Knowledgeable sales staff

[damienph]

I stopped in at the Wichita, KS Gander Mountain store last Friday just to look. I noticed that one of the Beretta Tomcats (32ACP) was listed on the tag as being chambered in 32S&W.


I told the guy behind the counter that it was probably mis-marked; "no, it's marked right, Berettas come in alot of different calibers."

Gee, thanks for the tip...

[Blaine]

Somedays, it's too much trouble to chew through the restraints.... At Cabela's in Lacy, I remember a conversation between the clerk/customer about which 9mm pistol would be best for bear protection.

[gamekeeper]

Somedays, it's too much trouble to chew through the restraints.... At Cabela's in Lacy, I remember a conversation between the clerk/customer about which 9mm pistol would be best for bear protection.

The one without the front sight...

[Blaine]

Somedays, it's too much trouble to chew through the restraints.... At Cabela's in Lacy, I remember a conversation between the clerk/customer about which 9mm pistol would be best for bear protection.

The one without the front sight...

Indeed!

[rat patrol]

I work at Cabelas in Lacey all of 4 hrs.....nuff said.

[Hobie]

As an employee in a gun store I am no longer surprised at the lack of desire for knowledge that the average customer has. IOW, they don't want to know. Then, there are those customers who are wrong and won't believe you. Just the other day I had a guy ask for "some thirty-two ammo". He would not accept that there were at least 7 different .32 centerfire cartridges (.32 ACP, .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long, .32 Colt, .32 H&R, .327 Federal, .32 WCF (aka .32-20)). He couldn't ID the cartridge by sight, he couldn't tell me the make, much less the model, of his firearm, he couldn't even tell me, at first, if it was a semi-auto or revolver and I don't think he was 100% certain after I showed him examples! The truth is that the average clerk seems to me, now that I've worked in the business, to be more knowledgeable than the average customer.

[44-40 Willy]

Some clerks are knowledgeable. But all too often I've had those try to tell me what I want. That dog won't hunt either.

[stretch]

In a perfect world, all retail clerks would know all about every product that
the store they work in stocks.

Having worked in retail at various times in my life, I can assure you that
no one knows it all - customer OR clerk.

The major chains hire folks based on price. They've shareholders to make
money for. In a gun department, they've also got to hire someone who's
reliable, trustworthy, and passes all of the checks that their lawyers
specify, which definitely restricts the choices they've got. Then they need
someone who can afford to work for $11 an hour. Then they can work on
job knowledge.

It can definitely be irritating when you know more than the clerk, and the
clerk insists that he's right, but he's probably doing his best. Being able to
field all questions, correct all mistakes, and know everything about every
product stocked is a tall order on Gander Mountain wages. Your local
gun shop is probably a better place to go when you want expert advice.
I'm sometimes pleasantly surprised at the knowledge some clerks at large retailers
possess, but I recognize that they're there primarily to push large volumes of
product for shareholders. Most retail clerks are also not working in their
dream jobs or enjoying their work too much, so I always try to to cut 'em
some slack if they're polite and trying.

-Stretch

[Sixgun]

What a tart...........but...........like Stretch says, "look what they pay 'em".

Whenever I go to buy something I know nothing about, I tell them like it is, "I be stupid" Thats how you get the most out of an individual's knowledge.

When I buy Jeeps, I ask the salesman questions they never heard of..........gear sizes, lockers, transfer case questions........I may get one smart salesman from a 5 star dealership.------------Sixgun

[Pete44ru]

(expletive deleted) - With all due respect to board members who're in that job.


.

[tattoo13]

I don't have an issue with a sales person who does not know, but I hate those that insist that they are right when they are wrong, or ones that like to lie to customers.
I heard one at a little pawn shop that was telling a guy looking at a rifle that he was shooting 1" groups at 300 yards with one just like it.
Said rifle was a Mosin
Or another in a gun shop that insists he shoots a three inch target at 150 yards with his RIA 1911 off hand unsupported, and misses about one out of 10.

