Buffoonery at Wholesale Sports

[Matt Selders]

Thank you for your input Python. I was not present during the conversation you were privy to, but it sounds like the employee could have delved deeper into the potential customers firearms handling experience. We do encourage our employees to ask the right questions based on the customers needs throughout the store, without prying too deeply. Firearms, especially to new shooters, can be a sensitive topic. It does sound like our employee was extoling the virtues of a Smith & Wesson to these customers, with less focus on the caliber. Make, model, caliber, and user should be taken into consideration when buying a firearm.

As to our pricing, our buying staff is always trying to meet market needs on price sensitive items like firearms. We can very frequently match competitor's pricing on in stock items. It is very difficult to match pricing with websites such as Gunbroker on the initial price of firearms, but once you factor shipping and if a local FFL holder charges a transfer fee, often our prices are competitive in the end. I give Bi-Mart a lot of credit on pricing; they are very competitive.

Thank you for your past potronage and I hope to one day see you again in our store.

Matt Selders
Store Manager, Wholesale Sports
Vancouver, WA

 

[python287]

Yes Matt the salesman could have asked first what firearms experience do they have - and if they don't suggest a firearm that they would actually shoot and continue to do so. From what I saw he was just interested in
taking their money and showing them the door. This occurred at the Salem store earlier this year. Good Customer service is important - sometimes more important than price - Perhaps WS should practice what L.L. bean Stores do- they make sure that your shopping experience is the best -

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

Yes Matt the salesman could have asked first what firearms experience do they have - and if they don't suggest a firearm that they would actually shoot and continue to do so. From what I saw he was just interested in
taking their money and showing them the door. This occurred at the Salem store earlier this year. Good Customer service is important - sometimes more important than price - Perhaps WS should practice what L.L. bean Stores do- they make sure that your shopping experience is the best -

We need to get someone from the forum to take a temporary, part-time job there to show them how you properly discuss firearms with a newbie. Any of you guys need a holiday season job?

 

[Matt Selders]

May I pass that information along to our Salem Store Manager? I know that they would be very interested.

It is a great idea to get some input on what NWFA feels would be a great way to get new shooters the right firearm. Maybe we could post it as a topic so that all of the stores in our area can read and participate as well. I know that I would find it very enlightening and that among the 17,000 plus subscribers, there could potentially be some awesome data. We could focus on stories and tips that would be useful to help out customers, many of whom are members to this forum, to a better shopping experience in a proactive, positive way.

As to employment, I am not adverse to a P.M. discussion off line. Maybe a consultation? Who knows because we would be breaking new ground.

Thank you again for the input,

Matt Selders
Store Manager, Wholesale Sports
Vancouver WA

 

[python287]

May I pass that information along to our Salem Store Manager? I know that they would be very interested.

It is a great idea to get some input on what NWFA feels would be a great way to get new shooters the right firearm. Maybe we could post it as a topic so that all of the stores in our area can read and participate as well. I know that I would find it very enlightening and that among the 17,000 plus subscribers, there could potentially be some awesome data. We could focus on stories and tips that would be useful to help out customers, many of whom are members to this forum, to a better shopping experience in a proactive, positive way.

As to employment, I am not adverse to a P.M. discussion off line. Maybe a consultation? Who knows because we would be breaking new ground.

Thank you again for the input,

Matt Selders
Store Manager, Wholesale Sports
Vancouver WA

Go ahead and pass it on to him. I shop at places that provide good customer service, and since I've had experience with firearms for the past 50 years I have an idea what to look and ask for. But there are people out there who have no experience with firearms and rely on the sales person to give them the correct info. Rudeness and acting like your the gun guru hotshot does a disservice to your customers - and leaves them with a bad taste in their mouth. The salesman should be asking - "how can I help you select the firearm that will work for you" ??

And the number # 1 customer service skill is to make your customer think that they are the most important person who came thru the door. Greats customer service is what I like and will bring me back to that store every time I want to buy something. Salesman who act like they know everything and make their customers feel like idiots is not a good salesperson. I have seen it before it different stores - not just Wholesale Sports. When I get that smarts attitude I just leave and I don't buy anything.

My wife worked for L.L. Bean - their attitude is that the Customer is # 1 and they will do whatever it takes to make that happen. As you can see from the comments - Wholesale Sports is not stepping up and doing their best -
and in this day and age - not doing your best means your customers don't come in your store. Good luck !

 

[bmbowman]

I dont say much on this board but I have to step in and say something here, I have had nothing but good experience at the gun counter at the Vancouver store. Yes sometimes they are busy and dont get to the customers as quickly as we (the customer) would like but that goes with any business that is busy. I have purchased several firearms from the vancouver store and probably will purchase more, but I know what I am going in to get when I get there.

