Sportsman’s Warehouse acquired by Great American Outdoors Group

[TheJason]

Dicks-esque

I’ll have to add this term to my vocabulary.

 

[LuketheDog]

I’ll have to add this term to my vocabulary.

I got it straight outta Webster's, I swear...

 

[TOGIE]

Didn't JAX have a bit of a Dicks-esque stance on selling guns a while back too?

not that I know of. Wouldn’t be surprised though.

they’re well positioned from a customer base and locational customer base standpoint to turn into a not-so-pro-gun store

either way, currently still plenty of hand guns, bows, shotguns, and long guns

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I’m with you until LL Bean, Eddie Bauer, and Orvis, they still make some good stuff.

Eddie Bauer used to sell gun etc. doesn’t any more, same with Orvis and LL bean. Llbean does at the flagship store, maybe Orvis does somewhere not at the ones I’ve been to...

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Guns and availability is important to us all. My comment was not a tangent nor meant to derail the thread. Although, it may not have disseminated my though very well. It is more of a sarcastic and maybe defeatist opinion on the state of being. Many of these stores rely very heavily on firearms and accessories like ammo and reloading supplies. With the inability to sell such things is a big hit to their profit. For them and others in the industry. My opinion is that with the plans of the elected officials, they may have a devastating effect on these stores. Hopefully, for them and their employees, this merger will help them stay afloat.

Derailing is not my intent. Anyone who knows me, knows I would not do that intentionally. At least I didn't start commenting about cheese...

I’m not so sure about that, my buddies family owns sportsman and ski haus in Kalispell and he was saying the markup on firearms is super low comparatively.

I can’t remember exactly, so this maybe an exaggeration but I believe it was only a 10% markup, versus 50% for soft goods. So essentially people come into the store for the hard goods, but you don’t make much money off of them.

Also given my list with A&F starting it among others I think you can point more to economics than politics.

Walmart makes way more money than Barney’s (AK) and basically stores parlay their brand for scale. Which necessitates dropping parts of the business which aren’t as profitable.

 

[Losing_Sanity]

I’m not so sure about that, my buddies family owns sportsman and ski haus in Kalispell and he was saying the markup on firearms is super low comparatively.

I can’t remember exactly, so this maybe an exaggeration but I believe it was only a 10% markup, versus 50% for soft goods. So essentially people come into the store for the hard goods, but you don’t make much money off of them.

Also given my list with A&F starting it among others I think you can point more to economics than politics.

Walmart makes way more money than Barney’s (AK) and basically stores parley their brand for scale. Which necessitates dropping parts of the business which aren’t as profitable.

Looks like you are saying firearms. I was saying firearms and accessories to go with them. If the people we can't name have their way, they'll control your firearms indirectly. And all combined can have an effect on profit margins. And, if the shelves are bare, they are not getting any profit on stuff they are not selling. And if people can't buy what they want/need, they won't be buying impulse items either. YMMV. But I do see your point.

 

[F250]

Sad to see the Sportsman's Warehouse get absorbed like Cabela's did. I attended a Scheel's store in Billings last year. Very impressive !! I hope they expand east of the Mississippi.

 

[hogcarpy]

Sad to see the Sportsman's Warehouse get absorbed like Cabela's did. I attended a Scheel's store in Billings last year. Very impressive !! I hope they expand east of the Mississippi.

Scheels is a great store. I started shopping at the Omaha Scheels shortly after the BP buyout of Cabelas. I’ve found that Scheels employees are very knowledgeable, skilled and helpful. Honestly, I would still do most of my shopping at Scheels if Cabelas went back to the good ole days.

For the record...I try to support local businesses a much as possible, although, such local businesses are scarce.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Sportsman’s to be acquired by GAOG (umbrella company for Cabelas/BassPro):

Sportsman’s Warehouse to join The Great American Outdoors Group to better serve outdoorsmen and women

Historic union of world’s finest outdoor brands to further strengthen steadfast commitment to customers and conservation...

www.globenewswire.com

Sunnafa Beach, there goes another one down the drain!

 

[marksjeep]

Didn't JAX have a bit of a Dicks-esque stance on selling guns a while back too?

Jax in Fort Collins used to have a very large selection of surplus goods, including milsurp arms and ammo. Lots of imports. They stopped carrying anything evil looking after Sandy Hook.

 

[rwc101]

Other than reloading components more and more of my purchases are direct from the manufacturer. I'll continue to lobby Scheels for a Laramie location even if the odds are against me.

 

[EastTNHunter]

I wish that we had a good local sporting goods store around here. If I want a specific gun I’ll contact a friend of mine who has a FFL, but sometimes you want to hold a few guns before settling on one.

I guess that Midway, Powder Valley, Natchez, Midsouth, and other online components outlets will become more attractive for as long as we can use them.

 

[406dn]

The Sportsman's Warehouse closed in Billings back in the recession of 08-09. So this merger has no impact on my outdoor shopping. Scheel's in Billings is without doubt a store that crushes it. But if you look at it closely, most of their floor space is not hook and bullet business. Every square foot in retail has to justify its space. If the gun business lags, they will adjust accordingly.

Several posters have mentioned Shedhorn Sports,,, no trip to that area is complete, without stopping in and shopping. That store can only exist at the hub of a major destination. But, it's great that they are there.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Well the good news is, with their marketing strategy, we’re going to be able to buy all the bass shit we need in Anchorage.

 

[MNElkNut]

Scheels is a great store and quite frankly is the only one I give business too. Scheels is also privately owned by a great family that has the values that most folks on this forum have. They are generous givers to charitable organizations as well.

 

[Big Fin]

The local SW here in Bozeman has done an amazing job helping the conservation groups. They send an entire crew to our RMEF event to handle all the firearms, which is usually 30+. They do the entire display, the background checks, etc. Anyone who is on a local volunteer committee knows this is no small task.

I hope this continues under the new ownership. It is very helpful to the conservation groups and the money raised from all these firearms.

I make a point to shop at Scheel's when I am in a town that has one. They have some of the best associates of any store I shop at, and that has been without exception in all their stores I have shopped. I so like the family-owned aspect. They asked me to do some stuff with them in August and they are as down-to-earth and organized on their back end as they are at the stores. I wish them great fortune as the compete with this expanding behemoth in the outdoor space.

 

[Dougfirtree]

Sigh... You're all so lucky. I would have to drive a long ways to get to a well stocked sporting goods store. We have a handful of tiny mom and pop gun stores and we have Dick's. That's basically it. I piece stuff together between the small shops, online and trips to other states.

Bummer though. I'm always jealous when I walk into a SW out west and I'm guessing I'd feel the same way about Scheel's. I hope you can all keep stores of that quality in your areas.

 

[Stocker]

After BP took over Cabelas I shop at Scheels. Helpful Knowledgeable staff that don’t hassle you to sign up for Credit cards or timeshare/vacations in Bum F~%{ Missouri everytime you need help with something.

 

[MarvB]

Quite a few SW around these parts, closest Scheels is in Sparks NV but I hit it anytime I’m close. Will continue to supports the local mom-n-pops around here, may pay a bit more but admire their grit staying open and they’ve gotta eat too. Mix in an occasional trip to Oregon’s Walmart (aka BiMart). Run into the big town every now and then to go to Nosler and drool a bit....

 

[JEL]

Time to shop more locally. mtmuley

This. We have a couple of great locally owned sporting goods stores here. Sportsmans shelves are always half bare anyway.