Went into a Sportsman’s Warehouse.
Told the guy I was interested in a Glock 30.
He stated he did not have any.. but that he had any other number of .45s he could show me.
Conversation went on.. and he eventually told me that he had a polymer frame P220.
I gave him a look and told him to show me - cuz i was pretty sure that’s not a thing.

Dude then hands me a SP2022.

I nicely pointed out his error and we moved on.

I then asked to see an M&P 9mm full size.
He digs one out and hands it over.

Me: wait.. this is full size? why does the mag only say 15 rounds?
Him: hmm that’s kinda odd - I’m sure it’ll hold 17.
Me: yeah.. that seems pretty sketchy.. let me see this other one under the counter here.

So he hands me this 2nd one - sure enough, 17 round mag.

Dude tried to sell me a CO compliant pistol like it was a normal one.
Cuz you know - if I’d bought that one.. there’s no returns on that crap and I would have been stuck with it.

I would bet a large percentage of their customers would think he was a genius and really knew his stuff.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: There's something wrong with the gun industry that attracts complete liars and bullshit artists into the retail sales portion of things. Somehow, they're allowed to proliferate to the point where they're nearly the rule, not the exception. I simply don't get it. I've heard all manner of complete horseshit out the mouths of dummies behind the gun counter.

Sales is a simple game when you follow four steps: Greet, qualify, demo, close. You greet the customer and let them look around - give them time to acclimate so they don't feel attacked. You then ask if you can help them find anything, and the answer either way will tell you what you need to know and you can either let them wander out the door, or help them find what they're looking for. If you have it, show them what they want to see and demo how it works. Then you ask them if they'd like you to get the box and manual and ring them up. If they say "not today," politely put the product away and find something else to do and don't waste any more time of anyone's time. If they ask a question, answer it simply. If you don't know the answer, tell them so, and then endeavor to find the answer. It isn't complicated, but somehow, it seems like this really simple shit is somehow completely lost on people behind gun counters. Not all of them, mind you, but more than enough to where this is an incredibly common complaint. If there's another industry would such awful salesmanship is this common, I'd like to know about it. I went shopping for a used truck last summer and encountered exactly no such horseshit.

I've always said, the best thing I can hear from a gun counter clerk is "I don't know." At least I know he's probably being honest.

If I'm looking at something I particularly know a lot about, I will ask a question, sometime an odd one or a vague leading question I know the answer to, just to see what I get in reply. Lets me know who I'm dealing with. If I get bullshit, I will clunk them over the head with actual facts and walk away, sorry you lost a sale with BS.

Try car salesmen, home audio/video salesmen, furniture salesmen, and guitar store salesmen. I've heard and overheard a ton of B.S. from all of them.

I don't depend on sales people to advise me on anything but the price. Invariably I know more about whatever it is I am buying than they do. The few times I listened to a salesman they invariably led me wrong, so I don't even bother anymore. Of course, there are a few exceptions to this, like a good men's store that helps you select a suit and shirt/tie combinations. But it's still very rare.

The reality is most retail salesmen are like this. The difference here is many of us know guns very well, down to all kinds of detail and minutia. So we know when someone is bullshitting us. But why should we expect someone in retail sales (except a store owner) to have our level of knowledge? Just think of all the things you buy that you don't know very well - are those salesmen honest or are you just not aware they are as flakey as the rest?

That guy behind the counter at Sportsmans, the one who is making minimum wage: you don't really think he was hired after careful selection of a large number of weapons experts after a thorough background check, detailed panel interview, and thorough vetting, followed by exhaustive training, do you?

He's someone who took the job because McDonalds was full. What do you expect?

Caveat emptor. Always.

I was buying at Sportsmans Warehouse and they were trying to sell me their special firearm extra warranty, which includes them sending the gun back to the manufacturer if it needs warranty work. A salesman stated that if it needed to be sent back I would have to pay shipping, and then I'd have to pay an FFL to do a transfer when it was shipped back. I said "That's just not true. I might have to pay shipping, but the manufacturer would probably pay both ways, and I definitely wouldn't need to do a transfer as they would ship it directly back to me". He seemed really offended that I corrected him, but I think he was just ignorant, not intentionally trying to mislead me. Although I can't be sure, and I am sure that they have a 'spiff' on the warranties.

The salespeople at the local gun stores I frequent are all well-informed and helpful, ex-Mil or LEO, but they’re also commissioned. The most important phrase I’ve learned since I bought my first Handgun (a P320 RXP XCompact) is, “Thank you. I don’t want that one.”

