Cabelas... hunting gear in general.... random complaining
08-03-2007, 11:03 AM
#22
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5,716
RE: Cabelas... hunting gear in general.... random complaining
I have to say, I'm totally surprised by the comments here... I had a feeling that you guys were gonna totallyrip into me for daring to criticize Cabela's. We all remember back when there was no online shopping cart, no brick-and-mortar store, and when you got your Fall Cabela's Catalog - it was like the mailman had stopped at the mailbox and left you a personalized note from Jesus himself. The Cabelas and Gander catalogs were a way of life for us...
Seems almost sacriligious for meto take a shot across their bow, but I can't change the way I feel about it.
It just seems to me that they're getting a little carried away with profit margins and getting a little too big for their britches. Maybe their corporate structure is a little topheavy, or maybe they're just gluttoning up everything in sight, getting while the gettin's good... Either way, I'm done with Cabela's for a while. That whole experience was a little souring.
Makes me feel a little better that I'm not the only guy who they've rubbed the wrong way.
Seems almost sacriligious for meto take a shot across their bow, but I can't change the way I feel about it.
It just seems to me that they're getting a little carried away with profit margins and getting a little too big for their britches. Maybe their corporate structure is a little topheavy, or maybe they're just gluttoning up everything in sight, getting while the gettin's good... Either way, I'm done with Cabela's for a while. That whole experience was a little souring.
Makes me feel a little better that I'm not the only guy who they've rubbed the wrong way.
08-03-2007, 12:37 PM
#24
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location:
Posts: 1,438
RE: Cabelas... hunting gear in general.... random complaining
The thing the big stores lack is consistency in their staffs. I'm sure they struggle with retaining
knowledgeable professionals (such as the Germinator).
Sometimes you get some guy in the archery department who really knows his stuff and has
been shooting his whole life. Yesterday I bought some whiskers and nocks at BPS, and the
salesman actually praised cat whiskers, much like some of the gurus around here, even said they
work as good as the expensive leeches.
But then I wander on over to optics (like Quick) and I mean WOW. I asked to look at the Nikon
Monarch rangefinder. He looked at me like he didn't have a clue what I was talking about.
He then starts peering over his own counter at all 15 models that he must look at all day to
find the one that says "Monarch" on the price tag. Turns out only the camo one says
Monarch and the black one doesn't. I wanted to look at the black one, and I bet you probably
know about how that went.
knowledgeable professionals (such as the Germinator).
Sometimes you get some guy in the archery department who really knows his stuff and has
been shooting his whole life. Yesterday I bought some whiskers and nocks at BPS, and the
salesman actually praised cat whiskers, much like some of the gurus around here, even said they
work as good as the expensive leeches.
But then I wander on over to optics (like Quick) and I mean WOW. I asked to look at the Nikon
Monarch rangefinder. He looked at me like he didn't have a clue what I was talking about.
He then starts peering over his own counter at all 15 models that he must look at all day to
find the one that says "Monarch" on the price tag. Turns out only the camo one says
Monarch and the black one doesn't. I wanted to look at the black one, and I bet you probably
know about how that went.
08-03-2007, 01:22 PM
#25
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan/Ohio
Posts: 11,682
RE: Cabelas... hunting gear in general.... random complaining
ORIGINAL: quiksilver
I have to say, I'm totally surprised by the comments here... I had a feeling that you guys were gonna totallyrip into me for daring to criticize Cabela's. We all remember back when there was no online shopping cart, no brick-and-mortar store, and when you got your Fall Cabela's Catalog - it was like the mailman had stopped at the mailbox and left you a personalized note from Jesus himself. The Cabelas and Gander catalogs were a way of life for us...
Seems almost sacriligious for meto take a shot across their bow, but I can't change the way I feel about it.
It just seems to me that they're getting a little carried away with profit margins and getting a little too big for their britches. Maybe their corporate structure is a little topheavy, or maybe they're just gluttoning up everything in sight, getting while the gettin's good... Either way, I'm done with Cabela's for a while. That whole experience was a little souring.
Makes me feel a little better that I'm not the only guy who they've rubbed the wrong way.
I have to say, I'm totally surprised by the comments here... I had a feeling that you guys were gonna totallyrip into me for daring to criticize Cabela's. We all remember back when there was no online shopping cart, no brick-and-mortar store, and when you got your Fall Cabela's Catalog - it was like the mailman had stopped at the mailbox and left you a personalized note from Jesus himself. The Cabelas and Gander catalogs were a way of life for us...
Seems almost sacriligious for meto take a shot across their bow, but I can't change the way I feel about it.
It just seems to me that they're getting a little carried away with profit margins and getting a little too big for their britches. Maybe their corporate structure is a little topheavy, or maybe they're just gluttoning up everything in sight, getting while the gettin's good... Either way, I'm done with Cabela's for a while. That whole experience was a little souring.
