Nagels Gun Store

[GlockontheRocks]

I visit Nagel's about once or twice a year. We usually stay at one of the hotels by Northstar Mall. I've had many visits there over the past 20 years that were less than pleasant. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. I just like going in there to look around and sometimes get lucky on a sale item. As most of you have posted the majority of their staff, well just plain suck. They don't greet or in my experiences even acknowledge you. Having a retail sales background, I know that customer service is priority. It amazes me that they've stayed in business as long as they have. There are plenty of other places in SA to shop. Knowing that, you would think that they would get their head out of their asses. And, us as customers, keep going back for the punishment. They do have a lot of merchandise to look at. As a teen I worked in a sporting goods store that Nagel's reminds me of. Still old school decor, drab, an organized mess.

On a positive note, my last visit there, I took my son with me. He was treated very well by a lady who was working the knife area. She was very cordial and even sharpened one of his knives for free. I will go back next time we visit. They were one of the only places sometime back where I found .380 HP ammo, and 32 HP's for my BUG's.

 

[ChunkyMonkey]

I too like going to look around. But, as other have said, rarely get greeted or asked if needed assistance. Now, if i had gone in uniform, they were real quick to help. Coworker if mine ordered a Kimber Warrior, higher markup than other retailers, but he wanted to spend local. When the pistol came in, someone swapped out the factory mags with another generic set.

 

[Patrón]

Sounds like some of you have dealt with the "Captain". I promised myself that I'll never purchase another item from Nagels again.

 

[shortround]

I visit Nagel's about once or twice a year. We usually stay at one of the hotels by Northstar Mall. I've had many visits there over the past 20 years that were less than pleasant. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. I just like going in there to look around and sometimes get lucky on a sale item. As most of you have posted the majority of their staff, well just plain suck. They don't greet or in my experiences even acknowledge you. Having a retail sales background, I know that customer service is priority. It amazes me that they've stayed in business as long as they have. There are plenty of other places in SA to shop. Knowing that, you would think that they would get their head out of their asses. And, us as customers, keep going back for the punishment. They do have a lot of merchandise to look at. As a teen I worked in a sporting goods store that Nagel's reminds me of. Still old school decor, drab, an organized mess.

Spot On!

I know going in, that it will be crowded, horribly overstuffed in every way, and yet, despite the lousy service, find a good deal and go home happy.

No different than going to Bill Miller's for the McDonald's of Bar-B-Que.

Be well.

 

[smtimelevi]

I went in on a weekday when they werent busy. I got all the customer service I could need, almost too much. I was looking at some of their older stuff, cap 'n ball rifles, flintlock etc. They let me handle half a dozen of them and were very friendly. My guess is I was one of the few people in there so that explains the attention. Prices were kind of high but they did have some harder to find used guns so he kinda has a niche in that. Ive rarely bought a firearm at a gun store though so Im somewhat biased there. I usually go to the stores for price comparisons and to look around.

 

[London]

I dislike their deceptive business practices. I bought a broken S&W bodyguard from them and they couldn't fix it in the store. They offered to mail to the factory for me for only $70. I emailed S&W and they sent me a pre-paid mailing slip!

Also, some guy tried to sell me a Mosin-Nagant there for $500 claiming it was a Mauser K-98. When I asked why the bolt handle was straight he said, "That's just a variation." I'd never even seen a Mosin before and was sure the Hell glad I went home and did some homework on the matter.

I also saw them sell a defective Tanfoglio .380 covered in fake gold. The thing would drop the slide every time the magazine was removed. I even heard one of the employees talk about how the "pimp gun" bit into the web of his hand- and yet he has no problem selling the thing to some unsuspecting customer.

Another employee was showing an old lady a P-32. SHe said she heard these guns are bad because if they jam- that's it. You can't shoot it anymore and there's nothing you can do. His response was, "Well that's true." B.S!

About every six months I'll scrounge through their junk bin and find some good deals but that's about as much business as I care to do with them. Their business practices are deceitful and it's absurd that an amateur like me knows more about their products than they do.

 

[Patrón]

I dislike their deceptive business practices. I bought a broken S&W bodyguard from them and they couldn't fix it in the store. They offered to mail to the factory for me for only $70. I emailed S&W and they sent me a pre-paid mailing slip!

Also, some guy tried to sell me a Mosin-Nagant there for $500 claiming it was a Mauser K-98. When I asked why the bolt handle was straight he said, "That's just a variation." I'd never even seen a Mosin before and was sure the Hell glad I went home and did some homework on the matter.

