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Sportsman’s Warehouse acquired by Great American Outdoors Group
- Thread starter cedahm
- Start date
I do understand your frustration. For a while the Chandler, AZ REI was interrogating people before letting them enter. Not just telling you you had to wear a mask, but it seemed like they were actually trying to discourage and talk you out of going into the store.
MTLabrador
Well-known member
Have they stopped selling guns since I stopped in to buy a pair of boots last spring? Still looked like an active sporting goods store to me. Their selection of boots, clothing, packs, sleeping bags, and tents interests me a lot more than what Cabela’s carries.
shrapnel
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2015
- Messages
- 2,578
They have guns in a rack along the wall and handguns in glass cases. Practically everything is on consignment, so you can't deal on much without a call to the owner to see if they are willing to deal. No reloading components, and related gear that used to fill shelves in the old store.
I do get socks there and they have a great selection and shoes of all sorts. As far as hunting/fishing equipment goes, that has all disappeared and you are left with just a shadow of what was once one of the great sporting goods stores in Montana.
Benfromalbuquerque
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- Joined
- Jul 15, 2020
- Messages
- 1,621
Back to the point of order- It’s a turdburger to see Sportsmans go the way of Cabela’s. It would be a little better if the new ownership company was publicly traded.
SaskHunter
Well-known member
Cabela's used to be half decent too before it was taken over by Basspro. Nowadays it feels like it's more about the "experience" and buying crappy fudge and throw pillows.
BigHornRam
Well-known member
Last time I was in Schnees was about 5 years ago to buy some pack boots. Very fancy store they have now. The young lady that helped me try on boots didn't know much about boots, but she was a looker. I'd go back again!
Wearing those boots today by the way.
They make excellent pack boots.
Wearing those boots today by the way.
They make excellent pack boots.
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jryoung
Well-known member
This is what we wanted though, end state capitalism. We should be grateful the vultures leave us so much.
BuzzH
Well-known member
Have you glanced in a mirror lately? Talk about tough to take seriously...
SlownSteady7
Active member
Sportsman's was always so damn expensive and I disliked Cabelas and Bass Pro anyway. Quality always goes down while price goes up until they ditch it for the "New model" then the process starts all over again.
Flatlander3
Active member
Enjoy Sportsmans wear house while you can. Cabelas went WAY down hill after the merger, wouldn't expect anything after this is done. Looks lole Scheels will gain even more customers.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
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Deleted member 28227
Guest
Millennials are ~26-41, your doctor might be a millennial, I imagine those kids are GenZ. I think you are calling an age range 18-24 a generation.
SaskHunter
Well-known member
I always get a good laugh when a 35 yo man calls Gen Z'ers "Snowflake millennials"...
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Deleted member 28227
Guest
I’m just like yeah dude we’re all a-holes at that age, Holden Caulfield was the silent generation.
When I ran a a 5 star resort I would not allow my employees to dress like that. Had to cover tattoos too. It's just not professional.
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Deleted member 16014
Guest
Only laughing on account of how poorly I’d fit in as an employee or clientele at a 5 star resort. It certainly takes all kinds.
SAJ-99
Well-known member
Better in what way? As a previous poster said, retail is all about reducing cost. That is especially true for BassPro. It bought CAB in a cash deal and is buying SPWH in cash deal. That cash is going to come from debt. You will get a chance to own Bass Pro at some point, but I wouldn't touch it given the responses I see on this post.
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Deleted member 16014
Guest
I have to admit I don’t totally get the hate for box outdoor stores, outside of the effect on smaller locally owned businesses, which is certainly very unfortunate.
I would just never walk into an outdoor store of any kind (climbing shop, REI, Sportsman’s, Bob Wards, etc) and expect them to speak directly to my needs. I do my research, have an educated expectation, and see what they’ve got. For instance I’m way more likely to ask @JLS what boot soles might survive the Snake River breaks than some random person at a store, even if it’s a great store.
I’ll support a local business over a giant any day, but not because Cabela’s hasn’t heard of my rifle chambering and stocks a lot of slippers. Maybe I just never experienced outdoor retail in a condition to miss what it was.
I would just never walk into an outdoor store of any kind (climbing shop, REI, Sportsman’s, Bob Wards, etc) and expect them to speak directly to my needs. I do my research, have an educated expectation, and see what they’ve got. For instance I’m way more likely to ask @JLS what boot soles might survive the Snake River breaks than some random person at a store, even if it’s a great store.
I’ll support a local business over a giant any day, but not because Cabela’s hasn’t heard of my rifle chambering and stocks a lot of slippers. Maybe I just never experienced outdoor retail in a condition to miss what it was.
This is a fair question. I'm old enough I remember when there were only two Cabela's stores. The staff there were very knowledgeable. I spent about an hour on the phone one day with a couple of their staff when we were gearing up for a trip to Alaska for our honeymoon. This was pre "www." days, so the expertise they provided (granted I didn't know enough to really question it) was invaluable.
Nowadays, I would agree with you in that I'm very likely to go into the store knowing pretty much what I'm looking for, and there is a very high likelihood I may know more about the product(s) than the person selling them. I still need to try them on to compare fit, finish, etc., but the staff generally aren't a source of expertise for me. For someone else, they may be.
A number of years ago I was in the Scheel's in Great Falls. This was at a time when you could actually casually browse the primer aisle, and I was doing so. I could overhear a conversation at the gun counter where guy from out of state was looking at a rifle. The conversation involved endless details about the merits of new sooper dooper short magnums , yada, yada, yada.
Surprisingly, the guy turned to me and askd me what I would choose. I told him, that based on what he was telling me, he'd be best off using the 30-06 he currently had and spending the money on a better scope and a lot of ammo to shoot out of it. Moral of the story, even a small hometown sporting goods store (this was before Scheel's moved) doesn't always provide the best and most practical advice. After all, they are trying to sell stuff.
Sportsman's Warehouse isn't evil. As a couple of folks have pointed out, they are often VERY generous donors to conservation groups. In addition, they are providing local jobs. @neffa3 brought up a great point about not every local hometown sporting goods store being a good community member. Some are.
I quit shopping at Cabela's when they dove into the trophy property real estate endeavor, and it was based solely on philosophical reasons. I doubt they GAF I quit shopping there. I tried to give them another chance, and when I walked around in the store I was completely underwhelmed by what I could try on and look at, so I quit again. In comparison, SW has always been pretty darned reliable for having the inventory I needed. The Missoula store is in a pretty convenient location as well.
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