Would you be offended?

[History Prof]

A few years back, I was finishing up a transaction at a jewelry store with my fiancee when I joking said that I had to put off buying another handgun since we had just bought this diamond ring at the spur of the moment. The store rep looked at me and said "you do not want to know my opinion about guns." She went from pleasantly finishing a 30 minute transaction to shaking her head in disbelief.

I just told her that as a matter of fact "I don't care what she thinks about them."

It might have been helpful to point out that most people behind the counters of jewelry stores PACK, for obvious reasons. Was this store in a mall?:banghead:

 

[Double Maduro]

I have to agree with Jeff White and several of the others. She was just making conversation.

Now for the part that upsets me.

Some of you people are way too sensitive. You take offense at the slightest perceived indiscretion. You would insult someone, threaten their job, insinuate that you have a machine gun, intimidate and try to terrorize them, for making conversation and maybe showing an interrest in your hobby.

Instead of taking offense and acting like the red neck, tobacco chewing, beer drinking, gun shooting, a$$h013 you think they are implying you are, talk to them in a civilized way. Tell them you are going target shooting, or replenishing stock or what ever and if they show more interrest, maybe you could invite them along the next time you go shooting.

Why you automatically assume that anyone who talks to you is an anti, I'll never understand. But I do know this.

If you behave the way some of the responders here have suggested, you will create many, many people with bad feelings about shooters and more than a few anti's.

Me? Hell, I'm flattered when someone shows an interrest in something I enjoy.

Now GET OVER YOURSELVES, not everyone who talks to you about your ammo purchases is in need of rude treatment.

DM

Oh, just a follow up question, how would you react to the same question asked in a gun shop or at the sporting goods counter at wally world?

DM

 

[gopguy]

Well, she had to ask if it was for a handgun as the register will prompt that. If you look young enough they ask. I am 43 so they don't ask anymore.......but it would be nice occasionally. lol


She had an attitude but by being polite you showed that gun owners are a respectable lot.....not what she expected or thinks.....By being polite you may have put a chink in her mindset. Look at it that way.

 

[lucky_fool]

A few years back, I was finishing up a transaction at a jewelry store with my fiancee when I joking said that I had to put off buying another handgun since we had just bought this diamond ring at the spur of the moment. The store rep looked at me and said "you do not want to know my opinion about guns." She went from pleasantly finishing a 30 minute transaction to shaking her head in disbelief.

I just told her that as a matter of fact "I don't care what she thinks about them."

I know it's easy to come up with these things well after the fact, but something like "You don't want to know what I think about people who work for commission that can't keep themselves from offending their customers" would have worked just fine.

Followed by cancelling the transaction and walking out.

 

[asknight]

Double Maduro, are you insinuating that I am somehow a bad person or below you on the social hierarchy because I am a redneck who chews tobacco, drinks beer, shoots guns, and knows how to be an ******* if need be?

For some reason, it appears to me that you're guilty of your own accusations.

 

[real_name]

Wal*Mart employs people who cannot find jobs elsewhere, they aren't the pick of the bunch.
Also the original post stated that he had to buy this ammo at a different registar, the woman was probably selling ammo for the first time that day and as the sporting goods registar was down she had probably done this a few times already in the previous hour. So she was probably thinking (not realising the sporting goods registar was closed) that everyone was buying ammo suddenly and that outside in the real world had descended into anarchy and riots but she hadn't got the memo.
If it happens again just say, "haven't you heard? China just invaded us. But you'll be Ok, you work for them."

 

[one-shot-one]

JUST PUT A BIG SMILE ON GIVE HER A LITTLE WINK AND SAY:

"well i could tell you, but you know, then i'd have to kill you."

 

[Double Maduro]

Asknight,

I am not insinuating anything.

The perception of many anti's is that most "gun nuts" fall into one or more of those categories. So instead of getting our backs all up over a perceived slight, why not take the opportunity to show them their assumptions are wrong.

And yes, I have done all of the things that I listed. Grew up on and worked a farm, chewed tobacco, drank and drink beer, shoot guns and am sometimes an *******.

I have also had a book published, written a newspaper column, taught at a university, owned a newspaper, been active in the states angler education program, own my own business, etc.

There is nothing better or worse about either list, it is the perception of better or worse.

Which image do you think makes the best impression? Why do some of the posts here seem to suggest we should go out of our way to allienate people?

DM

Oh, and what accusations?

 

[Deanimator]

Maybe ill throw a machete in too.. Walmart has those for like 10 bucks I think.

And don't forget the extra large Hefty Cinch Sacks!

Oh yeah, and a hacksaw!

Reminds me of the time I was riding Amtrak to Chicago. There was an elderly schizophrenic on the train who was aggravating everybody. Right after he got thrown out of the dining car for swearing in front of an Amtrak executive's young daughter, I sat down for breakfast. They sat a pretty girl across from me. She commented on the "drunk", and I explained to her that my mother had worked for years at a state psychiatric hospital in Chicago, and that the guy practically had a flashing sign over his head that said "schizophrenic". She noticed that I was reading the bullseye pistol manual Successful Pistol Shooting (http://www.championshooters.com/cgibin/webc.cgi/shopping/st_prod.html?p_prodid=69&p_catid=). She said, "Oh my, first a crazy guy, now you've got a book called Successful Pistol Shooting! I just smiled and said, "Why would I read a book called UNsuccessful Pistol Shooting???"

 

[kfranz]

I agree with Chet, and that was hilarious. kfranz is the offensive one here. I hope I am not in line behind him waiting for hours while he pontificates about how much higher a pedestal he is on than everyone else, Oh wait, that will never happen because I shop at walmart, not Macy's.

