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Jim
09-14-2007, 11:46 AM
I've been thinking over the last few years what I could do professionally as a replacement to the construction industry. I hit 55 last Sunday and realized it's high time I get on the stick.
I put in an application to Sportsman's Warehouse and they hired me for part time on the weekends. This will get my foot in the door. I figure in a year or so, I'll get my biggest bills payed off, won't have to make the big bucks to keep up and can retire from construction to sell firearms and components full time.
I start my first day at 1 PM this afternoon.

TAWILDCATT
09-14-2007, 12:09 PM
good luck

armoredman
09-14-2007, 12:52 PM
Dream job...well, close to it. Your paycheck will come home in lead and steel, not green, if you're not careful! :D

dubber123
09-14-2007, 02:21 PM
Personally I have never MADE money in a gun shop, that would be a new experience! And yes, I have worked in one. I remember getting lots of "stuff", but the money? well, not so much. Good luck at the new job, I'm sure it'll be more fun than construction anyways!

trooperdan
09-14-2007, 02:38 PM
Jim, kinda my idea as well. I am civil service now after 22 years in the army and I'm looking to retire again in 3-4 years. There is a gander mtn shop here in town and I think I'll inquire about some part time work to get " in the door".

Scrounger
09-14-2007, 03:24 PM
Make money working in a gun shop? Didn't work that way for me. It was easy to spend more than I made. After a couple of months I had to quit, $700 poorer than when I started. And that was twenty-some years ago. At today's prices I'd definitely need a second mortgage!
Seriously, there are a couple of other considerations. After a week of dealing with 'gun stuff' 3 or 4 hours a day, they don't seem so entertaining in your spare time anymore. When your avocation becomes your vocation, you no longer have a hobby. And you get a much darker picture of some of your fellow gun enthusiasts. A lot of them are idiots and weirdos that have an amazing resemblance to the pictures the liberals paint. Yes, you do run into some very nice, very likeable people, but that job is not for everybody, it will change you, make you more cynical.

1Shirt
09-14-2007, 05:28 PM
Scrounger hit the nail on the head dead center! Unfortunately!
1Shirt!:coffee: :coffee:

**oneshot**
09-14-2007, 05:30 PM
I can attest to the dream job. Many years ago I was into archery big time. I got my dream job working in an archery shop. It was great for the first few months, getting to peruse all the great equipment when we weren't busy, and taking full advantage of my employee discount (owners cost). Also working on bows those not so inclined, swapping sights, rests, changing strings, etc.

Well after I quit working there I really had no interest in tinkering with my own bows anymore, sold them all and bought a recurve to simplify things and get away from the gadgets that so intrigued me in the first place to get that job.

Granted I am still into archery but still with the recurve, and compounds still have no interest to me. that job was 15yrs ago.

Powderpacker
09-14-2007, 06:11 PM
I've noticed the new Bass Pro Shop near me has an interesting mix of employees. The male contingent seems to be mostly retirement age - in good shape, outdoorsy, tanned, etc. but nonetheless 'old'. The female contingent, on the other hand, appear to be 30-something on average and very attractive in general. Maybe the human resource dept. there has a plan. The firearm dept. there is so-so but I'd have an employment application in if the commute wasn't so long and unpleasant. I'm also trying to get out of the construction biz - at age 64 !

targetshootr
09-14-2007, 06:46 PM
I'm younger by two-plus years but I still like construction. Being self employed probably makes a big difference. Been through the grinder with too much work and too many employees and finally cut back to what I can handle by myself. But I'd like to work in a machine shop one of these days and I still might.

MT Gianni
09-14-2007, 07:05 PM
Keep track of how long it takes to get tired of the people asking for 7mm ammo, "you know Magnum or Mauser or one of them". I'm like Ulysses, I would like to walk inland with an oar over my shoulder and retire in the first town someone asks what that thing is. [in my case a gas meter] I would like a discount but want my hobbies to be my hobbies not my work. Gianni

kodiak1
09-14-2007, 07:51 PM
Jim I think I am getting a little jealous!!!!!
Ken.

melw
09-14-2007, 08:15 PM
I can attest to the joys and problems of working at a gun shop.
I started part time and moved to full. The owner decided to close the shop and I moved on. :-? Only to find that I had lost most of the interest in shooting. It was twenty years and a shooting buddy to bring me back in.
I am glad I kept my reloading and casting gear.:mrgreen:
I don't know how many calls I would get on Oct 29 and 30 asking if we rented guns.:confused:
Good luck in your new job.
Mel W.

Scrounger
09-14-2007, 08:27 PM
I am surprised at all the guys who have the same feelings I do about working in a gunshop. Maybe I shouldn't be and in its defense I'd like to say I found the same or similar faults with every kind of work I've done, so those problems you're going to run into on any job. Jobs are the problem, let's start a campaign to get rid of them...

waksupi
09-14-2007, 10:43 PM
Fortunately, I can't afford the rifles we build, so the charm of my job remains. Building rifles, plus the range time, fishing tournament, and weekly BBQ on company time, makes for a good mix. I am blessed.

felix
09-14-2007, 10:50 PM
Art, won't be long and we won't have to worry about making the jobs go away. They are being taken if we like it or not. ... felix

singleshotbuff
09-15-2007, 12:13 AM
I worked in a gunshop for 2 or 3 years. Always spent more than I made LOL!!

It's true that you will meet people who will make you wonder if gun ownership really should be for everyone (especially where I worked, we had an indoor RIFLE range). But by and large, it was a positive experience. I even met a guy who actually CAST HIS OWN BOOLITS!! I had never heard of such a thing LOL.

It was a mom & pop type of shop, the regulars would come in EVERY DAY, just to hang out and shoot the chit (and maybe an occassional target).

I guess my point is that the experience did not diminish my love of our hobby one bit. In fact, it probably enhanced my enjoyment of the shooting sports.

Just my $0.02 worth.

SSB

Jim
09-15-2007, 08:26 AM
I'm really surprised at the number of responses I got to this post. Thanks, guys! My first day, actually, was busy but, I enjoyed it. I spent the whole shift out on the floor w/ customers, not behind the counter. The other guys act like "I'm between you and these guns and you have to worship me". I enjoy interacting with people and I got exactly what I enjoy doing.
I spoke with a young man, about 12 or so who just got his first 20 ga. shotgun. He had 5 bucks and was looking for a box of shells he could afford. After making sure he had an adult with him for the purchase, I showed him some $3.99 Win. stuff. He was elated! That alone made my shift. I sold some muffs to an elderly couple to go shooting with. They were appreciative of me helping them find what they needed without spending a bucket load of money.
I got paid a lot more than money last night.

BD
09-15-2007, 09:02 AM
Jim,

Enjoy it . That Sportsmans Warehouse needs a knowledgable guy on the floor. I was in there looking at safes a month or two ago. It took 20 minutes to find someone to open them up and then he still didn't really know anything about them.
I'm 52 and in the homebuilding business. As you get older if you can't find a place in management the construction business will use you up for sure. I'm looking forward to my daughter's graduation from college next spring. After that financial concern eases, our plan is to move back up north, or maybe out west, and simplify our lives. I miss the days when I built one house at a time with a three man crew and no subs.
Did you ever find a range up there?
BD