Cabelas, Barrie IMO

[porkpie]

If you are in Barrie or are making the trip, take the extra time and go to Trombleys in Orillia. They have some lures there I hadn't seen anywhere else in about 15 years.

Out of the big box stores I find myself going to Sail more and more. Sometimes BPS is good too.

If I lived anywhere near Orillia, I would shop at Trombly's exclusively. Remy and his son are stand up guys! Great selection too. I stop in every time I visit family out that way.

[misfish]

 

 

Back in the 70's , early 80's we had the " Outdoor Stores " , oldtimers will remember them.

 

I remember the one as a kid off Dufferin, north of Eglington. It was near the Canadian tire store.

My pop took me there all the time. He still has packages with their price tags on them.

[bigugli]

I remember the one as a kid off Dufferin, north of Eglington. It was near the Canadian tire store.

My pop took me there all the time. He still has packages with their price tags on them.

YOu guys are OLD!!!!!!!!!! LOL!

[misfish]

 

YOu guys are OLD!!!!!!!!!! LOL!

 

Ah, the good OLE days Bruce.LOL

[Bill Shearer]

Outdoors Store bit the dust after a mild winter. They invested all their profits in ski clothing and equipment. It was a mild winter, and all the ski hills and suppliers suffered. It was the end for Outdoor Stores. Many of their suppliers bit off a huge loss too!

A bonanza for the consumer though.

Dominion Hardware was another consumer win, but supplier loss.

Anybody remember that one?

[Lunatic]

it blows my mind anyone would buy fishing gear at CT. grossly over priced.they have the odd sale but only stock a few of the items. i like bps.

[Freshtrax]

When at ct. I am trained to only look for red tags. Not only fishing items but on everything. This P.s.a. Was brought to you by the great Ontario turkey fryer sale guy. I was at cablelas for the first lime last week. I walked out without buying anything. The wife was shocked. Nice place, good atmosphere, but I did find the fishing section "generic". I don't know how to explain it. But it was boring.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Freshtrax

[Mister G]

Visited a Cabelas in South Carolina this morning and while it wasn't a monster store (Michigan and Pennsylvania have those), it was noticeably larger than the Barrie store. Seemed to have same depth but wider. Fishing and hunting depts were WAY bigger. Everything else looked the same. The Cave had some decent stuff, more than the Barrie location at least.

I agree, the Hamburg, PA store is AWESOME that has 3 restaurants in it to give you a prospective on how large it really is (265,000 sq feet) compared to the new sized down stores that are now all under 90,000 sq feet. Cabela's has decided all their newer stores now will be the down sized store so they can expand to more markets across North America.

 

And for those who keep using the term "Big Box Store" when referring to Cabela's couldn't be further from the truth. They all are themed stores that have vaulted ceilings and outdoor/hunting/fishing decor to the max. A big box store is like a Walmart as it's just a huge store contained in a box like exterior. Many of you mom and pop stores could be described as small box stores.

 

We all have our own preferences when it comes to shopping for whatever, and that is the way it should be to keep prices as low as possible. Without that competition our prices would be much higher on our adult toys.

[doubleheader]

I find it amazing that the corporate intelligence of Cabelas is completely ignorant as to what made Cabelas, well....... Cabelas. Instead of understanding their customer they seem fixated on the one thing they understand, the bottom line, and doing so at the peril of killing the golden goose. I've been to 6 different stores in the US, and while I've enjoyed the experience each time, I'd say my combined spending of all those visits is considerably less than $500.00. Store prices are simply too expensive. I, like most of you, are looking for a complete line of whatever it is I'm looking to buy. For instance, if it's a rod, I want to be able to look at a variety of similar rods, including brands I know, before making my decision. I want to look at customer reviews, I want to feel like I'm getting a deal (I almost never buy unless it's a sale), I want it delivered promptly, and I want excellent customer service if I have a question or problem.

