Andy,

What I meant to say is that I know there was a difference between Cabelas and Outdoor World's prices about 8 years ago. I don't know what it is right now because I usually do not price items unless they are pretty large. Most of the large items are about the same between the two (e.g., finisher layout blinds).


Hawkeye6,

I don't necessarily reduce my fee, but I have seen some CPA's that have prepared some illegal tax returns for their clients just so that their clients will use them because they can get a larger refund. I had to decline to do one client's tax return because I couldn't do for her what her previous CPA did the two years prior. She is a legal client of mine that wanted me to prepare her tax returns.

Then there are the attorneys that will lie for their clients just so they can get paid. That isn't me either.

Great Thread!
 

One thing that you can always expect on this forum is good, thought-provoking feedback! Great posts Denton and Lil-Red (and others)

I have found both Cabelas and Bass Pro Shops to be somewhat comparable on most major label brands of fishing and hunting products. Where I have really seen a marked differnce, however, is on the personal brand products (RedHead-Guide Series) Cabeleas wins hands down in my book.

Cabelas has claimed more than their fair share of my cash through the years :rolleyes: on a bevy of different items-especially clothing ans there is a marked difference. The quality of the fabric on shirts, jackets, and chore coats are superior to RedHead along with better quality stiching, seams, and hems. When I'm not wearing Filson, I'm usually afield in something from Cabelas. Personally, I have always received top-notch service from Cabelas as well. I can't always say that I have from BPS.

With respect to the above post from Lil Red, Amen!!! I've spent alot of time down South and still do as I have family there and I can say with pride that it will certainly be "From My Cold Dead Hands" in the South should any BS legislation ever pass denying us our 2nd Ammendment rights. I will be South of the Mason Dixon line quicker than a jackrabbit being run down by a pack of dogs.

I personally believe that our forefathers, knowing human nature, constructed with the help of God, the most perfect documents that were humanly possible. The anology they used was that this would only serve to be an experiment if the people were vigilant in protecting these rights. Look to Canada and England and ask yourself if they are better off now. I can go on and on but I will stop. There are certainly some things that are worth fighting for and in my book, this rates right on up there!

To those of you that are scratching your heads right now and wondering what in the heck my last two paragraphs have to do with Cabelas service...I apologize. This was meant to be posted on the "Ronnie Barret" thread in "Anything Goes":rolleyes:

This is what happens when you eat lunch at your desk at work, are trying to keep a couple of screen sessions open on HC and are fielding phone calls from co-workers all at the same time.

Sorry for any confusion.

Well, you started out in the right direction with the Cabelas stuff and then I figured that you got somewhat confused at the end with the other thread.

You might just want to cut and paste the last portion on the Barrett thread.

Thanks Fabs
 

I did copy and paste over to the other thread so at least the folks reading that might have some clue as to what I am talking about.:D

Still havent got a second response. The first one said it would be very soon. See what happens.

Should I send another if I dont hear from them in the next day or so, or just let it go?

Andy

How about utilizing the "e-mail to a friend" feature and send this thread link to Cabelas. May be that'll get you a response. Or call Customer Service and ask for someone who cares. As a concenred customer, of course.

The Sportsman's WareHouse is another good chain and have got some pretty good deals from them.

Nulle, have you been to the Sportsmen's Warehouse in Sioux Falls yet ? My best friend just went to work for them, he flies the big shots around and says they're a great bunch of people. The owner is a big hunter himself. They're looking to open another 20 stores or so in the next 2 years. I recommended somewhere along I-90 in the Black Hills area. I think there would be a good base of resident customers, plus a lot of outdoors people passing by all year long. Keep your eyes open.

We have a Sportsmans Warehouse in town. They are like a mini Cabelas. They have a good selection of reloading equipment and guns. Pricing is comparable to Cabelas but deals can be found. Our Super Wally actually just started carrying reloading supplies and their prices are higher than Sportsman's. Just waiting for Wally to close it out again:D .

We went to Cabelas first and then to Sportsmans in SF. We had certain items we had priced and SF had Cabelas beat on all items.
The one in SF is pretty darn big and if its a mini it is not by much.