I have just gotten into reloading and knew nothing about reloading I asked one of the gentleman behind the counter who knew the most about reloading he kindly said it is not me you want to talk to so and so he is working in the archery dept he knows more then anyone here. So off I went to the archery dept, I had to wait for him to finish with a father and son which I did not mind. when he was done with them I told him I was wanting to get into reloading and needed to pickup the equipment to do so. He was glad to help and answered all my questions and spent over an hour picking out the equipment that I needed, some of the items were not in stock (which he apologized for) and he made me a list of items that I still needed and a couple of websites to check for the parts.

So Matt, there are some of your employees that are doing a great job and have earned my business.

 

[Matt Selders]

Python, thank you for the good advice. LL Bean does do a great job with customer service and the years of prominent brand stature in the outdoor industry is a sure sign. Wholesale Sports is committed to improvement and it sounds like we have nowhere to go but up. We know that there are a lot of reputable shops in the Pacific Northwest and have much to learn from them.

Thank you again Sir.

Matt Selders
Store Manager, Wholesale Sports
Vancouver WA

 

[tlfreek]

this thread is a WOW on so many levels. so much so i gotta do it again... WOW

Matt - nice showing

 

[Matt Selders]

Thank you for the kind words as well. Providing good customer service is a priority in any retail business. If management is unaware of an issue we are unable to address it. At our Vancouver location, we work very hard to provide the best service we can. I do not intend to discredit the many hardworking employees that I spend many hours with. Firearms are just one section of the tens of thousands of items we carry. Please understand that I respect and admire my fellow associates. That is why it is so crucial to our business that I afford them the opportunity to improve. Sometimes in retail, policies designed to protect the customer and the company can get in the way of positive customer experiences in the store. The solutions are not so simple. Most often, as a store manager, I will bypass the policy in favor of the customer needs. This often gets me in hot water, but I know that the results will support my actions. Over time policies and practices will either change to support the customer, or the business will fail. With so many great choices and ways to spend your hard earned money, I understand frustration.

I have the best job I could ever dream of and work with talented people. I am proud to work for Wholesale Sports an honored to work with great people. We want to do better, we want to excel. That's why I am listening and taking action. I have spent the last two days working in the hunting department, looking for opportunities for improvement. The hunting department team has come up with some great ideas that we are working on.

So keep it coming! Let me know when, where, and how we can improve. Let me know when my team does a great job, so I can thank them. We are here to serve our customers.

Matt Selders
Store Manager, Wholesale Sports
Vancouver, WA

 

[PBinWA]

Nice work in this thread Matt. Retail is a tough business these days and pleasing gun enthusiasts is even tougher.

For the record, I've always had a good experience at your store and think it is reasonably well stocked these days.

 

[toywin12]

this thread is a WOW on so many levels. so much so i gotta do it again... WOW

Matt - nice showing

^^This^^ It is rare, especially in today's society, for a retailer to sincerely apologize(and not simply ask where to send a discount coupon) for such an incident. Then, to step up and incorporate changes to their process while actively soliciting "the customer voice" deserves recognition. Well done, Matt. I have no doubt that if you take the words and ideals you've displayed here back to your store and incite actions based on your example, the outcome will be beneficial for both WS and the consumer.

 

[carracer]

Wholesale sports in Clackamas set my personal record for length of time standing (and then leaning over) at a gun counter with absolutely no human interaction. After 10 minutes I gave up and left.

Gotta comment here as I have experienced this many times at all kinds of stores. Clerks walk around me to help someone else. Don't even make eye contact. Even when, as stated prev, I wave my hands! I have discovered that it is usually my own darn fault! After giving up and leaving the store I discovered I had forgotten to turn off my Cloaking Device!

 

[Don't Sue People Panda]

I'm actually a fan of the store. I'm usually always treated well even though I am half hispanic. I talk for probably 10-20 minutes with a lot of the guys there and I don't even really know them. The older gentlemen behind the gun counter are a little grumpy but the goofy looking guy that likes to talk a lot is ok. He thinks he knows it all though, oh well. Sorry you all are having bad luck and service.

 

[Cougfan2]

Matt, as a preface to my following statements, I have purchased several items, including a firearm, in the past from Wholesale Sports (actually it still Sportsman's Warehouse at the time). I have had both good and bad experiences, but nothing so far that would keep me from shopping at Wholesale Sports.

What I sense from many of the responses to this thread is that most of the negative experiences at your establishment(s) stem not so much from lack of knowledge about firearms as lack of sales experience and in how to qualify a prospects needs in order to help them determine the right solution for those needs. Simply said, it's the difference between being a clerk and being a sales person.

I have been in professional sales for over 30 years and been very successful in both sales and sales training. I am sure you understand this, but the key to a "good sale" is that no one comes away from the deal with regrets. If either the buyer or the seller comes away from the deal feeling regret, it wasn't a good deal for either party.

If you aren't already familiar with it, there is a book by author Stephen Covey called "The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People". It is really focused on how to live your life both personally and professionally in a way that makes you and those you deal with successful, but it is also directly related to sales. One of the habits that I have come to embrace in my day to day sales efforts is "Win/Win or no deal". It's a long read, but I think you might be able to use parts of it in your sales training program, if you haven't already.

