Changing times at Cabelas
Equipment
Not so long ago, we would make the annual springtime journey to Nebraska. Not only to hunt turkey but to shop Cabelas and purchase items from the wish list. The store always had good supporting staff members and their customer service was stellar. I just made a visit to the Ridgegate store to return a product and had the same experience from a Cabelas store in Ackworth, Georgia. Plenty of Cabela's members walking around, but the customer service desk was understaffed. M making a simple return took way too long before hearing those 4 wonderful words "can I help ya". So long Cabelas I'll be shopping at other places from now on.
The main thing I notice is they are about 10/15% higher than other places.
An understaffed CS desk is the fault of the manager, not the brand...
Although CS is an important part, that should NEVER be the only reason you buy a product.
Gander mountain going under,now the rest can stick it to the working man.never fails.
Bass Pro has nothing to do with the quality of customer service at Cabela, sorry.
Well, Bass Pro owns Cabelas now, so.........
Actually, the sale hasn't been finalized yet.. we do shows at both stores, and not even management at the Cabela stores will be effected.
I was at Cabelas in Ft. Worth last Friday. Had a great experience store assistance, check out and Customer Service area.
I was with Cabelas mgt. personnel during my recent trip. "The Sale" was part of our conversation. I was told that Cabelas is expanding the fishing items from BPS and BPS is expanding hunting items from Cabelas. I saw evidence at the Ft. Worth store. I don't think you will see consolidation as both brands have designated customer loyalty. Johnny Morris is smart enough to recognize that fact and will profit from keeping both brands separate.
I recently purchased the Cabelas Ultimate Cookstation XL in large part because of the lifetime warranty. Several parts came damaged in the box. I have talked with no less than seven different customer service representatives with no resolution yet because they state parts are not available as the unit is made overseas. Pretty disappointing so far.
IMO...the problem with both Cabelas and BPS is they sell many products at high retail pricing. Alot of folks looking for something of moderate to high cost will look somewhere else for a lower cost as they do not want to pay a high retail cost. Often times (not always) you can find a product you're looking for online cheaper than Cabelas and BPS....and that will include free shipping.
"I recently purchased the Cabelas Ultimate Cookstation XL in large part because of the lifetime warranty. Several parts came damaged in the box. I have talked with no less than seven different customer service representatives with no resolution yet because they state parts are not available as the unit is made overseas. Pretty disappointing so far." So did they not offer to replace the entire box with one that had all the parts intact? If not, I'd strongly ask that you either return the box with the defective parts and get your money back or get a new box with all the parts in good shape. That appears to be the only satisfactory to your situation.
To complain about high pricing is the vice when heralding the benefits of Capitalism and a free market economy.
The vote in whether to accept the bass pro buyout is july 11 I believe. $61.50 a share.
Bass Pro needs to turn the lights up...way too dark in their stores, what's with that?
Cabela's is getting ready to open a store here in Albuquerque, NM. I've never been to a Cabela's before. As a kid I treated their catalogues like the Bible! I ordered from them plenty and awaited the arrival of my stuff like most kids wait for Santa Claus.
We've already got a Sportsman's Warehouse here. This isn't a big enough town for both IMO. Truth is, I prefer to spend my time and money at the local Archery Pro Shops where I know the owners and am treated like family. I do shop at Sportsman's on occasion, but generally just to pick up some Mountain House or fuel for the JetBoil...small things like that. While I'm not a computer guy, I generally make more major purchases online directly from the manufacturer [Kifaru, Orion Coolers]. I also check Camofire.com pretty regularly.
In summary, I think big box sporting goods stores are facing an uphill battle.
BassPro doesn't own Cabelas yet. I believe it is still in court
I wouldn't buy gear from either Bass Pro or Cabela's. They sell mediocre gear at high retail prices to the masses of people. Their archery departments are pathetic. If you want good gear, you have to go straight to the source (internet / direct to consumer) and bypass these big box junk stores
You can buy any product either sells online for wayyy less. Gander Mountain seemed to have a model where they just marked up cabelas/BP stuff another 25% and put it out for sale. Here in Texas, I buy most of my stuff at a store chain called Academy. They are across the road from Gander in Beaumont, Texas and are easily 25-30% cheaper. Generally, they have whatever I need in stock.
