Serious Concerns About WalMart's Gun Counter

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The owner of one of my favorite gun shops still tells the story (now at least ten years old) about a young gentleman of the urban yoot persuasion who came in one day and asked for some 9mm "bullets." So my friend sold him a box of some kind of 9mm Luger ammo.

Later in the afternoon, the alleged gentleman returned, with a friend, and complained that the "bullets" were the wrong size, because they wouldn't fit his gun. So my friend asked what kind of gun, and the young man produced a Beretta 92. My friend popped the magazine and, sure enough ... he couldn't put the ammo into the mag.

So he picked up the pistol, and on the side he saw what appeared to say "8mm." So he looked closer, and saw "Kimar - Italy." Sure enough, this dude had been sold a blank-firing replica, thinking he was getting a real deal on a functional Beretta. The guy's friend was reportedly on his case unmercifully, calling him several names that would be considered racial discrimination if I were to direct them at a gentleman of colour, as well as casting aspersions on both his parentage and his intelligence.

Hey, what are friends for?

The point being (back to the context of this discussion) that the most knowledgeable gun store clerk in the world couldn't have helped this genius. He didn't even know the gun he bought wasn't real. At some point, people need to assume some responsibility for their actions.
 
The girl at my local WM's gun counter also happens to be my neighbor...she also shoots more than 90% of the men I know. Huge into bow hunting and everything else outdoors wise. Ask her a question about firearms of any type and she'll have an answer.

Wal-Mart workers....sometimes you win sometimes you lose.:o
 
As disturbing as your story is people cannot expect Wal-Mart to buy made in America products and hire expert employees and still offer the low prices. When you shop at a store like that you make a decision when you go in that you support their business practices.
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very true. I would rather pay an extra $1.50 per box of ammo from a gun store than to save that same money and buy from a store like wall-mart that has in the past refused to sell firearms.
 
Most people who work in places like Walmart are there because they need a job to feed their family, not because the were recruited from the ranks of military weapons specialists.

You'd also be surprised at how many weapons "qualified" military people there are who would be just as lost behind the Walmart ammo counter.

So, what you get is the sales associate who happens to have a personal interest in weapons (like us) and can assist, or you get the assigned associate who still wonders what people do with all the ammo they sell.
 
Wal mart gun counter? Saw my first one last year in louisiana. Literally there is no such thing up here, just some ammo. I used to work there though and hete them so shop elsewhere.
 
I'm going to comment from the other side of the counter,too..

1) wal-mart does have good lawyers

2)i see this many times,people don't have a clue about what they want/need and they get so upset when i have to tell them all sales are final(no returns or exchanges).

3)Our guns are not knock off's or second rate,we sell lower priced cheaper models but if you come in with the money,people like me would be more than happy to order anything,rifle or shotgun you can think of.

Good example,we have 3 golden boys sitting on our shelves and they have been for some time,no one can afford them like they can a Marlin model 60 or savage bolt 308 or 30-06.The goldens are pretty but who wants to afford $700.00 for a show gun.

4)I buy our ammo because i get it cheaper,i know when shipments come,i'm management and see all the reports for the days shipments and also i oversee the trucks off loading.Oh and i get 10% off because i get a discount and i know when it's stocked on the shelves so i take lunch around the same time,lucky me.:D

5)for those people that won't buy walmart ammo you are sadly mistaken,i have seen at least 4 lgs owners come in and buy everything they could only to return to their stores and sell it for a higher price,the same goes for people at gun shows.you only think you are getting a deal but you are buying second hand wal-mart ammo at a higher price.

6)we do not hire gun store personel because there are not that many people,especially teens and young adults that know anything.I often take over for our sporting goods personel because i've been around guns enough to deal with most questions and can handle most situations.

My own rant over
 
This was not a Walmart problem. It was a problem with an idiot who bought a gun not knowing the first thing about what he bought or firearms in general and expecting a Walmart clerk to know what the heck he is talking about when he didn't know what the heck he was talking about. This is like going to Home Depot and asking the guy working in hardware if he has any 4" bolts to fit my Chevy.

I think it is reasonable for any clerks at stores selling ammo to expect that the customer know exactly what kind of ammo he/she needs. There's more than one kind of: 22, 38, 9mm, 357, 45, 30 caliber, etc. It's not the clerk's job to figure out what you need.
 
For instance, if you buy a "weatherby" rifle from WalMart, it was not manufactured by Weatherby.
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You're probably talking about Weatherby Vanguard rifles. These are manufactured in Japan and ARE Weatherbys, made by all of Weatherby specs for Weatherby. Still guaranteed for 1.5" groups at 100yds. In fact, guns built under contract to exacting specifications is not at all unusual or limited to stores like Walmart. Dick's, Gander Mtn, Bass Pro, Cabelas, and local gun shops all have them. I don't believe you are a liar (too harsh) because I think you actually believe what you are saying. Just saying you are misinformed and helping others to be as well.
 
Brasscatcher84
I certainly understand the position that Wal Mart shouldn't be held accountable for the customer's ignorance, however, with a product as potentially harmful as ammunition, a cursory knowledge should be requisite. Wal Mart pays sporting goods employees more than other departments (or did when I worked there). They also train employees how to do their jobs. It would take less than two hours to train an employee about the very basics of firearm/caliber/gauge fundamentals, and if it would help avert a firearms accident, it's worth it.

