Grumpy old man at the counter...

[CB900F]

Fella's;

Another voice for the good shops. We don't have an Acadamy near Great Falls Montana, and to be truthfull, I don't know if they're regional or nationwide. The only place I've ever heard of them is here on THR. By the way Stage2, since there are obviously several Acadamy stores, you might mention which one offended you. No sense targeting the entire chain for one store's offense. Not that you shouldn't have been offended, I'd be just as mad as you are.

Now then, to the good guys. Ozark Arms in Searcy Arkansas. Outstanding shop IMHO. Gun's N Stuff, and Glenrock Components, both in Glenrock Wyoming.

900F

 

[jdkelly]

Sounds like he made his assement come true.

Sounds like he was correct in his assesment.---Trapperjohn

Yeah, you're unlikely to sell something if you don't try. Good salesman.


Respectfully,

jdkelly

 

[gezzer]

The guy is not a salesman. The big stores hire anyone who actually show up and then give very little training.

Being a good salesman takes practice, training and experience. It is definitely a Trade or Profession.

A good salesman would have sold you the gun at the higher price and you would have been happy and satisfied until you saw the price in the other store.

 

[carterbeauford]

Sounds like he was correct in his assesment.

Technically, yes, but it was not his assessment to make.

Unless I am purchasing a gun I am familiar with, like an 870 on sale at Walmart, I do not deal with anyone other than a reputable gun shop.

People too stupid to realize they are turning customers away from their company should not have jobs, no matter what their occupation.

Only big box store we have around here is Gander Mountain. One of their employees treated me very badly and tried to refuse to handle a transfer from TGScom. Do you think I will ever buy anything there?

The exception to the big box rule might be Cabelas, their gun counter associates have always been knowledgeable and professional, but I can't buy a gun in WV anyways.

 

[Hardware]

Okay, for the Mid Atlantic folks I can recommend 2 gun shops in Northern Delaware.

X-Ring in Newark. Knowledgeable, friendly shop. They handle a little bit of everything but they do have a whole wall of EBRs with some of the more popular stuff displayed horizonatlly on the wall for a profile view. They have very reasonable prices on sidearms. Plus, they do milsurps and probably have the best stock of ammo around.

Miller's Guns in New Castle. Small father and son place. Very heavy into hunting, which in Delaware means shotguns. Shotguns, shotguns, shotguns. I'm tell you, these guys have a stiffy for smoothbores. Although they do have a nice case full of used handguns and a larger one of new.

Both have friendly salespeople and both are pretty busy on Fridays and Saturdays. A sure sign of a place with a good relationship with its customers.

Now as for places you don't want to go, I'll keep my opinion to myself. It's a small state.

 

[RustyFN]

Quote:
just for kicks wanted to look at one of the XD's in the case



Quote:
telling me that I wasn't there to buy it anyways.



Sounds like he was correct in his assesment.

Just because someone wants to look at a gun and isn't ready to buy at that moment doesn't mean they won't be back in a couple of days to buy it. After that kind of customer service I wouldn't be buying it there.
Rusty

 

[justashooter]

a hundred years ago when i was in the gunselling business, i encouraged people to handle firearms. lots of guns were sold to people who had no intention of buying one when they walked in the store.

three basic rules of salesmanship:
1.) ask what the customer wants.
2.) listen to what they say about what they want.
3.) show it to them at a reasonable price.

three basic sales enhancement techniques:
1.) be polite.
2.) be knowledgeable about the product.
3.) express confidence in what your product can empower the customer to do.

three basic sales correlaries:
1.) most customers look to you as an expert.
2.) most customers will give you a clue as to whether they are experts.
3.) most customers want to be treated in accordance with their knowledge and experience.

 

[Cesiumsponge]

I've bumped into a lot of grumpy or unknowledgable people at chain stores and usually don't bother going there unless I'm wanting to pick up bulk ammo or some small cleaning accessories.

We had a Sportsman's Warehouse open up here and two of the younger people at the gun counter I bumped into there so far are just worthless.

One of them ranted about pistolwhipping his drunk brother with a Glock at a party and tried to push a Desert Eagle .50 AE Then tried to push a random hunting rifle in .270 when I was looking at the M1A's. He then told a pair of gals next to me looking at a shotgun that slugs explode into shrapnel in a human body and the typical "you don't need to aim with buckshot, just point at them and it'll take care of the rest". I interjected and told them the 870 they were looking at is a great shotgun but with typical open cylinder, spread was about 1" per yard so you do need to aim, and to try different loads and pattern them at a range before using it for home defense. The sales person just kind of rolled his eyes and I left because his oral diarrhea was giving me a headache.

Another time I came back to handle a Kimber Tactical II series off the back wall when I had a question on 1911's equipped with bull barrels and the full length guide rod systems. I didn't know if they deviated from standard 1911's on disassembly and asked because I was genuinely unknowledgable about that. The salesperson said he had "no clue about 1911's" and only "knew about tactical pistols". He then proceeded to point at the glass rack section on the counter which was filled with nothing except Kimber/Springfield/S&W/SIG 1911's with rail systems, tactical-type 1911's, and higher end 1911's. I just said thanks, handed the gun back and left quietly while biting my tongue.

