There is always...Dick's.....right?
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There is always...Dick's.....right?
Fun BPS story: Back in October the wife and I took a week+ trip to the west, camping in our trailer. We passed through Utah and Arizona, stayed at a place called Willow Beach on the Colorado River South of the Hoover dam (gorgeous area!) and then went and spent almost a week at an "RV Resort" in Pahrump, NV.
Usually when we go someplace I like to have an actual paper map or atlas in case I want to do a little mild off-roading in my truck. I have the Benchmark Atlases of most of the states we were going to be in, but I didn't have on for Nevada.
So on our way to Pahrump, we were passing through Las Vegas and I said "let's stop at Bass Pro and get an atlas."
Went up to the hunting department and asked the kid (probably 20) where I would find an atlas of Nevada.
Kid: "A what?"
Me: "An atlas. It's like a book with maps in it."
Kid: "Maps? So like a GPS?"
Me: "No, a BOOK. Made of PAPER. With maps in it."
Kid gets a confused look on his face
"I don't think we sell those."
:rolleyes:
So we went downstairs where sure enough, right there near the optics there was a little rotating carousel with the benchmark atlas of Nevada on it.
Well [pileoshit]
I had a trip to Bass Pro gun counter years ago.
I asked the man behind the counter if he had any Walther PPQ subcompacts. He said "no, but we can order". Then he asked me why I wanted a subcompact. I told him I wanted it for a CCW. Then he told me that they wouldn't sell it to me then, because concealed guns are for police only.
Seriously.
So, that was my last trip there.
I have never had a negative experience with the guys at the gun counter in COS, and the rest of the store seems to employs cute gals.
That ass clown should quit the job at bass pro and work for Brady Campaign.Quote:
Originally Posted by hollohas
Many moons ago I went into a Bass Pro looking for some fishing lures in October and was told by fishing wizard behind the counter that fishing season was over in Colorado !!!!
Hahahahaha.Quote:
Originally Posted by StagLefty
go to bass pro, don't go--it's your choice. however, not going anywhere because you encountered a dumb employee (in this case, Elmer Fudd) is silly--especially when they clearly sell plenty of compact gunsQuote:
Originally Posted by hollohas
This will be good for their employees as they will now receive discounts at BP, Cabela's and SW. Always gotta look on the positive side of things.
I work at the Parker store, gun counter, due to being laid off from the oil field. It sucks, as our discounts are amazing, but will go away when bass pro takes over. Most all of our customers comment on the level of service they get at the gun counter, and complain about cabellas and bp.
Your store must be much better than Thornton, because the counter service there is shit just like Bass Pro.Quote:
Originally Posted by ANADRILL
Stand in line. Lady calls you up and takes your info, says someone will call you in a few. Lady stares at wall for 15 minutes. Lady walks over and asks if you have been helped, and if you need assistance. (All the same woman) One dude is walking around having casual conversation with the other reps about the pizza he had for lunch.
On the plus side, one of 'em rang up the rifles at black friday prices 3 weeks after that sale was said and done.
I went to Parker Sportsman's warehouse on Tuesday while I was going down to parker to pickup my firearm.
Looks like it is much bigger and gun counter is much wider in terms of display. I can just do a quick sweep of pistol display inventory and price and just leave. I cannot do that at Thornton Sportsmans. :D
I will say, any time I've dealt with the guys behind the counter at the Spring's Sportsman's, I've been very happy with how I was treated. Cabelas and Bass Pro not so much.Quote:
Originally Posted by ANADRILL
I guess neither side of the acquisition did much market research on implications of the deal. Even the guys working a Cabela's today thought it was a bad idea.
When the market is at their highs, many companies do dumb M&A. Funniest one was Compaq-HP deal and AOL-Time Warners.
I've never been much of a "business guy" but I thought the whole reason SW went through their bankruptcy or near bankruptcy in 2010 - 11 (I think that's when it was) was because they grew too fast and spread themselves too thin. And back then, we didn't even have Cabela's yet (I think the Cabelas stores in the Metro area opened around 2015 or so.)
So now, with BPS owning not only their own BPS store, they own the two Cabelas stores in the metro area, and soon will own the, what, 3 or 4 SW locations? So that's one company with either 6 or 7 locations just in the Denver area alone.
What is the value, to the company, in having that many locations? Seems like a lot of overhead to have that many store that are all relatively close to each other.
Didn't Gander Mountain close their retail stores because they decided they couldn't compete in the "big box sporting goods store" area?
Cabela's has a "brand identity" seeing as how it's been around since 1961, and I suppose you could say the same about BPS but SW really doesn't - as I said above, their gimmick was always low prices so once their prices go up to BPS and Cabela's levels, there's really no gimmick at all.
Would not surprise me a bit to see SW closed for good after this. To be honest, I'm surprised they even came back from their earlier bankruptcy or reorganization or whatever it was.
The SW in Parker has always been great with customer service and their store is very well light and organized, unlike the other SW locations that are dark and gloomy. I’m not the type to browse the gun counter often, but when I pass by they always ask if I need help. I hope the employees who are currently at Parker stay through the transition as they are the ones giving the service, not Corporate.
