Cabela's Demise

Dwight Harley

Dwight Harley

Well-known member
I went in to our local Cabela's today and the place was depressing.....many of the shelves and the hooks that hold merchandise were empty. Hardly any ammo for sale and the fishing tackle department was worse. The entire store had that sad, going out of business look that K-mart had in its last days.
 
Sure it wasn't because people are buying up everything? I was in Cabelas yesterday... all the shelves were FULL.
 
Actually our Walmarts fishing sections have looked like that this spring. Shelves bare ,and not just one but the 3 in my area. Everything else fully stocked, even ammo.
 
I picked up an additional clamming rake for my mother yesterday before we went out. While chatting to the shop owner he said he?s never been this busy. Sold 30 clam rakes that day, and the remainder of his store looked somewhere between a riot happened and someone unloaded a tri axle with boxes of new gear half opened into the store. I could barely walk around some sections.

Great for the owner, guy is in his early 70s, shops been around longer than I?ve been alive. All in all, probably due to the pandemic. People are dying to do something now that they?ve remodeled their entire house. Drove through my fathers town last night, bulk pickup this week. Never seen so much remodeling debris.
 
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In the 10 years I've lived in western NY. I have never seen so many folks fishing (very understandable during these trying times).

The resource is taking a beating, and there's plenty of litter and garbage left around. Much more than in years past. Thankfully many of the fly fisherman I'm encountering now are cleaning up some of the mess.

The bobbers, floats, lures, line and hooks hanging from trees will have to wait until lower water.

Many of the small shops were closed, and took a real beating. Local Walmart is well stocked, even has leaders and tippet.

Also manufactures were closed for months, and are now trying their best to catch up. Try buying certain fly rod Bass & Panfish poppers, good luck! I've been reworking many old ones until replacements arrive.

On line sales (from reliable places) are through the roof. Service and shipment are very good IMO.

I sure do miss going into the fly shops, and the Mom & Pop Bait Shops "AllkindsFishin'Stuff". That's all part of the fishing experience for many of us.


Now more than ever conservation organizations need our support.


my 2 cents
VP
 
I used to be a loyal customer but quit doing business there about the time they stopped offering the Herters Foam decoys-this is about 15 years ago or maybe more. They used to be a Made in The USA store but everything went China or worse. They became nothing more than a walmart.
Darrel Wick
 
Darrel Wick said:
They became nothing more than a walmart.
Darrel Wick
Click to expand...

An expensive Walmart with not a lot of offerings. Didn't care a great deal for Basspro, especially since down here in sunny, hot, humid FL their offerings of hunting clothes is typically more geared to up north hunting in snow. I bet that if there were a Cabelas close by I would be equally disappointed. Plus Bass Pro is expensive as well.

But I do enjoy stopping in from time to time to see what they might have that I need from somewhere else.
 
Having been a Buyer for retail be aware there is a lead time when stores order merchandise. So if stores stopped buying due to shutdown and not knowing when they would re open we are seeing the results of orders not following in a normal manner.
Add to the fact most items made in China were not being produced during their lock down. So items when produced have to then be shipped from China which adds to the delay.
Here in Florida with no state income tax the state relies on sales tax income. No sales no sales tax.
Oh how our economy is tied up with China.

Went to Burlington store yesterday shoe dept. was 95% empty along with most racks.
Ken
 

For what it's worth.

Bass Pro Shops & Cabela's are funding a "Trout in the Classroom" TU conservation program.

Hopefully this program, with " Live bugs", aquarium, entomology classes, etc. will spread to other states, and schools.

With 200 million annual customers, they must be doing something right.


There are gonna be a lot less choices for all consumer products, as in the past, for those that can recall those days. Get used to it.


VP
 
Cabela's Is not going out of business (I HOPE). I just got done buying a lot of stuff from them this week. We all know Bass Pro owns them ! and is changing a lot of stuff each store will carry. Not saying they might not shut down some stores because of the way the country is going. But I do feel your pain. Cabela's was always my go to store. There is not one around here in New York where I live. But I have visited them many times. And I have spent thousands of dollars over the years online. So I hope your store was just sold out. I was crushed when Bass Pro took over. I'll be heart broken if they say good bye to us all.
 
Vince

So many people that fish or hunt you would think they would care about liter. I'm shocked some times when I get into a liter bugs face. They are the same people that would call the Police if someone threw trash on their front lawn. I see it every time I go on the Hudson to put wood duck boxes out. Makes me sick. Defund the liter bugs that what I say. Some people go into nature and treat it better then their own home and other just crap on it. Fight the fight that is all we can do.

anthony
 
I agree Vince, the local trails at Sprague Brook Park have taken a beating, more hikers, bikers and loose dogs than I have ever seen. As for ammo Walmart has had a decent amount of rifle rounds.
 
Id blame it more on restocking due to everything being made in China. Wait until everyone goes to buy plastic decoys in August and September....uh oh.
 
Ahhhhhhhhhhh the Florida Man.....The Florida Man is a truly entertaining an but quite often a deserver of a Darwin Award
 
ken yacavone said:
Only in Florida Fort Myers Bass Pro a guy did a swan dive into the fish tank.
Check it out on line.
Ken
Click to expand...



I did not check it out, but damn shame the fish had to be traumatized like that...


VP
 
A local radio station in Spokane, Wa. has a daily morning feature in which they present three separate, weird stories from around the world and ask different callers to identify which one happened in the Great State Of Florida. Dani, I fully expect "Florida Man" diving into the BP fish tank to come up soon.[smile]
 
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