Has Cabelas left the building?
Contributors to this thread:General Topic
From: Buffalo1
11-Jan-18
Last week I was in Cabelas in Ft. Worth, TX. That store is one of the largest, if not the largest Cabelas stores. I was a appalled at the reduction in "Cabelas" brand of clothing and the magnum increase of Sitka, 511 Tactical, Under Armor, etc. With the changes in the acquisition of Cabelas by Bass Pro Shop, will Cabelas brand clothing be phased out totally? I still have clothing items that I bought years ago from Cabelas that is good quality hunting clothing at a reasonable price. Have they now trended toward high dollar, popular brand clothing only?
I understand that things are always in constant change but it is sad to see this occurring if it is indeed a fact. Bass Pro Shop "Redhead" brand clothing has never had, nor do I believe it will ever have the quality of "Cabelas" brand clothing, especially before Cabelas went with imported clothing.
What say you?
From: Missouribreaks
11-Jan-18
That would be up to the management to decide based on their own surveys and objectives. Not something I can answer.
From: Mule Power
11-Jan-18
The stuff they’ve been making recently isn’t as good as that stuff you have from years ago anyway.
From: skipmaster1
11-Jan-18
I ordered some cabelas clothes this week and I got an email that they are back ordered. I find out today the order was cancelled and the bibs were discontinued
From: Kodiak
11-Jan-18
I talked to my brother who lives a couple miles from the Owatonna MN store, and he said he went in there the other day and was shocked at their lack of inventory. Everything from clothes to ammo was basically a fraction of what they used to carry. They weren't even carrying any .204 ammo which is why he went there in the first place. Empty shelves everywhere.
Sign of the times I reckon. Retail stores are dying.
From: Bowriter
11-Jan-18
My guess is, and it is just a guess, the catalogs may be combined and some stores will be closed. I would think BP will retain the better stores and sell off the rest. Some might be converted to BP. Who knows? I'm still getting great catalog service from them.
From: Habitat for Wildlife
11-Jan-18
Big inventory reduction at year end for counting.
From: Joey Ward
11-Jan-18
Christmas sales, hunting season winding down, reducing hunting inventory. The usual thing. Check back in July and August. :-)
From: Missouribreaks
11-Jan-18
Huge pressure mounting from Amazon.
From: Trial153
11-Jan-18
No great loss anyway. Their clothing sucks.
From: LBshooter
11-Jan-18
My canelas clothing is outstanding and it would be unfortunate if it's being discontinued. Redhead clothing is cheap and and will not buy. I have always said that the buyers for bass pro aren't outdoors folk , they just don't buy the right stuff.
From: Missouribreaks
11-Jan-18
IMO, most Cabela clothing and gear have been going down hill in quality for years. I like them, have been a 50 year customer but they are in a slide now as far as quality and general service rep knowledge goes. Margin and shipping pressure from Amazon, Walmart and others will not help. They will morph their niche and I will still buy from them occasionally... but not like in the past.
From: wild1
11-Jan-18
LB x2
Cabelas clothing is generally top-notch. People may not like their company, customer service, prices.....whatever, but the actual quality of their clothing and gear is very good. Some of their clothing is actually produced in the exact same factory (much like generic grocery store items) as higher-priced, "high-end" clothing (only consumers don't know it). It may not always be the absolute best (kuiu or Sitka), but they have historically, and consistently produced high quality clothing and gear at reasonable prices.
As for the future, I have some thoughts, but they would only be guesses.
From: Olink
11-Jan-18
Its the time of the year guys. Happens every year. But no doubt some changes will occur due to the BP takeover.
From: kstout
11-Jan-18
I was just at the Bass Pro store at Charlotte, NC. I was disappointed in the selection there also.
From: Franzen
11-Jan-18
You're just a hater if you suggest anything other than Sitka, KUIU, and other top end clothing. Just peruse Bowsite for a while. I really think some Cabelas clothing has some of the best value in the marketplace when on sale. That opinion of course applies to certain pieces, and definitely not the entire clothing lineup. Very unfortunate.
