Had A Less Than Wonderful Experience At Sportsmans Warehouse

[Treo]

Went to my local Sportsman's Warehouse today looking for an IWB. Since I knew their policy I unloade in the parking lot & walked W/ my piece in a back pack W/ the slide already locked back. Walked in went STRAIGHT to customer service. told them I brought my pistol in to fit a holster. opened the bag & handed it to the CSR.

I might as well have handed her a snake. Mind you I took the gun out W/ the slide already locked back & she acted afraid to touch the gun. And CLEARLY didn't even realize I handed her the gun so she could verify that it wasn't loaded While I had her there I decided to ask about their sign prohibiting loaded firearms in the store ( see thread Sportsman's Warehouse & concealed carry ) so any way I mentioned that the sign could be more clearly worded. The CSR got kind of snooty & informed me that "Most people who have a CHP know that law" I informed her that I did infact know the law & that I just thought I'd mention it.

So I tell the CSR that I'm on my way back to the gun department & she gets real squirrely & asks if I'm carrying any ammo ( wait just a minute you just told me that CCWs are welcome in your store, but you need to know if I'm carrying ammunition?) then she asked about the contents of my back pack Long story short I head back to guns.

The first guy I tell I brought my pistol in for a holster & here's the tag customer service gave me & I open my pack & hand him the ticket he flips when he sees the gun. So we go look at holsters he doesn't have what I want and tries to tell me that no one makes an IWB that ataches to the belt & tries to sell me an OWB and recomends I carry it UNDER my belt, but cautions me that should I do so the gun will stick "way out"

On my way back up to the front I DROP THE GUN!!!! Of course customer service sees me drop the gun & acts like I'm the biggest idiot they've ever seen. So I give them back their ticket & they recomend that I look online for the holster.

Part 2 Next post

 

[Treo]

Part 2

Ok my issue is this. I didn't do any thing illegal & I followed their policy TO THE LETTER , so why act like I'm the BG for bringing a gun in the store? Second come on man .... NOBODY makes an IWB W/ loops to hook to your belt? & if you happen to find such a holster it will ride so high on my belt that I won't be able to draw?

After I left SW I drove over to Specialty Sports ( local gun store) walked in told them what I was looking for & was out the door 5 minutes later W/ my brand new Galco ™ IWB complete W/ belt loops holster.

Things that make you go hmmmm.

I think I'm done W/ Sportsmans Warehouse.

 

[coelacanth]

yup. . . . .

Lots of folks working at the big box retailers seem to be largely clueless in the areas of product knowledge and customer service. I may pay a little more at the local gun emporium but I am talking to people who know their business and value mine so it seems to me to be money well spent. Glad you found what you were looking for.

 

[bruss01]

Maybe if you had taken it in an honest-to-goodness pistol case, unloaded and locked back - and instead of whipping it out of a container (your pack) you simply handed them the case and let them open it themselves, they might have been a little less on-guard. Also, transporting the pistol in the case would have been a little less alarming to other customers in the store and you likely wouldn't have dropped the case and if you had dropped it, no big deal.

Yes, I understand it's a sporting goods store and they sell guns there. No, you didn't do anything "wrong". But I don't think it's a bad thing to take the modern realities of life into account, such as, people know that random active shooters DO show up at shopping facilities, and you don't need to give them any reason to wonder/worry about what might be on YOUR mind.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[hnk45acp]

The OP has a CHL so he's probably not carrying his case with him

 

[romeo212000]

I personally dont think you should have to be apologetic about doing something you are within your limits on. That's just me.

 

[Treo]

The problem I have W/ your two cents is that I didn't walk up to the counter and "whip out " my pistol I went to the counter put my pack down and very calmly told the rep that I had brought my pistol in to fit the holster , it's here in my pack and I know I'm supposed to check it in. Here it is. Then I opened the pack and handed the pistol to the rep. I don't see what difference the carrying case makes ETA I also don't see how having a pistol in a back pack I.E CONCEALED is going to "alarm" other customers

 

[CountGlockula]

Don't write them off yet treo.

One thing you have to understand about those behind desks and registers...they're doing their best at their job. And with the current state that the world is in right now: School shooting, presidential elections, etc. everyone is on pins and needles with the whole gun issue. Unfortunately, everyone is a sheep...and it seems those Sportsman's Warehouse employees are jumping sheep.