Don't sweat it slick, there ain't no Macy's in Central WI and as I said (which you'd have known had you actually READ my post), I now happily use the self-check out line. No small talk, no questions about my purchases, no stupid comments. I've gotten all of those from live cashiers over the years, but I have yet to get a hot stock tip, good parenting tricks, or any other useful information short of my purchase total. I sure as hell don't pontificate at them, since that'd leave me with nothing to use on the telemarketers

Granted, I'm anti-social, I know it, and I'm ok with it. Doesn't mean I'm rude, in fact, I generally say as little as possible. When I go to discount stores, I'm after specific merchandise and I want in and out with minimal interaction. If I want some specific knowledge about products or the use thereof I go to the hardware store or the sporting goods store, since they know stuff that ChinaMart cashiers don't. When I want pleasant small talk, I hit up my family, co-workers or friends. I guess retail bonding isn't my style.

 

[Double Maduro]

Deanimator,

"Why would I read a book called UNsuccessful Pistol Shooting???"

OK, you've kept us waiting long enough, what was her reply?

DM

By the way, good comeback.

 

[real_name]

My surly attitude with clerks constantly gets my wife's attention, in the negative or positive depending on her mood.
The thing they ask that ticks me off most is the request for my home phone number, when I'm buying one pair of socks or something equally banal. I used to give them my number with one digit wrong but that made me feel I was messing with someone else's situation, now I have a standard response which I use without hesitation.
"You don't need to know that."
They huff and puff, sometimes smile, sometimes go wide-eyed. But they always enter (XXX) XXX-XXXX.

 

[Deanimator]

OK, you've kept us waiting long enough, what was her reply?

She just did a kind of double-take and her eyes got big. After a brief pause, the conversation continued.

 

[High Planes Drifter]

A very simple and rude - none of your f' ing business, just ring me up - would have sufficed. She wasnt trying to learn anything about your hobby, she wasnt trying to strike up a friendly conversation or debate about guns, she wasnt being polite. She was voicing her very closed minded opinion. She was not getting paid to do that, she was getting paid to ring you up, bag the bullets, and move on to the next customer.Period.

 

[V4Vendetta]

I wouldn't be offended at the lady's question. I'd take it as a oportunity to preach the wonders of guns & the fun of the sport.

 

[BFWE]

Bigger Picture

It seems to me that all the people who are offended by the type of comment from the Wally-World cashier are expressing the FACT that people who are firearm owners, users, etc. are sick and tired of being castigated (sp?) by our society-culture.

My experience is similar. I was buying some bread and what-have you at my local Kroger grocery store. Included in my purchases were three shooting magazines I'd gotten from the store magazine rack.

The cashier stopped running things past the scanner; looked at each of the covers on my magazines; then hesitated and said that she was concerned why a person would buy such reading material.

I had a tough day at work and told her, "...nothing sinister. I just like guns" and said it in a plesant tone even including a smile. She actually frowned at me and continued the check-out. Not another word was exchenaged. We concluded our business. But by the time it was over and I was starting out the door I was furious.

It was not what was said as much as the attitude and general assumption I was a scum-bag. The manager got an earful and I have had not one comment about my assortment of reading materials from there since. I have tested that with other gun-rag purchases - even bateing the same cashier.

Being offended is not wrong... it is wrong not to address the situation.

 

[Mikee Loxxer]

Here in Nebraska when I first started buying Winchester white box 9mm at Wally World they would always ask “is this for a handgun?” As I was buying it for use in my Hi-Point carbine I would tell them “no, it is for a rifle.”

Since then they have never asked me that question when I (rarely) buy ammo there. I wish they would because I went to tell them “ no this ammo is for a machine gun, hah hah hah (evil laugh) ”

 

[odysseus]

No need to be offended, unless she said something that was downright offensive. In these scenarios I always answer silly questions with a question. Ask me about myself, I might then reply by asking why you ask and friendly start asking about you and your work. Doesn't have to be mean - just use some finesse.

 

[Crosscut]

I think you nailed it BFWE. Were all tired of being veiwed as second class citizens bucause we happen to enjoy what made this country and keeps it going strong, Guns and Ammo.

 

[rcellis]

I had a similiar encounter here in a mostly rural area of Kansas - a young woman asked me, "Are those handgun bullets?" I responded that yes, they could fit handguns. She put on the "I'm not impressed" face and left me to be checked out by the other person at the register.

I wonder if there's some movement in Walmart that's decided that guns are evil or something.

I know that Walmart is closing gun departments where not popular (which seems to be a pure business decision) but this seems like something else.

Clint

 

[Guns_and_Labs]

I stopped by the Safeway, to pick up some Jack Daniels (on sale, according to the flyer). Browsed the magazines, picked up a couple of gun rags. Wife calls on the cellphone, the kid's got diaper rash, pick up some creme or something. Sure enough, the cashier takes a look at the goods, and says, "I don't think I want to know.... have a nice evening?"

 

[WayneConrad]

Anger and sarcasm may seem appropriate, but aren't helpful here.

Take the high road. Smile pleasantly. Be friendly. For all you know, in her way, she was just being friendly. Acting angry or sarcastic only confirms the stereotype that gun owners are surly, dangerous people not to be trusted.

 

[sturmruger]

No I wouldn't be offended, but I would make a smart ass reply.


"Actually it is for a machine gun"

I have said that a few times and it always makes their eyes get big.

 

[KaceCoyote]

yeah guys, sorry she was sorry to be pleasant. What she gonna do, call homeland security on you? Jesus chill out, I work retail and try to chatter with everyone I meet when I'm on company time.

 

[Justin]

*Looks up at the header at the top of the page.*

*Looks back down at this thread*

*shakes head*