From: marktm250
11-Jan-18
Will vary from store to store and depends on what you are specifically shopping for. We have a Cabelas which opened in Richmond about a year ago and had to have been one of the last stores built before the merger. This store is only 10 miles away from a Bass Pro and GreenTop sporting goods. I stopped in around the holidays to just browse and was impressed that they had a unique gun and ammo that the other 2 did not have.
I hear ya about Amazon hurting retails stores but crazy things still go on in retail. Gander Mountain moved from Richmond (2 miles away from Bass Pro) to Charlottesville (40 miles to the West) into a brand new building. When they went under they closed that place down but then Field&Stream opened a big store in Charlottesville. Go figure.
From: Bake
11-Jan-18
I'm really curious to see what Johnny Morris and Co. do with the Cabelas brand. I bet it will make money though. . . . that guy has the Midas touch. I live about an hour from Springfield and Johnny Morris also owns a LOT of land in my area. The guys I know that have met him and JP say they're really good guys.
Johnny Morris built Top of the Rock at Branson. One of the crowning glories of it is a multi-million dollar resort and restaurant. Not long after opening a huge sinkhole opened up just yards from this multi-million dollar place. If I owned it, I'd have been in despair. Johnny Morris started excavating it, hoping to find a cave as another attraction to make money on :)
Although I've long been a bigger fan of Cabelas, I wish Bass Pro the best. It's a really good thing for our area of Missouri. LOTS of jobs and a huge economic impact over a large area.
From: Bigdan
11-Jan-18
Cabelas is prices out to high for me I was shoping for a new 20 ga auto shotgun there price on sale was $530 I got the same gun at our local sporting goods store for $425
From: Surfbow
11-Jan-18
I don't think I'd put more than about 1% of the Cabelas or Bass Pro branded gear or clothing in the "high-quality" category these days.
From: Jaquomo
11-Jan-18
The Cabelas Instinct line is very good stuff. I field tested much of it before it went to the catalogs and with a few exceptions was very pleased with everything I used.
From: jerrynocam
11-Jan-18
I went in the Dundee Michigan store the first week of October. When I walked in I expected to be greeted with a sea of camo but instead saw nothing but high price outdoor clothing without any camo. Both sides of the aisle all the way to the mountain were full of this stuff. I got the impression they’re getting out of hunting clothes.
From: Salagi
11-Jan-18
" The guys I know that have met him and JP say they're really good guys."
I grew up across the highway and down a dirt road from where Top of the Rock and the sinkhole are. One of the "old timers" I grew up around sold their family farm to Johnny Morris when he built Top of the Rock. She passed away a couple of days ago at 92. Johnny Morris was a pall bearer at her funeral. Evidently they thought a lot of each other. I hear a lot of good things about him also, (but I still wish he hadn't bought out Cabelas!).
From: Dollar
11-Jan-18
BPS works for the bottom line only.Make it cheaper sell it higher.They are more of an amusement park than a store.A store that entertains the whole family while weekend warriors shop around. Cabelas will follow the same route I believe.Looks like its already starting.Woolmate line on backorder is the first sign.Popular products are introduced then supply is allowed to run out creating demand.New orders are shopped by BPS to cheaper suppliers brought in and triple the margins.I see them do it year after year. I am a long time employee and in fact they just ran through a whole range of products this past month.Many were top sellers under their brand and sold out.Brought back in the stores under new name(same product)higher price and sold. Constantly changing things around to keep prices high. Its really amazing that the customer has not caught on to the shell game. They will change Cabelas and I "think"they will reduce the number of brick and mortar since they don't really have any competion anymore. Top of the line products now in the stores should watch out as they will eventually take a hit.Once suckered in hard to get out.
From: Franklin
11-Jan-18
Nothing better than being in camp when a guy shows up with his $500 boots....$1000 pants and coat with his $3000 binoculars and he can`t sneak up on a glass of water..lol You don`t need $1000 duds to kill a animal.....Cabelas does/did make some nice hunting clothes at reasonable prices. What I liked is their sizing was right on for me. So if I ordered out of the catalog, it fit. I have both stores near me and there is not a large selection of hunting clothes in Bass Pro....you have to wait for the season then it comes out. Not of fan of their clothes either.
