The Customer Is Always Right?

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Jeez guys, not all the idiocy is on the street side of the counter.

Months ago I went in to a regional chain to check out a M&P 45. I was waited on by a GOB who learned everything he needed to know about poly pistols from a Bruce Willis movie. According to this gun pro, what I needed was a real gun, a Smidt un Weston wheeler; in blued steel, not one those sissy chrome ones (stainless steel.) I listened politely to a flood of incoherent opinions, and left quickly.

I bought the M&P from that store -- damn few choices left here in Kali -- but not from that salesman.

When I deal with a customer (government or corporate), I consider myself a educator. Sometimes... it's just a little more challenging...
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Needless to say, My boss told me to drill and tap the gun for an old pair of sights we had laying around... And then he told me to remove the firing pin and tell the guy we have to shut down the range for maintenance (it was empty other than him)...
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Wow. Thank you sir. Smart move on your boss' part.
 
This is not exactly a customer story but kind of fits in.

A friend of my older son was planning on going deer hunting with some family members. He had a really lazy dad who wouldn't take the kid to the range or take him hunting. My son invited the kid along on one of our many range trips, the kid asked if he could bring the gun he planned on using to sight in and could I help him with it? Of course.

Turned out it was a .30-06 Remington semi-auto that the kid's dad had won in a drawing, shot a few times, left in the closet. I helped the kid get it sighted in properly at 100 yards, then showed him how to clean it, etc. I was amazed to find a lot of rust on the bolt, also in the reciever, so I did my best to help the kid clean it up.

When I dropped the kid off at his house, the dad came out to see us. I told him that it was sighted in for his son but that there was a lot of rust on the bolt that we had to clean up the best we could. He looked at me like I was some kind of idiot and said: "It is a semi-auto, not a bolt action!". I tried to explain it to him (my two sons ages 15 and 13 behind the guy laughing their butts off) but the conversation just continued to deteriorate so I gave up and went home.
 
Bullets That Tumble

Sportsman's Warehouse, Reno, at the gun counter.

Young guy, maybe 19 to 25. My guess was 21.

Asked about "those rifles that shoot bullets that tumble when they hit."

It was clear he was just parroting what he'd heard.

I said, "well you're probably talking about the AR and bullets that lose stabilization." He stammered a bit, and I added, "you'll hear that a lot, you might as well understand it." He was visibly relieved.

I took the next ten minutes, and explained the internal/external/terminal ballistics thing of the AR in layman's terms (heck, I don't even know how to express it otherwise). I took care not to embarrass him.

Turned out he was interested in getting into shooting. I told him, "ask these guys all the questions you need to; it will cost you less in the end."

When he left, the guy behind the counter said, "thanks, you just saved me twenty minutes, and you did better than I would." It was my turn to be relieved. The counter guys don't always take kindly to your "educating" their customers.
 
The best 'goofy customer' story I ever heard was from a gentleman who ran a gunshop in San Diego. He told of a man who came in looking for a 'rabbit gun'. He wanted a .220 Swift rifle. In the following exchange, the potential customer told the owner one didn't shoot to hit the rabbit, but to pass the bullet between the rabbit's ears. The shock wave kills the rabbit, as the ears are the most sensitive area of the rabbit. Un huh.

And just talking about guns one time, I mentioned I owned a Model 29 Smith & Wesson. This other fellow - who I was beginning to suspect of inflated claims - said he had the identical gun, but it only cost him $25.00. (This in the days the $350 I paid was a real steal.)

After a little talking, it turns out the 'identical gun' was made in Europe by a company with a bad reputation and was chambered for .22 long rifle. I still don't understand how in his mind it was 'identical'. But he was very adamant about it.

Some days, life just isn't convenient.
 
Reading all these might provide insight as to why some of the gun dealers in my area are complete [insert bad word of choice]. They lump everyone into this "idiot" category no matter who you are. They think their answer is the only right one and that you don't know what you're talking about. So everyone should remember that you don't have to talk down to people, or else you'll lose customers.

