-1000000000 Shore shot never going back

[Njgunowner 2]

I've bought 2 guns from Shore Shot, 1 from BA, and 1 from Tiny's collection. Out of them all, Tiny was the best one to deal with haha. I rather like the guy, though he's a gruff sob.

 

I switched back to BA after being with Shore Shot a couple of years. I just got tired of their continuing stream of BS. The guys over at BA just tend to be friendlier and when I walked in after 2 years, I got "Where have you been?"

[Kingsoverqueens 10]

I may have been a little harsh... In retrospect I wouldn't go near "The Silver Bullet" because the guy is a dick.

 

I agree potential customers should be cultivated.

 

And I'm glad you are willing to buy local and if I understand you correctly are willing to pay a little more to those stores carrying inventory.

I'll play.

 

We (I) started this process in January. I'd had a shotgun since I was 12 but decided it was time to get into shooting as something my oldest son and I could do together. I asked a freind about ranges and was directed to Shore Shot. Did some research online and went there on a Saturday morning. VERY busy shop. I waited my turn (with my 14 y/o son) and explained that we were new shooters and this was our first step in the process. The guy behind the counter gave us a 22 revolver, ammo and some targets, rang me up (forgot to take my DL b/t/w) and off we went to shoot. No instruction, no info, just pointed to the eye/ear rack and off we went to the range. First impression, the range is a dump.

 

We shot the box of 22 (the gun was a POS that wouldn't fire reliably in double action) and decided we'd like to try a 9mm. Now we get to the confusion about my license. Lets just say it was an issue, but not my fault. Whatever. So he rings me up for the rental on the 9 and ammo. I learned later that he overcharged me for the ammo but no big deal in the grand scheme of things. We went through that, again, no instruction, no info, nada. Twice they turned brand new shooters into the range without so much as showing me where the safety was or how to load the gun. I told them flat out we were brand new shooters. Good thing we play a lot of Call of Duty and Battlefield I guess. And they say video games aren't any good for you. lol

 

We returned the gun when finished retrieved my license with not so much a question of "Did you enjoy yourself?" "Do you have any questions?" Nothing. Granted, the place was busy on a Saturday morning. I get that.

 

We left feeling "unsatisfied" for lack of a better word, so we drove around looking for another gun store, and found ourselves in L & H. Nirvana! I explained we were new shooters in the early stages of the process of ownerhship. Tim was outstanding with us, generous in sharing his knowlege and patient with our questions. We looked at just about everything he had in the case and while it was also busy, he never neglected his other customers or us. We were there for 3 hours and it felt like home.

 

I applied for my permits and in the meantime continued my search, finding myself in Brick Armory twice (facilities are much nicer) and back at Shore Shot, twice. Neither place provided anything close to the service and attention I got at L & H.

 

After finishing my research decided on a PX4 in 9, but Tim couldn't get one with NJ legal mags, so I got a 92FS he had in stock. I'll buy from him when possible and at his suggestion if he can't get something he's happy to act as the FFL. I prefer to buy at local shops and for now L & H has provided the type of service deserving of my dollars and loyalty.

 

We also joined CJRPC and are having a great time.

[dave545 15]

ya L&H is good but he is a little pushy, when im at L&H its hard to leave because he is just throwing guns at you lol.

If you need any guns with a NJ legal mag and it is an issue talk to PK90 he could have gotten you the px4 no problem

[Kingsoverqueens 10]

Pushy?

 

That's the last word in the world that I'd use to describe him. At least in my experience anyway.

 

It is funny how he keeps putting guns in your hand. "Hey, do me a favor and hold this for me for a second." lol

 

To me the place feels like a gun shop should feel. Comfortable. Like Cheers, where everyone knows your name.

[dave545 15]

pushy might seem a little rough lol but its like impossible to leave lol

[Duppie 73]

I'm just going to say, I understand it can be a pain when people go in window shopping like that, but that's something every store deals with, I would know, I work in retail. The only time it's annoying to me is when we have people just looking around when it's a few minutes to closing.

 

That being said, the folks at Bob's little sport shop have always been good to me, they explained the FID process to me, told my friend how to reblue his grandfather's shotgun, showed me, on multiple occasions various guns I was thinking about getting before I decided on my AR build, and I've never been given attitude, in fact, they'd usually answer my questions and talk to me for a good chunk of time. As a result, they have a customer for life, I get ammo, cleaning supplies, and just about anything else I need there, and I tell others about them, not to mention I use their range.

Therein lies the secret of excellent customer service.....except it's not a secret but actually intuitive and common sense.We all know the big turn offs but my personal triggers are no greeting,no eye contact and avoidance body language, all of which we pick up on and react accordingly whether we know it or not.

[TheLugNutZ 21]

I honestly cant believe some of the responses here.

