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Strange interaction at Gunrunner 101 in Amherst, NH

I'll be the contrarian and say I'm okay with grumpy, capricious gun shop owners.

Bottom line is it's his circus, his monkeys and one of the few remaining pleasures in life when you're 65 years old and eking out a precarious living selling firearms is doing exactly what you want, zero ***** given.

Maybe not so great an idea to make sh!t up but probably the path of least resistance compared to saying "you look like an ape and smell worse and I'm not selling you a gun." [Just an example, I'm not talking about you, OP].

The fact that gun shops can survive doing this tells you what an oddball industry firearms retailing is. It's not Walmart and they're not selling dog food.
 
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Golddiggie said:
Been in there once and saw how much higher their prices were compared to other shops in southern NH and haven't been back. With this information about him, I'll never stop in there again. Almost as bad as the shop on the other side of Amherst Street close to WallyMart that consistently rapes customers.
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Lmao yeah he wanted 800 for a p99 like 750 for a glock 21 I'm good with that place. Funny though go read his google reviews they are not good
 
NHKevin said:
How the hell does he determine who is responsible enough?
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You know how? Any ****ing way that suits him, that's how. Maybe he casts yarrow stalks or reads chicken entrails. Does it matter? It's his shop, his license, and his rules. As long as it's legal, it's his right to do as he wishes.

I mentioned it, because he's mentioned it to me. The dude is a responsible member of the community, and a stand up guy. I'm not guessing based on visiting him for ten minutes in his store. I know this to be true.

Look... the story about forged FFLs sounds kinda kooky to me, too. But it's wrong to cast aspersions on the guy's character. If he told you something, I don't doubt it's what he believes... rightly or wrongly.
 
Personal crap aside, at the end of the day it's about customer service here. I'm not a proponent of the "customer is always right" mode of thought, but if you're going to refuse service to a customer who hasn't done anything wrong in a situation where most other retailers would simply make the sale, it's good business practice to have a solid reason and the ability to say it politely with a smile on your face.

OP - if the guy said "Sorry, we just don't do C&R sales - it's our store policy" would you be upset? I'm guessing not.
 
Frizzle Fry said:
I'm not a proponent of the "customer is always right" mode of thought, but if you're going to refuse service to a customer who hasn't done anything wrong.....
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You have no idea of what the OP did,besides what he told us to put the story in his favor,right ?

Innocent victim of an evil gun shop owner is the narrative.
 
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Greg said:
I'd really like to hear the other side of the story,like what the exact trigger was that made the shop owner turn.There is a trigger,OP may not have even realized he did it,but he did and I would like to know what it was.
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The only thing I can speculate is that he attempted to negotiate with this guy and failed badly with regards to something he said, and the shop owner recoiled with this bizarre excuse instead of just saying "sorry, price is the price" or something. Or "Sorry, I don't transfer to 03s" instead of making up some convoluted ringling brothers act about not being able to validate licenses.

There might have been a trigger but that doesn't mean the OP necessarily deserved the response. Maybe the guy is just "C&R Raycist" or something. I wouldn't be surprised if a shitload of collectors are skinflints and annoying to deal with... so he might consider them a form of "You people.." [laugh] So its a form of gun owner subtype predjudice maybe? Like fudds vs tacticool etc... [laugh]


-Mike
 
PeterGV said:
You know how? Any ****ing way that suits him, that's how. Maybe he casts yarrow stalks or reads chicken entrails. Does it matter? It's his shop, his license, and his rules. As long as it's legal, it's his right to do as he wishes.
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Pretty much how I see it. You want customer service? Go to Nordstrom.
 
Greg said:
You have no idea of what the OP did,besides what he told us to put the story in his favor,right ?

Innocent victim of an evil gun shop owner is the narrative.
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You're right, I have no clue what else he did, but odds are he didn't lead with "all right you ****er, you're gonna sell me this gun right ****ing now". It's been over a decade since I managed retail businesses, but back then my stores had to turn down a lot of transactions for legal/policy reasons. Rule of thumb is politely tell the customer that it's against policy, apologize for not being able to make the purchase/sale, rinse, repeat. Absolutely no-nos include shooting from the hip or talking out your hat. Believe it or not, even combative/upset customers come back and spend money if you don't let the situation unravel on your end.

My point is that "We don't do C&R sales, period, sorry" saves anything further.

Personally, if someone says they don't want to make a sale to me, I don't want to buy from them. You're right, anything beyond the first "no" is probably asking for trouble, and none of us know the whole context of what was said, in what order it was said, or how it was said. Could be a case of not taking no for no, and trying to argue through it. Might be that the gun was marked "C&R item" in which case I guess I can't blame the guy for feeling slighted even if he did argue it through.
 
mibro said:
Pretty much how I see it. You want customer service? Go to Nordstrom.
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There are limits to everything, though; and you gotta keep a value add in the mix somewhere, some reason that will offset any downsides you put on the burner. For example if a gun shop has like 10 guns in it, the owner is a total dick, and the prices are terrible, the shop isn't going to be around very long. Even old school, run by dicks, shitholes like The Gun Room had things going for them, like the fact that they had a shitload of guns in stock, and they were right on rt 9, and an entrenched base of customers. That was enough to keep them in business until one of the original owners died. You can be a total prick bastard, but if the customer doesn't see some kind of value in dealing with you, they're not going to stick around long.

