08-09-2008, 04:27 PM
Headed out to Sportsman's on Friday to put new line on a few reels and stock up on some staples.
Line shop was out of Power Pro below 15 lb, and many others. No treble hooks in a size 6, 8, or 10. No WF- 5 floating fly line in almost ANY brand.
So then I really started looking around...
They were out of most of the popular sizes of fly hooks, spinning rods (4 total Ugly Sticks !), reels, etc. Most of the popular colors of needlefish, krocks, triple teasers, etc., hundreds of empty peg pins throughout the fishing dept.
A lot of the Carhartt & Columbia stuff is out dated and very heavy in small and XXL sizes. I asked to try a size 11 in two diffrent styles of Merrill shoes and Crocks, all of which they were out of.
A quick walk through the rest of the store saw empty shelf space where popular items used to sit in each of the hunting, camping, cooking, optics, and gift departments too.
I work in asset management, often with distressed retail businesses, and I've heard over the last few months that more and more vendors were no longer extending them credit, and instead putting them on a C.O.D. program.
As I walked around yesterday, the place had the familiar scent of chapter 11. I could be, and HOPE that I'm wrong, but I would bet that the not so distant future will see restructuring, stores closing, liquidation, etc... [frown]
It reminds me of what happened to Anglers Inn about the time that Sportsman's started coming on strong...
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Line shop was out of Power Pro below 15 lb, and many others. No treble hooks in a size 6, 8, or 10. No WF- 5 floating fly line in almost ANY brand.
So then I really started looking around...
They were out of most of the popular sizes of fly hooks, spinning rods (4 total Ugly Sticks !), reels, etc. Most of the popular colors of needlefish, krocks, triple teasers, etc., hundreds of empty peg pins throughout the fishing dept.
A lot of the Carhartt & Columbia stuff is out dated and very heavy in small and XXL sizes. I asked to try a size 11 in two diffrent styles of Merrill shoes and Crocks, all of which they were out of.
A quick walk through the rest of the store saw empty shelf space where popular items used to sit in each of the hunting, camping, cooking, optics, and gift departments too.
I work in asset management, often with distressed retail businesses, and I've heard over the last few months that more and more vendors were no longer extending them credit, and instead putting them on a C.O.D. program.
As I walked around yesterday, the place had the familiar scent of chapter 11. I could be, and HOPE that I'm wrong, but I would bet that the not so distant future will see restructuring, stores closing, liquidation, etc... [frown]
It reminds me of what happened to Anglers Inn about the time that Sportsman's started coming on strong...
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