Oh, come on, leave the employees alone.

[stevekl]

Just a few hours ago I was in a certain large nationwide sporting goods store in a location I will not disclose. Well hell, I will disclose it if you really want to know. But anyway, I overhear a customer having a conversation with an employee. He's ranting about how bad the prices are, and how a *used* model XYZ shotgun costs more than a new model XYZ elsewhere.

And you know, he's absolutely right. The prices in this place were awful. I'm talking sticker shock that causes nausea. It's that bad.

But come on. This poor employee can't do anything about it. He's probably part time (I think I overheard him saying he is part time) and he can't do a thing about it. What do you want him to do, kick it up the ladder? Managers don't listen to low-level employees!

I'm not defending the store. The prices were criminal. And I'm not attacking the patron. I was just as angry and annoyed at the prices as he was.

But I too am a part time, low level employee, in a completely unrelated industry. So I felt bad for the employee in this situation.

We can't do anything at all to change how our company does business. We come in, we work hard, we're knowledgeable, we do our best to help customers, we're honest, and we go home. But we can't help lower prices.

All I'm saying is: part time people work hard. We want to help you, really, we do. But complaining to us about something we can't change (prices) is just stressful and it won't help at all. If you really feel like complaining, go to the manager, or call the hotline or something.

Personally, I wouldn't give this store my business because everything there is overpriced. But at the same time I also wouldn't hassle a fellow wage slave and try to give him a hard time about it.

And that's all I have to say about that.















and yeah this was a Gander Mountain if you couldn't already tell.

 

[jbkebert]

I was in Dicks sporting goods on Friday. Some dummy was growling away to the gun counter clerk about his Savage .17 hmr. Just carrying on about how he had it boresighted when he bought it and how it doesn't hit center of target. The poor guy was trying to be nice and rebore sight the gun. Come to find out the moron didn't even buy it from Dicks. So lovely me proceeded to rip the customer on new one for being a dumba$$. The jerk rode this poor employee for something out of his controll. Not that bore sighting does much good anyway. Sucker even ripped on the clerk for ammo prices being to high. Sorry to vent sometimes I really hate people.

 

[knights_armorer]

i dont gripe about prices. i either buy things or i dont.

some people are idiotic and that is just the way it is.

 

[Atroxus]

I agree, I have worked retail, and people really should think about who they are complaining at before they start. If you really think I can do something about your issue by all means lemme have it, if not how about going to someone who can like the manager. Some people though just will not be happy without someone to bitch at, even for things that can not be "resolved" to the customer's satisfaction no matter what. "No sir I can not give you a new free cell phone because your kid dropped yours in the toilet." So like the OP said, if you have a complaint to make at a retail location, first ask yourself, "Is it something they can really help me with?", then "Is this somethign a part-time employee can fix for me, or do I need to contact management, or the corporate offices in timbuktu?" If you do that I am willing to bet that you and the retail employees you work with will have a lot less stress.

 

[chevyforlife21]

was this store dicks steve?

 

[Avenger29]

Managers don't listen to low-level employees!

Managers also don't mind firing low-level employees, either...

Folks, I work for the .gov. Every day, I get some person that comes in and complains about something or wants to chat politics or whatnot. I'm not paid to do that, I am bound by the rules not to (and I obey the rules of my job).

They'll complain that something in the 30 y.o. museum isn't spelled correctly. What am I supposed to do, grab a sharpie and a bottle of whiteout? Hint: It's an ancient exhibit. If we had the money to fix it, we'd have the money to replace it and you'd be looking at a new exhibit in good shape.

People will come in and start complaining about politics. Folks, I really am annoyed when that happens, and also, I'm not supposed to and I don't discuss politics on duty, no matter how much I may or may not agree with what you are saying. Don't rant to me about the .gov doing this or that, because I can't change it- it'd be like an ant trying to stop a glacier's slide.

 

[Justin]

Working retail is the pits.

 

[DasFriek]

i dont gripe about prices. i either buy things or i dont.
some people are idiotic and that is just the way it is.

Amen brother.

Also life is like a box of chocolates also,one not so smart guy said.
I mention this as i have a relative who works at Gander Mtn in the archery shop who is about as close to a pro i can think of,i don't remember all his acclaims but he is good.
My point is hes not your average young dumb part timer,even tho that wasn't mentioned.
But i could see his advice and help could very well be worth the extra price GM costs.

Ill also state they do have good prices on some lower end guns,it seems to be the ones they most likely have a ton of and need to unload.
And just 3 weeks ago i picked up a used LNIB Walther PPS 9mm for $499,if the price wasn't good enough they do give a warranty and a free cleaning and inspection with the purchase of used guns.Yes a warranty on a used gun. yeah you heard me right a real,honest to goodness warranty on a used gun.
BTW i bought the PPS at a different store than the one my cousin works at and got no special deal or discount.

