Gander Mountain Gunsmithing. Not good.

[jparrucci]

I see the same thing as everyone else does when it comes to prices. How do you expect me to buy something when half the store isn't even marked?

[TooTallTom]

Obviously you guys don't get it. You're supposed to just go through the store and grab a bunch of stuff, and then go to the checkout and hand over your wallet and close your eyes. They'll take what they need, give it back, and you can be on your way. Also, don't try and find anyone to ask questions about the merch. They're too busy for your interruptions.

[MJ1657]

I emailed them about my experience with the lack of pricing. I will see if they respond this time. I emailed them a few months ago about the same thing and never heard back.

I usually take my business elsewhere whenever I have an issue with a store but for some reason I keep going back hoping they will get it straightened out.

[TooTallTom]

So you're an optimist, that's not such a bad thing...

I've spent a fair amount of money at GM over the years, considering my age. I'm still basically at the beginning of my "consuming years" and I'm going to try to avoid spending much more at GM just because the experience is not good pretty much every time I go in there. I'd rather keep a mom-and-pop type shop in business, or some other place that seems to give a poorwordusage about me.

I'm actually willing to pay more for the same thing if I feel that the overall experience warrants it. I like to be able to pick the brain of someone knowledgeable, who's actually enjoying helping me. (Or, at least seems to be.) I really thing that always going with the mega-low price is eventually going to bite us all in the collective poorwordusage.

[MJ1657]

I would agree with you on all accounts TooTall. There are actually very few places close to me to get some of the merchandise they offer.

[PurpleFloyd]

I do not understand Gander Mountains thinking. I went there Monday evening to look at a gun and some turkey hunting supplies. I waited just over 20 minutes at the gun counter to look at a gun. I understand that at times people get busy but the store was nearly empty. I went to look for the Federal flight control wad shells, no price. Turkey decoys, a few had prices on them but most didn't. Blinds, some had prices some didn't.

How do they expect people to buy mrechandise if they do not know how much it will cost them?

They now have a company policy that only allows them to put a price on something if it is located within 20 feet of one of the stores defibrillator's. Just in case the sticker shock send you into full cardiac arrest.

[MJ1657]

Hah!!!!!

I still have not received a response to the email I sent them last week.

[TooTallTom]

MJ1657, have you ever been into Capras on Hwy 65 and Co Rd J? It's probably not as convenient as the Gander in FL, but they've got a great selection of stuff and their prices are generally pretty competitive. If you bowhunt, they've got an archery range upstairs.

[MJ1657]

It's funny you say that. I just went and checked it out after I left GM last time. I will definitely be checking them out more often.

Still no response to my email either.

[TooTallTom]

I'd be kind of surprised if you ever do hear from them. That would require prioritizing customer service a bit, and I don't think that Corporate Gander has any desire to do that.

[MJ1657]

I'd be kind of surprised if you ever do hear from them. That would require prioritizing customer service a bit, and I don't think that Corporate Gander has any desire to do that.

Well since i've waited several months for a response to my last email your'e probably right.

I will add that my emails have been professional with some observations of their store. I did not bash or attack them in the least.

[TooTallTom]

I will add that my emails have been professional with some observations of their store. I did not bash or attack them in the least.

You don't really seem like the type to be nasty in an email. I think that large corporations really appreciate that, though. The people that have to deal with customers' problems, and any nastiness that can result, are not the ones in any kind of policy-making position. I guess that's another good thing about small shops. If you have a problem, you're usually not more than two or three "layers" from the person that owns the business, and you're often talking directly to them when you walk in.

If you've been in Capras, you've seen about what they have on hand. It's not the biggest store, but they do cram a lot of stuff in there. I think it's mostly priced, too. And if it's not priced or on the shelf, there's always someone handy to ask and willing to help. I don't think I've ever been in there and haven't been engaged in conversation. I've also never felt like someone just would not leave me alone if I was just looking around. They also have a HSOforum now, which is nice to see.

I do need to get back to Vados, though. Seems like I always miss it on my way past...

[MJ1657]

It's frustrating to not get responses.

I was a service manager at a new car dealer for several years. As you may know we are not always the most popular person on earth. When I got the nasty emails it was usually from people that were not going to be happy no matter what you did. When I got emails that were constructive critisizm I always took them serious and tried to learn from them.

[TooTallTom]

I know, and you'd think that businesses would be aware of that as well. I think some just don't care about individual customers.

I used to work in retail in Grand Forks, ND. I'd get people coming down from Canada complaining to me about the exchange rate, and people from rural MN complaining to me about the higher sales tax. Because the till jockeys at the mall are responsible for setting both of those things, right? We all meet in the food court after closing up Saturday night and figure out the numbers for the next week...

You could tell that some people were just talking (like people complain about the weather or sports) and that others were p|ssed and expected me to be able to do something for them because they were that important. You can guess which ones I tried to help out if I could, or at least sympathized with.

[MJ1657]

Because the till jockeys at the mall are responsible for setting both of those things, right? We all meet in the food court after closing up Saturday night and figure out the numbers for the next week...

Now that is funny!

[TooTallTom]

I can laugh about it now (and did then, too) but I know that it's not fun to be in that position. It's one of the reasons that I'm always polite to the phone-sales people even when they won't take "no" for an answer. (Lots companies make their staff get you tell them "no" three times before they can hang up. It's not that they really like annoying people on the phone all day.)

One time a customer was really peeved that the price on something was higher than the amount that her group of people had raised for a gift for someone, and told me that I should waive the difference in sales tax for her since she was from MN. Obviously I couldn't do anything for her, but I realized (after she had left) that the difference at that time between out-state MN sales tax and Grand Forks sales tax was 25 cents on $100.

I kind of wish I had figured it out when she was in the store, so I could have offered her the difference out of my own pocket. But I don't think she would've taken the hint. Plus, that would've just been poor customer service on my part and I was raised better than that. Still tempting, though...

[MJ1657]

The manager from the Gander Mountain store I sent an email about called me last Friday. He understood my concern and explained it that on the ammo that wasn't priced they recently had a sale and the original price was taken down when the sale tag was pulled. On the other items I talked about he did not have an explanation and siad he has talked to his hunting manager about it.

I am pleased he took time to call me and didn't try to offer any lame excuses as to why they were not priced. Time will tell if they improve their stores.

[TooTallTom]

I'm impressed that you got a phone call. I hope that they do follow up with better pricing/ in-store experience. I guess we'll see...