Gun-shop etiquette

[41magsnub]

My local shop without haggling slightly beats Buds on price once shipping and FFL fees are worked out. I get everything through them now.

 

[7thCavScout]

I choose not to buy on line or out of town. Do I miss some deals, and sometimes have to pay a little more...yep. C'est la vie, I have two local guys (FFL's) who I see at the range, grocery store, church, and local charity events. I just feel supporting them is the right thing to do.

 

[Micro]

Gun shops are in the business to sell guns. Occassionally, I am in the market to buy a new one. When I am, I will shop the best deal then approach my favorite store with the best deal I have found. Either they will match it or they won't. If they won't, I'll go somewhere else that will. It's that simple.

Gun stores that refuse to match other shops' prices simply do not get my business. My refusal to buy cetainly won't put them out of business, but a prevailing smuggness shop owners feel at sitting on inventory they could otherwise be moving must be very satisfying when they are trying to pay overhead.

Buying a gun isn't charity. It's business.

 

[mickeyblueyes]

One thing I like to get off my chest is this. I like a neat and clean organized store. Items placed and displayed nicely, dusted one in a while. Almost every store I go into looks like a pig pen. Boxes stacked no order of sense between new and used. prices not displayed, and this is a suburb of NYC. One of the "better economic " areas of the country.(supposedly). Gun shop owner do not stock any thing, the answer is more often than not call me tomorrow and I'll see if I can get it? He wants to make the sale he should ask to call me . He is not doing me any favors. Another issue is if you purchase off the internet and have it shipped to a FFL shop they want $40 to do the log in and back ground check. This plus $25(shipping) really jacks up the price trying to purchase off the internet. One local guy offered me $35 for a nice clean S&W 36 chief special. Thats $35 dollars for a 95-99 gun. I sold it on line went there to ship it , so he asks me what I got for it. It was about $295 or so.I expected to pay $45 shipping which is what he advertises. After every thing is is done he say $75 dollars. I am like WHAT? what happened to the $45 he then goes on a tangent that he will not ship any pistol out unless its in a hard case and that cost XXX dollars and its xxx dollars for over night shipping and insurance , he really put it to me. I should have asked for the gun back and left....live and learn.

 

[X-Rap]

I have never been that impressed with the online gun sales deals once all the ffl, shipping,and such are dealt with.
The stores I go to rarely ask msrp prices and have used as well, when I am looking for a gun I look at new and used and usually take the used deal unless it is some latest and greatest that I must have.
I do get pissed when I'm in a Mom & Pop and hear somebody comment out loud or to the owner about how they can save 2-5% at SW or Cabelas when they will use up that difference in their time and gas. If you don't like the prices I feel you ought to just leave unless you are treated rudely.

 

[22-rimfire]

I generally do not bring up online pricing especially on used guns. Online prices on used guns are "retail" same as the gunshop. If you are a frequent visitor to your favorite gunshop, you already know what their attitude is about haggling on prices or bringing up what "Buds" is selling new guns for. If you want to haggle much, you have to willing to walk out the door even if it is your dream gun or eat crow. It just depends on how you do it.

I still prefer to buy from the local gunshop even if I pay a little more. The relationship is more important than saving $25 or $50 unless I don't plan on keeping the gun. Since states are having financial problems and my state is primarily funded with sales tax and business taxes, I tend to be willing to do my part as long as it is "reasonable". But if I lived in an strongly anti-gun state or local, my feelings would likely be entirely different on the tax issue.

 

[aletheuontes]

The subject of this thread brings the following memory to mind:

For my fathers birthday I offered to buy him a guitar or a gun as a present, he opted for the gun. So we drove 30 miles to a really nice gun store where he said he wanted to look at glocks. It was fairly busy that day so it took us a few minutes to be helped and we waited our turn without any frustration. When we received attention we asked to look at the glock 17 and they put the gun in our hands. We looked at it for about 1 minute before hearing "Sir, PLEASE don't take apart the gun!!!". I had pulled the slide off the gun to look at the internal components, but had no plans of disassembling it any further. I put the slide back on, handed the gun back to gentleman that put it in our hands and walked right out. We were pretty annoyed to be spoken to with a tone of resentment in front of a room full of people. We drove back home and decided to go to a more local gun store where we were please to be treated like adults. We told the local gun store our story and they said, "Well if you're going to spend four to five hundred dollars, I'd expect you'd like to get to know the gun." They said taking the slide of a gun is perfectly normal and that is why you have a display model. I gladly purchased the gun from the local shop that day. I doubt I'll go back to the other store.

Has anyone else had an issue like this? Did we break an unwritten rule of gun store etiquette?

 

[Sam1911]

Has anyone else had an issue like this? Did we break an unwritten rule of gun store etiquette?

I understand your embarrassment in that moment, but I think you did rather over-step a point of courtesy.

You don't own the gun (yet) so it is the very minimum of politeness to ask the store owner or employee before field-stripping their firearm.

