So the guy at the gun store thinks I'm an idiot...

[mnrivrat]

Ask for a job there, Ill bet you wont get it. I think gun stores like employing idiots.

Your hired !!

Come on guys, you can't expect every employee at the gun store to be an authority on everything.

Most of you know the stuff your interested in very well. Try stepping outside your interest and you likely won't fair any better than some of the clerks who are there taking the low paying jobs ,trying to sell you a gun that you don't want to pay more than a buck over dealer cost for.

Yes - if they don't know they should either shut up or admitt they don't know and find someone in the shop that does. Then again - how many of you are confident you know it all ?

( OK - I am involved with a gun shop )

 

[Hush]

Wal-Mart is/was good for plinker ammo (when you can find it). Winchester white box specials. While I like to keep my local store in business, sometimes its hard to compete with wally-world's prices. But just dont expect anything exotic. I still go to my guy for my Gold Dots, and SXT's.

 

[cratti]

huh. We order in Gold Got and Federal Hydra-Shok at my store.

 

[Kind of Blued]

since when was Wal-Mart a gun store?

Bingo.

I don't expect the guy at the ammo counter in Wal-Mart to know what a LSWCHP is.

Here's a tip: If your Wal-Mart doesn't have the ammo cabinets that you can just walk up to, ask them if you can come behind the counter and look for what you want. The completely clueless ones are all for it, as they tend to be lazy as well, not a coincidence I'd guess.

 

[sohcgt2]

You guys are harsh, I have over 50 Gun sellers within a half hour of my house. Some I like and some I don't, some I've never been in. The one thing they all have in common is that if I am dissatisfied with their service, I'll go somewhere else. Quitcherbitchin and look for someone you like doing business with.

 

[earlthegoat2]

One thing I've learned from this thread is everyone who owns a shop or works where guns are sold are idiots and all of you are experts.

Ask for a job there, Ill bet you wont get it. I think gun stores like employing idiots.

These are kind of sore subjects for me because I always happen to run into the wrong stores with too many of the wrong employees. Then Ill tell my friend who is only too knowledgeable about guns to and unemployed to try to get a job at these places (because they are hiring) and another moron gets hired instead. The store has a bad reputation and they keep it. They do nothing to improve themselves at all. And it is always going to be that way at WalMart they have bigger money coming in everywhere else to care about ammo sales which the profit margin is next to nil.

 

[oneounceload]

I have over 50 Gun sellers within a half hour of my house

WOW!...must be nice

They all in the suburbs? IIRC, Atlanta has strict gun control

Here, we're lucky to have two gun stores and a few pawn shops.

 

[SilverShooter]

At least MCDs' requires high school diplomas

In my neck of the woods we have two types of gun shops and pawn stores that sell guns. Ones with incredibly knowledgeable and helpful folks, and the other with the clueless who cant even get jobs at McDonalds.

This was proven when I saw a gun store employee try to help a foreigner (a legal alien I hope) fill out the paperwork. It appeared that both had challenges reading and writing, and that neither knew the laws of gun ownership. I found myself hoping that the ATF and the State police would screen both out. Sad....

 

[PT1911]

I do my buying in a gun shop, not a gun store... ha... I have been fortunate enough to be located within 10 minutes of the best gunsmith I could ever hope to know, and he owns the shop. anything I need to know, he knows or can find out. The bigger retailers generally employ some young guy who thinks the job is cool and knows nothing about what he is doing.

 

[KenWP]

We have gun stores here where you have to point very clearly as to what you want as saying you want to look at the lever action Marlin over there would get you a double barrel shotgun handed to you.

 

[ccsniper]

went to a local acedemy, asked for 9mm parabellum. the guy looks at me funny says "we dont keep exotic ammo on the shelves". so i bought a box of nine mill luger which he didnt think would work in my "exotic gun"

 

[tunnug]

Almost as bad as when I walked in at a second location (newer) of an older gunshop, I asked for .22 hornet, the kid (about 19) behind the counter says to me with a sneering grin "no one sells that anymore", I guess he did'nt know the main store stocks it on the shelves, I just looked at him for a second, turned around and left, guess he was trying to impress the little cutie he had been talking to.

 

[goon]

No one who works at a gun store is an expert on everything but they should at least know a little bit about as many guns as possible.
I'm not familiar with every type of rifle or every cartridge on the market but I'm at least knowledgeable enough that when I worked at a gun store I could sort my way through the various forms of Remington 700's or seek out a box of .375 H&H out in the warehouse. I knew a lot about handguns and military style firearms, hand a little experience with muzzleloading rifles and handguns, and knew my way around a reloading bench.
Point being, if you're getting a brake job it isn't unreasonable to expect the guy doing the job to know how to replace your brake pads.
Why should a gun store be any different?