In fairness to Cabelas, through their on-line shopping they deliver on most of the above quite regularly, certainly better than most of their competitors, albeit not as well as they did a few years ago. I don't need 200 catalogs delivered to my house every year, and that may actually be understated, and I definitely don't need or want a hard bound catalog. I honestly don't think one of those catalogs has ever influenced a buying decision for me, and I have tried to opt out of the catalogs before, it doesn't seem to work. Cabelas, if you want to save money, stop printing catalogs and start printing rebates based on each customer's buying history.

[crappieperchhunter]

it blows my mind anyone would buy fishing gear at CT. grossly over priced.they have the odd sale but only stock a few of the items. i like bps.

I think you would change your opinion if you ever visited the Lindsay CT. And I have heard of others that are heads and shoulders above the typical CT as well.

[BillM]

All CTs are definitely not the same. The south store in Barrie is a great example. Great selection of fishing stuff compared to the store on Bayfield.

[misfish]

Yes^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ BUT

 

It,s the reverse when it comes to hunting supllies. Catch 22. LOL

[Headhunter]

The Outdoor Stores, brings back memories of my youth!

Growing up in London Ont., there were a limited number of shops available until the Outdoor Stores opened up in the east end of town. Being too young to drive, my buddies and I would plan a day there, riding our bikes from the other end of the city, just to pick up a lure or drool at the offerings.

It was a sad day when they closed...

I have $100 in BPS gift cards that I have had for well over four years! I haven't been there in that time and have no interest in making the trip... I was just not that impressed with them the last time I was there.

HH

[BillM]

Yes^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ BUT

 

It,s the reverse when it comes to hunting supllies. Catch 22. LOL

 

Yup, the north end store is definitely better for the hunting crowd.

[Old Ironmaker]

We had a local Outdoors stores at the corner of Parkdale and Queenston Rd. in Hamilton. I got my frst rod and reel there and still have it. If they didn't have something it probably didn't exist. I walked out of there with a shotgun I bought my brother for Christmas around 73, didn't even ask my name.

 

This topic has been discussed before but that's all good there are many new members here since then.

 

BPS on line is all in US funds, I went all the way to the 400 to pick up 2 trolling rod combos and was told the price was in US funds, come on man.

 

I was on the Sail site just yesterday, the worst search engine I have used.

 

I'll stick to our local shops. The only big box store I do frequent is Canadian Tire in Dunnville. It always has a well stocked fishing section with tackle specific to the Grand River i.e. Hot N Tots and deep water minnow baits for Erie. They always have a bin of rod and reel combos on sale. Buddy scored a Rappala line counter combo spooled with braid for 75 bucks at CTC and I bought my wife a medium light Rappala combo that is perfect for perch here for $19.99. I told her it was hers.

[DRIFTER_016]

I think you would change your opinion if you ever visited the Lindsay CT. And I have heard of others that are heads and shoulders above the typical CT as well.

 

Or Yellowknife's.

They have lures that are not available anywhere on the planet.

Said lures are kick donkey up here.

[Mister G]

I find it amazing that the corporate intelligence of Cabelas is completely ignorant as to what made Cabelas, well....... Cabelas. Instead of understanding their customer they seem fixated on the one thing they understand, the bottom line, and doing so at the peril of killing the golden goose. I've been to 6 different stores in the US, and while I've enjoyed the experience each time, I'd say my combined spending of all those visits is considerably less than $500.00. Store prices are simply too expensive. I, like most of you, are looking for a complete line of whatever it is I'm looking to buy. For instance, if it's a rod, I want to be able to look at a variety of similar rods, including brands I know, before making my decision. I want to look at customer reviews, I want to feel like I'm getting a deal (I almost never buy unless it's a sale), I want it delivered promptly, and I want excellent customer service if I have a question or problem.

In fairness to Cabelas, through their on-line shopping they deliver on most of the above quite regularly, certainly better than most of their competitors, albeit not as well as they did a few years ago. I don't need 200 catalogs delivered to my house every year, and that may actually be understated, and I definitely don't need or want a hard bound catalog. I honestly don't think one of those catalogs has ever influenced a buying decision for me, and I have tried to opt out of the catalogs before, it doesn't seem to work. Cabelas, if you want to save money, stop printing catalogs and start printing rebates based on each customer's buying history.