I also saw them sell a defective Tanfoglio .380 covered in fake gold. The thing would drop the slide every time the magazine was removed. I even heard one of the employees talk about how the "pimp gun" bit into the web of his hand- and yet he has no problem selling the thing to some unsuspecting customer.

Another employee was showing an old lady a P-32. SHe said she heard these guns are bad because if they jam- that's it. You can't shoot it anymore and there's nothing you can do. His response was, "Well that's true." B.S!

About every six months I'll scrounge through their junk bin and find some good deals but that's about as much business as I care to do with them. Their business practices are deceitful and it's absurd that an amateur like me knows more about their products than they do.

That story is almost as bad as what I witnessed there. the employee told a customer that their glocks/s&w/sigs are of a different quality than what is sold at academy/cabellas. the customer asked 'even if they are the same model?" He answered yes and their warranty includes fixing it the shop and that the majority of their business for the smiths is fixing guns sold at academy. Number two reason I won't do business with the liars.

 

[Bultx1215]

I must say I have never ever seen or heard of anything like these last two at Nagels. I don't doubt it...I just haven't seen it. I find it a tad disturbing. I already knew I was never going to buy a weapon from them. I got quoted on a S&W 5906...very used. They wanted 850 for it...the same gun that CDNN had for 399 and in better shape as well. IIRC, 800-900 was the MSRP for that pistol when new.

 

[Red78]

Pretty much share the opinion of most others, with regard to staff - not the friendliest bunch in town.

Not saying I'll never go there again, because I will. It's like going in an old rummage store.

Have attempted to sell a few guns there, have never been successful. They have always offered to either sell them on consignment or have offered a ridiculously low price. Dury's, on the other hand, have always offered me a fair price - they look it up in the book and offer 70% of retail - for the same guns that Nagel's essentially rejected.

Overall, comparing those two stores, Dury's is hands down the better of the two, IMO. Solely based on attitude/friendliness/customer focus of the staff, not necessarily their gun prices.

 

[needcheaperhobby]

Want to add my two cents here - and I hope Nagels owners read this.

I refuse to go there anymore. Rude, snooty, cramped, over-priced, messy, disorganized...just a few of the words I'd use to sum them up. I moved away from San Antonio for a number of years and returned last Fall. I decided to give them a fresh chance and stopped in a few months ago - nothing has changed. Still the worse store in town.

I have MANY friends who shoot and I will ALWAYS steer them away from this place. Someone from Nagels should stop by Durys and takea few notes on how to run a gun shop.

There... I feel better

 

[Bultx1215]

Want to add my two cents here - and I hope Nagels owners read this.

I refuse to go there anymore. Rude, snooty, cramped, over-priced, messy, disorganized...just a few of the words I'd use to sum them up. I moved away from San Antonio for a number of years and returned last Fall. I decided to give them a fresh chance and stopped in a few months ago - nothing has changed. Still the worse store in town.

I have MANY friends who shoot and I will ALWAYS steer them away from this place. Someone from Nagels should stop by Durys and takea few notes on how to run a gun shop.

There... I feel better

So..lemme get this straight...you are still on the fence about Nagels???

 

[TexasRedneck]

Well, I'm gonna offer a counter-point. I still go to Nagel's regularly. I've known the Nagel family all my life - my parents and grandparents as well. While Bob can have his challenges with his employees, I'll challenge anyone to show me another gun shop that has been around as long as they have. I'd also suggest that if you see an employee there ripping off a customer, he is NOT doing it with Bob's knowledge. If Bob saw it' they'd be out the door PDQ. Is he high? Maybe - but last time I looked that wasn't a crime. I'll also say that I've seen guns in there that you'll see nowhere else. Do I buy guns elsewhere? Sure - but I've bought more than a couple there, and have always found that I'd either get a fair price or leave it behind - ultimately, it's up to me.

 

[majormadmax]

Sorry, TRN old friend, but the several times I have been to Nagel's I have not only found them to be high-priced; but ridiculously so! Y'know I have a "small" collection of Mosin-Nagant rifles, so I am pretty familiar with the going rate for most of the models of that rifle. The last time I was at Nagel's they had one that was two-and-a-half times the average price for a stock 91/30! This wasn't the price an employee quoted me, this was on the tag!

Secondly, a lot could be done to clean and organize the place! I'm sorry, but I do expect some resemblance of order when I go into a business. Nagel's is not the only gun store like that in town, Don's over at 410 and Fredericksburg Road is similar chaotic. I can understand that there may be some space limitations, but to cram as much as possible into such an area, and then to have stuff covered in dust built up over the years is enough to keep me away!

