Gun store know it all.....what do you do?

[M.Weier]

I was in Cabelas in Ft.Worth TX, listening to a guy behind the gun counter feeding 2 women (that had never held a gun before) so many un-truths. Two examples were ".22 LR is a great self defense round" and "here try this HI Power, its the gun that started it all, they designed the 1911 after the HI Power" i just cringed..... What would you do? I didnt want to start an argument with the guy so i waited patiently for them to walk away from the gun counter and quietly told them they should talk to other gun store clerks and try to get better information. I really wanted to call him out on his lies.......being polite is frusterating sometimes.....

 

[beeenbag]

myob... I know YOU know better, but you don't want to come off as a gun store commando either. Unless these two women are friends of yours and you feel responsible for their choices, leave them alone and go about your business. This is just my opinion.

 

[joed]

I'm with beeenbag on this one. How do you know the next person won't tag you as a moron? When I see things like this I walk away, when I'm on the receiving end it's different.

 

[alsaqr]

Lots of gun store clerks are untrained. They also come cheap, thats why the store hires them. On the other hand; one should never miss a chance to mind his own business.

 

[M.Weier]

I basically did just walk away. I just politly told the women to not take everything he said as "true or correct" and to get other opinions and information. I didnt go into any specifics with them as far as his mistakes.

 

[303tom]

I am sorry, but I would have made a scene, started a argument & probably cost somebody a job............Un-truths about firearms is what has given our passion & sport a BAD name, so yeah I probably would have caused a ruckus.

 

[bikerdoc]

Im retired. I got a dream P/T job in a gun store, a small Mom and Pop, but Mom died last year. About 3 times a year we get complaint letters. Two are stupid but the third is valid enough for boss to call us all tgether and tell us about it.
Feel stongly that this might be valid if it got in the right hands, then again we are talking about a big corp.
Thats about all you can do short of forgeting about it.

 

[buck460XVR]

myob...

This. Only thing worse than a gun-store-know-it-all is TWO gun-store-know-it-alls.

 

[guntech59]

I am sorry, but I would have made a scene, started a argument & probably cost somebody a job............Un-truths about firearms is what has given our passion & sport a BAD name, so yeah I probably would have caused a ruckus.

I agree, although I would try to be polite about it.

If the clerk lies, or is ignorant about that, what else is he telling trusting customers that is patently false.

 

[glassman]

Agree you should walk away even though you might want to scream. Seeking opinions of experienced shooters and doing homework/research is something that any shopper should be doing. Caviat emptor!

 

[Apuuli]

You did the right thing. Advice like that could have gotten someone killed.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

I am sorry, but I would have made a scene, started a argument & probably cost somebody a job............Un-truths about firearms is what has given our passion & sport a BAD name, so yeah I probably would have caused a ruckus.

No. More than likely you would have gotten yourself thrown out.

 

[Gtimothy]

I guess I would have been considered a "Gun Store Commando" then. Nothing upsets me more than people who are unknowlegeable making untrue or unsafe recommendations to people who are looking to them for advise. I would rather have someone tell me that they don't know than have them make stuff up! Yeah, you may upset the guy behind the counter but at least those two women are getting some useful information and not a sales pitch. Or look at it this way...Would you want your daughter or wife depending on a .22 to protect herself? Not me!

Our hobby gets enough of a bad rap without store clowns throwing BS out there to people who don't know any better. My 2 cents!

 

[Slamfire]

If you own the store, and therefore the counter man is an employee, representing your business, then take action and get the guy educated.

If you have a certificate from God, establishing you as his Prophet and ordering you to set the world right, then you have the moral authority to intervene.

If you are simply a shopper, then it is none of your business.

If it really, really bothers you, don't go back to the store, or buy the store and fire the counter man.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I personally disagree as well about using .22 for self defense, but that is only opinion, not necessarily fact. Too many people have been killed with .22s, while others have taken multiple hits with large calibers and survived or even kept fighting, to make such an assertion. The .22 might well have been the best choice for those individuals, who you don't even know. And yes, the BHP was designed after the 1911 - and not even by John Browning - but what is the real impact? I will have to go along with MYOB. If you just can't let it go, maybe you could have a discreet and tactful talk with the manager about these egregious factual errors.

 

[Big JJ]

He is there to sell guns.
His facts are wrong but his intention is right.
He is there to sell a gun for the store owner and for the customer.
After all any gun is better than no gun at all and a 22 cal is probably where they should start if they don’t have any experience.

 

[jad0110]

The .22 might well have been the best choice for those individuals, who you don't even know.

I agree. Two words: Rheumatoid Arthritis

My mother has fairly painful RA, and finds everything except her beloved Hi Standard Supermatic Citation to be painful to shoot.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

My mother has fairly painful RA, and finds everything except her beloved Hi Standard Supermatic Citation to be painful to shoot.

