Cabelas Since The Bass Pro Buyout

44caliberkid · June 16, 2017, 07:44 AM

I have been to three Cabelas locations since Bass Pro Shops bought them out. I notice they have adopted Bass Pros "slowest checkout process in the world" and under staffed registers. Also, not nearly as much stuff on sale or not as good of sales as when Cabelas was their own. I have a Bass Pro Shops close to me, have gone there often, but rarely find anything to buy. I do enjoy their taxidermy displays though. Anyone else notice a degrading of Cabelas quality since they were bought out?

pat701 · June 16, 2017, 08:03 AM

I used to prefer Cabelas over Bass Pro. Never was a Bass Pro fan.

FITASC · June 16, 2017, 08:08 AM

I noticed a degrading when they started building lodges - prices went up a lot since they went to brick and mortar stores - as did Gander and all of the rest.

44caliberkid · June 16, 2017, 08:37 AM

All the Gander Mountain stores I passed in Minnesota were having Going Out Of Business sales.

Bartholomew Roberts · June 16, 2017, 10:04 AM

If someone at Cabela's would write a book on what made them decide to take a company with solid catalog sales and start competing against Bass Pro with giant retail stores just as the Internet is slaughtering retail stores, I'd buy that book because that has to be a good story.

rpseraph · June 16, 2017, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 44caliberkid

All the Gander Mountain stores I passed in Minnesota were having Going Out Of Business sales.

Yup they are being 'rebranded' to Gander Outdoors. Liquidating all their stock and reopening most stores sometime. I heard Gande Mtn will be liquidating through August. Some good deals, but nothing amazing yet.

Mgschm · June 16, 2017, 11:45 AM

Hermantown, Baxter, Lakeville and Forest Lake are the only stores not closing for good.

FrankenMauser · June 16, 2017, 03:07 PM

Understaffed.
Poor service.
Long checkout lines.
Overpriced.
Nothing worth buying.
Tons of expensive eye candy.
Questions about relevancy and remaining competitive.

...Sounds like the Cabela's I've always known (and avoided).

FITASC · June 16, 2017, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Yup they are being 'rebranded' to Gander Outdoors. Liquidating all their stock and reopening most stores sometime. I heard Gande Mtn will be liquidating through August. Some good deals, but nothing amazing yet.

Only about 1/3 of all the stores will remain open.

As to Cabela's, they went public to raise cash to open the lodges and are now about 1billion in debt. The brother's should not have given up control to the corporate bean counters

johnwilliamson062 · June 16, 2017, 03:55 PM

Quote:

If someone at Cabela's would write a book on what made them decide to take a company with solid catalog sales and start competing against Bass Pro with giant retail stores just as the Internet is slaughtering retail stores, I'd buy that book because that has to be a good story.

I'd kickstarter that book.
The other angle is they ruined the "destination" status of their existing showplace stores when they threw little ones every hour along major highways.

I do love stopping at them when traveling for bathroom, snacks, and sometimes even a sandwich.

Rembrandt · June 16, 2017, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bartholomew Roberts

If someone at Cabela's would write a book on what made them decide to take a company with solid catalog sales and start competing against Bass Pro with giant retail stores just as the Internet is slaughtering retail stores, I'd buy that book because that has to be a good story.

I see the strong catalog business transcending to internet quite easily. Internet sites are nothing more than electronic versions of a catalog.

No big changes that I've seen in the retail stores....Cabelas still offers used guns and much bigger ammo inventories than Bass Pro.

TruthTellers · June 16, 2017, 04:54 PM

Quote:

If someone at Cabela's would write a book on what made them decide to take a company with solid catalog sales and start competing against Bass Pro with giant retail stores just as the Internet is slaughtering retail stores, I'd buy that book because that has to be a good story.

No book needed. You see, when CEO's and other execs get hired or promoted, they negotiate deals where if the company goes belly up or they do a bad job and get fired, they get million dollar buyouts and walk away with money as the business goes down.

So, if u had a deal where even if u did a TERRABAD job u would still get a million or ten million bucks, what incentive is there to make the company better?

