Female Friendly Gun Stores?

[HPBrowningMK3]

I don't see anything here that singles out one gender for needing handholding. In fact, Micheal of EBR Works use to handhold a lot of male shooters when he was renting guns out at Angeles.

Absolutely correct, CSACANNONEER, no disrespect meant to anyone. Perhaps I could have phrased it more artfully, but I do speak bluntly, so I will respectfully butt out.

[movie zombie]

Absolutely correct, CSACANNONEER, no disrespect meant to anyone. Perhaps I could have phrased it more artfully, but I do speak bluntly, so I will respectfully butt out.

LOL, HP, LOL! I too am Blunt Speaking.......however, you came back to write this and that I respect lots. hopefully, we'll see you here periodically. not many guys would even admit they could have been "more artful"

[angelina]

Thank you for the input, everyone!

All I want is a gun store I can walk into, check stuff out, ask a question or two,(rare- as I usually do all my research prior. When I step foot into a gun store, i'm ready to buy- not window shopping or asking 10,000 questions, handling all the firearms and walking out) purchase and be on my way. I'd like to have an experience where I get flat out ignored, I get told a .40 is a "lot to handle", get a safety lecture, condescending tones, etc.

After I made this post, I was telling a friend (another woman) about how I can't stand going into my local gun stores because I continually get crap customer service. She said she LOVES going to a specific gun store and her and her husband (LEO) go all the time just to browse and make conversation with the employees. She invites me to go with them and see if I would have a positive experience with them. Friend and I are on one side looking at guns and her husband is on the other. The store employee "helping" (using this term really loosely here) us could not have been more annoyed. His body language, demeanor and tone made it obvious that we were completely inconveniencing him. Even she walked out of there like "what the hell...?" The same employee was showing her husband a gun a few minutes later, super friendly! I met up with another CalGunner at that same gun store on Friday to do a PPT. We were helped by a different employee - This dude was great! I would go to that gun store regularly if I could work with him. Great customer service, great attitude and friendly.

I love supporting the local businesses in my town. It doesn't even bother me that I can get something cheaper at walmart or on the internet if a small business carries it and I get great customer service there. There's a small beauty supply store in my town that I love going to. You can walk in there once a week, once a month, once every six months or once a year and the owner remembers your name and the type of stuff you like to buy. If she sees you checking something out, she offers to hunt a sample down for you before you commit to a whole bottle. Obviously Paul Mitchell hair products and guns are different, but the concept is the same- treat ALL your customers like gold. They are the reason that you are in business!

[angelina]

Angelina,

If you ever want to go gun shopping and have some fun, let me know. I'll go with you (as long as the store doesn't know me) and pretend that you are helping me pick out my first gun. It would be interesting to see what kind of reaction we get from idiot sales people who think it's OK to ignore women in a gun store.

I will take you up on that! Sounds like a fun experiment!

[angelina]

Gunther Guns in Carlsbad. It's the cleanest, nicest gun store I've ever seen. Owned by a woman, you will get all the hand holding a girl needs.

I'm super jealous of your lower, btw!

[movie zombie]

Thank you for the input, everyone!

All I want is a gun store I can walk into, check stuff out, ask a question or two,(rare- as I usually do all my research prior. When I step foot into a gun store, i'm ready to buy- not window shopping or asking 10,000 questions, handling all the firearms and walking out) purchase and be on my way. I'd like to have an experience where I get flat out ignored, I get told a .40 is a "lot to handle", get a safety lecture, condescending tones, etc.

After I made this post, I was telling a friend (another woman) about how I can't stand going into my local gun stores because I continually get crap customer service. She said she LOVES going to a specific gun store and her and her husband (LEO) go all the time just to browse and make conversation with the employees. She invites me to go with them and see if I would have a positive experience with them. Friend and I are on one side looking at guns and her husband is on the other. The store employee "helping" (using this term really loosely here) us could not have been more annoyed. His body language, demeanor and tone made it obvious that we were completely inconveniencing him. Even she walked out of there like "what the hell...?" The same employee was showing her husband a gun a few minutes later, super friendly! I met up with another CalGunner at that same gun store on Friday to do a PPT. We were helped by a different employee - This dude was great! I would go to that gun store regularly if I could work with him. Great customer service, great attitude and friendly.

