Gun Store "Lizards"

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Prof Young

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Shooters:

While it's just anectdotal evidence, it seems to me that there is a propensity for smaller gun stores to attract "wanna bes." Frequently when I visit a new-to-me "mom and pop" gun store there is a guy or a couple of guys (have never seen women do this) who are there just to hand out an talk to the owners. More than once I've waited as the owner had to extract themselves from a conversation to help me the, at that point in time, new customer.

Anyone else notice this?

Live well, be safe

Prof Young
 
I'd have to wonder who hasn't noticed it.

Even more annoying are the lizards the store owner actually likes to talk to, instead of the paying customer.
Some even have their own stool to sit on... :rolleyes:

I love wandering into a new found gun shop and find myself talking to the owner, plus 2-3 of his quirky lay-about friends, who of course have plenty of thoughts to share on everything from Obama to 308 vs 30-06.
Show me the exit...
 
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Yes. I have run into similar situations. It's uncomfortable and that's one of the reasons I don't go to LGS's any longer.

Heck, another site I used to frequent feels just like that, too. A handful of knowledgeable curmudgeons who are there to intimidate those who don't agree with them and dole out infractions for the stupidest things. There's a reason I don't go there too often any more, too.

Gun store owners/brick & mortars, local merchants, & website operators all depend on the public. When the public don't feel comfortable in your establishment, the owners experience problems keeping their heads above water.

As an aside, I'd be real interested at the RUM statistics at some of the once real popular sites. Some of y'all know exactly what I am referring to.
 
what I like about those stores is that I can buy a box of bullets and have a cup of free coffee and chit chat in betwixt sales.... though I am not the one that hangs out there all day, nor do I get to go there everyday... I get a kick out of the ones that know everything and feel the need to enlighten me.... the shop owner tries to hide his grin during this enlightenment because he knows who I am, what I do, what I know....:p
 
The main reason I don't frequent gun shops

Gun people can be quite odd in many ways

Others are just plain.... Fill in the blank
 
Some even have their own stool to sit on...
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It is totaly amazing. I am near a major military base and a number of the gun store are operated by retired people who live off their pensions and it is just a hobby. I guess I can't tell them how to run THEIR store, but I laugh when I hear them complaining about people buying online.
 
I do agree, but I guess im still at the point I like to listen and sometimes I get something out of it. I think it's probably like that everywhere. We could restart this thread with " when I go into the mom and pop ________( gas station, RV dealer, diner, parts store) " and get some of the same observations. Funny. Good point Prof, I hadn't though about it.
 
Sounds like a motorcycle garage that I had once found. Turned out to be the most honest mechanic ever so I even returned there when I moved 40 miles away!! Anyway, there were always the usual suspects hanging out there casting their "expert" eye on the jobs in the yard.

Right motley bunch of weirdos, they were.

Mind you, I was one of them!! :eek:
 
There is one small gun shop I visit and make small purchases at because they do the best FFL transfers, fee wise around.

But other than that, there isn't much going for them.

They have the group of local retired guys and young guys from College who, according to my observations, enjoy re-fighting wars they were never in.

I was sort of ignored, which was fine with me, there used racks were in the middle of the store and one could browse in peace, but somehow they pegged me as Army. And then, well, I just quit going when I knew those guys would be there.
 
In one lizard lair as you describe, I'm a "new customer" innocently looking at handguns in the case when I realize there's a red laser dot trained on me coming from the lizards in the corner of the room.
Hah Hah.
That was WAY inappropriate. Didn't bother "getting into it"... just walked out.
Maybe that's what they wanted... Whatever...
 
I am one of those lizards, at two different, small gun shops. One has two co-owners, the other is a sole proprietorship and is usually manned by the owner and two counter helpers.

I have never seen any of them ignore a customer in favor of continuing a conversation with one of us hangers-on.

It's also a two-way street. If a customer comes in with a problem 1911 while I'm "lizarding," the shop doesn't even look at it -- they just point to me and say, "Talk to him."

Onward Allusion said:
Gun store owners/brick & mortars, local merchants, & website operators all depend on the public. When the public don't feel comfortable in your establishment, the owners experience problems keeping their heads above water.
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I suppose I'm just a contrary type person, because I feel much more comfortable in the small shops where the staff aren't focused only on making the sale but on helping the customer, and encourage people to hang out and exchange information. I occasionally make the trek to a large gun store upstate, for reloading supplies, and I really hate being in the place. First, for things they carry that I can also get at the small shops, the big store is generally significantly more expensive. And the staff are often rude, uncommunicative, and unhelpful. It's just not a friendly, welcoming environment.
 
