22 WMR."

Simply a clerk who needs some learning . Not all gun stores have knowledgable enough employees to know better. Even folks that have been around guns a long time can make errors, or not kinow everything.

 

[rhinoh]

When I was looking for a CM9 I walked into a small (rapidly declining) gun shop in Columbia SC and asked if they sold Kahrs.
The clerk said - no - they sell guns.

 

[Salmoneye]

I doubt the clerk was confusing the .22 WRF with the .22 WMR. He did not mention the .22 WRF and probably didn't even know the cartridge existed. The .22 WRF is a very old cartridge not commonly found in stores or at gun shows. I have a Win 1890 .22 WRF that has been in my family for well over 66 years (I'm 66). I look for the same model at every gun show, rarely see one and those I see are usually in terrible condition. I suspect the clerk's knowledge of firearms and ammunition is in the early stages of development and he simply didn't know many cartridges are referred to with common, interchangeable, "short-hand" names.

.22 WRF can be fired in guns chambered for .22 WMR, but not the other way around...

A few major manufacturers still produce a lot or two of WRF every few years, and I have personally seen clerks not know what they are ringing up...

 

[pockets]

I'm another one who has asked for 9x18 Makarov and was handed 9x19 para.
I would bet that happens often.
But at least the person behind the counter eventually understood the error.
.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I wonder what the clerk in the OP thought the "M" in ".22 WMR" stood for?

When Winchester introduced the .22 Winchester Rimfire (.22 WRF) to compete with .22 Extra Long and .22 Long Rifle, the rival Remington would not put the Winchester on their barrels. They "invented" their own proprietary cartridge .22 Remingon Special for their rifles (their bullet nose was round and the .22 WRF was flat nose, big diff!). The two were interchangeable. I imagine there was confusion back in the day over that. The modern .22 WMR is the magnum version of the .22 WRF and I suppose even today some makers not-Winchester would still rather mark their guns .22 Magnum.

When the .30 Winchester Centerfire came out in 1895, Winchester Model 1894 rifles in that caliber were marked .30 WCF. Marlin .30 WCF barrels were marked .30-30. Marlin would not put Winchester on their barrels. My repro copy of the Sears, Roebuck & Co. 1897 catalog lists the Marlin Model 1893 in ".30-30 Smokeless caliber" and the rival Winchester Model 1894 in ".30 caliber Winchester Smokeless". The Sears ammo section lists only ".30 Winchester Smokeless Model 1894" cartridges: .30 caliber, 30 grains powder, 160 grain metal patch bullet (technically the .30 WCF was .30-30-160 by the old method). To the opening post, imagine being in a Sears outlet in 1897 looking for .30-30 ammo for your Marlin 1893 and you get a store clerk reassigned to the Sport Goods Department from the Ladies' Underwear Department.

Or just imagine being in the sporting goods department of any big box store today. But quite frankly it is disappointing to find someone in a specialized gun shop who is not only ignorant about guns and ammo but what they do know is wrong, and they are arrogant about it.

 

[Bruno2]

Were you guys actually saying, "Twenty-two double-yoo-em-ar"?

would have assumed it was spelled "Twenty-two double you em are".

22 ammo is a bit confusing. There is such a variety of lengths and what have you. I bet a lot of the wrong ammo gets bought by people who aren't as gun savvy as some. He could have thought the mini mag was actually a magnum cartridge.

Besides 22 being confusing 17 cal is as well:

 

[rdhood]

Considering ammo is normally non refundable, at least in my neck of the woods, I would consider that good customer service. The Academy by my house had a bunch of 9x18 behind the counter the other day for that exact reason.

Pointing out that you might be making a mistake is one thing. Arguing with a customer who has verified that this IS what he wants is rude beyond measure... far from "good customer service?.

 

[Agsalaska]

Pointing out that you might be making a mistake is one thing. Arguing with a customer who has verified that this IS what he wants is rude beyond measure... far from "good customer service?.

Totally agree. I am just referring to checking to make sure.

Customer-I need some 9x18. You got any.
Clerk-I do. You are aware that is not the same round as a typical 9mm?
Customer- Yes I am. I have a Makarov.
Clerk-Great. Neat little gun. How many boxes would you like.