I hear and agree on almost everything you are saying. HOWEVER, you will never get all those things you listed AND always get the lowest price from the same retailer.

 

I don't find Cabela's lacking in anything I need. They might not have it at your local Cabela's store but a simple click of the mouse and you can order it and have it shipped to that store for FREE. It don't get no better then that. And no one, I repeat NO ONE has better customer service in the retail industry then Cabela's in my experience. But I do agree they are not a bottom bargain price store anymore.

 

NO store will always have everything you need on the shelf no matter what kind of store it is. At least that has been my experience.

 

As far as the constant catalogs that keep coming weekly or 2-3X a week.........that was my biggest whine for Cabela's........so about 4-5 years ago on Cabela's forum site I brought that up to a Cabela's forum administrator and he took down my info and the catalogs did not all go away but now only get one maybe a month and I no longer get that hard covered book that comes shipped wrapped in cardboard.

[lookinforwalleye]

 

Ah, the good OLE days Bruce.LOL

 

Yep I spent a whole whack of dough in the Outdoor Stores back in the day...If memory serves there was one in the Keele or Jane...Hwy. 7 area, used to spend a bunch at Al Flaherty`s....and I do like Tromblys as well.

[bare foot wader]

their customer service is top notch for things like returns, not satisfied, wrong sizing, price matching, etc....customer service on the floor is usually crap in my experience, staff are often not knowledgeable, same as any other big box store

 

their Canadian stores suck big time

 

they still have good clearance sales

 

I prefer BPS, but it's not like they are amazing either, share some common issues, but just a little better IMO

[Mike Pike]

When I first retired in 2006, I got a part time job working in the fly fishing department at Cabelas in Dundee, Michigan. At that time, we always had two people in the department during weekdays, and usually 3 (more around Thanksgiving and Christmas) on weekends. In addition, you could not work in many departments (fishing, fly fishing, guns, archery etc) without a pretty extensive background in it. In fly fishing, we had every type of gear imaginable. You could very seldom come in looking for something and not find it. WE had fly fishermen from several states and ONtario that came to our department regularly. THat was only a few years after the Cabelas brothers sold out and went public.

 

Then, things started to change. THey started eliminating positions for several seasoned outfitters, then hired them back at lower pay. THe purchasing was all centralized in Nebraska. IE...they bought merchandise for all stores, not individually based upon what type of outdoor sport was biggest in a certain locale. THey also cut way back on specialty merchandise, which affected the fly fishing department greatly. To my knowledge, there was no regional to store specific purchasing. For example, many of our customers fished MIchigan's famous Au SAble River. A book written by the (now) late Rusty Gates on the Au Sable would have sold like hot cakes o=in out department. Rusty was/is damn near considered a god to Au SAble and Michigan fly fishers. I tried to get the book in the store. It was turned down, because we couldn't guarantee a certain number of books sold. Another example....a lure called the Golden Nugget is one of the most famous lures used in Lake ERie walleye fishing going back to the 60's. Cabelas in Dundee did not stock them, yet they host a walleye tournament on Lake Erie annually.

 

Also, during my 2 year tenure, there seemed to be as much emphasis on outfitters selling Cabelas Visa cards as outdoor merchandise. Now they push warranties....why would anyone buy a warranty on a fly rod that comes with manufacturer warranties from 5 to 25 years. When I go to Cabelas now, there is one person in fly fishing, and their stock is maybe half what it used to be. THe department itself has never been busy when I've been there. Also, there seem to be more part time workers, many younger, who really don't have the experience in some of these areas (IMO).

 

Very sad...it used to be a special place t go to, and to work. I think going public resulted in the way it is today, and, from what I heard, a lot of management hiring from big retail --- K Mart etc.

 

Sorry for the rant.

 

That's a sad tale, bigcreekdad. It really shows that when companies go public, their service to their customers dwindles. It also is usually worse for employees, who have to do more work because there is less of them( and thefore have less time to spend with customers ).

 

Sure publicly traded companies are focused on their customers, as long as you understand that those customers are their shareholders.

 

 

 

.

