sturmruger
Member
It is interesting how much difference there has been in my retail expierences between shopping for a mattress and shopping for a new gun. Now I know everyone is going to say that they are totally different, but I think they are allot the same. A good quality mattress will set you back at least $500, and they are a very individual thing. You can get a firm, soft, pillow top, or you could choose to get a air bed or one of those beds that is motorized like a hospital bed. There are tons of options in mattresses. We all know there are tons of different options in guns as well. What got me started on this whole subject is the extreme contrast between both retail experiences.
When my wife and I first entered the Mattress store we were immediately greeted by he store manager. He introduced himself and told us to go ahead and browse around. He would send over a salesperson a bit. We looked at mattresses for about 10 minutes when a nice guy in his late 20s approached. He introduced himself and asked us if he could get us a pop or some ice tea. He asked us what beds we had tried so far. This was the first mattress store we had been to so we were unsure of the policy on getting on the mattresses. He told to please take of our shoes, gave us a couple of pillows, and told us he would get us our drinks and check back with us after we had tried out a few of the mattresses. He came back with our pop and asked us if we had any questions about the different styles, and options. We talked about mattresses options for a while. I then asked about a competitor’s ad that I had seen in the paper. He was happy to talk about the competition, and even offered to match any price that they were advertising on a comparable mattress. We left the store feeling educated and pleased with the help we have been given in choosing what mattress would be the right one for us. They wrote down what they wanted for the mattress we liked and offered to throw in the delivery and setup. I told them that we obviously had expensive tastes because the mattress we both like was out of our price range by about $125. I got a call back from the salesperson two days later asking us if we would be willing to buy the mattress for what we had budgeted ($125 less then they offered in the store). I gave him a credit card over the phone and they delivered the mattress the next day. It was an overall positive experience.
My last trip was to a local gun shop here in SE Iowa. I have lived in this area for 2+ years, and I have been into this shop at least 20 times. I have spent money about half the time usually on accessories and ammo. I have bought one gun a used Ruger MK-1. Every time I have ever entered the shop the most I have ever received in greeting is a gruff Hello. He has never bothered to learn my first name. Any time I have asked to look at a gun behind the counter the guy sighs and slowly gets up off his stool. The whole time I am examining the gun he just stands there saying nothing. He doesn’t tell me anything about how it works, where he got, what he thinks or anything. After I hand it back to him he will go back and sit down on his stool and look bored. The whole time I am in the store looking at accessories I feel like he is expecting me to stuff a bunch of scope rings down my pants and make a run for it. The few times I have asked have asked for a better deal he has never counter offered. Last month I asked if I could exchange a forend that I bought for my Mossberg 500, for some ammo. He told me flat out “NO†I left mad and will never go back.
Now I will be the first to admit that gun storeowners have to put up with allot of crap. I am sure there are tons of people that come in thinking they are experts. They show up and want debate the storeowner on what guns he should carry, and what he should sell. I see that starting to rub someone the wrong way. I have worked in a car dealership for the last couple of years. If there is anyone that knows how to treat customers it is car dealers. They have tons of training on getting back to your customer, and how to treat them while they are in the dealership. They even have training videos on how to treat customers bratty little kids. I think gun storeowners need to start running there shop like a business and stop treating it like a hobby. They need to realize the most important thing they have are their customers. Treating them like crap will insure that the doors will soon close. Not all stores are created equal. I have been to several stores that will bend over backwards to make you feel welcome. I wish these stores were closer to home so I could shop there more. I did find a local FFL that will transfer mail order guns for $10. My next couple of gun purchases will probably be done by mail order from CDNN.
Thanks for listening to my rant, I look forward to your comments
When my wife and I first entered the Mattress store we were immediately greeted by he store manager. He introduced himself and told us to go ahead and browse around. He would send over a salesperson a bit. We looked at mattresses for about 10 minutes when a nice guy in his late 20s approached. He introduced himself and asked us if he could get us a pop or some ice tea. He asked us what beds we had tried so far. This was the first mattress store we had been to so we were unsure of the policy on getting on the mattresses. He told to please take of our shoes, gave us a couple of pillows, and told us he would get us our drinks and check back with us after we had tried out a few of the mattresses. He came back with our pop and asked us if we had any questions about the different styles, and options. We talked about mattresses options for a while. I then asked about a competitor’s ad that I had seen in the paper. He was happy to talk about the competition, and even offered to match any price that they were advertising on a comparable mattress. We left the store feeling educated and pleased with the help we have been given in choosing what mattress would be the right one for us. They wrote down what they wanted for the mattress we liked and offered to throw in the delivery and setup. I told them that we obviously had expensive tastes because the mattress we both like was out of our price range by about $125. I got a call back from the salesperson two days later asking us if we would be willing to buy the mattress for what we had budgeted ($125 less then they offered in the store). I gave him a credit card over the phone and they delivered the mattress the next day. It was an overall positive experience.
My last trip was to a local gun shop here in SE Iowa. I have lived in this area for 2+ years, and I have been into this shop at least 20 times. I have spent money about half the time usually on accessories and ammo. I have bought one gun a used Ruger MK-1. Every time I have ever entered the shop the most I have ever received in greeting is a gruff Hello. He has never bothered to learn my first name. Any time I have asked to look at a gun behind the counter the guy sighs and slowly gets up off his stool. The whole time I am examining the gun he just stands there saying nothing. He doesn’t tell me anything about how it works, where he got, what he thinks or anything. After I hand it back to him he will go back and sit down on his stool and look bored. The whole time I am in the store looking at accessories I feel like he is expecting me to stuff a bunch of scope rings down my pants and make a run for it. The few times I have asked have asked for a better deal he has never counter offered. Last month I asked if I could exchange a forend that I bought for my Mossberg 500, for some ammo. He told me flat out “NO†I left mad and will never go back.
Now I will be the first to admit that gun storeowners have to put up with allot of crap. I am sure there are tons of people that come in thinking they are experts. They show up and want debate the storeowner on what guns he should carry, and what he should sell. I see that starting to rub someone the wrong way. I have worked in a car dealership for the last couple of years. If there is anyone that knows how to treat customers it is car dealers. They have tons of training on getting back to your customer, and how to treat them while they are in the dealership. They even have training videos on how to treat customers bratty little kids. I think gun storeowners need to start running there shop like a business and stop treating it like a hobby. They need to realize the most important thing they have are their customers. Treating them like crap will insure that the doors will soon close. Not all stores are created equal. I have been to several stores that will bend over backwards to make you feel welcome. I wish these stores were closer to home so I could shop there more. I did find a local FFL that will transfer mail order guns for $10. My next couple of gun purchases will probably be done by mail order from CDNN.
Thanks for listening to my rant, I look forward to your comments
I`m not defending or condemning any of them though. It does sound like Sturmruger ran into a place that he`s not going to miss much.
I`ve been back many times and bought quite a few guns from him. Even if I don`t see anything I particularly like, and he usually has some nice used handguns, there`s usually ammo or some such that I can use.