But 90% of their new guns is over priced,by about 25% also.
Used guns ive seen up to new gun prices on used guns also,as mentioned earlier.
Ammo is STUPIDLY high,but mainly on .45acp and SD ammo.
$15 for box of 50 9mm isn't bad.
$20 for .380 is a steal as they DO have it in stock.
You just got to be choosy and picky,but you can get deals there.

There are 2 GM's by me,both handle gun prices alot differantly.New ones are the same,but used guns the store i bought from has real honest prices.And a decent selection at that.

I normally buy 80% of my guns and ammo at a family owned type store who beats anyone on price,if they sold online they could compete and beat Buds imo.
But they are so busy they can barely handle their local stores,let alone expand too online.That would be Vances and Buckeye Outdoors for you Ohio folks.

I bought a box of .45 at Dicks once,it was my first and last purchase so far.They are a sporting goods store selling shoes more than guns imo.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

But come on. This poor employee can't do anything about it.

Prices always seem to be better somewhere else, but the bigmouthed complainers don't ever seem to have the physical prowess to go somewhere else to do their shopping. Why is that?

I would be willing to bet that had the employee lowered the price to match the competition's, the guy would have not purchased the shotgun. More often than not in my experience, big mouth = little action with shoppers.

 

[Robert]

I worked full time and then part time at a Dick's here, but only because I wanted to feed my family. I hated every single second I was in that building. My coworkers were great people but the company and management as a whole are a different story. I would think that by this day and age most folks with even a dial up connection would know that there are better places to shop than these modern "sporting" (Golf) stores...

 

[45Badger]

Gander Mountain used gun prices are all over the oard. I most frequently visit the store in York, Pa. Have found a few screaming deals, most OK. Harrisburg PA store tends to be high.

The folks who set used gun prices in Richmond store (near Greentop) must be smoking crack on a daily basis. Their prices are silly/stupid high, especially on used plastic handguns.

 

[Texsun]

BUT!....by working retail as a second job you get to find all the good deals, you get first crack at at ammo, etc. 40% off merchandise at my store. You just have to know how to handle the complainers, It's perfectly allright to allow yourself not to be crapped upon and quite fun too I might add. I love it when a customer thinks he can crap on me then I serve it back in his face!..The look is priceless.

 

[MagnumDweeb]

All depends on who you want to buy from and how much you are willing to pay. You buy from Gander you are supposed to have a certain gurantee that the product has not been tampered with and is brand new. There are gun shops that sell used (bought but never fired) as brand new, I've seen it happen. In my more naive days an old lady my parents new gave me a little top break .32 Long Colt that I took to a local gun store to have it disposed of. I asked them what I could get for it and they told me the receiver had bulged and was a danger to fire and that they would only sell it as a 'collectors' item. A month later I cam in and the gun was going for over $400. I asked about it, a different employee, and got a line of garbage about it being a superb shooter and would last thousands of rounds and such.

Admittedly I shop at neither. I've been blessed to meet an FFL holder who sells to folks at 10% above wholeseller, with 7% sales tax, and shipping costs if there is some and $10. My last NIB Glock 20 that was going for $699 at a local gun store I got for just south of $500 OTD. And I've got tons of ammo from him even during this 'panic' at great prices.

Moral of the story, find a local FFL guy, if he's got good prices, go to Gander to sufficiently handle the firearm to your liking and then buy from the FFL guy.

Talking to now passed granfather, when we would talk of gunshops he thought that the idea of a 'gun shop' was strange. Granted he grew up in a day when you could order guns in the mail or at your local gas station/hardware store/goods store. I kind of agree with him. I'm not an expert but I seem to know more than most employees that I've encountered in gun stores. Granted Central Florida has a limited gun culture and some folks just need a job so I don't hold too much against them, but if you are going to sell a product please know about a product.

If I end up with a business front for one of my small businesses that I may launch in January, I'll ask the ATF about getting an FFL to run in part out of the business fron separate from the actual business(I've been told you can partition business spaces now so long as the landlord agrees). And I'll do the same as my FFL guy does as he is getting on in years and has limits on how many people he'll do business with. I'm also an NRA pistol instructor so I'll find a way to tie it together. Folks will either order from the wholeseller catalogues and I'll get my little 10% or they'll shop at bigger stores for the selection, the ability to handle the firearms and pay the extra $100-$300 per gun on a good day(on some models it's a great deal more). That's just how it is.

If you like me are tired of the trumped up prices, than get in the game and sell cheaper than the other guys or find your local FFL guys that are selling cheaper and help send business their way(I send ten to twenty customers a month to my gu). If not than why are you whinning, you aren't part of the solution.

