Gun store clerks

I purchased a S&W 442 at Academy I had handled and shot that model before, so no big deal about handling the gun beforehand. The counter guy carried it to the checkout at the front of the store which wasn’t a big deal. The weird part was that after I paid and everything was bagged a manger then carried the bag out to the parking lot before he would give it to me.

While I totally understand why they might walk a high dollar item to the checkout I still can’t figure out why they had to walk it out of the store. If I was going to engage in some kind of mayhem why couldn’t I have just walked back in? Again, it just seemed strange to me.
 
The weird part was that after I paid and everything was bagged a manger then carried the bag out to the parking lot before he would give it to me.
Click to expand...

Rural King sells a lot of guns in my area. Their policy is the same. My guess is once it is out of the store, their liability is reduced.
 
Would you buy a pistol that you haven't even wrapped your hands around?
Click to expand...

Yes. I do it all the time. In fact, very few guns that I buy have I had the opportunity to touch them prior to purchasing. But, I am fairly experienced with handguns. And, I do not ordinarily purchase a gun for the sole purpose of defense or shooting sports. I already have my EDC, a home defense gun and my favorite 2 guns for casual competitions.

For example, I purchased a barely used Sig X-Five Competition on Gunbroker. Even if I had the opportunity to handle one prior to buying it, that wouldn't tell me anything about how the gun would perform for me. So, I bought the gun and figured that if it didn't work out for me, I could always resell it for about $100 less than I paid for it. After shooting it, I fell in love with this gun. No amount of handling it before actually using it would have told me anything.
 
"No Experience" and "Big Gun, Big Bullets" along with uncontrollable recoil is not a good idea! A snub-nosed .38spc is sufficient for protection with the right ammo. In a 6'-10' split second, a shooter will miss the intended attacker on an average 57% of the time. Recoil in big gun and big bullets makes a loud noise and an uncontrollable 2nd and 3rd shot with a closing attacker in 2.5 seconds doesn't leave much reaction time. A revolver is a deterant, but a hammer cocked .38spc (with more controllable recoil will make an attacker think twice to charge.

When mentioned "No Experience," that is the life and death gamble of an attack.
 
Quote:
What that winds up doing is sending the people to the local gun store to spend an hour feeling the things up, maybe even three or four over a few days, and then, they go to academy and save the $25.
Scratching my head So, because the clerk won't let you fondle the gun and work the action: 1) You do this elsewhere; 2) if you like the gun you buy it at Academy anyway; 3) the LGS ends up with a slightly more used gun to sell; and 4) the clerk at Academy didn't have to waste any time unlocking a gun and showing it to you.

Sounds to me like the business model at Academy works fairly well!

I think gun stores should charge a nominal fee to let people play with an unloaded firearm to decide if they want it or not. Maybe $3-$5 per firearm.
Click to expand...

I agree - showrooming and then going back to a place you bashed so you could save a few bucks?

Quote:
Would you buy a pistol that you haven't even wrapped your hands around?
Yes. I do it all the time. In fact, very few guns that I buy have I had the opportunity to touch them prior to purchasing. But, I am fairly experienced with handguns. And, I do not ordinarily purchase a gun for the sole purpose of defense or shooting sports. I already have my EDC, a home defense gun and my favorite 2 guns for casual competitions
Click to expand...

So do I, especially when you buy over the internet - several shotguns, a rifle or three and about a dozen handguns over the years.

Belittling and berating the clerk for doing what their boss tells them to do accomplishes nothing. This is especially true at ANY big box store where your assignment changes daily, and sometimes even more frequently than that.
 
"No Experience" and "Big Gun, Big Bullets" along with uncontrollable recoil is not a good idea! A snub-nosed .38spc is sufficient for protection with the right ammo. In a 6'-10' split second, a shooter will miss the intended attacker on an average 57% of the time. Recoil in big gun and big bullets makes a loud noise and an uncontrollable 2nd and 3rd shot with a closing attacker in 2.5 seconds doesn't leave much reaction time. A revolver is a deterant, but a hammer cocked .38spc (with more controllable recoil will make an attacker think twice to charge.

When mentioned "No Experience," that is the life and death gamble of an attack.
Click to expand...

If the recoil is, as you say, "uncontrollable" then the maker of the firearm is putting themselves in a precarious position by manufacturing it.
 
Fitasc, just exactly what makes you think that I did exactly as you seem to be saying I did, going around and picking out the right one, then dumping that dealer and going to academy? I didn't.

Skans, do you think that everyone can make it work like you do, picking up online with no idea of what it will be like, then selling at a loss if it doesn't work? No, not really, that's why I won't buy at any place that won't even let you handle the stupid thing in the manner that a person needs to to actually determine whether it's a usable fit. I don't play that game. either give proper service or I don't have to buy there.

Regarding liability, does it present a liability allowing people access to 50 pound dumbell sets? Let some child play with them, drop them and cause an injury? In reality, an unsupervised rack with thousands of pounds of astire weights seems to be a whole lot more dangerous than a firearm with a trained person at hand.

Whatever. People disagree with me, so I'm just shutting down my comments. No need to reiterate them, I've said all that I need to.
 