 

[earlthegoat2]

One thing is they also have to have a more open mind about things and keep their opinions to thereselves unless they are asked for.

For example I dont like the 40 cal cartridge. I do however appreciate its ability to stop fights, fill a void between the 9mm and 45ACP, and its exemplary LE record. Point being you should be able to understand if not like what you are selling and be able to give unbiased and open minded advice as it pertains to a customers opinions.

Also they have their own agenda at stores as well. Selling stuff isnt always about being able to stock and sell the popular stuff. For instance lets say a store gets a deal on 10 Spartan semi autos. They might not be the most popular gun but if the salesman can talk enough people into buying them it means a heftier profit for the store. They have to do that without lying to the customer as well (ideally)

 

[toivo]

Money Mountain. Ha! They do have high prices.

Oh, yes, yes, they do. Not to bash too hard, because I have found a few decent deals there in the past, but I recently saw a CZ 83 in the case, tagged at $599! People, this is a pistol with a MSRP of $450! What's up?

 

[oneounceload]

Also they have their own agenda at stores as well. Selling stuff isnt always about being able to stock and sell the popular stuff. For instance lets say a store gets a deal on 10 Spartan semi autos. They might not be the most popular gun but if the salesman can talk enough people into buying them it means a heftier profit for the store. They have to do that without lying to the customer as well (ideally)

You also get the situation where the shop, in order to get good deals on the popular stuff, had to also buy some of the maker's slow movers as part of a package - and they will try to steer anyone towards them to get rid of them

 

[748]

The "good" local gun store here plays on fear. Every time I go there their selling point is because it will be banned.
Hate to say it but here bass pro shop seems to be the way to go. The gun store might know a little more but bass pro shop hasn't played the fear card, at least never in front of me.

 

[PT1911]

once again I am fortunate enough to get my guns at a place that really does have an honest owner. it is amazing to see the prices on their shelves, drive down the road, and see prices 10 to 15 percent higher. especially now that ak's and ar's are getting rediculous.. the actual wholesale has gone up around 5 percent, when he has them, the equivalent gun at different and larger stores is at least 300 dollars over priced.

 

[mbt2001]

gun store people are routinely idiotic in their speech and thought process.

 

[Southern Rebel]

+1 to the idea that Wally World never has represented itself as a gunshop. While I disagree with a lot of what they stand for, I can't fault the people that man the ammunition counter for their lack of Knowledge - as long as they are helpful to the best of their ability.

I actually appreciate the fact that the WW stores stock ammunition at a decent (in comparison) price. I do get aggravated if a gun store employee is short on knowledge and long on opinions - those establishments should be reasonably knowledge if they are gonna say they are a gun store. If they can't walk the walk and talk the talk, they need to let their sign refer to them as "General Merchandise Store".

 

[Fat Boy]

This is an interesting thread....our local GM has on more than one occasion had guns wrong on the LABEL...like that label I saw the other day, identifying the attached revolver as a "Ruger"something or other...problem was it had this neat little rearing Colt on the sideplate And the staff in that store is a mix of knowledgeable folks and guys that are totally clueless. Thankfully, I have shopped there a few times, and have a pretty good idea of who to approach with my questions.

 

[pmeisel]

You know, when my son worked at West Marine, they had self-study classes to help the clerks learn about boating. Maybe the gun retailers ought to consider something similar....

Most of the people I have dealt with are ok, but I have seen a few dandys.......

 

[Zoogster]

Picking on others to feel better about yourself?

Some gunshop employees are worse than others.
However I do not go to a car dealership and expect the employees to know everything about every type of car including those they are not selling.
That would be silly, and that is at a place that only sells cars.

I certainly wouldn't go to a general purpose store that just happens to sell some cars and expect them to know everything about every car including those they do not have in the store.

Going to Walmart, a general purpose store, and expecting someone to know about things they do not even have in stock makes little sense.
Picking on them for it makes even less sense.

In fact I think it is more responsible for an employee to simply not know than to tell you something untrue that could be dangerous because they are trying to be a know it all.

 

[wep45]

the untethered bozos are everywhere..........gun shops, food stores, gas stations............the most abundant product that the USA produces...........and the inventory increases daily

 

[Bubba613]

My gunsmith was working at another shop many years ago. A guy came in and asked him what the thread pitch was on a certain antique black powder gun. He didnt know.
The guy told him, "you sure don't know much about guns, do you?"