RE: Why I dont like cabelas.
Customer service and expertise is what keeps small shops in business. Lacking those qualities, they might as well close up shop when Big Box moves to town .
The serving on one of my bows came loose awhile back. I took the bow to GM to have it rewrapped. It took 2 trips to the store and 2 days to finally get it done. I met some friends later in the week at a local bow shop with an indoor range. I fired 3 arrows and the serving fell off my string. I took the bow to the old man behind the counter and asked him if he could rewrap it, he had it done in 5 minutes and didn't charge for it.
Archery gear and services can be expensive, guess which store gets all of my archery related business now and which one I rarely visit these days?
A gun shop that is also near to that location had a sign on the front that said "we buy and sell used guns." I had a winchester 94 that I wanted to get rid. I wet into the store and found that they had stuff on the shelves that looks like it hasn't been touched in 20 years. i inquired about seling my winchetser 94 and the guy told me that they don't by those (mind you this wasa monthbefore deer season and they had 2 of them on the used rack). I told him that it was in really nice condition and I could go get it from my truck if he'd take a look at it, if only to give me an appraisal. He gave me a look like he had jsut dicovered that he stepped in a pile of dog poo, turned up his nose and walked into the back room. I never went to that shop again. They went out of business a year or two later. No loss to anyone.