 

As a sales person I would NEVER think about treating a potential client that way, no matter how POTENTIAL they may be. Yeah you spin your wheels sometimes, but that is sales. If you are an outside sales person you try to narrow down your best prospects, but if all you have to do is stand behind the counter in a store with people coming in to you, you take what you can. You NEVER know who someone may know or how many guns they had the intention of coming back to purchase at a later date.

 

No wonder why these "small businesses" are going down the tube. People dont know the 1st thing about treating a customer. IT DOES NOT MATTER IF SOMEONE ACTUALLY BUYS SOMETHING, THE SECOND THEY WALK IN THE DOOR, THEY ARE A CUSTOMER. PERIOD

[Njgunowner 2]

L&H is in Wall right? May have to check them out.

[Kingsoverqueens 10]

Yes, across the street from the diner.

[TheLugNutZ 21]

Didnt know of a place in Wall, ill have to check it out as well...

[dave545 15]

L&H is a good shop they are all extremely friendly there. I take back the pushy thing entirely now that i thought about it lol i mean they do everything they can to be nice to you over there and they treat everyone like a customer even if you say your not going to buy anything they never try and push people away.

[Kingsoverqueens 10]

For what its worth, it was important for me to buy my first gun from someone with whom I'd established a relationship. I'm one of those guys who's always "Got a guy" for this or for that. I still remember the man we purchased my Remington 1100 from 32 years ago. I'm strange that way. Relationships are very important to me. I gave both Shore Shot and Brick Armory the opportuntiy to become "My guy" and they never took the bait.

[dave545 15]

i can relate to that

[Njgunowner 2]

I'm looking into a rifle or shotgun, but what I'd really like is a place to buy ammo from that's reasonable. I don't expect internet pricing, but I don't want to pay $5-6 a box more for 9mm ammo than what I'd pay with shipping from the internet either.

[dave545 15]

go to solohmans it is a trap club in howell but he sells ammo and loading components at an amazingly low price, lower than any shops you can find. He is also a stright shooter and tells you how it is, he is very oldschool i mean he keeps his money in a tin can lol

[Regulator72 80]

. IT DOES NOT MATTER IF SOMEONE ACTUALLY BUYS SOMETHING, THE SECOND THEY WALK IN THE DOOR, THEY ARE A CUSTOMER. PERIOD

 

YES! We tell our sales guys this all the time! They get lazy, only want the easy sale, they forget to be a salesman and become order takers. If they pull into the marina, they are here for a reason, one reason, to buy/or look at a boat, there not here to buy a grill or a sandwich, they are a POTENTIAL customer, even after they buy, they are still a potential customer, they get treated the same. looker/buyer/dreamer whatever, potential. That guy that didn't buy, may have a friend/relative looking and you want your card to shared..

 

simple really...

[PeteF 1,044]

Well I'm gonna look at it from Shore Shots point of view. You have 10-15 customers waiting to see a gun. Current "customer" says I'm not buying just looking. Smart salesman quickly finishes up with non buying "customer" and goes to the next person who might be buying a gun. I call that good business, you satisfy the customer that is spending money not the one who MAY come back at a future date and MIGHT buy something.

 

You know the old "A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush" saying?

 

You think this is different from any other store? Go into a crowed watch store and tell them you are not buying just looking. See how long the salesman will stay with you.

 

And no SS is not hurting for business. Go any Saturday during member hours, and they have already have 5-6 guns sold waiting for NICS to open up.

 

You don't like it don't go back. Personally I've purchased 3 HG from them and had 2 others transferred in. I've always had good service with no attitude.

[dave545 15]

Well I'm gonna look at it from Shore Shots point of view. You have 10-15 customers waiting to see a gun. Current "customer" says I'm not buying just looking. Smart salesman quickly finishes up with non buying "customer" and goes to the next person who might be buying a gun. I call that good business, you satisfy the customer that is spending money not the one who MAY come back at a future date and MIGHT buy something.

 

You know the old "A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush" saying?

 

You think this is different from any other store? Go into a crowed watch store and tell them you are not buying just looking. See how long the salesman will stay with you.

 

And no SS is not hurting for business. Go any Saturday during member hours, and they have already have 5-6 guns sold waiting for NICS to open up.

 

You don't like it don't go back. Personally I've purchased 3 HG from them and had 2 others transferred in. I've always had good service with no attitude.

 

did you read my post? i said there were only 2 others in there with one other person behind the counter doing nothing

[matty 810]

It's retail sales of small price (likely under 2-3K max) , other than the owner(s), I wouldn't be looking for Sales Professionals at a retail joint. Nahhbyinn? Jussslooken? Giiddaddaheah, I gotta line a t da register.

[Kaiser7 33]

Come to think of it, who in my area has heard of Banger's Sport Shop? I know they're fairly new over in Winslow, I may check them out sometime.

