Hints for Gunshop Owners

Here's a small bit of advice -- be able to shoot. And know the 4 rules. ALL OF THEM.

At the range/gun store where I shoot in CT, the owner sold a 1911 and a 12 guage Mossberg pump action shotgun to a "nice young couple." He took them to the attached range to demonstrate the safe operation of these firearms.

First thing he did was put a mag into the 1911, drop the slide, click the safety on and off and then blow a neat 45 cal. hole into the firing point bench. Oops. ND #1.

Then he loaded a few rounds into the shotgun and somehow had another ND and shot one of the flourescents half way down the range out of the ceiling. Along with a large chunk of ceiling tiles.

He;s the only gun shop owner who terrifies me, every time he picks up a gun.
 
OK since we are dredging up this thread... don't be sipping on a beer from a koozie when I come in to discuss a purchase.

Alcohol and guns don't mix well, even if they are unloaded and on display
 
If you're not going to be open, PLEASE don't have a big sign in your window that says "Come in, we're OPEN" right above the small sign where it says that you're open Wed - Sun... and this is a Monday.
 
yes, no open signs when your closed that is good, also many close @ 4pm. I could get to a lot more gun shops after work than on weekends.
 
Here's a small bit of advice -- be able to shoot. And know the 4 rules. ALL OF THEM.

At the range/gun store where I shoot in CT, the owner sold a 1911 and a 12 guage Mossberg pump action shotgun to a "nice young couple." He took them to the attached range to demonstrate the safe operation of these firearms.

First thing he did was put a mag into the 1911, drop the slide, click the safety on and off and then blow a neat 45 cal. hole into the firing point bench. Oops. ND #1.

Then he loaded a few rounds into the shotgun and somehow had another ND and shot one of the flourescents half way down the range out of the ceiling. Along with a large chunk of ceiling tiles.

He;s the only gun shop owner who terrifies me, every time he picks up a gun.

If it wasn't so damn scary, that would be the funniest thing I've read in a very long time.

Shameless plug for Pete's in Adams, MA. No creepy, unwashed security guards, help that knows their guns (if not their laws, per se.. but this is MA - who does??), friendly attention when you want it, and a good honest work ethic.
 
Heres a HINT: Dont ASS-U-ME that every person that walks through the door is there to tire kick... treat everyone like they are going to make a purchase .. there is a couple of places on the south shore that i feel like i have to announce to the whole state that im licensed before they will look up from their boston herald or ask any Questions...
 
Shop workers, GET A SENSE OF HUMOR. I can't stand it when I try to lighten up a conversation and the other person gets all serious. For crying out loud I just handed you a bunch of cash, the least you could do is act a little happy. I feel like I'm talking to cops a lot of the time, why does everything have to be so serious. I usually get this attitude from the younger employees, trying to prove something.
 
This post reminds me of a couple gun shops I refuse to do business with because of stupidity while dealing with customers.
The first was a shop long since closed that I was browsing in when a woman came in looking for a hand gun to dispatch various animals with (she was a newly elected animal control officer). She stated that she may have to use it on "critters ranging from rabbits to moose". The store owner showed her several handguns ranging from 22s to 357 magnums. she finally settled on a 357 magnum though I don't remember much else about the gun. she then stated that while she had shot rifles and shotguns before she had never shot a handgun and asked the owner if he could show her how. The owner told her that he charged a fee for firearms training and that she would have to pay for him to teach her how. He wouldn't even instruct her on how to safely operate the gun. I sent her to a shop a little ways away that I knew would sell her what she needed and gladly show her how to safely use it. The owner threatened to have me arrested[shocked][laugh]. He was closed about six months later.
The second was a little shop I passed a lot on the way to work. I finally stopped in only to have the owner tell me after about ten minutes of looking that if I wasn't going to spend any money he would appreciate it if I left so I did[rolleyes].
 
I walked into a southern nh shop to look around. I got greeted by an older lady with a "hello, can I help you find something?". I politely declined, as I was just looking for the moment. She was sitting on one side of the shop, watching a television diagonally on the other side of the shop. The television was about chest level, sitting on the counter. Everywhere I stopped to look at something I was in the way of the television and I could see her leaning to one side or the other to look around me. I felt like more of a nuisance than a customer. I ended up purchasing a soft case for a shotgun and she seemed upset to have to get up from her chair and ring me up. When I presented a debit card she seemed even more disgruntled. I don't think I'll be going back there, I just didn't feel welcome.
 
When showing a customer a handgun, don't get so distracted in your holding forth that you set the gun down on the counter, in battery, pointed towards the customer, while you absentmindedly fiddle with the trigger. Hummkay?
 
The best one from a dealer at a recent MA gun show was "Federal law overrides state law, these LEO marked Glock mags are legal for civilians, and if you would pay attention and listen to me you might learn something since you clearly don't understand the law."

Damn... this guy is STILL selling at MA gun shows. Think he must have been the one I had a run-in with at Marlborough a few weeks back!

Sorry for the thread resurrection; I was looking up this thread for a friend of mine.
 
