no more gunstop until john is back

[LarryFlew]

Stopped for some suggestions and 44 loading block. Guy behind counter is bsing with guy sitting in the store. I knew where the blocks where so went and got one back to the counter and he starts ringing it up without missing the beat with with the BSer. I said I need more, like 100 LPP mag primers. Never even looked my way as he pointed at wall by the door where sign said no primers. I said I would like some help deciding on a jacketed 44 240. He pointed to the half dozen shelves of bullets. I said I would like some help deciding "all the bullets are over there" was the reply. Only words he spoke to me. I just grabbed XTP knowing it was a good choice if not the best. Rang it up and passed the slip to me. paid the bill and asked how John was doing and got a shoulder shrug and a don't know. All the while shooting the bull with the guy sitting there.

Frustrating at the least. Hope Johnboy still has customers when he gets back.

[RJWesleyIII]

Same thing happened to me when I stopped in there. I was looking for powder and primers and all he did was point at the sign. He said he had my powders in stock, so I asked for 2 of each. His reply,"no, you will get one of each"! Then I had questions on bullet casting supplies, all he did was point to the shelf! I will never step back in there until John comes back. I almost said forget the powder but I needed it. It was like they didn't want my money!!! Pretty f'n lame. Man was that irritating!
*rantover*


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[BBeckwith]

I've been treated by John like this... So I know I am not in the good ol'boys club there.

[Seismic Sam]

I've been treated by John like this... So I know I am not in the good ol'boys club there.

Well, I said this once before and retracted it because it was pretty strongly worded, but John has not mellowed with age. 20 years ago he would joke around with Howard and the good ol' boys club that would hang out there, and you could crack wise and get a grin out of him. That was long before the internet, however, so you actually had to BTFM and RTFM before you even knew enough to know what to buy, so pretty much everybody had studied up on it and wasn't expecting to be spoon fed and have their nappies changed for them by John, so he didn't have to live with a nearly pure diet of ignorance coming out of n00bs like we get in here today. So I've known John that long, and I don't get any good ol' boy treatment any more either. I just got grumpy, old and mean before he did because he had a business to run, and I didn't. Now he can barely get anything to sell, and the n00b plague has gotten even worse since Sandy Hook when they all bought AR's even though they never wanted one before because they though it was their last chance, and now are trying to figure out how to load ammo because the factory stuff is too expensive or unavailable.

So sales and inventory are in the toilet, n00bs are running around like chickens with their heads cut off all wanting attention and primers and powder and bullets, and he can't even get dies all the time, much less primers and bullets. You'd hide in the basement if that was what your life had turned into too...

[LS3Miata]

I've been treated by John like this... So I know I am not in the good ol'boys club there.

I too have herd this about John , I can only relate my experience. I started reloading a year ago July, bought a used 550b from THr, bought several components from John.

Every time I have been there he has been Extremely helpful and has never treated me as some state. Just my experience.

[gun_fan111]

I will be making sure to shop there from time to time in hopes that John can come back to the business before it goes under from bad customer service. He is a grumpy fella but never turned me away when asked for advice. The trick I not to ask when there are people behind you in line - just hang back until things quite down.

That being said I did get most of my reloading setup supplies online, because with this large of a purchase savings were substantial. But most of my bullets and powder are from John.

[wrench]

I, too, hope John is back soon. I can usually get John to laugh, (OK, at least smile), when I stop in. He surely can be gruff, but has treated me well over the years.
Was the guy behind the counter that big guy?? He is a class A jerk, I've never seen him speak a civil word to anyone. If he didn't have a bad personality, he'd have none at all. I can only imagine if it was someone's first trip to the Gunstop, it would probably be their last.

[LarryFlew]

No, the big guy was doing some restocking. I started buying from John we he started working at Ammocraft when they where on main street in Hopkins probably over 30 years ago.

[gman1868]

My experience is that when I asked a question, I listened carefully to John, and he was always very helpful. He is also very succinct

The guys there now are being very generous to fill in for John til he is able to get back to work, I'd cut 'em some slack since they are not John.

