The categories: Fanboy, Douchebag, Gun Snob, Old Fart, Newbie, Commando
Very well done. His dialog reminded me of the Gun Show Personalities and List of Offensive Shooting Range Stereotypes.
Note to people who email me videos/articles etc.. whether or not YOU created content has zero bearing on if I will post it or not. If I like it I will post it, I don’t care who made it. I have a lot of people pretending to email me as a 3rd party, and then it comes out later that they created the content. In the end I don’t really care, but it just looks lame, desperate, and has an air of deceit.
Comments
56 responses to “Guide To Gun Store Salesmen”
So true so true. There are mostly old farts and COD kids at my gun store’s counters. Half the kids i’m talking about probably have not even shot a real gun but they like to sell everyone on ARs and Benelli m4s even if the customer wants something else.
I <3 this video sooooo much.
Now let’s see a list of gun store customers.
The personalities are the same, just on the other side of the counter. “Old farts” are always hogging the counter while talking about their hunting trips, and not actually buying anything. Then you get commandos talking about why the AR-15 is so cool because “It’s just like what the SEALS have”, etc etc.
So, i should stop sending you links to my sextape?
LMFAO nah Mike likes ’em, he just can’t post ’em.
Well done. I would only change the Commando to the Gearqueer.
Everyone looking for a gun should start with this video.
Well put, and true,..the local gun shows are full of all of the above,..especially the Old Farts & Commando’s
This was an excellent vid with the information it gave. Everyone should watch this one and take it to heart. Encounter these types all the time and he is right on the money about them. Thanks for the great post.
Very good! As a gun seller, I think I am all of those. Now, lets see one for what type of customers come to buy a gun. The one who scares me the most is the one who says, “I don’t really want to know how to use this…I just want to have one in case of an emergency”. Yikes!
Yikes indeed. I saw the same thing before. Some old lady just wanted something to scare off bad guys, but didn’t want to learn how to use it or even get ammunition. :/
Oh yeah! Had a middle aged guy want a gun for “protection”. Didn’t want to know anything about it. (Hi-Point). Just wanted it because it was cheap. I was able to talk him into buying defense ammo for it. He came back the next day and wanted me to show him how to put the ammo in the magazine. May God have mercy in his soul if he did ever have to use it.
I like the ones that try to steer me toward one of those palm sized 22s…you know the ‘little gun for the little lady’ types. I think they fall under the douche bag or old fart label. I mean I want to be able to stop an aggressor/cougar/bear….not just piss ’em off.
Loved it. I’m the old fart. I do not like the plastic guns. You pegged me completely. I’m also a combat veteran from Vietnam but no one would know it at the gun stores I use. Keep up the good work.
I wouldn’t beat yourself up about your love for metal guns Jim. I like and use polymer guns, but I do have serious doubts about their long term/heirloom lasting power.
Metal won’t corrode if you take care of it; it’s why there are still quality swords around from 1000AD. Although, everything I’ve seen made of plastic deteriorates quickly after 10 to 20 years. I haven’t seen a study done on the lasting power of the polymer parts, but I highly doubt they’ll have the same lasting power.
I bought my first Glock in ’01, have put over 5,000 rounds through it and so far the only thing that has deteriorated is the METAL recoil spring.
Yeah! You left off the guy that listens to what you have to say, asks you what you want to do with your new pistol (carry, range, home defense), asks your budget, and then shows you what you need. That’s me…and hopefully the other men behind my counter. We also show you how to field strip for cleaning before you leave with your new purchase. I have met all of those people, I don’t hire those people!!
The retail world needs more people like you, in all the different product markets.
Thank you for being like that. I do research on the gun I’m looking at buying. People like you help. The reviews you read may not be accurate. They are one persons idea (like movie critics). So when I come into a store like yours I like the fact that you will show me what I’m looking at and let me make up my mind. There should be more like you. By the way where are u located?
We are in Green Bay, WI. Nelson Tactical is the store’s name and we have website as well. Not sure if it’s ok to post links here or not.
