Sportsman's Warehouse "Experience"

[bigmtnman]

I had my first and last Sportsman's Warehouse "Experience" last Saturday in Loveland, CO. I wanted a Beretta Storm carbine and my usual gun shop was sold out and didn't know when they could expect more. Calling around, I found one left at Sportsman's. It was priced at $549 which I thought was a very good price. I gave them my name and told them to hold it for me. I got there about 45 minutes later and the gun counter was packed. I didn't have to wait too long to check out the carbine and start my 4473 form. By then I'd had it with ducking all the yahoos waving handguns, rifles, and shotguns in every different direction and waited on the other side of the gunsafe display. Safest area of the store as far as I was concerned. My NCIS check cleared quickly and I got out as quickly as possible.
They had several signs posted at the gun counter which said "Keep muzzles pointed in this direction", indicating behind the counter, but neither the clerks nor the customers paid any attention to safe gun handling. One clerk told a customer that "they didn't have any Walther P99's, only SW99's, since Smith and Wesson bought out Walther". Another clerk, showing a customer how to field strip some pistol, was chasing springs and a guide rod across the floor.
From now on I'll pay a little more and stick with my normal dealer and their clientele.
Sportsman's Warehouse - never again!!!

 

[JamisJockey]

The one near me in Utah (its in Midvale) is pretty good. I've never had them tell me anything stupid, never overheard anything either. I've gotten a few "I don't know's", which is better then "I don't know, but I'll make something up to sound good".
And the best prices locally on ammo, for sure. My biggest complaint was they wouldn't let me try on a gun I was looking at for carry (taurus). I wanted to holster it, IWB. I'm sure they are concerned with theft, so why not just take my DL from me for a minute or something
Muzzle direction is a problem in almost every gunshop I've been in. Once, I was checking out an AK in a gunshop, and had it shouldered, pointed at the far wall.....some yahoo walked right in front of the muzzle, within inches....:banghead:

 

[Double Maduro]

They let me try on a Bianchi Black Widow belt slide and lent me a Ruger P90 to try in it to see how it felt. So far so good.

When I got to the checkout and gave them my plastic they wanted to see my DL. No problem, until they told me I had to take it out and hand it to them. Told them to keep the stuff and left.

Their prices are pretty much in line with the locals so I will spend my money with the locals and keep it in the area.

DM

 

[Andrew Rothman]

they wanted to see my DL. No problem, until they told me I had to take it out and hand it to them. Told them to keep the stuff and left.

That's odd. What bothered you about handing them the DL?

 

[JohnBT]

...it's really a matter of them not wanting to handle your billfold. John

"YOU TOOK MY MONEY."

"No sir, I didn't."

"YOU TOOK MY CREDIT CARD."

etc., etc., etc....

 

[VictorLouis]

it's really a matter of them not wanting to handle your billfold. John

Exactly, same as a cop will do when pulling you over.

I was hesitant after reading this other thread sometime before the Phoenix location opened.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11820&highlight=warehouse

However, I have no problem with them at all, and I've made a couple of purchases there. It's the only large store where the clerk has EVER recalled my name! Clerks are fast to ask if you need assistance, and hesitant to talk about what they don't know. How refreshing is THAT!?

Two more are slated for metro Phoenix, BTW. Priest and Elliott down in Tempe in April, and E. Mesa/A.J. later in the year.

 

[Double Maduro]

To all,

Number was clearly visible through window, they didn't have to handle my billfold and I wasn't going to hand it to them either. No one else including my bank asks me to remove it with the exception of le. She said it was store policy to handle the dl. To what end I don't know.

Don't know why they needed additional ID with the credit card anyway. The sale was a little over $40 and they already had approval. This is the only place that has asked me for ID with a credit card, ever.

There are a lot of things that are considered store policy or used to be that have been deemed intrusive/illegal. One example is asking for your phone number when using a credit card. They aren't supposed to do it anymore.

Besides, if your dl was as hard to get out of your wallet as mine is you would have walked too.

DM

 

[BHPshooter]

I go to the same one that ATC was talking about in Utah.

For the most part they are alright, but one time I was there looking at ammo for my Hi Power. I asked one of the counter guys as he walked past, "Is there any ammo you recommend in 9mm?" He pointed me to the Hydrashoks and said, "This is THE round for 9mm. There was a pathologist that did a report on them, and he said, 'I've never pulled a HydraShok from a live man'."

I just said 'thanks' and continued my browsing, even though I REALLY wanted to ask him what the hell a pathologist would be doing with a live man anyway. That, and I wanted to belly laugh, really hard.

Ah well. I guess the moral is that there's one in every store.

