Buying Pistol ammo at "Dicks" on LI

The thing is I have no problem with showing the pistol ID, it is what it is in New York. But this guy has his own rules about having to actually own a 9mm something to buy 9mm ammo. THAT is what stuck in my craw. And telling me it's the law. It is NOT the law, it's this little Barney Fife's law. I had bought ammo here before and no other sales person did that. They only give the license a glance to be sure it was me, not this matching ammo to guns crap. And the lecture all the way to the checkout from a clown who probably doesn't know the first thing about handguns OR laws...that did it. :mad:
 
While I agree that the clerk handled the situation terribly, I think you did too. Whenever you run into an issue with a store employee, I'd recommend either thanking the clerk for his time and walking out or asking to speak with a manager in lieu of throwing a fit. Whenever you get into a shouting/insult match with ANYONE, you present a very poor image of yourself. Because this argument concerned ammunition, to some extent you also represented gun owners poorly. Sometimes you have to be a bigger person than the person you are having conflict with and walk away. That is something that, if you ever do carry concealed, you had better know implicitly.
 
I live on LI and on occasion buy trap rounds at that Dick's.

The employee was a moron. NY law does not require he verify what handgun calibers you own to sell you ammo for a handgun, your permit should suffice. Imagine if you had told him it was for a rifle...

As far as your handling of the situation:

To the OP:

It is best to hold your tongue and ask for a manager. That guy should be thoroughly schooled in customer service and basic etiquette , if not fired. I know it's hard to not say something back to him but it severely weakens your case if the employee can say your being an ***hole too.
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BINGO. You shot yourself in the foot. Calling a manager would have been the best course of action. Your going off the handle wrecks your position. I have been on the other side of the equation, as an employee with irate customers at Home Depot 14 years ago. I have seen bad employees go down when customers complained to managers, both when the customer was irate/profane and when they were calm and well spoken. The bad employee lost the fight far more though if the customer kept their cool.

In this situation you have another factor at play... the law and what Dick's legal people have told this moron. Talking to a manager in a calm fashion could have revealed this to you, possibly allowing you to address this with Dick's corporate.
 
You are correct about keeping a cooler head, but you had to be there to see the smug expression on this guys face. He deliberately was pushing the buttons, and he knew it. Trying to throw his $9.00 an hour weight around.

Nevertheless I will never go there again for any reason so it's irrelevant. And to the poster who implied it reflected badly on gun owners, that's a stretch and a half. Likely three people including me and him heard the debate. No one was even on line, which certainly speaks to the state of their business during Xmas season. Everything they sell is so overpriced it's a joke, except for the occasion sale items like this.

Again, this was not store policy. I have bought pistol ammo there many times, and never had to have a certain caliber listed on the license to purchase. This was HIS policy. I should have go a manager right away, but I was beyond caring at that point really just wanted to leave. Plus my wife wasn't too interested in watching the show anymore...:rolleyes:

Frankly, I'd much rather support a small gun store but the fact is that they want DOUBLE the price at Dicks. I mean not even in the ballpark. And this is the same gunstore that wants $100.00 for a FFL transfer. And they wonder why they are losing business to chainstores. I'm sure Muskateer knows what store I am talking about.
 
It just makes me shake my head in wonder. My grandfather and Dick Stack were good friends back when "Dicks" was a single fishing store in Binghamton, NY. I was pretty young back then but I can remember what a hunting/fishing/shooting enthusiast Mr. Stack was and how much fun it was to watch "Dicks" expand into the rest of the outdoor sports.

Every time I read a thread like this I wonder what Dick thinks about what the company has become.
 
I've never had anyone ask for my license at the Lake Grove Dicks. The haven't walked me to the front register either. They just hand me the case and I take it up to the register myself. If someone gave me a problem I would have told him to get the manager. 9mm could have also be used for a rifle. The guy was being an asshat. I would have also gotten his name and reported him to corporate. There's plenty of ways to deal with sales clerks who want to be aholes without getting bent out of shape. In the end you would have had the last laugh.
 
I've never had anyone ask for my license at the Lake Grove Dicks. The haven't walked me to the front register either. They just hand me the case and I take it up to the register myself. If someone gave me a problem I would have told him to get the manager. 9mm could have also be used for a rifle. The guy was being an asshat. I would have also gotten his name and reported him to corporate. There's plenty of ways to deal with sales clerks who want to be aholes without getting bent out of shape. In the end you would have had the last laugh.
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Not to beat this horse to death..but this illustrates what I was trying to say. It's obviously not corporate policy, just ball busting or it would be implemented in all the Dick's. Unless they let individual store managers set the policy, that seems unlikely.
 
Their new Corporate motto should be:

"Dick's...ya gotta be one to work in the gun department."