I never let a customer leave without offering to teach them how to field strip, clean, and reassemble their new weapon. If the store is slow, I spend time with unfamiliar guns to learn the breakdown as smoothly as possible.
My mother carries and has had surgery on thumbs and wrists; learning more than one way to hold the firearm for these tasks has become a commonality for me.
Agree!! I worked for Gander Mountain at a new, not yet open (at the time) location. We had a couple of the mentioned fellers but for the most part, initially, as Gander advertises, they (we) were avid sportsman who enjoyed shooting sports and got paid (part-time and full time) to share our passion, knowledge and skill. As time wore on, and our store rocketed to the top of the Gander food chain in sales and service and customer satisfaction, the rest of the store began to underperform. As you can imagine, when a manger skilled only in following corporate directives began making cuts and long-term decisions, bad juju ensued. Today the gun counter is a shadow of its former self.
Steve…my name does not reveal that I am a female. I try to do what you do, except for the part of breaking the gun down and showing them how to clean it. As for plastic guns…until recently, all I have ever owned is metal ones….and several of them are old. I don’t think the plastic ones are the ones that you are going to “hand down” to your kids. Back to the gun counter….what I have observed is that approximately 60% of the people who are buying guns are doing so for the first time. I see the women who come in with the men who don’t want anything to do with them. I like those! I have a little talk with them and open their eyes a little from a female perspective. There are some excellent classes in our area for just women only and they seem glad to have that information. I guess I’m all about selling good instruction to everyone who wants a firearm.
Gosh, is there anything worse than the CoD kids?
“You should buy a Remington ACR select fire with – ”
‘You do realize that select fire weapons are exhorbitantly expensive and there are rules regarding them, right’?
“Oh, yeah, you just need to unlock them!!!!!!!!”
Speaking as a Gamer, Anime nerd, and firearms enthusiast: Please, gene pool. Save it and yourself. Don’t reproduce.
._.
Really…asking for the select fire ACR…
As for me, I dunno what customer profile that fits. Maybe the dude who oogles at the guns, realizes he has no money/lives with strict Asian parents, and just browses.
Very well done video. BZ!
Great video, I would like to suggest two more archetypes:
The activist: very blatant about his political views, often uses fear tactics to encourage the customer to buy more ammo, more magazines, firearms etc.. Distinctly different from a normal supporter of the 2nd amendment in that he’ll often make stuff up about impending laws.
The elitist: tends to ignore customers, even if he or she is standing behind the counter doing nothing. In they’re view, it’s not their job to sell firearms and accessories- rather, their job is to determine whether you are worthy of being a customer. Often will only sell to frequent customers or those who fit their favored stereotype. Will not talk to you if they deem you too old, too young, too rich, too poor etc.
activists are fine if you just nod and smile, I personally can’t stand elitists.
Activists aren’t all that common in sports stores like Academy or Gander Mountain, but just wait until you open the door to the old house-based military surplus stores, or better yet, a place we have in an old warehouse called “The Survivalist Emporium”. I just love those guys. The ones around here are all retired Marines or Army infantry, and I’m much too prone to walking out of the store with all sorts of great stuff. Like a military grade ballistic vest or a bottle of potassium iodate pills.
Side note: you can always tell if the store is owned by the Activist/Survivalist type if the first thing you see when you walk through the door is Army woodland camo. And how much of it is there. If it’s a stack of uniforms five inches or more, you’re in the right place. Gas masks and body armor are also a nice touch.
That guy has a nice camera! Like it but he stole the idea from Mike’s article link! Oh well, it’s YouTube..lol.
Honestly, I was completely unaware of Mike’s article link. I really visit way too many gun shops and figured Ide share what I have encountered.
To be fair to you, I’ve seen that same list everywhere so it’s prolly been rollin around for a long time and no one knows the original author. Like the channel still.
Don’t forget the good ole boy the one that tells every guy he needs a .45 and every gal that comes in should get a small wheel gun or an lcp no matter how much expertise either has shooting
I would be a bad shotgun salesman, i see no difference in performance or function of brands that cost in some cases ten times that of another. My question would be ‘how much engraving are you willing to pay for?’ and then go from there.
Haha nice. I’d change it to “How Italian do you want it to sound?” though.
Yeah, kinda like how its better to shop at Targét than Target.
Some of my premium brands are over here sir,
Winchesa, Remitoni, Rugali and of course Mossalini
I have a few minor criticisms, but overall good stuff. We’ve all run into this before; the question is, what does the ideal gun store employee act like? Do they only speak when spoken to? Do they have a neutral position on every gun, and only give facts and figures as needed?
Very good; always remember; “research, research, research”; do your homework before you purchase a handgun, rifle and/or shotgun; and ONLY purchase what you are there to purchase.
Write down the prices from different shops before you purchase it from the shop you want to purchase it from. Not sure if this is true, but purchase your item at the end of the month because their sales quota might me low. Purchasing two items will get you a better deal. Don’t be afraid to negotiate a price with them; especially if you are purchasing multiple items.
LOL.. Had to bring my post from TTAG over here…
The way I look at it… A gun store is not an educational institution. Your asking people questions who’s answers are most likely skewed. Salesmen. Thats their job. Dont knock em. Old fart comes in, says ‘Hey guys I’m looking to buy a gun” and old fart would be perfect for an old fart, a young guy is great for a woman or younger gentleman. I dont know… As a buyer.. Its your job to know what your getting into, what your buying, and know your sh*t. I went to a Turners out here and I knew what I wanted. I had gone to the range, shot a bunch of guns, looked up MSRPs, used prices, upgrade costs, maintenance costs, assembly, the works. I knew I wanted a Springfield XD. The guy tried to sell me on a FN something for $200 more than I wanted to spend. Why? It’s called an up-sell. Its close to what you want, but it cost a little more. In the 2 minutes I had the gun in my hand I held it, checked the sights, checked the actions, and completed a field strip, maintained a safe and clear action and barrel, and the guy simply said “So, do you have an HSC?” I replied, “Nope” and he said, “let me go get you the paper work.” I came back a couple weeks later to pick it up. That was that. I knew what I wanted, it took me all of 30minutes to fill out paper work, dodge this guys up-sell, and take the HSC. Passed the safety test right there on the spot. I like going in to stores to listen to what the customers have to say. Its hilarious. You have the following…
1) The Looky-Loo (Oh I’m just looking at this guys gun)
2) The Gangsters Girlfriend(“Is that the one I wanted?”)
2B) The Gangster Boyfriend(Usually has neck tattoos, saggy pants, crooked hat, LA Dodgers Jersey, and his buddies are usually looking at AKs and AR’s sweating the “yeah dog, yeah, thats my shit yo, right there, yeah, thats a choppa!” Did i mention he’s usually coaching his girlfriend? “Thats the one you wanted, na that one… yeah girl, thats it”)
3) The Wife (Exhibits the ‘girl lean’ and seems ‘scared’ of the gun at first. Usually holding a revolver *facepalm*)
4) The Husband (usually accompanying the wife. Knows little to nothing)
5) The Tacti-Fool (You got one witha green laser?)
6) The Glock-FanBoy (Oh man, nothing beats a glock)
7) The Parrot (A friend of mine told me “______”)
The Traveling Man (“So I need to take a flight tomorrow, I’m leaving for Africa” True story)
9) The I Have No Clue Why I’m Here Guy (Uhh yeah hi, umm uh, I was looking, who can I speak to about buying a gun? Usually wastes a lot of time and more often than not, I’m stuck behind 3 of these guys asking endless streams of questions that google/calguns.net could have easily answered in seconds. Instead they make a 30min M&P purchase turn into 90 minutes of agonizing Q&A Sessions. Get the hell out of the store and google that sh*t dude. We dont have all day)
10) The I know What I Want (We know what we want, you cant sell us on anything, we did our home work, and we are quietly judging the daylights out of every single person inside this store. We rush through Q&A, we ask for the paper work up front, we have an HSC, we think California Laws are stupid and make no sense, we read blogs and forums at work, and we go to the range to damn much. Our wives/girlfriends get pissed when we blow $400 on ammo instead of putting that away for a nice vacation, we’ve secretly been every single one of these stereotypes, but we have learned never to admit to it).
damn i suck at counting. And its you’re not your. LMAO.
Ha haa haaaa! Love that Jwhite. And #2 is usually looking at a Hi Point. :D
Right? Or just tire kicking glocks. LIke theres a big enough difference between them aside from the caliber.
Oh can I see that one? Yeah… yeah yeah.. Oh baby… I wanna see that one… YEAAAAAAAAH thats it right there.. Yeah!!..
Dude… the fucking gun is empty. You have no idea how much that gun is going to weigh without a loaded mag. There is literally NOTHING different between the first gun you held and that gun in your palm. Oh excuse me.. The first one was a 9mm the second was a .40. *Whoop dee doo* I have an idea… maybe you should waste more time and ask to hold the Glock 17.. It has a short grip, great for mexican carrying around ‘ur hood’ bro!
I face palm at this store near my house every time I walk in. Same shit EVERY time. The straw-buying girlfriend is the worst IMO, second to her boyfriend who is probable-cause waiting to happen.
Tire Kicking Glocks…
Buys a HiPoint
There’s a meme in there somewhere.
we’ve secretly been every single one of these stereotypes, but we have learned never to admit to it.
You were a gangsters girlfriend?
I dont think i want to know
Well said. Knowledge is power and it pays to know what bias or preference the person behind the counter might have.
We have a store im memphis called guns and assh0les (Ammo). My experience is 1. figure out what you want before you come in the store. That way, you won’t annoy the sales experts with questions you should have had answered BEFORE you came in the store. 2. Call the store and find out if they have the item you require. 3. Go to the store, request the item, provide I.D.for your background check. Run the item through some paces while getting checked. Box it up, pay for it, and get the hell out of his way so he can get to the next sale. It is not polite but it is effective. I have made several purchases there so I must like it.
RiverTroll~Maybe they should have that posted on the front door. I’ve had people tie me up for almost 2 hours wanting to feel this and pet that….and then after all that, not buy anything. Or come in and be so sure as to what they want and then not have a current ID. Aughhhh!
Let them get a few under their belt. One of the ranges we have rents popular model rifles and pistols which allows the buyer to “Take it for a ride”. It helps the customer to find what he/she wants and shows you care. And as always, its fun. People like fun.
I always reply to the ‘can i help you?’ with no, i live in canada, im just looking at the cool stuff im not allowed to have. And every salesman has been more than willing to waste loads of their time going over all sorts of features. I remember one guy was ‘everything on this wall is illegal in canada, go ahead play all you want’
I have a gunstore three blocks away full of old farts who failed “common courtesy” school. Great store, but lousy service. And….they treated me like a chump. Me of the 8 years of military duty is weapons/gunnery. Needless to say I thanked them for their time and left. Now I go a full 18 miles for service and purchases at a store in which they treat you like a valued customer.
You guys have gunstores in DC??
These “typology” threads always take on a thinly veiled racist tone, with endless jabs at gang wannabes. Funny thing is, I’ve never seen this cartoon character walk through the door. I’ve seen a few dudes with some hip-hop fashion sense, but nothing overtly thuggish, and usually very polite; almost timid. No doubt there are thugs (and wannabe thugs) who buy guns in stores, but one begins to suspect that some of our rural friends here are bending experience to suit some per-conceived notions of certain people. None of the gang bangers/wannabes I’ve known ever acquired guns from a store.
You forgot the ” i dont really want to help you guy” (clerk /attendant) the guy who no matter what you say or do …or buy always seems to treat every customer aside from the the MILF , with a mild neglect and distain .. BUT not enough to get fired . You just have to wonder why he hasnt died or been fired yet , but when they do leave there is always another useless turd to replace him
I always run into the elitist and the “I don’t really want to help you guy”, who treat me like I just crawled out of the gutter and obviously know nothing(four years as a gunners mate in the navy, working in armories). I ended up buying online and paying a bit more.