First you need a uniform. Black tee, camo pants bloused in your high top black lace up boots. You'll need a 1911 or better yet a Dessert Eagle strapped to your hip. Practice strutting to move about the shop. Perfect your condescending look and gruff short answers to questions. Always answer even if you don't know anything about the topic. Intimidate newbies and be sure you belittle them in front of their spouse and friends. When they walk out without buying anything tell your gun counter lizards what idiots they were for wasting your time. Do all this and you will be a successful gun store fixture.

Big box store with nine noses?
Or b&m mom and pop store ?

I was fortunate to work for a close friend at his gun store/range.

People would come in that I either knew or would make friends with through the store.
Everyone would tell me how lucky I was to work at a gun store/range.
They would tell me they would always be in early to use the range as much as possible if they worked there and the guns they would buy.

I used to remind them "as much fun as it could be it was still a JOB."

"Things, lots of thing still had to be done before the store opened, during the day and after it closed before anything else personal. The owner did give me discounts on firearms but they still cost money."

I was lucky, eventually I became a key holder and on the days the store was closed(Sunday/Monday). I would call the owner and ask if my wife and I could use the range for a few hours he always said no problem and occasionally he would meet us there.

Even though I retired from the store several years ago my wife and I are still very close with his whole family.

Be patient with the guys who know exactly what gun their wife or girlfriend needs to buy. Those guys really test my patience.

quote:

Originally posted by mrvmax:
Don’t try to know everything - don’t be “that guy” that makes up stuff.

I'm very comfortable with saying "I don't know, but I know how to find the answer." I loathe the typical gun store guys who make shit up. Nosticks post hits all the other high points.

Back in 2020, I actually hired on at Rainier Arms' retail storefront. They liked me in the interview and specifically talked about how they were trying to hire guys who weren't "gun guys" but customer service and sales people. "You can train a good customer service guy on guns, but for whatever reason, it seems like you can't train a 'gun guy' on how to interface with the public worth a damn." I wound up accepting and then declining the job just before my first day because I got a way better offer at a machine shop.

Like probably all of us, I've had a lot of negative experiences in gun stores, and it almost always comes back to shitheads behind the counter. I'm using this as an opportunity to be the polar opposite.

New experience today: Had an old man pretend to be interested in buying a gun and even talked me through his use case only for it to be him trying to develop a rapport so he could sell me a life insurance policy. What the fuck. I tried humorously guiding it back to carrying a gun as a life insurance policy and he interrupted me and said "wait a minute, I'm serious, here" and I said "hey man, I'm at work, here. They pay me to sell guns." He didn't want to talk much after that and made for the door. As it turns out, that's not an uncommon occurrence. In retrospect, I find it kind of insulting. It felt good throwing his business card in the trash. Asshole.

I usually mind my manners at a gun store, don’t usually get tangled up with employees or other customers.

The worst I saw was years ago, smaller shop, firearms & big into bows. A guy came in asking about something with his bow, a component or getting it setup. This was a week or so before bow season opened. He was interacted with then left, may of bought something, left a bow, or just inquired.

After he left the owner berated him to me & others. He called him ‘the great white hunter’, main offense being he was getting something done that should have been done well before season. I thought it was over the top for what the customer was asking.

The owner does have that reputation, has a few fanboys. I’ve never been back.

The matching yellow IDPA vests on the man and his emu should have been your clue, P220 Smudge.


As bendable said, " situational Awareness."

quote:

You'll need a 1911 or better yet a Dessert Eagle strapped to your hip.

And tell everyone you were a Gravy SEAL.

You have more patience than me. I'd be fine with about 90% of the clientele, but there's like 10% that are just weirdos and I don't want to be anywhere near them, especially in the context of guns. As a customer I can just leave, but as an employee you're trapped.

