Is it rude to call LG stores and ask for pricing?

[Mgderf]

I take calls for pricing with a smile on my face everyday. I do this for several reason; A) potential customer B) customer service.

Pretty simple. If you're ashamed or irritated (when people ask) by your own pricing then you've got other issues to deal with. If I call a place for a price and they get irritated or rude over 1 question via phone, I'll never take the time to discover how they'll act in a conversation face to face.

Every customer interaction is a potential sale waiting to happen to any sales person worth their salt.

This should be the quinessential answer to your question, but alas,if it were, your question would be moot.
If most shops were like this one, the others wouldn't last long.

 

[ModernGunner]

I own Marksman Shooting Sports in Westfield. I am more than happy to talk to customers on the phone. We try our best to answer all and every question that we get including our prices. We are confident that our prices are extremely competitive, and will ring well with the customer on the other end of the line. Pricing aside, I believe that if a customer is spending their valuable time even considering giving us their business, the least we can do is be as helpful as possible.

Hope that helps.

Chris

There ya go. THERE'S a LGS that's worth patronizing.

 

[calcot7]

Just like Don's in that sense I guess.....

Midwest gun exchange will NOT hand prices over the phone. They will inform on what's in stock but not mention pricing.

I tried a few times because it's an hour drive from my house.

 

[jd4320t]

If they can't give a price over the phone they can't have my business.

 

[tomaustin]

being lazy and expecting someone to cater to your choice of living your life is really stupid...be sure and tell the stores how you don't want to run around and it is their job to make you a good deal over the phone....good luck with that..........

 

[Booya]

being lazy and expecting someone to cater to your choice of living your life is really stupid...be sure and tell the stores how you don't want to run around and it is their job to make you a good deal over the phone....good luck with that..........

Pretty sure it's a business's (at least retail) first priority to cater to the customer is it not? Being lazy? Oh you mean making people drive maybe an hour one way just to discover they've arrived at the most expensive place around (because they're the closest to those folks an hour away). No one insinuated any store was required to make any deals over the phone, just give up the price. I have yet to go into a LGS and not see tags on the pieces. That's all anyone is talking about. Those stores with attitudes like yours probably are and will continue to do way less business then they could be. Or perhaps they're being lazy and don't want to make any effort to actually gain a customer, make a sale, get repeat business, get excellent referrals, get free marketing.... Etc. These aren't problems I have. I cater to my customer. I make lots of sales.

 

[AngryRooster]

being lazy and expecting someone to cater to your choice of living your life is really stupid...be sure and tell the stores how you don't want to run around and it is their job to make you a good deal over the phone....good luck with that..........

 

[Ruffnek]

being lazy and expecting someone to cater to your choice of living your life is really stupid...be sure and tell the stores how you don't want to run around and it is their job to make you a good deal over the phone....good luck with that..........

I've done that.I called and asked about a specific gun,part,or accessory and said "Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.I live about an hour away and I would've hated driving all the way there to find out that I couldn't afford X or you were out of Y." The usual answer is "No problem,I understand completely" and sometimes they'll even tack on "Thanks for considering us."

 

[Gluemanz28]

Midwest gun exchange will NOT hand prices over the phone. They will inform on what's in stock but not mention pricing.

I tried a few times because it's an hour drive from my house.

It depends who you know

 

[Gluemanz28]

If you call and speak with someone on the phone and they give you good quality time, then make sure to write their name down and ask for them when you go in. Some get paid on Commission and others are on a bonus point program.

I was in a store that I will not mention the name of. I was standing there when a guy comes in the store and when he was asked by a younger new employe if he could help him, the guy says that he called and talked to someone about a gun. An older guy that was near by said that was me you talked to. The younger kid just walked away. Older guy asks what was the gun he was interested in. Customer names the gun (yes I was creeping on them because I wanted to know what he was buying). Older guy says "Oh you must have talked to someone else". He then said "That's ok I can still help you" That was a DB move right there. I know for a fact that they get paid commission. Young kid at the very least should have been handed the customer back.

Ask their name and write it down. Give them the sale so that it will help the next guy that calls and it is the right thing to do.

 

[Ruffnek]

If you call and speak with someone on the phone and they give you good quality time, then make sure to write their name down and ask for them when you go in. Some get paid on Commission and others are on a bonus point program.

I was in a store that I will not mention the name of. I was standing there when a guy comes in the store and when he was asked by a younger new employe if he could help him, the guy says that he called and talked to someone about a gun. An older guy that was near by said that was me you talked to. The younger kid just walked away. Older guy asks what was the gun he was interested in. Customer names the gun (yes I was creeping on them because I wanted to know what he was buying). Older guy says "Oh you must have talked to someone else". He then said "That's ok I can still help you" That was a DB move right there. I know for a fact that they get paid commission. Young kid at the very least should have been handed the customer back.