I've seen behavior like this before at the Dick's in Roosevelt Field, over .22lr, but that guy was straightened out by his coworker.
 
ViperJon,

I haven't caught up with you on a thread in a while. I had less than a positive experience with the Dick's in Lake Grove also. You sort of get that "hey we are doing you a favor helping you" attitude from them.

I agree with those posters that commented on 9mm ammo being a long gun chambering also. What business is it of there's? Who are they, the ammo police?? Next time tell them you own a Marlin Camp carbine, a Kel Tec , High Point Carbine or Beretta Carbine.


CNJAXX,

Yes, I remember Edelmans! BTW it is now a furniture store. It feels kinda weird walking in now, between the couches and tables. I remember it back in the 70's when I was a junior shooter walking in with Dad to buy my first gun!


My fellow Long Islanders, if you are looking for a good place (friendly with good prices, try The Suffolk Sportsman in Smithtown. They are nice guys. There selection is not big, but they will order you what you want, treat you like a human and there prices are better than competitive.

Feel free to PM me if you need the phone number.
 
With customer service like that, it's no wonder it's called DICKS.
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+1 on the above.

My brother-in-law and I have a saying. "There is a reason they call the store DICKS and not RICHARDS."

My brother-in-law's name is Richard. :D:D

Shop there maybe two to three times a year. To me it's like going to Walmart*
 
Wow!

"lemme see your pistol license"
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Good lord, man! Is everyone missing the point here? You have to present a license to buy ammo in NY????

I really don't think that this has very much to do with Dick's, at all.

Why would your license list any of your firearms? Your drivers license doesn't list the cars that you own. I guess it just makes it easier for the state of NY to make sure they have them all when they go seize your guns.
 
In my neck of the woods, the DICK'S stopped even carrying guns or ammo.
And they're still Dick's! My wife and I walked into one several months ago, that is just around the corner from a Gander Mtn. I had never been in one before so I wnted to look around. They had some nice guns on display and I looked at a couple. The next time we went in, they had a lot less to look at. Th guy behind the counter was watching me. I asked If I could look at one that had caught my eye. The guy behind the counter asked me if I was going to buy or just look. WHAT? I said it was something I was interested in [though I had no intention of buying from him]. He made some comment about being too busy to show guns to people who were only there to look. I recall me and the wife, and a man and his son being the only two parties in the entire depatrment.
The next [And it was my last] time we went in to look, there were no guns anywhere. I looked around figurung that they had moved them. I asked a store employee in the area where the guns used to be, where all the guns were. He looked at me and said we don't sell guns here. I asked-"When did this take place?" He looked back at me and said we've never sold guns here, in a wise guy tone of voice. I told him that we had been in there a month or two earlier and looked at them. He got really sarcastic and said I was wrong and must be confusing this store with a different one. I said no, it was right here in this store, it's the only one we've been in. He said something like "well not since I've been here". So I asked him how long he'd been there and he replied, about a month.
So I told him exactly what Usaro4 did "You guys picked a pretty good name for this store."
I can understand him not knowing that they had sold guns there, but to have an attitude with me and state flat out that they had NEVER sold guns, was irritating to say the least. I'll never go back, and I'll encourage everyone to go somewhere else. I don't care if it was only one [Actually two- he had a partner working with him who also chimmed in] employee,there are too many stories around, having to do with bad experiences there. I hope they go broke and out of business.
 
Good lord, man! Is everyone missing the point here? You have to present a license to buy ammo in NY????

I really don't think that this has very much to do with Dick's, at all. Why would your license list any of your firearms? Your drivers license doesn't list the cars that you own. I guess it just makes it easier for the state of NY to make sure they have them all when they go seize your guns.
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Actually, Kevin it does and it doesn't. This is NY we are talking about. You not only need to have ALL your handguns listed on your license, you can not buy a handgun without first obtaining a purchase order from the PD. The purchase order lists the gun, serial number and the place from which you are purchasing it.

This is why we have the song "I love New York"!
 
I buy alot of my ammo at several dicks sporting goods stores located in my area. So far, I've got good service at each place, and have never been looked down upon for purchasing ammo in any caliber.

Closest to bad service I've ever got was somone telling me that a 150grain 30-30 round wouldnt shoot as well or hit as hard at the 170 grain. I just smiled and bought my ammo. I know what my rifle likes :)
 
It's so nice to live in a state like Georgia to not have to deal with such hassles as waiting periods and permits to purchase and government BS red tape.:D
 
It's so nice to live in a state like Georgia to not have to deal with such hassles as waiting periods and permits to purchase and government BS red tape.
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Fight to keep it that way. Every small incremental new "common sense" law that goes through chips away at your rights, and before you know it you have New York style gun laws.


Edit: I'm going out to Dicks at Lake Grove today to see how they handle this situtation. I can't resist...:)
 
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