Academy Sports + Outdoors — Attraction in Mesquite

Dear Academy Sports + Outdoors Management,

I am writing to formally express my concerns about the extremely unprofessional and discriminatory experience I had today at your Mesquite, TX location. As a loyal customer and regular patron of Academy Sports, I was shocked and deeply disappointed by the treatment I received while attempting to purchase a firearm for personal safety.

Having recently purchased a new home and living alone, I felt it was prudent to invest in a small firearm for protection. After discussing my options with a department manager, I was advised that a .380 handgun might be a good fit for my needs. I was then directed to the firearms counter, where my experience quickly took a turn for the worse.

Upon reaching the counter, I was approached by an older Caucasian male associate, who immediately began recommending that I rent a firearm from Gun Zone before making a purchase. Although I had already been informed about the .380 by the department manager, the associate seemed disinterested in helping me and was dismissive of my intent to purchase immediately.

When the manager attempted to clarify the situation and reaffirm my interest in the .380, the associate appeared uninterested, stating that he did not have the necessary keys and disappeared into the back room. I patiently waited for over eight minutes with no update or acknowledgment. During this time, the associate began assisting a Caucasian woman who arrived after me, completely ignoring me despite my being there first.

When I finally asked if someone was assisting me, he responded in a dismissive manner, claiming the woman was already being helped. I then expressed my frustration by saying, "I don’t give a F," not at the associate directly, but in reference to the unfair and frustrating situation I was experiencing. At no point did I curse at the associate, nor did I display any aggressive behavior.

The situation took an even more uncomfortable turn when the store director, Mr. David Morris, approached me. Instead of addressing my legitimate concerns about the associate’s unprofessional behavior, Mr. Morris chastised me for using profanity, implying that I had been aggressive or unruly. He then informed me that, due to my use of language, he would not feel comfortable selling me a firearm.

This response was not only unjust but also completely disproportionate to the situation. I never exhibited any violent or inappropriate behavior, nor did I pose any risk to staff or customers. The lack of accountability for the associate’s actions—who not only ignored me but also treated me as if I were invisible—was deeply troubling.

What I felt in this entire interaction was a sense of discrimination, possibly based on my race and sexual orientation, as I am both Black and queer. I have never had any legal issues or been involved in criminal activity. As a 3x degree holder and current PhD candidate, I take pride in my professional conduct, and I certainly do not expect to be treated with disrespect or dismissed as a customer based on unfounded assumptions.

I am deeply disheartened by the way I was treated and the way this situation was mishandled. Instead of being assisted with my purchase, I was made to feel like an unwelcome nuisance. I ask that you look into this matter and ensure that both the associate in question and the store director are held accountable for their actions. Customers should never feel that their money is unwelcome or that they are being judged unfairly based on their appearance, race, or identity.

I would appreciate a prompt response to this complaint and a resolution to ensure this type of treatment does not happen again...

Bought a bike online fore a friends daughter who had hers stolen. Next day i recieved a notification that it was ready for pick up. Upon arrival i was informed that there was not a builder on site so the bike was not built. I could take it and put it together myself but it could void the warranty. After a discussion i was told that i could pick the bike up the next day and someone would call my when it was ready. I never recieved a call so i reached out around 4 pm. It was almost impossible get anyone on the phone. Once i did it was explained that the bike was together but that the brakes would not work. At this point i took the rest of the day off to focus on getting this resolved and the purchase finalized. Upon arriving at the store i spoke with customer service and could not get any information so i asked for a manager. To my surprise the manager told them that she was to busy to talk with me and i could either buy that bike or not. So i asked to talk with upper management. At this time i had called around and found the same bike already built in Terrell and asked the associate to call and confirm that they had it and it was fully built and functional. After confirming it was i asked if i could just go to that store and pick it up. They went and conferred with the manager, who had been on her phone texting the whole time, and was told that a full refund would be made and if i wanted to drive to Terrell and buy from that store i would need to pay them there. The manager had zero intrest in helping with this endeavor or even engaging the problem to try and resolve the situation. The only reason i am giving this store 2 stars is the employee running the customer service desk seemed really intent on helping me even know the manager showed complete disdain for the matter. After being there an hour and seeing everything that transpired, i firmly believe that the management team needs training in customer service and i will be avoiding the Mesquite store at the very least if not all Academy...

I placed an online order from Academy for a Father’s Day gift and chose store pickup. When I went to pick it up, I noticed an older white woman helping a lighter-complexioned customer before me. She was polite, patient, and clearly eager to help him. But when she finished, she walked up to me and another man who had just walked up behind me and asked, “Who’s next?”

I responded right away and said I was, but she ignored me and immediately turned to help the white man behind me, asking him what he needed. Even he pointed out that I had been there first. It was uncomfortable and felt pretty obvious she didn’t want to help me the same way she helped the customer before—just like it was obvious she had no hesitation helping the white man after skipping over me.

When I got home and opened the package, I realized the shirt inside wasn’t even the one I ordered. The product listed online showed a red brick-colored Astros shirt with the name on the back, but I received an all-black PFG shirt with a small logo on the front pocket. So now I had to make a trip back to the store just to fix their mistake.

When I returned, I waited around 10 minutes before anyone at customer service even acknowledged me. Once I finally got help, they kept pushing me to exchange the item or reorder it online. But after everything, I wasn’t about to go through that hassle again—especially for a time-sensitive Father’s Day gift. I just wanted my money back.

Thankfully, I did get the refund. But this was my first time ordering online from Academy, and it was a disappointing experience from start to finish. I’ve shopped in-store before and liked their product selection, but after how I was treated at this location, I don’t plan on...