Advice from Gun Shop Customers: annoying or helpful?

[Kirk Freeman]

What do you guys think?

The half empty bucket is noisy and sloshes about, the full bucket is silent. Chinese proverb.

 

[J Starkey]

I tend to give some input only when the guy behind the gun counter has no clue what he's talking about (dunhams) I was in there the other day buying some 7.62x39 and the guy had no clue what ammo that was or what 9mm was. Next I asked to look at there savage 17hmr and he literally went down the row saying this one? No. This one? No. This one? And so on and so on. Then a guy comes up and ask to look at the bushmaster "assault rifle" the clerk starts telling him how this is the exact same "assault rifle" our military uses and how he should buy it because they are getting banned soon. I had to intervene at this point because the guy was buying all the bs. I directed him to the lgs down the road where I know they wouldn't feed him bs.

 

[longbarrel]

In most shops, I don't speak unless spoken to.

 

[cobber]

The half empty bucket is noisy and sloshes about, the full bucket is silent. Chinese proverb.

And what if the full bucket is full of ? But the half-empty bucket has water, and the person is thirsty.

HMMM?

 

[Birds Away]

IMHO women with carry experience and just general experience with firearms should absolutely share that opinion with other women. The challenges that a woman faces in finding the gun that's right for her are different than men. A woman's perspective may be more valuable having already travelled that road.

 

[Bapak2ja]

I watched a man purchase an S&W M&P .22LR at Gander Mountain. They paid over $40 more than I had recently paid at an LGS, and $60 more than what they were selling for at the gun show that day.

Rose-Hulman students have an interesting take on a common expression, namely, "Friends don't let friends go to Purdue." So, friends don't let friends overpay by $60. But I had never seen this buyer before. What to do?

I quietly turned and walked away. My tongue was sore for several days.

 

[giovani]

You take the average guy, say anyone who posts on INGO and ask the OP's question but, insert another type of retail store like clothing, shoes, furniture, bicycles, motorcycles etc. etc., and I would bet that very few have walked up to someone and explained why to the other patron that theymay or may not want to buy the sofa, shoes, jacket etc. etc. that the salesman is showing them.

my take on random advice in a gun shop is that it is usually a dick measuring contest to show the other men in the room that you are more knowlegable about firearms than the next guy and it is rarely in the interest of the other patron.

i almost never give advice and usually shut people off if they start with me, you ask ten guys about the same gun and you get 10 different answers anyway.

 

[CindyE]

You take the average guy, say anyone who posts on INGO and ask the OP's question but, insert another type of retail store like clothing, shoes, furniture, bicycles, motorcycles etc. etc., and I would bet that very few have walked up to someone and explained why to the other patron that theymay or may not want to buy the sofa, shoes, jacket etc. etc. that the salesman is showing them.

my take on random advice in a gun shop is that it is usually a dick measuring contest to show the other men in the room that you are more knowlegable about firearms than the next guy and it is rarely in the interest of the other patron.

i almost never give advice and usually shut people off if they start with me, you ask ten guys about the same gun and you get 10 different answers anyway.

Maybe females do this more often. If I see someone looking at something I own, I will often tell them I have it, and especially if they then ask me questions about it, I will tell them what I think. I know I've done this at the motorcycle dealership, and usually the customer is another woman. I've had people do the same to me, like if I am looking at shoes, someone might say, "oh, I have those shoes, they are so comfortable!" In the grocery store the other day, I noticed someone looking at a new product that I had recently tried, so I told them I had tried it and thought it was good. I've had people say the same to me, and I've tried things I might not have tried otherwise. Some good, some not. When husband and I are looking at tools, etc., it happens sometimes too. None of it bothers me unless the person is particularly annoying. There are some salespeople we find annoying as well, and we try to avoid them. I guess for me it's not so much the advice, but the way it is given.

 

[DRob]

This bit of information applies............."Those who think they know everything are particularly annoying to those of us who do".

 

[wsenefeld]

I've given my opinion once while at Rural King. A customer asked the girl behind the counter if she could explain any PROs/CONs of the Springfield XD45. She wasn't able to say more than what she could read off the sales tag. Being that I've owned one for 7 years, I gave a short answer and answered any other questions he directed towards me.