Go to Galco.com and order your holster. They make some fine IWB.

 

[Treo]

Thanks Count,
I ended up W/ a Galco summer comfort from the local Gun Emporium.

The best gun shop in the Springs WAS Longs Drugs but they went out of business

 

[h0ss]

Just go to a gunshop and get a holster from them. They will know what they are talking about, will be willing to help you, and instead of scared/judging looks you might even get a "hey, nice piece".


EDIT: Sorry, after i posted i read your post about the local gun shop. Pretty much what i predicted

 

[Eyesac]

I feel your pain. But at our SW I've just grabbed the holster in question and asked to see the exact gun I'm carrying, then ask if I can stuff it in my pants. That's how I got the set up I have today. Unless you have an odd-ball gun they don't have, why bother, just use their guns and holsters...

 

[Treo]

If Longs Drugs was still in business I'd buy ALL my shooting supplies there. Longs was a drugstore W/ a gun department. The clerks were all middle aged women who took crap from NO ONE & knew their stuff. they were the ones who were likely to say "nice piece"

As for SW , sorry guys I don't buy new guns, I can get ammo cheaper & Wal-Mart & the don't have any holsters that I want.

I think I'm done W/ Sportsman's Warehouse.

 

[bruss01]

Treo wrote:
The problem I have W/ your two cents is that I didn't walk up to the counter and "whip out " my pistol I went to the counter put my pack down and very calmly told the rep that I had brought my pistol in to fit the holster , it's here in my pack and I know I'm supposed to check it in. Here it is. Then I opened the pack and handed the pistol to the rep. I don't see what difference the carrying case makes ETA I also don't see how having a pistol in a back pack I.E CONCEALED is going to "alarm" other customers

You're acting like I said you were stupid or something. That was not my intention and I'm sorry you are seemingly taking such great offense at my suggestion.

There is a qualitative difference in handing someone a closed pistol case and you with your own hand drawing a pistol out of a closed container that the person cannot see into prior to you withdrawing the pistol. And maybe I misunderstood, but if the pistol was in the backpack, I don't understand how you could have dropped your pistol in the aisle on the way out of the store. It sounded like you were toting the pistol around in your hand, sorry if I misunderstood that part. Take into account the clerk's position... you may be a smart person who always practices good gun safety rules, but the average IQ is 100, meaning half of all folks are BELOW that number, and the clerk has no idea if you've even ever HEARD of the 4 rules, let alone know how to practice them. I'd probably have my heart leap into my throat also if some guy (might be Einstein, might be Cleetus, I DON'T KNOW) walked in and pulled a pistol out of a bag saying "relax, it's unloaded" because I bet they have heard that a lot... only to find "oh, except the one in the chamber... sorry forgot that one". We've heard plenty of stories on here about accidents, mistakes and even criminal negligence in the form of people just goofing around with loaded guns. Again, it's sad you get lumped into the same basket with these morons, but the clerk doesn't know you from Howdy-Doody, has seen a LOT probably of near-miss mistakes, and has no doubt heard about all the recent public shootings. None of those are your fault... but what can you do to make their life a little less adrenalized?

I don't think it's unreasonable to, when getting ready to go shopping for a pistol accessory, to put that pistol into a case for transport into the store. Maybe you just stopped on a whim, on your way home from work or something, and didn't have a pistol case with you. Again, I'm certainly not saying you are stupid, and I'm not saying the reactions you were treated to were "right" - in a perfect world, we would all know who the good guys were and who the bad guys were and no one would ever get freaked out by the sight of a good guy with a gun in his hand in a public place, like a shopping mall, a burger king, or a sporting goods store. The only point I was trying to make was that we don't yet live in that perfect world, and you can waste a lot of emotional energy wishing it were and acting like it should be... and I wanted to offer a suggestion that might save you some of that in the future.

Don't take a simple suggestion as a personal insult. Wasn't intended, and if you didn't want comments, one wonders why you posted, unless simply to dis on some folks that had a not-uncommon reaction.