Wes

 

[WYO]

I was in the same store as bigmtnman, but on Sunday instead of Saturday. I didn't notice any unsafe gun handling, but it wasn't that crowded during the Green Bay game. The staffer behind the gun counter with whom I dealt was very knowledgeable. I like the place because it stocks unusual specialty items that I otherwise would have to mail order, like the Federal Premium .35 Whelen ammo (with 225 gr. TBBC) I purchased.

I have seen gun safety issues in a lot of stores. The worst was a high volume local store in another state.

Oh, and when I showed the cashier my DL, I held it out in front of the cashier, and she didn't feel the need to actually touch it.

Moral of the story: stores and employees vary.

 

[Mylhouse]

Some of you guys are a little too sensitive!

I've seen bad gunhandling in EVERY shop I've been in. Big deal! The masses are asses, and the salespeople can't control everyone they hand a gun to! If they reprimanded everyone that didn't display perfect muzzle control, then they probably wouldn't be able to sell any guns because it would offend the ginger sensibilities of shoppers like some of you!

Get over it and quit your whining! There's worse things to be upset about!
JMHO!

 

[Camel]

Double Maduro...

It sounds to me like they have a policy of being extra-super careful with credit cards and ID. The only store Ive ever seen do this is a jewelry store. I think its just to make 110% sure that they arent getting ripped off by a stolen card or fake ID.

(- The fake ID part is probably the big deal since its guns/gun related stuff -)

Just my $.2

 

[Lupine]

I love them.

I've seen unsafe handling everywhere. Overall, I've been impressed with SW. Especially how they treat us ladies.

When I was shopping for my first carry handgun, I hit a LOT of shops in my area. And as a woman, I got a lot of BS, as follows:

Me: "I'd like to see the Kahr P9, please."
Salesperson: "Christmas present for the husband?"

Me: "I'd like to see the Kahr P9, please."
Salesperson: "For you?"
Me: "Yes."
Salesperson: "Wouldn't you like to see a revolver first? Women have a tough time operating this part" (he gestured toward the slide).
Another customer, next to me: "Um, she's three inches taller than you, Joe, and could probably kick your ???. I'd watch what you say"

Or, when at a gun shop with my boyfriend (who doesn't shoot) the salesman completely ignored me and asked my beau, who was standing three feet behind me gazing off into space, "May I help you?"

Or I'd just get salesmen who would assume all my research meant nothing as they tried to sell me something I knew I didn't want.

I got none of this from any of the four or five guys at the Sportsmen's Warehouse counter in my town. I've found the majority of them to be helpful and safety-oriented, better than most chain stores.

Oh yeah. Need I mention my first gun show, where two different people asked me if I was looking for the Beanie Babies? (I'd been traversing between two tables comparing different handgun models.) I answered, "No thank you, I have plenty of practice targets already."

 

[Moparmike]

I too have had people walk right infront of me as I was handling an AK. It was both funny and very disturbing when the clerk did it as I pulled the trigger (after having cleared the weapon of course).

 

[Mylhouse]

Lupine....

You're my kind of woman!!!

 

[Kharn]

Double Maduro:
Fake IDs sometimes do not have the correct front or back plastic, thus will feel noticably different from a real one. I knew people in highschool that could make an great fake ID, and it would work as long as the examiner never removed it from behind the plastic covering the ID, because it was just a piece of paper.

There's also the previously mentioned 'You stole my money' issue.

Kharn

 

[Coltdriver]

There are two Sportsman's Warehouses in the Denver area. One is in Thornton (North Denver) and the other in Aurora (East Denver).

I got the most outrageous deal from them you could ask for on my first Leupold (a 1x4 - 20 compact). Just did that deal in the past two weeks.

Mike is the Manager behind the counter at Aurora. I could not recommend him higher. Totally polite, professional and knowledgable.

The fellows behind the gun counter in Thornton are not as good.

But both stores have a lot of stuff at mostly ok prices all in one place.

Regarding customer and clerk handling of weapons I always watch out for my self but expect very little so I am rarely dissappointed

If you want a Leupold VX II or III deal call Mike at the Aurora Store.

 

[Wedge]

bigmtnman, I have seen my share of poor gunhandling at large gun superstores. The worst was the guy behind the counter that was showing me a SP-101 but he never opened the cylinder to show me that it was unloaded and then proceded to sweep the barrel right across my mid-section. He finger was outside the trigger guard, but I still almost had a heart attack and was pretty upset. I went back to the store but I never let that guy wait on me again.

