So . . . Are the People at Your Local Gunshop a Bunch of Jerks?

[MisterMike]

It doesn't happen all that often, but last night I was in the company of three other gun aficianados and the subject of our local gun shop came up. I've always thought the owners were total jerks, but there aren't a lot of other shops within a reasonable distance.

What surprised me is that the three other gents had arrived at exactly the same conclusion I had: they only buy what they absolutely have to at this shop. All of us prefer to purchase on the web, even if it means a bit of personal inconvenience.

Here's a little of what I've seen--from the moment you enter the store, you're "tailed" by an employee (and I speak as a known customer who's shopped, bought, and shot there on a number of occasions). If you ask to see a gun, the first question, before they make a move toward the case, is generally, "Are you going to buy it?" There's generally a snarly attitude when you ask a question about a product . . . sort of a "Jeez, what a dumb***" kind of response. I've seen the owner berate his salespeople in front of customers. Moreoever, their prices are higher than just about any other source I've seen. Generally, they're just a bunch of jerks.

How common is this in the gun business?

 

[rbernie]

It's not uncommon in ANY boutique shop that caters to a small market. It's not just about gun shops.

I am lucky - my local gunshops are uniformly pretty good and staffed by adequate-to-outstanding staff.

 

[damien]

I recall a gun shop where the salespeople seemed a little bit pushy ('The Gun Shop' in Plainfield, IL). I think it may have been because their sales were not all that great. They had huge competition right across the road (Megasports). Anyway, they are out of business now. :-(.

 

[N003k]

Ah, the shop I frequent aren't bad at all. They're more then happy to show anything ya ask about (Then again I'm a frequent customer and they probably know I'm going to buy something soon enough) and if they're not busy they're more then happy to stand around and just chat.

 

[Ubetchyah]

The guys we have here in Eugene Oregon Suck

You can talk to anyone in the area about the two main gun shops in town and the response is always the same, "I hate having to go in there"! They are rude. I know this seams silly but I was buying some powder and they talked me into another which was a buck cheaper after I had paid for the former and wouldn't give me my buck back. That is the crap we deal with in Eugene Oregon. As far as being followed and treated like a thief, here as well.

 

[twoclones]

I was going to answer "No" but then realized I have stopped going to any gunshop other than Sportsmans Warehouse. Must be a reason for that...

Even before the Obamanation the small gunshops and pawnshops I visited were asking higher than new price for handguns. With the exception of the range where I shoot. They've been good.

 

[XCastleX]

yeah there are a few shops around denver whos employess are jerks.

it seems to be increasing lately too. like they have a mentality that because you dont work at a shop, your an idiot when it comes to firearms.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

I feel Blessed then, most all the shops in my area are gracious. Even when buried in customers.

 

[okespe04]

The guys we have here in Eugene Oregon Suck

I strongly suggest that those who live in Eugene Oregon to make the drive to the Philomath gun shop. Best prices and great service hands down. I have bought guns from S&M and The Barons Den but I do not go there for the service.

 

[Duke of Doubt]

Lots of variation among the handful of shops around here. I enjoy going to each, but for very different reasons, and I handle myself very differently in each shop. The proprietors of each probably would be a little surprised at how differently I behave in the others.

Keep in mind that jerks don't tend to have a lot of friends, and if you become his only friend, you'll get some very nice deals. Its likely tougher when they're ALL jerks. The nice guys have lots of friends. They'll give you a bit of a discount, but lots of guys like to hang around them, and getting that special deal on a gun is a competitive proposition. It's funny when you can guess who bought the missing rifle and be right more often than not.

I try to give my business to members of a certain fraternal organization, as the integrity of its members exceeds that of the general population.

 

[nwilliams]

The staff at my local shop are more like friends than salesman. They treat me well, are knowledgeable and always friendly.

However I definitely have been to gun stores where I was treated very poorly and was unimpressed with the knowledge of the staff.

 

[winston smith]

They are all scared of me 'cause I'm well-dressed, 5'6" short, middle-aged, overweight white guy.

I think they just "like" people they already know they can take advantage of. A new guy might take advantage of them- ego, money, or by shooting them in the face...

