The Simple Truth -- Make Or Break

Retailers have great power. Use it wisely.

Dealers count. Everyday dealers instill the love of the sport in every guest they serve. Or, at least, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. You have the power to make, or break, a lifetime customer with every single interaction.

A true story helps prove this point.

In 1981, when the word in my hometown got out that we were building a different sort of gun store, we had folks stop by the construction site just to see what the buzz was all about. My team was creating an intriguing concept, an enterprise that combined instruction, retail sales, and an indoor range in one location.

I soon noticed a boy (he looked to be around 11) who dropped by nearly every day. He stood off to the side and out of the way but seemed fascinated by the heavy equipment that was on site. He even brought a bag lunch on the days we poured concrete and laid bricks. I learned that his father was a state patrolman and his mother was a school volunteer.

By now he was a regular, so one day I sat down with him. He immediately peppered me with questions, and it was obvious he was completely fascinated by the entire operation. He then blurted out that he wanted to buy his first gun, a .22 rifle, from us when we officially opened. Over that summer and fall this young man did lots of odd jobs, such as helping a neighbor mow the yard or tending to the pets when the owners were away, to earn the money to buy that rifle. The week before Christmas he came in with his folks and “bought” a Ruger 10-22. (As the boy wasn’t of legal age, we couldn’t actually transfer the gun to him. His father did the necessary paperwork and took legal possession.)

The next day father and son spent a memorable day in our range getting familiar with the rifle. As they left, I could see that the boy was beaming with pride and confidence.

Then story took an odd turn.

When the family got home, the father made sure the rifle was unloaded and then stored it in the home workshop. He told his son that when he got back from work, they would clean it together. But, his duties as a state patrolman meant he would often have to spend several days away from home.

In his absence the young man decided to clean the gun by himself to show his folks he could do it. He diligently disassembled the rifle, in the process removing every screw, pin, and spring. But when he started to re-assemble it, he realized he didn’t possess the knowledge or experience to do it properly. Because he thought he may have lost some parts, he grabbed random items that had been sitting on the work bench — anything that looked as if it could fit on the rifle. He placed it all in a large brown bag and brought it to us.

As luck would have it, we had a regular guest who had graduated with a gunsmith degree but was not working in the field at the time in the store when this very sad young man came in. First off, I made sure no one made fun or belittled him for this situation. And then I watched as compassion from our other guests washed over the boy. I feel sure they had all experienced something similar and understood how low he felt.

We agreed to reassemble his rifle (at no charge) and make sure it was safe to operate. The following day the gunsmith returned with the re-assembled rifle, which we then sighted in. We contacted the father, and when they came in to pick up the rifle, we handed the gun to the boy and quietly handed off the bag with those other parts to the dad. We found out later that those extra components consisted of parts for his father’s service gun, parts for an electrical box, and even parts for a car radio.

The Simple Truth is that this young man left our store filled with optimism instead of heartbreak. He earned his Boy Scout Rifle Shooting merit badge and joined the ROTC school program. After college, he joined the military. He remains a lifetime member of the shootingsports community. I believe none of that would have happened had we not shown compassion in his hour of need. It was a make or break moment. Ridicule is easy, but it’s short-lived and short-sighted. Our approach in the long run paid a much bigger dividend.

Remember, dealers count. Dealers matter. Dealers are the face and soul of the industry. Make us proud.