Why i'll never give gander mntn another dime ever... a rant

[Shipyard]

So… yuppiejr posts up in the deals section a pro tip about a tricked out ruger 10/22 at the blane gander mountain. Now, I’ve never been a huge fan of gander, as many here are in the same boat. Their prices are absolutely insane ($449 for a gun that retails for $189.95??? REALLY???), their staff are typically rude, customer service questionable etc etc… we’ve all heard the horror stories. However, I’ve sold off all my 10/22’s lately to fund other stuff and I felt that it was time to correct this issue. It’s worth a drive to check it out anyways…

Now, to be fair (and I’m a big fan of fair… and of supplying a generous amount of rope…) I decided to give gander a shot to change my mind. Also to be fair, I’ve never actually tried to purchase a firearm in gander. Prices are always too high. So I go in, mill about the store looking at the used gun racks – time to get down with the get down and see what all the fuss is about.

There are three people working at the counter. Two standing on the opposite end, talking with each other (must have been a pretty important conversation to leave me and another guy wandering in the shop…) and the third guy at the counter showing a suburban housewife assault rifles. I KNEW that I was in for some entertainment when I heard this snippet of conversation:

Housewife: so, what’s the biggest difference between the AK and the AR rifles?

Sales clerk: well, mainly the cost of ammo. The AR rounds are on sale and are quite a bit cheaper than the AK stuff right now… it is after all, a smaller bullet so it’s cheaper.

So at this point I am assured that the staff is both professional and knowledgeable. I locate the rifle – absolutely mint thumbhole target stock, butler creek heavy barrel which looks like it’s got about 10 rounds on it. Built on a 10/22 receiver – now the receiver has obviously been shot quite a bit on something else. It’s used, but not abused – just not original to the build. Stock trigger group. Rail across the top with a cheap BSA 22 special scope. The glass ain’t spectacular, but it’s a pretty nice rig. Price marked was $299. Not a complete steal, but not insulting with the condition of the upgrades.

Now, if the glass was just a little nicer, or it had a trigger upgrade, I would have walked with it no questions asked. But, there are a couple factors in play here:

1. I hate cheap scopes. I want to upgrade at some point so I’m looking at an extra expense. Also, the scope as mounted is slightly crooked. Hold that thought, it gets HILARIOUS later….

2. I’m a tight bastard. And while my experiences at Cabelas have not been 100% positive, I’ve also NEVER paid asking price on a used gun there – or most other places for that matter. At the VERY least, if the tag says $400, I’ll use the line “give it to me for four out the door and we got a deal…” Now, we all know what gun shops pay for use guns. It’s 40-60% of book. That 7-8% reduction to eat the sales tax typically takes up a pretty small amount of the margin involved. And hey – not only did you make a sale, you made someone feel GOOD about the sale. Happy customers are return customers. I’m sure a few people here will have a few words to say about this one, don’t worry – I wore the flame retardant suit to work today.

3. I’ve now been standing in the store for a good 15-20 minutes without anyone approaching me. I’m getting rather pissed. You’re now wasting my time. I am a VERY busy person these days – 15 minutes of my day IS a big deal to me. I’ve now driven 25 minutes out of my way just to set foot in the store. Now I’m getting ticked… especially when there’s two other clerks discussion whatever the hell that’s more important than doing their job.

To get on with this train wreck of a story, at this point a clerk comes up and asked me if I need help. I said i would like to look at the ruger. He unlocks it, and I check it out. Stock trigger etc etc… so he starts chatting up the rifle. Yup, nice stock on that there. Yup, nice gun, nice gun. I said yeah, but I think the scopes a little crooked. He said “no, that scope isn’t crooked at all. It must just be the way you’re looking at it…” and got really rude about it.

Ok now dude – I’ve been around guns since I was 6. I’ve set a hundred pieces of glass and I’ve build enough rifles in my day to friggin know if a scope is crooked or not. Don’t talk to me like I’m 5 years old.

I said – well… I’d probably just upgrade the glass anyways. He retorts all snotty – “on a .22??? why would you bother?” yeah, beacause why WOULD you want something nicer than a $30 fixed power scope on a $400 rifle with a target barrel? Lock me up – I must have just escaped from the looney bin for sure dude!!!!

And it goes on and on with the back talking bull crap. So I bust out my line – “tell you what, if I can get it for three out the door you got a deal”. And as if on cue like a line out of the pimply faced teenager on the Simpsons, “I’ll have to ask my manager…”

So now the MANAGER comes over and gets involved. He looks at the computer for a bit and says you know, we really can’t budge on this one. “it’s only been in the store for 10 days”… yeah, so? And that’s when the conversation started to go downhill… to paraphrase:

Manager: we can’t lower the price, but if you want to open a gander mountain charge card I can give you 5% off

Me: well, i don’t want another credit card. How about just $15 off the price then?