From: Bowriter
12-Jan-18
Most big bix stores try to deplete their inventory after Christmas. They do their major buying at SHOT and ATA. As for great catalog service, I call, I order and within a week, items arrive. I live 12-miles from a BP. It is cheaper for me to order than to drive and fight the traffic. In all the years the store has been there, I have been three times. I have a BP and a Cabela's Club credit card. Never used the BP card. And, personally, I like John Morris, have been a guest hunter on his MO. farm. Plus, I very seldom buy clothing from any catalog. For that matter, I seldom buy hunting clothes. Figure I have all I'll ever need. But I agree with one statement...whatever John does, it will make money.
From: TX Cazador
12-Jan-18
Do they both price match? Not just between themselves, but the online .coms?
From: Ogoki
12-Jan-18
As far as price match goes, my hunting buddy found a ML online that was about $150 less than Cabelas. He called the Columbus ,Ohio store and was told they would only price match , if the store they were comparing was 50 miles away or less. I have found the guns to be higher at Cabelas . New and used. Went into the Cabelas, Dundee store late August, but looking to buy a new quiver. They had only three hanging on the display. I thought that close to bow season there would be more. Found the Centerville , Ohio store to not be well stocked ,as I went for several common items and came out with nothing. Anymore i just avoid the stores and shop online. If Cabelas have it i buy from them ,to use my points.
I do have many clothing items from Cabelas , that have worn well.
From: pointingdogs
12-Jan-18
Live near a Cabela's and know store employees. Talk is that certain brands of clothing are being eliminated due to "overlapping" with Basspro clothing.
From: LKH
12-Jan-18
Makes me glad my wife can sew anything. I did buy a Cabela's insulated coat last fall and getting the zipper started is a challenge.
From: APauls
12-Jan-18
Don't worry, thankfully we live in countries with opportunity. If the market is there for mid-priced clothing and no one is doing it, someone will fill the gap :)
From: mgmicky
12-Jan-18
Surfbow x2. I’ve been a cabelas black card member for years, but with their service and quality declining I’m seriously looking to go elsewhere with business
From: Surfbow
12-Jan-18
"You don`t need $1000 duds to kill a animal"
Nope, but it sure is nice to know crappy clothes and boots aren't going to result in misery or worse when the going gets tough. I did my fair share of hunting in denim, cotton, and bargain bin junk when i was younger, learned my lesson...
From: jax2009r
12-Jan-18
down hill since the merger.....they discontinued the instinct waterfowl which was good stuff....
From: DL
12-Jan-18
I agree with inventory reduction because of end of the year. Companies have to pay tax on inventory. Years ago I worked at a grocery store and we had to inventory Everything. Even penny candy. That’s right candy for a penny. 1960s
From: 12yards
12-Jan-18
Got my Boating catalog today from Cabelas. Bass Tracker and Nitro were the boats in the catalog.
From: Tradmike
12-Jan-18
Just came from cabelas. Looking for a new range finder. There prices are considerably higher than most mail order places and they wouldn't match any other prices unless it was within a 150 miles of their store. Love Cabelas, but not at 35% more for the same product.
From: woodguy65
12-Jan-18
Scheels is the new Cabelas
From: 5575
12-Jan-18
Yep we have had Scheels around here forever, was really disappointed when I went to my first cabelas. All it had was a bunch of nice mounts and that's about where it ended, everything else was over priced I thought. I do like their online bargain cave thou, there were allot of crazy deals on there this past holiday season. Got a bunch of wooltimate gear and stuff with windshear in it. But yea Scheels is a darn good store.
From: Matte
12-Jan-18
I was at Cabela's in Wichita today. All I can say is they did a reset of the entire store since Christmas and it was to hide the lack of inventory. They had tents taking up valuable floor space and walls of sleeping bags on display.
From: Jaquomo
12-Jan-18
Scheels has been open here for a couple months and it's a great store but they sure don't offer any bargains. I bought something there that I needed, found the exact same thing a week later at Wal Mart for exactly half the price.
