Trader Johns, Winchester, NH-great experience

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Have read some comments regarding this shop and wish to post that a visit there Saturday was 100% positive-sure the guy doesn't talk a lot but he was very polite to people who called and spent a fair amount of time trying to help them. He was as helpful to us as to everyone else, as was his grandson who was there assisting. Selection was impressive, ammo prices very competitive, certainly much less than Dicks/Cabelas/Bass Pro and my buddy who in into black powder big time went away with a lot of stuff that he stated he has only seen on line.

I had intented to stop at what I thought was a large dealer; by his/her phone MESSAGE and presence on GunBroker-New Hampshire Collectibles Trader just up the road from Trader Johns. As mentioned from another member this address (if I was at the correct one) is nothing more than a mobile home on the side of Rt 10, no business signs or signs of any life for that matter. I presume that the Company is still in business as they have current listings on GB, perhaps they moved? as for me , if I was at the correct address-if they are still doing business, thanks but no thanks-weird.
 
I also like trader johns. Back when it was hard to find primers they always seemed to have some to sell me.
 
Have read some comments regarding this shop and wish to post that a visit there Saturday was 100% positive-sure the guy doesn't talk a lot but he was very polite to people who called and spent a fair amount of time trying to help them. He was as helpful to us as to everyone else, as was his grandson who was there assisting. Selection was impressive, ammo prices very competitive, certainly much less than Dicks/Cabelas/Bass Pro and my buddy who in into black powder big time went away with a lot of stuff that he stated he has only seen on line.

I had intented to stop at what I thought was a large dealer; by his/her phone MESSAGE and presence on GunBroker-New Hampshire Collectibles Trader just up the road from Trader Johns. As mentioned from another member this address (if I was at the correct one) is nothing more than a mobile home on the side of Rt 10, no business signs or signs of any life for that matter. I presume that the Company is still in business as they have current listings on GB, perhaps they moved? as for me , if I was at the correct address-if they are still doing business, thanks but no thanks-weird.

Wow.....you must have caught John on a good day!

Also, not sure where you shop for ammo but TJ's ammo is so overpriced nobody around here buys ammo from there. He must make good profit off all the MA and CT customers he caters to.

Not sure what gun dealer you were looking for but there is an ammo seller up the street. Joe Ammo is located next to the gas station and his prices are much better. If you're in the area, go a little farther next time and look up Highlander Arms. They are, by far, the most helpful and knowledgeable staff I have ever seen. Excellent prices on guns, service and ammo. Veteran owned and operated!
 
I will visit the shops mentioned, tnks. I only need .357/22 and 9mm and for those the prices at TJ's was as competitive as any I have seen on line and significantly less than the box stores, no 22 wmr though. My partner is interested in most all other ammo prices and his assessment was that the shop was in line with others. Very large selection of rifles, a decent amount of handguns; the price on the Ruger SP 101 .357 was $15.00 less than what I paid at a local shop which is known for very fair prices. We will stop by again for certain.

If anyone has info about NH Collectibles Trader-369 Manning Hill Rd., it would be appreciated.
 
Wow.....you must have caught John on a good day!

Also, not sure where you shop for ammo but TJ's ammo is so overpriced nobody around here buys ammo from there. He must make good profit off all the MA and CT customers he caters to.

Not sure what gun dealer you were looking for but there is an ammo seller up the street. Joe Ammo is located next to the gas station and his prices are much better. If you're in the area, go a little farther next time and look up Highlander Arms. They are, by far, the most helpful and knowledgeable staff I have ever seen. Excellent prices on guns, service and ammo. Veteran owned and operated!

+1. I visit my buddy in Swanzy regularly and will stop there on he way in usually just to see what's new on the rack. Would it hurt to just have a little friendly smile and "hello" when you go in there? I'm sure it's just me but I always feel uncomfortable there. I also usually try to buy something like ammo or targets but their prices are just too high but, again, that's probably just me. It is well stocked.....that's for sure.

Rome
 
I like the store but the guy just glares at people and it's weird and makes me feel like I need to leave if I go.
 
Only good shopping experiences I have ever had at Trader Johns is when he wasn't there. He is a grumpy old fart with prices too high. I also heard from someone I trust that he buys stolen goods and sells them elsewhere. Not someone I want to give business to.

If you were looking for 9mm and .357 you could have gone another 10 minutes down the road and gone to walmart, they have those in stock all the time. Also if you are looking for guns check out American Trikes and Motorsports on Winchester St in Keene just down the road from Walmart. They started selling guns & ammo recently and their gun prices for what I was looking for were lower then Trader John, Highlander and Alstead. Give a nice cash discount too. http://www.yelp.com/biz/american-trikes-and-motorsports-keene
 
I like the store but the guy just glares at people and it's weird and makes me feel like I need to leave if I go.
Ah yes the glare experience. That usually means you aren't recognized and not considered one of them yet. So you are looked at with suspicion. It can help if you are older with gray beard and look like you are only interested in duck hunting and various fudd activities. For younger geekier folks, it is an uphill battle. You may be able to overcome the glare via frequent visits and purchases, being sure to act confident and never nervous that you are buying scary guns. This worked for me at AG Guns in Lowell, but there are no guarantees. (I think they are out of business now.)



Sent via Tapatalk on my Android phone. Good news; Tapatalk sucks less than it used to.
 
If you're in the area, go a little farther next time and look up Highlander Arms. They are, by far, the most helpful and knowledgeable staff I have ever seen. Excellent prices on guns, service and ammo. Veteran owned and operated!

