Here’s one perspective. If it is a shop’s policy to ask for an LTC, perhaps they should post it and ask everyone regardless of whom they are, new to store or longtime customer. That way they would remain true to their policy and all customers.
Picking and choosing whom you ask for an LTC is a poor way of doing business and may scare a potential lifetime buyer and the referrals that usually come with that type of relationship.
I believe everyone here would feel at odds if a customer before you wasn’t asked for the LTC, and you were. Especially, if you believe the person before you is a regular and it turns out that the person is not, yet wasn’t asked, but you were.
It would certainly make me want to ask why and that usually never ends well.
I visited the Gun Parlor last night just to see what they had. By the way it was like a candy store, sweets of all kinds (Not an ad or sales pitch for them just a fact, after visiting Cabela’s the other day and seeing 3 sorry ass looking firearms it was refreshing to walk into a gun shop and actually find guns). Anyway, the guys there were welcoming from the second I walked in, with a greeting and what can I show you? all while transacting a sale with a person at the counter. Three different staff members approached me and all said the same thing, “let me know what you’d like to see”.
That’s how you take care of customers. Not by asking to show them the plastic, which in reality, at the end of the day only means that a person took a class and has a clean record, and not the person intentions at the moment.
If the shop’s practice is to only ask new faces maybe they should consider the fact that nothing guarantees that a regular customer is still in good standing with the law and did not have his/her LTC taken away days before, and may now be in your shop with I’ll intentions.
If you don’t ask: On the other hand if it is the shop’s policy not to ask, then don’t ask anyone, unless to process a sale.
In summary:
If it’s policy, post it, and ask everyone, every time. That way everyone understands the protocol you as a business owner have chosen to implement.
If it’s is not your policy, then be fair and don’t ask anyone, unless to process a sale.
Again, one perspective of many, I’m sure.