Manager: I can’t lower the price.

Me: but you just offered me 5% off, ok whatever. How about $15 in ammo? (which, at their prices is like $8 worth of ammo…)

Manager: no, I can’t do that either. You know, this is a good gun, it’s a solid gun – high quality. It comes with a clip and everything!!! I can’t lower the price because this gun will sell. It’s only been here 10 days and I know someone will buy this gun.

me: how do you know it's quality? it's obviously a build. do you warranty used guns if i have a problem?

manager: oh yeah - we have a GUNSMITH who works here (all snotty and pushy about it...)

Me (so pissed I almost can’t see straight…): OK, fine. but we’re talking about $21 here. I realize that isn’t a whole lot of money, but you can’t give me this for $300 out the door so that I can at least feel GOOD about my purchase here today?

Manager: no sir, I’m sorry but this gun will sell. I can’t lower the price.

Me: I’ll think about it (and just walked away…)

So – what this douche nozzle essentially said to me is that instead of makinga sale and sending someone out the door feeling GOOD about his purchase and that he was treated well and fairly by the retailer, he would rather ARGUE with a customer in front of the clerks, REPEATEDLY PISS OFF said customer, and NOT sell a gun that day - over $21.

Now, those of you who know me, know that I’m not the kind of person who goes looking for trouble, or who likes to argue for the sake of arguing. All I wanted was to feel good about buying something in a gander for once. I realize that $20 is a pretty paltry sum to get so bent out of shape about, but it was the principle of the thing. Ther are a lot of gun shops in the area that I deal with – lots of them have pissed me off at one point in time. All but one of them have made it right. I now get to add another name to the list of stores never to buy anything in. ever.

Great job gander. I really hope you enjoy that extra $21 that someone else gives you after putting up with your bull ****. my time and temper just isn't worth wasting in your establishment ever again.

you lost an opportunity to send someone out in to the world with a POSITIVE story about your store. again...

[Quasar]

You could have spoken with a another manager that day and had a completely different experience. Its all the luck of the draw of who happens to be around.

I agree their prices are VERY high, I never thought about buying from them for that reason. You'd think that for the high prices one would receive good, knowledgeable service... Thanks for testing the waters a bit and relaying what happened.

[Terry]

Write their corporate office a letter detailing your overall dissatisfaction with your experience..

[Stradawhovious]

Gander mountain sucks.

/thread.

[Rev. Dead Corpse]

Write their corporate office a letter detailing your overall dissatisfaction with your experience..

This. If upper management never gets told, they'll never know and things will never change.

[yukonjasper]

The fact that they, for the most part, hire and staff that area with people who are not gun people is a mystery. They should qualify people to work in that area. They do get a lot of people who think "guns are kool - let's go hold one and see what its like - then go get a pair of hiking socks". The clerks don't need to be experts to deal with those people and anyone who has spent time around guns and is knowlegeable, wouldn't last more than a week answering stoopid questions from stoopid people. What is a housewife doing looking at AK and AR's when she doesn't have a clue about the basic differences between them. Imagine having that conversation - how much time do you have to explain the concept to someone who isn't going to buy something anyway. I don't beleive they are on commission, but the brain damage around dealing with people who don't have a clue needs the skills and patience of a first grade teacher.

Most serious buyers don't go to Gander for guns - thats why they they can get away with the outrageous prices - the people they sell to (and there are alot of them) don't know the difference and don't care to take the time to check around.

I can appreciate your frustration and think your angst would be best focused with a letter to Gander Mountain. We all know they are hopeless, I wonder if their executive team does. They sell a lot of firearms, so the sales figures tell them they are doing everything just fine.....................

[Paul]

I totally understand and agree with your frustration regarding the lack of knowledge and customer service, but think you are getting too hot over the unwillingness to drop the price. Even though they are selling guns, it's still a traditional retail setting and if they say the prices are the prices, then that's the way it is. It doesn't really matter what Cabela's or your favorite pawn/gun shop will do.

Do you go into Wal-Mart and offer them 20% less for a package of socks because you think their margin is 30%? You can try, but I bet it won't work there either.

If you don't like it, don't shop there - which seems to be the case at the end of the day.

[Thunder71]

I totally understand and agree with your frustration regarding the lack of knowledge and customer service, but think you are getting too hot over the unwillingness to drop the price. Even though they are selling guns, it's still a traditional retail setting and if they say the prices are the prices, then that's the way it is. It doesn't really matter what Cabela's or your favorite pawn/gun shop will do.

