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Sportsman's Warehouse
#1
For the past couple of months I'm becoming less enthused about going into SW. Rods are not being stock, tackle has become bare bones. I don't even know what's up in the hunting department since all my interest is fishing these days. My son informs me SW in Sacramento is operating same way so it must be all over. They were struggling to stay afloat 6-8yrs ago and closed a few stores. After restructuring with more and newer stock they looked promising to hang around. I know covid has played part in keeping stores stocked but empty shelves don't keep the customers flowing in. I won't be going back under this situation. Has anyone heard if this could be DOOM & GLOOM for SW?
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Harrisville UT
2000 7.3L F250 Superduty  '07 Columbia 2018 Fisherman XL Raymarine Element 9HV 4 Electric Walker Downriggers Uniden Solara VHF
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#2
They are posting on the web for a bunch of jobs in SLC and elsewhere. The Saint George is maybe half stocked so it's widespread. I know a lot of manufacturers shut down due to COVID and I bet it's just tough getting new inventory. For example bike shop down here has sold out and new mountain bikes won't be available until October at best. Probably same issue hitting SW. That said I haven't seen Scheels having a issue with inventory to the extent SW is.
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#3
Yep, the few stores in Idaho that I go to are the same. I've just started building my own fishing rods and lures, found it to be cheaper and don't have to depend on stores having what I want in stock.
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#4
It's the same at the store in Heber. Even Walmarts fishing isles are running low in Heber and Park City.
Live to hunt----- Hunt to live.
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#5
I've had trouble finding the sinkers and swivels I want.  Even broke down and tried Cabela's in Farmington on my way home from work.  Their shelves were pretty empty.

The big surprise for me was going to get a gallon of antifreeze and the shelves were empty.
Bryce Lowder
I do what the voices in my wife's head tell me to.
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#6
COVID 19 issues
A lot of the products are typically coming from China and COVID has the manufacturing, shipping and distribution shut down or operating at very low capacity, we are still waiting on for items for the house that have been on order for a couple months
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#7
I went into Cabela's, in Farmington, a couple days ago. I was looking for five items and they had one of them (they were even sold out of night crawlers). I have placed some orders, for braided fishing line, on Wish.com, at least two months ago, and the estimated delivery dates keep moving further out, to currently September and October!
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#8
I've had good luck ordering from Sportsman's website, got everything in about a week.
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#9
(07-17-2020, 04:03 PM)meancuznalfy Wrote: I've had good luck ordering from Sportsman's website, got everything in about a week.

I've also had good success ordering from Cabela's website.  Because I have a Cabela's credit card I order regularly from Cabela's (using my points).
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#10
(07-16-2020, 06:30 PM)Bduck Wrote: For the past couple of months I'm becoming less enthused about going into SW. Rods are not being stock, tackle has become bare bones. I don't even know what's up in the hunting department since all my interest is fishing these days. My son informs me SW in Sacramento is operating same way so it must be all over. They were struggling to stay afloat 6-8yrs ago and closed a few stores. After restructuring with more and newer stock they looked promising to hang around. I know covid has played part in keeping stores stocked but empty shelves don't keep the customers flowing in. I won't be going back under this situation. Has anyone heard if this could be DOOM & GLOOM for SW?
I talked with one of there suppliers, several weeks ago and was complaining about the lack of stock, he said that when the Pandemic first came on that Sporetsmans canceled all of their purchase orders, it is that disruption in there supply chain that's causing the shortages as they scramble along with other retailers to fill  there shelf's now.
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#11
(07-17-2020, 08:15 PM)obifishkenobi Wrote: I talked with one of there suppliers, several weeks ago and was complaining about the lack of stock, he said that when the Pandemic first came on that Sporetsmans canceled all of their purchase orders, it is that disruption in there supply chain that's causing the shortages as they scramble along with other retailers to fill  there shelf's now.

