Share your dumbest gun store stories.

[Panfisher]

I still remember the day while waiting my turn at a LARGE sporting goods store I listened to the counter-man expounding on the virtues of a Ruger 22/45, since I had one at the time I was listening, then he drops the bomb, "The reason it is called a 22/45 is that you can convert it to a .45! I couldn't take it anymore and explained why it was called a 22/45 (grip angle), I don't think the counter-man appreciated it very much.

I actually used to work at that very store behind the counter many years before while in college. I got the job I think because during my interview the manager and I got to talking reloading, powders and ballistics. It was a fun if low paying job and just couldn't stand one of the employees misleading a customer that way.

[dstryr]

I was in a Sportsman's Warehouse a few months ago listening to a customer trying to explain a part he wanted to a guy behind the gun counter. The customer had done his homework on some obscure part and was being the rude hole to the counterman who repeatedly stated it wasn't a part they kept in stock. After several back-and-forths, the counterman called for help and the customer turned to me and said something about how useless young kids are. I looked at him without responding 'til he turned away. The older guy who always works the counter showed up, pretty much told the customer the same thing the younger guy was trying to say, and left the customer to pick something they had, order the part, or go elsewhere. The guy finally left. The young guy was right in what he was telling the customer but received no benefit because of his age.

[Tom Servo]

The young guy was right in what he was telling the customer but received no benefit because of his age.

You should see the treatment female employees get. I've had guys who will utterly ignore or contradict valid advice from a female employee, only to accept it willingly from me.

Then there's the dismissive "can I talk to one of the guys?" I'll sometimes pretend I don't know the answer so they have to talk to her.

Then there are the folks who have the most outlandishly strange ideas and refuse to budge. My personal favorite was the guy who called and asked a clerk for "choke tubes for a .30-06." The clerk asked him the customer if he might have been referring to something else, since there's no such thing. The customer got huffy and demanded to speak to me.

I reiterated the clerk's answer, and they guy wouldn't let up. He said, "son, if you don't know what I'm talking about, why don't you just admit it, already. No need to be a tool about it."

My response was, "you know, I just remembered. We're out of stock on those. We really don't know when we're getting them back in."

"Well, can you order one?"

"Sorry, but none of our distributors have choke tubes for a .30-06."

"Well. Humph. If you're not willing to help, I'll take my business elsewhere."

Whenever someone needs a good laugh nowadays, we just bring that up. Sometimes you just have to embrace the absurdity.

[Hiker 1]

at a well known gun store in Loveland, CO

I know that place quite well. One guy tried to sell me a $1000 scope based on blah blah and I just said "uh huh, I'll take this other one instead". I just ignore those yahoos and buy what I want.

In every gun store I've ever been to, I've seen customers blather endlessly to the clerks and never buy anything. To me, wasting someone's time is pretty dumb.

[g.willikers]

Yeah, not all the dumb stuff one hears comes from behind the counter.
A guy and his son walked into a shop, when I was there getting something or other.
He wants to get ammo for his rifle, for an upcoming hunting trip.
The clerk asks what caliber.
The guy says it's for a Browning.
The clerk asks what caliber.
The guy says it's for a Browning.
And that's the way the conversation went.
Guess he thought all Browning rifles used the same ammo.

[jimbob86]

The clerk asks what caliber.
The guy says it's for a Browning.

7.65 Browning?

[Ozzieman]

Setting behind the counter reading an NRA magazine, the front door opens and a double barreled shotgun appears and I hear “Get in there” with a loud voice.
You couldn’t see out because the owner had all the windows covered in large posters.
I had my gun pulled and crouched down when an 8 year old came into the door followed by his father.
There was a big sign on the door “no uncased guns allowed.”
When he saw the gun in my hand he laid the shotgun down and realizing his mistake apologized.

The owner realizing his mistake took many of the posters down so you had a clear view around and through the door.

[Microgunner]

Originally Posted by ClydeFrog

One Youtube.com clip had him suggesting viewers/2A supporters to buy products from their local gun shops & FFL holders(retailers). He stated how a gun industry member told him that many US gun shops were failing
I could understand the Yankee Marshal's viewpoint & wouldn't want any US small business to go under in these tough times but IMO, if a gun shop can't stay in business or the local customer base won't support them, then there may be a valid reason or 2 why the shop isn't doing well.

