Today was my last day shopping at Four Seasons

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Why the hell does everyone complain about the deli-counter tickets?

Aside from "have fewer customers" or "hire more employees", what better options are there?

The deli tickets:
- make sure you don't have to jockey for position
- make sure you get your turn in the right order
- make sure nobody cuts in front of you
- allow you to look around the shop rather than standing in line
- assure you that when your ticket comes up you get the sales guy's undivided attention (because it's your turn)


If a shop is crowded with lots of customers and the wait is long, don't complain about the deli tickets, complain about the crowds.


When the Mass DMV went from "long line you had to stand in" to the current deli-counter style tickets, it was by far the best thing they did for the experience. I *hate* waiting in lines, because of the *line*, not because of the waiting.

If you're bitching about the *waiting*, that's fine, but that's a sign of a successful shop that people want to go to.
I think people have more of a problem with how they are treated after their number is called than the numbers themselves. For the amount of volume they do, they really should have a bigger shop with more employees.
 
You have it half right. The crowds are there because there are people that don't mind waiting around for an hour or more to save $75 to $100 (many cases much less than that actually). That's all fine. He caters to that clientele and more power to him. Those of us here that don't shop at FS are the clinetele that dont see that as a value. We speak are minds about FS to let those that have never shopped there know what to expect. That's all.

Pretty simple actually. I personally have much better things to do than stand around a shop filled to over Max capacity with a ticket waiting for my number to be called. I'm not alone in that opinion. On the other hand.....why do the fs lovers find it so difficult yo understand that folks in my camp just review the shop for how we see it?

I think people have more of a problem with how they are treated after their number is called than the numbers themselves. For the amount of volume they do, they really should have a bigger shop with more employees.


I think that's my point.

If you don't like the way you're treated, complain about the way you're treated.

If you don't like the wait, complain about the wait.

But the problem is *not* the deli-tickets. The deli-tickets make things better. If it were the same shop but *without* the deli-tickets, it'd be far, far more annoying.
 
Agreed???? have you ever been delayed? They always give you the date when you can pickup if NICS doesnt call. But 99.9% of the time NICS calls. and then you can pickup. There was no agreed upon date. That was the date of expiration for the delay. I didn't call because i dont want to be one of those annoying pencil neck customers that calls everyday. Or has 136 questions about the M&P product line that could all be answered on the S&W website.


So you don't want to appear to be a pencil neck geek but you would rather blame a shop because you did not follow up so you wont come off like a pencil neck geek....My friend if you don't take things into your own hands and step up you will be standing in line for the rest of you life....not sure if fussing is the way I would have gone to resolve the perceived issue. Opinions may vary. Me I would have just gone down spoken to Carl presented the issue then proceeded from there.

Nuff said! Later!
 
I think that's my point.

If you don't like the way you're treated, complain about the way you're treated.

If you don't like the wait, complain about the wait.

But the problem is *not* the deli-tickets. The deli-tickets make things better. If it were the same shop but *without* the deli-tickets, it'd be far, far more annoying.

I would vote for option C: Go somewhere less busy and closer to home

I plan where I go grocery shopping and when based on the predicted crowd level. There is an Aldi's near me that I just told my wife "I am never going back there, you can go there yourself if you want." It was just too crowded/busy for my taste, I would prefer to pay more somewhere-else.

If I was closer to 4S I would consider shopping there more, but with the location the only convenient time to go is when everyone goes or I would have to take time off to go shop there on a random day which raises the opportunity cost so I don't go. Instead I go somewhere I enjoy that is 10 miles from me (instead of 30 miles) and I can pop over and buy something at lunch. I am happy there are multiple options in the market for LGS, and I patronize ones that fit my taste best.
 
I think that's my point.

If you don't like the way you're treated, complain about the way you're treated.

If you don't like the wait, complain about the wait.

But the problem is *not* the deli-tickets. The deli-tickets make things better. If it were the same shop but *without* the deli-tickets, it'd be far, far more annoying.
In the retail management world the first thing people are taught is "the majority of customers don't complain......they don't come back".
 
hahaha, I remember this coming up on the "Am I a SkinFlint?" section. Personally would never drive more than 2 hours unless it is a matter of I'm not going to be able to get it otherwise. Otherwise it's getting shipped in. Though living in Western MA there really isn't such a thing as convenient.
Fact.....if you drive 2-4 hours to save $75......you are a skinflint.
 
