You're a good man, Scott.
Keep it to yourself, will ya? I don't want to lose my reputation of being an asshole! LOL
You're a good man, Scott.
PS: Tell me more about that SHARPS!?!?!?!?!
Sovereign Guns maybe?Hate that you had to put up with that kind of treatment. It's been years since I've been to FQG&G but yes, they were all about the Glocks lol.
There's another place just up the block that was pretty cool, although I can't remember their name (like I said, it's been years).
Good luck.
Sovereign Guns maybe?
I guess Ill just call this my shooters epitaph. I didn't think Fuquay Guns would be the cause, but they are.
I've been a shooter all my life. And a reloader. And a caster. And a Civil War, Rev War, Buckskinner and Old West Reenactor. I've taught many others to shoot, as well as hunter safety. I was taught as a kind that the long history of our country was marksmanship, at least, thats what they told me in CMP.
I learned in the days of blued steel and walnut. How to keep my groups tight. When cops carried revolvers instead of semi autos. I never looked down on anyone elses' guns. I never engaged in firearm elitism, revolver vs semi auto, 9mm vs 45ACP, you name it. The shooting world had a place for everyone I thought. But as Fuquay Guns and Gold made me realize today...I'm irrelevant.
My eyes are not what they were. There was a time when I could ring the steel at 300 yards with iron peep sights. But probably not anymore. I can still keep em in the 10x ring though.
I went to Fuquay Guns last year to sell an old antique double barrel 10 gauge. Im not an FFL, Im not on Gunbroker. I just dont have the resources, but I know they do. So I was only looking for about 40% of it's value. I was turned down cold. Without a consideration. What was I told? "After all...its not a Glock."
Fast forward to this weekend. My Krag deer rifle. Its taken more whitetail than I can could. Excellent shape, side mount scope and all. Again, I dont have the resources, and old looking for 40% of it's used price. Once again, not even the time of day. "Its not like its a Glock."
Thank you Fuquay. You made me realize that Im irrelevant. A dinosaur. Because every firearm I have is not a Glock. So I no longer matter. I know that they are a business, and they have to make a profit. But I guess unless its a Glock, I shouldnt bother.
So I'll find a dealer, maybe on backpage if I have to. My Sharps rifle. My '66 Yellowboy. Dad's WWII 1911. They are irrelevant just like me. They will all go. It's not like they are a Glock. And I guess since I dont own a Glock, I should finally give up the ghost.
I didn't post this looking for sympathy or self indulgence. Maybe I just posted this to remind people what I was taught - there's room for everything in the shooting world.
I spent a lot of time reviewing the AV footage of your visit and I was unable to find any part that needed corrective action but I am still working on it and still interviewing Matt and Jay.
Thank you Clay. Trust me, I fully understand how the current market does work. And I certainly do understand the decision in question. These days, as a business owner, you have to simply respond to what the market favors. I had quite a nice PM conversation with Paul here online, he was very gracious. As I stated to him, my intention is not to trash talk FGG. And I am not easily offended. Like most customers, I do what research I can before coming in, with the tools that I do have available to me. If the information that I have is not correct, I am certainly open to an explanation as to why my information is correct. And as Paul and I discussed in PM: "He does have a business to run. Profit needs to be there to make overhead, and inventory sitting around for months not selling on GB or on the shelf does nothing to meet overhead. Every inch of floor space needs to make money, and to stay relevant, a gun shop owner has to respond to market forces."
So I fully support any of your decisions. As I talked about with Paul, the issue is more with me, and my personal feeling to just have a hobby change at this point. The sad part, is that even though I live not more that 5 miles from Perry's in Wendell, I preferred to go to FGG over the years, for reasons that I will not state on a public forum, as I do not feel that is appropriate or gracious. The Glock reference is more a reference to when I was in last year, if that helps. My was not an intent to criticize employee functioning, rather just a realization that I came to hard and fast that the shooting world I grew up in is long gone, which unfortunately left me with a feeling of irrelevance.
Perhaps the most constructive feedback that I can give is from an aesthetic perspective of walking in to FGG. Everywhere you look - black. Black stocks, black pistols, black range bags. Black cans of ammo. And finally, all black polos on all the employees. It makes for a very intimidating atmosphere. That, and its easy to be intimidated when you walk in and there's a .30CAL M1919 sitting on top of the counter.
Perhaps I just had a bad day. But, and this is just a patron thinking out loud..Maybe a change in polo shirt color on the employees? Maybe a section of the store more colored along a hunters scheme, khaki, maybe a dun brown? Perhaps handling a transaction involving a belt-fed weapon not be conducted right by the front door? Not that I have any objection the weapon itself - however I shudder to think what would have occurred had an anti-2a come in and see something along those line - maybe that sort of item be handled off to the side? These are just thoughts. And I do realize that as well may just be the way the market is these days, and has to be addressed as such. For those of us that remember another time though, mores the pity.
