Typical walmart gun customer service

[wdlsguy]

I see others answered just as I was opening the window to answer. Some say it is state by state, I was under the impression this was a federal law. Anyone know for sure (not guessing, know)?

I couldn't find any age-related prohibitions against selling ammunition in Texas PC §46. But I did find the following in 18 USC Sec. 922:

"(b) It shall be unlawful for any licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector to sell or deliver -
(1) any firearm or ammunition to any individual who the licensee knows or has reasonable cause to believe is less than eighteen years of age, and, if the firearm, or ammunition is other than a shotgun or rifle, or ammunition for a shotgun or rifle, to any individual who the licensee knows or has reasonable cause to believe is less than twenty-one years of age;"

So it appears to be a Federal thing (at least in Texas).

 

[Rusher]

At our Wal-Mart supercenter......

Hey Guys & Gals



At our Wal-Mart supercenter here in little'ol gastonia,NC the cash register prompts us for what the ammunition is used for rifle (18) or for handgun (21).....but it somtimes asks if it is for a handgun for say .270, .300 win mag. It always makes me smile( and yes I understand it could be referring to a thompson(SP??)contenders)......but it still makes me smile!!

And all you nearby THR members come down....or up to see me and I'll see if I can work out a discount for you....as far as gun accessories and ammunition go so come and see me.


Rusher

 

[Moparmike]

Oh my, dont eeeeven get me started on Walmart policies. They have been carding for so much now that I am this >< close to never shopping for firearm or automotive supplies there again.

My last epic about Wally World: Rant (CAUTION: Contains language not suitable for Art's Grammaw).

 

[George S.]

I've had mixed experiences at my local Wally World. When I bought a 10/22 a couple of years ago, the guy at the counter was well versed on the paperwork and while it took time for him to fill out the store paperwork, I didn't have any issues with how he treated me. He even explained the policy about having to carry the rifle outside the store. For whatever reason, he's no longer there which is too bad as it was clear that he wanted to bend over backwards to help!!

I have bought ammo on a number of occasions and really have had no problems with the sale part. Sometimes it's next to impossible to find a clerk and from what I found out, not just any clerk can sell ammo. You have to get a Sporting Goods clerk to do the sale. And I was asked once if I was 21 (I'm 58 fer Christ's sake!) and because I was buying .45ACP, if it was for a pistol. I thought about telling the kid it was for a Thompson 1927 sub-machine gun but I wanted to leave and not risk a scene.

When I bought a Marlin 917V, the clerk that was behind the counter was simple beyond dumb. I had to show him how to review the 4473 and after he called the wrong number twice for the NICS check, I had to point that out in his instruction sheet. He also screwed up the inventory book and had to call the manager. Turned out the manager shoots at the same range I do and we stood around and BS'ed while this kid tried to complete everything. This purchase took over an hour to do! Then the kid tried to sell me ammo at the same time! Apparently that is against W-W policy. You can buy ammo first or after you leave with a rifle and come back in but not as part of the same sale.

There is not much else that I want from Wally World in the way of rifles, but I still go in to get cleaning stuff, targets, or maybe some ammo but I really don't think I would buy another long gun from there unless W-W cleaned up its policy and procedures. Fortunately the manager is still at the store and I would probably make a point of looking him up if I ever wanted to buy another rifle or a shotgun.

 

[greyhound]

I'd almost believe these places (Wal Mart, Academy* and such) really don't even want to sell guns.

My own Academy experience (there's a thread here somewhere) - I was told I had to be an Alabama resident for 90 days before buying a handgun, even with a valid Alabama DL. I went over to Simmons SG in Bessemer and THR's Ala Dan took care of me.

* I don't think we had Academy Sports back in MD, but needless to say I won;t be buying any firearms there.

 

[Rusher]

greyhound you hit it

I totally agree with you.....being on the inside I see all the strict things that go above and beyond what the ATFE regs clearly state. All asst. mgrs will get fired even if the littlest thing was not checked or if any mistakes ( scratches out and cover ups)......which I kinda understand to A POINT but this causes all management to avoid gun sales which makes the customer wait up to an 30mins to 1 1/2 hours from start to finish walking out the door escorted by a manager. Secondly we (in our district) have to have the customer fill out the 4473 twice.....we used to use carbon paper but the new head cheese....in my opinion wants to make it as hard,difficult and scary as possiblefor associates, managers and customers so sales drop and some number cruncher says it is no longer profitable to keep the FFL lic.......again this one lowly sporting goods associate...I could go on and on


thank you for your time
Rusher

 

[The_Antibubba]

You get what you pay for

I know it's easy to complain about Wal-Mart, but look at what it is and what it claims to be: The lowest-cost retailer around. Service is an afterthought. If you've ever needed service anywhere in the store, be it Jewelry, Electronics, or the dressing rooms, you are SOoL. A few days ago I bought a Remington UMC 100 round pack, SJHP, 135 gr. .38 +P, for $18.97 plus tax. It shot flawlessly, and I'm going to stock up. I won't do better until I start reloading.

