How Gun Shops Lose Customers
Time to rant a little.
Walk into any store that sells high end merchandise and ask to see something. Watch how the sales person handles their products for a good clue as to their education and experience with the products. Also watch carefully and see how some will abuse products right before your eyes.
Several year ago, while shopping for a new truck, one dealer had plenty of nice shiny Ford diesels several thousand dollars cheaper than any other dealer. But I adamantly refused to buy anything from that dealership.
The reason was simple. The salesman offered a test drive, then promptly showed his ignorance of diesel products and abused the machinery. He insisted on revving a cold diesel engine. Worse was that he kept running the diesel up almost to the redline before shifting.
It's the same when I enter a gun shop and see really sloppy handling of guns. I'm especially annoyed by two things clerks do, it seems, in too many gun shops. Any time I see these behaviors, I know it's unlikely I'll buy a gun from that shop.
First, with a semi-auto pistol, watching a clerk drop the slide from it's locked-open position to the closed position just grates on my nerves. Without the resistance of a cartridge, habitual slamming of the slide can peen the barrel hood or the breechface.
The second especially alarming thing I've seen is a crop of younger guys who've never handled revolvers, emulating old movie scenes by flipping the cylinder open or shut instead of closing it by hand. Not only does this risk springing the yoke (the arm holding the cylinder) but can burr the center pin that locks the gun closed.
Recently a friend of mine scratched a southern California gun shop off his list because every time the idiot clerk removed a gun from the case, he had his finger on the trigger, violating rule #2 of safe handling. If that wasn't bad enough, when my friend remarked that the trigger of a certain Ruger was too heavy, the clerk took the gun back and, without checking to see if it was loaded, pulled the trigger with the gun pointed at my friend! There is no excuse for such poor discipline. He complained loudly to the store owner, but he'll never be back.
Yet another thing that annoys me and loses customers for gun shops - elitism. Not long ago, I wanted to check out a CZ P01 pistol. I like CZ's, but their traditional safety is too far forward for my thumb to reach without altering my grip. The P01 has a decocker right where the 1911 safety would be. Perfect.
The shop has a dozen CZ pistols and I ask if they have a P-01. Do I get an answer? No."Y'know, the CZ's are cheap guns made on beat up Russian machines." says the shop owner. "If you're looking for a quality 9-mike, you should be looking at this Sig 229. It's quality in every part, not just the ones one the outside." I nod and tell him I'd really like to look at the P-01. Even after I tell him that Sigs feel like a piece lumber in my hand, he won't let up on selling me on a Sig. Thanks a lot, moron!
Then there are the gun-shop ballistics experts. The ones that tell you that you that the nine milly-meter will "just go all the way through" an opponent without slowing him down. Or that a .357 Magnum will "make an exit wound the size of a softball". Neither are true of course, but it's part of the "lore" around handgun ammo.
My pet peeve are the .44 Magnum bigots. For these masochists, for whom heavy recoil is like being kissed by Angelina Jolie, nothing short of a full-bore .44 Magnum load is worthy of the term "Magnum". If you want a gun to hunt deer, cougars, ram or pigs or protection from bears & wolves, their favorite gun is a one-size-fits-all solution. I've even had them tell me it's good for shooting gophers and rabbits! Or home protection in an apartment. C'mon guys, get a clue!
Speaking of one-size-fits-all, let's talk about the Glockophiles. If you want a pistol for any purpose, well, just buy a Glock. Any Glock. While I am an ardent fan of Smith & Wesson products, I don't limit myself to that single brand when recommending a gun for someone else. I watched a younger fellow, who had a list of features he wanted (external ambi-safety, DA/SA, adjustable sights, etc.) at a gun shop and several gun shop commados were trying to convince him how superior Glocks are. Never mind that the Glock doesn't fit his requirements - just by a Glock. I just pointed out a nice FN Hi-Power to him and let him make his decision (he bought it without any urging).
Do you have any pet peeves when it comes to seeking gun advice or shopping in gun shops? I'm sure you do. Let's hear from some shop owners too. I'm positive we'll hear some really bizzare customer stories as well.
Comments? Questions: editor@handgunclub.com
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