Is your local Cabelas like this?

[bakerjw]

Here's the only link that I can find.

https://www.facebook.com/Cabelas/***...58505031348981

Not on FB so others might have to post details.

[country gent]

It could be handled much differently and much more tactfully. Actually Ive seen the opposite more times where the salesman pushes the person into more gun than they want. AS to the straw purchase Most salesman let the form 4473 questions determine this.

I do think a formal complaint should be filed not with the store but with Bass Pro / Cabellas corporate head quarters since the manager and 2 sales man had a chance to do what was right.

[Big Tom]

I would reach out to their corporate office and complain about it.

[M-Tecs]

Not taking their side but the hassle the lady received was about straw purchases. His men thought my knowledge was too “Scripted”.

I got fooled about a month ago by a lady that really knew her stuff. One of the guns was used in a murder within a week. She is currently in jail and we are working the BATFE. We get straw purchase attempts weekly. The joys of being located by a major urban center.

Always the same. Two or three hoodrat's check what available and within an hour a single mid-20's to mid-30 white woman comes in to purchase. Maybe a third of the time she will have a under five kid in tow. Always pays in cash.

Again not defending Cabela's but they have very strict corporate policies on straw purchase suspicions and they void sales on delay's if the system doesn't approve within three business days.

[NEKVT]

I live halfway between a Cabelas and a Bass Pro just 30 min in either direction. I have never bought a firearm or major purchase at either, not even a rod or reel. A son and DIL continue to give me gift cards for one or the other and the last one was used for thin sock liners - the only thing in the store I needed. Have to nicely give them a hint to stop.

A couple years ago I gave my grandson my old 30-30 and stopped at the Cabelas looking for a box of 30 cal flat nose to load some for him to try as I had been shooting cast in it. Not only did they not have any in stock there wasn't even a slot for them. The 30 cal bullet selection was the same you would see for open country shooting out west. Last time I checked New England was mostly woods hunting. And in MA we can't mail order components so it is a different market you think they would capitalize on...they don't get it!

[waksupi]

Hard to believe that a manager of a Cabela's in Montana could be that stupid. But, we are in the golden age of stupidity in America. Sad.

That said, what was the source of this story? I looked up the store info and the Manager is listed as being a Jeff Friesen. Also no results of a web search for the incident.

She's pretty well known around here. Directly from one of her family members. I think the guy she is talking about is the manager for the gun area. I've heard a lot of other stories about odd service at that store.

[cwtebay]

No ill intent to the OP - but I find this story pretty tough to swallow. My 19 year old daughter (5'5", around 130#) purchased a kindly used 300 WSM from that very Cabela's / Bass Pro a month or so ago. She said that they were all very kind and even gave her a box of factory ammunition and mounted her scope choice. I agree with the other respondents that mentioned a slight odour of straw purchase by the salesman
I will be in Kalispell this weekend, I'll swing by and run this story by the manager.

(Disclosure - not a fan of what happened to Cabela's, my wife is a Nebraskan and Sidney basically got raped by that takeover).

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[Bmi48219]

In a situation like this I immediately document the entire incident, date, time, names & titles and a complete but brief narrative. Look on line for the corporate directory and email the narrative to a VP, hopefully of customer service or HR. I’d make a point of describing how upset the incident left you. And how often you have spent $$ at the store. 9 times out 10 the VP will hand it off to an associate and copy you on the exchange.
The store manager will definitely hear about it and take some flak. I’d email the same VP back a week later if you don’t get a meaningful apology or to thank him if things go your way.

[samari46]

I'm really sorry you had to go through all that. I find big box stores have their own rules that they go by. Wal mart requires a driver's license to buy ammo. Was in there one day and a woman and her son were wanting to buy air gun pellets. Woman at the register tells the lady she needs her drivers license. Woman says it's the law. I cracked up and asked what do they do with the DL information. Clerk couldn't answer that question. And why do you need the DL info for air gun pellets. Lady say's it's the law. Told the clerk, not it's not. Then she says it's Walmarts law. I then told the clerk I routinley buy ammo and no DL info is recorded. So most salespeople know less about what they are selling than the knowledgeable person on the other side of the counter. Way less. I watched as a clerl at walmart routinely messed up the 4473 I was filling out as he was going to retire and didn't want to be responsible for ok on the 4473. Called the manager and told him what was going on and that I was in their store food shopping every week. And didn't appreciate the run around from the clerk. The manager got another authorized clerk and took 20 minutes to process the sale. I'd definitely call corporate management and make an issue of this and post on every website the OP belongs to. She did not deserve to be treated that way. Frank

[oldscool]

Seems like a former top firearms sales woman for Bass Pro would still have contacts, or know how or who in corp. to get some satisfaction. That might help more than crying on facebook.

