Went to Bass Pro yesterday...

[longgunnewb]

I had to run up there to grab an armorer's tool to work on assembling my CMMG lower/PSA upper. While standing at the firearms counter just looking I came to the realization that if I had to work there I would recreate the moving Falling Down.

There was a kid rocking a pink polo, khaki shorts and Sperrys asking to see and hold almost every type of firearm you could think of. I personally saw him hold a Remington 870, Bushmaster 308 AR rifle, a double barrel 12 gauge and one other long gun that I can't remember. To top it all off he was asking questions about every single gun about methods of operation, what they would be used for and how they were different from the other weapons.

I mean he asked if the 308 rifle was full auto and when the guy told him it was semi auto he had a blank look on his face. He didn't understand what semi auto was. He also asked how the double barrel 12 gauge worked



It's one thing to be interested in firearms if you were never exposed to them growing up but you don't waste a salesman's time when they are incredibly busy just because you are too lazy to do the research on your own.

 

[Vile Shadow]

Ya know, I was getting a kick out of this 'til you decided to get shitty in that last paragraph.

Yeah the sales guy was busy, with that customer. No matter how stupid looking he may have been, the guy was still a customer.

And as for being "too lazy to do the research on your own", anyone who has fired a gun before knows full well that there simply is no substitute for hands on experience.

So don't insult rookies. It ain't cool, especially since you were one yourself once upon a time.

 

[kenpo333]

A lot of guys in gun shops along the way got to hear me ask to them must have been really bad questions. I started deer hunting when I was young (now 65) and just recently have gotten interested in "the modern sporting rifle", different world for me. Thanks to all those guys who let me ask dumb questions. Starting on my first build now.

 

[DC-W]

Better educate those folks before the anti's "do"

 

[blindnoodle]

Did you learn how to use your crotch tackle by reading about it on the internet or by using it?

Let the man learn by experiencing.

 

[new_shooter]

Better that he was asking questions than just slinging the piece around going 'ra uurah!' I know which type of customer I'd rather be waiting in line behind.

 

[MDNavyVet]

IMHO every opportunity to educate an individual about firearms is a positive opportunity. So the guy was a new and didn't know much, but he was smart enough to think that if he asked the guy at the gun store behind the counter he might get a correct answer to his questions. Besides, at least he wasn't at a Bloomturd rally.

When we begrudge those who may not know as much about firearms, we only drive away those from the younger generation from learning or even wanting to be responsible firearms owners. Its never a waste of time (salesman or not) to help someone new to firearms.

 

[longgunnewb]

I guess it is a little different from my perspective because I work in retail sales to a degree. It's frustrating when you have lines of people waiting to talk to you and potentially buy something and you are the guy stuck with someone that is kicking tires and wasting your time.

I don't mean for this to sound shitty but it is just the reality. If you want to really learn how firearms work and you don't have someone to teach you then take a firearms safety/handling class or you go to a place that has the time to really devote to you.


Now with that said you should have seen the look on the salesman's face when I asked him how the AR10 was less dangerous than an AR15 because it is cash and carry while the AR15 is regulated.

 

[longgunnewb]

Also, I'm not belittling the guy for asking "dumb" questions. If you don't know the answer to a question then it isn't a dumb question. The questions were absolutely amusing to listen to but that isn't my knock on the guy. You just shouldn't go to a high volume store that is busy as hell and eat up that much of one guy's time IMO.

 

[Mossyoak]

I guess it is a little different from my perspective because I work in retail sales to a degree. It's frustrating when you have lines of people waiting to talk to you and potentially buy something and you are the guy stuck with someone that is kicking tires and wasting your time.

I don't mean for this to sound shitty but it is just the reality. If you want to really learn how firearms work and you don't have someone to teach you then take a firearms safety/handling class or you go to a place that has the time to really devote to you.


Now with that said you should have seen the look on the salesman's face when I asked him how the AR10 was less dangerous than an AR15 because it is cash and carry while the AR15 is regulated.

Unfortunately that how sales works though. Maybe 3 out of 10 actually buy something so you gotta get through 7 non- buyers to get to the buyers. Nature of sales.