-Mike
 
drgrant said:
There are limits to everything, though; and you gotta keep a value add in the mix somewhere, some reason that will offset any downsides you put on the burner. For example if a gun shop has like 10 guns in it, the owner is a total dick, and the prices are terrible, the shop isn't going to be around very long. Even old school, run by dicks, shitholes like The Gun Room had things going for them, like the fact that they had a shitload of guns in stock, and they were right on rt 9, and an entrenched base of customers. That was enough to keep them in business until one of the original owners died. You can be a total prick bastard, but if the customer doesn't see some kind of value in dealing with you, they're not going to stick around long.

-Mike
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I agree 100%. But there's something about retailing firearms that allows (some) gun stores to offer lower value and yet stay in business.

Having said that, it looks like a fairly tough business to me. Relatively low profit margins, requirement to hold and finance inventory, picky customers, some unusual risks and more. I wouldn't want to do it.
 
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PeterGV said:
You know how? Any ****ing way that suits him, that's how. Maybe he casts yarrow stalks or reads chicken entrails. Does it matter? It's his shop, his license, and his rules. As long as it's legal, it's his right to do as he wishes.

I mentioned it, because he's mentioned it to me. The dude is a responsible member of the community, and a stand up guy. I'm not guessing based on visiting him for ten minutes in his store. I know this to be true.

Look... the story about forged FFLs sounds kinda kooky to me, too. But it's wrong to cast aspersions on the guy's character. If he told you something, I don't doubt it's what he believes... rightly or wrongly.
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You realize those are kind of dick statements, right?

As an owner, he has the right to refuse service to anyone, but to say "I only sell to 'responsible' people, and I'll decide who's responsible," while his right, is a dick move. Being a jerk, even if it's your right, is still being a jerk.

To paraphrase your last line: "If he spews bullshit, but he actually believes it, it's wrong to cast aspersions on his character." What a bizarre opinion.
 
UNSUB said:
You can spot those people you know hooligans and no goodnicks

Sent from my SM-G928P using Tapatalk
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Greg said:
I'd really like to hear the other side of the story,like what the exact trigger was that made the shop owner turn.There is a trigger,OP may not have even realized he did it,but he did and I would like to know what it was.
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Tattoos or piercings? Some other thing? You never know what sets people off.
 
Ive only done business at Gunrunners once, and my experience was positive. I stopped in one day looking for a Marlin 1895-C in .357. He didn't have one, but he added my name to a notebook called, The "Wishlist". I added my name but I thought I was wasting my time, but a few months later I got a call from him saying he just got one in on trade. Late 1970s vintage, about 95% condition for $475.00.
I think my feet made that noise that cartoon characters make when their feet are peeling out when they try to run fast!
I got to his shop and the gun was exactly as described. Another guy was there who was ready to buy it, but the proprietor said I had first dibs. One of the best firearms transactions I've ever been part of.
 
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Having met you before you appear as a respectable person.

However, everybody out there is bound to piss SOMEBODY off for no reason at all.

Who knows what kind of mood he was in or if he thought he knew you from someplace else and for whatever reason just didn't like you.

For example, I like dogs. I get along with just about every dog I ever meet. I probably met 100 dogs in the past 3 years or so. A few weeks ago on some trails I came across a dog that really didn't like me. The master got him under control but for whatever reason I just set this dog off. I was insulted and embarrassed because I find that generally speaking dogs are a good judge of character.

There will always be that 1% who for whatever reason dislikes you.
 
I go into Gunrunners every now and then and have always found Bob and Diane a pleasure to deal with, very friendly, just regular folks. Their prices are definitely all over the place, a lot of stuff high, some stuff just about right, and I have often successfully bargained down to a price that suited me. Obviously you're going to get a little better price at the higher volume dealers, such is the nature of the beast.

That's unfortunate about your C&R experience, but that's his choice. What really disturbs me is his alleged comments on the CC bill. If those are factual, I may think again about doing business there.

Oh and Bob has told me a story of a refusal to sell a gun to a guy. He said the guy came in and asked for a 'revolver and bullets.' He didn't want a whole box of bullets, he wanted 6 only. He said he got a strange vibe from the guy and refused to sell to him. Then the guy came in a day or so later asking again to purchase just 6 bullets, so he again refused to sell. He assumed that someone must have sold him the gun, but he wasn't going to sell 6 bullets to a weirdo.
 
Strange for a business owner to pull that crap. Employee? Sure. I don't get it. "Aw that system never works." WHAT?!?!?!?!?! I'd have whipped the damned thing out on my phone. . . . nah, I'd probably just walk away, too.

