Starting part-time job at gun shop & range for the first time…

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dekibg

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Do you have any words of advice for me?
I have a good full time job, but this is opportunity for me to make some extra money on days off.
like everything that is retail-related, the pay is not going to be that great , but I though that this would be environment that I will enjoy - I have been firearms enthusiast for many years.
in my own full-time profession I deal with easy customers and difficult customers on daily basis.
I think I know how to interact well with people , but again I never worked in a gun shop. Would be something specific that I could expect if anyone could point it out, please ?
The store/ range is not that big and not a huge selection of guns for sale, but seems modern and well equipped
 
dekibg said:
Do you have any words of advice for me?
Click to expand...

Good thing it's an additional part-time job. I worked at one as my sole income once-the checks I brought home were small-we had house charge accounts, and there was always something I wanted...... like a S&W 586! ;)

Think of it as a way to pay for your addiction, er, hobby. :)

Find out who knows the answers you don't, and be able to glibly steer some towards them when you're in over your head.
 
I'm retired now, but every job I had was customer/public related. I assume since you were hired, you showed some knowledge of the shooting sports, and the owner/manager felt you would fit in well. As said before, know the items and be honest, don't be afraid to honestly tell a customer you don't know, but will get the answer for them. That can be from an associate or the manual for the item, or on line if there is a computer in the selling area. Use any "downtime" to become better familiar with the merchandise& procedures. Good luck, I'm sure you'll do fine.
 
Great advices so far. “ know your product” is definitely a good one that sticks out.
When you guys said “ be honest” , I immediately started to think “ how you cannot be when selling or renting guns?”
So can you be please more specific on examples what would be considered not to be honest in this job ? Like steering someone towards a gun that does not necessarily fit their needs, perhaps?
regarding a pricing, it is not a used car dealership so I guess there is not much to be concerned there …
 
dekibg said:
Great advices so far. “ know your product” is definitely a good one that sticks out.
When you guys said “ be honest” , I immediately started to think “ how you cannot be when selling or renting guns?”
So can you be please more specific on examples what would be considered not to be honest in this job ? Like steering someone towards a gun that does not necessarily fit their needs, perhaps?
regarding a pricing, it is not a used car dealership so I guess there is not much to be concerned there …
Click to expand...

It's easy to not be honest. It happens all the time when the seller doesn't know an answer. It's common for the salesperson to just start making stuff up. I've seen it in many, many gun shops.
I've found used gun sellers to be about on par with used car dealers. Lowball the heck out of people looking sell or trade them a gun and set a premium price on everything going up for a retail sale.
 
Like what has been said, be honest, learn everything you can about the products you sell, and about similar products that you don't sell. Watch the reviews on YouTube, and then check the info from those against the manufacturer website or literature. Be kind and courteous, which can be difficult when dealing with customers that don't know what they want, or even the questions to ask. Provide correct information without being pedantic. If a customer asks, "how many bullets fit in the clip?" and you answer "This is a revolver, you uncultured swine" ....may make the wrong impression:D Ok, ok, just kidding, but, we can get a bit overzealous on nomenclature. Its fine to answer "The magazine holds 17 rounds (or cartridges)" but no need to berate anyone, especially new (or soon to be new) gun owners with semantics, unless there is a safety issue.
 
bersaguy said:
Like what has been said, be honest, learn everything you can about the products you sell, and about similar products that you don't sell. Watch the reviews on YouTube, and then check the info from those against the manufacturer website or literature. Be kind and courteous, which can be difficult when dealing with customers that don't know what they want, or even the questions to ask. Provide correct information without being pedantic. If a customer asks, "how many bullets fit in the clip?" and you answer "This is a revolver, you uncultured swine" ....may make the wrong impression:D Ok, ok, just kidding, but, we can get a bit overzealous on nomenclature. Its fine to answer "The magazine holds 17 rounds (or cartridges)" but no need to berate anyone, especially new (or soon to be new) gun owners with semantics, unless there is a safety issue.
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When someone is brand new to firearms, there`s no such thing as a stupid question IMO.
 
I asked to see a gun once, the guy asked "are you going to buy it?" To which I answered honestly, "no". He didn't let me see it.

He isn't working there anymore so I do go there as it's one of only 2 stores in town. It's an okay store, though I don't care for the owner.

The other store, one of the workers goes back to his phone while you're still talking, as soon as he sees you're not on the hook to buy something. I go there about twice a year.

Partly the reason I hate that store is I can't dry fire a gun I'm interested in. I was going to buy a 10/22 there. I told them straight out I was going to buy one. I asked to dry fire as wanted to check the trigger and get an idea what I was getting into. He refuse to let me. I did buy it and the trigger sucked. I can see not dry firing a colt diamond back or something, but a 10/22?

The first store I mentioned let's you dry fire anything that it won't hurt. They know which guns it will and which it won't hurt. They encourage new gun owners to try the triggers of different guns before buying.

I generally don't dryfire unless I am interested to purchase it or am considering that model.

I've been to several gun stores that the clerk didn't clear the gun before handing it to me. I thought it odd.
 
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I'm sure you won't be, but don't be "that guy".

