BAD gun buying experience

[seniorshooteress]

Well folks: hubs needed a new pair of work boots so we went to the local sports & outdoors store (don't think I can mention names but sure you have all been to one) While he was looking for a particular brand of boot his friend had told him was just the greatest thing since sliced bread, I wandered over to the gun case, which was like 4 ft taller than I am. (to keep people from jumping over it they said ) I asked for a step stool so I could look at and handle a couple of guns that had caught my fancy. Finally decided on a little 22lr/22mag derringer. They asked for my TDL and I also handed them my CHL. To make a long story shorter than the 2 hrs it took to actually buy this gun, they have many more papers for you to sign than a regular gun store. They walk you up to the cash register then out the door. Just as I was breathing a sigh of relieve at FINALLY getting out of there, the littler walker out the door guy says he has to make a copy of my receipt. Geez. I have no clue as to why it took so long for me to make my purchase other than someone has to come open the safe to get gun out. They check all the numbers and everything inside the box twice, maybe 3 times. Someone else then has to be called to check that all the info on your form is filled out correctly. No abbreviations. Have to spell out Blvd., which I didn't know how to spell the long way, never have had to.No state abbreviations, and date has to be 00/00/0000. Put TX in a couple of spots: OOPS Put one line only thru TX and write Texas and initial that I had made the change. When it came time for my signature I asked if I could abbreviate there cause in my - normal - signature I only use my middle initial not my full middle name. I don't like their return policy as once you buy it it's yours if defective return to manufacturer if it don't go bang. I am thinking to self while being walked thru the store and out the door and being told I can't come back inside the store with the gun in it's little plastic case that isn't loaded: what about the one on my hip that is loaded and if I wanted to wreck havoc in this store I would use the "loaded " gun not the "unloaded" one. I didn't see any 30.06 signs posted so what gives with this treatment of a CHL. Just glad I hadn't decided to buy a bigger, than a derringer gun, I could have been there til this time tomorrow. If I had bought my first gun there I would still have only one gun. So guess what? I don't care what they have on sale or how much cheaper their prices may seem, they won't see my smiling face at their gun counter again.

[Sidro]

You bought 2 LCPs and a .22 derringer and your husband got a pair of work boots?

[gigag04]

It's store policy and your treatment had nothing to do with whether or not you possesed a valid TxCHL.

I just wouldn't shop there - seen a similar thread recently.

[MoJo]

Bud's Gun Shop (http://www.budsgunshop.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) - - - order what you want and have it delivered to your local FFL no hassels. They even have a list of FFLs that will do transfers in all States there is probably one in your area.

[joe817]

My word seniorshooteress! What a nightmare! I admire your intestinal fortitude and endurance but gosh! What they were putting you through was wayyyyyyy over the line. I've never ever had that kind of run around just to buy a gun. Pffffttttt!

Like gigag04 & MoJo say, just go somewhere else. Places like that are great for window shopping, but after you've spotted what you like, write it all down on a piece of paper while you're there, and tell the sales guy you know what an ordeal it is to buy from them, and you're gonna buy it online, but thanks just the same!

I hope hubby got the work boots he was looking for.

[seniorshooteress]

You bought 2 LCPs and a .22 derringer and your husband got a pair of work boots?

yaah but he's not done yet. He just doesn't know what kind of tool ne "needs". I need my guns. Yes hubs got some boots, not the brand he was looking for and yes I will shop somewhere else for my next gun. It is way easier to buy online and transfer to FFL and doesn't take nearly as long for the original purchase. Just have to wait for the delivery. At least I can be sitting down watching tv or doing something else at home while I am in wait mode.

[seniorshooteress]

It's store policy and your treatment had nothing to do with whether or not you possesed a valid TxCHL.

I just wouldn't shop there - seen a similar thread recently.

I wouldn't mind it if they had a sign up saying our store policy is to have you stand here for 2 hrs while we piddle around. I would then have known not to buy anything there. I didn't mind the security walk just thought it was a little stupid. I forgot to mention that the walker out guy asked me why was I buying a gun. All I said was, this isn't my first one.