Ten rounds of .22, in the hands of an obvious enthusiast (this gun was expensive even then and commands collector prices today), isn't something I would want to stand in front of.

 

[GEM]

1. Cabela's clerks usually know very little. Guns mismarked. Don't know their stock. One told me that they didn't have shooting gloves, never did. Found them by wandering around.

2. Their ads are less than truthful. Many of the specials - they don't have. Just a come on.

3. I once tried to bring some sanity to a similar conversation about buying a shotgun. Guy wanted a pump just to scare folks with the rack. He also wanted blank rounds for more noise. The clerk recommended rubber 00. So I spoke up and the two of them looked like they wanted to kill me.

On the other hand, for some reason (I guess I look like a sage like Fred), I've had folks ask me questions.

Bottom line. It's their life.

 

[JVaughn]

this to me is no different than a thousand vendors in the world at flea markets, retail stores, on the internet, and at the malls - doing whatever they have to in order to make a sale. The rule is and always was: buyer beware. If you see someone selling snake oil, and you recognize it for what it is, don't buy it. I don't hear anyone railing out about the latest ginzu knife on the infomercials. same thing.

 

[Rail Driver]

Personally if I'm in a shop and a clerk is passing out misinformation whether it be about their products or about self defense or guns in general, I will usually get in touch with the manager or owner and explain the situation. More than once I've been the result of a clerk being reprimanded and re-trained, or fired depending on the severity of the lie. I don't do this to get people in trouble or fired, I do it to prevent more misinformation about my beloved hobby from being spread around to new shooters.

 

[Legionnaire]

Tough call. I hate to see someone being fed bad information that might cost them later. At the same time, it's not really my right or responsibility to weigh in unasked. For me it has been very situational.

Had one instance in a large store I don't frequent often where a clerk was feeding a guy bad information about a very good gun (Ruger revolver, IIRC). When the clerk was called away for a moment, I started a conversation with: "That's a very nice gun; have one like it and love it." That got us talking in a positive vein. Buyer started off with something like, "Great! I've been looking for something I can use for (can't remember his actual purpose) ..." I was able to say "Well, that is a great gun, but there are better for what you intend." Turned into a good conversation that continued after the clerk came back. But because I started off positively ("That's a great gun ..."), I don't think the buyer or the clerk were defensive or offended.

That was an exceptional case, though; generally, I keep my mouth shut, especially in stores I tend to frequent regularly.

 

[larryh1108]

Seeking opinions of experienced shooters and doing homework/research is something that any shopper should be doing.

Well, these ladies thought they were seeking "professional opinions". They could even not take good advice "because the guy at the gun store said..." Caveat emptor is one thing, going to a place that sells something and asking for their advice is another, to the uneducated.

Would I have said anything right there?
No but I would have done what the OP did and tell the women to seek other opinions because what they were told was not the truth but a sales pitch. Then I'd write the owner and tell him what I thought of his employee. Maybe nothing would happen to him but you didn't sit on your hands, either. IMO, of course.

 

[sallzy]

I have two thoughts,
1. Put yourself in the buyers position. your in a store looking to buy something you know little about,talking to the store clerk and trying to decide what to buy. How would you feel if a total stranger decided to inject themselves into the conversation by telling you the store clerk doesn't know what he's talking about and you should do "this" instead. would you be ok with that? I don't think most people would. I know I wouldn't and would probably tell the guy to mind his own business. He may actually be more knoweldgeable than the store clerk but honestly,I don't care. It's none of his business.
2. I carry a Jennings J-22 in chrome ( yes I know, JENNINGS!!!!GASP!!!) It's loaded up with cci 36 gr mini mags and goes bang every week when I shoot it. It's accurate and hides nicely. I'm more of the mind that it's not so much the size of my shooter but how comfortable I am shooting it. I could carry my G19 but it's just not as easy to conceal and even being a 9mm it's still not as cheap to practice shooting as my .22. I could open up a whole can of worms by asking the question, "just what is the minimum caliber for a proper carry piece" but the opinions would be varied and numerous. and have already been beaten to death time and time again. carry what your comfortable shooting and shoot it a lot. I'd rather see someone carry a .22 that they practice with weekly then someone carry a .50AE that they've only shot twice. but thats just me......

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

Well, these ladies thought they were seeking "professional opinions". They could even not take good advice "because the guy at the gun store said..." Caveat emptor is one thing, going to a place that sells something and asking for their advice is another, to the uneducated.

Anyone who seeks "professional opinions" from someone who is looking to sell them something has already made a mistake. Doesn't matter whether it is guns, cars, or laser eye surgery.