I respect the job that FS does for the volume of people who go in there. They have alot of first time purchasers and serve that community very well. I would recommend anyone who does business with them go at off hours if possible. There is rarely a line in mid-day on week days. I think it's a great shop for what it is. Do they have most of the things I'm looking for like odd parts or competition related items? No. But for the person who just got their ltc and wants to check out the few items that Dimples will let them buy, it's a great place.
 
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I see some want the Walmart prices with Mercedes quality and business class customer service. Well you can’t have it all. It’s your business, take it wherever you want.
I didn't say I want business class customer service at Walmart prices at all. I actually said IM WILLING TO PAY MORE......to avoid the a$$hoke to belly button atmosphere. There is a difference.

I've also said fs runs a good business for a certain group of customers......and that's all good. My point for making my comments about fs is to let folks that have never been there know what to expect.
 
I didn't say I want business class customer service at Walmart prices at all. I actually said IM WILLING TO PAY MORE......to avoid the a$$hoke to belly button atmosphere. There is a difference.
I didn’t say I was referring to you. Just to be clear.
You actually seem to have a grasp on what you want.
 
I’ve been to FS once, about 5-6 years ago, late on a Saturday afternoon. There were about 3 other people there and I didn’t own guns yet. This was right after the SW shield came out and it was all the rage. I asked for one and the guys said they didn’t have any. My cousin and I spent maybe 10-15 minutes more there just browsing, checked out a couple pistols.

Just before close the same guy asked if we were still interested in the shield...

Heck yeah we were, and he conveniently managed to get ahold of one. No idea how, but I walked out of there with my spiffy new shield. All $459 worth of it. Looking back that price was obscene, but I got it within the first week of release and I still have it.

Only time I ever went there since it’s about 2 hours or longer to get there.
 
Why was coming in a year later not a option? If it was damaged we have no problem at all replacing the sling swivel for you without question.

we always keep a dozen of them in stock and the offer still stands if you want it replaced

we stand by our work unconditionally without time constraints

Sorry, but I finally gave up on your place after I brought in a used S&W 5943 to sell for consignment. The gun was issued to the Essex County Sheriff's Dept. in the early 1990s, so it had a 15-round magazine that was etched with "Property of Essex County Sheriff's Dept." I still have it. Your employee, whom I thought was the owner at the time (Bob?, no longer there), told me that he couldn't sell the gun with that mag even after I showed him a paper indicating that it was issued prior to 1994. I brought it back later on with a 10-rd mag that I had to buy, and the gun was sold.

As for the sling swivel, I have a hard time believing that whoever shaved the bayo lug off didn't recognize the chewed up swivel.

To be fair, you did do an excellent job cerakoting my G27.
 
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...
C- CHARGE WHAT THEY ACTUALLY NEED TO CHARGE!!!!! If a dealer says "I need $50 because otherwise its not worth my time, I realize thats expensive but I hope you understand" I actually DO understand- and I'd never shit on a shop for having a $50 transfer if thats how they had to justify it to themselves. It's no different when I charge someone $90 to show up to look at their computer... -Mike

^^^This! Valuing time is always the best decision a business can make.
A friend of mine is a photographer who at one point realized that doing weddings for $3-5K is not worth it for him anymore. Too much time involved, too much trouble with crazy brides etc.
So he started to say $17,000 when asked what he would charge for a wedding because that's the amount of money he thought would be worth his time and efforts of dealing with a wedding.
Guess what - he still gets 2-3 weddings a year at that price :)
 
[crying][crying] Shooting 20 years, shopping at Carl's for 18 of that. I haven't grajamarated!!!!!!!!! [rofl]

(I will say 90% of the time I go in, I've got an hour to kill between appointments. Sadly, I didn't prepare well enough to brew my own high-end cat-pooped coffee on my radiator or sear a wagyu beef burger on my engine block in that time, nor could I find the "out of the way" shop that will rub my feet and show me all the guns they don't have in stock.)
 
Fact.....if you drive 2-4 hours to save $75......you are a skinflint.

If I lived 2 hrs away from the dealers that I like, I'd still use them. Hell I just about used to do that to go see Fred down on the cape.

Driving 2 hours to go to FS? That's like driving 2 hours to go to a CVS or a 7-11. [rofl]

-Mike
 
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