I used to work at Scheels. After that wonderful experience, I'll never buy from there again. I dislike the attitude of some of the salesmen there. Most of them are like, "Hi. I'm so happy to kiss your butt and serve you in any way, shape, or form. Just give me my commission and I'll lick your boots with enthusiasm!" I got into trouble while working at Scheels. Why? I specialized in archery. A rookie came in and wanted the best, fastest, and most expensive bow we had in stock. I wouldn't sell it to him. Instead, I talked him into a cheaper and more forgiving bow. I told him, "Once you feel comfortable with your shooting, come on back and I'll set you up with something a little faster." The guy understood that I just wanted to help him and conceded that I knew what I was doing. However... my manager chewed my ass for doing that! He said, "Hey! I don't care what's best for the guy! I care about you making a high dollar sale!" After that... well, I figured it was time to walk away. I was naive in my youth and thought it would be a cool job.
On the subject of buying guns from Wal-Mart: Their customer support is p*ss poor, bottom line. It takes a month of Sundays to get someone to even show up to open a gun case. You may pay more for a rifle at a small gun shop, but you can tell they appreciate the business. Prices at Wal-Mart ain't that much cheaper, IMO. If you have to drive a ways to a smaller gun shop, I feel it's worth it.