Now, on to the ignorant customer; it's regrettable, but there is a significant portion of the gun buying public whose only source of firearms info is the person they buy their guns and ammo from. If that person is an ignorant college student behind the Wal Mart counter, then that person is an accident waiting to happen.
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Walmart counter help is just that - counter help. It's not a sporting goods store and it is definitely not a gun shop. The customer asked for the wrong ammo for his gun that he has no knowledge of. People need to take responsibility for their actions and in this case, the new gun owner clearly did not know what he was doing. I'm reminded of Darwin Awards on this one, especially with the availability of the Internet.
 
The Japanese were working with metals before we even became a nation....If they can make a Weatherby there it is as good as the one that is made here.
 
.If they can make a Weatherby there it is as good as the one that is made here.
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Weatherby never made anything - here or elsewhere. Browning - same thing, lots of English "best" guns - same as well......

doesn't matter - if it is well made, it is well made - issue becomes when Weatherby switches makers and now you might have a gun where spare parts are now an issue
 
I wish it was only the Walmart that employed the hopelessly clueless to sell people firearms and ammunition. I was at The blue ridge arsenal in n.va and asked to see a S&W 340. It was a rental and the writing on the barrel was all but worn away. The old man behind the counter said "This is a really light weight gun that can shoot .357's but not .357 magnums. I can't rent it to you right now because we are all out of .357's and all we have is the magnums"

:o
 
once upon a time i was trying to get a drum mag for a 10/22, and i happened to be in Dicks, shopping for shoes or something like that.

asked the guy, hey do you have hi-caps for a ruger 10/22?
he says, those are illegal, you cant get them.
I said uh, what are you talking about?
he says, a 50 round magazine for a 10/22 would be illegal and you cant buy them
i calmly walk away.

Slightly off topic, but the point is, you should be happy if the guy at the LGS knows what hes talking about. Forget about Box-Town Incorporated. These guys arnt gun enthusiasts, and you shouldnt hold it against them. They just got transferred from one side of the store to the other.

Personally, i think that normal stores carrying anything firearm related is a final last shred of sanity when it comes to day to day gun culture. Once upon a time you could buy a handgun from a hardware store.
 
#1 - It's no fault of Wal-Mart that the guy was ignorant of what he had or what he needed. And I'm no fan of Wal-Mart, but that's the way it is. There's a lot to be said for personal responsibility in all areas of one's life, to include firearms. Guy walks in and asks for .357 Magnum and .380 Auto ammunition, the clerk is going to try and locate the ammo to sell to the customer, period. That's how Wal-Mart makes money, they sell stuff.

#2 - The guy would not have been able to chamber .357 Mag or .38 Special ammo in his Glock (.357 Sig). He wouldn't have even been able to insert them into the chamber by hand, much less trying to fit them in the magazine.

#3 - While not a good idea, a .380 ACP round will (I believe) fit in a .357 Sig chamber. Though the striker of the Glock would not have lined up with the primer, so it's not a deadly situation in and of itself. Not to mention that a .357 Sig magazine won't retain .380 ACP rounds.

I have to believe that the guy with the Glock would have gotten a clue as soon as he tried any of the above.

Personal responsibility, it means something.

EDIT: I feel like I must add that the guy with the Glock is not 100% to blame for his ignorance. Any one of us could go look at almost any of our guns and see the exact cartridge type for which the gun is chambered. However, on Glocks chambered in .357 Sig, Gaston Glock's arrogance is partly to blame. It simply has ".357" stamped on the slide, not .357 Sig, which is the actual cartridge for which the gun is chambered. It's not as much of a problem on guns chambered in 9mm Luger or .40 S&W (both models simply have "9mm" and ".40" stamped on them, respectively) since 9mm luger is the mainstream "9mm" on the market and .40 S&W is the mainstream ".40" on the market. The problem arises when people mistake .357 Sig for .357 Magnum (the most popular ".357" on the market).
 
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The Weatherby Vanguards are made by Howa or were the last I heard. No matter who sells it they're all the same. All Remington Spartans are made by Baikal. Wal Mart sells the same guns everybody else does. There are no special Wal Mart runs. They buy in bulk so they get a better price and can sell them cheaper.
 
To make a long story short, this guy had just bought his first gun from a friend, it was a Glock in .357 Sig. He was under the impression that .357 on the side of the Glock meant .357 magnum
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If the purchaser is too lazy to even know what type of ammo they need then frankly the purchaser shouldn't be allowed to drive heavy machinery, much less own a firearm.
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And if the gun owner doesn't know what 357 Sig means, he doesn't need to be handling one
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Isn't this one of the things this forum exists for? To help share good information, and teach people about guns?

I agree that someone who is going to own a gun should know what kind of ammunition it uses, and should know how to operate it, basic rules of gun safety, etc. But many don't. Remember that .357 SIG is still a relatively new and rare cartridge, while .357 magnum has been around since what, 1935? It's likely that only firearms enthusiasts have even heard of .357 SIG, while even people who want nothing to do with guns have probably heard of .357 magnum.

Rather than condemning them for their ignorance, shouldn't we be trying to help them? All of us were in their shoes once, even if it was only when we were children. And I'm sure even today there are plenty of things we are ignorant about, things the might seem obvious to others who happen to have that knowledge.
 
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