Ask their name and write it down. Give them the sale so that it will help the next guy that calls and it is the right thing to do.

Thanks for this info.I'll start doing that from now onI assume big box stores aren't this way?.

 

[JetGirl]

I never mind checking a few...but if you've got a super long list and we're slammin' busy or short-staffed, I might ask you to give it a little while and call back when we're freed up.
Oh, ETA; We don't work on commission.

 

[Bonkers4Bacon]

being lazy and expecting someone to cater to your choice of living your life is really stupid...be sure and tell the stores how you don't want to run around and it is their job to make you a good deal over the phone....good luck with that..........

Expecting someone to cater to your choice of living? Guy, its calling about a price of a firearm. If you have time and gas money to drive all over creation to look at prices, good for you.

 

[spec4]

www.galleryofguns.com - Buy guns online, top brands, best price, best service, best warranty; all types of firearms: revolvers, rifles, pistols and shotguns. This is a good place to check on prices.

 

[Disposable Heart]

Guns are a commodity in a way. If a shop cannot give pricing over the phone, there's something amiss. Seen a few shops, here and in Ohio do that and eventually asked why:

We've got to protect our bottom line. (no, that doesn't make sense)
All people do is use up our time shopping for pricing, then buy it online. (then be more competitive by informing the customer of the added value you offer in the sale, such as accessories, repairs, etc... compared to online outlets)
People just want to use our price, then go to their favorite shop and negotiate using our price. (Well, that means they are too far away, prefer their shop or you have a great price, conversely, horrible attitude and service)

Doesn't make sense at all.

On the other hand, customers that call to get pricing, then launch into negotiations about how much their trade in will be worth, that IS wasting time. If they cannot see it, they cannot value it. Also, customer that believe the conversation is an "implied" anything: "Hey, I called about that Taurus Judge... Why didn't you hold it for me?! I wanted it, told you so over the phone!!" Going into monologues about how their father used to have one, or how they have (insert unrelated gun here) and how great it was, while over the phone, is a time waster as well.

A business is for customer service, to meet or exceed customer expectations (while reasonable) and fulfill the customer's needs in exchange for the currency of the realm. On the flip side of the coin, a customer is for spending money, having a need to be fulfilled and a reasonable expectation of service. Sure, you can have a personal relationship with a store or members of the store, but it's still a business.

 

[Robert Richardson]

If you need a part for your car or truck, do you ask if they have it and, how much it costs?

 

[mikefraz]

If you need a part for your car or truck, do you ask if they have it and, how much it costs?

Yes. Yes I do.

 

[SteveM4A1]

Yes. Yes I do.

Every time that I would need something, I would check online at my local places before leaving to see who had it. It would show in stock, but when I would get there, they wouldn't have it in stock. So, I started calling to check before hand, because as stated above, I don't have the time or money to drive around all day looking for stuff.

 

[LarryC]

Well, I have worked retail a few times in my life many years ago. I always felt EVERY person was a potential customer. Good businesses work quite hard to obtain walk in traffic via advertising and other means. I would certainly have a problem with any business that thought they were "wasting time" talking to me on the phone for any reason. No I would not be irritated if they stated they were busy right then and asked if they could call me back, but if they insisted I come in to obtain a price on any item they had for sale they would lose me as a customer period! To me it was never a chore to talk to potential customers about prices, their hobbies, their work or any other issue they wanted to discuss. I would excuse myself if another customer needed attention and state, "let me take care of them and I will be right back". I have ended up with some very loyal customers by treating them like I would want to be treated! I have seen customers window shop several times ~ then pop for some expensive items after they were comfortable with me and believed they would be treated properly.

Like many others the lowest price is not always my main concern, yeah price is important but if the difference is small, I would certainly buy from someone I liked that had spent enough time with me that I felt obligated to purchase from them. Buying a person a cup of coffee can mean the difference between getting and losing a sale on a new car (or firearm) at times!

 

[BrewerGeorge]

You are the customer. If they don't like your questions, they don't need your business.

Pretty much this. A LGS is not "doing you a favor" by selling you a gun; you're not an imposition on them. You're a customer - the entire reason they are in existence as a store. That doesn't mean you get to be a jerk because "the customer is always right" but in these days of internet buying, customer service is one of the biggest advantages to a brick-and-mortar LGS. I think anything relating to the sale or potential sale is fair game.

OTOH, I think using a LGS to handle and dry-fire a gun, getting all your questions answered, then buying online to save a few bucks is pretty despicable. Don't pick the brains and take the time of the locals if there is no real chance of a sale.