I see a large shift in gun shop hours...
A few that have better hours than most
ACME ARMORMENT plympton- a call for something specific and Im sure Adam will do his best.
M&J guns in Rockland really new store but hours are good
C&F in middleboro hours are ok to.
my dream gun shop would be open between 11pm and 2am
 
I see a large shift in gun shop hours...
A few that have better hours than most,
ACME ARMORMENT plympton- a call for something specific and Im sure Adam will do his best.
M&J guns in Rockland really new store but hours are good
C&F in middleboro hours are ok to.
my dream gun shop would be open between 11pm and 2am
I have never understood a gun shop that closes at 4, let alone one that closes on Sunday. Most of us work, sometimes 6 days a week. Sunday is often the only day we have.
 
Yeh, i work 9-5 M-F, gun shop hours suck...
Except the internet and Dick's/Bass.... And people wonder why mom and pops are going bust.

From my HTC EVO via Tapatalk
 
Hey Guy's these are really good suggestions. I started my own gun shop because I have been treated that way at other places. If anyones stops in and sees us and gets treated that way please email me directly [email protected]. I always try to tell the customer if we do not have it in the store we are more then willing to order it. Getting the customer what they want is the point right?


Ryan Palmer
Back Forty Guns & Ammo
2689 US Rt 5 North
Windsor VT 05089
802-674-4145
[email protected]
http://backfortyguns.com
www.facebook.com/backfortyguns
 
My only beef is this, have real hours. Most people shop after work. Open later and stay open later.

I have never understood a gun shop that closes at 4, let alone one that closes on Sunday. Most of us work, sometimes 6 days a week. Sunday is often the only day we have.

So we are supposed to stay open for whenever you might stop in? What about us having a private life? My shop's hours are taylored to when my customers were stopping in. And we are closed Sunday because it is the ONLY day that Nicole and I get to go shooting.
 
That is crazy, as an owner of a shop I dont understand what these people think, although that kinda treatment is why I started my ow shop

I started one for the same reason Mr. Palmer, and I was tired of driving a hour up to Four Seasons. But after a while you'll think that we should have a thread entitled, "Tips for people visiting a gunshop." [laugh]
 
"Tips for people visiting a gunshop." this may help.

I will start
Do not stop by with your daughter before her nap time. Adam my daughter still thinks she scared Dad.

Convenience is a tough one when it comes to store hours. Most of the shooters I am personal with are retired so a gun shop hours are not a big deal. For the working stiffs.................I guess you will just have to plan your trips better to your favorite FFL. I have a few gun shops right in my area, 3 kids a wife that works nights there is no one set of hours a gun shop can be open to suite me. Unless they want to drop by my house in a mobile shop around 1030ish pm.

One tip I might add for gun shops:
I wouldn't mind being on a email list when orders of ammo are coming up. Maybe the price can be a bit better if enough shooters pre order with a scheduled pick up day ? Just a though I have ammo on the brain.
 
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How about don't assume I'm an idiot who doesn't know anything and try to F me over on something! I walked into a shop recently and I'm looking around and I see a LNL. I have been seriously thinking about getting another so the conversation went something like this.

Me: Excuse me, what's the price on this LNL?

Clerk #1: There's a price tag on it. That was ordered for someone but I can sell it to you I can always get them. (now mind you I was in this shop about six months or so ago doing a transfer and this looks like the same LNL that was there then, don't know for sure..just a suspicion)

So I look......

Me: Sorry, I can't find it.

So clerk #2 starts looking in a book......

Clerk #2: Wow, the price on these has really gone up (calculator comes out) $499.00 he says.

Me: Thanks, have a nice day.

Now I can get a LNL right now for $379.00 at Midway. I want to support the local shops and I would be willing to pay a certain amount more to that end but come on don't try to F&*% me over. They absolutely lost a sale that day and I will never go back to that shop.
 
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Dont be a huge a**h*** and tell a loyal customer who has spent thousands in a store that you are "too busy" to do a transfer when there are 8 guys in there jerking their cocks not buying anything. Lost a customer for life because you have a piss poor attitude and you feel entitled. Not everyone has a PIN and can use the epic fail of an E-FA10.
 
"Tips for people visiting a gunshop." this may help.

I will start
Do not stop by with your daughter before her nap time. Adam my daughter still thinks she scared Dad.

More tips for people visiting a gunshop

1- Do not come into the shop and say "Hi I am here to pick up MY gun" and then stop speaking there. Is it a layaway, a transfer or a NICS hold?? You arent the ONLY person with a gun on hold. Then the poor sales guy has to pull the information out out you.

2- If you are bringing in a gun for consignment or trade please follow these RULES.
a- MAKE SURE IT IS UNLOADED.
b- Have it inside a case or bag or something. Do not have it holstered on your hip and start your drawstroke as the sales clerk greets you.
If you do point a gun at the sales person in the above situations YOU SHOULD EXPECT to have the gun taken away from you in an aggressive manner. (do a youtube search for Krav Maga gun disarms)

3. If the gun you are looking at has a laser make sure it is pointed AT THE GROUND. Not at the sales person and not at the glass countertop. The laser will reflect off the counter top and end up in someones eye.

4. If you want to dryfire a gun, please ask if its ok. Some guns should not be dryfired. Do NOT point it at the salesperson and pull the trigger.

5. If you do point a gun at the sales person EXPECT that they are going to correct you, and keep correcting you until you stop. (We dont care that you are there with your friend and now you look stupid)
 
Four seasons is crazy busy on Saturdays right from the opening but the staff is always helpful and easy to deal with.
 
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