I visited a local gun shop a few times, took my Handgun Safety Cert there, bought some accessories, but the guys working there were not helpful and talked to me like I didn't know what I was doing when taking my test and asking a few legal questions. They gave me wrong advice to boot and wouldn't listen to what I was trying to explain.

I now drive 35 miles out of my way, bypassing them, to purchase from a gun shop that has great communication, are friendly, and treat customers (at least me) with respect and listen.
 
Everyone should have to work in retail for a period of time.

I'm an avid backpacker and worked in an outdoors store for a while. I met a load of idiots an now understand why there are so many Wilderness First Responder classes offered.
We got a lot of transplants from Jersey. "yeh. I wanna get outfitted so I can go hike da trail..." who know everything from the pages of magazines.

I'm an avid motorcyclist and worked in a dealership for a while selling bikes. Between teenage boys who were buying their first motorcycles (sportbikes) but had never been on one, and the middle aged guys who were trying to recapture their youth, it was hard to not laugh at some.
One young black guy bought a Hayabusa as his first bike. In the local black community it's THE bike to have because it's so fast. He got on it and started revving the motor incessantly *zing zing zing zing zing* like he'd seen his buddies do. But, he didn't know where the brakes were, so it started drifting down the parking lot and he slowly ran right into a parked car.
Same thing happened to a big roid freak white guy who test rode a sportbike in the lot. Except he accelerated and panicked when it got too fast and ran - no, face planted- right into a column in front of the dealership. He was too cool for a full face helmet or basic instructions, so he got a big gash on his face. I'm sure he's made up a good story about it.
Some stupid career drunk came in with his parents to buy a scooter due to too many DUI's. After they bought it, he refused to be shown how to operate it and promptly ran it into a column in front of the dealership.
Yet another drunk didn't make it 10 feet before he plowed some lady's car with a scooter.
Add in all that with the guys who come in and try to impress you with how cool they are:
"I retired from Home Depot and went to Honduras and used my money to save people and help them be good capitalists..."
"I've hiked the rockies with a 100 lb pack and carried a 416 Rigby for muledeer. It was accurate to 2000 meters."
etc...
I used to like people until I worked in retail...

So, now when I'm in a gun store I give the sales people a lot of respect and make sure to listen to what they have to say.
I was in Gander Mountain with my Dad this past weekend helping him find a new handgun and had a great experience.
But, gun counters are the worst places I've ever seen in my life- bar none- for bystanders to jump in your conversation and start yapping. I feel so sorry for the counter guys having to be steeped in bored old man or mall ninja (or both!) all day long.
I'm not sure I could work a gun counter without being very very rude to at least one or two people.
I salute all you gun counter guys. :D
 
I’m not sure if this qualifies as stupid customer or stupid gun store clerk, but I think it was funny. I was standing at the gun counter at my local Sportsman’s Warehouse the other day, looking for a good CC holster. While waiting for assistance I heard a conversation one of the gun gurus was having with a pair of prospective customers, guy and his girlfriend / wife. He’s going to Iraq, she’s not they want a HD/SD gun for her, they’re looking at Glocks and the problem that they’re having is that she can’t work the slide on any of them.
I know it wasn’t my business (stupid customer?) but my wife and I had the same problem when she started to carry, so I mentioned that we solved that particular problem very simply by me chambering the first round and letting the wife carry chambered (Yes I know a lot of things could have gone wrong in that scenario but they didn’t and DW can now work the slide on her CCW). The gun guru just about blew a gasket on me; he actually said that he would never advise a neophyte (I swear he actually used that word and I think the fact that he chose that particular word pretty much summed up his attitude) to carry a round in the chamber on a HD/SD gun. And further more no competent hunting safety instructor would so advise her either (I’m not making this up he really talked like that) I commented that any competent CCW instructor would and he herded his “neophytes” to the other end of the counter away from the “dangerous gun nut” and I laughed, bought my holster and gave the “neophytes” the name of an NRA certified CCW instructor on the way out
 
Archie wrote:

"In the following exchange, the potential customer told the owner one didn't shoot to hit the rabbit, but to pass the bullet between the rabbit's ears. The shock wave kills the rabbit, as the ears are the most sensitive area of the rabbit. Un huh."


