If you've ever worked the other side of the counter, you'll find there are just as many poorly informed consumers as there are sales folk.

I had a guy once spend 10 minutes telling me how much he loved CCIs shot shells, but they had quit making them years ago... once he wound down, I showed him to the section of ammo where we stocked them.

Had a guy call and ask if we had ammo for his rifle... caliber? It's an old German rifle...ok.

Had a lady come in and ask if we could open her gun... Raven .25 she carried in her purse... so caked with lint I had to use a leather mallet to tap open the slide...

CCI still makes shot shells in at least 6 different calibers.

Years ago when I worked in a gun store, I had a customer come in with a blued S&W .38 revolver and wanted to know how much it would be to "Stainless" it. I told him it would be 350.00 plus tax, it would take me about 10 minutes in the back to do it and that he needed to fill out this form called a 4473.

I have been on both sides of the counter and there are a few out there working the counters that know their stuff and a lot that do not. Saw one gun counter guy tell a customer the 45 colt ammo he was holding would be fine for the 1911 he was buying.

These days, most of the guns I buy are not in anyone’s stock anyhow. I normally order and send to Ables Ammo, a local FFL or Briley’s.

The absolute worst pricks I’ve ever dealt with are at Collector’s Firearms. I was treated like a tire kicker EVERY time I walked in. Haven’t been there in 10+ years, they’ve lost out on ~$50K of personal purchases and countless purchases from friends/family.

Can’t stand arrogant gun-store guys.

We had a guy wearing white coveralls splattered with dry paint come in and the owner was not giving him the time of day. I promptly sold him a 15,000 dollar drilling which he paid cash for.

One of mine happened just recently. Picked up a Ruger Single 7 327 Magnum and was at the local store looking for ammo, they didn't have any 327's but I did see a couple of box's of 32 ACP FMJ"s. I told him I wanted those and he was checking me out and asked what kind of 32 I had. I told him I didn't, I was going to shoot them through the Ruger. He looked at me like I was the village idiot and then said those are straight cased and will fall through the cylinder. I paid the boy and just walked out. I can only imagine what he told others.

90% of the time a serious buyer will likely know more about the product than the salesman, on the shear fact the buyer typically will do reviews on YouTube, google etc.. which may or may not be skewed or factual but the consumer typically does some research before they go buy.. I agree that when dealing with people, even the know it all there is a certain level of respect that the person deserves as a person. The salesman may be a complete tool, but that doesn’t mean that you have to stoop the the same level of stupid as whomever your dealing with.

Stores especially academy, bass pro, Cabelas or whoever you deal with are for the typical consumer or the new shooter or the beginner. Very rarely does those type of stores have anything other than ammo I am interested in. I know this is not typical.. I am a gun snob, honestly scheels barely has they type of firearm I am interested in.

Personally if I hear conversation getting stupid, I walk away because I don’t want to engage with any conversation.

👍 In our business (truck equipment), we'd get several Mexican nationals come in each year, looking to buy used equipment. (Bucket trucks and digger derricks.) The guy in the Armani suit with a personal secretary taking notes wouldn't buy squat. The little guy dressed like a paesano would pull wads of cash out of his old jeans and buy everything you had!

Ha ha. Laugh it up at my expense. You never know. Someone might actually be spurred to educate themselves. I used to know everything too. Then I grew up qnd realized that I still had a lot to learn.

Come on bubba. I'm not trying to insult you. But, I've been around the block a time or two too, and I've never met a kid behind a gun counter that would ever be inspired to do "research". They're too busy postering as the the most macho to have ever lived.

They don't realise, but they best recognise.

Not insulted at all. You are probably right about most of the tactical Cowboys behind the counter...maybe I'm just optimistic that there's some sense left in this world.

I worked with several ‘kids’ in a similar environment and most were eager to learn, not just to help customers but themselves also. Beats the heck out of putting up posters.

We were all kids at one time and most if not all of us went through that stage where we thought we knew everything we needed to know. Eventually, we reached the age where we realized we don't even know what we don't know.

Just talked over the phone to one of the young guys at the gun counter at my local Academy. He told the ammo that shows online as being in stock is actually kept in the back for people who purchase a rifle. I thinkI'll drive over there and put him in awe of all I know that he doesn't know so he'll sell me a box or two without having to buy a new rifle.

My SIL X in laws looked like between the 2 of them didn't have 2 nickels to rub together. But once you knew them you found out about the air planes the 25 Sq mile ranch in New Mexico and the small 5000 acer cattle operation in California.
In sales never under estimate someone's apearance.

Fellow behind the counter told a lady shopping for her husband, “Partitions are not good hunting bullets, he will be happier with a more modern bullet like these SST’s. They are Hornady ballistic tips”. The woman had the end of a box her husband had tore off for her. Poor lady was clearly confused. I usually avoid giving unsolicited advice to strangers but I did tell the lady her husband will be satisfied with the partitions. (My wife occasionally picks up stuff for me. I know the end of the box plan.)

I shop at Wal Mart or Academy for their prices, not advice. Their prices are good enough for me to smile and let it go in one ear and out the other. Carter’s down in the Houston area and Ables in Huntsville usually have some knowledgeable people behind the counter. Briley Manufacturing does as well. There prices on some items reflect that they pay more for high caliber help.

I have a buddy who works a gun counter. The things customers say to him are just insane.

Great store and staff. Wish I had found them years earlier.

They are. I've been on both sides of the counter. Loved the one's who came in, wreaking of alcohol and then got all ticked off, when we wouldn't allow them to handle a firearm. Watched them stumble their way back out. Quick call to dispatch with their vehicle make, model and tag # made us smile. We never saw Otis again. lol

We had a repeat customer, who rarely spent more than $10, and was annoying as you can imagine to talk to... when we saw his car pull up, it was a quick round of rock-paper-scissors to see who had to deal with him that day.

Working behind the counter is just as irritating. You’d be amazed how many people are battle hardened snipers.

FFLs aren't perfect on it, but let me break this one down for you-

4473 doesn't ask for your "home of record," it asks for your current residence. You just stated you were LIVING in Japan, and back VISITING Texas. If I had been the person working that day, I would have denied you as well based on that verbiage alone. The only exception made to this is for people on military orders. If you were on military orders, fine, there is a process for that. If you were not, then you lied on the form, signed it, purchased the gun illegally, and posted about it on the internet. Not a great plan. I've attached a link to 4473 so you can verify this for yourself. Its question 10, and any ancillary instructions for it are on page 4.

I asked almost this exact question of an ATF inspector in charge of the team doing an audit about two months ago. The customer was from Texas and was home on "leave" while working for a contractor for a three-letter agency. He was on an extended assignment overseas (believe it was a 3-year gig). In that situation, according to ATF, for the purposes of buying a gun, the customer was RESIDING in that foreign country, even though they still owned the house here that was on their license. Their residence in that country made them temporarily ineligible to purchase a firearm. since that person was no longer military, and not operating on military orders, they couldn't lawfully do a 4473 until they returned home on a permanent basis.

Signed,
Someone who takes 16-24 hours of ATF compliance training a year

Internet Police always show up...

I've heard some humdingers at gun counters but I've never felt the need to interrupt any of them and correct the gun counter commandos. Now, if I hear some of the things mentioned here that could get someone killed or injured, I'll step in and say something and I don't care if someone thinks I'm a prick. There is a huge difference in bad information and setting someone up for a trip to the hospital. I would question anyone who wouldn't step in for something like that.