Serious Concerns About WalMart's Gun Counter

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i would not put the blam on walmart. ammo is only a small part of the sporting goods section and they cant be experts on everything. if i went to walmart for a fishing pole i would not expect any one there to be able to give any detailed help as to which one i should get and why. they just sell you whats on the shelf
 
I would not blame Wal-Mart, they are simply a distributor. The customer however is the kind we all should fear. Obviously has done no research on the firearm before or after the sale. Probably little or no range time or safety training. All firearms come with an owner’s manual clearly defining ammo choices. If he did not get one because the gun was used he could simply do what I have done when purchasing used and download manual off the internet. The customer is an accident waiting to happen without proper guidance.

These forums are a good place to start helping others who are less informed and knowledgeable, rather than arguing over whom has the best firearm or brand loyal junkies demeaning everyone possessing a gun that's not their brand.

"Just A Thought"
 
GM1967 said:
Remember that .357 SIG is still a relatively new and rare cartridge,
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.357 SIG has been around since 1994 and has been widely adopted by many police departments. You did say "relatively," but I don't consider 17 years ago as being particularly recent, and I respectfully disagree that it's "rare." Certainly it is less ubiquitous than .357 Mag, but that doesn't necessarily mean "rare."

I usually see .357 SIG on the shelf in my local Wal-Marts. Wally World doesn't deal in "rare" ammunition.
 
Counter Help. Break it down.

Counter: Contrary; One that is Opposite.

Help: To assist

So one who looks for counter help is looking for someone who does not help.

Seems a lot of stores have counter help these days.

Sorry, Had to. :p

I have gone in to walmart and asked for .357 Magnum ammo, .38 Special, .380 and 9 mm, as well as a host of different ammo. I knew what I was looking for. So should the counter person have asked me "What are you going to shoot it in?" to make sure I really knew what I wanted?
 
The problem is, Walmart allows people to walk in off the street and fill out a job application.

You would think a company as big as Walmart would be able to figure out that the internet is where all the smart people are.:rolleyes:
 
I too fail to see how it is Wal Mart's fault or problem that this guy did not know what ammunition his gun used. It is impossible for even the most knowledgable person to be able to know exactly what cartridge any gun someone might have shoots, much less if they never even see the thing. Consider for a moment how frustrated the customer might have been when the .357 Sig ammunition that the "properly trained" Wal Mart employee sold him (.357 Sig is the semi-auto cartridge, remember) didn't fit in the magazine, much less chamber, in his Desert Eagle or Coonan (both of which are chambered for .357 Magnum).

Quite frankly, I feel the blame lays on the guy who didn't know what ammo to shoot in his gun. The guy was stupid plain and simple, which is quite different from ignorant. All of us are ignorant about something at some point. I've come across many firearms which I did not know the chambering for, thus I was ignorant. I was not stupid, however, because rather than take a guess or expect the Wal Mart gun counter employee to know, I researched the gun and learned what the proper cartridge was and therin lies the difference: a stupid person is someone who is unwilling to learn.

In this particular case, the guy with the Glock was unwilling to invest even minor effort into finding out what the proper ammunition for his gun was. Finding out such information, particularly on a fairly new and currently produced gun like a Glock, is quite easy and requires only minimal time and effort. I suspect that simply reading the owner's manual would have cleared up any misconceptions that the man had. If the gun did not come with an owner's manual, they are usually quite easy to obtain by either requesting one from the manufacturer or downloading one from the manufacturer's website. Even if an owner's manual is unclear or unavailable, the information still isn't that hard to obtain. A simple telephone call to the manufacturer will allow you to talk to someone who can reasonably be expected to be knowledgeable about your particular firearm that will, in all likelihood, clear up any misconceptions that you may have. Even if you can't talk to the manufacturer about your gun (out of business, discontinued model), the information age dictates that the knowledge you seek is probably no more than a few keystrokes and mouse clicks away. In most cases, simply registering on one of the many firearms forums such as this one will put you in touch with several knowledgable people who are more than happy to answer any questions you may have. The stuipid man in question, however, couldn't be bothered to do any of this.
 
