Customer Service in Gunshops

[chief38]

This attitude you guys have described here is unfortunately all to common in retail stores all over the Country. I owned two retail stores for 30 years and ALWAYS greeted customers immediately, gave them a polite nod and let them know that one of us would be waiting on them as soon as possible. It drives me absolutely nuts when a customer walks into a store and the clerk or owner just ignores them.
I always told my staff if you are busy, and someone walks in, MAKE SURE YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THEM AND LET THEM KNOW YOU WILL BE WITH THEM ASAP. Let them know that even if you have to stay late, you will wait on them for as long as it takes. I used to regularly have to call my wife and tell her I would be late for dinner because a customer walked in at 5:50, and I would be staying late. Hey, it's the nature of the beast and if you are to have a successful business, that's they way it is. If you are unwilling to do that, find another way to make a buck.

I don't get it..........with all the unemployment there is now, why don't the small business owners have better sales people? Now is the time to replace the lazy, rude clerks with attitudes.

chief38

 

[beach elvis]

From a behind-the counter point of view, there are other issues at big boxes like the one where I work. One guy manning the whole deal and sometimes the phone's ringing off the hook with people who want prices for 5 different guns but refuse to put down the Cheetos, shut off Jerry Springer and pull on some britches. Meanwhile in the store, one guy's waiting to get his 4473 called in, another doesn't understand question 12, you're checking a price for someone who wants to order in a gun that we're currently out of (I hate my company's buyers) and someone else wants their scope mounted and boresighted NOW NOW NOW!

Why do people call a shop, ask a price on a gun and when you find it out and tell them, they have to say, "Well so and so has it for ten bucks less."?
At least, managers where I work are cool enough to come back and pitch in when it gets REAL busy.

But I agree that through the course of all that, it only takes a second to look up and say, "Howdy" to someone who just came in and that you'll be with them ASAP. It's never too busy for that.

 

[Armyphotog]

I have been in many business where they were very busy, but that's no excuse. The company I first worked for taught it's employees, that when a customer walked through the door, no matter WHAT you were doing, if seated, you rose, you turned to the customer, made sure you made eye contact, and simply said, "Sir, or Mam, I'll be with you in a moment." If you didn't, you were toast.

 

[longranger]

Our "big store" here in Buffalo WY is the Sports Lure,all of the employees I know on first name basis.They are the best at what they do,serve customers !Probably why they are the best store in town.It is a do all shop,what I appreciate the most is that they have been around for who knows how long.They do not go back and reprice their stock like most big stores do.I have found so many good deals on reloading componets and guns.If they don't have it I will let them get for me and their prices are competitive with any one,they ain't gouging.
I had a city manager explain to me about how tax' work,buy local first.I would rather give my money to a mom and pop operation than some corporate bozo's.

 

[blujax01]

Here in Columbus, Vance's is by far the busiest gun shop I have ever seen. It doesn't matter the day or time, the customers are literally two and three deep at the counter - and I would estimate the counter is 100 feet long. They have a ticket system and it doesn't matter if you're in flames and asking for directions to the Fire Extinguisher, unless you have a ticket and your number has been called you will be ignored.

I hate the hectic atmosphere but they do have some incredible bargains on Police trades, discontinued models, and one-offs. And once your number is called, the salesman is yours and yours alone.

 

[madmikeb]

I've worked behind a parts counter at a Toyota dealership for the last 23 years and I agree that the man or woman standing at the counter gets my full attention, they are there to spend money. 85% of the calls we get are just time wasters and thats why we have voice mail. At this point in my life I'm really good at blocking out a ringing phone, it does irritate my wife though as I do the same thing at home!

 

[ohiobuckeye]

Not to hijack the thead but I find the same attitude prevailed when I used to deal with Auto Zone parts house. Really grinds my gears to be standing there with $$$$ in hand and a sales clerk looking up parts for a call in.

Typical of most, if not all, auto parts stores. I always call first to make sure they have what I need, write down the stock numbers, and just hand the list to the first clerk I see when I go in to pick up my parts. Even the dumbest of them can pull parts off the shelf when he has the list of part numbers in his hand. Saves time standing around waiting in the store.

 

[ohiobuckeye]

...........85% of the calls we get are just time wasters and thats why we have voice mail. At this point in my life I'm really good at blocking out a ringing phone, it does irritate my wife though as I do the same thing at home!

Home calls run about the same percentage, if not worse, and when I ignore a ringing phone, it drives my bitter half nuts, too. I keep telling her the answering machine helps screen the idiots and saves me the effort of taking messages for her. There's just something about a ringing telephone that makes even reasonably sane women jump to their feet and trample anything that gets between them and their beloved little squawk box.

 

[cballman]

Was in the Auto parts business for quite a while. What we did was to teach our people that the customer who was first get you first. If you are on the phone when a walk-in comes in pause on the phone and then tell the walk-in that you will be with them when you get through. If the phone rings when you are waiting on a walk-in ask the customer if you can put the phone customer on hold while you finish with him. Not a perfect way but seemed to work for many years and had some of the better customers around.

 

[ar15ed]

i worked in auto parts for several years when i was younger, and i can say that it is the one industry that really does make money off the phone. my store did 75% of its business with garages, etc. that we delivered to. but, there is just no way i would let a man stand there with money in his hand, and talk on the phone in front of him. the best way to deal with it seemed to be to have at least one person "in the back" to answer EVERY call possible. they were out of the sight of the walk-in customers. it worked well, but really depended on the employees doing their job, especially the phone guy.


i agree on the home phone! a few years of having to answer that thing 200 times a day will set up a wicked nervous tic! i set my machine to answer in two rings, and decide who i want to talk to!