Nulle,

Showroom SQ Ft may be closely comparable but the aisles are closer together in Cabelas which allows more variety of "stuff". I actually like Sportsmans for having a more open layout because I'm more of an in and out type shopper. I know what I want before I get there and don't like dealing with the crowds on the weekends. Cabelas marketing of their retail showrooms is as a end destination for folks. For example Sidney, Neb doesn't exactly have much for tourist appeal other than Cabelas. They expected folks to spend a full day at their store, therefore RV parking, semi parking, dog runs and now hotels, restraunts etc. Cabela also has the infamous catalog and web site. If you pull up Sportsmans Warehouse on the web they're a toddler in comparison. SW gets a lot of what used to be my Cabela biz because they are 10 min from my house, so I don't have to make a list and I don't have to pay freight or gas $ or use one of my days off to travel to Sidney ( 2hrs one way ). Personally, unless I'm looking for something in specific, SW will get most of my day to day biz. If I want to get out of town, shop the bargain cave, stroke a bunch of high end guns I'll road trip to Sidney. For your day to day items I think SW will probably beat Cabelas easily because they just don't have the overhead.

Ditto and I hope they get a SW in the Western part of the state soon.

Hey all,

If you are looking for catalog shopping, either on-line or by phone, there are several businesses that support Huntchat and would love your business. Me being one of them.

item for item competitive with Cabelas and BPS

http://www.huntn.biz/catalog/catalog.asp?id=1426

Each purchase also helps fund the battle to protect gun rights.

Checked the website out and it doesn't appear to have quite as much selection as BPS or Cabelas. Granted, I only checked out the waterfowl decoy section, but that seemed to be pretty enemic. If I have to pay for shipping, I try to order as much from Cabelas or BPS as possible because after a certain dollar amount, the shipping is essentially free.

fabs,

I agree that the shelves are a little bare but we've only been at it for less than two years. It will get better and better.

Items are being added every week.

crawl before you walk, walk before you run.

pb

pb,
Nice site you got there. Gotta start somewhere, I agree. I see some things I need to order before fall, and guess where Im gonna get them? ;)

I would be more than happy to support your effort and a HC sponsor. :cool:

Expect an order before fall.

Andy

Thanks Andy!

If there is anything you need that you don't find, Let me know.
We all come from different hunting and fishing backgrounds and have our product preferences so we may be totally overlooking certain items or unique products for outdoorsmen.

In put is always welcome.

pb

I have some request,....
 

Hi All,.it`s been awhile,.....hope everyone is doin good,......So anyways,...
I got to speed read through most of this thread,......and i didn`t see anyone post anything about Gander mountain?
They used to be cheaper then Cabela`s and Bass Pro,......I know they don`t have a catalog anymore.
But I did find a place that was decent on pricing,.......It`s ; Keystone Coutry Store ,and they have online ordering and a catalog,......if anyone is interested let me know, or I can post the web addy here.
I would now but I dont want to get into trouble for spamming,......lol
Also I would like to find a place that carries the Oneida Compound bow,...or any of them.
Cabelas ,Sportsmen Guide,Gander Mount., none of them carry that bow line.
Ok Later All,.
SAFE HUNTIN~

Yup Gander was another good one and as you stated I havn't seen them around much. They getting pushed out or what ?
Years agoe Herters had a Very big outlet and now they are gone except for some waterfowl stuff.

Geez Nulle
 

You sure know how to make a guy feel old ...

I grew up in the Owatonna, Mn area, about 25 miles from Waseca, Mn where Heters had their "showroom". I drove a Heters snowmobile as a kid and my Dad would take me over there to buy treble hooks and lead weights (for dough balling Carp) while he shopped for lures for the annual fall fishing trip to Lake Winniebegosh and Cass Lake with the boys. If memory serves me correctly they even had a catalog. Someone bought them out and they fell to the wayside after that.

I have been in a Gander Mtn in Rochester, Mn and in a Twin Cities south suburb within the last couple years so I believe that they're still around.

I don't know if that was Heters only showroom, but it was the big treat for like a 10 or 11yr old to go to with Dad.:D

I did a quick search for Gander and they're still around. Kind of entertaining, along with driving instructions they give GPS coordinates to the locations. I knew I bought that GPS for something.

Herters and Gander Mountain
 

I can remember Herters years ago. They had a store somewhere in NE Iowa that I drove up to one time. I was in college at ISU and I think I went there to get a graduation presetn for one of my nephews, I think. I don't know where or when they fell off but like Nulle said, they don;t seem to have much in their catalog these days except waterfowling stuff.

Gander Mountain -- I used to do mail-order from them and got some nice stuff with good deals. Apparently, they ran into some expansion/money problems and sold off their mail-order division to Cabelas (IIRC). Right before that, their customer service and order fulfillment really went to crap. That was around 1995-1996. Since then, they've greatly expanded their retail stores. Sometime in the early ninties they opend a store in Merrillville, IN that I went to very occasionally. Now we have a store nearer to us (NW side of Fort Wayne, IN) and I like it. I go there from time to time. Thsi particulaar sotre is way overcrowded so I kind of dislike it from that standpoint.