 

[Treo]

My apologies. I stopped on my way home from school, but I actually don't own a gun case for my pistol. the pack has a large inner compartment ( full of school books) and an outer pocket that covers all but the grips of my CCW and a flap that covers the pocket ( the flap came loose & the weapon flopped out lesson learned).

As to their reaction and why I posted, really I think they ARE wrong I did the EXACT SAME THING at Specialty Sports except the piece was loaded ( I cleared it before I handed it over obviously) & they didn't bat an eye.

The fact that SW has a sign posted on their front door stating their firearm policy ( which I followed to the letter BTW) suggests (to me) that they EXPECT people to walk in to the store W/ firearms. If that's the case why act surprised when someone does it?

I've yet to hear of a psyco shooter who stopped & checked his gun at customer service before going on a rampage.

There's an old saying in retail " A happy customer tells 4 people about his experience, an unhappy customer tells 13 " these days the unhappy customer gets on the internet & tells THE WORLD

 

[MachIVshooter]

I'm not trying to make excuses for them, but do remember that the kid working the front desk might have been a Target or McDonalds employee last week. Sportmans is not a gunshop, and most of the employees know little about guns (including some of the folks working in the gun section).

That said, I only buy guns from them if no one else has it in stock and they do. I'd rather give my money to the little guys.

Sportmans Warehouse is, however, a wonderful place if you're a handloader. Very few independent gunshops carry reloading supplies these days.

 

[LiquidTension]

I've been pretty unimpressed with the SW here. The gun prices are OK if you hit them during one of their 5% off sales. They have average prices on powder but they're always out of stock when I go in there (2-3 times/week). Employees are hit or miss, but claim to be experts regardless of actual experience. One female employee tried to get into a peeing contest with me about SC CWPs. Being an instructor and having spoken to the Chief of SLED on a several occasions, I know far more about that particular topic than she did but she just had to butt into a conversation I was having. Now if I need help I ignore her and go to one of the more polite employees.

 

[jakeswensonmt]

A Less Than Wonderful Experience At Sportsmans Warehouse

That's the only kind of experience I've ever had at SW. There are some nice and pretty girls working the registers up front, but everyone else in the store seems to feel like it's in their job description to treat customers like annoying jerks. I don't buy anything there unless I cannot find it anywhere else first.

 

[Soap]

I actually rather like SW. The one in Lafayette here seems to hire people who have a strong passion for their departments but work at SW as a 2nd job.

In this case, I don't know if you can really blame them for their reaction. Sure they gave you some dumb advice and asked a few dumb questions but I've seen worse here on THR. Did you expect the girl at customer service to know how to clear your handgun? Did you ask her if she needed to tag it or verify its condition first or did you just say, "Hey I have my handgun in my backpack and need to find a holster. *takes handgun out immediately"? Did you give her any reason to believe that you were somehow handling the gun in an unsafe manner? (Besides storing it in an improper case and dropping it in the middle of the store)

And finally, why did you need to bring your gun into the store in the first place when almost every holster nowadays has the make/model of the gun it fits clearly printed on it?

I'm not trying to be offensive, but the safer and more competent us gunowners appear, the easier it is on everyone.

 

[Old Dog]

Daniel Flory asked

And finally, why did you need to bring your gun into the store in the first place when almost every holster nowadays has the make/model of the gun it fits clearly printed on it?

That'd be my question as well. But given the OP's self-reported history with the retail chain in question (see his previous thread on SW that ran in GenGun), it almost seems that he was desirous of provoking conflict or an issue.

Thankfully, in my region, the SWs have very polite (albeit not always the most expert, as one should expect in any retail chain) salesclerks. The prices are usually pretty competitive and the there's not too much to complain about. Unless one is an attention-seeker.

 

[Wineoceros]

And finally, why did you need to bring your gun into the store in the first place when almost every holster nowadays has the make/model of the gun it fits clearly printed on it?

I don't know. If I have the opportunity to check out the fit, clearance, etc. for myself with the actual gun before buying...and do so without any significant hassle...then I'm liable to prefer doing so rather than simply accepting the manufacturers word on how good a fit it is.

 

[Treo]

Please Actually READ The OP

QUOTE "Did you expect the girl at customer service to know how to clear your handgun?"

As CLEARLY STATED in the OP the weapon was unloaded W/ THE SLIDE LOCKED TO THE REAR before I ever got into the store.

