Posted: 11/23/2009 9:49:25 AM EDT
So I was looking to buy a .22 pistol, and after calling around a bit I found the Bass Pro Shop off of I70 had a Browning Buckmark I wanted at a good price. My wife and I headed over there with our 5 month old daughter in tow to look at one and possibly pick one up. Well we got there and made our way to the gun counter. After being ignored for a few minutes, the 2 gentlemen (who looked like total FUDDs in their 50s) finished their conversation and asked what I wanted to see. I told the fellow I had called earlier about a Browning Buckmark and wanted to see which ones they had in stock. Then when I asked to see what models of Browning Buckmark he had he brought me over to the Ruger Mark IIIs he had in the cabinet. When I said "I'm sorry, but those are not Browning Buckmarks, those are the Ruger Mark IIIs". A puzzled look followed, then this gem leaped forth from his mouth "Well it's the same gun anyway, Ruger owns Browning now so it's the same pistol, one just says Ruger the other says Browning."  I was so stunned by this that my wife had to show the baffoon behind the counter where the Browning Buckmarks were in his cabinet. She then explained very politely that Ruger and Browning were different companies and that their respective pistols were in fact different. He got all sorts of pissed off about a woman obviously knowing more about firearms and the layout of his cabinet. He was turning shades of red and purple  as he yanked a Buckmark out and shoved it at me. In retrospect I should have let the manager know about the douche-baggery happening in his department, and just walked out. I didn't however because they had a good deal on the pistol I wanted, and I had a $50 gift card to use toward it.
I told the fellow it looked good and I would take it. He looked at me with this sheer look of terror and immediately got his manager over to "help me with the paperwork". My god they were just terrified to actually sell a gun to a person. The manager and this fellow both hovered over me while filling out the form, insisting that I spell out all of the states, dates, etc. I made a "mistake" and spelled out March because the dipshit #1 told me to write out "March 21, 19**, but dipshit #2 insisted it was 03-21-19**. After a few minutes of arguing they decided it needs to be written as 03-21-19**. 
Then they had a cow because the address on my dl isn't my current address. I have moved a few times since I was issued my drivers license in 2001, and in accordance with Colorado law had written in my current address on the back of my license. I showed them my CCW permit with the right address, and even pulled out my Type-1 explosives permit with the right address (which caused a number of "why the hell do you have an explosives permit?"). They finally decided it would be OK if they got a copy of my CCW permit for the 4473. It took less than 20 minutes for the CBI background check to process and come back clean, however it took them nearly 2 hours to get me out of the store. Why? Because apparently the gun counter manager, the store general manager, and Jesus Christ himself must sign off on all of the bullshit Bass Pro "paperwork" before you can get escorted to your car with the gun by the salesman, and a store security guard. (Should have seen the look on their faces later on when I told them I had been carrying that whole time.) Also even after I had shown my CCW permit (and my old military ID), I had to review the "ten commandments of safe firearms handling", display I knew how to clear the pistol, insert a magazine, show him where the safety was (although he thought the slide release was the safety), and be shown how to use the ridiculous padlock thingy that Browning puts in with the gun. I'll tell you this about Bass Pro, and why I will never buy a thing from them again. I am 30 years old, a salaried professional, and a veteran of the Army with 2 tours in Iraq. I am an extremely polite person and treat people with respect. I can honestly say the treatment I got from the 50-somethings working the counter at this place is anything but. The whole time I was treated like a child, and/or criminal by all of the sales staff. It is obvious they cater to FUDDs, and the FUDD mentality is so strong there it's sickening. One of the salesmen said "I don't know why you need a pistol, you'll only get yourself into trouble with that thing". To which I replied "Oh, well I was thinking of purchasing a threaded barrel and a suppressor for it too." He then stared at me like i had a dick growing out of my forehead and said "You're probably one of those people who owns assault rifles. They need to ban those thing, they're only meant for killing people". To which I replied "Actually yes I do own assault rifles. I have a number of ARs, and AKs. I even own some NFA weapons I had to get tax stamps for. I have them because I laid my ass on the line in a shitty part of the world so people like you can sit here and bitch about them. I believe in the Second Amendment Sir, so yes I keep and bear my arms". To which he replied "the Second Amendment is only for hunting rifles and shotguns. People like you are going to ruin it for everyone who hunts. They need to ban pistols, and assault rifles, and all that other crap."  