I have found SW to provide great service and definitely more product selection than post-Bass Pro Cabela's. Usually, the same $10 to $20 item is $1 to $2 less at SW than Cabela's, but there are exceptions. The biggest thing that happened to Cabela's was expansion of the outdoor lifestyle crap that reduced sales space for the traditional items. Over a quarter of the 144th store is now sunglasses, toys, decorative junk, and self-branded t-shirts / hoodies.
Cabelas ain't an old Sydney Nebraska Cabelas no mo.
I don't know about Bass Pro, but old Cabelas loves real estates.
It's crazy that Johnny didn't consult with the guys working at a local Cabela's before this $700M deal.Quote:
Originally Posted by .455_Hunter
If your aquisition of brand is going to result in a hemorrage of that brand's customers, then perhaps the purchase is not such a good deal. So far, I have seen comments or spoken to about 50 people about this development, and zero are happy about it. Maybe I just interface with a certain type of person, or there are ulterior motives for the purchase to which I am unaware. If they just blindly thought filling SW with Red Head crap was going to be warmly received, I believe they are mistaken.Quote:
Originally Posted by funkymonkey1111
The Compaq-HP mergers seems to have worked out well enough.Quote:
Originally Posted by MrPrena
Was there, did that. Worked out well for my group (Compaq ne Digital). They canned the HP product our product was up against and merged the groups.Quote:
Originally Posted by MrPrena
...and then we had to put up with seething hatred and non-cooperation for years from the HP employees whose product was replaced by ours.
Management took the approach of "It'll sort itself out" and it did, like 2 to 3 years later. They could have fixed it in months if they had the fortitude to actually manage the groups.
O2
Seriously, though, if SW disappeared tomorrow, would anyone miss them? More to the point, would anyone even notice?
When SW first opened in Colorado I believe it was either mid 2000 or 2001. The reason I say that is that I had just moved to Laramie, WY to go to school in August of 2000 and I got one of their mailers/grand opening discount coupons in the mail. The only SW location nearby was the one in Loveland. Up to that time the closest thing to a "big box" sporting goods store that actually sold hunting or shooting gear was Jax (in its original FoCo location.) So SW was a "big new thing" being a big (physically very large) big-box sporting goods store that unlike Gart Bros, actually had a good supply of guns, ammo, shooting stuff, camping gear, etc (Gart was always more "urban sports": Soccer, football, running/bicycling, volleyball, etc.)
The "big thing" about SW back then was their size ("big box" size store) and their large, in-stock selection, and of course their low prices. I'm sure the LGS's hated them and I would imagine that more than a few LGSs went out of business because of them being able to undercut the LGS on both selection and price.
But then....BPS came along in, what, 2006 or so? Maybe 2007? And at the same time, SW expanded to include large stores in the Denver area as well (Northglenn, Aurora and SW Plaza.)
It was also around this time, IIRC, that Gander Mountain opened its two stores in the Denver area, one in Thornton and one in Aurora in the old Home Base off of I-225 and Iliff.
So by the time the big financial crises of 2008 - 2009 hit, shoppers in the Front Range had at least EIGHT "big box" style stores that were exclusively dedicated to sporting goods (4 x SW, 2 x GM, 1 x BPS and by this time Jax had expanded to include a big-box style store in Louisville.)
All of a sudden, SW's one and only gimmick - large selection - was no longer exclusive to them. All they had left was cutting prices and that led them into a major reorg in 2010 - 2011 or so that saw them closing a huge percentage (I think it was over half) of their retail stores nationwide. The Aurora and SW plaza stores closed permanently.
By the time they emerged from their reorg in 2016 or so, not one but TWO Cabelas stores had also popped up in the Metro area.
And yet, they decided to put stores in the SW and SE part of the city again (Sheridan and Parker.)
And what's more, they did this after Gander Mountain had decided that their big box stores weren't making enough $$ to stay open.
You have to wonder why. I haven't been to the Parker store, but the SW in Sheridan at River Point is tiny - probably less than half the floor space of the old SW Plaza store. Selection is not good and prices are no better than the likes of BPS, Cabelas or Jax. Is there anything more useless than a "small" "big box" store? Being "big" is about the only thing they have to offer, and if they can't offer that, what good are they?
I can understand the emotional reaction of those who remember SW when it was literally the only real "big box sporting goods store" in town that dedicated a large portion of its floor space to hunting and fishing (as opposed to more "mainstream" sports stores like Gart/Sports Authority that virtually ignored the hunting/fishing market.)
But IMO, Sportsman's Warehouse's glory days are long behind them and all that's left is a shadow of what they once were. The one thing that made them unique is no longer unique to them, so the real question is, is there even a place for them in the current market?
I would say no, I don't think there is because there's nothing that SW does that other big box sporting goods places don't do as well or better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martinjmpr
Yes- I would. I go there more the all of their competition combined.