Also known as "Parting the Hare...":neener:
 
I have to comment on the Ruger Blackhawk 7.5"and 10.5" post. Ruger did make a 7.5 and a 10.5 barrel length in 357 Maximum. I have one in the 7.5 length, bought it new,still have the original box too.

Ron
 
Same MO but a hair off-topic....

Some of these customers sound like some I had when I worked as a gas station mechanic. Someone above mentioned that he liked helping women because at least they were up front about their ignorance. I used to have guys come in and tell me what they wanted repaired or replaced when the problem was actually something else. And, sometimes, they insisted that we do what they said. One guy refused to pay his bill when the car ran just as badly after we followed his directions to the letter. I tried to tell him that there were other more common things to look at first but he insisted and got a little irritated with me. Anyway, a sparkplug ended up costing him $280 or so. Women are better. They just say something like "It sounds like a bird chirping under the hood when I stop at a light...." No false leads, you know? Male insecurity can be expensive sometimes.
 
Anyone who has been in Vance's shooters Supply in Columbus Ohio, can testify to George's point. This place is ALWAYS busy, due to it's wholesale-like sale prices. You have to take a number and wait at the counter (usually 20-30 minutes) to be served. It is also located in a "semi- hood" neighborhood, and many of the customers are urban, baggy panted, pager ringing, types. The questions and statements I've overheard are simply mind boggling. The clerks there have the patience of Job. The typical questions/staement seem to be along these lines:

Do this shoot a big bullet?
How many bullets do this hold?
I want a pistol like this one (pointing at .38 Snubby) for defense and deer hunting. Do it come with a 10 mm cylinder to?
I want somethin that shoots lot's of bullets.

This is the place where I watched a guy standing next to me, absentmindedly adjust his coat (while being waited on and chatting on his cell phone) - he had at least three empty holsters on under his coat. And the waistband of his pants were somewhere between his knees and pelvic bone.

These guys always try out the gun by pointing it right at the clerk or at the person standing next to them. No one ever tells them to point it in a safe direction.

I love to go to Vance's, but I leave there with a worried mind at times. I'm sure the employees do as well.
 
Customer: This is the way I was taught.... can you put some sights on the side so I can aim?
Me: You want me to WHAT???
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Somebody see if they can't find the picture of the pistol with the "homeboy" sights on it.
 
I got one...... a dumb-do not dumb-say.

This happened about a week after we were robed at gun point.
I was there for the robbery but not this part, other employees told me about it
and it was on the news.

Guy walks up to the gun counter and asks to see a certain rifle.
Clerk takes the rifle, opens the action, checks it, then puts it on the counter
in front of the guy.

..... I know, so far so good.

The guy then picks it up, puts his free hand in his pocket, takes out a live
round, and loads it.

He was promptly tackled by an employee then dog piled IIRC.
 
I had a 10.5-inch SBH. Flippin' thing wouldn't shoot for sour owl spit, but no doubt the velocities with 296 and H-110 were off the scale, though.
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Tuner, my dad had one while I was a kid... still does I think. For some reason
I thought it was a 10.75-inch... any way as far as I can recall it shot fine.
What issues did you have with it?
 
Because I work with the public I've read the posts, agree with most of them, but I find they fall into two distinct categories.

The first I cannot do anything about--that's the "rude client." I've tried jokes, professionalism, quips, overdrawn smiling--everything. In the end, I don't think it's the transaction in your store. I believe it's simple transferal.