From: Elkhuntr
13-Jan-18
"IMO, most Cabela clothing and gear have been going down hill in quality for years."
I agree. I have a few articles of older clothing that has since been discontinued. Twice I ordered the replacement and it was no where close in quality, size or fit.
They do not get as much of my business as they used to but, they still get some of my business. I found a great deal recently on a Vortex Razor HD LH rifle scope. I saved hundreds of dollars vs. anywhere else.
On the other hand, I was recently looking at binos and Cabelas is 15% higher for the particular brand and model I was looking for, than most others such as Sportsman Warehouse and Optics Planet.
From: newfi1946moose
13-Jan-18
Grew up with shopping at LL Bean for my basic hunting clothing along with the traditional Malone Ballard Mill wool hunting pants. Do not shop BP/Cabelas as will buy Filson occasionally. Enjoyed my Bean heavy coat in the below zero wind yesterday which is over 25 years old and still appears as when it came out of the package. Never have been disappointed with them. Do miss the old days of walking the Adirondack mountains and having to break off the 'snowballs' from the wool pant legs! Can always buy what i want from the local gun/hunting dealers cheaper than the big box stores.
From: woodguy65
13-Jan-18
"Scheels has been open here for a couple months and it's a great store but they sure don't offer any bargains. "
Give them more than a couple months I have found some awesome bargains/sales at scheels. I have purchased all my Sitka clothing there most 30- 50% off, picked up their Scheels brand insulated wool coat and bibs for my son last year.
It was regular priced $280 each - had a sales tag of $19.99. I went and found a sales guy because I thought it was marked incorrectly - he said nope I just put it on there - boss said we need to move them. Ugly as hell camo pattern but extremely warm, best buy I've ever ran into.
From: WV Mountaineer
13-Jan-18
Elkhuntr X 2.
From: Mule Power
14-Jan-18
One thing I don’t care for is when those stores clone a product. They will sell a brand name product and once they see there’s a demand for it they discontinue it and replace it with their own version which is never as good. Case in point was the Danner Elk Hunter boot. They ditched it and said these Cabelas Outfitter Series are just as good. Not! They did the same thing with Eureka backpacks. Their Outfitter Series wool used to be Pendleton. It’s still ok but not nearly as nice. Why can’t they make a living selling quality brand name products instead of trying to monopolize the entire industry? Also it cracks me up that they put the word “Outfitter Series” in front of everything like that means it’s tougher than nails. Whatever! I’ve bought thousands of dollars worth of stuff from Cabela’s starting 35 years ago and there’s no question they continue to trend downhill.
From: Mule Power
14-Jan-18
Then.... on my last purchase the CSR asked would you like to use your Cabela’s Bucks? I asked how much do I have and she looked it up and told me. Then she asked what are the last 4 numbers on your card. I said I don’t know it’s at home. She said well I can’t apply the credit without the number. I said you just looked it up you should know. She said yes but I need the number from you. Grr!
From: shane
15-Jan-18
I was at the Cabelas in Gonzales, La today, the inventory is way down. Only half of the racks in the store that they previously had. Its quite disappointing.
From: IdyllwildArcher
15-Jan-18
I stopped at Cabelas in Phoenix last week on my way to my Coues hunt and they had 2 of the 6 items I needed. They blamed it on the snow back east not allowing trucks to get to the store to restock, but there hasn't been any snow fall between Phoenix and China in the past few months...
From: Scar Finga
15-Jan-18
Cabela's and BPS are crap, high prices and crappy quality! Cabela's used to be my go to store, not any more! Sportsman's Warehouse is far superior and honestly, I can beat their prices 90% of the time on line. Shop there if you want, but you can do better on line. These companies better wake up and be competitive, or they will go out of business! Over priced items and little to no customer service, that is a recipe for disaster!
From: trophyhill
17-Jan-18
Love Sportsman's Warehouse
From: Lost Arra
17-Jan-18
Cabelas original Microtex: RIP
I hope my old Wooltimate gear doesn't wear out because it will probably be discontinued soon also.
