[Cat Power]

I still buy quite a bit from Cabelas, online mostly. I use my Cabelas points (free money) every time and shop on 10% off days. I actually buy everything way cheaper than anywhere else.

No problems here

 

[Cat Power]

I NEVER said I was going to purchase them, I was taking them up front to prove a point.

I think you have some kind of odd hatred towards Cabelas, so honestly why shop there and make yourself miserable. Nobody I know would do what you did to those workers there, and for what reason?. I thought reading your OP that you were trying to buy the broken speakers which seemed odd to me.

Some of us like shopping there

 

[Botiz]

For the sake of the employees, I hope that really was your last visit to cabelas.

 

[Pier2pier]

Most of my gear and tackle are bought at the loal bait shops or Frank's and Northwoods.

I still go to Cabelas and BPS but they have less and less to offer at either place. On the one hand you can find outdoor wear for kids. The cabelas wool socks are the best and the BPS expedition waterproof boots have been great up to the last pair I bought for my son. A fast tie eye broke on the first trip out. But the Chesterfield cabelas was quick to replace them. I also think the johnny Morris spinning reel is well made for the price if you wait for the spring sale.

But most deals I come across are because I am keeping an eye out for some time. Also, I agree that the rewards program is not what it used to be.

 

[jakeo]

I think you have some kind of odd hatred towards Cabelas, so honestly why shop there and make yourself miserable. Nobody I know would do what you did to those workers there, and for what reason?. I thought reading your OP that you were trying to buy the broken speakers which seemed odd to me.

Some of us like shopping there

If you read the entire post I stated about how I used to enjoy Cabelas and their store.
I hadn't been there since 2017 and checked it out, did what I did and as a former business owner ,would have been happy to have had a customer show me if a employee had done such a thing.
Last I checked we were free to shop where we desire so have at it.
Personally, Franks and Northwoods in Linwood are my go to stores but local bait shops get most of my business.

 

[mattawanhunter]

I was actually sickened when Bass pro shops took it over! I've got all the hard copy books anniversary of Cabela's before they sold! I used to buy almost everything online from them including my crossbow package. Nobody could touch the price good customer service. No hassles with returns!

When the Dundee store opened I took my service manager there when we were over east on a job. What an amazing place and then I used to take the family when we would fly out to Florida! Haven't been there in years then they put one in Grand Rapids which isn't nearly as big. I haven't been there in a while, because I hate big city traffic even though my corporate office is up that way!

It's just a shame what has happened to retail everywhere!

I sat in Wendy's yesterday for lunch in Kalamazoo Michigan off sprinkle road and watched three people in the back room. Try to take orders. The lineup after 11:30 am was 12 people deep and people were walking out cuz Wendy's can't even staff and serve food for the lunch rush on a Wednesday, the tables are old and gritty It's a good thing Dave isn't still around to see it anymore!

Between that and daily shootings and the way people drive now, it's like living in a post apocalyptic world one that I don't like , I don't even recognize it anymore!

 

[LGB]

Being Sportsman, I think it's tough for any of us to pass up a sporting goods shop If we have time to kill. It is for me anyway and it doesn't matter which store It is. Looking at new products released without buying them is easy for me but it lets me see what's currently on the market product wise. No doubt Cabela's has slipped. I buy primarily online from them if they have what I want and is cheaper than other outlets. The drive for me isn't worth it when getting free shipping. The wife will pick up an item at the store that I have shipped there if she's in Saginaw shopping. They've failed me on some items and also in customer service and most of the employees in the stores sell camping items one day and shoes or cloths the next. I still will walk thru to see what's out in new products if I'm in the area and have time. Especially when it's a store I've never visited.

 

[Cork Dust]

Cabela's has not been Cabela's since they sold out to Wall Street. That one move is why Cabela's is no longer.

Cabelas sold to the Morris family who own Bass Pro Shops back in 2017. Well before that date they went public. The Morris clan ran Bass Pro as a private,wholely owned business and had to raise money to meet the agreed-upon sale price, so they leveraged (borrowed money) from an investment firm to complete the purchase. Their debt burden is immense, and sales/profitability have not increased for Cabelas or Bass Pro Shops, actually worsened during the pandemic, despite more folks spending time outdoors. Bass Pro has ALWAYS attempted to "sell a potential customer up" , this combined with the low quality of Redhead label gear moved me to stop shopping there.

Cabalas became a publicly traded company via an iPO in 2004.

 

[Shoeman]

Yet, they're mostly stocked, while some of our local shops have inventory issues due to a lack of cash flow with a dismal ice season.

