gun store tomfoolery

[trio]

as a patron at VA Arms I can say that it is not your pro-typical gun store....its the reason I do the majority of my shopping there....

and although I know gotm4 and luis and the others are too nice to post it I know I can be your proto-typical obnoxious idiot customer....

everyone in there is pretty straightforward in what they do.....really nice guys....

i was actually at ANOTHER gun store yesterday talking to a S&W rep about gotm4 (and all he had was great things to say)...had to keep quiet though so that store's employees didnt hear us (i havent told you about that yet, gotm4)


another thing I always do when I go to a gun store is look at what the reps are carrying, and if it looks shot......

very rarely will i buy the guns that someone tries to sell me that they wont own....

the exception to this is some of the higher end dollar items (like semi-custom 1911s, expensive rifles, etc)....but for the most part its a good rule

[Rmplstlskn]

Gun stores? Who goes in to gun stores now days?

Between forum markets and the internet, I never have to leave my Chairborne Commando Command Seat...

Seriously though, if I had a place like VA Arms near me, I'd go more often. Last time I went I left with a DSA FAL...

I have a local shop here, they are good guys and good owners, but their shop is geared for hunters and the uninformed, as their prices are quite steep. I tried talking AR's once and got a blank stare in return, so I learned my lesson.

Rmpl

[Striker5]

What is exceptionally irritating to me is that guys like this are targeting the juiciest, most vulnerable market (like every other industry in J'ville) junior Marines. The majority of Corporals and Sgts I work with all have an M4 and to a man it is almost always a BM or a DPMS. Guys like that are no better than the sport car salesmen, 7000 easy payments at 24% interest, you know I would never steer a servicemen wrong devil dog!

The guys that run my local range/store/paintball setup are by far the most IGNORANT people I have ever run into when it comes to guns. He bristled when I suggested his quality Belgian AK's were actually made in Bulgaria, if that is any indication. An ample amount of gun guys get their gun completely intertwined with their johnson and all critical thought goes out the window the second they spend money on gun X - it now is the end all be all. Very irritating.

Pistol:
I agree that it's prob the safety. A local TAG/Operator's Warehouse is doing a diagnostic on it now. They think I put it together wrong, which I would love to be true but am pretty positive that it's not. It seems that all the stuff I want to sell belongs on the island of broken toys.

[xm15]

I like a few weeks ago when I went to an FFL to inquire about his transfer fee for a Noveske lower I paid for and he says "why'd ya do that this is just as good" turning and picking up a DPMS.

me says uhh the fee?

Him: $15

guess he's not so bad I just have better taste.

[rob_s]

Why are people always surprised that gun-store employees don't know as much as they expect them to? Why are people surprised that ANY retail employee would know as much as they do?

Frankly, any consumer that's not a complete winda-licker should ALWAYS know more about their specific item of interest than the guy trying to sell him same. Those that don't are pretty much getting what they deserve. This is true of any kind of retail establishment, and "hobby" stores that cater to ment's hobbies (RC, golf, dive, gun, etc.) in particular.

Yes, in all these cases the guy behind the counter should be willing to say "I don't know, let me find out/research it and I'll get back to you", but given that we all know that's not going to happen you should never expect a retail salesperson to do anything more than fill out your paperwork and punch buttons on the cash register.

[Harv]

Rob S

Frankly, any consumer that's not a complete winda-licker should ALWAYS know more about their specific item of interest than the guy trying to sell him same. Those that don't are pretty much getting what they deserve. This is true of any kind of retail establishment, and "hobby" stores that cater to ment's hobbies (RC, golf, dive, gun, etc.) in particular.

Amen... totally agree with that.

I do my research before I buy, and with the Internet, believe it or not, it makes the research easier, if you take your time and filter everything your read.

I never put my self into a position where the 18 yr old kid behind the counter is going to know more about the gun I am interested in buying then I am.

and that goes for anything else I buy.......

You know... the whole Caveat Emptor thing....

[Striker5]

Not totally disagreeing with you Rob, but there is "I don't know" and there is "whatever you want sucks, what I have is exactly what you need". Nothing illegal about it of course, just unsalesmanlike. The gold standard is a guy at a True Value in my home state. You tell him what you want, he says if he's got it or not then he'll tell you the next best thing that he has. If that doesn't gel he does his darndest to get what you want and so far is batting 1000.

[rob_s]

I agree, the SHOULDN'T act like they know when they don't, but unfortunately it's a fact of life.

Trust me, I live in the customer service black hole of the universe, SE Florida. Virtually every time I leave the house I come home with a migraine from dealing with the people that work retail around here. It's either turd-world tire-floaters or rich kids that think they're "above this" whose parents made them get a job.

[RobG]

So I went to work in a gunstore for a few months, left the 1st one and then applied at the one I'm at now. This one is great.[/I]

Vote #1 for Understatement of the Week.

I have definately found that most gun shops are full of GOB who know less and less about the products they are selling.
VA arms is a serious gun shop with very helpful (and knowledgeable) staff and good products. This is the only local brick an mortar gun shop that I purchase from. I am sorry for those of you who dont have a place like this close by.

[ffhounddog]

I have a Cav Lower and 2 RRA Lowers. They are all nice. 2 RRA's for $400 (actually free) traded in a Taurus 24/7 for those I also got a FN Police Shotgun in the trade. Best trade I ever did. I miss that shop when he sold it. He would always give me a a free box of Wolf or Silver Bear .223, 7.62x39, or 9mm when I bought something from him.

He hated Glocks (no external safety) but understood why I wanted them. He did not steer me away just said one day I need a 1911 but this is a real good reliable gun.