Cabelas stores are great, but there aren't any near me. Teh closest is about a 4 hour drive.

Another store that I used to really like when I lived in Indy was/is Galyans. They were a locally owned chain of around 5 sporting goods stores. Deifnitely full line wiht a great selection of camping/outdoor/hunting/shooting stuff. They sold out to the Gap in the early to mid ninties as tehey were trying to fund their expansion in the midwest. With that they keps their excellent customer service and stocking. I understand that they have now been sold to Dick's Sporting Goods. We have a Dick's in Fort Wayne. OK, but I'm not impressed. I'll have to wait and see what they do with Galyans.

Far as Im concerned Cabelas arent that "Great". I guess its no biggie til it happens to you......

I never heard another word about it. I guess they dont care. No problem. Im not saying Ill never buy anything else from them. But Huntnbiz, Bass Pro, Midaway, Grafts, Sinclair and several others will get the nod first to see if they have what I want.

Andy

No ,......Gander is still in Biz,........
 

They just dont have a paper catalog anymore.
You have to go online and order now.
Later All
SAFE HUNTIN~

Hawkeye,

Herters was bought by Cabelas, or at least its waterfowl division. It happened a couple of years ago and I can remember the Cabelas waterfowl catalog coming with Herter's name on the front of it too along with several of the Herter's decoys in the catalog.

Interesting thread and comments. My .02 from somebody who HAS to receive stuff via mail:

I used to get a bunch of stuff from Midway -- but they absolutely stopped shipping to APO/FPO addresses. I e-mailed them, told them they're losing a bunch of business to Cabela's, Natchez, etc -- didn't matter, they don't intend to ship to APOs anymore, their loss.

Natchez is cool, never had a problem, good customer service, and they have some items I can't get anywhere else. Same with Sinclair, Midsouth, etc.

I've very seldom used Bass Pro, in fact I can't remember when. Maybe have to recheck them out one of these days.

And now the big boy, Cabela's. I'll tell you, they're right there in the ballpark if not lower on prices. In fact, I just the other day ran a comparison for a Leupold Scope -- same exact price from swfa, bear basin, and Cabela's. The only way I can beat one over the other is when one has what I want on sale.

Wolvie -- I used to get stuff from Gander also -- but you can't order on line, have to visit a store.

I'll keep my eye on Huntn Biz too.

I also use the German big boys Frankonia and Kettner -- I get stuff that costs more, but impossible to get from stateside outfitters.

Good to see I'm not the only one supporting a hunting/shooting shop!! Good luck shopping, Waidmannsheil, Dom.

Fabs:

It appears you are correct! I jsut did a search for the Herter's website and was re-directed to a Cabela's webpage with a nice letter from Herter's saying Cabela's was now doing the on-line distribution of the Heter's products. Sounds like an acquisition to me!

Hawkeye

Dom:

"I used to get a bunch of stuff from Midway -- but they absolutely stopped shipping to APO/FPO addresses. I e-mailed them, told them they're losing a bunch of business to Cabela's, Natchez, etc -- didn't matter, they don't intend to ship to APOs anymore, their loss. "

I agree with you its their loss. I'm curious, did Midway give any reason for their new policy?

Hawkeye

Hawkeye, yes, Midway said the change in customs regulations prevented them from shipping to APOs -- but I think it's just an excuse that they don't want to pursue it or do customs forms. And it's for everything, including books and stuff that anybody can get anywhere in the world. Naturally no mail order will ship powder, primers, or loaded ammo, but not to ship accessories, scopes, etc, is definitely a loss to them. I did find their response:

Dom,

We apologize, because of the varity of regulations controlling shipping outside the U.S. MidwayUsa is unable ship to APO's. We can still ship to you if you have a statside address. If you have any further questions or comments feel free to contact us at 1-800-243-3220 Monday through Friday 8 am - 8 pm and Saturday and Sunday 9 am - 5:30 pm (CST).

Once again, thank you for choosing MidwayUSA, we appreciate the opportunity to serve you!

Sincerely,
David

MidwayUSA
Customer Service Associate
PS. Have you received our new Master Catalog #3 with over 60,000 products? Call or log on today!

To go on,........
 

Here in Upstate NY I guess there is stil ltalk of Gander building somewhere around or at exit 19 off of I-87.

I am hoping for it myself,.....we need something around here,....Wally World just isn`t carring what they should,..or used to.