 

[looney2ns]

, so I don't offer my opinion unless asked.

Here is the correct answer. ^^^^

 

[Faine]

I myself like lgs banter and conversation but I never offer my opinion unless it's solicited by the the salesman or the potential customer. If I was the customer I wouldn't care what anyone said about this or that because I do my research before I go in. I will say that the last time I went in with my wife and she was buying a gun a gentleman decided to give us his .02usd and my wife very unpolitely told I'm where he could shove his .02usd. She viewed his butting in as a way for him to make himself feel superior as a male. If a woman had done the same thing she probably wouldn't have reacted that way. I apologized to the guy because I knew he was just trying to be friendly and helpful with information and my wife just likes to act like that, so I'd say just in general when women are involved, if you're not a woman and not part of the conversation already, keep it that way.

 

[jtwilson3]

The only times that I usually try to give my advice is if they are looking at a gun that I have or have shot and loved. Like someone was looking at a Bersa Thunder and I just stated that I had one, had no problems with it, and the recoil is really manageable. Other than that I don't interject too much. Oh I do say a gun they are holding looks beautiful like when I saw some guy looking at a Sig P238...

 

[223 Gunner]

Rarely talk to other customers at the LGS or anywhere for that matter. I hear all kinds of advice, both good and bad. I feel with any product, you should do your homework.

 

[warthog]

Advice is what you hear when someone advises you.

 

[actaeon277]

Rarely talk to other customers at the LGS or anywhere for that matter. I hear all kinds of advise, both good and bad. I feel with any product, you should do your homework.

I agree, there is good and bad. So you have to evaluate data, as you should with anything.

 

[JetGirl]

I do carry an airweight .38 at times, but they are not all that fun to practice with.

A.Fricken.Men!

 

[SSGSAD]

I watched a man purchase an S&W M&P .22LR at Gander Mountain. They paid over $40 more than I had recently paid at an LGS, and $60 more than what they were selling for at the gun show that day.

Rose-Hulman students have an interesting take on a common expression, namely, "Friends don't let friends go to Purdue." So, friends don't let friends overpay by $60. But I had never seen this buyer before. What to do?

I quietly turned and walked away. My tongue was sore for several days.

I was waiting for a post like this : I was in our "favorite" east side Indy lgs, and a guy was looking at a pistol. I butted in and asked, does a $100.00 mean a lot to you? He said it sure does. I said, then shop around, that gun is cheaper other places. He said where? I answered Bradis, on Ky. Ave. The guy behing the counter, got kind of MAD ..... I just left.....




And being a guy, that knows a LOT about S&W, I always tell their customers, to put that glock down, and buy a S&W M&P .....

 

[Gluemanz28]

I don't usually say anything in fear that I might appear to be dumb but opening my mouth could remove any doubt. I look at it like this I'm not paying the bills at the GS so my opinion is not required especially if it goes against what the GS staff is telling. If they are giving good information about a firearm that I own I might give a seconds to what the person is saying about the gun but I would never call them out in front of a customer.

 

[gungirl65]

Maybe females do this more often. If I see someone looking at something I own, I will often tell them I have it, and especially if they then ask me questions about it, I will tell them what I think. I know I've done this at the motorcycle dealership, and usually the customer is another woman. I've had people do the same to me, like if I am looking at shoes, someone might say, "oh, I have those shoes, they are so comfortable!" In the grocery store the other day, I noticed someone looking at a new product that I had recently tried, so I told them I had tried it and thought it was good. I've had people say the same to me, and I've tried things I might not have tried otherwise. Some good, some not. When husband and I are looking at tools, etc., it happens sometimes too. None of it bothers me unless the person is particularly annoying. There are some salespeople we find annoying as well, and we try to avoid them. I guess for me it's not so much the advice, but the way it is given.

I do the same kinds of things. I think for us as women we speak up about things we are familiar with because we want to be helpful and friendly. There is usually no ego involved for us. Men sometimes let their egos instead of their brains do the talking.