After they get to know me, and are no longer imtimidated by someone "new", they show off their lack of knowledge, start telling me lies to make the sale, and in general, act like any other sales-staff.

 

[Rob P.]

You're going to get a bunch of replies that a lot of people in gun shops don't know squat about guns and/or are "jerks." For the most part this is true for a specific reason.

This is because unfortunately, most of the people who are involved in the gun industry, from mfg's to shop owners to shooters ARE jerks.

We gun buffs, as a whole tend, to be slightly out of kilter with the rest of the world. Guns also seem to attract people who like to show how "tough" they are. We have mall ninjas, air soft commandos, and tactikool wannabes.

Now don't get me wrong, the gun world also has some serious and stable personalities in it as well. However, these people tend to get a lot less press than the jerks.

 

[thirdeagle]

I frequent a local shop that routinely prices used long guns higher than the same firearm NIB at any other store in town. I don't do much business here. The staff will try to sell you "ocean front property in Arizona" if they think your gullible enough. I don't do much business here - mostly looking.

Once I find something I want I go see a fellow who runs a small shop out behind his home. He's always got time to sit down with me and show me the catalog. The conversation usually goes like this:

"This is what I pay" - he shows me the product and price
"This is what I would charge you" - he pulls out the calculator
Then he says "let me know if you want me to order it for you."

At that point we're done; no pressure, no lingering stare while I decide. When I do place orders with him he almost always beats his own price and routinely gives me a break on ammo and accessories. This fellow will be the first to tell you that he is not a gunsmith and that significant issues with firearms should be addressed by the manufacturer.

PM me if you're in the Athens area. I'll gladly share the good and bad with you.

 

[slzy]

yes,i wont mention where,but the staff is a bunch of lard assed wanna-be type,mall ninjas,the kind of fat guys whose testicles did'nt descend.

little knowledge of anything,much less fire arms.

 

[Landor]

I do not think I want to say everybody that works at a gun shop is a jerk I am sure every gun shop has on or two.

Some of these guys are just plain jerks. They think they know everything and some do know a lot. But when you go into a gun shop and get treated like you are a mindless idiot or they give you a tude for wanting to hold a gun then no thanks. I now buy online for just that reason. I do not want to deal with the know it all.

 

[hometheaterman]

Yep the one locally here they are jerks. Well there is one really nice guy who used to work there. Not sure if he still does. One okay guy but the owner is a jerk. If you have any sort of problem you minus well figure on having to fix it yourself. Their prices are high too. I figured at one point I'd pay more as if I had a problem I'd have service but after having 2 cases of where I needed service and horrible service I realized I'm not paying extra for anything special. In fact, Wal-Mart would have been better had I had a problem as at least they don't cuss at you.

That gun shop is horrible and I don't understand how they still have any customers left.


I know of a few of that aren't exactly local but not too far away that I like and are pretty good. One of which was my favorite but recently they have been having prices that are way way to high. They are nice and still a good shop and I buy from them some but some of their prices are soo much higher now it's no way I'm paying that. They used to have some stuff cheaper than Wal-Mart and some stuff a couple bucks more. Not anymore. They still are good guys though.

The reason of the local gun shop being jerks and expensive is why I prefer to buy from Wal-Mart especially ammo. I usually save $5 or $10 if not more for 100 rounds or so of ammo and .22 is even a lot cheaper. There was a guy in another thread saying we should pay the extra to support our local gun shops but I'm not paying extra as that add's up and I'm not going to support someone who acts like a dick. If their shop went out of business it wouldn't bother me. That's why I buy stuff wherever is cheapest now and don't worry about the rest of it as it seems like if I need service or to know which product is best I need to do it myself or research it myself anyway. I still know of one gun shop an hour or so away with really good prices. Not Wal-Mart good but not far from it and they have stuff Wal-Mart doesn't have. It's just that they don't have a ton of stuff that they stock and it's an hour away.

 

[Rockwell1]

I just came from my local gun shop. Wall to wall customers (4+ to 1 ratio) 2 lines 5 or 6 deep at the registers and the staff were running around like their heels were on fire and their ass was catching trying to get everyone taken care of.

