Fist Stop Guns New female shooter lied to by 3 employees. Tried to "BAIT & SWITCH". Rapid City, South Dakota

Saw the 2012 post on the female customer who wanted to buy a certain used S&W at First Stop Guns but the sales staff told her it was no longer available and then it showed up in the display case a few days later.  The post assumed that meant the store routinely pushed new guns over used guns.  I’ve worked there almost a year and I can tell you that such a tactic is not part of the First Stop culture. 

Here’s what most likely happened:  First Stop attracts customers nationwide because of its expansive inventory and reasonable pricing so individual guns go in and out of there continually and it’s impossible for any staff member to memorize the inventory.  It becomes more even more complicated with the options for layaway and holds.  It’s not uncommon for guns put on 24 hour hold or layaway to pop back into inventory when the customer changes his/her mind.  It often happens multiple times a week.  And there is no bell that rings while someone announces on a loudspeaker that S&W SN123456789 is back in stock. 

Perhaps the staff who worked with the potential customer is guilty of failing to offer the hold option or the layaway option.  Or perhaps the customer refused both.  I don’t know—but I know there is absolutely no culture of hiding used guns while pushing new guns at First Stop.

On Sept 26,  2012 at about 5:15 PM my friend Eve Durand went to the First Stop Guns in Rapid City, SD (605-341-5211) to buy a used revolver she saw there on a previous visit. Three male employees told her the gun was already sold and if she wanted that model she would have to buy a new one for $220 more. She called me to borrow the extra money and when I got in the shop, after about 20 seconds from entering, I saw the gun she asked for right there in the display case in plain sight. All three male employees deliberately lied to her and tried to cheat her by telling her it was already sold a few days previous,and saying she would have to buy the brand new one if she wanted it. KNOWING it was right there in the display case. The main employee refused to give his name, but his initials on the receipt are HC. The receipt is number 26529. Had I not showed up and recognized their deception she would have been cheated out of $220. I brought this to a manager's attention ( Mark Blote ) the next day via email and a phone conversation, and nothing was done after one week. I suggested they just give her a couple of boxes of ammo, an apology, and dock the cost spread out over the three employee's pay. Nothing being answered suggests they were encouraged by management to do this to new female shooters who are trusting in their experise.  She and I both are willing to testify to this and it is also provable on their video surveilance. Evil wins when good people do nothing.