Posted on 11/28/2012 5:33:26 PM PST by ConservativeInPA
On Sunday I had a last minute change in my plans for the week. I was invited to a deer camp and I had to pull things together very quickly. To pull things together, I went to Dicks, which is less than a mile from my home.
Not long ago, I declared on Free Republic that would never buy anything from Dicks Sporting Goods (well, unless it was an emergency). My problem at the time was they required ID to buy a gun sling. There are no laws, federal, state or local that require that. I DO NOT like anyone asking me for ID.
My experience at Dicks this Sunday was less than desired. There were long checkout lines. Two customers ahead of me required price checks on their purchases as did I. I don't know about the eight customer ahead of them since I could not hear.
Not only did my purchase require a price check because the product wasn't in their computer, the sales clerk took a customer service call that interrupted my checkout.
I had been waiting in line through 10 plus people ahead of me. It seemed like they didn't want my business. I wanted to get in and out and on with other chores to get off to deer camp.
At least they didn't want to ID me to buy doe estrus.
This might come as a shock, but companies, when they lay-off employees, tend to lay-off the best (and most expensive). And the ones who remain are doubly ticked-off because they have to do twice the work.
I think you’re right to complain about the level of customer service and, the ID check. However, I can say, the Dicks by me has always been good. One other thing to consider, you were there on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year - maybe they had alot of new employees or others that did not show up for work?
We just don’t have enough info to determine if you are nuts at this time . . hold on I have a call . . . thank you for waiting, now what was your problem again? Oh yes I remember. You need to get in that other line over there, see it? yes the very loong line. Thank you and have a great day.
You could become President ..... then you would not be required to show any ID!
What you saw is consistent with what I’ve seen of their “service”. It just flat out sucks.
When you go to their firearms section, if they sell a gun, they might as well close it down for an hour, because they usually only have one guy back there, and his attention gets devoted to the firearms sale/paperwork/NICS check. More than one time, I’ve just walked behind the counter and helped myself to ammo, because they had no one to do it.
Plan ahead, avoid Dick's .. just do without.
< / fish barrel >
Wow, check out complaints?
Yes, I have similar experiences.
But, from the other side of the register.
I work retail. You’re going to complain that you had to actually wait in a line on the Sunday after Thanksgiving? Tell me you’re kidding. Almost every retailer here in the Pittsburgh area is hiring for the holidays. Go ahead, apply for that job and start working, listening to customers gripe that they have to actually wait in a line. As far as the phone goes, damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Neglect to answer the phone and a customer (maybe you) will call and complain that their phone call went unanswered. Answer the phone, even if to put the customer on hold, and a customer (you) will complain that someone answered the phone.
I contend that every American should work at least one holiday season in retail.
Merry Christmas.
I think Dicks has a problem with their business model and a complete lack of understanding of their customers.
I try not to go to Dick’s as they seem to want to sell shoes and clothing more than sporting goods. Academy Sports nearest me is better. They had at least a dozen AR-15s on the shelf.
The smart ones do.
On a positive note, I made a gun purchase at Dick's the Sunday before Black Friday. $179.95 for a Ruger 10/22 was just too good to pass up. To their credit they didn't charge a dime for the NICS call. Most dealers around here will hit you for $5-10 for the call in.
Of course the down side is you have to be escorted by one of the managers to the register and then out the door with your gun. Other than waiting for what seemed like forever for my 'escort' I have no major complaints.
Dick’s has same old tired stuff. No one wants the boring knit golf shirts on the sales rack at $24.95. Can get 2X better quality for less at a dozen places.Near my local store what should be a high producing golf dep’t was literally un staffed for months. To save the P-T salary of a decent golf guy who knew his stuff. Who’s going to come in and grab at $700 set of irons ‘off the shelf’ with no help?
We just recently had two Dick’s stores open in Oklahoma City and I went to one to browse around and was not impressed with either the prices or the selection of hunting and shooting products. Academy beats them hands down. I believe that they are more into golf, tennis and other sports.
We had a Sportsman’s Warehouse here for a few years, but it closed a couple years ago. They were great.
The first thing to do is to politely complain to the company and the manager of the store you were in. I bet you can find an email contact online. They need to hear the complaints or they won’t know what to correct.
I worked six years of “Black Fridays” at a Sears up in the Pacific Northwest. I recall that all too well, and at least in my recollection, it wasn’t too much of a lunatic asylum (this was in the 90s).
Still, it was hectic, and after my shift, usually a full 8-hour shift on the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, you felt like you’d worked 8 days straight. The whiners, the complainers, the occasional scam-artists. Most people were pretty cool at least, and more than a few were genuinely understanding of the situation. The sympathetic ones had worked retail in the past, so they knew what it was all about.
This is a matter of respect. Apparently Dicks has no respect for their customers. They expect their customers to show ID to buy shooting related products. But not only that, they want to scan their ID. I am nearly 50 years old and as American as you can be. I do not need to be carded for anything.
I am sure there are plenty of retail jobs to be had at Walmart that pay better than Dicks. At least they treat their customer with respect. I just didn't have the extra 40 minutes to go to Walmart. (Well, maybe I will next time)
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