Like sns3guppy wrote: Go gun-shopping at a place like that and that's what you're going to get. That's one reason I stick to actual gun stores. I can think of only once, in all the years I've been shopping at real gun stores, somebody tried to lead me astray. YMMV

quote:

Originally posted by honestlou:
I am sure that they have a 'spiff' on the warranties.

Many of the big retail chains do. Not even talking guns, just big retail in general.

I'm sure we all have countless stories in/outside of the firearm industry regarding sales personnel and their lack of training, morals and general apathy. I'm not saying all sales people have these qualities but enough that it makes the rest look bad.

BTW I've read nothing yet in this thread that's as bad as what occurred to me a couple weeks ago when I went to a LGS and asked the clerk to let me see a Sig AXG Scorpion. The dude promptly reaches under the counter and clears the pistol. He then hands me the pistol and when I ask to dry fire it, he says "sure go ahead." I nod and proceed to sight the pistol and concentrate on the trigger pull... making sure the muzzle never crosses the path of a person in the store. I hear over my shoulder the same clerk state "don't worry about sweeping people with the gun. I cleared it and old school rules don't apply here." I quickly lowered the pistol and placed it on the counter and asked him what he meant. He says "you know, the gun isn't loaded if I checked it and you don't have to practice like it is." I was a bit shell shocked that a safe practice was frowned upon and then he went one step further... he showed me his Glock 19 tucked into a belly band, pointed at his junk. His fat and clothing would clearly obstruct the gun if it was pulled and he had the balls (for however long he owns them in the future) to say "you see, even loaded so long as I keep my finger off the trigger, it's safe". I then said "not equivalent, but things may obstruct your draw there fella"... he then tried to whip out the pistol as fast as possible - very close to my fucking direction!

I couldn't believe this idjit. I immediately left the store and called back to speak to the manager. His response: "Oh him". He knew of this behavior and failed to correct it fire his ass. Needless to say I now avoid this shop entirely.

So, the only difference was either a 15 round magazine or a 17 round one? I doubt if I would have been able to tell the difference at first... and if I got home and discovered it I would have just thought... oh well.. I need a couple more mags anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:

Sales is a simple game when you follow four steps: Greet, qualify, demo, close.

Then you ask them if they'd like you to get the box and manual and ring them up.

Far too simplistic for most things at JUST four steps, but you do paint the picture.

The WORST vendor at gunshows here in years past had a similar approach. The rep would hand over the gun you asked about, maybe checking and/or clearing it first, or not. Then, after you've had it in your mitts for LESS THAN 30secs...."Should I WRAP THAT UP for ya'??"

Thankfully, said dealer no longer graces the aisle of our shows.

I once visited a LGS just to look and because it was there. Clerk asked if he could help me, and I told him what I wanted to see. He handed me said gun and then proceeded to tell me how wonderful another gun was and how they were selling like hot cakes. He then hands me the wonder gun and takes back the one I was interested in. The gun he wanted to sell me was about half the price of the gun I wanted. I never did figure that one out, but the LGS has since gone belly up. What a surprise.
Rod

Typical uninformed and unknowledgeable employee at big chain stores.

quote:

Originally posted by sig sailor:
I once visited a LGS just to look and because it was there. Clerk asked if he could help me, and I told him what I wanted to see. He handed me said gun and then proceeded to tell me how wonderful another gun was and how they were selling like hot cakes. He then hands me the wonder gun and takes back the one I was interested in. The gun he wanted to sell me was about half the price of the gun I wanted. I never did figure that one out, but the LGS has since gone belly up. What a surprise.
Rod

Some manufacturers run temporary promos, prompting the sales guys/gals to push those products while the promo is in effect. Vortex runs a non-stop promo (the best in the business imo), or at least they did when I worked the counter.

Not that different than shopping for a smartphone from Target. The untrained though very pretty sales gal knows just enough to contradict herself several times through. That's what minimum wage gets you.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: There's something wrong with the gun industry that attracts complete liars and bullshit artists into the retail sales portion of things. Somehow, they're allowed to proliferate to the point where they're nearly the rule, not the exception. I simply don't get it. I've heard all manner of complete horseshit out the mouths of dummies behind the gun counter.

There are a lot of reasons for that. Here are two of the main ones =

1. As somebody else pointed out pay is a big issue. Whether it's a chain or mom and pop shop most retail clerk level people at gun stores are not payed much at all. Hard to attract good help when the pay is very low.
2. A lot of the people that identify as gun people are morons.

quote:

Originally posted by alptraum:
2. A lot of the people that identify as gun people are morons.

Where do you fall in that spectrum?

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by alptraum:
2. A lot of the people that identify as gun people are morons.

Where do you fall in that spectrum?

I'll let others judge.