I think I'd be a little snippy too

Although, these people seemed to be pretty polite.

 

[leadcounsel]

I think that they may get annoyed by the guys that constantly come in, fondle the guns, and then buy elsewhere.

Every time I go into my gunstore I buy SOMETHING - a magazine, a box of ammo, or something to keep him in business and recognize me as a paying customer. They went from being sorta short and impatient with me to nicer...

My second to last trip there I learned that we were once both in the same unit.

My last trip I brought him a $10 unit coin. He waived about $75 in FFL transfer fees for me!

I think you just need to spend some money there - it's not a library. Make yourself known as a paying customer and you'll get some appreciation.

 

[hometheaterman]

The ones around here are busy too but the being dicks was way before this crisis. They have always been that way customers or not.

 

[Duke of Doubt]

Rob P.: "We gun buffs, as a whole tend, to be slightly out of kilter with the rest of the world. Guns also seem to attract people who like to show how "tough" they are. We have mall ninjas, air soft commandos, and tactikool wannabes."

Yes, guns are one of those things that insecure men like to pretend they know all about. Ten years ago it was tech stocks. Twenty years ago it was stereos. Forty years ago it was cars. Sixty years ago it was boats. Eighty years ago it was radios. A hundred years ago it was hunting. A hundred and twenty years ago it was banking and commerce. A hundred and forty years ago it was blacks. A hundred and sixty years ago it was morality. A hundred eighty years ago it was booze. Two hundred years ago it was indians. A thousand years ago it was the Vikings and the Mongols. Two thousand years ago it was Jesus. Ten thousand years ago it was bronze. Twenty thousand years ago it was mammoths.

When the subject of guns comes up, every man has to pipe up and establish his bona fides, however weak they may be.

 

[Duke of Doubt]

You know, you just KNOW that back twenty thousand years ago, around the campfire at the mouth of the cave, Oog was getting all tacticool with his fancy flint-tipped spear and Ookla called BS.

 

[QuietEarp]

There are two excellent gun shops where I am at and one that is staffed by "jerks." They do not carry guns that they do not "like." That is OK, it is their shop after all, but if you go in there looking for an accessory or even mention a gun that they don't like or carry they treat you like you are the biggest moron in the world. They say, "that gun is crap, what a POS." You leave there feeling abused. One time I asked if they had any Mini 14s and I got told "You must be from California, they are 'prison guard' guns and totally inaccurate crap. We have one, do you want to buy it?" OK, this is Nevada and snide little California comments in a gun store are meant to offend. Telling someone how crappy a rifle is is not a good way to sell that rifle. I had researched the Mini 14 and was aware of it's accuracy issues. They had no idea about the retooling done on the 580 series or why I wanted the rifle, yet they are preaching about how crappy a choice I made.
At one of the good gun stores I heard a phone call come in and heard the guy in the store's half of the conversation, it went like this. . ."Have you been having any issues with the gun. . .No it is a fine gun. . . Let me guess who told you that , was it ______?" Everyone in the store got a chuckle because we had had similar experiences there where a gun that we had found to be perfectly fine was in fact "crap." It is the store's right to carry what it wants and handle the customers how it wants, but being jerks will drive customers away. I won't step foot in that store ever again unless it is to ask them if they are Californian.

 

[Carl]

Yesterday I went to a gun shop just north of Lansing (Classic Arms, good place) and the older gent behind the counter took out any pistol I wanted to see and let me hold it as long as I wanted. I ended up chatting with him for a good hour and a half.

 

[Zebraranger]

Hey, after reading all the replies, its 3 to 1 bad shops over good. I just came up with a winning concept for a successful business. Good customer service where the attitude is the customer is #1, and pricing is competitive. This is why 50% of all privately owned gun shops eventually go under. The've never heard of this concept. Those that are the only game in town can get away with it for a long while, but where competition is strong like in the Tampa Bay area with many shops, you'll go under quick if you dont understand the customer service concept. Some customers are even willing to pay a little more if treated with respect and given good customer service, imagine that. I've seen it happen many times. This is the only way I do business with my customers and I've had steady growth ever since I've started my business. Customers pay my salary.