[richyb]

I asked for .32 special shells in the ammo department. The guy working said they dont make them because nobody shoots them anymore. I said that I had my grandfathers marlin .32 special and I know of other guys shooting them. He then tells me that marlin didnt make the .32 only winchester did because the load is a WIN .32 spcl. I guess he also thinks you can only shoot a .300 win mag in a winchester gun ?

Edited February 27, 2015 by richyb

[Mister G]

I asked for .32 special shells in the ammo department. The guy working said they dont make them because nobody shoots them anymore. I said that I had my grandfathers marlin .32 special and I know of other guys shooting them. He then tells me that marlin didnt make the .32 only winchester did because the load is a WIN .32 spcl. I guess he also thinks you can only shoot a .300 win mag in a winchester gun ?

I not sure what point you are trying to make.

[dave524]

When I first retired in 2006, I got a part time job working in the fly fishing department at Cabelas in Dundee, Michigan. At that time, we always had two people in the department during weekdays, and usually 3 (more around Thanksgiving and Christmas) on weekends. In addition, you could not work in many departments (fishing, fly fishing, guns, archery etc) without a pretty extensive background in it. In fly fishing, we had every type of gear imaginable. You could very seldom come in looking for something and not find it. WE had fly fishermen from several states and ONtario that came to our department regularly. THat was only a few years after the Cabelas brothers sold out and went public.

 

Then, things started to change. THey started eliminating positions for several seasoned outfitters, then hired them back at lower pay. THe purchasing was all centralized in Nebraska. IE...they bought merchandise for all stores, not individually based upon what type of outdoor sport was biggest in a certain locale. THey also cut way back on specialty merchandise, which affected the fly fishing department greatly. To my knowledge, there was no regional to store specific purchasing. For example, many of our customers fished MIchigan's famous Au SAble River. A book written by the (now) late Rusty Gates on the Au Sable would have sold like hot cakes o=in out department. Rusty was/is damn near considered a god to Au SAble and Michigan fly fishers. I tried to get the book in the store. It was turned down, because we couldn't guarantee a certain number of books sold. Another example....a lure called the Golden Nugget is one of the most famous lures used in Lake ERie walleye fishing going back to the 60's. Cabelas in Dundee did not stock them, yet they host a walleye tournament on Lake Erie annually.

 

Also, during my 2 year tenure, there seemed to be as much emphasis on outfitters selling Cabelas Visa cards as outdoor merchandise. Now they push warranties....why would anyone buy a warranty on a fly rod that comes with manufacturer warranties from 5 to 25 years. When I go to Cabelas now, there is one person in fly fishing, and their stock is maybe half what it used to be. THe department itself has never been busy when I've been there. Also, there seem to be more part time workers, many younger, who really don't have the experience in some of these areas (IMO).

 

Very sad...it used to be a special place t go to, and to work. I think going public resulted in the way it is today, and, from what I heard, a lot of management hiring from big retail --- K Mart etc.

 

Sorry for the rant.

 

At least they haven't sunk to the lows of supplying clothing to upscale yuppie type clientelle like other formerly hunting and fishing outfitters like Abercrombie and Fitch, L.L. Bean, Eddie Bauer and Columbia to name a few offhand and totally forgetting about their roots.

[DRIFTER_016]

I not sure what point you are trying to make.

 

It seems to me that the point he is trying to make is that the sales person was not knowledgeable about the products he was supposedly selling.

[Mister G]

 

It seems to me that the point he is trying to make is that the sales person was not knowledgeable about the products he was supposedly selling.

But you can't be knowledgeable about a product that your employer / store does not carry.

 

I have hunted and shot for over 45 years now and I don't know every single caliber that is out there and I can't expect some store clerk to know everything either and then if he doesn't, condemn that store just because of that.

 

A .32 Win special is something not everyone sees all the time. And there are many other calibers out there I know nothing about and I'm sure richyb and you have no knowledge about. Does this make us dummies in our sport. I would hope not and I wouldn't look to favorably upon anyone who does expect that.

 

But again, I not sure richyb is leaning that way or not.