[TXlaw1]

It's store policy and your treatment had nothing to do with whether or not you possesed a valid TxCHL.

I just wouldn't shop there - seen a similar thread recently.

I wouldn't mind it if they had a sign up saying our store policy is to have you stand here for 2 hrs while we piddle around. I would then have known not to buy anything there. I didn't mind the security walk just thought it was a little stupid. I forgot to mention that the walker out guy asked me why was I buying a gun. All I said was, this isn't my first one.

I found similar "Attitude" from a kid behind the counter at A sporting goods store - not an outdoors store or a guns store but A sporting goods store. So I comparison shopped and walked out and bought my gun at an outdoors store where there were people who knew what they were talking about and cared for their customer and were willing to come from behind the counter and help me find related items instead of pointing in the general direction!!

After I decided and gathered related items, there was probably less than 10 minutes of paperwork and I walked out of the store - unaccompanied - with my new gun. Love that Texas CHL.

Won't waste my time at A sporting goods store when buying a gun or related items.

[Kiowa Scout]

I have made it my policy to not buy from the Big Box Stores. I want my local gun shops to stay in business, so I don't mind paying a few dollars more. Most of the time I don't even pay more.

[canvasbck]

Why is everyone afraid to say it was ACADEMY? They have the 5.5' counter, the pain in the youknowwhat paperwork and the escort out the door. They sometimes have prices that may make it worth it, but everyone should be aware of what they will go through when they go to ACADEMY to purchase a firearm.

[G.A. Heath]

Maybe we need to start an education campaign for these chain retailers. The goal would be to educate them so that they are aware that when they sell a gun to someone that the buyer has just passed a background check and is not a criminal. Furthermore when we buy a gun from another retailer (of any size) we need to send them a redacted copy of the receipt (no need to let them see any serial #s) showing them the potential sale they just lost. We (CHL Holders) should also include a flyer similar to the no guns = no money card explaining why a CHL is a safe sale. The idea is to educate them and get them to revise their policy so that they quit forcing people to sign extra paperwork, quit making copies of peoples IDs (they already have the # on the 4473), and quit treating their customers like criminals.

[priusron]

Use the plastic case the gun came in as your purse. Go back and lay the case on the counter while looking at other guns. If they ask to look in your case, tell them not without a search warrant.

Ron

[J Wilson]

A friend of mine lost his FFL because of NOT crossing a few I's and crossing a few T's.It sure didn't do his gun store alot of good.Sometimes it mite be better to put up with a stupid set of rules,because if they lose their license,there won't be a gun in the counter when you come back to buy one.If their dumb rules bother you,maybe you need to go somewhere else.

[Fangs]

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=35725

I feel your pain.

Academy is horrible for buying guns, IMHO.

[WildBill]

For most people, when shopping for merchandise, price is one of the primary concerns. In the context of buying a gun, this "bad experience" should be viewed from several perspectives.

1) The "big box stores" will generally have lower prices that an independently owned "gun shop". A "gun shop" can not compete with prices at a "big box store." The "big box stores" can buy guns at a lower prices than a "gun shop". Most "big box stores" carry a limited number of brands of firearms.

2) Firearms sales at a "big box store" are a much smaller percentage of total sales than a "gun shop". Therefore, they probably won't have dedicated staff and commit the resources to train the sales staff about their product lines. Guns are merchandise, just like fishing rods and tennis shoes.

3) "Big box stores" may have more rules and policies than a "gun shop" that may inconvience the customer when purchasing a gun.

The "bottom line" is that the buyer has to decide whether or not they are willing to pay the higher price at a "gun shop" so that they may get faster or more personalized service. If your time is so valuable that you can't or won't wait the extra time to "jump through the hoops" then go to another store. "Big Box Stores" are not trying to infringe on your rights. As the mafia saying goes, "It's not personal, it's business."