While I understand this is the opinion of one individual, the fact that he was working at Bass Pro, and wearing a Bass Pro shirt while having this "debate" with me means to me that he is in fact representing the company, and his opinions do in fact represent those of Bass Pro Shops themselves. Regardless I'm done with that place, bunch of clueless FUDD morons. |
| Send your experience to corporate headquarters. But based on some of the other rants posted up by other members, BPS many not be very receptive. Regardless, poor customer service should never be tolerated. It seems like they've recently started to embrace a FUDD mentality in that place. I bought an XD from that store 4 years ago and I didn't get nearly the level of BS you describe. Plus back then, they actually had defensive handgun ammo. It stikes me as odd, because they are still selling steel targets, about in the middle of the traget aisle, with packaging that indicates they are specifically designed for EBR shooting. |
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Had a guy behind the counter at bp in Denver say they didnt allow ccw in the store. I wouldnt buy a gun from bps anyway. Happy shooting with the buckmark, lotsa fun. The fucking morons working there don't have a clue about their own CCW policy. Funny enough when I had them on the phone asking about the availability of the Buckmark I wanted I asked about their CCW policy. The guy I was speaking with transferred me to the manager on duty (for the whole store) and I asked him about the store policy on CCW. He told me it was allowed, but you must have a valid permit and it must stay concealed. Open carry is not allowed. Later on when I mentioned to the security guard and sales idiot when they were walking me to my car with my new gun that I was carrying, and had been the whole time I was in the store the security guard got really upset. He said something along the lines of "We don't allow that for the safety of our guests. Next time leave it in your car." I told him he may need to check with the general manager because that is not what the official policy states, then in an attempt to be a dickhead I asked where his pistol was. He got all pissed off and stormed away. Bass Pro wasn't my first choice, but I had a gift card and they had the pistol I wanted in stock. |
| Sorry you had to go through that. I always get frustrated there as well because they seem never to have enough people working the counter to help the people. And like you said they always seem to be BS'ing all the time. Didn't know you had to show them the safety of your firearm. Looks like a law suit ready to happen. Hell with that. Glad to know this because i will never buy a firearm from them. Thanks for your service buddy. |
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Well for my own piece of mind I called BP and asked for the Manager on Duty regarding the CCW issue since I have a large gift certificate I will be using in the near future
The Operations Manager Randell Rogan said they have no problem with CCW. This was at 3:00pm today 11/23 |
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Well for my own piece of mind I called BP and asked for the Manager on Duty regarding the CCW issue since I have a large gift certificate I will be using in the near future The Operations Manager Randell Rogan said they have no problem with CCW. This was at 3:00pm today 11/23 This is the same story I got from the management. It's just the counter minions that are the problem. |
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And positions like that is how the Brits and Aussies got there guns taken away. Oh... get rid of all the bad ones, and keep the "hunting" guns.
Well, they got rid of the them to.... you don't need no hunting gun. All guns are bad.
I'm sure that the plan for more gun control in the future. Divide and conqure. |
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Wow, I had a vein busting out of the side of my skull just reading that last paragraph in the OP...I would have felt the need to beat some sense into him with the densest, heaviest object available... Should also point out his high-powered sniper rifle is more likely to get banned than our assault rifles  |
| The guy behind the counter said all firearms had to be unloaded and in a case to come in the store. I asked if that applied to CCW permit holders, he said yes and asked if I had a weapon on me, I told him unless he was a cop I didnt have to answer that and walked away. I halfway expected security to escort me out. I checked on the way out and saw no sign that discouraged cc. I have not been back, and will take my business elsewhere. |
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I've carried in every BPS i've ever been in, I've never seen a sign stating no Concealed carry.
