Cabela's is definitely not what it was prior to the BP takeover. Sadly, this is a real story of shareholder greed. I'm not anti-capitalist by ANY stretch of the imagination but Cabelas' downfall was going public. Prior to that they were, by any yardstick, a very successful, profitable business. But when they went public shareholders wanted more ultimately forcing the sell off.
I used to love Cabela's branded boots and clothes. They were every bit as good quality as LL Bean without the LL Bean price tag. Red Head brand stuff SUCKS! I usually stop at our Cabela's on Black Friday on my way to hunting camp. I bought a pair of jeans last year that was worn out by March. Thin material, cheap stitching. Horrible.
Back in Cabela's days, you could go look for something and have multiple choices. Now lucky if they have one of anything you are looking for. They do generally have a great inventory of guns but they are all overpriced. Everything from used to new is far more expensive. And they won't take the trigger locks off anything until you are ready to leave the store. (I think all the big box stores are the same hence I don't buy guns at box stores.) Their best ammo prices are terrible.
All that said, I still shop there occasionally. We don't have a Scheel's or Sportman's Warehouse nearby and most of the other local sporting goods places long-since went under. So if I want to put hands on something prior to purchase, it is the only choice. I do have my Cabela's card and am able to get a lot of things "free" which is nice.
