It's Always Sunny in Peoria
In a search for a wingshooter, some stores shine more brightly than others
On a recent summer afternoon, a business trip took me through Peoria, Illinois. Built on the banks of the Illinois River, the town has a rich waterfowl hunting tradition; I decided to see what local shops might offer in the way of a waterfowling shotgun.
I decided to narrow things down a bit, telling people I was looking for a semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun for ducks and geese, in the $600 to $800 range. But I kept an open mind, to see where their selections and sales techniques might take me.
In a sense, I wanted to be sold. So, gun shops of Peoria, what will you sell me?
STORE A
My first stop was at a stand-alone outdoor retailer on a busy street. The shop specialized in hunting. I got there right around lunchtime; store traffic was light.
I found the firearm area at the back of the store and waited several minutes at the counter. Someone was making what sounded like a rather large ammunition purchase, and it took two and then three clerks to handle it. Finally, one of the clerks approached me.
The clerk (let’s call him Frank) asked if I had a particular manufacturer in mind. I mentioned that my Old Faithful for turkey hunting was a Winchester pump. “You'll have to check out the X3s and X2s,” he said. He handed me one of each, discussing basic features and prices. Then he showed me a Browning, and mentioned some Benelli and Beretta models. “Pretty expensive?” I inquired. “They are,” Frank admitted.
And that was it. Despite being flanked by a couple hundred shotguns, Frank just looked at me, his sales pitch exhausted.
STORE B
I crossed Peoria to find Store B in the middle of a large shopping mall complex. It sold camping equipment, outdoor clothing and a wide variety of hunting supplies.
I was immediately greeted at the gun counter by a young clerk, Tom. He asked me what I was looking for and led me to the gun racks. He showed me a selection of Winchester, Browning and Remington shotguns, explaining the features of each gun, including choke tubes, stock-adjusting shims and front-sight options.
Tom asked me several questions about the types of hunting and shooting I did, then asked if I had ever considered a Benelli. When I mentioned the cost, Tom acknowledged it. “They are pricey,” he said as he slid one off the rack and handed it to me. “But it’s a heck of a shotgun!”
Tom made a smooth sales pitch for this more expensive shotgun, detailing its superior options. When I’d seen all there was to see, Tom thanked me for coming in, shook my hand and said he hoped to see me again.
STORE C
A flyer at the front door of Store C, another sporting goods and outdoors retailer, announced a fall hunting sale—including all firearms. The gun department clerk, Matt, was just walking up from the back of the store as I approached his counter. When I told him what I was looking for, Matt asked, “Do you think you want a three-and-a-half inch or a three-inch?”
We settled on 3½ inches. I couldn’t budge Matt from a Benelli model he showed me. It was a fine shotgun, but after I had heard about it, held it and asked some questions, Matt seemed to think his job was over. I prodded him about the other guns. He quoted a few prices, then shrugged. “If it was me,” Matt said, “I’d spend the money and buy the Benelli. I think you’d be totally happy.”
I asked about a waterfowl-turkey hunting combo gun with a big sale tag hanging on it. Matt admitted it was a good price, but that you got what you paid for. He seemed to sense his mistake here—essentially bad-mouthing part of the store’s product line—and tried to make amends by saying, “Don’t get me wrong—all of these are very serviceable guns.”
I think we both knew he did not mean it.
STORE D
Store D was a general sporting goods store, specializing in athletic shoes and clothes, though a corner of the sales floor was devoted to outdoor and hunting merchandize, including firearms. The parking lot was nearly empty, and I hoped that would result in some relatively prompt attention.
Not exactly.
After many minutes of waiting, I was shuffled from clerk to clerk until my first clerk arrived with another young man, who asked me what I was looking for and if I had a FOID (the Illinois firearm owner’s identification card). I did not. But, I responded, since I am a resident of a bordering state, Illinois law says a valid driver’s license entitles me to buy a firearm.
My lack of a FOID, though, sent both young clerks into a mild panic. One called for the manger, could not find him and tried to locate someone else. After many minutes, he told me I was right about the law, but that store policy was, no FOID, no sale.
In the meantime, I’d gotten the other clerk to open the case and point out possible waterfowl guns. The store only had three appropriate models of shotguns—one semi-auto, and two pumps—and getting any information was a struggle.
A word about the FOID situation. Illinois has extremely strict firearms laws, and one can certainly sympathize with a wary retailer in this decidedly gun-unfriendly state. But even forgetting that the other stores would’ve happily sold me a shotgun, the least this store should’ve done was display a sign stating its policy, and explain that policy to its clerks. As it was, I wasted a lot of time.
How Did They Do?
Store A
Customer Service: ★★★ The counterman took some time with me and was polite, but he was clearly distracted by a transaction going on several counters away.
Product Knowledge: ★★★ The clerk shared the basics on two models. I think he knew a lot more, but his sales pitch petered out.
Product Availability: ★★★★ An impressive selection of shotguns on the racks, though I only got the clerk’s take on two of them.
Store B
Customer Service: ★★★★★ The clerk was polite, with a sense of humor and an easy, helpful manner
Product Knowledge: ★★★★★ He knew all features, and was able to succinctly compare and
contrast the various models. Plus, he’d actually fired most of them.
Product Availability: ★★★★ Very nice selection, with more than one model for each manufacturer.
Store C
Customer Service: ★★ Despite repeated prodding, I could not get the clerk to expand his help beyond the one shotgun he was sure I should buy!
Product Knowledge: ★★ He told me everything there was to know about one shotgun, while dismissing the other guns as inferior.
Product Availability: ★★ I’m not sure what this store had or did not have, as the counterman had sales “blinders” on and focused on only one model.
Store D
Customer Service: ★ Waited and waited, only to discover that an in-store policy barred me, as an out-of-state resident, from buying or even handling a firearm.
Product Knowledge: ★ After 20 minutes of my time, and with “help” from two clerks, I knew less than when I walked through the door.
Product Availability: ★ Extremely limited selection of shotguns, even though in-store literature promised that this was the place for hunters to buy firearms.
And The Winner Is:
Store B
This store had a good selection of shotguns, priced competitively, yet it was the counterman who really made it the top store. The young salesman knew his guns and was an enthusiastic waterfowl hunter himself. He introduced me to the pricier models without ever seeming pushy. The type of salesman who truly makes a gun department excellent!
Gander Mountain
5114 West Holiday Drive
Peoria, IL 61615
309-692-4110
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