Fear & Loading: New Place to Shop

by
posted on April 7, 2016
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
gsagi2015_fs.jpg

Last week Fresh Market announced it doesn’t want customers to bring their guns into its stores. Although the grocery store chain admits it has been in discussions with members of the anti-self-defense organization Mom’s Demand Action, the statement claims the decision was not the product of special-interest-group pressure.

I won’t be going back unless the policy changes. There’s a Harris Teeter down the street from the Southern Pines, N.C., location I frequent, so it’ll get my business unless that company also sides with the bunch of coupon-clipping granola-munchers with weekly political action committee meetings at the unemployment office.

Rather than taking my money elsewhere without notice, though, I dropped a note to corporate customer service. I suggest you do the same here. Keep it polite, businesslike enough to share with staff and brief.  

I went one step further. I’ve sent a note to Harris Teeter letting it know I’m shopping there because their policy so far reflects a genuine concern for its patrons and safety—and that’s the most basic principal of customer service, something its nearby competitor recklessly abandoned.   

The response from Harris Teeter’s customer service was better than I expected. “Good Morning Guy, thank you for your e-mail and support. Harris Teeter has and will continue to adhere to the firearms and concealed handgun laws as outlined by states in which we do business. We believe this issue is best handled by our lawmakers, not retailers.” 

If that doesn’t make you nod with an approving smile, check your pulse.

 

Latest

Federal Premium 7Mm Backcountry Artv 1
Federal Premium 7Mm Backcountry Artv 1

Behind Federal's 7 mm Backcountry Cartridge

In 2025, Federal Ammunition introduced its new 7 mm Backcountry cartridge, which operates at higher pressures than any previous commercial ammunition offering.

New for 2026: Beretta 94X Performance

The latest step in the evolution of Beretta's 90 series of handguns is the 94X Performance, a handgun that the company calls “the ultimate evolution of the Beretta competition pistol for IPSC and USPSA.”

Review: Spandau Arms RL

The Remington Model 700 lives on in the form of this RL bolt-action rifle produced in Turkey by Huglu and imported into the U.S. by Spandau Arms.

NRA Outstanding Achievement Youth Award Applications Open

The NRA is accepting applications for the 2027 NRA Outstanding Achievement Youth Award from junior shooting sports participants who demonstrate active involvement in their communities and in shooting sports.

The (Not So) Gray Man: Tips to Avoid Tacti-Cool & Blend into the Background

Being a true "gray man" is not flashy. It won’t get you followers or likes or nods from across the room. What it will get you is something far more valuable in the real world: freedom of movement. Reduced attention. Lower probability of being selected, targeted or remembered.

The Armed Citizen® Sept. 28, 2026

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.