The client's boss yelled at him, so he yells at you to relieve the stress.

The other aspect is easier to fix. The correct word is "ignorance," but I don't want to imply that the client is some inbred townie. Being ignorant of facts doesn't make the guy an imbecile, it just means he doesn't know the facts.

For example, I'm ignorant in taking a Luger apart.

The reason I spent so much time defining that point is that most of my clients are ignorant about knives. Most just regurgitate catch-phrases from last month's "Blade Magazine," and that's easy to do. Lots of guys want knives from movies under the assumption that if Scharzenegger uses it, it must be superior. I've done that myself.

I bought a black 5.0 Mustang after seeing Mad Max.

The biggest problem I have here is with knowledgeable hunters. Oh, they might be able to disassemble a dozen different assault rifles blindfolded, and yet be ignorant of the importance (or problems) with Rockwell hardness. I've heard ridiculous urban legends here, and this is one of best firearms boards I've ever seen.

No one guy can know everything. I work at sporting goods store about 50% of my professional time. I cannot tell one tree stand from another. I see racks upon racks of compound bows. Some cost 300 dollars, some cost 800 dollars. Heck, even the new CPU units on Harleys defy me.

I can understand all of this. At the end of the day, I am still befuddled by clients who wish to remain willfully ignorant. You can hand them a top of the line Japanese knife costing over 2,000 dollars and they brush it aside.

"I had a Japanese toy in the 1950's, and it broke," they gesticulate, "I'm not going to be fooled again!"

In that discussion, I have no answers.
 
Everyone should have to work in retail for a period of time.
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I was never employed by a gunshop. Buy I was a delivery driver for a large salvage yard(wrecking yard, whatever). On slow delivery days I'd hang out in the office and answer phones, deal with walk-ins and what have ya.

I learned a lot about the differences in professional mechanics/bodymen and the shadetree fellas. I must preface this with the fact that I'm a shadetree mechanic myself, but not a stupid one.

I had a guy call me up and ask if I had an engine for Pathfinder. I ran it on the computer and came up that we had a variation. The block was the same but the topend had to be changed out with what he had. I told him we'd deliver it for 400 since he had to do so much work to it. He agreed. I delivered it the next day and didn't think much more about it. About a week later(I was out delivering a lot of the time) my boss calls me on the cell and asks me what the h*** I sold the guy. I explained it to him and he got it. I got back to the shop later that day and told me that the customer had installed the engine w/o changing any parts on it and was mad as a wet hen.

We had a relatively good shade tree customer that would come in about once a week and buy different things. He was a nice guy, I had to learn a little spanish to understand him sometimes, but all good. Anyways, he came in and asked about a blue 3000GT front clip(dashpad forward). I told him he could have it for 750, and he said it would work. About a month later he showed up in what he must have been building. I'm not sure what it started out as, but it appeared to be a Taurus station wagon with the 3000GT front end on it and had an old 6.2 Chevy diesel engine for power. It was cool, but looked a little Mad Maxxish. Good guy, I still chat with him every once in a while.

-John
 
my dad had one while I was a kid... still does I think. For some reason I thought it was a 10.75-inch... any way as far as I can recall it shot fine. What issues did you have with it?
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Couldn't get it to shoot. Tried every load known to Elmer, but it persisted in throwing buckshot patterns from 50-100 yards, and was barely tol'able at closer distances. Not up to a metallic silhouette match, for sure.

I sold it to a guy who wanted it a lot more than I did...with full disclosure, of course. He didn't care. He just wanted a .44 Magnum "Buntline Special."
 
PavePusher said:
Archie wrote:

"In the following exchange, the potential customer told the owner one didn't shoot to hit the rabbit, but to pass the bullet between the rabbit's ears. The shock wave kills the rabbit, as the ears are the most sensitive area of the rabbit. Un huh."


Also known as "Parting the Hare..." :neener:
Click to expand...
anim_lol.gif
 
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