Would you warn someone off a sale or mind your own business?

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jsalcedo

Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2002
Messages
3,683
I was buying some ammo at the last local saxet gunshow when a guy walked up and inquired about buying several cases of Wolf .45acp from the vendor.

$64 per thousand

The guy wanted eight cases.

I about swallowed my tongue...

The ammo vendor is a good guy and I buy powder, bullets, primers and ammo from him all the time so I didn't want to ruin a potential sale for him.

Don't get me wrong, I love wolf ammo for my Makarov, SAR 1 and SKS's.

I tried wolf ammo in 4 of my 1911's and encountered keyholing, failure to extract properly, blowing chunks of unburned crap in my face etc...

These are guns that otherwise function flawlessly with any other ammo.

Should I have been a good samaritan and warned the buyer about Wolf .45 being crap or was I right to keep my mouth shut and mind my own business?
 
quiet.....

or ask what he was shooting maybe. cause maybe he wasnting shooting it out of a 1911. could be a number of various guns. guns that wont mind the wolf or not.
 
He's an adult making his own decisions. When you buy 8 cases, you've probably gone through a couple boxes to see if the stuff works for you...just don't start laughing until you get back to your vehicle :evil:
 
I used to try to be helpful. Didn't seem to pan out. Somebody always got pissed. Buyer, clerk, etc. Now, I just keep my mouth shut, and chuckle to myself . . . inside. Sad, because, I always appreciated the anecdote and note of wisdom from an old salt when buying a new gun or ammo. The way I was raised I suppose . . . respect my elders, but that sort of thing has gone out of fashion, and so, I now stay silent. Sigh!
 
The only way I ever say anything to anybody is if the buyer is someone I am close to.....family or good friends.

Adult consumers have the choice to be educated or ignorant.

Caveat Emptor.

But I have shot Wolf ammo and can imagine plenty of reasons to buy several cases, at least of 7.62X39.

bang bang bang.

But giving un-asked-for advice in a buy-sell situation will only make the seller hate you for sure, and probably the poor buyer as well, whose money you were trying to save.

hillbilly
 
8 cases, I would figure he knows what he's buying.

Personally, I get seriously annoyed at strangers offering unsolicited advice. I usually know what it is I'm buying and if I want advice I'll ask for it. Usually they're honestly trying to be helpful so I'm mostly polite when I reply that I know what I want.

My experience has been (not putting you in that category jsalcedo, but generally) people who offer advice when a customer is trying to buy something don't know what they're talking about. Like the customer in a computer store that told another customer that Superdrives were magneto-optical. Or the guy that tried to tell me I didn't want off-road tires for my truck or the guy that told me SVGA monitors wouldn't work on a Mac. (I'm an Apple Authorized Service Rep)

edited to add: To clarify what I'm saying, when customers ask for a specific make and model or a specific brand then they usually know what they're buying and wouldn't appreciate advice. If they seem hesitant or browsing among several different models then they may appreciate your opinion.
 
I was toying with the idea on whether the guy knew what wolf ammo was.

All the guy said was wow.. $64? Can I have 8?

I'm beginning to think the buyer was going to resell them retail.

Wolf .45 is not something I would want to shoot 8 cases of in any gun.
 
I treat interfearing with a sale is in the same category as domestic dispute.

If you try to break them up usually one or both turn on you and try to make you a victim. I just do my business and move on.



Good Shooting
Red
 
Not ammo - was in a gun store that I hadn't been in before - just browsing to get aquainted. An obviously uninformed customer was getting the old soft shoe from the clerk. I didn't say anything until he started his pitch on a VERY overpriced .38 snubby. (Yeah. Great gun for a newbie. :rolleyes: )

I spoke up and told him he could get it $100 cheaper at Turner's.


The clerk's only comment was short and to the point:

OUT!

:D

Left with my two friends, followed by the newbie. We told him the facts, and he went back in and bought the gun.

:rolleyes:

Never again.
 
I was at WalMart the other day, saw a guy looking at Bushnell 4-12x40 AO scopes. Asked him if he had internet access, he said he did. Told him to check SWAFA, same scope for $30 less. He seemed to appreciate the tip, doubt if WalMart goes broke because of one missed sale.
 
Keep your opinion to yourself! Just because you have had bad experiences with a particular product doesn't mean someone else will encounter the same difficulties. Perhaps he had a gun that has an affinity for Wolf! Besides, two adults conducting business is none of your affair.
 
seeker, you forgot #3: newbie, just looking for cheap ammo.

The range I go to has some pretty good guys working there, when someone asks one for an opinion, they get the opinion, not a sales pitch. But I dont live there so i dont know if theyre perfect strangers or not. I keep my opinion to myself unless I'm asked. But, since a few ppl voiced their opinion about Wolf ammo, I'll do the same. I dont like cleaning guns, and therefore I dont like wolf. I shoot .45ACP exclusively (other than in rentals and "Hey Zach, try this one")
 
$65 per 1000?

Wow ...
Are you sure that wasn't $65 for 500?

I pay a little more than $65 for 1000 230g copper plated Berry's bullets to reload with.

At $65 per K, I'd probably grab a case to see how well it ran, and worst case I'd pull the bullets and powder.
 
Staying quiet might just be the best plan, but...

You could warn him, while hopefully not sounding nosy or ticking off the seller by saying something like "I sure wish that Wolf ammo worked in my 45, I just have too many jams with it."

It sounds conversational while letting them know that Wolf may not work in their gun.
 
In rare cases I will correct the gun clerk, if he is feeding the customer a load of bs. In one case gun clerk at the Sportsmans Warehouse was telling a guy that a the Washington State Patrol uses a Glock and that it was a good gun. At this point I chimed in saying that they use the 92fs. The clerk said "Ahh. No they just switched." By the way I personally know a state trooper and he carries the 92fs and I saw it last week when I dispatched a skunk. He was on the hook and loosing the sale quick. "Not on west side of the state." I told the clerk that I just got back from taking the test for state patrol and all of the guys were wearing 92fs. "ahh. They must not have gotten the new guns yet." So when he left I told the guy that the clerk was not accurate about the state patrol pistol, but the Glock would serve him well.

In most cases I would/will not step in unless the clerk is feeding someone a load of crap.
 
Quartus

It is truly bad form to tell a customer that they can get a product cheaper at a competitors establishment.

Every shop has a differant set of expenses and profit structure. Very bad form indeed.

I will only get involved if I agree with the saleperson or if they are saying something that is absolutly wrong or/and dangerous.

DM
 
Quartus

It is truly bad form to tell a customer that they can get a product cheaper at a competitors establishment.

Every shop has a differant set of expenses and profit structure. Very bad form indeed.
Click to expand...


If it's an honest merchant, yes. The deal this guy was offering did not pass Go, but went straight to larceny. He was ripping off an obvious newbie.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

B
  • Locked
Mind my own business, or inform carrier?
2
Replies
48
Views
3K
Sam1911
S
K
  • Locked
Rant: Why Some Shooters Should Mind Their Own Business At The Range
2 3 4
Replies
77
Views
6K
sohcgt2
S
D
  • Locked
Anyone had this ammo shortage experience???
Replies
6
Views
417
sniper5
S
J
  • Locked
Would you buy under this condition?
Replies
18
Views
1K
jsalcedo
J
H
  • Locked
Moment of Weakness.....I went to a gun show
2
Replies
28
Views
5K
ny32182
N
Back
Top