basspro.com

Avoid at all costs !

If you value your time, honesty, and proper service - or if you’re a Green Card holder - I strongly recommend you avoid the firearms department at Bass Pro Shop. My recent experience was a textbook case of poor training, outdated policies, staff dishonesty, and a total disregard for customers.First visit:I went to purchase a firearm, bringing my driver’s license and concealed carry permit—both legally sufficient under federal law. I also had a digital copy of my Green Card on my phone, as every other gun shop has always accepted. However, the Bass Pro Shop gun counter employee insisted I physically present my Green Card. He refused to even look at the digital copy, claiming this was “company policy.” He would not budge, forcing me to drive home and back, wasting over 2 hours of my time.After the fact:The store manager later admitted by phone that this was actually an old policy. The employee was wrong, and I should not have been required to present my Green Card physically. His only “remedy” was to say it would be addressed in training. No apology, no compensation for my wasted time, no accountability. It felt like the employee knew the current rules and simply didn’t care, preferring to invent obstacles rather than help a customer. Frankly, this also borders on illegal behavior, since federal law does not require a Green Card to be physically shown if you already have your state ID and concealed permit.Second visit:Once my background check cleared, I returned to the shop to pick up my firearm. I found a line of people waiting to buy guns and do paperwork. Despite all my paperwork being completed, I was told I’d need to wait at least 30 minutes for a simple pickup. I asked, very politely, if a manager could help speed things up, since my transaction was ready. After a wait, a manager finally emerged, glanced at the line, and told me I would have to wait like everyone else - despite not being busy. I later learned they should have offered me the option to schedule a pickup appointment for situations like mine, but they never mentioned it.When I expressed my frustration and asked for a refund instead, the gun desk staff member agreed instantly, showing zero interest in resolving the issue or keeping my business. They then took more time to process my refund than it would have taken to just hand me my purchase. This “customer service” is the definition of rigid, bureaucratic, and indifferent.Aftermath:I was then shocked to learn, during the manager’s follow-up call, that staff had also lied to him about the events. He told me the employee who issued my refund was “helping a customer” at the time, which simply wasn’t true. The manager himself doubted my word, but hadn’t even reviewed security video—showing little interest in getting to the truth. No sincere apology, no commercial gesture, just a repeated assurance that “we’ll use this for training.” That’s a joke.Conclusion:Bass Pro Shop’s gun counter operates on outdated, sometimes illegal policies, wastes your time, and then gaslights both you and their own management. If you’re not a U.S. citizen, be ready for extra hurdles. If you are, good luck, because these employees invent rules, then lie about it, and treat customers like a nuisance. There are much better, more respectful FFLs with larger selections and honest staff. Save yourself time, stress, and disappointment - avoid this shop at all costs.

Date of experience: May 30, 2025