[PeteF 1,044]

did you read my post? i said there were only 2 others in there with one other person behind the counter doing nothing

 

Yeah and once you said not buying, Other two customers became a lot more important.

 

Maybe the guy behind the counter was keeping order of who's where in the range and who's next. Did you ask? No? You copped an attitude and left.

[Kaiser7 33]

You think this is different from any other store? Go into a crowded watch store and tell them you are not buying just looking. See how long the salesman will stay with you.

 

 

Bob's Little Sport shop. All I gotta say, probably ANA maybe, though they weren't crowded when I went there.

 

I don't know, even at my store, I still help out whoever needs it, granted it's different than guns, but we have a lot of things locked up (mainly jewelry). I usually shuffle customers, if a person is just looking at stuff, I treat them as if they are going to purchase at that moment. It seems like when you treat them like that, they tend to. Granted, with guns it's different because of the PPP, but I mean, I purposely chose to buy my first gun at Bob's little because of how good they were to me when I WASN'T able to buy anything, as I was still waiting for my FID. I chose to shop at ANA because PK90 was a HUGE help with my AR build.

 

I, and many other consumers, will go out of our way to support businesses that take care of us. Sure, they may be doing really good business now, and I'm sure it will continue, but keep in mind that things are selling now due to the pre-election fears. I imagine it will cool off once products are easier to get again. I tell you what though, there's a reason some stores are so packed you can hardly walk around, it's because they treat all their customers well, even those who aren't buying at the moment. They may not be buying now, but in the future, when they are going to drop money, they'll know who NOT to buy from if they have crappy experiences beforehand. It's sort of like that old saying, "The best judge of character is how a man treats those who can do nothing for him." Good stores will treat customers who are not yet ready to buy, or who are shopping around very well.

[dave545 15]

Yeah and once you said not buying, Other two customers became a lot more important.

 

Maybe the guy behind the counter was keeping order of who's where in the range and who's next. Did you ask? No? You copped an attitude and left.

your a funny dude lol i did not cop an attitude at all where did i say i got an attitude? i was being nice the whole time and no we were customers he said many times if he found a gun he liked he would run home to get his PP and no the guy that was ringing up the other people was helping the range people.

 

also if you read a little further on my first pot it also says that if you do not like what i have said instead of arguing with me about my opinion you can click the little x on your window tab or the browser and exit this thread. my title says it all it doesn't say try and convince me this place is good it says that it is going to contain a negative review of SS

[Tactical Turtle 11]

I was just at shore shot, stopped bye after checking out some guns and brick armory. Stood there at the corner by the ars and didn't even get a get can I help you or what's up. They weren't even busy me and my buddy spent 5 minutes in the store and didn't even get acknowledged, if they didn't have a half decent ammount of merchandise I wouldn't ever even step foot in there. I have bought from them.in the past and they guy didn't even give me the time to show me how to clean my 15-22. In my opinion I think they are to cocky, and to ignorant to care about Joe smo looking to buy a gun and cater to the recreational shooter instead.

[Maksim 1,504]

The problem here is... the employees never care about the business as much as the owners. An owner knows every customer is their livelyhood. An employee, well, if they have a bad day, they are having a bad day and could care less. Salary mentality.

 

Most of the FFL's here on the forum, are owner owned. The big stores with employees, may have issues.

 

At BA, you are seeing the owners more, so that explains the friendlier treatment, just wish their business livelyhood was more clear. It is by far the nicest indoor public range in central jersey, and probably 2nd best in all of jersey.

[Sandy 44]

^that.

 

The best way to turn an order taker into a very capable and endlessly polite sales person is to implement an aggressive commission plan . Smart owners know that sharing the profits increases said profits exponentially . Want to see a team of sales people work hard together and act like a real team ? Give them a shared bonus tier program to work towards in addition to their individual commissions .

 

9 times out of 10 an apathetic employee is under appreciated , under paid , and has no incentive to go the extra mile. Treat them like counter jockeys and that is how they will perform.

 

Not excusing the behavior , just noting that owners can structure pay and incentives strategically so that their business does not have reviews like this one .

[Zell959 40]

Well I'm gonna look at it from Shore Shots point of view. You have 10-15 customers waiting to see a gun. Current "customer" says I'm not buying just looking. Smart salesman quickly finishes up with non buying "customer" and goes to the next person who might be buying a gun. I call that good business, you satisfy the customer that is spending money not the one who MAY come back at a future date and MIGHT buy something.

 

 

You know the old "A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush" saying?

 

There are less rude ways to manage this.

 

You think this is different from any other store? Go into a crowed watch store and tell them you are not buying just looking. See how long the salesman will stay with you.