This is an easy one.
During the recent couple buying panics the huge retailers, who enjoy favored son status with the distributors, were buying everything available, leaving the little guys, who don't possess huge buying budgets, without any inventory to order.
As they sold off their existing inventories they could not replace them.
So the little guys were very wealthy for a few months, then "out of business" for lack of inventory.
Buying only from the little guys would leave the giant retailers with excess inventory and slow their ordering, making more inventory availably to the little guys.

[Theohazard]

The other day I had a customer ask for a magazine for a 10/22. I showed him what we had.

Him: No, I need the mag for the tactical version.

Me: These will work, all 10/22s use the same magazines.

Him: No, mine uses different mags than those, it's the 10/22 with the tactical shell and the rails.

(At that point, I thought maybe he had some sort of 10/22 conversion kit that used some sort of extended mag to make it look like a larger-caliber magazine and make it easier to grab.)

Me: Sir, I'm not exactly sure what kind of 10/22 conversion you have, but the standard 10/22 mags should work in your rifle, and if the conversion stock you have makes it hard to reach the mag well, the 25-round mags should make it easier. But if your rifle is modified so that normal mags won't fit, I'm afraid we don't have any mags that will work for you.

Him: I don't have a conversion, I have the 10/22 that comes with the tactical shell around it. It takes skinnier mags like those (points to some other .22 rifle mags on the wall).

Me (trying to be as polite as possible): Sir, all 10/22s take the same magazines.

Him (starting to get visibly annoyed): No, mine takes different ones

Me: I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid I don't know what rifle you're referring to, and it appears we don't have the right mags for your rifle.

(At this point he's starting to get really annoyed with me. He angrily pulls out his phone to text his buddy about the rifle. It's pretty busy so I go to help a few more customers. After a few minutes he waves me down, still pretty annoyed.)

Him: I have the Ruger 10/22 with the Mossberg tactical shell around it.

At this point I was completely and thoroughly confused, and the customer was completely exasperated at having to deal with such an incompetent LGS employee. Luckily, my co-worker figured it out; he went to the wall and pulled down a Mossberg 715T and showed it to the customer and asked him if this was the rifle he had. It was. So then we explained that this was a different rifle than a Ruger 10/22 and did indeed use different mags, but unfortunately we didn't have any in stock. The customer, still visibly annoyed at having to deal with such incompetence, walked out of the store.

[DaleA]

Theohazard (and others with 'challenging' customers.) I had a friend in the computer tech support business that once said, slowly and seriously to a customer on the phone, "Sir, I don't know what you're talking about and I don't think you do either."

If you ever figure out some way not to let that kind of confrontation bother you you'll be a retail clerk hero for ever. (But an understanding boss DOES help a lot.)

[lee n. field]

Share your dumbest gun store stories.
There are a lot of good stories of not so bright people working behind the counters at gun stores.
How about sharing yours. No names and no company’s names allowed.

And why not?

Gander Mountain, Rockford, IL. About 10 years ago. Pimply faced kid behind the gun counter laughed at me when I asked after 9mm Makarov. I guess he, with his vaaaast knowledge of all things gunny, had never heard of such a thing.

Don't ever do that in retail. It will not win you customers.

[MattShlock]

An early one sticks out in my mind... I was a teenager. Old gunshop, unfinished wooden floors, dim lights, aisles you had to squeeze sideways through, THOUSANDS of tightly packed guns in homemade wooden racks hung on walls behind the counters so you couldn't even see them all...

Clerk sells, to what was really (though not to me at the time) a young guy there with his girlfriend, an M-1 Garand to go deer hunting with. I thought:

"what a tag-team of morons."

My future BIL, maybe ten years older than me and in the firearms business as a back-office clerk, pointed out it WAS a .30-06. I told him I understood that and thought:

"what a trio of morons."

[kilimanjaro]

Every time I go in a shop and ask for 9mm Mak-KAR-ov, (the way it's supposed to be pronounced) instead of MAK-ar-ov, I get told in no uncertain terms that I need to say it correctly unless I want to be thought of as an idiot who doesn't know what he needs.