This is the sickness in our world today: Reward for failure.

pete2 · June 16, 2017, 05:13 PM

It's my understanding that Bass Pro hasn't closed the deal on Cabelas.

PoiDog · June 16, 2017, 05:26 PM

I was in the Cabela's in Hammond IN last Friday. It was pretty crowded probably due to all of the fishermen buying seasonal items. The gun section wasn't too crowded.

The lines on the way out reflected the crowd. It was pretty slow checking out. There's always the guy paying for jerky with a credit card, getting rejected, dragging out another card, etc. Once that show was over, it was pretty smooth.

Sometimes their sales are pretty good, and I buy lots of loading consumables there unless a gun show is happening soon. Amazon blows them away on most things, for whatever that's worth.

I still make it to Cabela's 5 or 6 times a year. I enjoy the store, with all of the animals on display.

johnwilliamson062 · June 16, 2017, 06:03 PM

Quote:

the guy paying for jerky with a credit card

You follow me around or something?

What is wrong with paying for Jerky with a credit card?

TruthTellers · June 16, 2017, 06:20 PM

Personally, last time i went to Cabela's was last October. I had to return a Pietta 1851 Navy that had something wrong I didn't like (the latch on the end of the handle for the bullet seater was a loose fit with the catch) and I wanted to exchange it for another one that didn't have said issue.

So, I drive 45 mins, went to the service desk and said, "I'd like to exchange this with another model, it has a quality issue." Well the word "quality issue" must have confused the poor bloke at customer service, cuz he was all "Whaaaa?"

He tells me he'll exchange it, but that I had to go to another part of the store and grab another box of the item, which I was peeved by because I had called before I left to make sure the store had them in stock for an exchange, I figured they'd have it up at the desk... But no.

So, I can't find the damn section with the black powder revolvers and I have to wait in line behind a guy dub enough to be buying a S&W Shield at Cabela's. 15 mins later, I finally get the damn box of a new Pietta 1851.

Alright, so now it's back to customer service and at this time I am starting to get PO'd. I ask to take it out and inspect it to make sure it doesn't have any issues. The dolt can't open the box for some reason and has to disappear into a room to do it. Another 5 min wait.

Finally, the box is open, I check it over, it's good. Now, it's paperwork time.

The service guy has to type in a bunch of stuff in the computer which takes time... And it crashes. Great, now he's got to start over. After another wait, he has me slide the card I used to purchase the original with to refund it, then he will charge the card the same amount to get this return/exchange over with. That works, but now he says j have to pay $10 or something, which is the sales tax.

I say this isn't a sale, this is a return and I won't pay a second tax on something I already bought. Alright, that takes time to process and finally, after a friggin hour, I finally walk out with a working 1851 Pietta Navy.
Haven't gone back since for good reason.

kenny53 · June 16, 2017, 09:32 PM

I have a Cabela's about 15 minutes from the house. Almost never go there. Over priced from ammo to guns. Is fun to look at the aquarium.

at2000 · June 16, 2017, 09:53 PM

pete2 is correct. Cabela's has a special shareholder's meeting on July 11 to approve a revised acquisition agreement. It still needs antitrust clearance.

lefteye · June 17, 2017, 12:25 PM

Maybe I am just lucky but I doubt it. I've been a Cabela's customer since they operated in a two-story building next to the railroad tracks in Sidney, NB, maybe 40 years ago. The quality of their products and services are at least as good as any big box sporting goods business. Last year a senior employee accompanied me to my SUV with my boat trailer (carrying the boat) in their parking lot. I was shopping for a locking pin for my trailer hitch insert. He brought out a couple he thought might work. None would work. He spent some time trying to provide the product and service I needed and apologized for not having the right product. That was the best but certainly not the only good service I have received from Cabela's. I think Cabela's does a good job training their employees to be courteous and to seek assistance from a more experienced employee to satisfy their customers. While some other sporting goods stores have provided decent products and services, none have exceeded the performance of Cabela's in my experience.

Glenn E. Meyer · June 17, 2017, 04:38 PM

I was not happy with Cabela's in general. They consistently ran bait and switch gun ads. Once, I went to get one in a flyer and after much conflict found they only had 4 (FOUR) of that model in the entire country.