Best of luck in your efforts.

Steve

 

[PDXSparky]

All I can say is that I've enjoyed shopping at the Salem store. I'd like to see more AR accessories, but the last time I was in there I was pleased to see Tactical Solutions products for 10/22 and Browning Buckmark.

 

[Matt Selders]

Cougfan, Thank you mentioning some good reading material. It has been a while since I have read 7 Habits. I'll surely pick it up again this week and absorb it. You are correct regarding the positive sales. Since our Changeover from the previous owners, we have been playing catch up with sales training, and product in stocks. Between the two, managing has been a challenge. When we are out of stock on items, it is very frustrating to the customer and the employee. It makes for interesting days to say the least.

At our conference last week, we covered some great initiatives regarding customer service and how we view and train our teams. The overall impact should be very good for the customer, employees will be much more visible and available to customers. training will be much more extensive for service associates as well. We won't change overnight, but we are going to improve our operations quickly. Hopefully each customer will have better experiences going forward. Please bear with us, we are going to do this as fast as we can possibly manage.

Thanks for the insight, and keep those cloaking devices turned off. If you have a question, grab someone in a black shirt and let them know, I know they will help you and if they don't, I will afford them the opportunity to find employment that suits them better, if I can't re-train them.

 

[EMP9596]

Matt,
I used to use the Vancouver store and I would not deal with anyone behind the gun counter but Bob D.
On two other occasions I have ordered items both in excess of $200.00, checked and checked back and they never can in. I was even given a copy of the request and gave up after not several, but many weeks. My wife also ordered a complete set of the Browning Pre-Vent outer gear and that was another no show.

Don't know what to tell you other than we gave up on you guys..

 

[Spitpatch]

"I will afford them the opportunity to find employment that suits them better, if I can't re-train them."

And the beatings will continue until morale improves.

Here's two "habits" that I'm not sure are in any self-improvement book, but I learned them from a First Sergeant toward dealing with "subordinates" (he never treated them like subordinates, but partners toward a goal, deserving of more respect than he might receive from them, and always preached that superiors should receive no more respect than what they had actually and demonstrably earned).

1) You don't get good things from good people by writing bad things about them (read: holding their job over their head).

2) Take ten minutes out of your day, walk around and find somebody doing something RIGHT.

"Re-training" of others takes care of itself, once self-installed.

 

[BK13]

Well, I have purchased a few guns from Wholesale Sports, and a few fairly pricey scopes (Zeiss and Leupold), and like everybody else, I have good days and bad days. There are two guys at the 82nd store that I always look for... Fritz and another guy who's name I (regrettably) don't remember. And there's a couple of guys there that I will avoid if at all possible. You work with a big enough group of people, you're gonna have good and some that aren't so good.

One thing about Wholesale... you guys need to carry Federal 210 and 215 Match primers!

 

[Spitpatch]

Okay, with two or three days after my last post, with no entries from Mister Selders, I can assume (with some validity) that he is in one of a number of categories at this point:

1) Although (admirably) taking time from his schedule to adress the Membership here, he has now found other things to do, and did not read my post (this gives him the benefit of the doubt).

2) He read my post, and is stewing on it, formulating a reply (again, giving him the benefit of the doubt).

3) He read my post, and has decided at that point that he has better things to do.

For those from Rio Linda, who did not discern my not-so-well-hidden message from my last post (and for Mister Selders--from Rio Linda?), here it is:

Mister Selders has proudly displayed a primary management technique of his to motivate his employees: threaten to fire them. Credit to him towards the integrity of not being ashamed to advertise his strategy if that is his regular practice.

I would submit that this might be the very SOURCE of the problem we, as customers are seeing at Wholesale Sports: There ARE some worldly and self-sufficient (modestly paid) employees who will continue to provide good customer service, despite threats from Mister Selders and his ilk. The average (modestly paid) employee will take Mister Selders at his word, and do the minimum to avoid the threat: nothing more. Mister Selders will never know what he could extract from all his employees if this management strategy was abandoned by him. Mister Selders as a Store Manager, may have no control over what his employees are paid. He has immediate control over how he treats them and chooses to motivate them. I suggested his "re-training" proposal should begin at home.

I have stated my ongoing support and patronage of Wholesale Sports as a source of quick supplies that my local gunshop may not carry. I have also stated my low expectations from their employees, insulating myself from disappointment. I now have evidence to show me where the low expectations may come from. Mister Selders has given me another factor to consider when in the future I have the choice to patronize Wholesale Sports.

I sincerely hope that Mister Selders falls into categories 1 or 2 above, and has not written off 17,000 potential customers. If he falls into category 3, then I owe 17,000 apologies for my post.

I'm making some new decisions about Wholesale Sports, based solely on Mister Selders' most recent reply. I would gently suggest the same to all attending here.