Guns shops from the other side of the counter!

Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Messages
893
Likes
163
Location
Concord New Hampshire
Feedback: 1 / 0 / 0
There have been a few posts about the attitudes of variousgun shops and their owners /staff. Yes they are in the “service” business anddealing with the public brings in all type of people. I asked a few of myfriends who work or have worked at gun shops about some of the various types ofcustomers who have tried their patience.
1) The “ I know everything type ”: Comes in to look at a gun, handles it andexplains every aspect for about 5minutes, then gives it back and says he likes the gun but would never buy it.
2) The “ Well let me explain it for you “’type: Your showing a gun to someone and anothercustomer comes over and try to take over the conversation and “explaining” tothe potential buyer everything about the gun…many of the facts being wrong orhis opinion)
3) The “Let me see inside” type: Asks to look at a new gun then tries to takethe gun apart to see inside! What dothey intend to see that is that critical? What happens if they lose a part ordamage the gun? Do they even know how to take it apart or putting it backtogether?
4) The “Can I return this ammo- a and b” type : Type a)Brings in a box of ammo and says he bought the wrong type. Wants to trade itfor a different caliber. Problem is that the ammo wasn’t bought at YOUR gun shop! Type b) Bring back a box of ammo and says it doesn’t’fit in their gun …. They bought 38 special and they needed .380!!!
5) The “This gun doesn’t work” type: Brings in gun complaining they can’t get thegun to dry fire. Asked if they had the magazine in when they tried…they say no….problem /cause …magazine safety! (Which was explained to them when they boughtthe gun in the first place.
6) The “This gun is worth XXXX” type. People comingin to sell a used gun and they want way more for it then what a new gun of thesame type currently goes for!
7) The “This gun on Gun Brooker sold for”type: Want to sell their gun for the highest asking price fortheir gun listed on Gunbroker! (note: not the price of the ones which were actuallysold but the ones where a stupid starting price was listed!)
8) The “Can you take 50 dollars of the price” type. Price haggling is part of the fun forsome people and it never hurts to ask. But asking $50 to $100 off a new gun(when you and your customer know your store has the lowest prices around) just isn’tgoing to fly! Then they leave butt hurt cause you didn’t sell the gun to themfor below YOUR cost!
9) The “Can’t tell time” type: Comes in to the gun shop 5 to 10 minutes beforeit closes and wanders around looking at everything, asks to look at a few guns thendecided to buy a hand gun after the shop is officially closed. (NH pistol background checks take 30 minutes toan hour + to get a response). Not happywhen told about the waiting time. Not happy to hear the shop will not remainopen while wait for the background check reply and not happy to be told he canreturn tomorrow to pick up the gun or to come back tomorrow and go get it alldone then.
10) The “Tire kickers” type: Asks to look at a number of guns, asks a lotof questions, takes up a lot of time and has no intention of buying any.
11) The “WOW a Gun shop” type: Usually a small group of people who havenever been in a gun shop before and bounce around taking guns and looking atthem, joking around asking stupid (funny to them) questions about rates of fireand wanting to see and hold just about every hand gun in the store. Clearly notintending to buy anything, just having fun seeing guns and taking pictures oftheir friends holding guns!
I’m sure some you out there have visited your LGS and seen /experience some of these types. Care to add any other types you’ve seen?
 
You think this is any different from any other retail business? It would be great if it weren't for those customers!

And dealing with all kinds of customers is part of the job.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 


If you can't stand the customers then maybe just maybe you shouldn't be in customer service.

Not everyone knows or understands the making of gun shop edict. Everyone was green at one point.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
12. The guy who if you owned the gun shop you would kick out of your shop and never sell anything to. (because they're unsafe or really stupid)

There's a segment of gun shop clientele that I would just kick out of my shop at the slightest provocation.

If you can't stand the customers then maybe just maybe you shouldn't be in customer service.

Not everyone knows or understands the making of gun shop edict. Everyone was green at one point.

Yeah but some of these people are just dumber than a box of rocks. There's a big difference between a lack of knowledge and a lack of capability.

I work in customer service for a living (doing IT stuff) and I have a bunch of customers that don't have a lot of knowledge but they're
bright enough to be able to follow directions. When they fall below that level it gets difficult to make them happy.

-Mike
 
its all fun.... i find the best way to deal with the customers here is just explain our policy and make it clear what we do and dont do and for how much.
most small businesses have to survive on a smaller "percentage" of markup just because of the lack of valume. Some shops have even more barriers.
the know it alls i have offered them jobs and that seems to end it right there.
The ones who say they can get it for XYZ i break out the cash and say go get me 10 at that price and i will give you ABC percent.
sometimes the best thing to do is smile and say no.
 
This post is suppose to be a bit fun... a little insight into the other side.
Customer service, we all get that ! Newbie questions and accidental purchase, we have all been there!
Sometime its good to see things from the other side.
Stop taking our self so serious and thinking we are the center of the universe.
We need the gun shops as much as they need our business!
 
We need the good gun shops as much as they need our business!

Fixed it for you. A lot of dealers are literally just taking up space in the marketplace. On the other hand when a dealer goes out of their way to do something for me that would otherwise be a pain in the ass for me to do (eg, something thats a real value add) I usually reward them with more business. (For example I ****ing hate shipping guns- absolutely hate it- because it's a logistical nightmare to pick up the gun when it comes back, arguments with shippers, etc) So I get dealer to ship (and receive) my guns that are going in for repair/mods/etc... and the ones that do this inexpensively usually get rewarded with more business.