It took about 10 minutes to get a Manager with a key (I thought it would take longer), and they bagged it in Sporting goods and let me carry it out-this time. WM's policies are inconsistent out of ignorance and short staffing, not out of an anti-gun bias. People are assigned to a department, and it might not be their preference to be there.

And the Holiday season is here-it'll only get worse until January.

You want good service? Try your local gun shop; if you don't get it there, you have every right to complain. But Wal-Mart? Shoot, my expectations when I go in are pretty low. Yours should be too.

 

[albanian]

I'm not a fan of Wal-Mart for many reasons: unfair labor practices, the morons that work and shop there, the hassle of walking through a huge store to pick up a few items, the smell, the fact that as soon as I step foot in the place I am in a bad mood, and because they don't even try to buy American.

I used to buy Win 9mm there because it was handy when I ran low and I could pick up a few hundred rounds without being screwed like at a gunshop but now that Gander Mt. matches Wal-Mart prices, I have not been in Wal-Mart for any reason in a couple of years.

They claim to be all American but they will fire anyone that even talks about forming a Union. That is not "all American" by my standards. Wal-Mart can go bankrupt tomorrow and I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Brun in Hell Wal-Mart! You do know that they will screw over the gun owner in a second if it serves their interest. I just hope they do something against us so we can stage a Boycott of them.

 

[cracked butt]

Post #10

. Walmart is going to be extra cautious when selling guns and will alwys be overcareful in transactions- if they were to get lax and get caught in a screwup, there would be a major feces storm because it seems everyone in the country from anitgun leftists to right wingers have their own personal reasons to see Walmart take a fall.

Post #33

They claim to be all American but they will fire anyone that even talks about forming a Union. That is not "all American" by my standards. Wal-Mart can go bankrupt tomorrow and I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Brun in Hell Wal-Mart! You do know that they will screw over the gun owner in a second if it serves their interest. I just hope they do something against us so we can stage a Boycott of them.

Only took about 23 posts before someone undeniably proved me right

 

[Art Eatman]

Gee, albanian! I didn't know I'm stupid. Didn't know my wife is stupid, also. Your Mensa dues all paid up?

WalMart doesn't try to buy American? You telling me those paperback books and magazines are imported, along with the milk, meat, bread and DelMonte canned stuff? The Leupold scopes? My Ensure Plus is imported?

I have zero difficulty with folks not shopping at any store anywhere for what ever reason that suits them, but I sorta feel like "facts is facts" and we'd all be better off to remember that...

 

[Yooper]

788,

You did the most effective thing you could when you walked out without purchasing anything. Not many folks would have gone out of their way to help those young people, either. Ya done good!

 

[victory]

You must be 21 to buy pistol ammo, but only 18 to possess it. My solution. Have my dad or an older friend buy it for me.

 

[Zundfolge]

I'm not a fan of Wal-Mart for many reasons: ...and because they don't even try to buy American.

They claim to be all American but they will fire anyone that even talks about forming a Union.

Maybe there's a connection ... maybe you're "All American" labor unions drive up the price of labor to the point that American made products are no longer competitive.

I shop there because the unionized grocery stores around here (Kroger, Albertson's, Safeway) will cost me an extra $30 a week ... sorry but I can't afford to support your "All American" union labor there comrade


I still don't understand why people expect top notch service from Walmart ... like The_Antibubba said, you shop there for the discount prices ... too many people seem to expect Rolls Royce dealer level of service at used Volkswagen prices

 

[Cyanide_357]

I don't even bother with Walmart that much any more. Mainly becuase I'm not 21, so I can't buy ammo for my 3+ pistols. I just go to the nearest Bass Pro / Outdoor World, where you only have to be 18 to buy any ammo, and it's the same WWB stuff. I did buy a bunch of UMC 9mm becuase it was a real good price for 100 round boxes. The age thing doens't make any sense, but I really don't care. In a year, I can buy ammo anywhere.

Cyanide

 

[zastros]

Now I'll agree that WallyWorld is the Devil's Playground and that they use the blood of unbaptised babies for their dark rituals...blahblahblahwoofwoofwoof. And I'll even agree that they're probably waiting with bated breath for the chance to drop gun and ammo sales completely just so they don't have to deal with it.

But, I do love the irony of:
i sure wouldn't buy a gun from them again.
and
I just hope they do something against us so we can stage a Boycott of them.