QUOTE"Did you ask her if she needed to tag it or verify its condition first or did you just say, "Hey I have my handgun in my backpack and need to find a holster. *takes handgun out immediately"?"

As I CLEARLY stated earlier (although I admit not in the original post)

I didn't walk up to the counter and "whip out " my pistol I went to the counter put my pack down and very calmly told the rep that I had brought my pistol in to fit the holster , it's here in my pack and I know I'm supposed to check it in. Here it is. Then I opened the pack and handed the pistol to the rep.


Quote "And finally, why did you need to bring your gun into the store in the first place when almost every holster nowadays has the make/model of the gun it fits clearly printed on it?"

My CCW is a CZ75B it seems that almost nobody ( in the Springs) stocks holsters for them. The holster I ended up W/ was for a Sig
P-22 (?)

 

[esq_stu]

I've learned to ask first before ever taking out a weapon, even if the slide's locked open. Judge by the reaction before deciding whether to take it out. Some shops have very strict rules about how they want it done. I don't blame them.

When it comes to trying holsters, several gun shops that I go to have put their rental guns in the holsters I want to try.

 

[denfoote]

The nasty little secret about Sportsman's Whorehouse is that the store has no control over the inventory, which means they can't special order!!
I went in looking for a holster for one of my guns, I can't remember which one, and was told that what they had on the rack was it. No special orders. That also applied to guns too. When I was looking all over the Valley of the Sun for a PF9, I was told SW did not carry that brand and could not even special order it!! Needless to say, I was a bit miffed!!

As for the signs and such, there was a gunshop where I was a regular customer. I asked the owner why in Heaven's name a gunshop, of all places, would not allow carry!! The owner pointed to a bullet hole in the floor, circled by a black magic marker. The round had gone off when some rube was "unloading" his piece to give to the gunsmith. It went through the floor and into the downstairs range. Luckily, no one was hit!! I eventually obtained permission to carry in the shop, but only after the owner was satisfied I was not a rube!!

As for the big box shops, maybe 1% of the staff is familiar with guns.

Hell, I ran into a couple of Scottsdale AZ Cops, a few years back that didn't know how to clear a Ruger MK-II!!

Ignorance is not confined to gunshop babes!!

 

[Soap]

I don't know. If I have the opportunity to check out the fit, clearance, etc. for myself with the actual gun before buying...and do so without any significant hassle...then I'm liable to prefer doing so rather than simply accepting the manufacturers word on how good a fit it is.

Just bring it home. Then you can try it with various pieces of your wardrobe and move around with it.

As CLEARLY STATED in the OP the weapon was unloaded W/ THE SLIDE LOCKED TO THE REAR before I ever got into the store.

I didn't ask that. I asked if you expected her to take your weapon and re-check it. Why did you hand it to her in the first place?

I didn't walk up to the counter and "whip out " my pistol I went to the counter put my pack down and very calmly told the rep that I had brought my pistol in to fit the holster , it's here in my pack and I know I'm supposed to check it in. Here it is. Then I opened the pack and handed the pistol to the rep.

Where did I say "whip out"? I asked if you gave her a chance to reply to you after you told her that you had a gun that you needed to check. From what I gather, you said, "I have a gun I need to check", took it out without her saying anything, and attempted to hand it to her. If so, that's not a very smooth or safe way to allow an untrained clerk to tag your weapon.

My CCW is a CZ75B it seems that almost nobody ( in the Springs) stocks holsters for them. The holster I ended up W/ was for a Sig
P-22 (?)

IIRC SW generally stocks Galco as far as CCW holsters go. Galco manufactures many holsters for this gun. Also, why would you want to get a holster that isn't even made for your gun? Its not like you're carrying a Borchardt.

Thank you very much for bolding too by the way, it makes it SO MUCH EASIER FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE SAYING.

 

[wyocarp]

Treo, why the backpack? Just carry it in. I do so in Sportsmans all the time. I don't even stop at the front desk. They were probably taken back by the backpack, I would be. It is legal for open carry, open carry. You dropped your pistol on the floor? I buy a holster right away for every gun that I buy. It is often a nylon one that is generic. That way I have something until I get a custom one or the one I want. It would have been better to at least used a zippered case.