Firearms store attitude

[Lextruck]

Gun Pro Shooting Supplies in Springfield

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100% agree! I wish he could get supressors and I wouldn't have to go anywhere else

P

 

[Sporting Systems]

that's actually why we decided to open a shop...the poor attitude and treatment we saw industry wide.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

ticklicker firearms in salem oregon is the best customer service, friendly, gun shop ive ever been to

 

[308]

A good gun salesman needs to realize that he may be dealing with a total n00b when he/she starts the conversation.
And then tailor the conversation as the customer reveals his experience through his words or actions.
As soon as the gun salesman tries to dominate or belittle, he has revealed himself for the dooshbag that he is.
Book it.

One can apply that line of reasoning to many aspects of life. Some refer to it as humility, and considering others more important than self. My 0.02

 

[SUPER X]

Just throwing this out for general discussion, I like to check out different firearms stores throughout the NW and I have noticed that fairly often I see a stand offish & not so friendly attitude from employees & owners I am just not to sure why this is, it seems like stores and our industry would have a much better result with a friendlier approach.
I have heard of & witnessed potential new customers just walk out because they feel intimidated, as a dealer myself I think it would help our case and our industry to make the customer feel comfortable and give as much guidance as possible especially if they are new to firearms.

The best atitude and friendly service in a brick and mortar store I've received in a long time was at tick lickers in salem

 

[teflon6string]

I've also pondered that arrogant attitude thing. In all types of retail venues, not just gun shops. Actually, most gun sellers I've dealt with have been fine. But not all.

By nature, firearms have extra leverage points upon which one can stack even more condescension. And, honestly, we all know it can work both ways. Here's a quick unbiased list of what I've witnessed (or at least sensed) over the decades, from their perspective behind the counter:

"You seem to think you know what you want to buy. But, of course, your knowledge and experience are wholly insignificant compared to my own."

"You're just looking, quit wasting my time."

"I'm deeply involved in a conversation about 4x4 mud tires with a co-worker who spends 40 hours a week right here with me. You can just wait until we're done."

"I don't like wheel guns."

"You need a revolver."

"Oh that? It's a 'safety.'"

"I was playing Golf Clash when you wandered in."

"No, I don't want to hear about what an awesome shot you are with your buddy's .44 mag snub."

"My favorite caliber is better than any other caliber. Don't even talk."

"Holy crap! If you're gonna buy one, BUY ONE! I've got customers here."

"Colt is indisputably superior to everything else. You're an idiot for asking a question about any other brand. They're all crap and I will insult you - even if you try to agree with me! Hell, I'll do it on the phone too! I will also charge you far more than what you'd pay for the exact same pistol pretty much anywhere else." (Hi Warren.)

"Last weekend when your wife was here, you kept saying 'Honey, WE need...' Today you're rolling stag, pounding your chest and boldly proclaiming 'I want...'"

"No, there's not a gun made that will magically keep you or your naive, untrained family 'safe.'"

"Your wife/girlfriend/buddy needs to hear me talk about guns - not you."

"No, Hoss... You don't look tall, smart, handsome or tough when you snap into the 'serious pose' with that pistol."

"It's not a f_ing 'clip!'"

"You and your squeeze need to sort out your respective positions on the Second Amendment somewhere else. Come back when/if you ever agree."

"No, a tiny, cute, pink semi-auto is not always going to be easier for her to shoot."

"She probably can't shove that nickel Desert Eagle in her purse either."

"Listen. You know it's empty. And I know it's empty. But if you sweep me with that SOB one more time, I'm gonna skin this smokewagon and make it rain."

 

[Flymph]

One can apply that line of reasoning to many aspects of life. Some refer to it as humility, and considering others more important than self. My 0.02

I often tell people the fundamentals of customer service is basic human decency...
I don't know if that comes as a surprise to anyone, but I was surprised by how few people understand that notion.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Skagit Arms in Burlington and Greene's Gun Shop in Oak Harbor are two very nice and well run shops.
Andy

 

[CountryGent]

When I first started I learned quickly that finding a local kitchen counter FFL was the way to go.

Yes, I occasionally have purchased firearms from big box shops, but I rarely step foot into small brick and mortars simply because they are never the greatest.

The kitchen counter FFLs of this world are the future of the industry. No huge overhead costs that require outrageous markups or fees, no finicky attitudes to avoid tire kickers, just simple transfers and cool conversations with your neighborhood kitchen counter FFL.

Flame me all you want for not supporting the dying brick and mortars.

