Has Cabelas gone down hill?

[chuckh]

Kind of sad when you think of what they were 20 years ago compared to now...

 

[bigfoot11]

I used to shop regularly at Cabelas. Now that Bass pro has them I don't. Same thing is probably going to happen to sportsman's warehouse as I hear Bass pro has bought them. Bunch of that know nothing about hunting and fishing calling the shots there. Wish we had a Scheels close by.

I really hope they haven't bought sportsmans. Even that store isn't what it used to be though.

 

[Mtrose]

They have bought Sportsmans, last I heard. I think it’s supposed to go through sometime later this year. It’s really a bummer.

 

[MarvB]

Yeah they (Great American Outdoors Group) bought SW back in January I believe, something like 125 stores in the purchase....all these big boxes will just be generic versions of each other

 

[TheNorthStar]

We're a Scheel's family now days. I hope they never sell their chain.

 

[mojoman]

Its Bass Pro Shops, not Cabelas end of story.
Anyone that was anyone at Cabelas internally is long gone now and that poor little town in NE is a ghostown

 

[bullbugle307]

Its Bass Pro Shops, not Cabelas end of story.
Anyone that was anyone at Cabelas internally is long gone now and that poor little town in NE is a ghostown

To be fair, that started when the kids took over. I have several family members who worked for Cabelas in Sidney, one of whom made the move to Minnesota. She was there a long time and she has nothing good to say about the second generation.

But yes, Cabelas, Bass Pro etc are all a joke to me now. I just spent all day driving around OKC yesterday trying to find a good pair of hunting boots. You won't find a single pair of schnees, kennetrex, meindl, any of that in this town. But they're sure packed to the gills with other useless yuppie crap. Worlds Foremost Outfitters, yeah, not no more.

 

[CowboyLeroy]

I can remember twenty years ago (ouch) getting a catalog the size of a Bible in the mail and staring at it for HOURS. Now I stare at their selection for hours because the damn page won't load. Their quality has gone downhill, and they're generally a few dollars higher on name brand stuff but the free two day shipping keeps me in this toxic relationship.

 

[Guest member 25165]

I am an equal opportunity purchaser. If Cabela's has it, great. If not, there are so many other places to find what you are looking for. To me, there is some fun in the search, whether it's online, big box, or mom and pops. Being a teacher and having summers off is so much fun when you are a sportsman. Any day of the week can be a possible road trip for the upcoming season.
I will say this though...hunting close to home in Wisconsin IMO does not necessitate technical hunting clothing, durable frame packs, lightweight mountain gear, etc. I can however see where western hunters may need more specialized gear and if your used to be ace in the hole like Cabela's can no longer accommodate you, I can see where that would be frustrating.

 

[SFC B]

To be fair, that started when the kids took over. I have several family members who worked for Cabelas in Sidney, one of whom made the move to Minnesota. She was there a long time and she has nothing good to say about the second generation.

But yes, Cabelas, Bass Pro etc are all a joke to me now. I just spent all day driving around OKC yesterday trying to find a good pair of hunting boots. You won't find a single pair of schnees, kennetrex, meindl, any of that in this town. But they're sure packed to the gills with other useless yuppie crap. Worlds Foremost Outfitters, yeah, no
t no more.

FWIW, At Scheels we not only have Kenetrek, Crispi, Asolo, Lowa, Hanwag, Vasque, Salomon, Zamberlan, La Sportiva, and White's......as of next year we will have Meindl as well!!!!

 

[bullbugle307]

Thanks for the heads up. I'm gonna have to check out the Sheels in CO on my way back home in a couple weeks. I was hoping there was one here in Oklahoma City, but no dice.

 

[ThunderNocked]

Is it just me or has Cabelas really gone hill in recent in years of quality name brands and competitive pricing?

unfortunately they 100% have gone down hill.
Their products don't last nearly as long and they are loosing their balance. I'm worried about Sportsmans being next. Mostly trying to shop at the smaller 'local' stores.

 

[Michigan_flatlander]

I don’t go in there unless I absolutely have to. Unfortunately they just are not what they used to be

 

[Rob96]

The Hamburg, PA store is the largest and "busiest" Cabela
s store. Since the merger it is not what it once was. The only thing really keeping it going right now are the ammo seekers. Such a mistake taking the bargain cave away. The Harrisburg Bass Pro is even worse and the Harrisburg, PA Sportsman's is even worse than that. My wife and I were there a few weeks ago, besides us there was one other person in the store besides the staff.

 

[F250]

Scheels... Please come east !!!!

 

[ThunderNocked]

Scheels... Please come east !!!!

AND NORTH!

 

[Pmacc60]

Losing the bargain cave was a real mistake among other things ! The PA Hamburg was wonderful having just about all you could wish for , the Delaware store was much smaller but both have turned into Bass Pro. Many of the Cabelas customers shop there because they liked it better than Bass Pro. Bass pro could have cornered both worlds !

 

[KB_]

We still have Bob Wards over here thankfully, Scheels in billings is nice but a little far to go regularly. Sportsman's doesn't even have a bottle of wind checker (ARE YOU F'ING KIDDING ME). Guess i'm going to albertsons to get some talcum powder. Makes you wonder if the new owners are driving it down the shitter on purpose? Or are they just that naive.

 

[ThunderNocked]

We still have Bob Wards over here thankfully, Scheels in billings is nice but a little far to go regularly. Sportsman's doesn't even have a bottle of wind checker (ARE YOU F'ING KIDDING ME). Guess i'm going to albertsons to get some talcum powder. Makes you wonder if the new owners are driving it down the shitter on purpose? Or are they just that naive.

Our Sportsman’s up in Fairbanks is really bad too.

 

[matechakeric]

it's too bad there's not a hunting equivalent to what I believe Tackle Warehouse is for fishing. Good prices, great selection of great brands, and free shipping over a certain threshold.