Makes me feel a little better that I'm not the only guy who they've rubbed the wrong way.
once I knew they were I planned my exitThere same stores sales have done nothing but go down since they have been public. Before that they went up. Having worked with and met the leaders at Cabela'sI will tell you this.
Jim is the most humble person I have ever met. When putting the store together on 2000 in Dundee he was a joy to talk with. After running some cables all day and looking kind of rough. He called me over got me a bottle water and brushed my back off and said thanks for working so hard.
The above mentality is gone
It's nothing more than a numbers game now, and the guys in charge let you know it Jim is pretty much retired these days and he earned it. D!ck is a great guy also!!
08-03-2007, 01:26 PM
#26
Site Bouncer
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Illinois
Posts: 4,099
RE: Cabelas... hunting gear in general.... random complaining
That's some good stuff there Quick....I think you hit the nail on the head. I try to stay away from the "tent sales" it always leaves a bad taste in my mouth[:'(]
08-03-2007, 09:27 PM
#27
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Greenfield, IN
Posts: 953
RE: Cabelas... hunting gear in general.... random complaining
I worked at the local Gander for the last 3yrs.. and all this sounds all too familiar. Everything is about the all mighty dollar. Your experienced employees have been forced out in favor of young & dumb kids that will work for little or nothing till they get fed up and get a better job. They are not willing to pay $$$ for the knowledge and experience sales staff... less than $10/hr.
But on the other hand... seems that there's alot of armchair experts out there too..
1: the IBO speed on a bow doesn't mean a thing w/ a hunting setup. You'd be amazed at the amount of customers that throw a fit when their 55# hunting setup doesn't shoot the 315fps IBO speed on the bow.
2: ACCs were originally a target arrow like stated above... they are very expensive and alot of times hard to get.. and now a days have a very low demand.. so no real reason to keep them on the shelf for the one guy that comes in once a year looking for them.
3: you couldn't find any hunting clothes from any of the major manufacturers that you liked? Maybe you need to call Day One or Gray Wolf and have some custom made.
4: Cabelas prices aren't really out of line as far asI can tell.. some of their merchandise is rather expensive... but it's expensive everywhere.
5: everyone always comes in wanting clearance prices all year long... it doesn't work that way.. but I try to buy all my big items on clearance...
6: Those pop guns F'N suck!!!
PS I was getting ready to order some Predator camo from Cabelas.. what didn't you like about it?
But on the other hand... seems that there's alot of armchair experts out there too..
1: the IBO speed on a bow doesn't mean a thing w/ a hunting setup. You'd be amazed at the amount of customers that throw a fit when their 55# hunting setup doesn't shoot the 315fps IBO speed on the bow.
2: ACCs were originally a target arrow like stated above... they are very expensive and alot of times hard to get.. and now a days have a very low demand.. so no real reason to keep them on the shelf for the one guy that comes in once a year looking for them.
3: you couldn't find any hunting clothes from any of the major manufacturers that you liked? Maybe you need to call Day One or Gray Wolf and have some custom made.
4: Cabelas prices aren't really out of line as far asI can tell.. some of their merchandise is rather expensive... but it's expensive everywhere.
5: everyone always comes in wanting clearance prices all year long... it doesn't work that way.. but I try to buy all my big items on clearance...
6: Those pop guns F'N suck!!!
PS I was getting ready to order some Predator camo from Cabelas.. what didn't you like about it?
08-03-2007, 10:47 PM
#28
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Wadena, MN
Posts: 4,701
RE: Cabelas... hunting gear in general.... random complaining
So did ya check out their guns?
ORIGINAL: quiksilver
So yesterday, I had some free time and went to Cabela's. They're having their annual "tent sale" so I thought I'd ride down and see what they had.
First off - I went in to try on some camo (wanted to buy a set of lightweight scent lok in Predator Deception camo) - of course, they didn't have it in stock.
This will undoubtedly result in me ordering said camo, trying it on, hating it, and then having to drive down there and return it.
So, while I was there, I did try on about 300 sets of camo, just to see if there were anysets that I really liked.I hated all 300 sets. Apparently, I'm really finicky about hunting clothes. It seems like everything you try on either "crinkles" likeyou're wearing aplastic Walmart bag, or feels like you're this guy:
Did notice that Under Armour has entered the hunting clothing market, but I wasn't too nuts about their stuff either.
Also wanted to have a look at their spotting scopes (which were all over-priced). And I wanted a big bag of rayzr feathers - which they didn't have either. Nice!
The guy at the optics counter didn't seem to know much about optics, which wasn't good. I left there scratching my head, wondering how that guy managed to get through one day at work - knowing basically nothing about what he's peddling...