-Mike
 
2 sides to every story...but just because the previous customer was a douche doesn't mean the shop employee has to be a douche with everyone else after that either...new customer, hit the reset button...haven't run into this at a gun shop yet, but at stores, yes...in MA gun shops can't afford to be like this or they will lose business...i go to shops that have employees that i like and are helpful...i sometimes don't mind giving them a little more of my money (depending how much)
 
I hate the guys that hang out at gun shops just to hang out. They try to talk to you and explain laws and firearms reviews. All of which are usually wrong. These are the ones that I think most owners don't even like because they are annoying and not funny and borderline douchey.

IMO Gun stores are usually like star wars bars.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Having been in the water well business for 35 years, I think after I have spent hours explaining the same thing the first five drillers they called did they must go to your shop. Folks who have been on this end of customer service face challeges that the buying public only sees as the customer is all ways right and with out me you would not be in business. I fortunaly after years of experience can tell most of the tire kickers. Once and awhile I blow it and lose a sale but more often than not it was just waste of time.
 
I hate the guys that hang out at gun shops just to hang out. They try to talk to you and explain laws and firearms reviews. All of which are usually wrong. These are the ones that I think most owners don't even like because they are annoying and not funny and borderline douchey.

IMO Gun stores are usually like star wars bars.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
So like NES, just in a shop and not online.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
Customers suck, but they're good for business.

I had a table at the Marlborough show a few years back. I had (among other things) a modern-made Brown Bess, and, since I wasn't sure of what it was worth, I priced it, IIRC ~$500.

In the first 15 minutes of the door being opened I had

1 person tell me that the frizzen was too rough
1 person tell me that the frizzen was too smooth
1 person tell me that the trigger pull was not smooth enough
1 person get borderline pissed that I did not have a big REPLICA sign on it (his buddy told him if it were real, it would have been 10X the price)

At least 10 people say, "You're asking too much for that," and not make an offer.

One person jump on it like a dog on meat and fork over the currency before I could change my mind. [laugh]


Moral of the story....most people ( including me, I guess) just like to bitch. [rofl]
 
You never know who the customer knows or has influence with. You have to take the bitter with the sweet and follow the golden rules:

1) The customer is always right.
2) If the customer is wrong refer to rule #1.
 
You never know who the customer knows or has influence with. You have to take the bitter with the sweet and follow the golden rules:

1) The customer is always right.
2) If the customer is wrong refer to rule #1.

No, the customer is not always right. That said people have to be careful about "shitting where they eat".

Putting up with garbage customers can actually cost your business more money than you'll ever make from that relationship. I had a few a long time ago that were a tremendous waste of time.

-Mike
 
A good bit of the friction and dissatisfaction can be summed up to a lack of respect. Shop owners can be arrogant and assume they know more than their customer about everything and be miffed when they are not regarded as important authority figures, and some customers think they are Gods gift to shooting and obviously know more than any shop clerk.

The reality is that you don't know much about the person you are talking to, their skill/knowledge base, etc. until you spend a bit of time to get to know them. A bit of humility goes a long way towards getting along - and that goes for both sides of the counter.
 
Last edited:
No, the customer is not always right. That said people have to be careful about "shitting where they eat".

Putting up with garbage customers can actually cost your business more money than you'll ever make from that relationship. I had a few a long time ago that were a tremendous waste of time.

-Mike

The real meaning of, "The customer is always right" is figurative. You need to just schmooze and walk away. No sense in arguing with an idiot or wasting your valuable time.
 
The real meaning of, "The customer is always right" is figurative. You need to just schmooze and walk away. No sense in arguing with an idiot or wasting your valuable time.

One of the most valuable lessons I ever learned in business is that some customers just are not worth keeping. Through the years I have experienced huge volume customers that I couldn't wait to get rid of. My favorites are the ones that complain constantly, try to haggle price with every transaction, and then are slow to pay. I just raise their price until they go away.

The reality is that you don't know much about the person you are talking to, their skill/knowledge base, etc. until you spend a bit of time to get to know them. A bit of humility goes a long way towards getting along - and that goes for both sides of the counter.

Agreed, but I don't think it is unreasonable to assume that when you walk into a gun store, that the person behind the counter, has some basic knowledge of firearms and the laws relating to them. You know, like the guy at Bass Pro who told me with that my license I can buy brand new standard capacity magazines for my new Sig, that they just don't sell them, but it was perfectly legal to just order them online. When I told him that was a felony, he proceeded to tell my that he had recently retired from a local PD after 30 years and that he knows the law. Scary.
The exact opposite was the first time I met Adam from Acme Armament. After 20 seconds and two questions, I realized I needed to shut my mouth and listen because this guy knew his shit and would offer good advice.
 
Went to a family cookout this summer and to decided to check out the local gun shop in the area. I was looking for a edc and I saw they had a good selection online. I went into the store with a pocket full of cash and I could not even get near the counter. There were a group of people not buying guns, but just having a general bs session. Finally I stood back for a few to let's them finish up, and never once was I even acknowledged of my presence. Walked out of the store and gave my local gun shop the business. I'll stick with my local gun shop because they want to sell a product and help you with your purchase and not be the local gun guru hangout.

Jim
 
Agreed, but I don't think it is unreasonable to assume that when you walk into a gun store, that the person behind the counter, has some basic knowledge of firearms and the laws relating to them.
Haven't been to many MA gun stores have you [rofl](sorry, I could not resist)
 
You never know who the customer knows or has influence with. You have to take the bitter with the sweet and follow the golden rules:

1) The customer is always right.
2) If the customer is wrong refer to rule #1.
It should be:
"The customer is always wrong, you're just not allowed to inform them of that."
 
I guess in your fantasy...

Customer silently hands you wad of cash, you hand over firearm of your choice...cool.

Which shop?
 
Back
Top Bottom