Some of yall are so critical. Have yall ever been in an environment where you dont know everything? I agree, when a guy "acts" like he knows it all(and doesnt) thats one thing, but some guys are just novice and should be cut some slack(a lot).
Ive never heard the term "heads" but I would assume its just a slang term that is common wherever they come from.
Go up North and say "yall" and get back with me.

The final step in playing "gotcha" with some gun store employee - Comment about it on social media.

Back when the mythical black rhino ammo was being produced (I never saw a box of it), a customer came in and asked me for some black hippo ammo

Sales people are sales people. Was in Daytona Academy week ago. Guy bought a 308W 'cheap' bolt rifle. He was going to get a cheap Vortex to put on it. I talked to him for a bit, he wanted to shoot long range stuff. 400$ rifle and 200$ scope. He left without the scope, sales people said nothing. Did see a bag of once fired 300BO cases, about a buck apiece. Same for mil 7.62 stuff - I got 500 of those, I could make some coin.

No thanks

Thanks for the explanation. I'd never heard that one before.

Of course, and it's those times that I stop talking. The first lesson is to understand that there's always someone else who has more knowledge and experience than you- a lesson some never learn. Admittedly, I learned that one the hard way... but I learned it.

When it comes to something like firearms and all associated aspects, folks who don't know what they're talking about should really shut their mouths. Ignorant advice can change someone's life forever.

Some day you’ll reach a day when it’s all just “Blab” …you’ll be able to look someone right in the eyes, and never hear a thing, or be in a group and act social, but not care a bit. And actually, what comes out of you is blab. It comes with age. Know what you want, get it, and go…otherwise the guy at the fishing counter is coming.

So, where does one find knowledgeable people in a sporting goods store? Is it a matter of the store being unable to find experienced help?

Not Academy. They hire inexperienced people and just sell products. People who have the knowledge and experience work at other stores.

Someplace where the prices are high enough to employ experts. The catch is most consumers as well as THF members would rather buy cheap and ridicule the employees than pay for expertise.

THIS

YouTube is full of videos that share the good, bad, and ugly on just about anything you can buy. And just store employees, it's up to you to decide who's telling the truth.

The expert posters on this thread have a condescending attitude to employees of all stores, not just Academy.

You must be referring to the group I've coined as being members of the "Prick Clique". Not surprising some despise YouTube and other online sources where information and opinions can be freely shared and where guidelines are strictly enforced.

The basis of that statement really comes down to the standard American outlook on life really. Our fellow brothers and sisters here in America would rather buy the cheaper products made overseas than buy more expensive products made in America ... all the while complaining that all of our manufacturing has been outsourced. Same thing as going to the store with the cheapest products and complaining that the staff are ignorant.

People want to pay the least possible while receiving the highest quality of service and product possible... the two things don't exist together...you get one or the other. And 99% of the time, 99% of Americans choose their products based on price alone....and it's usually the cheapest price.

This fundamental reality... in no small part due to excessive American wages (compared to the rest of the world) and other excessive expenses caused by government red tape and taxation, is why manufacturing for 95% of industries will never return to America in any meaningful way. Because people will never be willing to buy products at the cost that would be required for American manufacturing.

I nominate this for THF Quote of the Year award!!!

10 years ago or so there was a gunshop in the Denton area that posted in the classifieds here regularly. They would assemble an AR upper for you for $25 if you had the parts so I went up there one day with my parts and paid $25. I asked if I could watch because I was wanting to learn how to do it. Long story short I sat in with a couple of the "gunsmiths" while they put it together. Listening to the 2 guys talk I learned that AK's are better than AR"s because you can shoot down helicopters with AK's and no way in heck you can with an AR. I'd like to think they were joking but it was a serious conversation.

Also, when I asked them to check the headspace on the 300 blk upper after it was done he said he didn't have 300blk go / no go gauges so they were going to use 5.56. I said that ain't going to work and he said sure it will, same case.......long story short it didn't.

So dumbassery is not limited to just the gun counters in a gun store. I quit asking questions at them years ago.

Wonder what some people expect.........walk into Academy and speak to John Freaking Browning III ?

I kind of wish now I hadn’t even started this thread. My opening statement was, “I don't want to start another "How dumb those guys at Academy are" thread. A couple of the guys at my local Academy are really quite knowledgeable.” I just wanted to share an amusing encounter and didn’t expect so many responses.

My daughter and my grandson bought a bike for his birthday on Friday at Academy. No one helped them whatsoever - getting it off the rack, loading it, etc. Service at Academy sux. If the kids that "work" there are just gonna play grab-azz all day, as they seem to be every time I've gone in there, they could increase their profits by not hiring them in the first place. Accepting crappy service is how we got here. I made my living in sales and I busted my butt to take care of the customer. It was taught to me.

I don’t think I’ve ever gone to a nationwide retail store and expected expertise at the gun counter.

That's why bike shops exist. Every time I step foot in my local bike shop, the employees are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Expertise doesn't come cheap. Expectations should be tempered if you're buying a bike from Academy.

I’ll beat Gasguz to it and say I agree.
And as my sig line says, “keep your gratitude higher than your expectations”.

Prove it. Post it up where I have a condescending attitude towards employees of all stores. I managed a real gun store and was an archery mechanic back when the equipment required specialized knowledge so I know a bit about the subject.