Isn't this one of the things this forum exists for? To help share good information, and teach people about guns?
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\Yes, BEFORE a new person goes and buys, not after the fact. If you are buying a gun and have NO clue as to what you are doing or buying, a prudent person would stop and think that maybe they should get someone who knows something to help them BEFORE they spend their money
 
Personally, I don't shop at Walmart. But to say here that someone assigned to any position in a store has no responsibility to know a single thing about what he, or she, is selling is ludicrous. If we can't count on the sales people to assist us then who do we count on? Yeah, Yeah, I know that we must be informed consumers...but it has been common practice since retail's birth to ask the seller about their products.

Also, please explain why you good Americans patronize a store that sells a vast majority of products made in China, Pakistan, Taiwan, India, and other foreign countries. This same chain is responsible for bringing Vlasic and Rubbermaid to the edge of bankruptcy with their price concession demands. They also have a well reported record of underpaying and abusing employees. It was reported in national papers how so many WalMart employees were on some sort of government assistance.

The funny part is their is another topic on here about buying American made tools...I guess Walmart is exempt to that...

By the way, you used to be able to buy a Thompson sub-machinegun at a hardware store until 1934. You also can still buy a pistol in some hardware stores around here where I live.
 
I used to work for wally wold many years ago and after 90 days I got a review and a raise of 38 cents!. Thats was when I used to make BIG MONEY!:D
 
My main problem is that firearms and ammunition sales are a somewhat specialized job, even at Wal Mart. A lot of people use the reasoning that Wal Mart employees can just be expected to be ignorant about anything. I reject this reasoning. As I mentioned earlier, Wal Mart pays sporting goods employees on a different scale than other retail employees (or did when I worked there), based upon the theory that they needed more specialized knowledge. As a matter of fact, at the store I where I worked, sporting goods employees were on the same pay scale as the Tire and Lube Express employees.

Would any of the posters here who have made excuses for the ignorant sporting goods employees make a similar excuse for an ignorant mechanic who couldn't tell an oil filter from an air filter? If that employee put 10W-30 in your radiator, or put the wrong size tires on your truck, would you let them off as easily?
 
Brasscatcher84 said:
Would any of the posters here who have made excuses for the ignorant sporting goods employees make a similar excuse for an ignorant mechanic who couldn't tell an oil filter from an air filter? If that employee put 10W-30 in your radiator, or put the wrong size tires on your truck, would you let them off as easily?
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A closer analogy is that a person going to get blades for their lawnmower and asking for those for a 42" deck when they need those for a 46" deck. Even the most skilled lawnmower technician would hear the request for blades for a 42" deck and give them those blades. The customer got what they asked for. Why would the salesman question a customer who specifically asks for blades for a 42" deck?

Why would a salesman question a customer who specifically asks for .357 magnum or .38 auto other than to clarify that they mean .380 auto or .38 special? I've never been asked in any type of store what kind of gun I had when I was buying ammo. I bought some .223 rem back before I even had a .223 rem rifle, and I've bought combinations of 9mm, .38 special, and .45 auto at the same time and not been questioned. I knew what I wanted and got what I asked for. If I had gone in for some .357 magnum and accidentally asked for 9mm and bought 9mm, I would feel silly but I can't see how that would be the salesperson's fault.
 
Would any of the posters here who have made excuses for the ignorant sporting goods employees make a similar excuse for an ignorant mechanic who couldn't tell an oil filter from an air filter? If that employee put 10W-30 in your radiator, or put the wrong size tires on your truck, would you let them off as easily?
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The customer didn't bring his gun in to the store and ask them to load the correct ammo in the gun for him.

More like you bought 10W-30 and poured it in your own radiator.
 
