Gun store clerks

The most the clerk should do is suggest she buy some light 44 mag or 44 special rounds to start out. If it was a guy buying I don't think this post would exist.
You can go looking for expensive full house loads or load your own that will cause nerve damage, but if you are just buying the cheapest stuff off the shelf at walmart, which is what most inexperienced people do, probably going to be OK.

If it is my wife I am all smiles as she makes that choice.
In an afternoon I, or a friend as me instructing her tends to go south, can get her shooting it comfortably with full power loads.
If not it is all mine without any stern looks from her.
Either way I ma going to get to shoot it fairly often.
 
The lady knew what she wanted, took command of the situation, bought what she came for, and I applaud her. Unless the lady was ancient, or had some physical deformity, there is no reason she can't shoot a 44 magnum snub nose safely. If it turns out to be "too much" for her, then guess what, she can shoot 44 special or trade it in for something else and lose a little money on the trade.

If that was the man instead of the woman buying that gun, this wouldn't even be a story.
 
I was behind the counter when .44mag became the hot item back when 'Dirty Harry' came out in theaters. Before the net, you had very few sources of gun info. Mostly gun mags and reloading manuals. We had a lot of guys (and a very few women) come in to buy a .44. I would usually end up selling them a box of .44 special for general range fun and a box of Browning .44 mag. The latter was a stout load of a plated 240gr SWC that had lots of recoil and muzzle flash. It was unpleasant to shoot in quantity from a Ruger Super Blackhawk. I never tried to talk a customer out of a gun, but to make their range time a friendlier experience. "Yes, you should have ear plugs or muffs even at the outdoor range. No, gloves aren't necessary, and so on." Talk about really clueless newbies!
 
If I'm the clerk, I definitely try to talk the lady out of the 44mag. I mean seriously. People always look at employees for help, where the spoken or not. Advising one model vs the other is different than letting an inexperienced woman buy a 44 mag snubbie.
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Wrong!:(
The most the clerk should do is suggest she buy some light 44 mag or 44 special rounds to start out.
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Better:)
The clerk certainly could have explained the pluses and minuses of the revolver
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Best
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It ultimately is the buyers choice, but the clerk's only intervention would have been to explain the possible ill effects of that powerful of a weapon. Definitely not to tell her she shouldn't buy what she wanted.
 
Since none of us heard the whole conversation, I would be loath to suggest what this particular clerk should have said. One the other hand, I don't think that it would be out of line for a clerk to give strictly factual information about any of the items requested. It's one thing, and wrong, for the clerk to say that the customer should not buy something. It would not be wrong for the clerk to say something about recoil of the range of items laid on the case as long as it's not delivered in a condescending manner.

I go to my LGS because I have some confidence in the people behind the counter. I've been shooting for around 50 years, but I still don't know everything. I'm always glad to get information. I would not return to an LGS where the clerk gave me no information and sold me a firearm that was inappropriate to my stated purpose.
 
I would not return to an LGS where the clerk gave me no information and sold me a firearm that was inappropriate to my stated purpose.
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I look at it this way - most of the guns I buy are from gun shows, gunbroker or other private sources. Rarely do I buy a gun from my LGS. But, if I do, I'm not looking for advice, I already know exactly what I want.

One time I purchased a M10 semi-auto open-bolt carbine (really low serial number) from someone via the internet. Had it shipped to my FFL. When I showed up to pick up this odd gun, my FFL looked at me, told me that this was a gangster gun and asked why I would ever buy that. All I told him was "because I like it". Believe me, I knew exactly what it was. I simply figured that if he had no clue why I bought it then he had no clue what he was even looking at. That's my impression of most LGS sales people and even owners.
 
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I would not return to an LGS where the clerk gave me no information and sold me a firearm that was inappropriate to my stated purpose.
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You don't go in with a list of potentials for your purpose and information regarding all of them?

Because, too be honest, I don't really trust a complete stranger on a purchase like that. Especially not a salesman.
You never know what you're going to get. Could be very knowledgeable, could be an idiot, could be a jerk. If knowledgeable, you might learn more than you did walking in, but too be so dependent on that, that you would walk out of the store with a gun based completely on trusting the clerk seems... well, a little stupid to me.
 