I've never purchased a pistol there but the guys were nice enough when I bought my 10/22 and yes they did sit down in front of me and step by step showed me what to fill out. This didn't bug me at all. Then I read and signed their gun commandmants, again no biggie there. I know the guys you had to deal with were real duche bags............ I think the entire getting escorted out of the store is pretty dumb. I like going to bass pro, I don't get into many real hunting store very often, and they ruined the entire experience for me, by walking me out the store like a some unwanted vagrant or shop lifter. |
| Bass Pro is a corporate shit hole. They try to represent this wholesome american tradition of the great outdoors, hunting, camping. But when they get people who actually do hunt, camp, carry, OWN GUNS(!!) they look at them like they are from mars or some kind of criminal. Its rather comical for me, as a young looking 21yr old, to go check out the pistols. They have never gotten my business on anything bigger than some cleaning supplies. I would write a complaint mostly for my own satisfaction than anything else. Who knows how they will respond but at least you spoke your mind. |
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Last time I was there I asked if they had any P239s in .40SW (they had one in 9MM). The guy behind the counter pulled out a P250 Compact in .40. I told him that wasn't the same gun and he "uh, well no then."
On my way out I did score some .357SIG JHP with a reasonable mark-up so it almost made up for it. |
I went there about a year ago looking for a P99C. They didn't have one and the guy behind the counter told me they don't typically carry compacts. He then says "We can order one for you, are you a LEO?" I said "no" at which point he said "They probably wouldn't order one for me then because they would have to get special approval from a manager or something. Do you have a CCW permit? I said "well, yes." and he said "BP doesn't like to sell compacts." Huh? It was obvious that he no longer wanted to help me at that point and I went on my way to drool in the fine gun room on my way out...I do like expensive shotguns...
I will NEVER buy anything from Bass Pro after that. I can get most of what I need to hunt/fish/shoot/reload online or at Gander Mtn or Sportsman's...they have always been friendly to me...especially Sportsman's. Too bad the Sportsman's by me on Wadsworth closed  . To my wife's dismay, I went in there 2-3 times a week. It was a sad day when they shut their doors...
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I went there about a year ago looking for a P99C. They didn't have one and the guy behind the counter told me they don't typically carry compacts. He then says "We can order one for you, are you a LEO?" I said "no" at which point he said "They probably wouldn't order one for me then because they would have to get special approval from a manager or something. Do you have a CCW permit? I said "well, yes." and he said "BP doesn't like to sell compacts." Huh? It was obvious that he no longer wanted to help me at that point and I went on my way to drool in the fine gun room on my way out...I do like expensive shotguns...
I will NEVER buy anything from Bass Pro after that. I can get most of what I need to hunt/fish/shoot/reload online or at Gander Mtn or Sportsman's...they have always been friendly to me...especially Sportsman's. Too bad the Sportsman's by me on Wadsworth closed . To my wife's dismay, I went in there 2-3 times a week. It was a sad day when they shut their doors...
I can't figure that Sportsman's closing. It was the only one that didn't have a Gander of other competition nearby. I woulda figured the Wadsworth store to be the one that stayed open. 
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That building was rented, the rest they own.
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I went there about a year ago looking for a P99C. They didn't have one and the guy behind the counter told me they don't typically carry compacts. He then says "We can order one for you, are you a LEO?" I said "no" at which point he said "They probably wouldn't order one for me then because they would have to get special approval from a manager or something. Do you have a CCW permit? I said "well, yes." and he said "BP doesn't like to sell compacts." Huh? It was obvious that he no longer wanted to help me at that point and I went on my way to drool in the fine gun room on my way out...I do like expensive shotguns...
