Who hires these people???  I was at a gun range/shop today.  While I'm browsing the guns in the display cases before I leave, I hear some guy trying to sell what must have been some inherited guns.  I'm hearing him quote a price of $350 for what looked like a like new high quality 1911 .45 pistol(which got my interest obviously).  Then the gun shop employee after looking at the gun some more, realizes his error and states $550.  Then the customer pulls out a rifle, and hands it to the gun shop employee, and says that it is an M1.  This again got my interest. The employee yells back to another employee moving around in the back, "Who makes M1's?... Garand makes them right?"  Then the guy in the back, who must have known a little more about guns, names current and previous manufacturers, and tells him to look at the top of the receiver for the manufacturer.  As I leave, I state the obvious fact which took me 1/10th of a second to notice earlier, "It's an M1 Carbine."  At which point the guy from the other room comes up and starts paying attention to what the heck the other employee is doing.

I understand maybe a new guy might not know everything about every gun, but you'd think they know the major historical guns.  The other question I have is why was someone who is obviously not the most knowledgeable about guns pricing guns for a customer?  He could cost the store a lot of money.

The thing that I don't understand is that most of their employees are very knowledgeable, yet the one not knowing much is handling the most financially risky transactions.

Oh, and to tie in another thread, garandman did come to mind when I first heard an M1 mentioned.
[url]http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?id=70150[/url]

You're story isn't abnormal. Sorry to say, the firearm industry is a "cottage industry" and there are many serious problems. (ie. dealer pricing, laws, poor attittudes with makers, sellers, and buyers.... and like your story.. people who don't know anything)