Also, please explain why you good Americans patronize a store that sells a vast majority of products made in China, Pakistan, Taiwan, India, and other foreign countries. This same chain is responsible for bringing Vlasic and Rubbermaid to the edge of bankruptcy with their price concession demands. They also have a well reported record of underpaying and abusing employees. It was reported in national papers how so many WalMart employees were on some sort of government assistance.
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Walmart has been bringing in more US-made products and has a LOT more than Lowe's or Home Depot or Target. Their truck drivers earn over 50K plus benefits - not too shabby for most - but that's enough for thread drift

This same chain is responsible for bringing Vlasic and Rubbermaid to the edge of bankruptcy with their price concession demands.
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BTW, no one forces Rubbermaid or Vlasic to sell to Walmart, and last time I checked, RM is doing just fine
 
Walmart has been bringing in more US-made products and has a LOT more than Lowe's or Home Depot or Target. Their truck drivers earn over 50K plus benefits - not too shabby for most - but that's enough for thread drift
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Not nearly the amount they did when Sam Walton was alive. Remember how he used to PROUDLY have the employees of the manufacturers of products made in the USA on his commercials? What happened to that? It doens't take a genius to figure out once Sam died his idea of selling USA made products cheaper went out the window as the new management teams sought cheaper products with higher profit margins.

BTW, no one forces Rubbermaid or Vlasic to sell to Walmart, and last time I checked, RM is doing just fine
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Of course no one forces anyone to sell to Walmart. But if you have been selling hundreds of thousands of units at one price and making a decent profit and then Walmart says drop your price even more or we won't buy your product what do you do? Lose all those sales? Lay off people? What? It isn't quite as easy as you want to make it out to be.
 
Brasscatcher84 said:
Would any of the posters here who have made excuses for the ignorant sporting goods employees make a similar excuse for an ignorant mechanic who couldn't tell an oil filter from an air filter? If that employee put 10W-30 in your radiator, or put the wrong size tires on your truck, would you let them off as easily?
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patcricknm had a very good response in Post #72 to the above quote, but I feel the need to add to it just a bit.

Personal responsibility, it is a real thing, and something we as gun owners should promote endlessly. Basically "I am responsible for my actions because I, not anyone else, actually performs those actions."

The guy with the Glock (hereafter named GWTG) was ignorant of what he had and what he needed. GWTG told Wal-Mart clerk he wanted a particular type of ammo, clerk tried to sell it to him. You stepped in and asked what kind of gun he had, the clerks did not know and they certainly did not care what kind of gun it was, the customer wanted ammo, they tried to sell it to him. Then you get on the internet and rant about how ignorant and crazy Wal-Mart is, then say nothing about how it's GWTG's responsibility to buy what he wants/needs. It's not Wal-Mart's responsibility to read his mind and tell him what he needs, they just sell the stuff.

THAT'S WHAT WAL-MART DOES!!! You walk in, ask for/pick up a product, pay for it, walk out. It's not Wal-Mart's responsibility to know that I needed a 3/8" drive ratchet when I really needed a 1/2" ratchet...

How in the name of Billy Bob's prize blue ribbon hog Betsy is that Wal-Mart's fault?!?!?

I want you, Brasscatcher84 to answer that question in a logical fashion.
 
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Well, Ill tell you, I got a big surprise at the Wal-mart in my wife's
hometown of Graham,Texas! Not only did they have a really nice
supply of firearms, they had a complete reloading section, with dies,
primers, etc. really surprised me!
 
More wisdom from behind the counter:

Wal-Mart doesn't have jack sh*t for training. They're idea of training is to make you take computer-based tests. basically all they know is how to complete a NICS check and the process of selling the gun. Also, they're is another short video concerning straw purchases and how to prevent them.

BTW the pay scale for sporting goods is the same as the meat cooler... and that doesn't take much brains at all!

Oh, I coined the term "Wal-Martians" in my head in 2009. That's what I call the really freaky customers!

If you had to deal with management's poor choices and irresponsiveness on a daily basis, you would quickly stop using powers of reasons as well.
 
I'll respond again,walmart hires who is available and willing to make money.There are not many gifted 18-23 year olds out in the world who can read minds and bow down to every costumer's thought.

The only reason i know as much as i know is because i read,research,listen,shoot,and watch these forums.


We have had people return ammo and say we sold them the wrong stuff and more often than not i'll explain the policies to the person before they leave with the ammo so there is no confusion.


So here is my thought,please do not come in to a walmart and expect everyone to know what a Deagle,50 cal bmg,or 8mm mauser is.It's your job to know your own weapon,not ours.We do not know what you are thinking and don't like it when you get frustrated because we are not there for your every whime,and if you do buy the wrong ammo please take it to a gun store because we do not return ammo.
 
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