Everyone assumes that gun store clerks are incredibly knowledgeable, vast founts of information, real enthusiasts.
I note that a number of gunshops with ranges here in NJ state they will work with a beginner, offer training, answer all questions, etc. As we have discussed, spouses, siblings, parents, grandparents, the family veteran are not always such good sources of information nor do they have always have the teaching skills and the patience to work with a novice.
 
Everyone assumes that gun store clerks are incredibly knowledgeable, vast founts of information, real enthusiasts.
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Too many assume the same about customers.
As to the OP, we really don't know what the clerk told the customers about anything at all.

We're only getting one side of a story.
 
I've heard enough "helpful" advice from salespeople selling everything from comic books to pizza to cars to guns that I truly believe that, in most cases, the customer who gets the best advice is the one who gets none at all.

Besides, freedom and accountability. Just like I don't carry so I can protect other people who refuse to protect themselves, I am not responsible for the lady at the gun counter buying the gun that's right for her. Neither is the clerk. He is only responsible for giving correct and honest information when asked.

S.E.P. Somebody. Else's. Problem.

Namely, the lady buying the gun.

Now, the husband is responsible to a degree. It's his family. Just like he should take the responsibility of being ready to protect them from violence, he should take seriously the responsibility to do his best to help his family in any and every other way possible. However, as mentioned above, "telling" your wife that she shouldn't/can't buy/do/say something is not only a recipe for sleeping on the couch but also a lack of respect. Equally, the wife's failure to acknowledge and consider the husbands well considered and knowledgeable advice would be very disrespectful... but then we're back to whether or not he had any to give.
 
Kind of reminds me of the lady I waited on a year or so ago. She said she had a feral dog problem and needed a firearm to take care of it. She picked out a 7mm Remington Magnum that she liked the looks of. I told her that that was way too much gun and she could likely get the job done with a .22 Magnum. She didn't really care what I thought, but thankfully she didn't have all of the money for the 7mm, so, she left empty handed.

Sometimes you have to let people make their own bad decisions.
 
If you're unsure of the customer's understanding of what they're buying, all you have to do is engage them in a conversation and ask them a few questions. There's a process called "qualifying the customer."

For a product like guns - qualifying the customer is the sales person determining the level of experience and familiarity the customer has with what they want to buy, so that the customer is satisfied with the piece of equipment when they use it.

All the sales person had to do is engage the customer in a conversation as part of showing them various handguns. During the conversation you ask whether they shoot regularly, and if they're familiar with big bore handguns.

If the answer is "yes" - then you proceed to sell them the .44 magnum with no other conversation about the gun / caliber needed.

If the answer is "no" - then you ask them if they understand the amount of recoil from a .44 magnum versus other calibers of handguns - and whether they've considered that aspect when choosing a handgun.

They'll either answer "yes" or "no" - and depending upon the answer, the conversation continues in the appropriate direction.

Selling a customer the piece of equipment that fits their needs the best isn't rocket surgery. It's a collaborative process between the sales person and the customer to ensure that, in the end, the customer gets the best equipment for their purpose and that they are happy with the entire transaction.

Unfortunately, today it seems as though sales training is a forgotten practice and if you're simply upright and breathing - that's all the owner / management is interested in.

In the specific example brought up by the OP, it's the sales person's lack of sales training that is the real problem - and that's a management problem, and not the fault of the sales personnel.
 
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I am the OP The sales clerk had four different revolvers on the counter.
BUT SHE WANTED THE 44 MAG, So I exited stage right .Like I original stated everyone is in a buying mode .Got to have something . .
 
I am the OP The sales clerk had four different revolvers on the counter.
BUT SHE WANTED THE 44 MAG, So I exited stage right .Like I original stated everyone is in a buying mode .Got to have something .
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Not quite accurate. In your original post, you were upset that neither the clerk nor the husband "tried to talk her out of buying it."

The point is that it's not the clerk's job to dissuade customers from purchasing products. It's their job to assist the customer is making the best selection, and making sure (when needed) that the customer is fully aware of all aspects of the product they're purchasing.

As soon as the customer says, "Yes, I understand that, and I want to buy XXX" - the sales clerk's done his job.

If the clerk never engages the customer to make sure of the product and the customer's understanding of the product - that's lack of sale's technique, which comes from an absence of both training and experience.

Training is a management issue, experience is something you can only gain by doing the job.