On Sat I attempted to get some propane filled. BJ's. "Be right out. . . . . . . . . . (minute later) My boss says that it doesn't work." They were 3 deep in cars in the tire shop. My bet is they couldn't be bothered.

So I saddle up to Tractor Supply next door. "Oh sorry. It doesn't work." Didn't have ANYTHING to do with the fact that their entire yard was UNshovelled???

Both of them not working at the same time? I suspect at least one worked and they couldn't be bothered. F em both. I'll spend $5/fillup and go somewhere where I can get decent service. Especially with prices on propane so low.
 
x-frog-22 said:
Rockriver , I'm sure they didn't mean to call you liar.. ;>
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Probably so. At the end I thanked him for his time and just left. No altercation, no heated discussion and as I said it's his shop his rules. Just never heard of a C&R being denied for that reason before. Actually I've never had a C&R denied before at all.

Greg said:
You have no idea of what the OP did,besides what he told us to put the story in his favor,right ?

Innocent victim of an evil gun shop owner is the narrative.
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Feel it was a pretty correct description. The gun is listed as a C&R and I asked if it was the best price with a C&R. The lady went to the owner and asked the question and that started the "I don't know you conversation". Maybe it's a rule he follows or he just didn't like my appearance as I spent some time in the shop looking over most of his inventory.

They weren't rude or argumentative, just that he didn't believe I had bought C&Rs at other shops in NH. Not a big loss. As to the comment about NH Constitutional Carry that he did say to another customer who agreed with him. The customer talked about how now anyone can carry, get into a beef while driving and escalate the situation with a gun. Though they both agreed that a National Reciprocity bill would be good. Not sure how you are against one, but for the other.
 
In general I try and stay away from GunRunners and The Sportsmens Den...for all the reasons people mentioned.

The Sportsmens Den is about the worst I've experienced. I wouldn't recommend anyone go there.
 
I stopped in Gunrunners about a week ago as it isn't a place I go to very often. Every now and then you find some unicorn that the other shops in the area don't have

Im on a CZ kick right now and when I asked he said he won't carry them and if ordered one it will be either 5 or 15 percent over MSRP.......okay......?

Looking through the cases I see a advertised as new P232. Wow I haven't seen new ones of those for years

I asked the woman working there where they were hiding this as you never see them.....she said she thinks it came from a collection they just bought .......

Cue needle sound across record.......

???? Ummmmm??????

I wanted to say technically I don't care if the guy never fired it, it's still a used gun......you can't sell and advertise it as new

I just smiled and said thank you and left

I'm all set with ever going back

On the positive side, Bob did seem a lot less gruff than last time I was in

They do seem like nice people


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Reptile said:
Having met you before you appear as a respectable person.

However, everybody out there is bound to piss SOMEBODY off for no reason at all.

Who knows what kind of mood he was in or if he thought he knew you from someplace else and for whatever reason just didn't like you.

For example, I like dogs. I get along with just about every dog I ever meet. I probably met 100 dogs in the past 3 years or so. A few weeks ago on some trails I came across a dog that really didn't like me. The master got him under control but for whatever reason I just set this dog off. I was insulted and embarrassed because I find that generally speaking dogs are a good judge of character.

There will always be that 1% who for whatever reason dislikes you.
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Well now you'll know better to keep an eye on yourself then.
 
2tango2 said:
I wanted to say technically I don't care if the guy never fired it, it's still a used gun......you can't sell and advertise it as new
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Did it still have the plastic on it from the factory with the goopy shit on the mags? Then it is a new gun. Just because "someone owned it before" does not make it used. That's lunacy. By that standard any gun dealer that bought a Sig from a distributor would be selling used guns because they weren't the original owner. [laugh]

Then again I'm different. I don't get worked up over fired, unfired, etc... particularly on commodity guns.

-Mike
 
drgrant said:
Did it still have the plastic on it from the factory with the goopy shit on the mags? Then it is a new gun. Just because "someone owned it before" does not make it used. That's lunacy. By that standard any gun dealer that bought a Sig from a distributor would be selling used guns because they weren't the original owner. [laugh]

Then again I'm different. I don't get worked up over fired, unfired, etc... particularly on commodity guns.

-Mike
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Ultimately what is considered new or used is how it is handled by the manufacture shall the need arise for warranty. Some manufactures treat what is "new" or "used" differently than others.
 
drgrant said:
Did it still have the plastic on it from the factory with the goopy shit on the mags? Then it is a new gun. Just because "someone owned it before" does not make it used. That's lunacy. By that standard any gun dealer that bought a Sig from a distributor would be selling used guns because they weren't the original owner. [laugh]

Then again I'm different. I don't get worked up over fired, unfired, etc... particularly on commodity guns.

-Mike
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No actually that is not the case. That is like new.
But if the gun had an owner even if he left the store went to his car and right back in to return it that gun can no longer be sold as new.
Actuallt I'll back pedal a little and say that is the case with every retail business. Not sure if guns are handled different.
 

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