I will NEVER buy anything from Bass Pro after that. I can get most of what I need to hunt/fish/shoot/reload online or at Gander Mtn or Sportsman's...they have always been friendly to me...especially Sportsman's. Too bad the Sportsman's by me on Wadsworth closed . To my wife's dismay, I went in there 2-3 times a week. It was a sad day when they shut their doors...
I can't figure that Sportsman's closing. It was the only one that didn't have a Gander of other competition nearby. I woulda figured the Wadsworth store to be the one that stayed open.
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I went there about a year ago looking for a P99C. They didn't have one and the guy behind the counter told me they don't typically carry compacts. He then says "We can order one for you, are you a LEO?" I said "no" at which point he said "They probably wouldn't order one for me then because they would have to get special approval from a manager or something. Do you have a CCW permit? I said "well, yes." and he said "BP doesn't like to sell compacts." Huh? It was obvious that he no longer wanted to help me at that point and I went on my way to drool in the fine gun room on my way out...I do like expensive shotguns...
I will NEVER buy anything from Bass Pro after that. I can get most of what I need to hunt/fish/shoot/reload online or at Gander Mtn or Sportsman's...they have always been friendly to me...especially Sportsman's. Too bad the Sportsman's by me on Wadsworth closed . To my wife's dismay, I went in there 2-3 times a week. It was a sad day when they shut their doors...
I can't figure that Sportsman's closing. It was the only one that didn't have a Gander of other competition nearby. I woulda figured the Wadsworth store to be the one that stayed open.
I agree, that Sportsman's closing was a sad day indeed. It is right down the street form where I work (and now live) and having it still open would have been helpful. |
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I went there when I did a week-long tour through the front range a couple months back, thinking of moving here (obviously, I pulled the trigger on that decision).
I was not at all impressed by their firearm, ammo, and accessory selection. In fact, one employee there really pissed me off, and it wasn't someone at the gun counter! It was some bitch who yelled out at me as I was walking through the store. Word of advice, you sloppy heffer, the proper way to approach a customer of your employer is with "Hello, sir/ma'am!" or "Excuse me, sir/ma'am, may I help you?" or "Sir/ma'am, would you be interested in....." It is NOT to shout out "Hey! Yo! Dude! You wanna save 10%?" "Uh, no thanks."
"All I need's a moment of your time!" "I said 'No'. I don't even live in this state or near one of these stores."
"You don't have to be a resident of Colorado!" "No! I have said no to you three times! Now stop following me!"
(Very sarcastic) "....that was a really nice conversation we had there, man." "Fuck off you dizzy twat."
Yeah, I saved 10%. In fact, I saved a whole lot more, because this sales rep's attitude sent me straight to the door. I'll never be back. Now before some of you think I went a little hard on this person, think about how you would like to be treated by someone you don't know, who's a representative of a place you're contemplating spending money. Do you want them to greet you without any manners or courtesy? Do you want them to continue pushing something on you after you've politely declined, despite their abhorrent lack of etiquette? Do you want them to continue following you around during all this? I worked at a gun store and indoor range in Virginia before I came out here. Unless it was a close friend, or someone who was in the store so often they insisted on being called by their name or nickname, everyone was "Sir" or "Ma'am". I have very, very little tolerance for horrible customer service because (1) while working on "that side" of the counter, I understood that it meant a customer would take their hard-earned money elsewhere, and (2) being on "this side" of the counter, I will take my hard-earned money elsewhere! Fuck BPS. I was all starry-eyed when I went into that place for the first time (having never been in one before) but left quite pissed off. The OP's story doesn't make me want to never go back there again –– it reaffirms that decision which was already made. _MaH |
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I was born and raised in BPS's home town. I remember when they got started––there was a chain of liquor stores in town called Brown Derby, run by a family. One of the boys, the black sheep so I was told, had the bright idea of putting a shelf or two of plastic worms and assorted fishing stuff by the cash register. The rest is history. That said, piss on BPS, never been there (the big store in town is like Mecca for sportsmen, near as big as going to Branson down south), have no desire to go.