Tent Sale: Sucks. Everything in there is still priced above the actual market price. People just buy it b/c they think they're getting a good deal. It's all sold "as-is" with no returns, which is a total rip-off. That's fine for clothes, but they also had a lot of customer returns of items that were likely broken, missing pieces, etc. (also horribly over-priced for non-returnable customer returns). Seriously, what kind of idiot would buy a customer-returned set of Motorola's for 15% off regular price when the tag says "Doesn't Work" on the packaging?
Pop Guns: The whole place is filled with tourists who have no real intent of buying anything (like me). The thing is, they bring their kids, who invariably find these huge bins of "pop guns" (pictured below). One kid hears another kid with one, and he has to have one of his own - Monkey See, Monkey Do.
They parentshave no actual intent of buying the toys, but the nonstop "popping" seems to pacify the rugrats while Dad shops, so they parade around the store popping those things like John Wayne. I swear I'm gonna hear that popping sound in my sleep for the next three weeks. God bless those people that work there. I'd snap. No doubt in my mind.
One good thing about Cabela's is their exceptional staff:they had a hot blondeworking the bargain cave counter, and anice brunette working the camo section (both WVU undergrads). So, that made the shopping experience a lot more pleasurable. If it wasn't for getting to schmooze with those two, I'd have probably not had a very enjoyable experience.
So yesterday, I had some free time and went to Cabela's. They're having their annual "tent sale" so I thought I'd ride down and see what they had.
First off - I went in to try on some camo (wanted to buy a set of lightweight scent lok in Predator Deception camo) - of course, they didn't have it in stock.
This will undoubtedly result in me ordering said camo, trying it on, hating it, and then having to drive down there and return it.
So, while I was there, I did try on about 300 sets of camo, just to see if there were anysets that I really liked.I hated all 300 sets. Apparently, I'm really finicky about hunting clothes. It seems like everything you try on either "crinkles" likeyou're wearing aplastic Walmart bag, or feels like you're this guy:
Did notice that Under Armour has entered the hunting clothing market, but I wasn't too nuts about their stuff either.
Also wanted to have a look at their spotting scopes (which were all over-priced). And I wanted a big bag of rayzr feathers - which they didn't have either. Nice!
The guy at the optics counter didn't seem to know much about optics, which wasn't good. I left there scratching my head, wondering how that guy managed to get through one day at work - knowing basically nothing about what he's peddling...
Tent Sale: Sucks. Everything in there is still priced above the actual market price. People just buy it b/c they think they're getting a good deal. It's all sold "as-is" with no returns, which is a total rip-off. That's fine for clothes, but they also had a lot of customer returns of items that were likely broken, missing pieces, etc. (also horribly over-priced for non-returnable customer returns). Seriously, what kind of idiot would buy a customer-returned set of Motorola's for 15% off regular price when the tag says "Doesn't Work" on the packaging?
Pop Guns: The whole place is filled with tourists who have no real intent of buying anything (like me). The thing is, they bring their kids, who invariably find these huge bins of "pop guns" (pictured below). One kid hears another kid with one, and he has to have one of his own - Monkey See, Monkey Do.
They parentshave no actual intent of buying the toys, but the nonstop "popping" seems to pacify the rugrats while Dad shops, so they parade around the store popping those things like John Wayne. I swear I'm gonna hear that popping sound in my sleep for the next three weeks. God bless those people that work there. I'd snap. No doubt in my mind.
One good thing about Cabela's is their exceptional staff:they had a hot blondeworking the bargain cave counter, and anice brunette working the camo section (both WVU undergrads). So, that made the shopping experience a lot more pleasurable. If it wasn't for getting to schmooze with those two, I'd have probably not had a very enjoyable experience.
08-04-2007, 12:18 AM
#29
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: northeast, North Dakota
Posts: 226
RE: Cabelas... hunting gear in general.... random complaining
Pop Guns: The whole place is filled with tourists who have no real intent of buying anything (like me). The thing is, they bring their kids, who invariably find these huge bins of "pop guns" (pictured below). One kid hears another kid with one, and he has to have one of his own - Monkey See, Monkey Do.
They parentshave no actual intent of buying the toys, but the nonstop "popping" seems to pacify the rugrats while Dad shops, so they parade around the store popping those things like John Wayne. I swear I'm gonna hear that popping sound in my sleep for the next three weeks. God bless those people that work there. I'd snap. No doubt in my mind.
They parentshave no actual intent of buying the toys, but the nonstop "popping" seems to pacify the rugrats while Dad shops, so they parade around the store popping those things like John Wayne. I swear I'm gonna hear that popping sound in my sleep for the next three weeks. God bless those people that work there. I'd snap. No doubt in my mind.
08-04-2007, 04:34 AM
#30
Host of Hosts
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Erie, Pennsylvania
Posts: 5,780
RE: Cabelas... hunting gear in general.... random complaining
you want to complain about that, go to bass pro. i would much rather go to cabelas