Skans, do you think that everyone can make it work like you do, picking up online with no idea of what it will be like,
Click to expand...

No. Certainly first-time pistol owners with little shooting experience could never be expected to do this. But, these people are also far less likely to use a LGS which has knowledgeable sales people to help them narrow down what they want and then go to Academy to actually buy it at a 10% discount.

One thing I don't like is when fairly experienced pistol owners use the LGS to check out the latest and greatest wonder-9 or Kimber 45 and then buy it elsewhere at a small discount. And, I don't particularly like when folks at gun shows pick up guns off of a vendor's table, pulling the trigger, slide, hammer, and any other button that may be on the gun just for curiosity sake with no intention of buying it. This happens all the time! I see it all the time.

When I'm at a gun show, LGS or even Gander Mountain, I look with my eyes. My hands are usually in my pockets. Even if the vendor offers to let me hold the gun, I rarely take him up on it unless I am truly interested in purchasing it. And, I will say something like: "Thanks, but right now I'm just looking" and avoid even the offer to hold the gun. I fully understand that every time a gun is picked up, it can mean a little (or a lot) more wear and tear on another person's gun. I watch as a vendor wipes down a gun with a soft rag at a gun show after being handled and wonder to myself - I wonder what that would do to the blued finish on a gun after wiping it down several hundred times a day.
 
The "lock stays on the gun", and "the gun gets escorted to the front door" are also policies of Bass Pro Shops. But Home Supply even tops them in the stupid policy department. I found out in person if you mess up a 4473 you are not allowed to correct it, and banned from buying a gun from them for one year!!!
 
So, I bought the gun and figured that if it didn't work out for me, I could always resell it for about $100 less than I paid for it. After shooting it, I fell in love with this gun. No amount of handling it before actually using it would have told me anything.
Click to expand...

Glad it worked out for you. Kinda what guns and shooting is all about....what works for you. I don't think I've ever bought a gun without having it in my hands and knowing how it feels. 60 years ago my grandpa told me how a gun felt in your hand and how it fit you was an important part of how accurate you became with it and how much you enjoyed the firearm. I still feel that way today. I've always been amazed at the amount of difference two similar guns can feel in your hands, and how some guns functions(like safeties, actions and triggers) can be so awkward for me, while at the same time be so comfortable to others. If a shotgun or a rifle does not automatically come up to my shoulder in the LGS with the sights/barrel aligned with my eyes, I don't even consider the purchase. Maybe I'm a cheap SOB, but I'd never consider a purchase where there was a good chance I'd lose $100. Now that doesn't mean I had to handle the exact gun I purchased. Many times when considering a firearm, I handled many over a period of time. Sometimes the money wasn't there at the moment and I had to wait or I came across the same model gun later at a price I couldn't walk away from.......and yes, I have fondled guns at Gander Mountain and then ordered them for $100 less from my LGS. Sorry, but that's Capitalism, it's what America is known for and I'm a cheap SOB, remember?

As for the gun clerk thingy, I've had 'em try and talk me outta one firearm and into another. I've had 'em tell me crap that I knew they pulled outta their anal orifice. I've had 'em brag about how they themselves only owned the best guns made and I've had 'em shake their heads and shrug their shoulders at me when I've asked them a question. The only things I have ever really made of it was, 1). They are not me. They have opinions and preferences, but odds are, they are going to be different, and not necessarily better. 2). They have their good days and they have their bad days. I have a good friends that work/own gun shops. Over the years I have seen them have all the patience in the world and some days they have had enough. The best ones know when to say something or when to keep their mouth shut in order to make a sale. Again, that's what most of them are there for. 3.) Those times when I don't agree with a clerk, it's a waste of time to take it personal or get upset. One of the most popular subjects on gun forums(other than what gun for bear?) are the "dumb clerk at WalMart" or "stupid guy at the gun counter at Ace Hardware". They all seem to be an attempt of one thing......to make the impression that the OP is somehow much superior in knowledge and salesmanship.
 
"I purchased a S&W 442 at Academy I had handled and shot that model before, so no big deal about handling the gun beforehand. The counter guy carried it to the checkout at the front of the store which wasn’t a big deal. The weird part was that after I paid and everything was bagged a manger then carried the bag out to the parking lot before he would give it to me. "

Had the same thing happen to me at a Scheel's once. Turns out it was the policy of the shopping mall the store was located in. Still annoying to be treated like a leaper by a gun store.
 
I bought a rifle at Academy a while back. When I bought it two managers came out and inspected the 4473, the gun, checked the serial number, explained the no return policy to me and generally slowed the process by about 45 minutes. Still I figure I saved close to $90. So I guess in the end it was worth it.

Academy is now the Walmart of guns as Walmart has cut way back on what they sell, when they still sell.

Anyway about a week later I get a letter in the mail telling me I need to go back to the store and fill out the 4473 again as it is not clearly legible.

:confused:

Somehow I am thinking this is not my problem.
 
I buy my new guns from Buds. Lowest price. No shipping and no tax. I don't need to fondle and pull the trigger a bunch on a new gun. Do some research on Google. By the time you are 21 you should know the size of your hand.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top