Similarly, I had cargo pants fail and they refused to refund or replace them. LLBean never did anything like that. Even after several years, they replaced some failed boots (that they never should have failed is a different story).

I like Bass Pro clothes much better.

Gun prices at the big stores are a joke if you know the market.

FITASC · June 17, 2017, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Gun prices at the big stores are a joke if you know the market.

Pretty much EVERYTHING is a joke when it comes to pricing. Every now and again, catching a sale, using a free shipping code and redeeming points, you can get a decent deal.

44caliberkid · June 17, 2017, 05:37 PM

I like the selection of ammo at Cabelas and they often have good sale prices on it. I used to enjoy the Bargain Cave when they had lots of percussion revolvers and muzzle loading rifles on sale. I once disassembled three 1851 Navies to put together one good one. All had an issue with a major component, but not the same one, so I just took the best pieces. The clerk was really nervous I was going to leave a pile of parts on the counter. I didn't ask ahead of time, just did it. These were Piettas, before they upped their quality control.
Now the Bargain Cave stuff is barely discounted, and lots of it is used.
Bass Pro is an excellent clothing store.

Departed402 · June 17, 2017, 10:14 PM

I'm from Nebraska so perhaps I'm biased, but I much prefer Cabela's to Bass Pro. I don't care for Bass Pro's Red Head brand, and the gun selection at the Council Bluffs, Iowa location is definitely inferior to the Cabela's a few miles away in La Vista, Nebraska. I don't fish so I don't even venture to those portions of the stores. Both are over-priced on new guns. The Gun Library in Cabela's can be a good spot to find older guns. I just had a S&W 5903 shipped to my local store from Michigan.

I haven't noticed any difference in Cabela's since the buyout, which is fine with me. Does anyone else go to brick and mortar stores to physically inspect an item, then immediately order the same item cheaper on Amazon?

Yung.gunr · June 18, 2017, 12:44 AM

Ummm, from just what the OP says it sounds like we now know why Bass was the one who bought out Gander. Bass knows to not have huge sales, keep overhead lower with less employees.

Sounds like not so much less quality as much as a more fiscally profitable business model.

disseminator · June 19, 2017, 02:45 AM

I used to buy reloading components from Cabelas but then I noticed the prices on the rack are almost always lower than what the items ring up at the register. It's gotten to where I jot down the price so the register person can adjust it.

Finally, I closed my credit card with them and just buy online now.

Their used gun prices are REDICULOUS! They are often as much or MORE than a new model of the same item. It's like they don't even check their own pricing sometimes.

The only good part is they will usually deal on used guns but with online purchasing and local delivery, why bother haggling when one can get a new gun online for less than a used one at Cabelas. And I have frequently gone to Cabelas to look at an item, scoffed at the price, and then came home and bought it online instead.

It's just not worth the effort.

June 16, 2017, 07:44 AM	#1
44caliberkid Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2017 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,104	Cabelas Since The Bass Pro Buyout I have been to three Cabelas locations since Bass Pro Shops bought them out. I notice they have adopted Bass Pros "slowest checkout process in the world" and under staffed registers. Also, not nearly as much stuff on sale or not as good of sales as when Cabelas was their own. I have a Bass Pro Shops close to me, have gone there often, but rarely find anything to buy. I do enjoy their taxidermy displays though. Anyone else notice a degrading of Cabelas quality since they were bought out?

June 16, 2017, 08:08 AM	#3
FITASC Senior Member Join Date: December 6, 2014 Posts: 6,446	I noticed a degrading when they started building lodges - prices went up a lot since they went to brick and mortar stores - as did Gander and all of the rest. __________________ "I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."- Frank Zappa

June 16, 2017, 03:07 PM	#8
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	Understaffed. Poor service. Long checkout lines. Overpriced. Nothing worth buying. Tons of expensive eye candy. Questions about relevancy and remaining competitive. ...Sounds like the Cabela's I've always known (and avoided). __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