Do you go into Wal-Mart and offer them 20% less for a package of socks because you think their margin is 30%? You can try, but I bet it won't work there either.

If you don't like it, don't shop there - which seems to be the case at the end of the day.

[Gustavs01]

This is about how I feel when I go to any gun shop and they have the useless "Kid" behind the counter that does not know his @$$ from a gun barrel, I too have stopped going to GM for this reason above all is their appalling Ammo prices, (Although they did just have boxes of .22 550 rounds for 14.99) But I too argued over the price of a trashed AR lower of Olympic arms grade, they wanted $449 for this poor waste of shelf space, I was not interested in buyin it but the price just made my ulcer boil. They fella at the counter told me it was one of the best in the market (I started laughing I almsot had to change my shorts) and was very hard to find! I had to walk away as soon as I started choking from my laughter, and I've only been back to buy a $179 tent for $29 which they were the only ones to carry that style anymore, Oh and for the not so often ammo deals.

[Shipyard]

I totally understand and agree with your frustration regarding the lack of knowledge and customer service, but think you are getting too hot over the unwillingness to drop the price. Even though they are selling guns, it's still a traditional retail setting and if they say the prices are the prices, then that's the way it is. It doesn't really matter what Cabela's or your favorite pawn/gun shop will do.

Do you go into Wal-Mart and offer them 20% less for a package of socks because you think their margin is 30%? You can try, but I bet it won't work there either.

If you don't like it, don't shop there - which seems to be the case at the end of the day.

i'll give you half a point- and no, i wouldn't try to haggle the price of socks in wal mart for a few reasons:

they don't sell used socks, and the prices are as low as they can be. plus i never need the assistance of people in wal-mart. the goods are black and white. there isn't any room for negoriation as they are what they are. plus, i never have rude people dickering around on my purchase. there isn't the point.

what REALLY got my goat wan't necessarally the unwillingness to drop the price, it was the atitude and logic involved. being rude and snippy about it just isn't proper customer service. being mis-informed about basic gun knowledge and then talking down to someone expressing their thorughts/opinions isn't how you treat customers.

can't drop the price? fine, but don't be a dick about it. don't offer that if i jump through hoops or purchase some other prodcut (credit card) THEN you can "make me happy". i would have bought it for the asking price if they had treated me more properly and weren't condesending pricks.

the REALLY sad thing is, i left without a pretty sweet rifles because i felt mis-treated. so now i get to thnk about how cool that 10/22 would have been on the 50 yd range at Oakdale last night and how much heartburn i have over the manager being stupid instead of enjoying a nice used firearm purchased from a LOCAL company. doesn't sit right with me...

[Shipyard]

another thought:

you don't dicker at wal mart, granted.

ever buy a used car??

a car lot is a "traditional retail setting"

even on cars that are barnd new - that's why we have the phrase "Never pay sticker"...


GAH! i've wasted too much of my life on that waste of a store allready....

[Boone]

Write their corporate office a letter detailing your overall dissatisfaction with your experience..

This. If upper management never gets told, they'll never know and things will never change.

Corporate office is in downtown St.Paul just stop by.

[solidgun]

I go in to Gander only if I have to.....getting gift cards for someone that really wants them for holidays....

But as for lack of knowledge, I am not sure one should expect too much as the store itself is trying to pay as little as possible to promote sales and to get by. If I went into any stores expecting knowledgeable, helpful staff, I would be going to very few stores. Personally, I don't mind paying extra for this added service, but they are drying up fast as anyone knowledgeable or smart will not stay too long at these stores.

One thing I would rant about is them bothering you. If you don't know anything, just STFU and leave me alone. I am sure somebody needs something so go bother them. Don't try to tell me something about a firearm if you don't know its personal history that I couldn't find out myself (like it was owned by Heston or something). Also, don't lie to me about it being the best price, the features, your preference on firearms. I own and have owned/handled/used more firearms than a lot of people. While it takes some refreshers for me to remember the details, I don't need someone who has shot a Glock once to explain guns to me.

[Shipyard]

Write their corporate office a letter detailing your overall dissatisfaction with your experience..

This. If upper management never gets told, they'll never know and things will never change.

Corporate office is in downtown St.Paul just stop by.

meh... i try to stay off that side of the river

[solidgun]

Write their corporate office a letter detailing your overall dissatisfaction with your experience..

This. If upper management never gets told, they'll never know and things will never change.

Corporate office is in downtown St.Paul just stop by.

I think the sarcasm is lost here. If corporate really wanted to hire experts, I am sure they would be on top of that issue. They are just trying to push products at rock bottom prices without customers taking up too much time of their employees performing manual labors.