Thank you Clay for your graciousness and feedback. I do appreciate it.
Yes he is a true gentleman to the manor born. Thanks Scott!Keep it to yourself, will ya? I don't want to lose my reputation of being an asshole! LOL
Thank You for the added information I guess I can stop investigating at this time. My team and I wear black polos because the first 3 years we were in business we tried several different colors and black was the only one that did not show gun oil and grease. These guys handle dozens of guns each and everyday and that can make for a very dirty looking shirt by the end of a day, but the black shirts still look pretty good at the end of the day.
I dont think I have every been told our stores appearance was intimidating but I will certainly take that advise to heart in future modifications. We actually have all the black guns in the far back corner of the store so they actually cant be seen till a person goes all the way down the gun isle because we realize some folks are a little intimated by them. The guns that a person can see when they first come in are hunting rifles and shotguns, revolvers, and 1911s, once a person turns right and goes all the way to the other end of the gun isle you can then see the black guns in the far corner.
We dont discriminate against any gun the 1919 was being traded in at that time, that is why it was laying on the counter I am sorry that that was intimating to you, I guess I have been around so many guns for so many years I am pretty comfortable around them all and need to take into account some may not be. Thank You very much for your reply and I am sure Matt and Jay will be happy I can stop interrogating them.
Again very grateful for the explanation.
Dang ... package deals? What about the 10 gauge with the 1911?
Nah ... it needs to come keep my other WWII stuff company. I always have room for an DL warhorse, especially a 1911.Still available.... although he may keep the 1911 for his daughter.
I had a dream about Dad that night...so the 1911 will go to my daughter. 10 gauge is still up.
Finally another person that was treated without respect. Same thing happened to me about 8 or 9 years ago. After spending several thousand dollars in the first location I went to the store and was treated like a second class citizen. I have never been back to Fuquay Gun since. Clay has apologized on another forum but I just can't get passed it. Welcome to the forumI guess Ill just call this my shooters epitaph. I didn't think Fuquay Guns would be the cause, but they are.
I've been a shooter all my life. And a reloader. And a caster. And a Civil War, Rev War, Buckskinner and Old West Reenactor. I've taught many others to shoot, as well as hunter safety. I was taught as a kind that the long history of our country was marksmanship, at least, thats what they told me in CMP.
I learned in the days of blued steel and walnut. How to keep my groups tight. When cops carried revolvers instead of semi autos. I never looked down on anyone elses' guns. I never engaged in firearm elitism, revolver vs semi auto, 9mm vs 45ACP, you name it. The shooting world had a place for everyone I thought. But as Fuquay Guns and Gold made me realize today...I'm irrelevant.
My eyes are not what they were. There was a time when I could ring the steel at 300 yards with iron peep sights. But probably not anymore. I can still keep em in the 10x ring though.
I went to Fuquay Guns last year to sell an old antique double barrel 10 gauge. Im not an FFL, Im not on Gunbroker. I just dont have the resources, but I know they do. So I was only looking for about 40% of it's value. I was turned down cold. Without a consideration. What was I told? "After all...its not a Glock."
Fast forward to this weekend. My Krag deer rifle. Its taken more whitetail than I can could. Excellent shape, side mount scope and all. Again, I dont have the resources, and old looking for 40% of it's used price. Once again, not even the time of day. "Its not like its a Glock."
Thank you Fuquay. You made me realize that Im irrelevant. A dinosaur. Because every firearm I have is not a Glock. So I no longer matter. I know that they are a business, and they have to make a profit. But I guess unless its a Glock, I shouldnt bother.
So I'll find a dealer, maybe on backpage if I have to. My Sharps rifle. My '66 Yellowboy. Dad's WWII 1911. They are irrelevant just like me. They will all go. It's not like they are a Glock. And I guess since I dont own a Glock, I should finally give up the ghost.
I didn't post this looking for sympathy or self indulgence. Maybe I just posted this to remind people what I was taught - there's room for everything in the shooting world.
I had a dream about Dad that night...so the 1911 will go to my daughter. 10 gauge is still up.
Finally another person that was treated without respect. Same thing happened to me about 8 or 9 years ago. After spending several thousand dollars in the first location I went to the store and was treated like a second class citizen. I have never been back to Fuquay Gun since. Clay has apologized on another forum but I just can't get passed it. Welcome to the forum
· Doesn't support a world where every dork drawing breath should be allowed to own whatever he wants without some conditions, universal registration NOT being one of them. (No comment. That statement has a lot of buckshot in it – I’m sure any answer would too.)