I've had nothing but good experiences at the Sportsmans Warehouse in the Springs. It's nice to see that they finally got their guns inventory back. I think their presence helps keep Specialty Sports' prices down. |
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That ranks right up there with your conversation with the hippie on the pearl street mall. 
That actually happened about two days before the BPS incident. I'm rather certain there was still a bit of a chip on my shoulder from the psychotic Greenpeace land whale that wanted me to save the fucking polar bears (despite having never actually tried them, I still maintain they're delicious). Society has dangled the threat of incarceration above my head like the sword of Damocles for delivering unsanctioned physical lashings. Therefore, I find I am left with no refuge of social reprimand save those lashings dispensed at the end of a silver tongue. Do you savvy, granola chomper? Groovy. _MaH |
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You pretty much described my exact same experience at Bass pro over the summer buying a new hunting rifle. I would've just walked out and told them to fuck off but they were the only store in the metro area that had the rifle/caliber that I wanted.
I told the guy right from the get go that I know what I'm doing and do not need hounded. He thankfully backed off a little. I liked the stupid little safety brief they have you go over while they are waiting for yoru CBI check to come back. I'll be honest and say that I'm an asshole in a lot of ways, and I am usually able to let people know that I will not take their shit so they back off real quick. |
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The gun counter crew are douche bags. 
+ 100 I have yet to talk to some one there that knows his ass from a hole in the ground. Last Christmas the wife decided she wanted to buy .17 hmr as a gift for me, since I was drooling over one. We went there, and she asked the tool @ the counter "can I please see the marlin in .17 you have there" Only to get "are you even old enough to know what a gun is" reply. Nicely followed by "are you fucking kidding me" 2 counters down from me, with the "kinda said that loud" look!! She was not a happy camper, I thought if we were near the shotguns, she would shoved 1 up his ass sideways. Some odd reason though, they didn't get our money, nor have been back. |
| Yeah, sad to see these days, almost nothing but ignorance and lies behind a gun counter. Had a clerk at a big shop here in Colo. Spings try to sell me 7.62x39 for about $18 a box, because "Russian ammo has been banned from import, so there's no more once we're sold out, better buy today!" Yeah, right. |
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Yeah, sad to see these days, almost nothing but ignorance and lies behind a gun counter. Had a clerk at a big shop here in Colo. Spings try to sell me 7.62x39 for about $18 a box, because "Russian ammo has been banned from import, so there's no more once we're sold out, better buy today!" Yeah, right. Which store in CS? _MaH |
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I bought a 10/22 for the misses there when they had them on sale. it was $170 for the cheap version. they ended up giving me the nice model that they usually sell for $220+ and figured since they fuck you on the price of powder and primers and everything else that I wasn't worried about correcting their mistake. they were douchbags then as well. they like to treat you as if you know nothing, but when you spout out some viable info they all of a sudden get defensive like you are stepping on their "god of guns" toes. |
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Had a guy behind the counter at bp in Denver say they didnt allow ccw in the store. I wouldnt buy a gun from bps anyway. Happy shooting with the buckmark, lotsa fun. interesting, no signs, no metal detectors anywhere that we have seen & the restaurant has some good food. have never purchased a gun there, but we do like to shop there and I am always armed with a CCW when in the store.... |
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Quoted: Quoted: Had a guy behind the counter at bp in Denver say they didnt allow ccw in the store. I wouldnt buy a gun from bps anyway. Happy shooting with the buckmark, lotsa fun. interesting, no signs, no metal detectors anywhere that we have seen & the restaurant has some good food. have never purchased a gun there, but we do like to shop there and I am always armed with a CCW when in the store.... yeah it has been confirmed you are okay to CCW there, just no open carry. |
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1. Most of gunshop workers are real nice. Just that few clowns who have those ego issues have problems.
