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So I went to Greentop last night................

T Dubya

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Feb 11, 2008
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First off this is not a slam on Greentop. They are very friendly to me and are always helpful even when they are super busy.

So here is the story. I went to Greentop last night about 30 minutes before closing. I was just going to get some targets and some accessories when I saw it! The new Delta Elite. I was on the list to get one so I put a deposit on it and I mentioned to the sales rep that the Delta Elite would be my open carry piece for lobby day next year.

Would you believe that the sales rep thought that open carrying at the capitol was a terrible idea? He said something about how he would not go anywhere near that place with a gun! I said something about how I did it twice last year and mentioned the VCDLand what lobby day is all about. I could tell he wasn't hearing it. I know that gun counter-sales people hear so much bravo sierra from customers and looky-loo'sthat they probably have a tough time deciphering fact from nonsense.

The point of the story is this; we still have a long way to go. When you have a sales rep at one of the East Coast's largest stores for firearms make comments like that we have a communication gap somewhere.Last year I talked to a sales rep about how we could get the word out about lobby day to their customers and staff, to say I had a luke warm response would be putting it nicely.

The VCDL, well-informed open-carriers, and lobby day participants are their friends and I don't think they know it. How do we bridge that gap? Talking to them about open-carrying and VCDL seems to fall on deaf ears.
 

Toad

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, Virginia, USA
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I have found that the majority of gun stores I have gone to are only there to sell products and could really care less about the political aspects of freedom. I don't even waste my time anymore making chit-chat with them; just buy what I need and go. I truly think that you could gain more ground talking to a wall and get more done watching pain dry. Even so I have given a good amount of cash to Green Top over the years and will continue to. As long as we keep fighting they can keep supplying.
 

MSC 45ACP

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Newport News, Virginia, USA
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TD, perhaps you could ask to meet with the owner and senior management of the place. Talk to them about OC and other issues in your community and invite them to a VCDL meeting and tell them about OCDO.

People that have storefronts can be a valuable resource for getting the word out about OC. See if they will take one of the VCDL desktop brochure holders and display it prominently. If they have more than one register, ask of you can put one at each of them.

Just my $.02 worth. I don't live in your AOR, but I'd love to visit this place.

Semper Paratus!
msc
 

Grapeshot

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I won't let the newbie employees talk to me about anything serious. If they ain't been there 10 years or more, they're invisible to me. Most of the new guys are just knowledgeable enough to be downright dangerous.

Its a shame but that is the way it is.

Yata hey
 

VA Lawyer

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I noticed the Green Top recently (at least, I only noticed it a few months ago) put a sign on the door that says only LEOs and CHP holders can carry in the store. I asked about this and they said something about their insurance generally not allowing loaded firearms in the store. I had OC'd in there one one or two occasions previously without them saying anything.

Not to thread hijack, but what do you think of their prices? I always feel that their prices seem higher than they should be... of course the alternatives close by (Gander Mtn and Bass Pro) also seem high. Maybe I'm just cheap...
 

peter nap

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VA Lawyer wrote:
I noticed the Green Top recently (at least, I only noticed it a few months ago) put a sign on the door that says only LEOs and CHP holders can carry in the store. I asked about this and they said something about their insurance generally not allowing loaded firearms in the store. I had OC'd in there one one or two occasions previously without them saying anything.

Not to thread hijack, but what do you think of their prices? I always feel that their prices seem higher than they should be... of course the alternatives close by (Gander Mtn and Bass Pro) also seem high. Maybe I'm just cheap...
The real story behind the sign is that they had a customer bring in a loaded .308 and blew a hole in the ceiling.

They do not prohibit holstered and loaded weapon...a long as they stay holstered.

They had another ND from a customer that wanted to try his loaded handgun in a holster.
 

Grapeshot

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Citizen wrote:
VA Lawyer wrote:
SNIP Maybe I'm just cheap...
Low cost legal advice! You heard it here first, folks! :):p
Maybe he works on a sliding scale - the better advice you want, the more you pay for it.

Just kidding. :lol:

Yata hey
 

richarcm

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Richmond, VA
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Toad wrote:
I have found that the majority of gun stores I have gone to are only there to sell products and could really care less about the political aspects of freedom. I don't even waste my time anymore making chit-chat with them; just buy what I need and go. I truly think that you could gain more ground talking to a wall and get more done watching pain dry. Even so I have given a good amount of cash to Green Top over the years and will continue to. As long as we keep fighting they can keep supplying.
I guess that the problem is that, although that might be true, many people who are new to the scene look at these guys as professionals and sources of information. What if you were a newbie and asked that sales man about open carrying? Not only would the sales man be ignorant of the laws but now a newbie would be as well. Then that newbie tells two people that you can't carry at the capital....and so on. They should not be experts per-say but they should be able to either accurately suggest Virginia law OR be trained not to speak of legality at all.
 