Lupine, when my grandmother wanted to get a handgun for protection/carry she had to face a lot of sexism and ended up refusing to shop at some of the 'best' shops in the area. Finally she found a place that was genuinely interested in helping her out and fitting her with some proper leather.

 

[AVESguy]

>"This is THE round for 9mm. There was a pathologist that did a report on them, and he said, 'I've never pulled a HydraShok from a live man'>

Pathologists do autopsies on dead people. They don't do surgery on live patients!! They wouldn't be allowed to touch a "live man". They do examine masses and other tissues taken from live patients but......that statement is nonsensical.

 

[Trebor]

I used to work retail, although not at a gun store. We were trained to NEVER handle a customer's wallet or purse. We always asked for a driver's license with every check and were trained to ask the customer to take it out of the wallet and hand it to us. There were two reasons for this: The first was so that we could check the back of the DL for a change of address label as we had to make sure the address on the check and the address on the DL matched. The second was that, at that time, it was common practice to write the DL # on the check. Sometimes you could read them through the wallet, sometimes you couldn't, and we didn't want our customers to start handing us their wallets when we had problems reading the DL #. (I'm not in retail now, but I believe the practice of writing DL#'s on checks is dying out due to identity theft concerns. I don't believe it was specifically allowed by the merchant/credit card company agreement either)

If you read your credit card agreement, you'll probably see a section that says something to the effect that the card is ONLY valid when properly signed and when accompied by appropriate ID. We are so used to places not checking ID when using credit cards that I will admit that it can come as a surprise when someone does ask to see ID, but they are within their rights as far as the merchant/credit card agreement goes.

We were also trained that when we accepted cash, to put it ON the register while we counted out the change and not to put it in the cash drawer until the customer accepted the change so that we both would agree that it was the correct amount. That saved me more than once and I wish more retailers practiced that technique.

Double Madura, just thought I'd give you a possible explanation for the shop's behavior. Take it for what it's worth.

 

[HogRider]

There was a big grand opening of a Sportsman's Warehouse here in Phoenix a few month ago. Went there and checked all the prices specially the Reloading supplies. Their powders were all 15.50 per pound and they had all kinds of bullets and I thought, what a great place.... Even asked the dept. manager if that was just an "grand opening" special but he assured me that those are their regular powder prices.

Needless to say my experience with Sportsman's Warehouse has dramatically changed during my 3 or 4 follow up visits.

The powder I use unfortunately cost 18.50 now , the bullets I wanted to buy were always "just out of stock" (for month now), their bulk ammo isn't any cheaper than anywhere else and the gun counter people have the knowledge of pre school kids when it comes to guns.

IMHO the place sucks and I will not waste anymore time to go there. Fortunately we have many small gun stores (Privately owned and not big corporation) and that's where I will spend my money in the future.

 

[Bill Hook]

I only get ticked off when I go to gas stations with "pay first" policies that they don't post. I will drive 5 more miles down the road when they don't turn the pumps on for me, rather than buy gas there.

I guess everyone has a peeve about how they're treated in retail, but my gunshop pet peeve is to be ignored while the clerk/owner talks to his fishing buddy without even acknowledging my presence except to stare at me briefly and make sure I'm not stealing anything.

 

[BHPshooter]

Pathologists do autopsies on dead people. They don't do surgery on live patients!! They wouldn't be allowed to touch a "live man". They do examine masses and other tissues taken from live patients but......that statement is nonsensical.

Yep, that's why I wanted to laugh so hard. I still get a big grin on my face every time I see that guy, or a box of HydraShoks.

Yeah, I know, I'm rotten.

Wes

 

[BrokenPaw]

Pathologists do autopsies on dead people. They don't do surgery on live patients!! They wouldn't be allowed to touch a "live man". They do examine masses and other tissues taken from live patients but......that statement is nonsensical.

No it's not...it's perfectly valid and probably quite true. I myself have never taken a HydraShok bullet out of a live man.

I'm a software engineer; I've never taken a bullet out of anyone.

Or put one in anyone, either, for that matter.

-BP

 

[Watch-Six]

I go to the Sportsman's Warehouse both in Midvale and Provo, Utah. They seem like pretty good people to me. Some of the guys at the gun counter are refugees from other gun stores. I hate to see it, but the options are constantly getting slimmer as far as places to shop. Watch-Six

 

[ScottsGT]

Quote:
Pathologists do autopsies on dead people. They don't do surgery on live patients!! They wouldn't be allowed to touch a "live man". They do examine masses and other tissues taken from live patients but......that statement is nonsensical.

This kind of reminds me of the State Troopers around here always using the line; " I've never unbuckled a dead driver."

NO $h!# Shirlock! That's the Coroners job!