One bit of speculation... I'd be pretty grouchy if I couldn't get anything to sell and was losing whatever $$ I had put away for retirement because I couldn't get enough revenue to support my business.

[Sammichman]

Sorry to hear John is not at his post ,,When I first started re-loading about 2 years I went to Johns, with a wish list ,,he knew I was there to Buy not yank his chain,,I stop in on occasion and wait my turn give him my want list and ask how much he can fill,,I also ask for advice which he is always willing to offer,, I think he gets tired of dealing with Strokers or Tire kickers who come in Pick his brain then buy what they want on line,,,Iv,e never talked or dealt with the other guy but I have sen 8-9 people waiting for service and have never seen the guy get of his ass to help out,,but thats Johns Problem ,,I run a Deli and I can take a vacation Knowing that my second in command will do a credable job while I,m away

[FJ540]

Big John and Owner John are apples and oranges, but both have good and bad days. Big John = don't ask anything which isn't a direct question with greater than a binary answer (do you have X? or where is Y?). Don't expect him to be overly eager to answer those either.

Owner John = don't ask open ended questions which you don't have a functional grasp of the minutia to discern why his answer is what it is. "What's the best bullet for .308 long range?" and then saying 400yds... He'll probably start turning colors. You will not fare well getting into a caliber debate with him if you don't know what you're talking about, and it will irritate him (I've seen it, it's ugly!). Don't make dumb requests "I want powder for 9mm bullets." "What kind of powder?" "The kind for 9mm..." (true story - John was in a foul mood for a couple weeks after that one). But, if you say "I have a load using X bullets, Y powder, and Z velocity out of ____ gun, and I want a cheaper projectile that will match the flight characteristics so I can target shoot with similar POA/POI: what would you suggest?" He'll smile, and start exhaling all that guru knowledge he's full of. Or if you say "I've been using X reloading press, and I'm considering switching to something else, because A,B,C,D... Is there something I should know about ____, or is there a better option?" He'll start talking too. Or if you ask for a crimp swaging tool, and he asks which one? Then you ask him what he'd suggest - he will simply tell you to get the Dillon because it's the only one that works. I've also heard of several occasions where he'll take a total noob under his wing and go through the whole caboodle on how to get started from scratch.

I'm going to agree with Sam here. I think Owner John is suffering in the current climate from ignorant shopper overload. He moves a LOT of product. I've heard numbers of how much stuff he orders on a weekly basis to keep new orders in the pipe so he gets a constant flow of merchandise to restock with - it's staggering considering the foot print of that store. Frankly, seeing the D-A questions first hand, I've got respect for his ability to remain as calm as he does.

They have a new employee that's been doing the register while Owner John is gone - he's not helpful at all. Don't bother asking.

[LarryFlew]

Guess i am a lucky one as i have never dealt with John W on a bad day in all the years i have know him. Yes he is more crotchety than when i met him but we were both under 30 and now at 65 i can have a pretty grumpy streak too (according to my wife).

[gman1868]

Guess i am a lucky one as i have never dealt with John W on a bad day in all the years i have know him. Yes he is more crotchety than when i met him but we were both under 30 and now at 65 i can have a pretty grumpy streak too (according to my wife).

Me three

[RJWesleyIII]

I've been dealing with John (owner) for about 10 years now. He got me setup with all my reloading gear. He has been very good to me. Maybe it's because I always pay in cash and my very first transaction was over 2,000 bucks! Haha. I just like dealing with him and only him! I wasn't aware he was gone as its been about a year since I was in there. (Dealing with cancer). What happened to John (owner)?


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[45Badger]

I think the service/friendliness went up a notch when John went in hospital. He seems legendary to his acolytes and apologists. I don't get it. To new customers/faces, he comes off as an arrogant and grumpy prick. And he charges full bore retail for the privilege. I've heard the same/similar complaints about Larry on the gun side. While he is not the most cuddly of creatures at first, he and most of his staff greeted me by name within the first few months and I found him to be a great source of great deals. Guess which side of the business opened my wallet on a weekly basis. And Larry is a warm and fuzzy, nice and cuddly guy deep down inside