Fort Wayne got a new Academy store that just opened last month, and my wife and I stopped in for the first time the other day to check it out. While quickly perusing their gun counter there were three other customers there who were straight outta the trailer park, wearing a combination of pyjama pants and vietnam-era camo. They were going on about how some KelTec was the best thing ever, etc. etc. The counter guy looked like he was in physical pain, and immediately seized on the opportunity to separate himself from them and ask if I needed anything. Unfortunately for him their selection was really lousy and they had absolutely nothing of interest, so I politely declined and made my way over to their equally unimpressive selection of backpacking gear, leaving the poor guy at their mercy.

Good luck with that.

As others have said, patience. Patience for the idiots but also patience for the person that actually wants to buy a gun, but just doesn’t know much about them. Be willing to educate when asked, but not condescending.

Please do not wear mirrored sun glasses while waiting on customers.

I worked behind a gun counter many years ago, it was fun. I like to see an obvious designated place for customers to look down the sights and point the gun, a target or deer taxidermy. Watch the folks walking in with bags, gun cases, at some point someone will bring in a loaded gun. I remember helping some wives with pretty big Christmas shopping budgets that put a lot of faith in me to guide them in the right direction. I could really help them out.

Back when I was still working, I would stop at the local sporting goods store sometimes twice a week. Usually just for looking in the used handgun cases and used long gun racks.
It was directly on the way to/from work, all that you needed to do was flip on the turn signal and pull into the store parking lot.
Over the ~ 15 years of that particular work commute, I bought many firearms from that store. Most of them "cherry" condition used stuff that had been traded in or outright sold to the store.

I am retired now, and that store is about 5 miles away from my home. Every single time I go in that store to buy something, I get a job offer.
I politely decline every job offer, because I KNOW every single penny I earned at the store would NEVER reach my bank account.
The store owner always smiles when I tell him NO, likely because he has a good memory of my frequent visits.

After leaving LE work, I worked at a gun store/indoor range for 3 years.

Really the only advice to give is "treat the customers the same way you would want to be treated". Pretty much goes without saying... but I said it anyways.

Good luck. (I am sure that you will run across some cool finds coming in on trades or being sold to the shop, I know that I did )

Just quit working for a large gun store. I had worked for a small shop previously (25 yrs ago) and it was a lot of fun. The last job, however, wasn't.
Too much corporate crap! Everything is computerized (no big deal), but the layers of extra work to satisfy all the corporate needs was immense. And, as a new person, I was under the microscope the whole 8-hour shift for 5 weekly shifts. I can own up to making mistakes and use that as a learning point.

However, on Black Friday, I was working 1300-2130 shift. The gun counter was jammed when I got in and after serving a few people, I ended up with a woman and her son. They were interested in a particular style of rifle (lever-action). I showed them what we had at my end of the 80 foot counter. They saw some other guns down the other end and someone else took over. After 10 minutes, I was called down to the other end where the guy told me "they're gonna think on it".

I acknowledged & went on to other customers. Half-hour later, the manager called me out for "abandoning" the woman and son! That was the beginning of the end for me.....

When a big guy in a studded tan duster asks to see the 12 gauge autoloader, make sure there is not a box of shells on the counter when he then asks for the UZI 9mm. Basic rookie error.

quote:

Originally posted by BKile:
Be patient with the guys who know exactly what gun their wife or girlfriend needs to buy. Those guys really test my patience.

C'mon now

Everyone knows it's either a tiny blowback pocket .380 or a lightweight .357 snubbie. You want these women to really enjoy gun ownership!

quote:

Originally posted by pbslinger:
A month after I started pumping gas at a local marina for $2/day in 1964 at 10 years old, the owner of the marina tells my dad: "He's worked here a month and only owes me $5.75. They sold fishing tackle and boating accessories, sandwiches and malts. I gave my dad a speedometer kit for our 1961 Chris Craft 19' Cavalier for his birthday.


I'd walk part way to work and swim across a cove with my labrador next to me, Blackie hung out with me at work all day.

That sir is awesome! What a life....

I made it for 6 months. Then I realized it wasnt all that fun!!!. I pulled the plug on my gun store career!!!

Keep notes and keep us updated on your fun!

Good luck, enjoy