Cabela's in the news...

[Hawkez]

An interesting report that has got me salivating. Not too much longer 'til we have somewhere else to lose the house payment. It is interesting how long the average customer is inside the store. I visted the Sydney Cabela's, and I am sure we were inside for more than that amount of time.

Here is the link if you are interested.

[url "http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=92853"]http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=92853[/url]
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[Coldfooter]

Yep its impressive but personally I see it as a lot of glitter, glamor, and glitz and of course its intended to be just that..
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[BearLakeMack]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Am I the only one thats not too happy Cabela's is coming to Utah? If the retail store is anything like the Bass Pro Shop in Las Vegas, the retail store will have no where near the entire selection of the catalogs. That means you most likely will have to order a non stocked item from catalog sales and along with shipping you'll have to pay the sales tax as well. Also there will be no deals when a free shipping offer comes along because of the sales tax.[/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I purchased a 25 hp Nissan outboard from Cabela's at the lowest price I could find anywhere and also got free shipping to boot. The motor was aprox $2000. After the sales tax is applied you can add another 6.5% or $130! OUCH![/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Yes the "Big Show" retail store will be cool with all it's exhibits but that doesn't impress me more than once. What impresses me is buy great gear from a great company. The shipping on most things I'd buy at Cabela's about equals the sales tax so it was pretty close to a wash but now mandatory sales tax will be applied to all Cabela's purchases whether they are on-line ordered or bought from the retail store. So now for me, I have to drive 2 hours and hope the retail store has what I need so I'll only have to pay the sales tax. Heaven forbid that I'll need to order it from the catalog and get double whammied.[/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]I really can't see how we made out as consumers...[/size][/font]
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[Hawkez]

I couldn't agree with you more, but it here so I figure I will enjoy it. I am plenty happy with Sportsman's, even though some are not, and I think Cabela's will only make Sportsman's better.

Sportsman's Warehouse doesn't have a whole lot of competition, so with Cabela's coming in I am hoping that the new competior will force Sprotsman's to be more customer oriented. Maybe more and better sales! I hope, or maybe it will remain the same, but I am hoping my optimism will prove true.
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[Coldfooter]

No Rich, by no means are you the only one that see's it the way you do. []
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[AFDan52]

[font "Arial Black"][red][size 3] I can't wait to get in that place.[/size][/red][/font]
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[ocean]

I totaly agree with you on sportsmans. Thye need to pay more attention to all customers not just the ones they want to!Some of them act like they are doing us a favor by us being there.Oh well maybe cabelas will change that.But i am looking forward to going to cabelas.[]
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[Rapo]

Hi Josh,

The Lehi store will be twice as large as the one in Sidney. I am still over 100 miles from Lehi, will not get to the store as often as I would like, so I will still do mail order. We don't have a lot of choice here in Vernal, Super Walmart (Wally World), Basin Sports, and Kenneth's Catfishin Bait & Tackle. Kenneth's has been open around three years, was in there a few days ago, they are charging $9.00+ for most all the Rapala lures, and are high on most all their stuff. I guess they are out to get the tourist that are passing through. Walmart carries a pretty good line of tackle and is cheaper than Basin Sports, but I still buy stuff at Basin, it is a nice store. I am retired and on a fixed income, so I watch prices pretty close. I feel that Sportsman's will have to change there ways after Cabela's opens. I welcome Cabela's.
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[BrittHunter]

I have not walked into sportsmans for over a year because of poor employees I cant stand going in there asking for something or asking about the product and they have no clue. I am looking forward to cabelas where they actually hire someone who knows what they are selling there. Plus I get to go there before they offically open to beat out the crowds.[cool]
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[BADFISH]

I think I am about to drop half my points in the popularity contest...I work for sportsmans over in the corporate offices. cant tell you what I do for them. security we will say. Anyhow, I agree and disagree. I have met some employees that I could have learned more from reading the back of a gulp package on how to use it than I got from them. But..here it is the big BUT...for the most part as a whole I have found the people at sportsmans to be knowledgeable and helpful when I have questions. I went into midvale location as joe blow off the street and asked about shotguns and how they work, I got schooled, and without making a purchase that day the guys spent over an hour showing me different gun styles, how to dimantle, clean, use, what to clean and use with, untill I had made a decision on what I was going to buy, the Binelli 12 gauge pump 8 shot entry level comes with 3 chokes for what type of ammo you run, a full beginner video, pretty much anything except the ammo and cleaning kit. They were great there and patient, I felt it wasnt about the sale, but about the education of the customer. they will be shocked though when I go buy the gun and tell them Im with Corporate. ha ha.

