Quoted: Have any of you ever worked in a gunshop?  Or retail in general?  If you think the employees are morons, you should see the customers.

Yeah,retail would be a helluva lot better if it weren't for those gawd damn customers!

Quoted: Quoted: Have any of you ever worked in a gunshop?  Or retail in general?  If you think the employees are morons, you should see the customers. Yeah,retail would be a helluva lot better if it weren't for those gawd damn customers!

Yah,  the very same stupid customers who pay the payroll and keep the lights on.  Fuck them,  what nerve those customers have.

Quoted: Quoted: Have any of you ever worked in a gunshop?  Or retail in general?  If you think the employees are morons, you should see the customers. Yeah,retail would be a helluva lot better if it weren't for those gawd damn customers!

All I'm saying is that most people in retail get the attitude they have because of the stupid shit they hear all day.  The difference in gunshops (and really any hobby shops) is that people stick around that probably shouldn't just so they can get paid to be around their hobby.
Read up on some of Steyraug's tales of the FFL if you don't believe me.  Or just go hang out in a gunshop and listen to some of the borderline retarded crap that comes out of people's mouths on the same side of the counter as you.
You get people that come in and want ammo for their Glock, but can't tell you what caliber.  you get people that come in and want a holster for their S&W revolver but can't tell you what model/frame, even when you show them examples from the counter.  You get people that come in and insist on the Bryco/Jennings simply because it's shiny.  You get geniuses that come in and want to spend hours of your time bending your ear and finger-fucking the merchandise just so they can go order it off the internet.  I could go on and on and on.  There's also always two sides to every story.  For every crybaby that comes in here whining about how badly he was treated at his local shop, there's some guy that works the counter that probably complained about what a dumbass you were as soon as you left.

When I worked in a shop I managed to keep my mouth shut, other than to try and steer people clear of shitty purchases (like the Bryco/Jennings example above) until after they left.  The only other thing that I wouldn't put up with, and would insult the shit out of a customer for, was dangerous behavior.  Like leaving a loaded gun on my counter, or pointing same loaded gun at me.  Ironically my most hair-raising moments like that were 90% at the hands of our local LEOs.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Have any of you ever worked in a gunshop?  Or retail in general?  If you think the employees are morons, you should see the customers. Yeah,retail would be a helluva lot better if it weren't for those gawd damn customers! All I'm saying is that most people in retail get the attitude they have because of the stupid shit they hear all day.  The difference in gunshops (and really any hobby shops) is that people stick around that probably shouldn't just so they can get paid to be around their hobby. Read up on some of Steyraug's tales of the FFL if you don't believe me.  Or just go hang out in a gunshop and listen to some of the borderline retarded crap that comes out of people's mouths on the same side of the counter as you. You get people that come in and want ammo for their Glock, but can't tell you what caliber.  you get people that come in and want a holster for their S&W revolver but can't tell you what model/frame, even when you show them examples from the counter.  You get people that come in and insist on the Bryco/Jennings simply because it's shiny.  You get geniuses that come in and want to spend hours of your time bending your ear and finger-fucking the merchandise just so they can go order it off the internet.  I could go on and on and on.  There's also always two sides to every story.  For every crybaby that comes in here whining about how badly he was treated at his local shop, there's some guy that works the counter that probably complained about what a dumbass you were as soon as you left. When I worked in a shop I managed to keep my mouth shut, other than to try and steer people clear of shitty purchases (like the Bryco/Jennings example above) until after they left.  The only other thing that I wouldn't put up with, and would insult the shit out of a customer for, was dangerous behavior.  Like leaving a loaded gun on my counter, or pointing same loaded gun at me.  Ironically my most hair-raising moments like that were 90% at the hands of our local LEOs.

Ohh I agree,society is full of assholes and they all shop somewhere.

Pinheads and zombies are just part of the deal with retail.Ya gotta know what you're getting into,and I don't understand why people that can't control themselves or let the dipshits slide stick around to sour the business.

Your last sentence is funny.......if a little alarming.

I wouldn't worry too much about his threats. It's been my experience that the guys with the biggest mouths, are generally the biggest pussies...

