Cabela's rant

[brentc]

When we want something we go to the tiny only local sporting goods store in our town. Wether they have it or not, we have already done our research. If they can't be within a few bucks, we order online. The owner gets chapped sometimes when we ask "how close can ya get to this price for X product". I'm all about supporting the little guy but i hate it dry.

Yup. Dry hurts.

 

[MtPockets]

I'm all about supporting the little guy but i hate it dry.

A lot of times, the little guy is limited in what he can do because his supplier charges him more than what we can find it for on the internet.
I buy more than Id like to online, too, but I try to just do my research there. Sometimes, its about impossible to ignore the savings.

 

[turkeyfever]

No one is twisting anyones arm to shop at either Bass Pro or Cabelas. They can price it how ever they would like it. You don't have to spend your monies there. But it is a nice place to visit when I am traveling and have to take a break.

 

[okie man]

You're right! I went too big R yesterday and picked up 2 pounds of varget and another pound of h4350 for $24.99 each! I don't need no stinkin' Cabela's

 

[hydehunter]

the bargain caves are all going per a customer service person at my local cabelas due to the changing of return policy per bass pro. they no longer are going to allow returns at cabelas like they used to also not just the customers are being screwed just ask the employees what has been done to them, notice most of them are gone and new kids there now, I will drive 130 miles to Scheels or buy online from now or try to uy from the local guy

 

[Gord0]

There are a lot of new employees at our local Cabela's. A lot seem to have poor attitudes regardless of if they're new or not.

 

[lefty308]

The main reason Bass Pro bought them was because they were about a year from going under. The only part of the store that made any money was the credit card issuing. That was the only profitable department for about three years before they were bought. A big reason for their poor numbers was their return policy, which was chronically abused by people, and the lifetime warranty on their things, which was also badly abused by people for years.(yes, it was the stores fault for wording the policy as it was, but people abused a good thing, so now they have lost it) IMO its better to have them stay open and be bought by bass pro, than to close all together, which is what was going to happen.

I have seen great prices on some things, and bad ones on others. Good news is, they price match local competitors if need be.

 

[slas]

Same problem in Oklahoma City, I used to go to Cabela's regularly for reloading items and other goodies. Bass Pro buys them out and all the sudden their shelves are bare of any selection on bullets, powders or primers. I asked the guy when they'd be restocking after my second trip there, he acted a bit embarrassed, shrugged his shoulders and told me he thought I'd be better off ordering online. I did, and they sent me the wrong stuff....2 times. I'm done.

 

[MtPockets]

The main reason Bass Pro bought them was because they were about a year from going under. The only part of the store that made any money was the credit card issuing. That was the only profitable department for about three years before they were bought. A big reason for their poor numbers was their return policy, which was chronically abused by people, and the lifetime warranty on their things, which was also badly abused by people for years.(yes, it was the stores fault for wording the policy as it was, but people abused a good thing, so now they have lost it) IMO its better to have them stay open and be bought by bass pro, than to close all together, which is what was going to happen.

I have seen great prices on some things, and bad ones on others. Good news is, they price match local competitors if need be.

I don't know about the "a year from going under", but as far as the abuse of the return policy- I have a very hard time believing that it was abused to the point of closing them down.
Dick and Jim did very well with that very same policy for a lot of years. If it had anything to do with returns, IMHO it was because the quality of their branded merchandise went downhill not the abuses of a few jackwagons.
I actually feel like they were going downhill before being bought out, but BP has only made matters worse.

 

[lefty308]

I don't know about the "a year from going under", but as far as the abuse of the return policy- I have a very hard time believing that it was abused to the point of closing them down.
Dick and Jim did very well with that very same policy for a lot of years. If it had anything to do with returns, IMHO it was because the quality of their branded merchandise went downhill not the abuses of a few jackwagons.
I actually feel like they were going downhill before being bought out, but BP has only made matters worse.

There were other issues besides the returns and warranty abuse, but that is why those things were going away, and with a store so expensive to run, loss from abuses makes a much larger impact than you might think. When the buy out/merger happened, I was in a position to have info regarding the financial state of Cabelas, and with the way things were trending, the credit system would have supported them for roughly a year before they would have had to make some very hard decisions.
As far as the decline beforehand, and the quality since the takeover, I agree. Just saying that I would rather see them open with a bit of a rough transition than to close and lose a ton of jobs for people.

 

[MtPockets]

My opinion is that they opened way too many stores in a short period of time. Like someone else commented- they were building brick and mortar when everyone else was going internet.
And not just run-of-the-mill brick and mortar, either.

 

[ar10ar15man]

so i went in to redeem my 600 bucks in points, the scope that the system said was in stock, was not( and yes i tried calling..no answer).
so bASS pro is 50 min away, and their inventory says in stock. call...no answer after 2 transfers. drive over, only the demo is available AND NO MIL DISCOUNT ON OPTICS.
i was just in my last cabellas/bASS pro. no more.
sportsmans, look for some alternatives.

 

[Bigaldepr]

I stopped buying most of my reloading supplies from Cabela's as well. They wanted $39.95 for Varget so I bought it for $29.95 at Murdoch's here in Colorado. Their selection and stock was poor as well. IMO Bass Pro Shop is slowly ruining Cabela's. When one company acquires another typically the priorities shift to those of the buyer and I'm not much of a fisherman.

 

[brentc]

so i went in to redeem my 600 bucks in points, the scope that the system said was in stock, was not( and yes i tried calling..no answer).
so bASS pro is 50 min away, and their inventory says in stock. call...no answer after 2 transfers. drive over, only the demo is available AND NO MIL DISCOUNT ON OPTICS.
i was just in my last cabellas/bASS pro. no more.
sportsmans, look for some alternatives.

Sounds like somebody just didn't want to give you the discount. Surprisingly, optics aren't part of the long exclusion list. At least as it's written, who knows what's going to happen at the counter.