peter nap

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richarcm wrote:
Toad wrote:
I have found that the majority of gun stores I have gone to are only there to sell products and could really care less about the political aspects of freedom. I don't even waste my time anymore making chit-chat with them; just buy what I need and go. I truly think that you could gain more ground talking to a wall and get more done watching pain dry. Even so I have given a good amount of cash to Green Top over the years and will continue to. As long as we keep fighting they can keep supplying.
I guess that the problem is that, although that might be true, many people who are new to the scene look at these guys as professionals and sources of information. What if you were a newbie and asked that sales man about open carrying? Not only would the sales man be ignorant of the laws but now a newbie would be as well. Then that newbie tells two people that you can't carry at the capital....and so on. They should not be experts per-say but they should be able to either accurately suggest Virginia law OR be trained not to speak of legality at all.
That's true. Pat Hopkins told me once that Tasers were illegal for civilians. Pat's been there from the beginning and should know better,
 

Placementvs.Calibur

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I drove from NOVA to Greentop to buy an AR15 about 9 months ago. I called before I left and was told that my CWP wasn'ta valid second form of ID. Rather than argue I brought my voters reg card. When I arrived, there was no rush to assist me until I took off my jacketrevealing my firearm. Grantedthey werebusy, but after my purchase some guy interupted my conversation with the sales rep asking if I was done. Had I not finished my purchase I would've stopped the process and went to Gander Mtn. I whole heartedly support the local guys, but when they display such arrogance in front of someone spending over $1000 there might be a problem.
 

Grapeshot

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No slap intended, but if you want conversation and quality time, the best is during the week before 3:00 pm. On the week-ends they are most often mobbed and trying to get to all of the customers.

I know most of the long term guys and it is the same for me on week-ends or any other time they are backed up with customers. I don't take it personally.

Yata hey
 

curtiswr

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They don't always seem to like it when I OC in there and in fact another customer asked one of the older salesman how he felt about it before and was given an answer to the effect of "makes me nervous but it's his right... and he's a regular customer."

I think they've warned up to me over time. I used to have an iffy attitude about them (if you read my previous posts you'll find this) but I think I too have warmed up to them. :D

Edit: Grape is also right. When I was there in slow time they were friendly as could be and took out damn near every 1911 in the case and discussed each with me while waiting a little more than an hour for my check to go through.
 

kennys

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Not to mention, I have seen people of questionable character go in there. They will stand around and make the most un-called for comments that would make a person wonder, while at the same time trying to kiss up to the sales staff. The gun shops are often under scrutiny any time issues happen like VT, I am sure it puts more pressure on them as well.
 

VA Lawyer

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For the most part, I've always found the sales staff in Green Top to be nice folks. To echo what was said above, I've gone in there several times during non-peak hours (say 9am on a weekday) and they have always been happy to chat about and pull out a bunch of different firearms. In particular, Mike is a really nice and helpful guy (he is apparently one of their go-to guys for AK and AR rifle questions). During peak hours, the place is a mad house and they don't have the time to do much other than ring the cash register.
 

Flintlock

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VA Lawyer wrote:
I noticed the Green Top recently (at least, I only noticed it a few months ago) put a sign on the door that says only LEOs and CHP holders can carry in the store. I asked about this and they said something about their insurance generally not allowing loaded firearms in the store. I had OC'd in there one one or two occasions previously without them saying anything.


That sounds like atotal BS excuseto me. If there were insurance issues, similar to what people deal with at gun shows, then CHP holders and employees wouldn't be able to carry loaded weapons either.

I would bet that it is a store policy and reallya anti-open carry policy at that...
 

Flintlock

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Toad wrote:
I have found that the majority of gun stores I have gone to are only there to sell products and could really care less about the political aspects of freedom. I don't even waste my time anymore making chit-chat with them; just buy what I need and go. I truly think that you could gain more ground talking to a wall and get more done watching pain dry. Even so I have given a good amount of cash to Green Top over the years and will continue to. As long as we keep fighting they can keep supplying.
Even worse than that are the one's that act as if they are lawyers, constitutional scholars, and general firearm law experts and then go ahead andvomit old and repealed law at you from 8 years ago. When you try to correct them they become defensive and talk to you as if you have never handled a firearm or read the state firearms statutes.

Then they chastise you for open carrying because "it will get snatched from you and used on you."

Basically, I have seen several gun shop employees from multiple shops andin multiple states act like this and that is not even mentioning their poor customer service and sales skill.

Sometimes I wonder who's side they are really on and what are their true priorities because it certainly appears to me that they are not abouttruly educating, selling products, and growing the business. Helping expand the gun owning community is the last thing I would expect from them.

Sometimes, we are our own worst enemy.
 

bblackmoor

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Aug 23, 2009
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Henrico, Virginia, USA
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VA Lawyer wrote:
... of course the alternatives close by (Gander Mtn and Bass Pro) also seem high.

There is also DeGoff's.

I have only been in there twice, but I was very pleased with the service I received, and I don't think the prices were unreasonable.
 
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