"In summary, I think big box sporting goods stores are facing an uphill battle."
Yes, retail in general is dying and fast. Too many times while I'm in the store I look up an item on my phone and can save upwards of 40-50%. Looks like walmart and amazon are having it out right now, this should be interesting.
Cabelas in Charleston WV is always well staffed.
I stopped shopping in any store that makes me wait in a line too...they should know better.
IMO....in the true free market society, competition can be the curse for the seller and a great thing for the buyer. If you block out the attractive, outdoorsy look of Cabelas and BPS and look solely at their product mix, they have a good mix, it's just the high retail pricing that IMO turns off the value shopper. They need to rethink their pricing structure against the competition....mainly the online wholesale competition....and maybe redefine who their core customer is. I think attractive storefronts and live fish tanks will only carry them for so long.
I like Cabelas, but today find myself buying most of my hunting supplies from Amazon. Many times have better pricing, free and fast shipping on most items. I would check out Amazon, they have increased their outdoor supplies immensely.
My biggest thing is with the shipping charges at Cabelas. When I'm looking for an item and find that the shipping on $100 or $150 item is $16-20 I start to look at options. Then I find the same item online for less $$ with free shipping. That's a no brained. If Cabelas shipping charges were less they might still have a sale.
How many of these high priced things are 'Made in America'? Being made here comes with a price...
My biggest complaint about the retail stores is they often don't have what I want. They don't seem to have them stocked very well with some of their products. I'm mainly speaking of the MN stores. I like their stuff.
my only complaint with cabelas is they often make changes to a good product, and lower the quality or functionality. I have seen this with pants, boots, socks, etc. over many years.
I have never had a problem with their customer service, yet. I find the value and pricing of their items to be very good with few exceptions.
Bass Pro will ruin them, and as you can see they are already well on their way to doing so...
What few things I buy, I buy from Cabela's if they have them. I live 12-miles from a BP. If I buy anything from them, I do so on-line and pay the shipping, as I do with Cabela's. I'd rather pay shipping than fight the traffic. My experience with both has been nothing but outstanding in terms of customer service and shipping. I do know for a fact, BP has not yet finalized the buyout of Cabela's and have no input on anything in Cabela's store. I also know, it does not matyter one bit where you shop. Do so long enough and something is going to get screwed up. The reason is simple. You are dealing with human beings.
It seems in my case Cabelas is going to ship me a complete cookstation. I am to "rob" the new one to make mine whole then ship back the parts I am not using. A long way to get there, but they are honouring their warranty!
I live about 2 miles from the Thornton Cabelas and I purchase just about all of the clothing that I wear on a daily basis. The styles change with the seasons so you have to wait until the new stuff comes in. I have a black charge card so I do get nice discounts at their store. I use to be a Buyer so I do know how to shop and watch for sales.
I still shop and purchase a few things at Sportsman's Warehouse which is only 4 miles from my house. There is a new Scheels up north about a 1/2 hour drive away so I may have to check them out soon. My hunting days are just about over. On Monday, I will have yet another spine fusion which will make it 10 levels on my lower back. Yes, it sucks big time.
Hope your surgery goes well BIGHORN. Lots of time it seems that every surgery can slowly steal away from our abilities.
The vote in whether to accept the bass pro buyout is july 11 I believe. $61.50 a share.
They approved the sale to Bass Pro today, and now it's up to the stock holders to vote on the sale. Cabela's hasn't been run by Bass Pro or had any influence in Bass Pro as of yet.
WOW, Bighorn, good luck in surgery... I hope its your last surgery and I hope you're able to keep hunting!