Bad timing on their part.  If they would have had a crystal ball they would have doubled their orders and made a killing during the pandemic.  On the fishing trips I have been making, during the middle of the week, I have been shocked at how many boats full of anglers that I have seen on the water.  I realize lots of folks are not working, these days, but it seems a little odd that so many people can afford to go boat-fishing while not being employed.  I fear that too many folks are running up their credit cards.
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#12
Yea, hit American falls this morning for a bit and was surprised at all the fishing and pleasure boats, but could be people working 4-10s. Have to stop and see what the Twin falls store has, lost my pocket knife today and need a new one.
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#13
I'm the fishing manager at the Riverdale Sportsman's, but don't tell the company, I am also good friends with a couple of Cabelas managers in other states.  LOL

All of us in the industry are being hit hard.  I hear the question at least a dozen times a day "are you going out of business?".  Huh  My normal answer is 'no more than Walmart' when they ran out of toilet paper.  The same thing that caused the toilet paper to run out has caused fishing, hunting, kayaks, canoes, LIFE JACKETS, and on and on and on to run out.  Yes, it is COVID-19.  People are doing outdoors things at a rate never seen before. Confused

I tell people that we in the industry sit on a three legged stool.  Remove one leg and you are pretty unstable.  Remove two and you pretty much can't stay up.  Remove all three and you are flat on your behind.   Idea

Leg one was the fact that we brilliant Americans have 70% plus of our fishing, hunting, camping, etc., made overseas, especially China.  SW, and our competitors, have no control over that.  China got the COVID-19 first and production stopped.  Even other companies that make most of the product in the US, like Berkley PowerBait, still get components/ingredients from other sources overseas.  Leg one broke.

Leg two was the fact that when product is shipped, it goes by, oh ya, "ship".  The ports they go to when the product is made in Asia are Washington, Oregon, and California.  Anyone watching the news knows that those three states are pretty much not allowing anyone to work.  Ships are being unloaded slowly at best, and the product is staged in local Warehouses that are also pretty much not being worked.  Leg two broke.  

Leg three, if it even mattered, is the number of people buying outdoor sports product.  Our fishing sales are off the charts, way way above normal.  Cases in point is PowerBait.  I was out, so very out, so I got company permission to order on their credit card some for Memorial Day, way over our cost, and sale price, just to have something for the Holiday.  It was sold out in a few hours, lost money doing it, but we wanted to serve our customers for what we thought would be a very short outage.  We were out for several weeks after that but we got a huge Pallet of PowerBait, and several direct ships.  We got enough to last a normal summer and then some, but it sold so fast we had to put a 4 jar per customer limit.  We are out again, but hoping to get more soon.  Just please don't ask me when, my prediction methods are not working.  I and my wife traveled the Northern part of the State, and we found some, small shipments here, small shipments there, and I have directed my customers to competitors when I could.  How about sinkers?  Same story, I am not sure that there is any to buy in the state.  We were out for a long time, got a huge shipment and filled our pegs, and it was all gone in a little more than a week.  Every direct shipment, every shipment from our Distribution Center, we hope, we hope hard.  I told my customers where I saw sinkers as well, but was told by one competitor to STOP.  47 customers asked about PFD's/life jackets on Friday.  Normally have over 600 in the store, but I have not been able to get more than 8 or 10 each week for over a month.  No buyer, no planner, no manufacture could have planned for this increase in sales.

Each of those legs by themselves would have made any of our stores look sick, empty, bare, but with all three legs broken we are just trying to find a way to right ourselves.

Feel free to check out all of the competitors.  I could give you the list, but many of you can check out your local store and confirm what I am saying.

I will say this much, plans are in the works for SW to step up to the plate, which means the other Brands are doing the same.  WE ALL get freight in, and we all get different freight in each shipment.  Maybe we will get sinkers this shipment, maybe one of our competitors will, but odds are that someone will get some, and when they do, they will be sold out fast.