[M-Tecs]

Seems like a former top firearms sales woman for Bass Pro would still have contacts, or know how or who in corp. to get some satisfaction. That might help more than crying on facebook.

You would think she would also know the cooperate policy on suspected straw purchases. Interest in how the story stands up after cwtebay runs this by the manager.

[Butzbach]

You could be right or you could be shooting. I'd have said it was a gift for my husband and had the idiots carry it to my car for me.

[bakerjw]

You could be right or you could be shooting. I'd have said it was a gift for my husband and had the idiots carry it to my car for me.

That is a straw man purchase. In those instances, you buy the gun for yourself and answer the 4473 honestly.

[JimB..]

That is a straw man purchase. In those instances, you buy the gun for yourself and answer the 4473 honestly.

Buying a gun to give as a gift is not a straw purchase. You are buying the gun for yourself to give as a gift, no problems on the 4473. If the gift is intended for a prohibited person then you have problems making an illegal transfer to that person and if you bought the “gift” with their money and/or at their direction then you’re across the line.

One lawful possessor buying a gun to give as a gift to a lawful possessor is not an issue, but it confuses people who strive to be extra cautious.

I believe that there is an ATF FAQ on this somewhere.

[sharps4590]

I will not shop either Cabela's or Bass Pro....ever again. Obviously I don't know if the story is true but, from my experience, I don't doubt it. No one knows anything about anything but them....except I've never been in either store where anyone could decipher proof marks. Their arrogance and condescension has at times been palpable. I have NEVER been treated SO RUDELY at any place of business, save possibly one Sears store, as those two have treated me. Gratefully, there isn't a "local" store of either stripe within 100 miles of me.

[GhostHawk]

I don't know about you. But if it was me, Cabella's aka Bass Pro would get no more of my money, ever, for anything.

Go find yourself an online seller who won't ask stupid questions. And probably save some cash to boot.

Best of luck to ya!

If you got the Cojones to pull the trigger, by all means go for it.

[remy3424]

is it just me or do any others think this might deserve a trip to a powerful sue lawyers office and before long you might be owning some of those bush planes hanging in the stores and a few overgrown fish tanks and empty the pockets a bit from the bass pro empire.
just plain wrong how you were treated.

Nope just you.....sue them, good answer for hurting someone's feelings...kids these days want to sue for anything. A 3rd hand story, don't get too wound-up over it.

[1Hawkeye]

It boils down to a lazy clerk using what little knowledge his pea brain has to get out of doing his job. We're talking about a 300 mag not a ar or a glock. Over the years I've worked at several gun shops including the 2nd largest in the state and if this is a real occurrence that clerk and his buddy should have been sent packing.

[bakerjw]

Buying a gun to give as a gift is not a straw purchase. You are buying the gun for yourself to give as a gift, no problems on the 4473. If the gift is intended for a prohibited person then you have problems making an illegal transfer to that person and if you bought the “gift” with their money and/or at their direction then you’re across the line.

I stand corrected.

Form 4473 instructions further explain that a person is the actual transferee/buyer if he/she is:
purchasing or acquiring the firearm for him/herself, such as:
redeeming the firearm from pawn, retrieving it from consignment or firearm raffle winner or legitimately purchasing the firearm as a bona fide gift for a third party. A gift is not bona fide if another person offered or gave the person completing this form money, service(s), or item(s) of value to acquire the firearm for him/her, or if the other person is prohibited by law from receiving or possessing the firearm.

My sons girlfriend went into Academy to buy my son a firearm a year ago and they would not sell it to her because she said that she was buying it for her boyfriend as a Christmas present.

At a gun shop in the North end of Peoria, Illinois, the owner regaled me with stories of hood rats coming in with a girlfriend where they directed the girlfriend as to what gun to look at and hold. Obvious straw man intent. He ended up banning anyone that looked like a hood rat.

My company gives us star awards that we can use for gift cards. Last year, I turned in a bunch of them for Bass Pro cards and picked up a couple of nice compact 9mm and 40S&W pistols. My wife reminded me of "No more guns" until I explained that I only paid $100.00 out of pocket for them.

[farmbif]

I think in my life ive bought like 5 new guns 2 were from bass pro and only because they were on some super clearance sale. 2 were gifts to my daughter when she turned 16 and 21, we went together to the store. but the best deal and customer service was from buds gun shop. they will beat anyone else price and all you got to do is ask and show them the competitions price.
maybe some of these suggestions will help the op but in no way should she have to put up with the treatment she receive when trying to spend her hard earned money
geez they didn't even let here complete the forms and do background check.
how many of you folks would put up with the same kind of treatment to yourself or loved one.