I've been a long time fan of Cabelas gear. Especially the guidewear and Alaskan Guide line of stuff. Lately though, I've noticed things disappearing from their site. I was recently looking to purchase another Alaskan Guide sleeping bag but they are no longer available. With the continuous rising cost, declining quality , and lack of product I am forced to look elsewhere.
I hope they can turn it around.
Why do people still view Cabelas as an old mom and pop store that there should be some level of loyalty too? That place is full of overpriced crsp that serious hunters wouldn't even consider buying. I shop on eBay before I go there. For real gear I go to real hunting places which are mostly online if you live in the east.
Why do people still view Cabelas as an old mom and pop store that there should be some level of loyalty too? That place is full of overpriced crsp that serious hunters wouldn't even consider buying. I shop on eBay before I go there. For real gear I go to real hunting places which are mostly online if you live in the east.
The new cookstation they sent for me to rob parts from was damaged. They want me to ship it back but are claiming they are unable to get the damaged parts replaced.
It has been a little over a month and no resolution on what should have been a simple parts replacement.
Internet and competition, it will be the death of both. Unless they get competitive, they will both fall in time.
I went to college and worked for a few years in Springfield MO back in the 80's and so spent more time and money than I should have at Bass Pro. Never went into a Cabela's until they opened one in Rogers AR a few years ago. For hunting stuff, I find Cabelas is better and cheaper than Bass Pro, I can actually buy ammo there as cheap as I can anywhere. Plus I can get a little discount as a first responder. BP will not give that discount on ammo. I was in Cabelas last week and was asked several times if I needed help. When I went to check out, they opened another register and I was the only customer standing in line, Had a nice conversation with the young lady running that register. Customer service was good that day.
I don't even bother to look much at their archery stuff tho. Shooting a recurve, wooden arrows and glue on tips limits my selection at any big box stores.
Went into a Gander Mountain a couple of weeks back, their closeout ammo was almost as cheap as BP. Went across the street to Academy Sports where I found the ammo was even higher than Gander Mtn.
I very rarely spend a lot of money at BPS or Cabela's anymore. There was a time that was not the case at all. For the most part, their quality has really taken a tumble. Even an old goat like me has learned to shop on line. In the Texas metromess, we have two BPS and two Cabela's. I have been treated very well at all four of the locations
I used to love Cabelas until I worked there. Watched as they lowered the quality of product on the shelf, and kept moving towards Cabelas branded gear. If someone wanted the quality stuff, they were told to look in the catalog and order online....Treated employees terribly, paid minimum wage to "worlds foremost trained outfitters", turnover was incredible. Only thing management cared about was pushing the credit card on unsuspecting people as a discount card.
When a new store opens, there are a lot of quality employees who are friendly and knowledgeable. But as Gregg above states--turnover is terrible. Within 6 months, you have a lot of idiots running around and they could care less. It's quite sad. Yes, I know there are good people in every store but they are hard to find. Most of the time you need help but would be interrupting 2 or 3 employees standing around in a group BSing.
A good friend of mine graduated college and considered working at Cabela's to move up through the company ranks. He was/is a very accomplished outdoorsman and has been published in many national magazines for his fly fishing articles. After the first couple of days of training, he said, "It was almost a game of trying to be the biggest idiot in the room and my fellow trainees were in constant competition for this title." He never took the job with them, obviously.
It's sad when you have to call the manager and compliment an employee for being helpful like it's a surprise. I do this but and also reiterate that I shouldn't have to make this call but happy to pass along a well-deserved compliment.
I have never entered a Cabelas store intending to ask a worker advice on any item. I know what I want or what specs I want to check out. So I've never been disappointed in that regard. I am perfectly content if they have somebody that just knows how to run the register. I have dealt with customer service with returns of items that didn't work, or I didn't like, or didn't fit. I never had 1 problem and have always been extremely satisfied. My experiences with their return customer service has been top notch.
They are just another store. Their prices are high but sometimes an item I want is on sale, so I buy. Sometimes I just have points and get stuff for free. My Perfekt Hikers will be here tomorrow. Points, gift card, and 10% off coupon code, so I bought.