From: Blade
17-Jan-18
Lost Arra - bad news...Wooltimate gear is a thing of the past...gone with the wind. Better get it while you can. I have a post I just put on trying to find a vest...was told it sold out a couple weeks ago in size medl but you can get XL and XXL and they fit big
From: Franzen
18-Jan-18
Lots of things appear to be a thing of the past. I'm very disappointed with Cabelas and the BPS buyout. I've had several items cancelled after the fact on orders that I was supposed to get a bargain on some clothing. Nothing but pure BS. I guess Johnny makes all the money by getting rid of mid grade clothing and offering junk at a similar price.
From: 76aggie
18-Jan-18
I live just north of the DFW Metromess. We have two Cabelas and two Bass Pro Shops locally. IMO BPS generally had inferior quality in clothing, camo, etc than did Cabelas but now Cabelas is junk too. They both charge premium prices. We had a Sportsman Warehouse in Lewisville Tx. than was phenomenal. Unfortunately, it closed. It was expensive the quality of their inventory was great!
From: 4406v
18-Jan-18
I'm wearing Cabela's flannel lined pants right now I got for Christmas. It was 4 degrees here this morning and I'm glad I have them. They fit right, are warm and comfortable, and were very reasonably priced. No complaints here.
From: Jaquomo
18-Jan-18
Thanks, Scoot! Didn't know that. They are too new to us here. Switching to a Scheels card.
From: Franzen
24-Jan-18
Another epic fail by Cabelas/BPS. I had yet another item cancelled. If anyone is wondering, I am not trying to give them money, just spend gift cards that I had accumulated. It seems when you order something that they advertise as a stellar deal online, it magically gets cancelled a couple days later. I honestly believe it is a scam at this point. I've had this happen probably only one or two times prior to recent times since I've been shopping online at Cabelas, yet in the last 4 months, I've had a bunch of things cancelled in this manner. Sadly pathetic.
From: HFlier
24-Jan-18
I do not like Bass Pro and thought it was horrible when I found out they bought Cabela's. I think it will be a change for the worse. Bass Pro is expensive and their selection is often filled with Cheap Brands.
From: South Farm
24-Jan-18
I'd chalk the clothing shortage in Cabela's to a lack of sewing machine parts in CHINA..
Cabela's could save millions in printing costs if instead of printing (IMPORTED) they simply identified the catalog items that are (NOT IMPORTED).
From: Brotsky
24-Jan-18
+10 for Scheels. I've been a loyal Scheels customer since I was wet behind the ears. Very cool to see what they've grown into over the years. They will take good care of you.
From: jmiller
24-Jan-18
Scheels is a great store, I've never had a problem buying there. They treat their employees well too, so they have actual experts working in the departments instead of a revolving door of part timers.
From: yooper89
24-Jan-18
I will be following suit and getting into the Scheels card game. Cabelas has really gone down hill in Thornton, in my opinion.
From: NYBOB
30-Jan-18
I was in cabela's in Pa. yesterday they were overloaded with their Camo stock I thought.
From: BC173
30-Jan-18
Is there a website for Scheels or a catalog?
From: BC173
30-Jan-18
Is there a website for Scheels or a catalog?
From: Buffalo1
30-Jan-18
S heels has a website. Just google it.
From: No Mercy
30-Jan-18
Thanks for the great comments on Scheels. I have had the pleasure of giving them 20 years of my life so far and I tend to work there until I retire or die. We are a private held company that is still very conservative and old school in business methods, but our website will be going for the gusto in the near future.
I’m humbled and I thank you all.
From: drycreek
30-Jan-18
No Mercy, see if they can open a store in Tyler, Texas. Thank you so much.......
From: No Mercy
30-Jan-18
Don. Your wish is my command. In 2020 we’ll be opening in Plano.
From: HDE
30-Jan-18
For me it was Cabelas: huntin' stuff, Bass Pro: fishin' stuff.
From: safari
30-Jan-18
Cabela's recently sold their visa business to Capitol One
From: mtoomey
30-Jan-18
We had a Scheels executive do a staff training for us at work . I'm even more impressed with the company, and I've been a happy life long customer