Quoted: I wouldn't worry too much about his threats. It's been my experience that the guys with the biggest mouths, are generally the biggest pussies...

I'm not worried about his threat at all,  I gave him the opportunity to act on the spot if he saw fit.

I posted this as a warning to my fellow gun owners about the way Bill's Buy and Sell treats a customer who has spent thousands of dollars at their shop.  

With almost 2,000 hits so far on this thread,  it seems some people are viewing it,  good,  I hope they can avoid the frustration that I have experienced.

Good story.  :p

I think the reason guns shops get snotty is when they realize they can't BS you with their "expertise".  Each shop has it's "specialty' if you will.  Plus, they "know everything" there is to know, after all, it is their "business" to know!  Yeah, right.

After you go in a few times, they realize that, hey, you know your $hit about AR's, pre-64 Winchesters, AK's or whatever.  Even if they know everything there is to know about 1st Gen SAA Colts, they are afraid you will make 'em look dumb to the guy next to you at the counter they have been BS'ing for the last hour.  Nobody likes to look stupid in their own shop, so it's  "So long a$$hole".  

Get even.  Get your own FFL, do $10 transfers, and make sure everybody knows about it.

I figured I'd chime in on this one......


I worked retail all through high school and college. I NEVER treated any of my customers with disrespect. I worked in a gun shop for 3 yrs during college and it is true about the morons, but you just have to smile. I always tried to correct any misinformation they may think is the gospel, but I did it in a nice way. I never belittled them, treated them like they were stupid or dumb, but showed them what the right answer is to their question/problem. Now there were some that wanted to argue about everything. I didn't argue. I just helped them and walked away, while biting my tongue. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to be mean to someone who is nothing but nice back to you? I would just smile and try to solve their issue, and walk away. Oh, it pissed some of them off, that they couldn't get a rise out of me. But that's the deal when you work retail.

I also appreciate the info as to where not to shop in Vegas. My wife and I are looking to move there this spring.  

Posted on the wrong thread.  

I have a buddy that works at Sportsmans warehouse selling guns...
He tells me about the retards that come in all the time with thier opinions... he has told me that he just goes along with them and trys his best to serve them. and from what Ive seen its worked they sell a LOT of guns thier and Ive been helped everytime ive wanted to look at somthing. Anonther funny thing is at least at the time they didnt stock Savage and there have been a few guys who were seriously enraged that they didnt sell thier favorate brand and took it way to personal.

Also A few of the employees had a liking to showing the "prarie dog be gone" Vidio in the vids section he said that always got some interesting reactions from customers good and bad... that vidio is also no longer allowed to be shown

The way I look at it is that most "morons" have money too. Theirs is just as green as the "smart" ones. I would take the time to educate them and then maybe, just maybe you will get a customer out of it. Most of the bad shops are that way because you really cannot prove to them how much money they *don't* get. It's like trying to prove a negative. Pissing them off because they are "morons" or just pissing them off period *looses* the dealer money. Pretty simple.

A guy once told me, "Make friends out of your customers, not customers out of your friends." I think he had something there.

There is a distinct difference to the gunshop customer, they are mostly male.  I have actually seen almost the exact same behavior in custom auto-parts stores & motorcycle shops.  Most of these customers you just aren't going to tell them they're wrong.  Look at all the genius know-it-alls on this site that, despite being PROVEN wrong, will continue to fight.  You can't win with this type of customer.  More often than not the piddly sum you'll make selling them that Bryco/Jennings will get more than eaten up with them calling the shop to complain, bringing in their broken POS, crying that they saw it down the street for $.02 less, etc.  In all honesty, you're often BETTER OFF without many customers like that.

I wish more of the "I'm gonna start my own gunshop and show everyone how it's done" crowd would follow through on that.  Until you've been on the other side of the counter you're never going to understand.

I'll add a quick plug for Sportsmans Warehouse.  I've been to the store in Salem and Portland.  I stop by the Salem store and look a lot more than I buy.  The folks are always friendly and helpful.  Once I bought a jag for my Dewey rod and the counter girl asked me all about it.  She was still learning and wanted to know about everything.