It's damned hard to find good help.

 

[armedandsafe]

I had a similar problem with a big-box store in San Diego (Mira Mesa) quite a few years ago. From that point on for the next year and half, I sent a letter each and every month to the store manager and corporate, detailing how much money I spent at their competitors that month and why I drove the extra 20 miles. It took about 18 months, but I finally received a written appology from the local manager AND from corporate. That was fun.

Pops

 

[hoji]

+ 1 armedandsafe
I do the same thing sometimes.

 

[theCZ]

I used to have a lot of problems like that, but now I've found which stores to avoid and which ones I'll be loyal to. Worst problem I had shopping was a year ago when I had $2k to blow on an Over/Under for skeet and sporting clays. The old guy at the Sportsman's Warehouse counter was pushing a $700 Remington 1187 on me, even after I told him I already had an 1100, AND that I had $2k to spend. So I went to another place in Reno that I called earlier. I stepped in, asked the guy to see his SKB 85TSS that I called about. He said, "Sure, and since you stopped in after calling, I'm gonna cut off another $150 off the price for you." Well, how could it get any better than that???

Everything else has been minor annoyances since the gunstores that treated me badly have gone out of business anyway.

 

[kikr]

Don't buy from big stores. When ever I move into a new town, which used to be quite often I always ask the local LEO's where to shop. I've always ended up with a nice local store with knowledgable and friendly staff.

 

[Deanimator]

Sounds like he was correct in his assesment.

He made it a self-fulfilling prophesy.

I had a similar experience at Dick's in Westlake, OH a few months ago. I was trying to buy a couple of boxes of Remington .45acp ball. The guy at the hunting/fishing counter spent fully twenty minutes showing a guy an expensive fishing reel, without so much as a "I'll be right with you." to me. I went to the other side of the store to get somebody, and it still took another ten to fifteen minutes to have another guy (the counter guy NEVER came) tell me they were out of .45acp ball.

Of course I'd just come from Walmart, where I waited fully a half an hour waiting for somebody to sell me some .45acp, even though I'd stopped TWO different sales droids for help. Nobody EVER came. I did a complete computer customer support call for a customer waiting. Now when I buy ammo at Walmart, I call ahead.

Most of the real gunstores in Cleveland are iffy at best. B&T is ok, neither great nor awful. Their prices certainly are eye opening. I bought a 3" Model 65 from CDNN last week. Even with the FFL's fee it was nearly $100 cheaper than the 3" Model 64 I saw at B&T. The only three really good gunstores are in the Akron area or farther. Dick's Gunroom (not to be confused with the Dick's Sporting Goods chain) near Ernest Aingley Ministries and Rt. 8 always has an excellent selection and are friendly. Pro Gun & Sport in Cuyahoga Falls, also near Rt. 8, has an excellent selection and are both friendly AND knowledgeable. Fin, Fur & Feather Outfitters south of Medina on Rt. 250 has a big selection and friendly sales personnel. Their sales prices are often quite good. They also come to Camp Perry during the National Matches.

There used to be one gunstore in the City of Cleveland. I only went there once or twice before they closed. I recall a Taurus PT99 there for somewhere in the vicinity of $750...

 

[John-Melb]

Whilst it may or may not be relevant, I had a very similar experience today in
Melbourne with a sales person.

I was looking for a small hiking stove, I called into Paddy Palin's to check out what they had. I was approached within minutes by a friendly fellow who asked if he could help. I explained that I wasn't going to be buying just yet but was shopping around for a small gas cooker. He asked about what I needed it for, length of trips, numbers of people who'd be using it and so forth, he recommended a particular model and explained the benefits of the two different brands of gas cartidges that were available for it. We then chewed the fat for a couple of minutes on other camping gear before he excused himself and went to attend to another customer..

On the way to the train station I also called into Mitchell's on Russell Street. I spent twenty minutes looking at the glass case containing the stoves whilst the two clowns behind the counter discussed how much money one of them had been making selling stuff on ebay recently. Not once did either of these two think I was relevant enough to stop their conversation and ask if I needed anything. I left without speaking to either of them, and wonder if they even noticed I was there.

Over the next few months I will probably be spending a few hundred dollars on hiking/camping gear, including a new pack, new boots and a few other things.

I think I know where I'll be buying it from.

 

[moewadle]

Adding a positive recommendation....Scheels is a chain of 22 sporting goods, outfitters stores with 100 year old origin in Minnesota. They are now located from Eastern Montana to Minnesota/Iowa area. I have been in three of them multiple times. They keep plenty of sales associates on the floor and they are extremely friendly and will often offer to open any gun case and let you examine the item if you appear at all interested. They run a quality operation. Many of the employees in gun department are shooters and have a lot of gun knowledge. I cannot say the prices on their merchandise can compete with a Wal-Mart but the prices are at least reasonable IMHO and I am happy to give them my business if there is something I want. I recently bought a new Ruger revolver and a new Beretta 92FS from the local store here in Eastern Iowa. Of course, as usual, you can bring up their web site and learn their store locations.