Gun shops don't have to look like military surplus stores, McBride's up in Austin is an excellent example of a professionally run firearms business. Drury's does a pretty good job as does the Powderhorn to an extent; but Nagel's is a pit and while I usually never pass up on a gun store or show, it is one place I will drive pass without a second thought.

If you do have a connection with the Nagel family than you may want to pass on some of the customer observations posted in this thread. I recently noticed that National Outdoors, a military surplus shop over off Bandera Road just inside 410, is making a huge effort to clean up their store. I was impressed by this as it too was getting to the point of losing my business, and I am also amazed at how much nicer it is now that they've organized and cleaned the place up a bit. Maybe Nagel's will realize that they are losing customers because of the clutter in their shop, and will also make an effort to straighten things up a bit.

Cheers! M2

 

[twain55]

I go to Nagels about once or twice a year on my lunch break just to look around and see if I can ever be surprised.
I never am surprised. It’s always too crowded with product, over priced and has unfriendly staff.
To me the worst part is the unfriendly staff. Being a true Texan I try to be friendly, courteous and helpful. I expect the same from other true Texans.
I don’t respect the way the employees act and if the owner/manager can’t fix it or hasn’t figured out there’s an issue then he/she is ultimately responsible.
The only place in town that I can find decent prices and semi-decent customer service is Academy.
I’ve been to Dury’s and the Powder Horn a few times. The customer service was better than Nagles but the prices were just as high.
And if you want to tell me that shopping at Academy is not supporting the community…you’re wrong…I’m supporting the folks that work there.

 

[shortround]

The last gun I bought at Nagel's about eight years ago was a new-in-box Smith & Wesson Model 36 (.38 Chief's Special).

Compared to the MSR of $822 today, and $406 then, I paid $295 (after tax) but just a few years ago.

Sometimes, you just get lucky.

You've got to look under the clutter to reveal the nuggets.

Be well.

 

[Nagel]

Thank you to those who have supported Nagel Gun Shop, Inc., over the years, as well as to those who are supporting us on this blog. We would appreciate any issues being brought to the attention of management or the owners, as we cannot correct a problem if we do not know about it. Also, we would appreciate it if people could understand that the national "box" stores have national buying power and they can usually sell an item for way below our cost. We are a privately-owned gun store - the largest privately-owned gun store in South Texas - and do not have the same costs as those other stores. Please be aware that we are in the process of making changes that take time and your continued support is appreciated.

 

[TexasRedneck]

Glad you made it here....and thanks for taking the time to do so!

Now, I think you'll find I am one of your supporters - but your detractors DO have some valid points, especially where it comes to being crowded. I would suggest you either expand the store, or have a fire/garage sale and get rid of some of the stuff in there! I grew up coming to the store, so for me it's kinda "normal" - but I've got to tell you that I do NOT enjoy being so crowded, and it does detract from the amount of time I'd otherwise spend there.

I recognize that some of the stuff you have there is on consignment, and the price is therefore set by the seller - but at some point, wouldn't you agree that you need to tell 'em that they need to be more realistic with their price? I've shopped the Powderhorn for over 30 years as well, and I've always found them willing to work with the price, even if just a bit. I can't tell you how many times I've left behind without buying a gun simply because the salesperson told me they couldn't work w/the price.

Again - thanks for stopping in, and I hope you'll continue to do so!!!!

 

[shortround]

Nagel's had 8mm Mauser Brass, when no one else, locally or on the internet did.

They sold me a brand-new Leupold Rifle Scope about one hundred fifty dollars less than MSRP.

I will visit them from time to time just to find a bargain.

Be well.

 

[Blackxfire]

Being from MA, I too appreciate the gun shops out here! Been to 3 or 4 around the area. I have visited Nagles a few times. I have seen some things reasonably priced and some things I thought were high. I think that happens most anywhere. You just have to know your product and pricing before you go in. Expect the slow service when they are busy and you won't be disappointed by it. If a sales person is spouting BS to customers it's usually because of a lack of knowledge.
Good employees who care about their job will provide you good service. Good pay begets good employees. If they took the time to clean up and organize the stock (the used guns and that main center aisle) it could be a much better store. Hey, there is always the thrill of the hunt! LOL

 

[TexasRedneck]

Hmmmm....ah like that sig line. Hey, Alan - iffen ah listed all mah guns, how many pages would my post take?