 

[ducduk]

yes educate them correctly as I am 54 and my son is a walking gun book thank god I bought him many gun books over the years he wont lie if he doesn t know he will find out and fill me in

 

[blindnoodle]

I guess it is a little different from my perspective because I work in retail sales to a degree. It's frustrating when you have lines of people waiting to talk to you and potentially buy something and you are the guy stuck with someone that is kicking tires and wasting your time.

I don't mean for this to sound shitty but it is just the reality. If you want to really learn how firearms work and you don't have someone to teach you then take a firearms safety/handling class or you go to a place that has the time to really devote to you.


Now with that said you should have seen the look on the salesman's face when I asked him how the AR10 was less dangerous than an AR15 because it is cash and carry while the AR15 is regulated.

I had an IP give me the cold shoulder when I was just starting out. He got tired of my questions and looking at firearms.

Before that day I bought damn near everything from that shop. Since then I think I have spent enough to build a new garage and maybe even put a car in it. Not a single penny in that store though.

 

[longgunnewb]

I had an IP give me the cold shoulder when I was just starting out. He got tired of my questions and looking at firearms.

Before that day I bought damn near everything from that shop. Since then I think I have spent enough to build a new garage and maybe even put a car in it. Not a single penny in that store though.

So you were already an active customer that had been spending money there and he didn't have time for you? Shame on him then.

 

[EL1227]

Actually the OP was probably pissed because Mr. "pink polo, khaki shorts and Sperrys" was #43 on the tally board and his number was 79 ... and there were 10-15 other "pink polo, khaki shorts and Sperrys" types ahead of him.

Different individuals learn in different ways. The OP and I both probably spent many hours reading and researching different firearms so we could best utilize our time and that of the sales guy when we went for some 'hands-on' and Q & A at the store. Obviously Mr. "pink polo, khaki shorts and Sperrys" isn't of that ilk. And people complain about the long lines and wait times at Bass Pro ...

The REAL question is whether Mr. "pink polo, khaki shorts and Sperrys" bought anything, or was he just trying to escape the heat by hiding out from the Mrs. while she circled around Arundel Mills ?

 

[longgunnewb]

Actually the OP was probably pissed because Mr. "pink polo, khaki shorts and Sperrys" was #43 on the tally board and his number was 79 ... and there were 10-15 other "pink polo, khaki shorts and Sperrys" types ahead of him.

Different individuals learn in different ways. The OP and I both probably spent many hours reading and researching different firearms so we could best utilize our time and that of the sales guy when we went for some 'hands-on' and Q & A at the store. Obviously Mr. "pink polo, khaki shorts and Sperrys" isn't of that ilk. And people complain about the long lines and wait times at Bass Pro ...

The REAL question is whether Mr. "pink polo, khaki shorts and Sperrys" bought anything, or was he just trying to escape the heat by hiding out from the Mrs. while she circled around Arundel Mills ?

I actually wasn't pissed in the least. I wasn't even looking at anything that day other than window shopping some optics. I was just raised in a home that when you had a question the response back was "go figure it out and when you do come let me know what it is". My brothers and I weren't given the answers right off the bat, we had to work for them. That is why I try to do all of my research on my own before buying or doing anything.

I did manage to over hear a salesman talking to another customer and the words "I don't even know why people buy these things. You can't even hunt with them" came out of the salesman's mouth while holding an AR15. Talk about a completely ignorant statement. Of course the ONLY caliber you can use with an AR is .223/5.56. There aren't any other calibers out there that you can take a hog or a whitetail with

 

[blindnoodle]

So you were already an active customer that had been spending money there and he didn't have time for you? Shame on him then.

Active customer had nothing to do with it.

Does customer service come before or after a sale? In your eyes it comes only after (hence the "active customer" comment). In my eyes is come before and after.

I wish you the best of luck in retail sales.

 

[smokey]

Ehh, it's part of the job. There are worse things in life to do than try to bring someone up to speed on guns. The salesman's job is to identify the problem the customer wishes to solve, then educate the customer on the products so the customer can choose the product that best solves their problem. Behind the counter recently, the majority of the people are brand new to firearms. This means getting a lot of questions like, "I want a gun for defense, what should I get?". This may mean describing the pros and cons of shotguns, carbines, and different types of handguns. Once the customer knows what each type of gun is good for, they can decide on the best tool for the job and even be directed on where to get for more information/training.