So, they need to drop gun sales because they're a loser item because we won't put up with the hassle of buying from them but they can't drop gun sales because they know we'll boycott them if they try. Yeah, I'd like to be the poor schmuck that has to make that decision.

 

[mfree]

Only thing gun-related I buy at wally world is a 550ct box of Federal .22 or a 100 box of WWB 115gr 9mm, 'cause my CZ loves the stuff, and so does my wallet.

Besides, ambling over to the sporting goods section and perusing the ammo (got sharp eyes, I can read the boxes from the other side of the counter) lets me kill time while I'm getting my oil changed and tires rotated, before i head over to the food section for my frozen goods.

Sometimes I'll pick up a shirt or two and some furniture while I'm at it.

 

[TonyB]

Wal-mart's not perfect,but at least they have the B@lls to sell guns and ammo.....most other retailers of their size(if there is any) wouldn't DARE to sell these"killing" items in their P.C. stores.......sure the help is clueless,but the prices are good and if you have a little patience,they're usually helpfull.Any place you can buy ammo,a canned ham,and under wear at 2 am is OK with me.....

 

[shermacman]

I went to Wally World to buy a Henry lever action .22 rifle for my daughter to learn with. The sporting goods manager couldn't get the trigger lock off. I left and bought the same gun at a local gun store for $20 more. Best waste of $20 I have ever made! The gun store dealer is great. I don't mind the extra couple of dollars here and there at all. I will never buy guns or ammo at Wally World again.

PS. A couple of years ago I bought .30-06 ammo for my M1 Garand rifle. The clerk asked: "Rifle or hand gun?"
Of course I responded: "Yeah, that is for my pistol...!"

 

[Remington788]

And now for the rest of the story.

As I was walking out of walmart, the guys from Florida drive by heading to the farm store down the street. They wave and I wave back. While I was walking to my truck I think to myself that I've got a 550 round pack of federal .22 in the truck box that I could just give them. So I head over to the farm store and find one of the guys waiting in the suburban in the parking lot. The window rolls down and I give them the box of ammo and tell them to have fun and just help out another shooter if the opportunity ever comes up. They said thanks and I got back into my truck and headed on home.

Basically I just wanted to help out a fellow shooter and it only cost me 9 bucks to do so.

 

[NHBB]

at the local walmart, it is near impossible to get a clerk anywhere near the sporting goods section most of the time. the only thing I ever buy in that dept is some WWB, I wouldn't even bother trying to buy a gun there... they have a terrible selection anyways, at least the ones around here do.

 

[jtkwon]

Slightly off the topic of Wal Mart, how can you have a store named "Target" and not be about firearms?

 

[HankB]

Slightly off the topic of Wal Mart, how can you have a store named "Target" and not be about firearms?

Like Sears, Target USED to carry guns, many years ago. And ammo and accessories (like blister-packed Trashco riflescopes) too.

Also like Sears, they no longer do.

And now Target has banned Salvation Army bell ringers from their property at Christmas. This is incentive for me to shop elsewhere . . .

 

[MAURICE]

I have been fortunate enough not to have any problems at the local supercenter. I haveonly bought ammo and cleaning supplies, though.

My favorite time was checking out and the 'associate in training' had to have been a 15 year old kid. I hand him a couple of 100 round boxes of 12ga shells, he scans the barcode and asks " Is this for a handgun or a rifle?

My reply? "Uhhh, C: none of the above. Its for a shotgun. They are 12 ga shells"
"Is that a rifle and a handgun?"
So I decided to have some fun with it. " Oh, those? Theyre for a long barrelled derringer carbine full automatic lever action assault pistol"
He had a look of on his face that was just priceless.
I told him they were for a rifle, paid him and left.

 

[Carlos Cabeza]

The last gun I bought at wal-mart they lost it for about two weeks (OK a coupla days) and made a big deal out of leaving the store with it. ( Remington 870 ). The last gun I bought at my local gunshop (SA XD9SC) the guy made sure I had every possible accessory and 500 rounds of ammo all in arms as I left...............without an escort. I would have done exactly what you did and either buy it for them or give them some. I liked your "Pay it forward" suggestion.

 

[griz]

"You do realize that I used a concealed handgun permit as my ID don't you?" Of the 4 folks standing there 3 clearly didn't get it, but 1 kind of chuckled and rolled his eyes.

Guess my standards are too high, I had hoped at least half would have understood.

I don't think I have bought a gun a W.M. My "policy" experience is limited to hauling a cart full of shotgun shells up front and being told it was too late to buy them. That, and having the sporting goods specialist tell me that the shells came in boxes of 25, no such thing as a case.

But as Tony pointed out, it's probably good to realize that most retailers of that size have written off not just guns but ammo too as more trouble than they're worth.