 

[LGB]

Cabelas sold to the Morris family who own Bass Pro Shops back in 2017. Well before that date they went public. The Morris clan ran Bass Pro as a private,wholely owned business and had to raise money to meet the agreed-upon sale price, so they leveraged (borrowed capitol) from an investment firm to complete the purchase. Their debt burden is immense, and sales/profitability have not increased for Cabelas or Bass Pro Shops, actually worsened during the pandemic, despite more folks spending time outdoors. Bass Pro has ALWAYS attempted to "sell a potential customer up" , this combined with the low quality of Redhead label gear moved me to stop shopping there.

Cabalas became a publicly traded company via an iPO in 2004.

Cabela's gear was better BUT Redhead wasn't the worst gear out there by any means. Doubt that's what turned away customers. I bought some Cabela's outfitter tents and gear. When BPS took over, they weren't making parts available for those items anymore. Same with when they bought Oneida Eagle bows. Couldn't get parts for the bows. Why shop at a place that doesn't carry parts for their products ? That's why I slowed way down on Cabela's and BPS. I'll buy name brand (non-cabelas/BPS) gear if I need it and no other place has it

 

[Lumberman]

I think you have some kind of odd hatred towards Cabelas, so honestly why shop there and make yourself miserable. Nobody I know would do what you did to those workers there, and for what reason?. I thought reading your OP that you were trying to buy the broken speakers which seemed odd to me.

Some of us like shopping there

haha. I figured I couldn’t be the only one wondering what the male version of a Karen is called?? Lol

 

[jjlrrw]

BAM........hit with a credit card offer
BAM, would I like a vacation?

We were in the GR store a couple weeks ago, I just told the CC gal "every CC I have is maxed out and I can't afford to pay them down, do you think it would be a good idea to get another?" she said "we could fill out an ap and see what comes back"

The vacation couple wanted to set us up with a vacation in the Smoky Mountains, I told them "I still had a restraining order in place and couldn't leave the state for another 3 years" followed by "where do you buy a gun?"

 

[Cork Dust]

Cabela's gear was better BUT Redhead wasn't the worst gear out there by any means. Doubt that's what turned away customers. I bought some Cabela's outfitter tents and gear. When BPS took over, they weren't making parts available for those items anymore. Same with when they bought Oneida Eagle bows. Couldn't get parts for the bows. Why shop at a place that doesn't carry parts for their products ? That's why I slowed way down on Cabela's and BPS. I'll buy name brand (non-cabelas/BPS) gear if I need it and no other place has it

Yes, they bought the existing inventory and the stores and online business, but not the expiring product support and manufacturing contracts, eventually resulting in the shortfalls. My Redhead comments were based on my own perception and experiences. They were not offered as evidence to explain the declines.
Cabela's market Cap had declined significantly from the IPO interval, eventually putting them in a postion where the Morris family could make a highly leveraged offer, just in time to go into a pandemic and then a cycle of interest rate increases where borrowing operating capital is incredibly expensive.

 

[ro2]

If you’re into designer out door clothing cabellas is your place. Other then that they don’t serve my purpose anymore

 

[ajkulish]

I prefer smaller shops for sure. But I guess I didnt grow up in the era where Cabelas set the standard for outdoor gear. Having not lived through that, I do not find myself upset by a drop off in quality. I still enjoy going to the store and just looking around, they surely have a bigger selection than anything else around me (I guess maybe Sportsmans Warehouse is comparable, I do like that place better). But at the end of the day, this is a major brand/corporation that continues to promote and support hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation. If this major corporation ceased to exist, we would have a lot less main stream representation and would find our sports becoming obsolete in society very quickly.....

 

[wally28]

Cabela's is way overpriced in mho. Northwoods in Pinconning has much lower prices.

 

[50incher]

Does anyone remember Herters ??!!....it was the gold standard, how about Sears ? spell, lol....seems like they all find a way to shoot themselves in the foot, it's people running them, not the times imo....just saying....leadership and passion get sold out for other reasons....whatever anymore....

 

[Skinner 2]

Does anyone remember Herters ??!!....it was the gold standard, how about Sears ? spell, lol....seems like they all find a way to shoot themselves in the foot, it's people running them, not the times imo....just saying....leadership and passion get sold out for other reasons....whatever anymore....

Herters was great and carried everything. I still have and use some of thier stuff. I can rember going into the Sears Sporting goods but not much. Think they were already going down then.

 

[Ranger Ray]

Does anyone remember Herters ??

Sure do! If you were a duck hunter in the 60's, 70's, they had the equipment. Had a couple dozen of their decoys. When my parents and I went out west, I'd make them stop at the store. Cabela's copied their mold.

 

[Pier2pier]

how about Sears ? spell, lol....seems like they all find a way to shoot themselves in the foot...

I have no remorse for Sears failing. I am disappointed with their lack of business savvy. Once the internet started to gain popularity, they should have seen the opportunity. Sears was the pinnacle of mail order before phones or electricity or indoor plumbing was installed in the majority of homes. They should have dominated the online marketplace. But Hell, my father in law gave me his Sears Ted 30/30 and it still shoots great.