Is that because they are closer to you or because they offer something the others don't?Quote:
Originally Posted by .455_Hunter
Quote:
Originally Posted by .455_Hunter
Yes, a lot because they are closer. I do like the size of the store of the SW by me. If I don't have to climb a set of stairs just to check for primers, that's nice.Quote:
Originally Posted by Martinjmpr
Decades later after many diversification and playing around agilent, yes it has.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rucker61
However, carly's one of biggest failure is still seen as Compaq merger.
Oh yeah. I remember ibank were praising Michael Capella for that merger. Smaller companies usually benefits in mergers (of course depending on deal structures and etc).Quote:
Originally Posted by O2HeN2
[Beer]Quote:
Originally Posted by .455_Hunter
Sometimes you only need a couple replacement Panther-Martins, and don't want to deal with the biggest-box store hassles.
It is! I have heard the same about Thorton.Quote:
Originally Posted by 00tec
Thanks, we try! Had a lady comment on our service today, saying it was awesome compared to Cabellas...Quote:
Originally Posted by KS63
Hum not sure on which SW you are going to, but the Parker sees quite a few nice tactical guns come through. Problem is they get bought up quick.Quote:
Originally Posted by CS1983
Did Carly have any successes?Quote:
Originally Posted by MrPrena
I frequent the Turnpike corridor, so the 84th Ave SW location is easy access for me. I have found SW offers considerably more selection for the things that I buy over Cabela's and BP (general outdoor gear). I sometimes go to JAX, but the locations are definitely not convenient, but I am still annoyed by the magazine pandering from 7ish years ago, and tend to limit purchases there. Scheel's is pretty good, but Hwy 34 is far out of the way.Quote:
Originally Posted by Martinjmpr
I've always been a fan of the SW in Colo Spr. Good customer service, I like the selection of items available - which differs on some counts (that interest me) from the items found at either BPS or Cabela's, location, etc.
Colo Spr. has a BPS on the very North end of town. Frankly, it's not in the most convenient location for me. SW has a store pretty much in the middle of town; I live just a touch closer to SW than to BPS. Even though I have to go through more traffic/lights to get to SW, I'll make the trip to SW more often than BPS. I find it worthwhile.
One thing about SW I've always enjoyed is the huge board at the front of the store with fishing reports for many of the fishing spots around the state. They do a great job keeping that info updated. Will this continue under BPS? We'll see.
When I'm in a BPS store, all of the things I want to look at seem to be in crowded little spaces. This is rarely, if ever, an issue at SW - they space things out nicely for the customer.
So, what happens if (when) BPS decides that they don't need so many retail locations and decides to close the SW stores? They take over the stock and extra supply contracts and move it all into their BPS stores.
Last I heard, Cabela's was being sued over something to do with ammunition. Under BPS, SW will feel the fallout from whatever occurs from that suit.
Prior to this buy out, if BPS caved to the pressure of the anti-gunners and decided to quit carrying handguns or evil black rifles or anything associated (like so many of the larger branded stores have done), we'd still have the option to find them at SW. Under this buyout, I'd expect SW would have to follow suit and that would leave just the Mom & Pop stores. I wouldn't mind this so much if I lived much closer to Bower's, but I don't. I often tell anyone in the Springs looking to buy a handgun, but not sure what they want, to go to Specialty Sports because of their large inventory. I tell them to handle as many as they can to get a feel for what fits them best - BUT DON'T BUY FROM THEM because their employees are rude/hateful and their prices are higher. I've always told these folks that once they've decided on the gun they want to head over to SW to make the purchase. Even if they don't have the particular firearm in stock, they'll order it for you. I can't imagine that will be the case under BPS.
Now, if after all of this you are left believing that I just don't like BPS you'd be wrong. What Johnny Morris has built up serves a particular niche and I shop at BPS often enough. But, there is something about SW that I enjoy that I believe will be lost once BPS owns them.
ETA: Stu mentioned the stairs. After the Colo Spr. BPS opened I noticed they didn't have an upstairs. I asked the manager about this and he told me that the store in Denver was one of the last that would be built with a second floor. I've come to call the new footprint of BPS "2/3 stores". Sure, they try to include all of the same stock even without a second story, but that just goes back to the crowded feeling within the stores I mentioned earlier.
40mins to Bass pro
40mins to Cabela's 1
45mins to Cabela's 2
All big ass stores that require a person to wade through a bunch of BS to get what one wants.
10 mins to Sportsmans. Grab and go in a matter of minutes.
Any of the gift/decor/random BS other stuff bass pro/cabela's jam their stores full of, I'm not buying on short notice. I shop at big box outdoor stores for last minute hunting/shooting/camping stuff or convenient/hazmat free reloading stuff. I don't want to make a 2hr+ round trip for that.
I was super sad when the SW Plaza location closed years ago (but my wallet was happy).
Then Dick's turned to the dark side.
That left a hole for convenient outdoor goods in my area until Sportmans opened at River point again.
My guess is in a few years, we'll see many of the Sportsmans locations closed for just the reasons mentioned by others above...to consolidate locations. That will suck.
When that happens, my last minute outdoor shopping will come to an end as there won't be anything reasonably close anymore.
Wonder if Sportsman's Warehouse will eliminate the 10% Veteran's Discount now.
[Dunno]