Good.
I bought a gun from them a couple of months ago and got a "better than discount" price on a Hawke scope, they threw in a pack of Bilsley targets, a tin of Weihrauch pellets, an aerosol of Brunox, and some other bits I was prepared to pay for, all FOC, they also let my partner use their WC too. Ask for Martin, or Matt has he prefers to be known, and tell him the old fat bald guy from Bridlington sent you.
My local gunshop is a happy place, unless he has had a right bar steward of a customer in before us, but he does apologise if he has been put in a bad mood. As for staff it is he, him and himself!
Was at Drapers (Notts) Saturday,looking for a scope,he (one of the lads who work there) must of had 5 scopes out on the counter for me to peruse ,. and we had a chat even after the sale. An then tonight i had to go to the gunshop in lincoln,i got on ok there, mind you His mrs was the only one in the shop.
1 Rapid+sentinal n/v, 1 HW100+ Mamba lite
Seems to me that a lot of shops you go in are filled with 'enthusiasts' who just want to talk about how many rabbits/squirrels/field targets at 55 yds they have shot recently. Think I would get a pissed off too. Just go in, buy something, instead of trying it for size before ordering it off the net.
T & J. J. McAvoy always happy to help and the girls in there really know their stuff http://www.guns.gb.com/
Skipton Gun Room,Henry Krank, Redbeck Shooting Supplies and Last Week my first visit to York Guns,all good.
To be honest though dealers must get their fair share of tyre kickers!
I have seen some customers in shops that realy make you question why?
I used to work in aviation,in the stores but we sold to trade and retail,its amazing how much of your time some people can waste,debating why that essential copper asbestos sump gasket cost £2.50,or getting you to dig out the part numbers for his cylinder o'haul then saying i can buy that cheaper at so and so's!!
I always treat anyone behind the counter with respect.
Strangely enough i have seen exactly the same question as this thread on a model railway forum,a retired trade rep. i know says its a prerequesite of being a model shop owner!
So its not just us!
Don.
My wife DOES know how much my rifle cost - she bought it for me! Blaser R8 Success Mono LH with .22lr. .204 Ruger, 6.5 x 55 and .308
Wiltshire Shooting Centre in Devizes are excellent.
I was made to feel welcome by staff and other customers right from my first visit. It's always a good atmosphere in there.
I've been there loads of times now and, I've never seen them have a bad day
All of the above.
Well I've always had excellent service from SFS, I visited once and used to use them for loads of stuff via the post and once all my rifles where tuned by Tony but the postal costs and aggro that goes with it nowadays plus the waiting time for tuning put's me off now (plus I'm more of a collector now, so don't need anything properly tuned), I always get a happy reply and a good joke from Tony on the end of the phone even if I just call to ask what a particular rifle is like.
I've also found Protek supplies very helpful and friendly even if they seem to bicker between themselves like an old married couple, Chichester Armoury are very helpful but a bit pricey, my local gun shop just down the road from me is a little bit clicky, they are friendly enough but then seem to lose their professionalism by then pissing about amoungst themselves, the nipper who owns it is a bit cocky and I have no doubt that he knows his stuff but he walks around with that "I know everything and you don't" sort of attitude, all he wants to do is sell you the top end rifles or a Weihrauch, even though he keeps the lower end Webley valuemax and Stoeger stuff.
Pete
Far too many rifles to list now, all mainly British but the odd pesky foreigner has snuck in
I've visited lots of RFD's as a punter and speak with lots daily with work, only once in ten years have I thought someone was miserable in person when visiting to buy. But then I've usually got a big disarming grin across my face which helps.
The toxicity of lead varies, depending upon the weight of its doseage and its velocity!
Two of the most welcoming gunshops that I have ever visited were Purdeys and Holland & Holland in Mayfair. Even though it was clear from my appearance that I could not afford their guns, clothes or safaris. I bought a bottle of oil and a penknife as my way of saying thanks for them letting me look round for so long.
BAR are always good (especially these days after the staff changes), Mc avoys are also very good and Henry Kranks friendly in a grumpy Yorkshire way
It's bloody hard to be nice to people all the time no matter how professional you try to be, I work in retail now after 25 years in the hospitality industry and consider myself very good at customer service. However dealing with the general public is not always condusive to putting a smile on your face.
Some of the numptys I have seen / heard lurking round gun shops,( and theres a lot of them) would require the patience of a saint to cope with.
To be honest these days as long as the shop has what I want at a good price and the staff don't actually insult me, then I'm a happy boy