Perhaps I just had a bad day. But, and this is just a patron thinking out loud..Maybe a change in polo shirt color on the employees? Maybe a section of the store more colored along a hunters scheme, khaki, maybe a dun brown? Perhaps handling a transaction involving a belt-fed weapon not be conducted right by the front door? Not that I have any objection the weapon itself - however I shudder to think what would have occurred had an anti-2a come in and see something along those line - maybe that sort of item be handled off to the side? These are just thoughts. And I do realize that as well may just be the way the market is these days, and has to be addressed as such. For those of us that remember another time though, mores the pity.
Well, I am sorry you felt that. I guess with the last line that I specifically bolded that I had hoped to make that extensively clear how much I valued inclusiveness of all types, which appears to have gotten lost. So I guess I'll take the High Road and express an apology that you believed me to be looking down on black or NFA. People are people, and Elitism can come from all sides. All the best, sir. Have some range time as often as possible, with whatever you choose to pull out of the gun safe that day.
· Has a bear defense gun because he actually goes places where he might encounter a bear other than the zoo. (One word. BOOM. No more Teddy.)
Yes- oiled blued steel and wood, with the occasional glint of stainless, thank you.
The OP here had a less happy experience at FG&G, but Clay cared enough about his business and customers to genuinely try to get to the bottom of it.
I wanted to share something about FG&G, not as any form of rebuttal to anyone in this thread, but more along the lines of the fact that on any given day what you observe other customers doing while shopping in a gun shop ( or any business for that matter) affects your impression of that business as much your own interactions with staff, etc. I probably would have posted this under store reviews anyways, so feel free to move this if appropriate.
I'm in my 60's and I have seen bag-loads of bad customer service mojo, having worked in customer service or in and around customer support type work in one form or another for 40 years or more. It takes some doing to impress me, and very little to set me off when its done poorly. ( ask me about AT&T...good for 30 blood pressure points right there !)
A few weeks ago I was in FG&G and doing my usual slow browse when I became aware of a man and woman at the register in deep conversation with a store employee about a used rifle they had purchased from the shop. Seemed that the customers were convinced that there was a serious issue with it, apparently they were most unhappy and thought they had bought a defective firearm. I didn't overhear the exact complaint, but things were getting a bit testy. I was still shopping but of course curious how this was going to go down. The employee listened to the couple and seemed to offer to check out and test fire the rifle, but I could see the couple was still skeptical. The impression I got was that- not no way, no how, could anyone convince them the rifle was OK. The guy behind the counter wisely shifted gears and promptly switched to a quite convincing "What do I need to do to make you a happy customer ?" mode. By now I'm lurking near the bulk ammo stacks The conversation progressed after a minute to refunding whatever they paid for the used rifle, but also since they came in needing one in the first place, an offer to let them choose any comparable new rifle at FG&G cost. Actual numbers were shared, nothing held back and it seemed like that approach was going down much better with the couple than wrangling over the used rifle.
I'm leaving out a few specifics here as I got on with my own shopping but I imagine they left with a brand new rifle, and I left FG&G pretty impressed with their genuine desire to set things straight even if it wasn't their fault. What probably distracted me from the rest of the situation was that I neared a gun counter and was promptly asked if I needed any help. I have found that at FG&G, one has to carefully learn the gun counter perimeter distance at which you "set off " a sales person. Seriously. Even just walking past the gun counters from less than 5 feet away you are going to get intercepted. Others may have had different experiences but I have never failed to be approached multiple times per visit, which can be a bit unsettling at times, but he's got his people focusing on customers for sure- and there are a lot of staff.
(In contrast, I visit another shop from time to time nearer to me where I suspect folks butts are epoxied onto their chairs, and you'd have to be at less than bad breath distance before they even look up at you to give their irritated and I'm so bored with it all ( and usually wrong) answers. Sorry Mr Store Owner, I won't be disturbing your mid-day nap again, much less supporting your grand-kids by any spending cash on your full bust out retail priced merchandise.)
No store is perfect, but in today's business climate where bricks and mortar stores are competing against online sales, businesses ignore customer care at their own peril. I often hear about how we are supposed to support local businesses, but some folks just make it so damn hard to feel good about it. I'm also always wary because of my background, so what matters to me is consistent good service over time, with the right attitude when things go south to make things right.
Let's see how old you areHere's my beef. When I go to the range, specifically Leeds in the middle of the woods south of Chester SC and people arrive, (I'm always the first as I too am old and get up before Gods creatures), I say good morning and how are you and people most times don't even answer. Now if you complement someones gun, THEN they will go on and on and on about it.
Do you shoot long range/Precision Rifle? I think I met you at FG&G once.Clay lured me in to his store with the temptations that make men weak, black guns and buxom ladies.......he is evil! Later after buying guns I did not really need and then stopping at a bar I went home and sold all my milsurps and walnut/blue steel guns on Armslist
Do you shoot long range/Precision Rifle? I think I met you at FG&G once.