Later All,.SAFE HUNTIN~

Just ran the wheels off my little truck circling from Utah to Wyoming to Colorado to Kansas to Oklahoma to Texas to New Mexico back to Colorado and finally home to Utah.

Stopped in the Sportsmansware House in Utah, GanderMt in Colorado, Cabelas in Kansas, Bass Pro in Oklahoma, Gander Mt in Texas then ran out of time to shop. Really wasn't shop'n anyways. Just looking and drooling.

I should have picked up a little something for every one, Sorry.

Next trip I'll remember.

Honestly, if an employer is going to fire people because they are looking for better opportunities, I can completely see WHY someone's looking for a job with a different firm. That's terrible managing, if you ask me.

VinVega, I'm afraid that's the way corporate America works, especially with the employees in the office working with trade secrets & the books. This guy was had top access to the inside books and some companies won't tolerate anything less than 100% loyalty while under their employment. I'm sure there was an employment contract of some type that was violated by him soliciting employment elsewhere. He didn't even get to clean out his own desk.

Some companies require their employee to sign a Non-Compete Agreement and a Trade Secrets Agreement. That is to make sure that employees don't learn everything from the business owner and then open up their own place. Greed is the problem. The employer pays the employee a handsome salary, but the employee wants more and figures that since he is running the employers business he can do it elsewhere. At the same time, he does ahead and takes the customer database when he leaves and mails his new catalog to the older employer's customers. That is wrong and that is what the Non-Compete and Trade Secrets Agreement is there to prevent.

I guess it all just seems odd to me because of the company I work for. The turnover rate there is extremely high, people rarely pass four months. But, they do tell each and every associate what they need to do to do a good job for the company, and why doing it that was is conducive to good business. They've also been completely receptive of the fact that I've been in the running since February for a job with the local PD. I guess it's not competition, but plenty of people have left the company to go to other businesses. Lots of people have left other businesses to come to my company. There's never any hard feelings and it's not odd to rehire someone who does this. I guess I just work for a weird company, but I've known that since I started there.

All that said, I still think it's pretty sad to fire someone just becaue they're trying to broaden their opportunities. We can get back to the original point now. Sorry to have hijacked the thread.:)

Well good luck in your Law Enforcement quest and even there I have run into Cheifs and Sheriffs that if they find out an employer is looking he had better find something real soon cause they would make it tough on him.
Anyway back to Cabela's I guess I have ordered on line and in their store in Mitchell and never had a problem. Granted I do not order a ton of stuff but hope I never run into some of the things some of you have or I guess I might switch to another store fast.

Bein in retail..
 

I can honestly tell ya'll that when I first started werkin at Lowes..I never thought the average person was such a moron.
But..it comes from what I call "lettin it git to ya".
Do ya'll have any idear how many times a day I hear "I demand a discount?" Probaly 100. So, what I do, is let them hash it all out..and then decide if they really do deserve some form of reimbursment. Like Fabs fer instance, iffin Lowes screwed up his order, then he deserves somethin back. But..there's a hitch to my way of thinkin on this..which is why I refuse to move up the ladder at Lowe's. You see..iffin Fabs would've came to me, explained what happened and it all checked out..I would've gave him his 10%. No biggie. But you start slappin me with Home Depot reciepts like I would truly go home and not sleep fer 3 days cause he shopped at Home Depot? I would sleep like a baby, and I probaly would lose all sympathy I had for him. Not to mention respect. Knowin me, I would probaly tell them that too..hence me not movin up higher lol..(No offense Fabs..this is not personal towards you..Home Depot reciepts are a daily thing at my store.)

Yes, you can threaten, and it will truly work..fer none of them will tell you no. But..that is abused so bad..that I have become hard-hearted. I git paid dern good money fer what I do..and I take my job seriously..and will do the best I can to make every customer feel appreciated. But..most of those folks on the other side of the fence..have alot to deal with. I've learned to seperate each customer from the next..and that not all of them are leechin offa my retirement. it werks out real good that way..and in general..I agree..that most times..customer service sucks period.

But, fer ya'll waitin at the customer service desk fer yer rant & throw down, and the next person walks up to you..just remember..you also need to treat them as an individual..and not as the company. You need to seperate each person you deal with..just like I seperate each customer I deal with. 2 entirely seperate beings from one another.
Iffin that dont work..I can always fall back on my Pop who said "You can always git more honey w/ bees than w/ vinegar."

Re: Bein in retail..
 

Huh???:confused: :D

Awwwww schiet..lmao
I got it backards...you can git more bees w/ honey than you can w/ vineger..I think..aww hell... what he said :p :D :rolleyes: