When we go to a gun shop, we are going to a place of business. We must make sure that we are just as professional as the employees, or more. There are many people that I have observed to have very poor gun store manners and actually be rude to some of the employees. Just realize that if you act rudely, the employees do not have to help you. Just because you think you know everything, it doesn't mean that the employees want to hear it, or that they are going to care. Some employees are just there to get their checks and go home, but that isn't always the case. Either way, there are things you need to keep in mind when talking to employees. Now let's go over a few of the different types of gun store employees and how you should behave with them, according to me anyways.
First type I want to discuss is your average gun store employee that you may find in big box stores. This person, guy or girl, may be a firearm enthusiast and know some things about guns, but if you say a gun by its name, they won't know what your talking about. You basically need to give them directions to the gun that you want to see. This used to really frustrate me and I would get furious that the store would hire people that didn't know the difference between an HK45 and a Glock19. But now that I have matured and been around for a while, I see that they don't need to be a gun guru to work at Cabelas or Bass Pro Shop. The only real requirement is to be professional, courteous, and be able to safely handle the firearms. So give this person slack and don't think that this means that you need to teach them everything you think you know. They probably don't care to learn, and that is not the place to do it to begin with.
The next type of employee is the gun guru that knows everything and is going to tell you about it. But when they do tell you everything, they end up exposing that they spend more time on forums than they do on the range. Theories spew out of their mouths, as with stories of amazing close calls that they had when carrying. I have met too many of these. I used to call these people out in fear that their ignorance and stupidity would be contagious. I will not say to be hostile and engage in an argument, but you can do what I do and apply a raised eyebrow, which shows that you are not quite impressed by their Academy Award winning theatrics. If you wish, you can lightly say that you don't buy their story or that what they said was wrong. Don't tell them what exactly they are wrong about though. This will cause them to have to actually rethink every single thing they have said. When they ask you to clarify, just tell them that you don't want to get into it, but alot of what they were saying was not true. At least that is how I handle things sometimes. Don't get into a debate on things as if you are going to teach this person something. You need to realize that they know everything already and unless they want to look stupid, they will never admit defeat, so don't bother.
Now let us discuss the last and final topic, which I really am irritated by. This is a discussion about how to interact with female employees in general. Women in general are treated very terribly by their customers, without even realizing it. You either see the customers shuck the women to the side for a male employee, or try to impress them by knowing all the names of the guns and how they work. Funny thing to me is that all the women I have met in gun stores typically are better educated than their male counterparts. Personally I have seen a lot of male customers, who think they know everything, try to 'educate' the female employees on guns as if it is going to boost their masculinity. My advice to all guys out there is to treat the women in gun stores just like you would any guy. Don't show off what you know like it is impressive, and don't try to educate them. If you know what you are talking about, and you are well trained and practiced, they will notice, as will anyone else behind the counter. My experience and my knowledge get noticed by a lot of employees just by how I treat the guns and handle them in general. If you want to impress the ladies, stop thinking people care about what you know/think you know. Also, treat them like people and with no special treatment. They are human too, and chances are that they know more than you think, even if they act or say differently. Trust me on that one.
First type I want to discuss is your average gun store employee that you may find in big box stores. This person, guy or girl, may be a firearm enthusiast and know some things about guns, but if you say a gun by its name, they won't know what your talking about. You basically need to give them directions to the gun that you want to see. This used to really frustrate me and I would get furious that the store would hire people that didn't know the difference between an HK45 and a Glock19. But now that I have matured and been around for a while, I see that they don't need to be a gun guru to work at Cabelas or Bass Pro Shop. The only real requirement is to be professional, courteous, and be able to safely handle the firearms. So give this person slack and don't think that this means that you need to teach them everything you think you know. They probably don't care to learn, and that is not the place to do it to begin with.
The next type of employee is the gun guru that knows everything and is going to tell you about it. But when they do tell you everything, they end up exposing that they spend more time on forums than they do on the range. Theories spew out of their mouths, as with stories of amazing close calls that they had when carrying. I have met too many of these. I used to call these people out in fear that their ignorance and stupidity would be contagious. I will not say to be hostile and engage in an argument, but you can do what I do and apply a raised eyebrow, which shows that you are not quite impressed by their Academy Award winning theatrics. If you wish, you can lightly say that you don't buy their story or that what they said was wrong. Don't tell them what exactly they are wrong about though. This will cause them to have to actually rethink every single thing they have said. When they ask you to clarify, just tell them that you don't want to get into it, but alot of what they were saying was not true. At least that is how I handle things sometimes. Don't get into a debate on things as if you are going to teach this person something. You need to realize that they know everything already and unless they want to look stupid, they will never admit defeat, so don't bother.
Now let us discuss the last and final topic, which I really am irritated by. This is a discussion about how to interact with female employees in general. Women in general are treated very terribly by their customers, without even realizing it. You either see the customers shuck the women to the side for a male employee, or try to impress them by knowing all the names of the guns and how they work. Funny thing to me is that all the women I have met in gun stores typically are better educated than their male counterparts. Personally I have seen a lot of male customers, who think they know everything, try to 'educate' the female employees on guns as if it is going to boost their masculinity. My advice to all guys out there is to treat the women in gun stores just like you would any guy. Don't show off what you know like it is impressive, and don't try to educate them. If you know what you are talking about, and you are well trained and practiced, they will notice, as will anyone else behind the counter. My experience and my knowledge get noticed by a lot of employees just by how I treat the guns and handle them in general. If you want to impress the ladies, stop thinking people care about what you know/think you know. Also, treat them like people and with no special treatment. They are human too, and chances are that they know more than you think, even if they act or say differently. Trust me on that one.
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