Stigma towards younger gun generation?

[Harry Ono]

I walked out, and found better service at the next shop and spent money on an AR.

Thoughts?

And you answered your own question. Sometimes its just the shop you go to.
Who knows what went through the mind of the first shop you went to.
Maybe the guy had a bad day and just was thinking about other things.
I seen that too and Im over 50.

And yes, go over and ask! This isnt Big Burgers and you cant have it your way all the time.

[omega]

small gun shops are like that sometimes, if you want better service you have to go to a Big Box type Sporting Goods stores to get fair treatment, they are more like Dept stores with assistant managers / store managers, Corporate offices, etc just like other large businesses with store policies and tend to back up what they sell , better customer service and reputation.

in small shops they tend to do whatever they feel like , the guy could be the owners buddy, son , cousin, etc

they show up when they feel like it, or close for the day when they feel like it , even if you were going to pick up a new gun, they could be gone that day, many also use foul language with customers, and dont care if you dont return.

with Big Box stores they are always there and you can rely on them , much more professional.

[TMB 1]

Lots of places are like that, not just gun shops and not just to young people. Most people look for a bit and if they are interested in buying they ask to look at it or questions about it or tell them hey I want to buy that.

[wooshna]

sorry for the sucky gun shop feel. Keep looking at different ones until you find the one you prefer. took me 2 years to finally find one that appreciates my business so I go to them exclusively

[elSquid]

[Oldmandan]

As others have already said, it’s not you, it’s the store. I’ve had the same scenario you describe happen to me at several spots.

I tend find a shop I like and stick with them, they’ll get to know you and that’s that…

[beanz2]

Some stores judge the book by the cover. If you walk into a store with a man bun and wear an REI wind breaker, you might get the cold shoulder. Then get a crew cut and wear a Hawaiian shirt and see how they treat you.

[Garv]

I am way older than you and have been treated like that at a few places, not just a couple sucky gun stores.

Depending on the situation and what I need/want and my mood, I speak up or give it some time and walk.

[pythonfan]

There is a flip side to this as well. Customers in general are cheapskates. Very common for random people to come in, spend hours holding every gun and accessory, asking questions galore, then ordering online to save a buck. In a free state with a lot less redtape/fees this is a bigger problem. Still it happens a lot with accessories here.

I doubt its an age thing, more of a tired of wasting their time thing. Right or wrong....that is the attitude I've encountered numerous times in a new (to me) gun shop. I generally know what I'm looking for/at and don't care if I'm ignored while browsing. If I want something, I'll speak up.

Not that this pertains to OP or this thread, but I will say spend a few bucks more on your accessories at your local gun shop. Long term it pays off. Took me many years to get that in my head. Now when unique stuff in my wheelhouse walks in the door at a couple of my local shops, I get a text or call.

[JC2020]

[Verdha603]

I'm 33, have been heavily involved in the firearm hobby for for 13 years. I'm into all of it, early guns, revolvers, guns with wood on them, oddball guns, modern stuff, and I know a fair amount about most aspects of this entire hobby. I've always felt there is a slight stigma from the "old guard" of gun owners/gun shop owners towards the younger crowd. When I was 18, 19 years old I used to dress up a bit to go to the gun shop as I thought it may help me be treated a bit better or at least given the time of day.

More recently (couple years ago) I walked into a shop in Prescott with 1k in my pocket ready to buy an AR. Stood there looking at them for 5 minutes (yes I timed it). NO ONE ELSE IN THE STORE, and the shop owner never walked over to ask if I wanted to see anything. YES I could have asked, but really that isn't the point. I have worked in a small business before, and customer service was a focus. I walked out, and found better service at the next shop and spent money on an AR.

Lastly, I have noticed the same level of "disregard" at gun shows. Look I'm not saying that young people are treated as second class citizens, but we are the future of the 2nd Amendment in this country and it certainly seems at times that the "old guard" isn't always willing to give the time of day. My feelings aren't hurt, nothing specific happened, but more this is an observation that I have made over the years from segments of our overall wonderful gun community. And before you accuse me of being a sensitive millennial, I assure you it isn't the case.

Thoughts?

I'm not going to ask for an actual establishment name, but I have a particular feeling I know exactly which establishment your talking about. I'm also in agreement that it's most likely just that particular shop being lousy (it certainly isn't far from uncommon with gun shops and oftentimes its as simple as them getting overconfident in meeting their monthly profit margins just off their regular customers that they just don't care about putting in the extra effort for new faces anymore).

As for the "old guard" establishment, I've dealt with that kind of mindset everywhere, especially in California. "Good old boy's club", Fudds, old school elitists of some flavor or another certainly abound, to the point that they outnumber the younger generation version of them, the "Tactical Tommies" and "Mall Ninja's", multiple times over. I'm not even going to bother delving into the ever growing list of talking points they love to use regarding how every gun they like is always better than everything made in the last 40 years, but it's gotten to the point where I'm glad to not be considered a part of the "traditional gun owner" crowd when that may as well translate to "We're only going to accept you as one of us if you like all the old guns we like and hate all the newer stuff that's been coming out for the last couple of decades. And don't forget that we'll excommunicate you the minute you make any kind of criticism of our 'tried and true' guns and ammunition."

[Maltese Falcon]

Try and do a PPT w/o prior old school cred…I had a tag from local shop 10 years back on rifle bag, all they needed. Some random guy came in looked around and they didn’t say **** to him…nor did he ask anything, so he left.

Ask me how I know. Gunrunners Monrovia, CA

Good folks….be patient.

.

[dizzyblonde]

The solution is to continue aging. Eventually you will chuckle lightly to yourself when similar posts are made.

[naz]

There is a flip side to this as well. Customers in general are cheapskates. Very common for random people to come in, spend hours holding every gun and accessory, asking questions galore, then ordering online to save a buck. In a free state with a lot less redtape/fees this is a bigger problem. Still it happens a lot with accessories here..

That’s rough if they are really losing the sale over a buck.

At that point, price match and educate customers about counterfeits?

[OCEquestrian]