June 16, 2017, 06:20 PM	#16
TruthTellers Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2016 Posts: 3,888	Personally, last time i went to Cabela's was last October. I had to return a Pietta 1851 Navy that had something wrong I didn't like (the latch on the end of the handle for the bullet seater was a loose fit with the catch) and I wanted to exchange it for another one that didn't have said issue. So, I drive 45 mins, went to the service desk and said, "I'd like to exchange this with another model, it has a quality issue." Well the word "quality issue" must have confused the poor bloke at customer service, cuz he was all "Whaaaa?" He tells me he'll exchange it, but that I had to go to another part of the store and grab another box of the item, which I was peeved by because I had called before I left to make sure the store had them in stock for an exchange, I figured they'd have it up at the desk... But no. So, I can't find the damn section with the black powder revolvers and I have to wait in line behind a guy dub enough to be buying a S&W Shield at Cabela's. 15 mins later, I finally get the damn box of a new Pietta 1851. Alright, so now it's back to customer service and at this time I am starting to get PO'd. I ask to take it out and inspect it to make sure it doesn't have any issues. The dolt can't open the box for some reason and has to disappear into a room to do it. Another 5 min wait. Finally, the box is open, I check it over, it's good. Now, it's paperwork time. The service guy has to type in a bunch of stuff in the computer which takes time... And it crashes. Great, now he's got to start over. After another wait, he has me slide the card I used to purchase the original with to refund it, then he will charge the card the same amount to get this return/exchange over with. That works, but now he says j have to pay $10 or something, which is the sales tax. I say this isn't a sale, this is a return and I won't pay a second tax on something I already bought. Alright, that takes time to process and finally, after a friggin hour, I finally walk out with a working 1851 Pietta Navy. Haven't gone back since for good reason. __________________ "We always think there's gonna be more time... then it runs out." Last edited by TruthTellers; June 16, 2017 at 06:39 PM.

June 17, 2017, 12:25 PM	#19
lefteye Senior Member Join Date: January 30, 2006 Posts: 1,433	Maybe I am just lucky but I doubt it. I've been a Cabela's customer since they operated in a two-story building next to the railroad tracks in Sidney, NB, maybe 40 years ago. The quality of their products and services are at least as good as any big box sporting goods business. Last year a senior employee accompanied me to my SUV with my boat trailer (carrying the boat) in their parking lot. I was shopping for a locking pin for my trailer hitch insert. He brought out a couple he thought might work. None would work. He spent some time trying to provide the product and service I needed and apologized for not having the right product. That was the best but certainly not the only good service I have received from Cabela's. I think Cabela's does a good job training their employees to be courteous and to seek assistance from a more experienced employee to satisfy their customers. While some other sporting goods stores have provided decent products and services, none have exceeded the performance of Cabela's in my experience. __________________ Vietnam Veteran ('69-'70) NRA Life Member RMEF Life Member

June 16, 2017, 08:03 AM	#2
pat701 Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2005 Location: South west Missouri Posts: 315	I used to prefer Cabelas over Bass Pro. Never was a Bass Pro fan.

June 16, 2017, 08:37 AM	#4
44caliberkid Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2017 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,104	All the Gander Mountain stores I passed in Minnesota were having Going Out Of Business sales.

June 16, 2017, 10:04 AM	#5
Bartholomew Roberts member Join Date: June 12, 2000 Location: Texas and Oklahoma area Posts: 8,462	If someone at Cabela's would write a book on what made them decide to take a company with solid catalog sales and start competing against Bass Pro with giant retail stores just as the Internet is slaughtering retail stores, I'd buy that book because that has to be a good story.

June 16, 2017, 11:45 AM	#7
Mgschm Junior Member Join Date: June 16, 2017 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2	Hermantown, Baxter, Lakeville and Forest Lake are the only stores not closing for good.

June 16, 2017, 05:13 PM	#13
pete2 Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 2,566	It's my understanding that Bass Pro hasn't closed the deal on Cabelas.

