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I remember the days when Cabela's and Bass Pro catalogs featured the best buys on fishing equip that could be found. Even with shipping. Today they are both the equivalent of REI and Eddie Bauer on pricing. Fun to go lookieloo at their stores, but I never find anything worthwhile to purchase!!!
I had a 400 slip marina with a boat dealership, gas sales, a cafe, and a tackle store on Table Rock Lake in Branson MO in 1974. Bass Pro Shops was then a warehouse in Springfield about 40 miles away, and a panel van that Len sold wholesale tackle out of on a weekly route that included us. How times have changed!

Here it was then:
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Here it is today:
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It seems that whenever one chain store brand is merged with another, the quality goes down. That's the story regardless of the type of store. Kroger's buys out Fred Meyer...Freddy's goes down hill. Albertson's is merged with Safeway....Safeway's nose dive into dingy copies of Albertson's.
Remember GI 'Joes before they were bought out by that California chain and died a slow death ?

As for Cabelas, well they didn't have that far to slide IMO. A couple of weeks ago I saw a flyer and thought I would give the Tualatin store another chance and get a new carry piece for my wife.
After an hour of waiting, we had made it to the NIC'S stage of the purchase. We had decided that my wife would go through the process since it was going to be her weapon. The "customer service" toad behind the counter takes a look at my wife {an Asian) and asks..."Well, can she read and write ?".

Never again...again. My bad. :mad:
 
It seems that whenever one chain store brand is merged with another, the quality goes down. That's the story regardless of the type of store. Kroger's buys out Fred Meyer...Freddy's goes down hill. Albertson's is merged with Safeway....Safeway's nose dive into dingy copies of Albertson's.
Remember GI 'Joes before they were bought out by that California chain and died a slow death ?

As for Cabelas, well they didn't have that far to slide IMO. A couple of weeks ago I saw a flyer and thought I would give the Tualatin store another chance and get a new carry piece for my wife.
After an hour of waiting, we had made it to the NIC'S stage of the purchase. We had decided that my wife would go through the process since it was going to be her weapon. The "customer service" toad behind the counter takes a look at my wife {an Asian) and asks..."Well, can she read and write ?".

Never again...again. My bad. :mad:

Seriously? Wow, I might have reacted quite poorly if I was in your shoes. :mad:

:)
 
My first introduction to Bass Pro was a trip thru Springfield, Mo. in about 1983 or so.
I had never been at a sporting goods store that had its own indoor creek & 2 story water fall, nor Olympic sized pool in the parking lot for testing their boating items. The Camo clothes section alone was larger than most department stores in my home sector, and the battery department was huge. Fishing poles occupied seven full aisles, and special fishing reels took most of another 2. Every clerk welcomed the opportunity to assist and answer any question about gear, game, or where to best encounter whatever I thought I wanted to hunt. It seemed like a piece of heaven.
 
Trying to buy from LGS anyway, and they have been making it easier. They have always been very hit an miss for me as far as the help at the gun counter. Have had some very good folks and exceptionally marginal ones as well, including the last encounter. He was trying to pitch the corporate line about he trigger locks and let me know that nobody needs to try a trigger before buying a gun. They already do this research before shopping there he advised. Yes, we will, at another shop and buy it there, not from the Big Yellow C. We have a Sportsmans close with overall good help and other LGS's.
 
I've never really had that big of a problem with the Cabelas in Lacey, other than their prices most of the time.

The first time I bought a gun there (technically my wife bought it for me), it took forever................. but then again, it was late afternoon on Fathers Day 2015, there was a discount on all guns, that day only, so naturally everybody and their father was there taking advantage of the sale. I knew what I was getting myself into as soon as I saw how many people were milling around the gun counter, but I just had to have that made for Cabelas only special 2 tone M&P, so I dealt with it. The sale price combined with the military discount made it worth the wait.

Then last year or the year before, they had a deal on Anderson lowers that came out to less than $40 each. I went there at lunch time in the middle of the week to pick up a couple and was in and out in about half an hour.

For the most part though, now days, if I go there, it's to check out the used guns and/or just to waste time.



Ray
 
My closest Cabelas has a large inventory of new and used guns.

Have a gripe against them?

Fine by me.

No one is forced to do business with them.

The one I go to is worth going to, but then maybe a Cabelas in Texas is different?

Plus, I'd be glad to do business with a LGS, but not if it means they sell for 30% higher than I can find the same gun on sale at Cabelas.
 