2. As long as DL has a current address in the front or back, it is okay. Therefore, it does not have to be on the front of DL. 3. If they don't know, they should just say they don't know. There is NO WAY that sales asociate would know everything about firearm/ammos out there. 4. Some department does have a MOD to sign off of paperwork. That is not a biggie. 5. If they do not have NO CCW sign, it should be okay to carry. |
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1. Most of gunshop workers are real nice. Just that few clowns who have those ego issues have problems. 2. As long as DL has a current address in the front or back, it is okay. Therefore, it does not have to be on the front of DL. 3. If they don't know, they should just say they don't know. There is NO WAY that sales asociate would know everything about firearm/ammos out there. 4. Some department does have a MOD to sign off of paperwork. That is not a biggie. 5. If they do not have NO CCW sign, it should be okay to carry. 1.) It is a shame a bad apple (or 3) in the bunch ruin it for everyone, but that is the case here. Maybe my very non-fudd 30 something appearance does not garner respect from the counter idiots at BPS. Flannel and khaki are not regular parts of my wardrobe. Still no excuse whats so ever. 2.) maybe someone should tell the good folks at the gun counter as Bass Pro Shops that valuable nugget of information, because they freaked the hell out when the address on the front of my license didn't match the address I wrote on the 4473. 3.)I agree that no one knows everything about everything. However not being able to distinguish the difference between a Ruger Mark III pistol and a Browning Buckmark pistol (the most prolific .22 pistols on the planet) when the information is clearly written on the retail tag attached to the pistol is inexcusable. The guy was a moron and copped a huge attitude with my wife when she politely corrected him on his mistake. 4.) Not an issue if it hadn't taken over 90 minutes to summon someone up to sign off on the paperwork. This was a huge waste of my time, and frankly demonstrated to me that they had no desire whats so ever to provide an acceptable level of customer service to me. 5.) This has been re-hashed numerous times over the 2 pages of this thread. The store allows CCW, however the idiots at the gun counter and the security guard were ignorant of the store policy, which in my opinion is completely inexcusable. |
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I would contact corporate for this. Are they trying to sell a firearm or try their best NOT to sell a firearm?
At this economy, I think it is best to get every damn consumer dollar as they can. Them making up stories about Ruger and Browning M&A was stupid, but giving attitude towards customer about his false information being correct is just dumber. BTW... I will continue to CCW at Bass Proshop, unless they have a sign saying "no ccw" Quoted:
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1. Most of gunshop workers are real nice. Just that few clowns who have those ego issues have problems. 2. As long as DL has a current address in the front or back, it is okay. Therefore, it does not have to be on the front of DL. 3. If they don't know, they should just say they don't know. There is NO WAY that sales asociate would know everything about firearm/ammos out there. 4. Some department does have a MOD to sign off of paperwork. That is not a biggie. 5. If they do not have NO CCW sign, it should be okay to carry. 1.) It is a shame a bad apple (or 3) in the bunch ruin it for everyone, but that is the case here. Maybe my very non-fudd 30 something appearance does not garner respect from the counter idiots at BPS. Flannel and khaki are not regular parts of my wardrobe. Still no excuse whats so ever. 2.) maybe someone should tell the good folks at the gun counter as Bass Pro Shops that valuable nugget of information, because they freaked the hell out when the address on the front of my license didn't match the address I wrote on the 4473. 3.)I agree that no one knows everything about everything. However not being able to distinguish the difference between a Ruger Mark III pistol and a Browning Buckmark pistol (the most prolific .22 pistols on the planet) when the information is clearly written on the retail tag attached to the pistol is inexcusable. The guy was a moron and copped a huge attitude with my wife when she politely corrected him on his mistake. 4.) Not an issue if it hadn't taken over 90 minutes to summon someone up to sign off on the paperwork. This was a huge waste of my time, and frankly demonstrated to me that they had no desire whats so ever to provide an acceptable level of customer service to me. 5.) This has been re-hashed numerous times over the 2 pages of this thread. The store allows CCW, however the idiots at the gun counter and the security guard were ignorant of the store policy, which in my opinion is completely inexcusable. |