Yes! These guys treat people like customers who's business they appreciate. Also, they were extraordinarily helpfull when I put my first AR together.
 
I am beginning to wonder that perhaps, just perhaps, something more than the shopping experience is at work here: simply speculating.

Fairness is my sole requirement personal attributes, within reason, are either a distraction to doing business or a reason to become more cautious-depending on the climate. Should you have the need to be 'welcomed' smiled at or otherwise have smoke blown up your butt then I submit that these days no business will satisfy-especially the firearms business.

Trader Johns was, and I am confident in saying, will be a good shopping experience BUT I know what I want and I KNOW what pricing is; TJ's provided fast in/out and very competitive numbers-selection was far above average.

To drive even a few miles in order to save roughly two thirds of a penney per round is silly (Wally World advertised pricing) to deal with the Wall Mart atmosphere in toto is ridiculous.

For those who have not been to Trader Johns and are planning on visiting or happen to be in the area the best advice I can give is to ignore everything you have read/heard-go there and simply see for yourself.
 
A shopping experience is subjective. Some guys don't want any help, others crave it. Me? I just would like to feel as if I was welcomed when I walk in there and for some reason I never do feel that way, that's all. It's probably just me but rest assured I don't want to be coddled or have some slicked-back hair dude chat me up for the sake of chatting. This is a complaint I have at many stores today. The people behind the counter fail to even recognize you're there. One good example was at Cabelas recently. I had a young lady ring up my four purchases never once having eye contact with me or saying one single syllable to me. Not even a grunt. At the end of the transaction I said something to her like, "wow, not even a thanks for shopping". I wasn't smarmy but for goodness sakes, I'm making the effort here to stop at your store and spend my hard-earned money all the while keeping you in a job. I own my own business and have for the past 25 years. As far as I'm concerned I can't say thank you enough times to the guy writing me the check.

So,if you want to engage your customers with a grunt or glare, go for it. It won't make me come back often. I drive right past his shop most of the time when I'm up there which is usually two or three times a month. If he really appreciated my visits I'd probably stop in every time I drove past just to see what was new but right now I'm just not compelled to do so. But, as you basically said, to each his own.

Rome
 
I am beginning to wonder that perhaps, just perhaps, something more than the shopping experience is at work here: simply speculating.

Fairness is my sole requirement personal attributes, within reason, are either a distraction to doing business or a reason to become more cautious-depending on the climate. Should you have the need to be 'welcomed' smiled at or otherwise have smoke blown up your butt then I submit that these days no business will satisfy-especially the firearms business.

Trader Johns was, and I am confident in saying, will be a good shopping experience BUT I know what I want and I KNOW what pricing is; TJ's provided fast in/out and very competitive numbers-selection was far above average.

To drive even a few miles in order to save roughly two thirds of a penney per round is silly (Wally World advertised pricing) to deal with the Wall Mart atmosphere in toto is ridiculous.

For those who have not been to Trader Johns and are planning on visiting or happen to be in the area the best advice I can give is to ignore everything you have read/heard-go there and simply see for yourself.

Nope....I don't have high expectations for customer service. I just prefer to deal with someone who can do more than grunt and wants your business. I don't care if he appreciates it, just wanting it would be enough. Places like this give gun stores the reputation it has as a unfriendly/insiders only place that the new or casual shooter is intimidated to go into.

But it's his business and he can do what he wants. And his reputation is very well ingrained in the shooting community around here.
 
Sure wish I could figure out what has the northern boys shorts all knotted up-gentlemen: who deserves to be thanked-you for getting a fair price from a gentleman that has about $150k worth of stuff for YOU in case YOU decide that YOU want one/some or the fellow/lady that invests all that cash for inventory? and by the way the owner is paying the freight for that large; well lighted; warm building which is located on a nice big parking lot....
 
Ah yes the glare experience. That usually means you aren't recognized and not considered one of them yet. So you are looked at with suspicion. It can help if you are older with gray beard and look like you are only interested in duck hunting and various fudd activities. For younger geekier folks, it is an uphill battle. You may be able to overcome the glare via frequent visits and purchases, being sure to act confident and never nervous that you are buying scary guns. This worked for me at AG Guns in Lowell, but there are no guarantees. (I think they are out of business now.)

Sent via Tapatalk on my Android phone. Good news; Tapatalk sucks less than it used to.

Yeah I'm younger and wear glasses so there we go. I just have bought ammo there so far, haven't been back recently.
 
I really don't want to belabor this too much further because it's not really important and I'm not trying to win you over to my side on this issue. I will tell you that I'm a baby boomer and was raised to be courteous and polite in the company of strangers and that's how I raised my three successful children. I feel that what we're experiencing now is due to the isolation that kids today have encapsulated themselves in with their technology. They walk, eyes down, hardly knowing where they are and when they're behind a register or a fast food joint they are never trying to do a great job and make my visit enjoyable but can't wait to say 'next'. These are the people wanting $15 an hour for zero customer service. I'd gladly pay and have tipped generously when I receive good customer service, even at a MacDonald's. It doesnt' happen often. And, when it comes to shops, I vote with my feet. Do I compare prices? Sure. I'm no dummy but I'd rather go to a shop that is well lit, open, and maybe just a "Good Afternoon.....can I help you with anything today? " greets me at the door. At least I'll be comparing prices.

Have a great day! [smile]
 
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