 

Yes, it is different, because other non-gun stores have competitors they're up against and it is generally critical to their survival to treat every customer that walks into their doors well [if they ever want to see them again]. "Just looking" is usually just the start of the conversation at local mom & pop shops. "Ok, anything in particular?" "Sure, but I'll be right here if you need anyting." Etc.

 

Gun stores in NJ do not have a lot of competition and it seems like a lot of them have let this go to their heads to the point that they have the gaul to act as if someone visiting their stores is an inconvenience for them.

 

And no SS is not hurting for business. Go any Saturday during member hours, and they have already have 5-6 guns sold waiting for NICS to open up.

 

I don't doubt it, as there are other gun shops that also seem able to carry on in this manner and still sell a lot of firearms.

[Njgunowner 2]

Shore Shot's biggest problem may just be that the owners just aren't there as often now. As the stores popularity grew, they've been less and less visible around the shop. Kyle, the owners son, was pretty much left in charge after a while. And he'd rather be out hanging with his friends than working in the shop. He tends to cruise in at noon and be MIA at 4pm. He really wants to be an "idea guy", not a working guy. And you never see owners on the weekends.

 

They are just putting too much faith in their old employees and they think everything is roses because the place is so busy right now.

[SHY_Veritas 0]

I honestly cant believe some of the responses here.

 

As a sales person I would NEVER think about treating a potential client that way, no matter how POTENTIAL they may be. Yeah you spin your wheels sometimes, but that is sales. If you are an outside sales person you try to narrow down your best prospects, but if all you have to do is stand behind the counter in a store with people coming in to you, you take what you can. You NEVER know who someone may know or how many guns they had the intention of coming back to purchase at a later date.

 

No wonder why these "small businesses" are going down the tube. People dont know the 1st thing about treating a customer. IT DOES NOT MATTER IF SOMEONE ACTUALLY BUYS SOMETHING, THE SECOND THEY WALK IN THE DOOR, THEY ARE A CUSTOMER. PERIOD

 

Totally agree with you here

 

I'm seeing a trend here. Always a lot of moaning about local shops.

 

There is no excuse for a saleman or staff being rude, PERIOD!

 

But, the salesman see alot of fondling and dicking around without a sale more often than not. And I'm sure that many of the customers are there out of curiosity and may not even be a qualified buyer,

 

Then after the fondling session the potential customer buys online because "brick and mortar" over head drives prices up.

 

Fewer stores are carrying heavy inventory do to carrying costs so, the fondlers swarm to the stores that do. And then at times, if they buy local, they buy from a non-inventory shop cheaper.

 

Just saying, gotta start cutting people some slack.

 

If you have money and a P2P or FID I'll spend time with you, otherwise take a walk you are not a buyer. This isn't show and tell.

 

Look in the mirror and see what you look like to the saleman. If you are asking if you should get airsoft or a M4 get out of my store...

 

For those that don't understand what I'm saying, please fill out and return the attached form:

Well I'm gonna look at it from Shore Shots point of view. You have 10-15 customers waiting to see a gun. Current "customer" says I'm not buying just looking. Smart salesman quickly finishes up with non buying "customer" and goes to the next person who might be buying a gun. I call that good business, you satisfy the customer that is spending money not the one who MAY come back at a future date and MIGHT buy something.

 

You know the old "A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush" saying?

 

You think this is different from any other store? Go into a crowed watch store and tell them you are not buying just looking. See how long the salesman will stay with you.

 

And no SS is not hurting for business. Go any Saturday during member hours, and they have already have 5-6 guns sold waiting for NICS to open up.

 

You don't like it don't go back. Personally I've purchased 3 HG from them and had 2 others transferred in. I've always had good service with no attitude.

 

 

As someone mentioned before the minute a person walks in through the front door they are a customer. They may not buy something right away, but you can always set up future sales by leaving a long lasting impression on that person. Take this case as an example the original poster's friend was looking for a new gun, but he had left his P2P at home. He obviously had every intention of buying a gun, but it was a shame he didn't have it. Had the salesman been nicer (not more attentive) his friend would've came back, and bought the gun from them. As a salesman you should know that a sale is a sale whether or not they buy it at that time or later. A good salesman knows that an impression is one of the tools of the trade. A good impression will get people to talk which leads to more referrals which leads to more sales. Look at the hit they took just in this thread. I know that I won't be going there now.

I said not more attentive because yes it's still a business, and if there are others who are willing to buy then you POLITELY excuse yourself from the "not buying now" customers and take care of the ones who are ready to buy. You don't cop an attitude as if the "non-buyers" are wasting your time. Those who do that will never be successful because all they do is look at the dollar in front of them and not at the ones down the road.

 

[savageshooter 10]

Billy, the owner of Shore Shot has been out with health issues for the past few months. He's been showing up for a few minutes here and there, and should be back full time very soon. Any issues you may have, speak up! I know for a fact that Billy will listen to what his customers have to say. He's a down to earth guy.