Curious as to what ya'll think of this "system" a gun store has in place that resulted in a small argument. I visit one of the largest (if not the largest) LE Glock dealers in the country. It's a huge volume store. It's so busy that you need to take a number as if you were at a meat counter. There's a sign that says "take a number if you're ready to buy a weapon. you dont need a # to see a weapon, just ask a salesperson". I arrive at the store and i immediately see the handgun in the case I want to purchase, a Glock 19 RTF2. I took a # and waited as I was ready to purchase and didnt need to handle it beforehand. While I'm waiting an older gentleman comes to counter and ask the salesman to see the RTF2. He tells the clerk he wants to purchase it after handling it. The clerk tells him to take a # and the clerk puts the handgun on the back table and not back in the gun case. This is where I chime in that I had a # and was waiting on to purchase that RTF2. The clerk asks why i didnt ask to see it so he could have put it behind the counter. Of course I told him I didnt need to see and I just took a # because I was sure I wanted it. I told the clerk he should have put the gun back in the gun case until the old man's # was called. The clerk started to raise his voice saying this gun is sold to the older man and next time I should use proper purchase procedures. The 25 or so customers standing with tickets were all watching this unfold. Of course I told him to calm down and not raise his voice. A manager, who witnesses this, comes over and apologizes to me sends the clerk to "lunch". I would have thought the older man would have had the understanding and let me have the gun.....NOPE. He said the gun was his and he was leaving with this gun. I didnt press the issue anymore and let him purchase it. The manager again apologized and offered to "make it right" on my next purchase. I just left. Do ya'll think this is proper methodology to serving customers in line?

Hell no. If they are using a number system, then USE it. Your number was first, the gun was yours. The old man was a child, as was the clerk. The clerk's response to him should have been, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to take a number," when he said he wanted to buy it.

Seems like a dumb system.

I think it is screwed up, and that you should have been able to purchase the gun. I see no point in "take a number to purchase a gun" if you can ask a salesman to see it and get ahead of someone who already has a number.

I can see how they arrived at this screwed up system-I'm guessing they have different people handling the transfer and the money, so they want you to take a number for that. But if they're that busy the better system would be just to take a number to be served.

I think that system is poorly designed as it allows for a conflict when things are interpreted in different ways.

A better system would be, “Take a number to be helped.”

You want to look at a gun? Has your number come up? Oh you don’t have one? Go grab one over there.

You want to buy a gun? Has your number come up? …

Perhaps the way it works is you don't grab a number until you look around, fondle the merchandise and if you find something you want to buy. You then tell them and they put it behind the counter, at that point you grab a number or if you already have it, wait your turn for the checkout process.

Of course if you know you want to buy you grab a number then go browse and tell them what you want, what I'm saying is that perhaps there is no set rule that you need to get a number before you browse to buy.

Sounds like the rules are not clear, post the store name, lets go on their web page and see if the rules are there and it would be easier to determine what is correct.

Either way I'd get the owner/CEO name and write them/email and explain what happened how the clerk treated you, that you had a ticket and that the system failed because it's not clear on the process, is it look, select then get a number, or, that the clerk overstepped and should not have pulled the gun back for someone looking without a number.

JMO the gun should have gone back in the case, and the man told get a number and if it's still here when your turn comes up, it's his.

See what they say.

quote:

sign that says "take a number if you're ready to buy a weapon. you dont need a # to see a weapon, just ask a salesperson".

I would have told the owner that they clearly need to reword this so there will be no incident such as yours in the future.

Why don't you name this store? Was it Bass Pro?

It really sounds like the guy with the lower number should have been allowed to purchase the gun. We need the specific wording on the sign. The employees attitude seems to indicate that the process is more involved than just taking a number when you are ready to purchase. It also sounds like you need to let an employee know when you are taking a number.

Unless this store has been in business for about 2 days, there’s no way this hasn’t happened before. Sounds like the staff has their head up their ass. Manager and all. It doesn’t take a genius to correctly handle that scenario and they failed. I’d give serious thought to ever shopping there again. I say you got shafted.

Do you know the owner? After that circus act, I’d make it a point to know him. It would seem unlikely that the owner isn’t aware how his staff conducts business, but I suppose it’s possible. Any business owner that would allow his staff to do business that way would make me question how seriously he handles his paperwork obligations.

Sorry you had to deal with that load of crap.

I can see both sides. You did right by letting the old guy purchase. The manager did right by offering you a discount.
If they are a high volume Glock dealer seems like they would have had at least 10 more in the back?

It should be:

"Everyone take a number in order to be assisted, or to purchase a firearm."


Because the policy as you stated, set this exact failure in motion.

If you're ready to buy a weapon, you take a number, else anyone who wants to buy a gun can walk up to "see a weapon", then buy it.

While the person abiding by the rule is screwed.

The store was wrong in poor implementation and execution of a piss poor procedure.

I would have been pissed, but leaving was the right thing to do, as you likely would not have had any better resolution after the manager failed to rectify it.

And he was in a bad spot. The person that bought the gun was following the stores policy, unless the manager had the balls to state: "...you don't need a # to see a weapon, just ask a salesperson. But, you chose to buy, and that requires a number."

Trying to correct him after he permitted the guy to buy the firearm, would have likely ended up it turning more sour than it was.

Hope the manager does make it worth your trouble, should you return.

quote:

a sign that says "take a number if you're ready to buy a weapon. you dont need a # to see a weapon, just ask a salesperson".

That sign does NOT say, "be sure to handle a gun before you get a number if you don't want it sold out from under you by someone else handling it while you wait your turn."

I’m home based and after 15 years of being home based I would never open a brick and mortar store. I do my best to treat them like I want to be treated. I like to think that is why I still have the same customers who bought from me when I first started still coming back.

Customer service is not difficult and they (the store the OP mentioned) were wrong. I am not sure how businesses cannot see that. But, poor service at gun stores seems to be fairly common. I had a coworker who opened a gun store on the side. One of his customers left him and came to me (not knowing I knew him) since he walked in and found him playing around with his new pistol, dry firing it etc. I have known brick and mortar owners who shot new firearms, cleaned them and still sold them as new. There are a lot of bad business owners out there in all areas. Choose who you buy from wisely.

That’s messed up. But there is another side to it. Imagine if someone ahead of you with a lower number was going to buy another gun and seeing this unfold decides to chime in and say he wanted the Glock. And the guy ahead of him seeing this..say wait a sec..I want that too!

At the end of the day. The system is flawed. It should be that if you decide to buy a gun. Grab a ticket and go have them put that gun in the queue.

Just my .02$. Not my circus and not my monkeys.

LTMDDR;


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I don’t wanna name the company, but it is not one of the major sporting good companies. I’ve had great past experiences from this company and probably have purchased 25 to 35 guns from them in the past 20 or so years. I believe they only implement the ticket taking method when they are busy or have a big sale. This is the first time I’ve had to take a number as if I was waiting on sliced deli meat.

If it’s such a great company, in your experience, and you seem to still think it’s great, then why keeping it a secret? They might have screwed up a little with their signage, but I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.