June 16, 2017, 05:26 PM	#14
PoiDog Senior Member Join Date: September 1, 1999 Location: IL Posts: 309	I was in the Cabela's in Hammond IN last Friday. It was pretty crowded probably due to all of the fishermen buying seasonal items. The gun section wasn't too crowded. The lines on the way out reflected the crowd. It was pretty slow checking out. There's always the guy paying for jerky with a credit card, getting rejected, dragging out another card, etc. Once that show was over, it was pretty smooth. Sometimes their sales are pretty good, and I buy lots of loading consumables there unless a gun show is happening soon. Amazon blows them away on most things, for whatever that's worth. I still make it to Cabela's 5 or 6 times a year. I enjoy the store, with all of the animals on display.

June 16, 2017, 09:32 PM	#17
kenny53 Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2015 Location: My back yard Posts: 971	I have a Cabela's about 15 minutes from the house. Almost never go there. Over priced from ammo to guns. Is fun to look at the aquarium.

June 16, 2017, 09:53 PM	#18
at2000 Senior Member Join Date: February 29, 2000 Posts: 133	pete2 is correct. Cabela's has a special shareholder's meeting on July 11 to approve a revised acquisition agreement. It still needs antitrust clearance.

June 17, 2017, 04:38 PM	#20
Glenn E. Meyer Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2000 Posts: 20,064	I was not happy with Cabela's in general. They consistently ran bait and switch gun ads. Once, I went to get one in a flyer and after much conflict found they only had 4 (FOUR) of that model in the entire country. Similarly, I had cargo pants fail and they refused to refund or replace them. LLBean never did anything like that. Even after several years, they replaced some failed boots (that they never should have failed is a different story). I like Bass Pro clothes much better. Gun prices at the big stores are a joke if you know the market. __________________ NRA, TSRA, IDPA, NTI, Polite Soc. - Aux Armes, Citoyens

June 17, 2017, 05:37 PM	#22
44caliberkid Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2017 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,104	I like the selection of ammo at Cabelas and they often have good sale prices on it. I used to enjoy the Bargain Cave when they had lots of percussion revolvers and muzzle loading rifles on sale. I once disassembled three 1851 Navies to put together one good one. All had an issue with a major component, but not the same one, so I just took the best pieces. The clerk was really nervous I was going to leave a pile of parts on the counter. I didn't ask ahead of time, just did it. These were Piettas, before they upped their quality control. Now the Bargain Cave stuff is barely discounted, and lots of it is used. Bass Pro is an excellent clothing store.

June 17, 2017, 10:14 PM	#23
Departed402 Senior Member Join Date: September 25, 2009 Location: Midwest Posts: 884	I'm from Nebraska so perhaps I'm biased, but I much prefer Cabela's to Bass Pro. I don't care for Bass Pro's Red Head brand, and the gun selection at the Council Bluffs, Iowa location is definitely inferior to the Cabela's a few miles away in La Vista, Nebraska. I don't fish so I don't even venture to those portions of the stores. Both are over-priced on new guns. The Gun Library in Cabela's can be a good spot to find older guns. I just had a S&W 5903 shipped to my local store from Michigan. I haven't noticed any difference in Cabela's since the buyout, which is fine with me. Does anyone else go to brick and mortar stores to physically inspect an item, then immediately order the same item cheaper on Amazon? __________________ Slow is Smooth. Smooth is Fast.

June 18, 2017, 12:44 AM	#24
Yung.gunr Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2010 Location: Phoenix area Posts: 1,442	Ummm, from just what the OP says it sounds like we now know why Bass was the one who bought out Gander. Bass knows to not have huge sales, keep overhead lower with less employees. Sounds like not so much less quality as much as a more fiscally profitable business model.

June 19, 2017, 02:45 AM	#25
disseminator Senior Member Join Date: November 26, 2016 Location: Minnesota Posts: 960	I used to buy reloading components from Cabelas but then I noticed the prices on the rack are almost always lower than what the items ring up at the register. It's gotten to where I jot down the price so the register person can adjust it. Finally, I closed my credit card with them and just buy online now. Their used gun prices are REDICULOUS! They are often as much or MORE than a new model of the same item. It's like they don't even check their own pricing sometimes. The only good part is they will usually deal on used guns but with online purchasing and local delivery, why bother haggling when one can get a new gun online for less than a used one at Cabelas. And I have frequently gone to Cabelas to look at an item, scoffed at the price, and then came home and bought it online instead. It's just not worth the effort.