I've been in many gun stores where the counter person has a condescending attitude, thinks he knows everything, or at least tries to come across like he does. Talks down to customers and will not be convinced he may be wrong.

The sad part is they're often very wrong.

Good luck with the new job!
 
^
Be humble.

Don't ever act as though you believe you know more about firearms than the customer because you work in a gun store. If you are in fact an expert in some particular aspect of guns, people will be able to discern this, but if you don't know what you don't know, the customers will also realize this. Gun shop employees who strive to come across as the expert in all things guns are one of the biggest impediments to turning new gun buyers and novice shooters into avid supporters of the gun culture and the RKBA.

And for gosh sakes, if you don't know already, learn how to handle and operate a single-action Peacemaker or clone. I was in a shop recently where a counter guy couldn't figure out how to show the revolver clear...

Acknowledge the customer as soon as he/she gets into the store. Always. Make eye contact. Be okay with a customer simply going down the counter eyeballing the guns on display.
 
reddog81 said:
It's easy to not be honest. It happens all the time when the seller doesn't know an answer. It's common for the salesperson to just start making stuff up. I've seen it in many, many gun shops.
I've found used gun sellers to be about on par with used car dealers. Lowball the heck out of people looking sell or trade them a gun and set a premium price on everything going up for a retail sale.
Click to expand...

I'll give an example of great customer service by being honest-the short version if it.
I had a guy come in to the gun shop I was working dead set on buying a Weatherby 7mm Weatherby mag. I had one of those in the back that had been sitting there for ever, but the first thing is said was "Why do you want a 7mm Wby. Mag.? Planning a hunt out West? (we were in MN.) He answered not going out west and that his hunting buddy had one and got his deer every year. (The buddy did go out west every year, he told me later) I then asked where they hunted, and the answer was North Central Minnesota around Brainerd. Having hunted near there myself, I asked what the longest shot he'd take (knowing the answer) and he said 100 yards, maybe, down a power line swath.
This guy had scrimped and saved $1100 cash to buy the gun and a scope. That Weatherby was $950, not leaving $ for much of a scope.
I asked him what he had been hunting with, and it was a borrowed Winchester 94.
To cut this short, I set him up with a Winchester 94AE, a Leupold 2-7 scope, mount & rings, a nice Boyt case, And two boxes of Federal ammo. One regular 150 gr. Hi-Shok, one Premium 150 Rn. Nosler Partitons. I threw in the mounting and boresighting, steered him toward a good range, with $400 still in his pocket. I told him to take his wife out for dinner with some of that.
My boss was pissed at me for not selling the Weatherby. It had been there since highly polished stocks with rosewood caps were in. I told him "You and I both know he'd have fired the first round and flinched so bad, he'd probably quit hunting."
Turns out I made that place a customer for life. He came back after opener with a picture of a nice buck with a well placed heart/lung shot. He thanked me repeatedly for steering him away from the Weatherby.
 
I worked part time at the LGS for a couple years

Check every firearm to make sure it’s unloaded. Even if ten people have checked it before you. We received two different guns factory new that were loaded

Be helpful without being pushy. In the end it’s the customer’s money.

Don’t get chatty with some favorite customers while neglecting others. You’ll soon learn that there are lonely people that see you as a captive audience

Get your 4473’s double checked by someone else

Don’t let someone open the barrel(s) of a break open gun without supporting the fore end. Twice We had the glass top of display cases shattered when someone opened a double barrel shotgun and let the barrels drop onto the glass. Not pretty

While you are there to help customers, in the end you are employed by and work for the store. Your first responsibility is to them

While handling guns seems like a dream job, after a while they are just merchandise. Kinda like money to a bank teller is just dirty paper

If you believe there is no such thing as a stupid question or stupid opinion, you will soon find out otherwise
 
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When faced with agression , reply not with compliance but with righteous indignation.

In other words, if a customer is being an ass and wants you to fix it, like say negotiating a price, don't give in.

However, is a dude is being genuinely nice, is easy going and all, give him something in return. Doesn't have to be anything like a discount, but something to make you memorable. My coin dealer Mike will give people he likes candy, and those people always come back and spend more dosh.
 
Wow, you guys are a wealth of life experience and good advice. Thank you everyone!
P.s. regarding customer not always being right, even in my full time job that is already in the effect especially for abusive customers, but since I work for huge corporation, how you deliver that to the customers if needed, that is a little bit tricky due to company’s public image
 
Starting part-time job at gun shop & range for the first time…

Advice? Yeah, I can give you a little advice. After I retired a good friend who owns a nice size brick and mortar gun shop asked me if I wanted to work a few days a week helping to train a new kid. Why not? I know the shop and I know the rules and protocols. Customer wants to see a revolver. OK, get revolver out and open the cylinder and check it. Semi-auto drop the magazine and lock the slide back If they need help with form, fit or function you explain it to them and manually walk them through it. You learn and work to the shops safety practices and protocols.

Working the range can be a little more different and stressful. All ranges with live fire have more rules and protocols and it'syour job to know everything. It's your job to make sure all rules and safety practices are being abided by. When that range goes hot you are the main man in charge.

Ron
 
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