[Ozzieman]

And why not?
I started this thread and those are my rules,,
Which I hope everyone will ignore as they see fit.

[ClydeFrog]

When I hear a gun show seller, clerk or FFL holder say; "H&K" I get a little smirk.
Heckler & Koch(pronounced COKE) uses the label HK not H&K.

In the late 2000s, I had a young pawn shop/gun dealer clerk say; "I don't like pistols that you can't cock, they don't sell very well."
I was showing him my nearly mint, LNIB Beretta 96D with Robar custom work.

Clyde

[SC4006]

You should see the treatment female employees get. I've had guys who will utterly ignore or contradict valid advice from a female employee,

I've seen this a lot too. My local indoor gun range has two young female employees that work at the counter, and I know they're both very knowledgeable about firearms. This gun range also sells guns, and I've noticed that if one of the male workers is busy, then people will wait to ask about a gun until they can ask the male. So for example, one of the women will ask if they need help and they reply no, but once a male worker is free that same person will all of a sudden need help.

By the way Tom, you always seem to have very funny... and interesting stories. Wonder if that guy ever found that choke tube for his 30-06

[Hiker 1]

The clerk asks what caliber.
The guy says it's for a Browning.

Crikey! This guy is going out into the woods with a loaded gun (assuming he can find ammo)

[jimbob86]

[QUOTE][The clerk asks what caliber.
The guy says it's for a Browning.

Crikey! This guy is going out into the woods with a loaded gun (assuming he can find ammo) /QUOTE]

Maybe it would have been safer for all involved if he had sold him a box of the 7.65Browning for his hunting rifle.....

[g.willikers]

Now, you just know that guy would not have given up until he had somehow jammed at least one round of something in the chamber.
Probably would have repeatedly banged the bolt against a tree or something until it fit.
If it were me behind the counter, I would have asked to speak with the rifle.

[jimbob86]

I would have asked to speak with the rifle.

[dogtown tom]

ClydeFrog When I hear a gun show seller, clerk or FFL holder say; "H&K" I get a little smirk.
Heckler & Koch(pronounced COKE) uses the label HK not H&K.

I smirk when anyone thinks "H&K" isn't correct.........."HK" is merely their logo. Heckler & Koch or "H&K" is the name of the manufacturer.

Just as "Smith & Wesson", "S&W" AND "SW" are all acceptable and commonly used to identify the same brand.

It's as silly as arguing that "Coke" isn't correct terminology for a carbonated soft drink manufactured by CocaCola.

[Tom Servo]

Now, you just know that guy would not have given up until he had somehow jammed at least one round of something in the chamber.
Probably would have repeatedly banged the bolt against a tree or something until it fit.

I had a guy do that. He couldn't get a round of Wolf 7.62x39 to chamber in his Mini-14. He forced it, and it lodged partway in the chamber. It couldn't be hammered out.

Our gunsmith had a heck of a time removing it. Much cursing was involved. When the owner of the gun was presented with a $40 labor charge, he hit the roof. He didn't understand what the big deal was.

After all, a bullet is a bullet right? He actually said that to me.

[Hiker 1]

After all, a bullet is a bullet right? He actually said that to me.

Good grief. I'm not in favor of anti-gun laws, but could we pass some anti-buffoon laws?

[Revoltella]

After all, a bullet is a bullet right? He actually said that to me.

Good grief. I'm not in favor of anti-gun laws, but could we pass some anti-buffoon laws?

If he keeps that up, eventually Darwin will come into play.

[OPC]

My experience with dumb was on the not-so-funny side.

I was browsing the back aisles at the LGS for ammo and whatnot when I look up and see the cashier pointing his sidearm at his cash register/computer. His co-workers see this and grin slightly at his 'joke'. I guess the computer is hard to figure out sometimes.

When I'm ready to check out, the same cashier is still working the register. Some technical glitch occurs and out comes the pistol again. In a loud, not so happy voice I say "Holster that firearm!" He's stunned and complies. I don't bother looking around the store for reactions, just complete the transaction and leave.

I never did see him again at that store or anywhere for that matter.