Everyone likes to pick on gun store employees for ignorance and rudeness (usually like shooting fish in a barrel, so to speak) but you can only imagine the goofiness they see from their customers on an almost hourly basis. It is FAR from unreasonable for them to be concerned that someone breaking a gun down on their counter very well may drop, lose, (even steal!), bend, break, or damage internal parts -- or to simply get frustrated or bored and walk off leaving it in a pile of pieces.

Of course, you yourself would never do such a thing, but until you've paid your money and they've processed your 4473, it is THEIR gun which means THEIR problem.

If you entered my gun shop and asked to be allowed to check the internals of a gun you were seriously considering purchasing (and by that I mean you've said, "I think I'll take THAT one, here's my ID -- oh and, by the way, do you mind if I field-strip it before I fill out the paperwork?") I'd be very happy to let you.

If you enter my store, ask to handle a gun, and I turn back to see it in pieces ... yeah, I'm probably going to instruct you not to do that.

It doesn't matter if your first name is Jerry (Kuhnhausen or Miculek) -- you don't disassemble someone elses' gun without asking. It isn't a matter of expertise, but one of courtesy.

Your local store was, of course, very sympathetic. By telling them the story, you pre-warned them how you'll act and diffused the situation.

 

[TH3180]

I use the 10% rule. If I can get with in 10% of what I would pay online or at a big box store, I buy it from the small shop. If the shop is out of that 10% range, I will bring it up in a real matter of fact way. I really want to support the little guy, but I'm not going to go broke doing it. When it comes to reloading I will pay even more because I get to talk to the guy and get help for free. An online place can't show me what I am doing wrong the GunStop can.

 

[BCCL]

Having been on both sides of a gun shop counter, I would never say to them "I can get it here for XXX".


But I always look at price tags and if I am not trading, ask "What's your best cash price" and almost always get a lower price.

 

[X-Rap]

Yea I can't really go along with the idea of striping down a gun until/unless I'm ready to lay down the cash.
I think that even once the deal is struck it should be the store employee to do any disassembly until the 4473 goes through.
Do you do this at gunshows as well?

 

[Bubba613]

Having been on both sides of a gun shop counter, I would never say to them "I can get it here for XXX".

My response is usually "then what are you doing here?" Believe it or not sometimes people are just blowing smoke about the prices they have allegedly seen elsewhere.
If I want to move a gun and am looking for an offer I will often say "teh tag says X but i have had the gun awhile."

 

[Old krow]

I use the 10% rule.

I like his approach.

I will bring it up sometimes. I'd prefer to buy from LGS if I can so I'll give them a chance to match the price, or get close. I take into account that they're in front of me with the gun to answer any questions or handle the gun.

 

[22-rimfire]

Aletheuontes, Yes you breached a rule of courtesy since they own the firearm. You ask permission for such things first. You can not assume that the gun shop employee (or owner) would have any idea how to re-assemble said gun if you walked out the door with it being a pile of parts on the counter.

I have only partially disassembled one firearm with permission and that was a collector piece that wanted to look at the nickel finish on the frame. I bought it. There were still questions, but we settled on an acceptable price under the circumstances. I suspect I made a poor decision, but I can live with it. The gun did not "letter".

Yes to the blowing smoke statement above... I am "negotiating" with a potential client on a price to perform some work. It is a fairly large amount of money which I tend to round into $500 increments. Previously I quoted a price to do some other work for them. All he said is that this other business is charging less. Show me their proposal and I would be willing to bet that they are not providing the same service because I KNOW that competitor and how he does things. Get the money and then ask for more after they are hooked and have no recourse but to get a partial job done or pay more. I run an honest business. I give you a price and I stick to it.

 

[PT1911]

whatever you do, dont ask them to come down on a 120 dollar new gun.. that has got to be the most irritating thing that happens on a regular basis... Customer walks in, looks around for a few minutes, pickes the cheapest gun in the store that the owner, a friend of mine, MIGHT be making 15 dollars on and ask him to come down on it... then storm out when he says he cant... It takes using some sense when trying to get better prices... For instance, around here there is a local shop that will sell Glocks cheaper than my friend (who is at Glocks lowest allowed selling price of 499.) SO, the other shop will sell them for 475... problem is, they take a mag out of the box and and then sell the extra mag for $30.

there is nothing wrong with looking for deals, BUT, compare everything and include the expenses that it will take to get the gun to your front door. If it comes out cheaper to buy online and have it shipped and pay transfer fees... go for it.

That said, unfortunately, many people will only look at the price online before other expenses are calculated into the price.

 

[PT1911]

They said taking the slide of a gun is perfectly normal and that is why you have a display model

Many places have no such thing... the gun in stock is the gun for sale. IMO, ask permission before doing anything with the gun... that includes disassembly as well as dry firing.

 

[X-Rap]

Yes and some people will buy a gun at M&P LGS and then order a scope online and want the LGS to mount it for him as a courtesy or vis versa. Most small shops will do this but its real poor form on the part of the buyer.

 

[daorhgih]

Have a question ....