[piller]

That about the RIA 1911, yes, 150 yards is about 135 yards too far for all but the very, very best. Even in a Ransom Rest, mine would never get that sort of grouping beyond 50 yards. Off hand, unsupported, 15 yards MAYBE.

32 S&W in a Beretta Tomcat, I would have to see the gun. I seriously doubt it.

[Griff]

No comment, otherwise Hobie would ban me.

[bdhold]

The guys at the big package stores work on commission. While it benefits them to be technically knowledgeable, it benefits them more to be savvy salesmen. Parroting the latest marketing hype is the idea of technical knowledge for many of them.
Not taking Hobie to task by any means, because there is a service aspect in any good business, and sometimes it takes a smooth operator to help the customer figure out what he needs without embarrassing him.

[Rimfire McNutjob]

Somedays, it's too much trouble to chew through the restraints.... At Cabela's in Lacy, I remember a conversation between the clerk/customer about which 9mm pistol would be best for bear protection.

Surely the we're talking about the guide rod diameter.

[Hobie]

No comment, otherwise Hobie would ban me.

No I wouldn't. There's two sides to this. We have a "clerk" that has sold the wrong ammo a time or two... But then, he is the son-in-law of the previous owner and apparently has tenure somehow... He's really a nice guy.

The above is just a typo. I made one in my response somehow. I'm sure all the rest of us are perfect though, so, perhaps I shouldn't have said a thing...

But you, you're just being grumpy, rightfully so. All your stuff was on the floor of your barn!

[El Chivo]

in that position you do have to project an image of competence, which of course isn't helped by being wrong and sticking to it.

I wouldn't worry about it too much, it sounds like he was just taking a guess just like we do on the forum. He should do better, but probably doesn't have the time to check. Maybe he will check later and next time you come in it will be fixed.

Most retail guys are young and that's how you get experience, by experiencing things. At the place I go the guys are all knowledgeable about pistols but not rifles or hunting, I don't expect too much from them outside their specific area of expertise.

[Ysabel Kid]

As an employee in a gun store I am no longer surprised at the lack of desire for knowledge that the average customer has. IOW, they don't want to know. Then, there are those customers who are wrong and won't believe you. Just the other day I had a guy ask for "some thirty-two ammo". He would not accept that there were at least 7 different .32 centerfire cartridges (.32 ACP, .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long, .32 Colt, .32 H&R, .327 Federal, .32 WCF (aka .32-20)). He couldn't ID the cartridge by sight, he couldn't tell me the make, much less the model, of his firearm, he couldn't even tell me, at first, if it was a semi-auto or revolver and I don't think he was 100% certain after I showed him examples! The truth is that the average clerk seems to me, now that I've worked in the business, to be more knowledgeable than the average customer.

Scares me to think that this customer even has possession of a firearm!

[86er]

Many of the manufacturers offer a free one hour training for retail store employees on their products. They come to your store and usually host lunch too. Legacy Sports has done this as has Sig Sauer, Kahr and S&W. The store has to invest one hours wage per employee of course. Smaller stores can't afford this or don't have the space to hold the training. There are other logistical challenges in a smaller store. For the big stores, they have a lot of employees, so it is difficult to get everyone trained on all makes. Cabelas uses a mix of product rep presentations and on-line quizzes for employes based on Dept on a periodical basis. So some businesses try to have knowledgable staff. Either way, you'd expect the individual employee to take a mild interest in acquiring and maintaining product knowledge. There's a store or stores near Atlanta, GA called Hunters Connection or something like that. They get all employees the Hunter Ed Cert and have an ongoing training program with a motto "knowledgable sales staff to assist you". I wonder if it works?

[JB]

I don't have an issue with a sales person who does not know, but I hate those that insist that they are right when they are wrong, or ones that like to lie to customers.

I agree. It doesn't bother me when they don't know, but don't try to pretend like you do. It always amazes me when people thing things are facts just because some clerk or even gun shop owner says it. You don't have to pass any firearms knowledge or legal test to obtain an FFL. There are plenty of actual gun shop owners out there spreading misinformation about firearms or firearm laws.