I love supporting the local businesses in my town. It doesn't even bother me that I can get something cheaper at walmart or on the internet if a small business carries it and I get great customer service there. There's a small beauty supply store in my town that I love going to. You can walk in there once a week, once a month, once every six months or once a year and the owner remembers your name and the type of stuff you like to buy. If she sees you checking something out, she offers to hunt a sample down for you before you commit to a whole bottle. Obviously Paul Mitchell hair products and guns are different, but the concept is the same- treat ALL your customers like gold. They are the reason that you are in business!

great post!

perhaps call the gun store before heading down to make sure the great employee is in?

either gun shops get with the 21st century and realize women are serious customers ready to buy or they'll lose out to the chain stores eventually. like you, Angelina, I don't care if I pay a bit more to buy from a local shop. but dang it all don't treat me like crap or I might change my mind.

[Jimi Jah]

I'm super jealous of your lower, btw!

Thanks, it's a JD Machine CAL GUNS lower. I ordered it back in March, 2013 and got it in October. You can find them in stock at rifle gear for $159, the same price I paid from JD.

They come black, but I color-filled the flag and bear with Testor's paint and a very fine sable brush. It's my favorite AR with a Daniel Defense barrel, BTE adjustable gas block and other goodies.

The best part is when I encounter LEO's I get to show them it has the same flag on it as they have on their sleeve. It also says "made in San Diego" and the S/N number begins with OLL for off-list lower. Can't get more legitimate than that for a San Diego boy.

[renay]

Gunther Guns in Carlsbad. It's the cleanest, nicest gun store I've ever seen. Owned by a woman, you will get all the hand holding a girl needs.

It's a husband and wife team who owns the store and they are the nicest people. I am a woman and purchased my first firearm from their shop. They take the time to talk to you and to this day I still go in and say hello to them. You can't go in their shop without folks coming in to shop or visit and say hi. The shop is always clean and they are always very friendly. I always recommend them to everyone. I came across the shop as I work around the corner from them but after I find another job, I will still recommend their shop and still drive to patron their business.

[meyerlemony]

Weird! But since you are in Ventura County, I'll throw Smokin' Barrel out as a great shop. The owner's name is Link, and all of the employees are great. I buy everything there...

[BonnieB]

We have a new LGS in Sacramento, The Sacramento Gun Club on Routier Road, off Hwy 50. They have a large selection of guns, and I know for a fact that they are friendly to women shooters. Nice folks, competitive pricing and all the accessories and ammo you could hope for.

[Baboosh]

My husband and I are a home based FFL and I shoot. I will never claim to be an expert but I always give my honest advice as a female shooter.

I'd be happy to help, give you my impressions, take you to the range to try pistol I personally own and help you with anything you need.

Sandra

[CSACANNONEER]

Sorry Sandra. I would have included you in my original recommendations but, you are a decent drive from the OP.

[savannah]

I have yet to find a gun store that is not "women" friendly. If the store is an unfriendly store to people, then women are not excluded from that rudeness. There are a few of those types of shops.

I really think women get all sensitive about whether or not "gun" stores are friendly to them. If you don't like the store then don't go back. If they are helpful and friendly, then return. Pretty much the way it works at most stores.

Last thing I want is a gun store that panders to women. Can we stop being so sensitive?

[BonnieB]

Nope. Never. Not ever. Not as long as women are still asking "Is there a woman friendly gun store" and / or reporting horror stories about being ignored or patronized. It still happens, I've watched it.

Some women are pretty assertive. Savannah, who I know personally, is one. I'm another. Neither of us suffer fools gladly, and I guess it shows. I don't have trouble in LGS's and knowing S, I don't think she would either.

BUT, not all women are even close to being as assertive as we are, and they might want or need a little support when trying out a totally new thing. God knows, if I tried to buy ski's, I wouldn't know where to start.

[kemasa]

I am a special order/transfer FFL in Simi Valley.

One aspect is that perhaps it is not always a matter of female friendly, but just a different type of retail experience.