In parting I would like to put the word out, that if you have had such issue in the past as dealing with employee lack of knowledge or know-how, there is an open door policy you can ask for the department manager or the store manager. they will take care of you...but you cant bottle up the problem, if you just walk out thinking "what a dope" about your floor person, then the store wont know there is an issue, probaly just training, that needs to be addressed. but I ask you to take the few minutes and tell us about it and let us resolve it, and get you taken care of.

I was talking to the owner of sportsmans, he told me that based on their numbers reports, cabelas wont turn a profit for the first 5 or 6 years here, I dont back up the info on this just take it for what it is. They will lose approx 3 to 4 MILLION dollars a year just keeping the doors open for that period, then they make a buck. keep that in mind.

Last point and its short...These are RETAIL businesses here, low paying part time/student/summer jobs. the whole idea in retail is to sell..not pay top dollar for employees. at either company. When was the last time you walked into gap and asked what the stress test rating for the thread on the buttons in the fly of your jeans was. NEVER you just ask WHERE the jeans are. That should be the expectation when you walk into any retail store, they can take you to the area but dont expect too much knowledge about items...that is when you ask for a lead or manager to assist you in the finer points of the electronics or such, In sportsmans the exception is in the giftbar area...the big square in the middle...those employees have to pass tests on product knowledge.

just my 2 bits. I am happy over all we are getting more options for out outdoors supply locations. I am also happy to see cabelas, I dont have credit cards and have never ordered out of the catalog...only gotten belas boxes wrapped in birthday or christmas paper.
thanks.
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[Kent]

I have had some good and some bad experiences at Sportsman's. I have had some employees walk up to me and ask if I needed any help, and have been knowledgeable about what I was interested in. I have had some others who tried to "sell" me something and tried to explain the virtues of the product, and because of knowledge I already posessed I quickly realized that they knew next to nothing about the product. My biggest frustration has been on several occasions I have wanted help, and I have found two employees standing talking to each other. I have gone over and stood next to them, and patiently (well sort of) waited for them to realize that a customer was standing there looking at them and hoping to receive some help. On some occasions I have given up waiting for them to complete an obvious personal conversation and just walked away in disgust.
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[Coldfooter]

Kent I can relate to your statement but have to add I find this exact situation in all retail stores. Its simply a matter of who's there to actually earn their pay check verses who's there to be given a pay check for merely being there wasting their time and yours....
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[PREDATOR]

Kent, heres my opinion.

Not that it matters much.

But I thought that you know enough about my personal situation that you might be able to appreciate my perspective.

Cabelas and sportsmans whse are not interested at all in customer service.

Yeah, guys who work there will tell you customer service is thier code of honor. And the managment pounds the idea of customer service into the employee's heads.

But in all reality, the big box retailers are about two things and two things only.
1 Price.
2 Selection.

Think its not true?

Think about it. Go into sportsmans or cabelas and try to order a product from a vendor they dont carry.

They will send you away without even trying. Thats the way the big box retailers work. They buy certain items in bulk to get big price breaks, stock the shelf with lots of popular product, and sell it cheap.

The guys that are in the customer service buisness are places that bend over backwards to do ANYTHING for you. Places like hooked, or custom sports in hyde park, or fish tech.

The small shops compete in customer service, they dont compete in price or selection. Thier buisness base survives on customer service.
The big box boys dont have a clue what real customer service is, they know how to move bulk product.

Neither sportsmans or cabelas has the power to order all the items in thier store, at the store.
Its all done at the corporate headquarters by buyers who dont work in the stores.

