Friday, September 26, 2008

Trip to the Gun Store

We have the awesomest military surplus store not far from us. If people start rioting over the stock market mess, that's where I'm going, because all the employees are armed. Nothing says "You're safe in here, by golly!" like an openly carried handgun. I love it.
Before the whole smoking ban fiasco, it was also the only business other than a tobacconist's shop that I could walk into and smell pipe smoke. Two of the owners smoked pipes, and it smelled woooooooderful.
Last time we were in there, Kittyboy wasn't walking all that well, that's how long it's been, so I went there for a case for my brother Yan's SKS. So we walked in this afternoon, me with Kittyboy in tow, asking to buy a soft gun case for a hunting gun (Yan said anything fitting a typical hunting rifle should work). God bless the man behind the counter, he asked, "Did you bring your gun along so I can check the fit?" MY gun. "Why sure, Kittyboy darling, how about running out to the car for Mommy's rifle?" That was so funny, but I suppose I could have had a gun along in my trunk. And that WOULD be good customer service, not assuming that the diminuitive woman with a child in her arms doesn't own a gun herself. He probably does wait on women hunters pretty regularly, too.
Anyhow, I told him it's my brother's gun, it's an SKS, he pulled one off the wall, and we got a case to fit it. He could even scope it and have it still fit in the case, it's great. This guy who was fitting the case and everything, he's about my age, and he always waves at Kittyboy and talks to him. "Hello there little man, how are YOU doing today?" Good guy, we like him.
The other thing I love about the gun store is that it's CASH ONLY. Even though that means going to the bank before going there, I just think it's awesome that someone has held out when everyone else takes plastic. They do their own math on the receipt, tax and everything (they have a table showing sales tax for various amounts). That's just so cool. Doing their own math and counting back change without a register to do it for them - that just ROCKS.
And as always, Kittyboy did not think we were done when it was time to leave. He never thinks we're ready to leave. The first time we went in there when he wasn't in a car seat, he sat up straight in my arms and reached. It didn't matter in what direction he was looking, there was something he wanted. "Mommy, this is a MAN store, and I am a baby MAN, so why are you not getting me anything?"
The one thing that's always a bit of culture shock every time I go in - they play nothing but COUNTRY MUSIC. Eeeeewwwwwwww....... I guess that says how much I like the store and the owners, because I can think of no other store I would willingly enter where I run the risk of hearing Garth Brooks. Eeeeewwwwww....

2 comments:

D. Lollard said...

lulz. I went there a few weeks ago window shopping for a backpack. I didn't realize they're cash only--I'll keep that in mind when I go back.

The first song I heard when I was there was something like "I saw God today" so I thought it was a Christian station. But I thought having a song about seeing God was cool. The next song was more like standard country radio.

There's plenty of good country and bluegrass type music. And I've been pleased in the past few years to find Christian music I like. But radio always seems so bland.

It's funny, that place will be the only one still doing business if the power goes out. How many cash register attendants can do all that math? I sure couldn't!!

Caeseria said...

Yeah... big diff between bluegrass and country. If it were bluegrass, I'd be pleased as punch. I own the soundtrack to O Brother Where Art Thou. That's REAL folk music. But country, I can't stand.
Petra is okay for Christian music - some Steven Curtis Chapman - P.O.D - but I mostly listen to various forms of rock, and have found "Christian rock" largely to be neither good theology in the lyrics, nor good rock in the music. Kinda sucks. :(
Oh, and never, ever, ever try Christian heavy metal. It does exist. It's painful.