The problem with "experience" is it's often difficult to tell (as an example) whether a person has 10 year's experience or one year 10 times...
 
The problem is some clerks think they know more than you simply because they work in a gun store. Some of us don't take kindly to a clerk making assumptions that we need this or that or that we don't know this or that. They have some customers that this is their first gun period and then they have a customer like some of us who have more guns at home than the store does all together. I personally find it funny when a young man behind the counter starts telling me that brand x is way better than brand z. That's my cue to have fun. I ask simple questions about the gun that I already know the answer to. Most of the time they realize that I know more about the gun than they do real fast because when they can't answer the question about the gun I educate them. And sometimes I get a very knowledgeable clerk that knows more than myself and I learn something. Either way I have fun.

My wife is a different ball of wax. She wanted a new 12 gauge for duck hunting a few years ago so we went shopping. The very first shop we stopped at she asked to look at Beretta. The shop owner said honey let me show you this new 20 gauge that will fit you perfectly and it has a 3" chamber. My wife got really agitated and told me it was time to go. She asked to look at a 12 but he grabbed the 20. So when we got in the truck I tried to tell her he did it because he truely thought the 20 was the best option for her based on his experience. She stated that doesn't matter what he thought and when she asked to look at the 12 he should have handed it to her without hesitation. I agree with her that he handled it wrong. He should have let her look at the gun she asked to and then ask her to look at the 20.

Another story is when she wanted a new 38 super. While at one of the larger retail stores she asked to look at a para in 38 super. The clerk told her with me standing there that she shouldn't waste time with the 38. Ammo is hard to find and expensive and the recoil could possibly be too much for her. She broke out her phone and showed him the pics of the two we already own along with the rest of her 1911's. When he recognized her sti and seen the big group pics he looked and said " oh well you have plenty already, why do you need another?"

So who is right and who is wrong in both situations? I know the customer is always right and they should sell her what she wants but both had valid points. The 20 would have been better for her and no she didn't need another 1911 or 38super but that's beside the point. When someone is ready to spend money let them spend it.
 
I wonder

mrt949 said:
Was at a gunstore .Over heard a conversation .Husband and wife .They had 4 different revolvers on the counter .Airweight smith , concealed hammer .7 shot 357. Last but not least 44MAG. snubnose.
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What conversation led to having four such disparate revolvers on the counter?

Lost Sheep
 
S&W makes a 629 with a 2.625" barrel. Excellent quality, reliable firearm.
Big gun, but not too long or heavy. Probably scary looking from a bad guy's perspective.
Federal makes a 44 Special, 200gr lead hp load. Light recoil load (I have shot it) but still 44 caliber.
A guy could argue that that was an outstanding choice.
 
C'mon gang. I'm not exactly voting for Hillary, but for cripes sakes....we would not even have this discussion if the purchaser was a woman. Pander to stereotypes much?:rolleyes:

Big guns, big bullets, big holes? How many people on this forum express these sentiments, constantly?

Imagine, a woman, more concerned about stopping power than pink grips. :eek:

I personally don't need advice from the gun store clerk. To the degree that it is solicited, it should be given. But as a man, I've asked about purchasing an item for sale, only to have them ask "why the hell do you want to buy that for?"

I can't imagine owning the store with employees like that. Yet it seems only gun stores bring about this strange phenomenon. If she was at a car dealership, and bought a Corvette, would there be the same amount of vitriol for that salesman?
 
Informed consent

Firearms are potentially dangerous to both the shooter and those around them if not handled correctly. We all know this. We know it every time we advise a new shooter to go to a training class, for example.

Firearms are also in the spotlight and not for all the best reasons.

So all this means that, whilst people can buy what they want, I think a gun shop is performing greater customer service if they ensure the potential buyer has all the relevant facts at their disposal before buying.

That is not the same as telling them what to buy.

If I go to a shop to buy something, one of the things I'm going to make use of is their expertise as I don't know what I don't know even if I know something.

How a customer behaves, the questions they ask or don't all should give a shop assistant worth his salt an idea of whether this customer has a idea of what they're doing. From there, they can judge on how to handle the situation.

Keeping their knowledge to themselves is a disservice, IMHO. Share it, then let the customer decide, fully informed.

As a poster said earlier: it is not what you say, but how you say it.
 
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