Even to get new product in the stores they have to go get approval through the corporate.

Thats not how the top end customer service happens. Thats how you negotiate bulk pricing, and sell loads of gear.

The idea that cabelas or sportsmans is even in the customer service buisness is insane.

So, my take is, its not about service at the big stores, its about price and availabilty of the specific product I want to buy.
Whoever has the product and has the best price wins the buisness.

Guys who are excited about the glitz, and glam of fanfare boggle my mind.
The last thing I am interested in is spending hours in a store.
In and out, best price, and have what I want on the shelf.

In todays wolrd, a guy can get anything he wants online. You can now buy direct from just about any manufacturer. So selection is wide open.
Its critical to have the product on the shelf, since if I have to wait to get it from cabelas, I might as well wait and have it delivered to my house from the manufacturer.

Having product available on the shelf at the exact time I want it, at the best price is all I care about.

Basically bad fish is right.

I know a couple of the guys who got jobs at cabelas in thier fishing dept.
These guys arent getting paid much, and at their pay level the idea that they will own much of the equipment in the store is unrealistic.

If they dont own and use it, the idea that they will know much about it is pretty slim.

You can find out more about a product on your own most of the time, but occasionally you get a guy who knows his product, but chances are he doesnt know all the products available.

I know that for some reason there is a lot of people who cant see past the fancy show room, and the name.

My opinion.
I am glad cabelas is here. Why? Well, I have already done my comparson. Over the past ten years cabelas hasnt been cheaper on price, or had a better selection than what I could get locally, but I am glad they are here.
Not because they will get any of my buisness, but because people will hate you just because you are the only game in town.

Anglers inn was hated by the vast majority because they were the only option. It wasnt a bad store. Thier customer service was no different than thier competitors.
They were simply hated because they were the only choice a guy had other than po-dunk garts.

Cabelas gives the haters a choice. It also gives people who hate cabelas a choice. If cabelas was the only game in town and sportsmans moved in the rage would be about sportsmans in the hater circles.

These people are not interested in price and selection. They are just interested in satisfying thier hate.

Dont believe that?

Just ask anyone who says he is excited about one or the other, and why.
If they say I would rather pay more money for the same product........

Whatever.

If cabelas happens to have the product I want, and they have the best price on it, I will get it there. If they dont have it, or dont have the best price, I will get it somewhere else.
One thing I wont ever expect is customer service from a place that is set up to compete in the big box retail world.

Cheap pay, cheap prices, and so much stuff theres no way one guy could know it all in a lifetime.
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[Kent]

Mike -- I pretty much agree with everything that you wrote. I am looking forward to Cabela's moving in because I am hoping with so much floor space devoted to fishing that they will have a larger selection than Sportsman's has. I was one that hated to see Angler's Inn go out of business. Often I could find products in there that Sportsman's didn't carry. I rarely care whether or not the small or the large store will special order something for me. The reason I feel that way is that in today's world one can order anything that they need on the Internet. With the exception of KMart, I don't really have any department or fishing stores that are close to me, so I am not interested in having something special ordered and then having to make a second trip to pick it up -- if I can't find it locally I would just as soon order it Online myself and have it delivered to my house.

I would estimate that on well over 95% of the fishing items that I purchase I really don't want or need any input from a sales person. I know what I want, and often the only help I need is to know where it is located in the store, or if they stock the item I am looking for. Having employees standing talking to each other about personal business, and in the process not even realizing that a customer needs help, is not unique to Sportsman's; unfortunately, it is a far too common experience in many business establishments.

I agree that whenever possible one should support the smaller shops such as Hooked, but on the other hand one shouldn't feel guilty about finding the best deal in town, if it happens to be at the large box store.
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[Bigfishrule]

Predator,

I too dont find Cabela's cheaper on alot of items. But some items they are cheaper. But the catalogs are a good way to compare prices. Cabelas also dos'nt have every item I want, but has some items I don't find elsewhere. So I will continue to visit numerous stores and and Cabelas to the list.
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