For a used or demo firearm this is understandable, but for a brand new item, you expected the employee to take time out to pop the seal on multiple boxes, to take pictures and forward them to you, and then reseal the boxes and wait on you to confirm if you will buy them? And if you do, they then go back and find that item, all the while explaining future customers that the seal was broken to show pictures to someone?
Yeah, no, I'm with the store on this one. Too much effort and time being taken away from them helping someone in store, for too little reward.
If I went to my LGS, and the staff was busy opening new boxes to send everyone an image, they wouldn't have the time to help us in store, let alone locals having to buy pre opened/unsealed boxes.
Even in person a store will restrict you to one or two sealed + demo to chose from, not their whole inventory.
Unless it is a used item, or a known display item, there is zero reason to inspect a factory sealed box. Any variations in wood stocks for grain patterns etc. is a variable item that will differ to every single unit, that's something you have to accept with a sight unseen purchase. Fit and finish is factory spec expected, eg: general tikka finishing will be better than a savage, and if you are that picky about finish buying a tikka would be a better option from the start
By your logic one would open multiple iPhones, toasters, or power tools just to pick and buy the one they like.
That being said most stores are very accommodating for something that's damaged in transit or is a genuine manufacturing issue upon delivery.