This has been a year from He!!.  I have been verbally assaulted for being out, called a liar, called lazy and told we had it in the back room, and I could go on.  My competitors are the same, and I feel for them.  Many competitors were shopping in my store when they ran out, as I did theirs.  Now we all just complain to each other.   Confused

To answer the question, the problem is not limited to Sportsman's Warehouse, or to our competitors in Utah.  It is coast to coast, North to South.  Just when we think we see the light at the end of the tunnel, the tunnel seems to get longer.

But, we at Sportsman's will continue to offer the best customer service possible, with what we have to provide.  I expect that the other Brands are trying to do the same.  I am told that COVID-19 will end, someway, somehow, and I look forward to that day.  But, please note, it will not go away quickly, and the shelves will not get stocked quickly either.  But, we will stock the shelves as fast as we possibly can.

I beg of you, please be kind to my employees when you visit, and be kind to the employees of my competitors as well.  We are all doing what we can as fast as we can.  And as for Riverdale, I would take offense if you did not say hi if you come in.  Ask for Steve; if I don't have what you need, I can at lest complain about it with you.   Angel

Now, get out their and social distance.  Is it not interesting that most fishing rods are over 6' long, the suggested distance.  It must be a sign.   Exclamation Angel Angel
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#14
Thanks much Steve for getting on this thread and giving us an update and the facts about this situation. Most of us the fish at least once a week, had a feeling that was what was happening just by the shear number of people we see out fishing every day of the week now, no more weekend crowds, it's crowded every day.
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#15
Thanks Steve for the insight of SW. COVID has truly driven a lot to the outdoors. Myself I like shopping SW but unfortunately what I look for is bare to empty so I'll be awaiting for the restock to happen. With hunting season at the front door now I expect the other half will be picked clean which probably has been going on anyways. I've been hearing of a shortage of gun sales for a while. With the unfortunate scale back of stocking shelves and sales limited also effects employee work hours to furloughs to unemployment. I sincerely hope it doesn't come to any of that especially the latter. Amazon is a good resource for some items as we all know but I had to let my prime membership expire as paying for 2 day delivery has committed it to a longer delivery time under their normal delivery of 5-7 days. Another situation awaiting normality's to resume. [i]See ya on the water, BE SAFE.[/i]
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Harrisville UT
2000 7.3L F250 Superduty  '07 Columbia 2018 Fisherman XL Raymarine Element 9HV 4 Electric Walker Downriggers Uniden Solara VHF
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#16
Thanks for the input Steve, kinda surmised that it was supply issue for the stores, but didn't get much of a answer when I asked at the store. Hopefully stores can get back on track again soon.
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#17
Thank you Steve for your detailed explanation.
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#18
Same thing in golf stores. It isn't just outdoors gear, either. In WalMart the other day, I was shocked to see the men's sock aisle empty - or nearly so. Socks, for Pete's sake! Electronics the same. But, all either made in Asia or shipped from there.
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#19
(07-19-2020, 05:22 PM)RockyRaab2 Wrote: Same thing in golf stores. It isn't just outdoors gear, either. In WalMart the other day, I was shocked to see the men's sock aisle empty - or nearly so. Socks, for Pete's sake! Electronics the same. But, all either made in Asia or shipped from there.
I think we have totally brought this on ourselves by relying so heavily on China for most of our products now days, scary situation.
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#20
(07-19-2020, 08:15 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote:
(07-19-2020, 05:22 PM)RockyRaab2 Wrote: Same thing in golf stores. It isn't just outdoors gear, either. In WalMart the other day, I was shocked to see the men's sock aisle empty - or nearly so. Socks, for Pete's sake! Electronics the same. But, all either made in Asia or shipped from there.
I think we have totally brought this on ourselves by relying so heavily on China for most of our products now days, scary situation.

Reminds me of a few years back, I had a neighbor who insists on buying things made in the U.S.A.  He went the whole winter without a coat because he couldn't find one that was made in the U.S.A.
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