Done. That is good customer service. Arguing about it is, like you said, rude beyond measure.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

What is hard to take is when the person who does not know what either of you are talking about, puffs himself up and declares he had X years in the Army (or PD) and you know nothing.

 

[CoRoMo]

would have assumed it was spelled "Twenty-two double you em are".

When spelling letters for phonetically, you shouldn't use words that simply have the same sound. Spelling the word 'are' phonetically becomes 'ahr', which is what I should have used instead of 'ar'. The 'e' on the end of 'are' is unnecessary same as the 'u' or the use of the word 'you'. The phonetic spelling of 'The High Road' is done as follows: thuh hahy rohd. This is different than pronunciation spelling which would look like this: thē hī rōd

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/U?s=t

U, u [yoo]
1. the 21st letter of the English alphabet, a vowel.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/R?s=t

R, r [ahr]

1. the 18th letter of the English alphabet

If I were to correct my post, I'd write it out like this: twen-tee / too / duhb-uhl / yoo / em / ahr

Grammar class dismissed.

 

[Oklacoyotekiller]

Good thing you didnt ask for a 17 hummer!

 

[pockets]

Totally agree. I am just referring to checking to make sure.
Customer-I need some 9x18. You got any. Clerk-I do. You are aware that is not the same round as a typical 9mm?
Customer- Yes I am. I have a Makarov. Clerk-Great. Neat little gun. How many boxes would you like.

Heck, all the clerk said to me was; "We don't have any of that."

I didn't bother responding, "Okay, I'll buy a case online then."
.

 

[Agsalaska]

Heck, all the clerk said to me was; "We don't have any of that."

I didn't bother responding, "Okay, I'll buy a case online then."
.

Yea the guy was an idiot. I agree with that.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

"Gee, Mr. Gun Store Clerk, can you educate me about all the other '.22 Magnum' cartridges besides .22 WMR?"

 

[Skribs]

Similar-ish. I was window-shopping at my LGS, and they were slow so the clerk was helping me (if people walk in, I say "thank you" and let him help someone who's there to buy") and I saw a Walther with a button release instead of paddle release. This started a conversation about pros, cons, and personal choice, and he said something along the line of "I don't like the paddle release, but if its what people want, then I'm not going to argue with them, that's bad customer service."

Then I mentioned I wanted a P32 as an alternative to my LCP and got an earfull

 

[Tom K]

".....why it may have gone obsolete."
....
As an aside, the old .22 Remington Jet cartridge was sometimes referred to as a .22 Magnum in its early days, but I doubt if the OP's LGS would have had any of that in stock.

The Smith &Wesson Model 53 which is chambered for .22 Jet, is marked ".22 Magnum" on the barrel. The Model 48 is marked ".22 WMR".

 

[Dave P]

Well, casual friend came over today to do a little plinking. He brought his S/W 40 cal gun. I started looking at it, and realized it was in the 1006 family (10mm). I say "Huh?".

So dan unloads his magazine which was full of nice 40 cal hollowpoints, and says " I guess these won't work then?"

 

[sleepyone]

a LGS in our town is owned by a nut case who regularly insults and belittles anyone who comes through the doors. My deceased FIL went in there one time to get a box of 300 Savage. The owner tells him to point to it on the shelf. This is my FIL's first time in the shop and there are about three rows of shelves about 10-15' long full of ammo. My FIL says "Hell, I don't know where you keep your 300 Savage" to which the owner replies "If you can't point it out to me, I'm not going to sell it to you."

A friend of mine goes in the same shop to buy a rifle and begins to complete the 4473. He lives in Fort Worth and puts down Ft. for Fort. The owner tells him that is not the correct way to spell it, calls him a bunch of names, and goes into a tirade. My friend finally tells him he can take his rifle and stick it up his **s!

Last story. same guy. An ATF agent comes in for a routine look at the books, and this guy is convinced he is part of an illegal sting operation, so he draws on the agent, takes him to the ground, handcuffs him and calls the county sheriff.

many more stories...

 

[Certaindeaf]

sleepyone, we have an old shop up here with a full-on retard/owner. It is truly legend but still he's in business. it's really a running joke/pukefest