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If I buy from Cabela's, it's almost exclusively online, usually only ammo and only if I'm willing to play the "games:"
- Get them to price match a competitor's price. Their everyday prices are consistently too high
- Use gift cards purchased online at a discount, ranging from 12-20% off (depending on deals available on gift card sites)
- Use a referral website like Active Junky (they pay way less for ammo and firearms purchases)
- Use one of their $10 off $40 purchase coupons or the like (which are pretty much non-existent now)

For me, without this "deal stacking," Cabela's is never the best option.
Price isn't everything, but if they're not even close, I will take my dollars elsewhere.
I want to like Cabela's, but as others have commented, they are making it very hard for me to like them.

I hope they can turn things around. I would love to support them more as there aren't many large retailers left that are as deeply entrenched in supporting shooting sports. It would/will be a sad day if/when Cabela's/Bass Pro start closing stores and/or downsizing.
I hope it doesn't happen; we need as many big dogs (small & medium too!) in the fight as possible.
 
My closest Cabelas has a large inventory of new and used guns.

Have a gripe against them?

Fine by me.

No one is forced to do business with them.

The one I go to is worth going to, but then maybe a Cabelas in Texas is different?

Plus, I'd be glad to do business with a LGS, but not if it means they sell for 30% higher than I can find the same gun on sale at Cabelas.

We're spoiled out west with Sportsman's Warehouse. IMO it's everything Cabelas could and should be. Significantly better prices and the inventory reflects local needs, not corporate inventory.

I went into the Cabelas in Springfield shortly before halibut season, looking for 16/0 circle hooks and other halibut tackle. Nothing, and I mean nothing. They had every largemouth bass lure I could ever want, though.



P
 
...
As stated above, Anti-Gun Dicks is totally off my shopping list as well as Big5 and Field & Stream. Both owned by Dicks.
...

Not that I'm a huge fan of Big 5, but I think you might be confusing Big 5 with Sports Authority.
A few years back, Sports Authority filed bankruptcy and Dicks bought them up.
Big 5, as far as I'm aware, is still uniquely it's own company. Even they don't deserve to be lumped in with the awful Dicks Sporting Goods.
 
Trying to buy from LGS anyway...

Boy I'd sure like to. As I've said before, seldom does any LGS have what I'm looking for at any given time. I'm looking for two common, catalogued guns right now, and I've hit all the shops and am coming up with a zero.

So, I order online, and then I'm guilty of not supporting my LGS.o_O And if I pay the LGS a transfer fee, he gets a chunk of the purchase, anyway. It ends up costing me more than if the gun was in stock. So, I do the research, I use my own money, I do the ordering, I pay the shipping...So what's the advantage of the LGS stocking anything at all?

This is not an affront to @LuckySG at all, as he is the exception. He does all the work when I do need to order something online.:cool:
 
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Boy I'd sure like to. As I've said before, seldom does any LGS have what I'm looking for at any given time. I'm looking for two common, catalogued guns right now, and I've hit all the shops and am coming up with a zero.

So, I order online, and then I'm guilty of not supporting my LGS.o_O And if I pay the LGS a transfer fee, he gets a chunk of the purchase, anyway. It ends up costing me more than if the gun was in stock. So, I do the research, I use my own money, I do the ordering, I pay the shipping...Why would a LGS stock anything at all?

It seems that the in stock guns are now mainly the striker fired pistols and AR variants. Typically i still try to give the gun store the option to bring the gun in first unless it is a custom order.
Curious as to what you are looking for that is common but not carried locally.
 
It seems that the in stock guns are now mainly the striker fired pistols and AR variants. Typically i still try to give the gun store the option to bring the gun in first unless it is a custom order.
Curious as to what you are looking for that is common but not carried locally.

Sig P226E2 Nitron Full size in .40, a Glock 20sf and/or a Sig 220 Legion in 10mm. I know I can order them, but I'd sure like to compare them, side by side.
 
Latest was from a LGS...just 2,500 miles away. Does that count? I called EVERY dealer in the state of Oregon when I was actively looking for a specific 1911. It's been discontinued for a few years and stumbled on a new one out-of-state and arranged for a lawful transfer. Only one shop offered to order and was helpful (and my wife has gone back there to pick up her Kimber). Needless to say the big C was not helpful on this one either since it was not a typically stocked item.
 
HA! Great thread.
I dislike Cabelas. I especially dislike pretty much anything with a Cabelas brand on it. I think they used to be great. Literally everything I have purchased with a Cabelas logo or special edition has been a junk.
There have been a few times when you can get some good rebates and deals, but I have to look pretty hard and spend alot of time stacking coupons and promotions. Its just easier and cheaper to get from someone else.
As far as the gun counter in Springfield, couple nice cool helpful people, but mostly annoying unhelpful unfriendly staff. I could go on with grips, but they let a guy steal a few rifles so that tells ya what kind of staff they have.
 

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