Greg said it best. I am all for supporting local business of any kind but that support is a two way street IMO. I have walked into too many shops over the years and just stood there with hardly even anyone saying "hello"........some places are too busy and some places just don't care. I judge people by how they act, how they treat me and what they know about my bow........not by what counter they are standing behind. I have met people in retail settings that I would trust with my gear vs some guys in pro shops that I wouldn't let walk my dog. There is good and bad everywhere. Most of the time these big retail stores have guys working at their counters that they pushed out of business or guys that just traded the headaches of ownership for a steady paycheck.

I will take my stuff to someone I trust, like as a person and feel confident they are good at what they do. If that guy happened to be at Bass Pro then so be it. I (and I'm sure most people here) buy A LOT of products from big retail shops so I don't want to sound hypocritical and say I would never use their pro shop.......I would if I liked and trusted the guy who ran it.

Having said that.........I have never taken a bow anywhere other then small private shops. We only have a couple left but they are pretty solid.

Greg...........the number of people that visit these kinds of forums is just a drop in the bucket and a nitch market at best of people that are avid hunters and/or archers who like to yap it up in a pseudo chat room environment. Is there valuable information here?? Absolutely. Is it a good sample of your average customer?? I doubt it.