No flame from this guy, because I agree 100%. I've long suspected that is by some miracle the interstate transfer regulations that are part of GCA68 ever went away, a huge percentage of brick'n'mortar gun shops would simply disappear for the same reason Blockbuster, Waldens, and Toys Я Us did; totally irrelevant in the current market place.

To play devil's advocate here for a moment, look at the clueless noobie dolts that walk into gun shops and drive them crazy with nonsense they learned from the Internet. They also get pummeled from the life long gun people who walk in expecting to be instantly awarded customer gun God status because all they buy is JM Marlin's and nobody is going to tell them different(just a random example don't get into a kerfluffle).
Of course it doesn't help if they have flaky people behind the counter, it goes both ways. Whatever the case, you have the LGS that can accommodate all kinds of clientele because they hire well seasoned and balanced people and you have LGS that don't quite get that concept.
That's about all I have to say about that, for the moment.

True, while I am sure that has to be annoying, that still does not warrant bad behavior. Using myself as example: I work in a very technical field that involves computer science and finance. A lot of times I have to interface with people, at all levels of organizations, that are absolutely, positively, beyond clueless. Some of the degree of technological incompetence borders on and often crosses into dangerous territory. For about a quarter century I've been able to interact with thousands of people in calm, professional, and friendly manner, even if I secretly wanted to verbally rip them a new one. I've been able to keep it just a thought; barely sometimes.

 

[Jasonanddeonna]

Edit

 

[Jasonanddeonna]

Gun Pro Shooting Supplies in Springfield

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x4

Great prices, easy to order through, and great recommendations for other services.

Bonus #1 - Neal is a 1996 Olympian
Bonus #2 - We have been friends since we met in high school

His wife and in laws often help out in the store. He will take all the time you need, no matter who you are, to make sure all your questions are answered.

 

[OregonArmsAmmo]

I've personally spent a good amount of time, effort and thought on this issue, looking at ourselves and also other stores. Like most thing's there's a wide variety of reasons. Some shops have done an awesome job with customer service and some don't seem to care. Personally I'd say the customer service at gunshops in the Portland metro area is much better than the national average, whenever I travel I stop into all the stores to take a look around and try and see what they're doing well and what they aren't to try and walk away with what we could improve on. Looking at places other than ourselves locally, Id say Sporting Systems, Oregon Rifleworks, Curts discount shooters supply and Rapid Firearms do a really good job taking care of their customers and they actually care that the customer leaves happy. I'm sure lots of other places also care but sometimes there's a disconnect with them caring and how they show the customer they care.

1. Finding the right help- This is probably the single biggest reason, from what we've found its hard to find a person who know's a good amount about firearms and is also personable and comes across friendly. There's lots of people who know about firearms but they often don't have the right personality to be able to be friendly, helpful and upbeat all day long. It's a weird set of skills for a job, you need someone who is great with people, knows a lot about firearms, is passionate about helping people and who also has a passion for guns / shooting. A lot of places just hire people who know at least a little bit about firearms or someone who they don't think is the right fit but it's the best applicant they got which IMO is a mistake, as an owner in this industry you have to be picky about who you hire because they're the face of your business interacting with customers.

2. Burnout- This job can be mentally exhausting at times and people tend to get burnt out working in the industry, Working with guns all day can take the enjoyment out of them and kill the hobby for them. It's hard to talk about guns for 8 hours then go home and geek out on the internet with gun stuff. I'd say a lot of people start working in a gunshop because they think it will be fun or they're passionate about firearms, but over time they start to lose the passion and at some point they start to loathe talking about firearms or doing anything with firearms and it becomes a chore to them. Everyone's heard the old saying about turning your hobby into your job.

3. Owners not business people- This industry is very much like restaurants, lots of people get into it because they think it will be fun but don't have what it takes to run a business. This industry is one of the more difficult ones to succeed in, which is why so many shops go out of business. You could have an owner who is an awesome sales guy and gives 10/10 service but he is unable to run the back end of the business, doesn't know anything about inventory processes and procedures, doesn't know how to hire or train people, ETC. So while the owner gives awesome service and everyone loves him they are often out of stock of the items that people want to buy, The employees give sub par service because they aren't a good fit for the job and haven't been trained well.

4. Not all personalities mesh well together- Personally I'm an honest no BS guy, I tell people the truth as I know it even If it costs us a sale. I've given the exact same level of service to different people and some thought it was the best service they've ever received and others the worst. A good example is when someone brings something in that they're having a problem with, Most people appreciate us telling them what the issue is or why they're having it. Some people take it as an insult when they're told the reason the gun doesn't work is because they installed a part wrong or because they bought something that's the wrong size or low quality and broke.