 

[KarenTOC]

Sales people often forget that they're the face of the store. Too many take a rant personally, as if the customer was blaming them, personally, for whatever problem they're experiencing. As the face of the store, the sales person has the responsibility to react in the store's best interest. That doesn't usually include being as obnoxious as the customer.

It's a lot easier on the blood pressure if you just remember that it's not personal. And yes, I've had retail experience, and plenty of experience with highly upset customers.

 

[AKElroy]

Managers don't listen to low-level employees!

I have 40+ employees, and I listen to them. I can either be invested in their future, or surprised when they bolt. I would rather help them get where they want to be; fewer surprises, better morale, more two-way respect.

 

[eye5600]

Ya gotta complain to the people you can talk to. You complain to the waitress when the chef overcooked your steak.

But you can be polite.

 

[THE DARK KNIGHT]

I have 40+ employees, and I listen to them. I can either be invested in their future, or surprised when they bolt. I would rather help them get where they want to be; fewer surprises, better morale, more two-way respect.

You are a rare breed at a good company. I am a supervisor and don't listen to a damn word my employees say. Why? Because my boss doesn't care what I say, and they certainly don't care what they say. In fact, at my company, if a supervisor were to voice an employees concern to a manager, the manager will usually not only ignore it but think of that supervisor as "unfit for their position"

Yes my company is run by some real jerks.

 

[Pyzon]

I agree, I have worked retail, and people really should think about who they are complaining at before they start.

Sales people often forget that they're the face of the store.

But at the same time I also wouldn't hassle a fellow wage slave and try to give him a hard time about it.

I think we could discuss this dilemma from a couple of different viewpoints.

Obviously some salespeople have more experience with difficult or unhappy customers than do others, and some retailers will turn salesmen loose with very few tools, let alone product knowledge.

When a customer complains to a sales clerk, hopefully the clerk has the ability to get the right person involved who can address the complaint, even to include the store manager. In the case of stores that restrict the clerk's ability to kick the customer up a level or two to a department head or store manager, well then, that store is telling the customer it really doesn't care what the customer has to say. If that is the case, smart folks find someplace else to spend their money.

Now on the other hand, if the clerk is simply filling a hole and pretending to be interested in customer service, and is clueless what to do or will not kick the customer up to the next level, other than informing that individual that their attitude or product knowledge is lacking, (and I believe they should be so informed) the only thing to do is find the manager and let them know. Browbeating a luke warm body is a waste of time and energy. But as before, if you get the same lack of interest from the manager, there are places you can shop that are interested in you and your dollars.

Agreed, the waitstaff did not cook your steak, but they know who did, and they need to get the complaint to the person that can address it, (or not address it) and if that person does not exist, eat someplace else. I don't penalize the waiter for somebody's elses mistake, unless they refuse to help resolve the problem. In that case, they are only doing half their job and are rewarded accordingly.

 

[mgkdrgn]

If you like me are tired of the trumped up prices, than get in the game and sell cheaper than the other guys or find your local FFL guys that are selling cheaper

Or go to gunbroker and buy it there. I -am- the local FFL guy and there are volume dealers selling retail on gunbroker for less than I can -buy for- wholesale. Isn't any way I can "out cheap" that.

 

[makarovnik]

I wouldn't be rude or "rant" all over an employee but... If the prices are ridiculously high, I'm going to politely say something.

I also want to give the store a chance to say something like "I can meet that price". It has worked for me on several occasions.

Do what you can to control price gouging and also help inform the uniformed.

 

[gym]

It's up to the consumer to do their homework before purchasing anything. The Walmarts of the world, don't always have the best price. Many folks think that if one thing is a bargain, that everything in the store is priced along the same lines. It's not, they use a loss leader to get you in, then price the other items higher than they are elseware. Walmart and Sams club type places are often times more expensive on many items than a corner store. Ammo in Walmart, other than certain brands and calibers is not that cheap.

 

[JohnBT]

"The folks who set used gun prices in Richmond store (near Greentop) must be smoking crack on a daily basis."

That's the truth, and Green Top tends to be high. But I shop there anyway because I like them and it's a habit I've had since 1972. They're friendly and they have gobs of inventory to look at.

Heck, I was in Macy's a week ago or so to see what was on sale and they didn't have the size Sperry Topsiders I needed. Green Top did, at the exact same price.

John

 

[MT GUNNY]

What I don't get is how one could actually think he or she could get away with blaming a different store! I mean, Come on use your Head, Thats the problem with people these days. Shame on the Employee to allow it, you don't get fired for being polite and right!

 

[Wildyams]

Working retail is the pits.

It is, but I believe everyone should experience it. Working it gives you a new respect for the people who do it. I think the same should go for the fast food industry, but I haven't ventured down that career path yet.


It also bugs me when I'm working the counter and a guy comes up and starts talking about different guns, while there is a huge line of customers behind him waiting to pay.

 

[sniper5]

Treat others the way you would like to be treated.