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If you're genuinely helpful and not some crank in the corner chasing people out, they should probably get you your own stool, yeah? :)
 
Not regarding the previous posts mind you but the thing that I find interesting is that sometimes these 'lizards' do wind up behind the counter... just saying! ;)
 
At the Gun store/shop I worked at We had several locals that would come in and spend part of the day . We were all good at looking past them and taking care of the Customer when needed . We had afew that would walk on back into the repair shop where I spent most of my time some would even pitch in and get dirty . At the time We were one of the biggest Gunshops in the state we drew in some well knowns like Hank JR , Little Jimmy Dickens , Porter Waggoner and some Politicians that were kicking off thier carrer ( late 70's -1980's and early 90's ) like Lamar Alexander and many other Senators and representatives and couple of Govenors . I want get into it but what politicians will tell you sitting in a Gun Shop and what they do when in office are not quite the same .
 
I am a lizard as I enjoy being around others that share the same hobby but even though most of the customers are regulars and we all know each other we all shoot the breeze and talk shop. we don't command prime real estate at the counter or interrupt the owners when they are doing their thing. the owners if they defer to the larger experience base some of the lizards have will draw us in to talk to the customer to give input on the question at hand.

in the times after sandy hook when NY was going AR crazy along with the rest of the US it actually was a benefit to have the lizards in the place as it allowed for more people to be able to answer questions as new 1st time gun buyers flooded thru the door and to help give the one on one time needed to they could make an educated purchase.

there are about 10 of us lizards that the store owners trust to jump in and get behind the counter if they are tied up and in doing so we understand the stores mentality of educate the buyer don't steer they buyer. and also in how we represent and speak to the customer.

now when the lizards just take up space have the know it all attitude or talk internet forum/video game about every gun out there and confuse people its a different story. the people that are in your face about it are usually quickly dismissed and seldom hang out.
 
I am never in a hurry when I go to a LGS, so I don't mind having free rein to browse the used stuff, often the operator will call out, holler if you need anything. I have been known to belly right up to the wood stove and listen for a while also. I don't mind too much when they start explaining how the .223 won't even kill coyotes let alone deer or that a 77 grain SMK will out shoot anything else. I just buy my stuff, sometimes the owner does look at me and grin, seems a lot of them can identify if you are somewhat knowledgeable by how you handle the merchandise.
 
my favorite as I live in ny is the guy that comes in and can give advice about every handgun in the place and when asked what his carry gun is he replies that he doesn't have a handgun permit and then proceeds to tell you why gun x is the best one.
 
I usually call them trolls. It isn't fair to the reptile kingdom to speak so negatively about lizards.

I hate them. I despise them.
When I recognize a troll infestation in a shop, I usually never go back. ...Because every shop that I've ever been in, where trolls hung out all day, every day, it is the owner's tolerance of the idiots and his preference to talk with "friends" that always leads to poor customer service. You'd prefer to bitch about Obama for 15 minutes, and then transition to another troll's conversation about why .45-70 is the most adaptable cartridge in the history of the world, while giving me 'inconvenienced' glances once in a while... rather than sell me a $650 rifle? That's fine, the shop down the street doesn't have a troll problem...



There was a well-loved, but very small local shop in a suburb of Salt Lake City, that I liked checking on once in a while. Great ammo prices, reasonable surplus prices, good used handgun prices, and the occasionally good price on a rifle. But, most importantly, the owner was knowledgeable, friendly, and did what she could to make her customers happy. I bought quite a few firearms from her (on no-troll days).

But, she had three blatantly offensive trolls that pretty much lived in her store. And when they weren't at the store, they were working as RSO's at the most ridiculous range in town (known for its less-than-friendly and overly dictatorial range officers :rolleyes:). They were the type of know-it-all, in-your-face "experts" that were always trying to tell you what to buy, why you're an idiot, and why they're SOOooooo smart.

They were, however, related to her by marriage. When she reached the limit of her patience and saw that the idiot trolls were legitimately impacting the business, she closed up shop. Rather than cause marital problems by kicking the in-laws out of the shop, she just shut the place down and went to a Gun-Show-Only business model. (...Until her box truck was stolen with 90% of her inventory in it. Then she was done for good. But that's a different matter.)

When I come across suffering animals on the highway, I do what I can to put them out of their misery.
I wish I could do the same for gun store trolls.
 
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