... about a gun's internals? Hand it back to staff and ask that the slide be removed so you may check. BTW, is removing the slide considered "(field) stripping" a gun? To me it's about the same as removing the magazine, or even dropping out the recoil spring(s) and guide rod with permission, as these parts do break. Also, I really like a gun-shop employee who checks the chamber EVERY time the gun comes into their hands. Shows good awareness.

 

[aletheuontes]

Everyone likes to pick on gun store employees for ignorance and rudeness (usually like shooting fish in a barrel, so to speak) but you can only imagine the goofiness they see from their customers on an almost hourly basis.

Your local store was, of course, very sympathetic. By telling them the story, you pre-warned them how you'll act and diffused the situation.

My intention for my posting this question was not focused on bashing gun store employees or gun stores. I'm sure you're right, he deals with idiots (like me) all day long and it's frustrating, but if it's such a problem why not say a quick something about the
common problems up front? Such as saying, "Please don't dry fire and if you'd like to see the internals let me know and I'd be glad to help you.", before handing a customer a gun. IMO, it would make a huge difference from a customer service perspective. Gun store employees/owners shouldn't assume that their customers know all the rules and wait for the customer to make a mistake before giving them the information they need.

I asked this question because I received two opposite responses to the same situation, though the first was by reaction and the second was an answer to my question. Based on my continued relationship with my local store, I do not believe they were very sympathetic to just make a sale. Perhaps a sample rate of two stores is not enough to make a fair comparison and it sounds like from these replies that most stores would have a problem with a customer doing anything other than feeling the weight, grip, and looking down the sights. This is the information that I was looking for and it answers my question, thanks for the replies.

 

[erice303]

Be Careful negotiating at some gun shops (Watch this video)

Hardcore Pawn at the gun store

NOTE: Only the first 5 min has anything to do with guns

 

[matrem]

After a minute or less conversation with the guy behind the counter, permission to field strip is almost always granted.
I always ask.
I agree with the 10% rule, and sometimes a wee bit more, depends on their attitude.
I donate to pro gun folks on a regular basis, sometimes helping a local guy falls into that category.

 

[Offfhand]

Simple fact: The Obama bubble has burst. Some retailers haven't caught on and still try to skin their customers. Remember, if they try to cheat you now they will try again another time. They are NOT your friendly gun dealer. Always ask how much he is contributing to local youth shooting programs in time and money. Judge him, or them, by the answer to this simple question.

 

[Sam1911]

BTW, is removing the slide considered "(field) stripping" a gun?

Of course. What else would you consider it? It isn't a basic functional manipulation of the gun (as cycling, seating a mag, opening a cylinder, even dryfiring) would be. It is disassembly of major component groups.

To me it's about the same as removing the magazine,

Really? Breaking the gun down into parts is the same thing as dropping the mag? I don't think you meant to say that.

even dropping out the recoil spring(s) and guide rod with permission, as these parts do break.

Again, that's field stripping. And, sure -- there is nothing wrong with asking to check those before you hand over your money if you want. Especially if the gun is unusual enough that a replacement set of springs is harder to come by than a quick call to Wolff.

 

[Salty1]

If your one of the people who "shop" and only buy the lowest price then why even go to a local gun shop? Gun shops have overhead that many of the internet based companies do not have and they need to charge a higher price to make ends meet and actually collect a pay check. I had a customer purchase a gun from Bud's and he saved a grand total of $9.00 over our price plus the FFL fee he had to pay us for the transfer. He had a problem with the gun and expected us to deal with the manufacturer for him. This is a service we provide to our customers who purchase through us. I told him to call Bud's, who in turn told him to deal with it. In short if you see no value in having a relationship with a local business then buy on-line. After being in the business for 2 years and seeing what the profits actually are the plans we had to have a real store front have been put on hold, the numbers just will not make that a reality... We do not adverstise and our business is word of mouth, satisfied customer are our only priority and the business is growing one sale at a time.... as an fyi, our margins are 7% on most guns, 10% on the less expensive ones. To sell a Ruger LCP for $310.00 I make a grand total of $30.00 is that too much profit? Personally I am offended when somebody wants me to match anothers price, that just tells me that their motive is all about them and not having a relationship with a small local company. They should go to Bass Pro and Cabella's and pay their inflated price as they have room to play the price matching game. Used guns have some give, so if your the type that must haggle then I suggest doing such on the used ones.... just my 2 cents...

 

[vanguard7]

Gun shops are in the business to sell guns. Occassionally, I am in the market to buy a new one. When I am, I will shop the best deal then approach my favorite store with the best deal I have found. Either they will match it or they won't. If they won't, I'll go somewhere else that will. It's that simple.

Gun stores that refuse to match other shops' prices simply do not get my business. My refusal to buy cetainly won't put them out of business, but a prevailing smuggness shop owners feel at sitting on inventory they could otherwise be moving must be very satisfying when they are trying to pay overhead.

Buying a gun isn't charity. It's business.

very well said. good post.