Now, the salesman SHOULD try to balance their time. If there's a short line, they can take some more time to help each customer. If there's a ton of people there, the salesman should be able to simplify the information and if it looks like the customer is just window shopping, they should be able to find an out to move on to the next customer. Hopefully the salesman points the person to some resources to learn more and ends on a pleasant note. Even if your customer service doesn't lead to an immediate sale then and there, if you provide a good resource, you can earn their loyalty to have them come back and buy something later. A big part of salesmanship is building relationships with customers to earn their trust and loyalty.

Having tons of new people coming in to learn more about shooting and buy a gun is a good thing for us. It's important that they have positive experiences when first entering the shooting world. It's also important they get some quality information. If a new shooter is brought in to the shooting world and gets the wrong gun, bad info, or just a bad attitude...it could quickly turn them off and we lose another pair of boots to march to annapolis.

While those kinds of customers don't bother me, people that hand out just flat out bad information like they know what they're talking about does. That's the real reason my blood pressure goes up behind the counter(that and work-related absurdity). You get a lot of guys pushing small hammerless .38's on women that want to get in to shooting, people saying #8 birdshot is the best defensive loading for a shotgun, there's no place for ar's in the hunting/sporting world...they should be banned but I should be allowed to keep my duck gun, 9's won't do anything to stop a threat but 45's will knock someone back 10 feet "like in the movies", and so on. It comes from both sides of the counter, although many of the people behind the counter now are pretty good with knowledge.

I'd say kenny, dave, john, steve, will, and travis are going to be the ones that will know what they're talking about most of the time. Some others are hit or miss. I'm forgetting some good ones.

 

[tdt91]

I was at the Gun Shop today to pick up something small and this guy that was buying a 500 asked me what the quality of a Tuarus. Wes was by himself with lots of customers so told him they are Ok but have reputation issues. Then he asks what I like and I said in a semi or revolver? He said Semi, I said I like S&W. Then he says what about this Hi-Point, is it a cheap gun. I said yes but relieable and if it don't shoot you can throw it at the bad guy!! I really didn't feel like talking to the guy and he caught on so he left me alone. He then started asking Wes questions while Wes was trying to get people taken care of with paper work. You would think that he would realize not to distract someone when filling out gun purchase paperwork.

That shit would drive me up a wall and make me collect little doll pony's if I had to go through that all the time.

 

[alucard0822]

I was there yesterday too visiting Smokey. Met a nice heavyset indian guy asking questions by the BB guns. He wanted a long range rifle for billy goats like he used in the special forces, he kept missing them with his current rifle. Smokey suggested a 300mag and practice, I told him how I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home, and they aren't much bigger than 2 meters, he was glad to have the help, and seemed to help him narrow down the choices

 

[smokey]

I was there yesterday too visiting Smokey. Met a nice heavyset indian guy asking questions by the BB guns. He wanted a long range rifle for billy goats like he used in the special forces, he kept missing them with his current rifle. Smokey suggested a 300mag and practice, I told him how I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home, and they aren't much bigger than 2 meters, he was glad to have the help, and seemed to help him narrow down the choices

haha that guy was funny. We do meet all kinds of characters in the mall. The oddest to date is the guy that went from one end of the counter to the other with a notebook, writing down every gun on display. He was about 5'4" and 130 lbs dripping wet, black, with face piercings. He said he wanted to buy all the guns and have them put in safe's that only he knew the combination to, then we would deliver them to him. He said that everyone has their price in this world, some crack after $1,000 and other's crack after $1,000,000...but he couldn't be bought so he had unlimited spiritual capital. He was disheartened when I informed him that basspro does not accept spiritual capital.

He went on to say he spent all yesterday in the bathroom, because he's not dumb...he's smart, and he knew that if he came out of the bathroom they(the corporations running the government) would have their sniper shoot him through the window by the stairs. When I told him I'm not selling him a gun because he's batshit, he then asked if I'd sell him a muzzle-loader or "some crossbows". Management(basspro...not THAT management) came and took over during the conversation and freed me up to check my 6 for those corporate snipers the kid was talking about.

You definitely meet some interesting ones there, that's for sure.