 

[jbett98]

Some people shouldn't walk into a gun store and conversely, some people shouldn't work in one.

 

[Ura-Ki]

SO, while y'all was ranting on about Gun Stores and employees, I had to make a trip to PDX today and had a few hours to kill, so I did what any Masochistic Gun Form Moderator would and paid a visit to Ye'Ol GunRoom! YIKES, how they can even keep the lights on is beyond me! There was dust on top of just about every thing, the gun racks don't look like any one has actually looked at any thing except the WAY OVER PRICED shotgun section, and the Pistol Counter was stuffed to the gills with Way Over priced Colts and Smith& Wesson's and the optics were equally super over priced and the selection sucked! I wandered around for a good 10 min before any of the employees ( Sean) even bothered to ask what I wanted, not "May I help you SIR"! Nope, Not even the most basic of business curtsies! When I finally found a rifle I might be interested in, one look at the price tag and I thew up in my mouth a little, Holy Crap, is this stuff made of asteroid alloys orbiting Pluto, I mumbled some choice cuss words that would make any Marine proud and dang near tripped on the thread bare carpet on the way to the door, ner'to return! I rate it 5/5

The things we do for the Forum!

 

[Flopsweat]

Most shops I've been to have been pretty decent to me except for the Discount Guns chain. Not to be confused with the real Discount Guns store.

Wades in Bellevue, Wa has fairly decent sales reps but their parts counter is abysmal. There is never anyone behind the counter, no bell, and no sign telling you that they are never coming out from behind the glass to help you. Stand there as long as you like, nobody will show. The folks at the sales counter a few feet away will not ask you if you need help. Apparently what you have to do is ask one of the salesmen to go get a parts guy, which they will be happy to do as soon as they finish helping this customer for the next half hour. Oh, and don't go thinking that they'll be right out after we go get them. To be fair, they're making a lot more money selling that over-priced P90 to the starry-eyed tech guy who's going to shoot it once and tell everyone he has a gun from that movie. OK that might have been unnecessary.

 

[Dirt Sample]

Gun Pro Shooting Supplies in Springfield

Thank me later


P

Yes, Neal is great, if he doesn't know an answer, he will look it up for you, Donnie @ 295 Tactical in Springfield is awesome too, and does $25 private transfers. Went to a certain gun shgp named after my hometown 3 or 4 times, and never once even got acknowledged, they acted like I wasn't even there. I will gladly take my money up the hill to smiling faces that are glad to see me.

 

[awshoot]

I guess I'm lucky cuz I've pretty much had zero issues in any store I've been in. ...

Same here. I can think of four shops in my area I've frequented and bought at. Clerks have all been friendly, never had to beg for service, answered my questions without sarcasm. When I'm just browsing and they approach and ask me if I want to handle something, I'm up front and say "nah -- I'm just window shopping today" and about half the time (as in when it isn't busy) clerks will say, "that's fine, if you want to handle one anyway, let me know." Sometimes I take them up on that offer. And sometimes it causes an unintended purchase. ;-)

 

[Caveman Jim]

I've had a guy do similar for me, but for the sake of "training" at the counter... probably wanted to get his point across in a serious way, well... let's just say he could have done it in a way that was less "menacing"...

I've even seen LGS raise prices on me at the register after throwing away tags. I'm just glad I've met Jeremy @LuckySG and found another small shop out of everyone's way. I only wish I had the money to spend on more guns.

I wish that I lived down that way a lot of times, Jeremy is good people!!!

 

[Boboclown]

The Gun Room in Portland. Legendary customer service.
View attachment 591858

I bet they'd have favorable views of the guns I own based on what I heard about them.

 

[partsed]

To play devil's advocate here for a moment, look at the clueless noobie dolts that walk into gun shops and drive them crazy with nonsense they learned from the Internet. They also get pummeled from the life long gun people who walk in expecting to be instantly awarded customer gun God status because all they buy is JM Marlin's and nobody is going to tell them different(just a random example don't get into a kerfluffle).
Of course it doesn't help if they have flaky people behind the counter, it goes both ways. Whatever the case, you have the LGS that can accommodate all kinds of clientele because they hire well seasoned and balanced people and you have LGS that don't quite get that concept.
That's about all I have to say about that, for the moment.

And to this asking if they will price match what they found on the Internet....