Eastern Outfitters — Local services in Surf City

As new residents to North Carolina, my wife and I decided to upgrade our home defense and pick up a new hobby. As new comers into the handgun world it can be scary and intimidating, with so many options. My wife having never operated a handgun but done other shooting sports was slightly anxious about the idea. But Mark the sporting guns manager saw this, and took the opportunity to make her feel as though she was part of the family, there at Eastern Outfitters. He went through basic handgun safety and functionality with 6 models in various price ranges, showing what would be the most comfortable and most easily carried. He explained different capabilities of each firearm and which ammo would and wouldn't be safe in each one. After an hour or more my wife was comfortable holding them and functioning them with easy, not once did she feel pressured but he wasn't going to let herself fail either. The perfect instructor if I do say so. We placed her firearm on layaway as we hadn't gotten proper documentation to bring it home that day. A week later as busy parents and full time workers, we came back. Greeted at the door by a huge smile from Mark and his team as they saw paperwork in her hand. Again, Mark made sure she was still able to function the firearm to perfection including a complete field break down for cleaning and lubrication procedures. She was able to do so with much less stress and much more ease of mind knowing she remembered the previous mini class she took just a week ago. This time though, we had our daughter with us, and as Mark went through the firearm with my wife, another super friendly staff member was giving a similar less about firearm safety and procedures to our daughter,(firearm saftey with smaller children is tough to teach as a parent and seems as though he knew this, but he had her full attention) as well as some much needed joking. This has completely sold me on all of my firearm business going to these guys at Eastern Outfitters, so much so as I put another handgun on layaway for myself, there is no price on the protection of your family and people around you at any given time. We've gained some trusted family here at Eastern Outfitters, if your second guessing your own protection level or just want to enter the world of shooting sports this should be your first and only stop, it wasn't our first stop but it'll forever be our only stop from here on out.

Thank you Mark and team, simply the most educated and professional guns sales men I've ever...

We had a very disappointing experience at your store today. We walked in around 5:15 PM and were immediately made to feel unwelcome. After selecting several items, my husband went to try on clothes, but found the fitting rooms locked. The cashier, Mackenzie R., informed us they lock the rooms at 5:30 PM, which is understandable. However, it was clear she had locked them early and made no effort to be accommodating while my husband was standing there with clothes to try on.

What really stood out was the unprofessional attitude—she and another team member were making comments about needing to turn off the lights, and the music was turned off while we were still shopping. There was no greeting when we walked in, no warmth, and overall, we felt like a burden for being there.

Despite this, we still made a purchase and were fully checked out by 5:52 PM well before closing. We’ve been shopping here for years, but this experience made us question whether our business is...

Purchased a pair of Smith sunglasses from this “establishment” and tried returning the next day due to glasses sliding down when wearing them. Went to both Jacksonville and Pender County locations and neither would accept any form of return. Sunglasses had all original stickers, papers, box they came in, and original receipt and store didn’t even offer an in store credit. If you are going to have that return policy, then at least have some form of return policy posted. Did not find one on their website, the store receipt, or anywhere in the store itself. Additionally, every store associate I interacted with seemed to have some attitude or rude demeanor including the day I purchased these sunglasses. Will not be returning to this store or any of their stores and advise anyone who values customer service to shop...