Is Cabela’s played out?

grfox92

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I watched this video yesterday. I never understood why Cabelas would sell to Bass Pro, I though it would have been the other way around. Turns out they didnt really need to sell at all.....

Makes the whole failing of Cabelas even sadder in my eyes.

 

Mt Al

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I don't know if they're played out, but they mostly are for me and I'm guessing for most of the Rokslide/back country-type members.

I wonder if they, along with BPS, Walmart, etc, help new people curious about getting into hunting and fishing get some lower priced stuff and hit the field, customers who might be intimidated by the hero shots, mountain ridge camp sites and lean physiques on the web pages of higher-end backcountry gear. If that's the case, good on all of them, they're creating more people who want to keep hunting a "thing".
 

Mt Al

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I watched this video yesterday. I never understood why Cabelas would sell to Bass Pro, I though it would have been the other way around. Turns out they didnt really need to sell at all.....

Makes the whole failing of Cabelas even sadder in my eyes.


Damn....one person's greed leads to wrecked lives. Would be nice to see some sort of balance.

Also very impressed that Fox News, always thought to be a lapdog for Republicans, told it like it is in the case at least.
 

CTR

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I only go when I need powder or some other stuff and have them price match whatever online dealer I found cheaper, so that I don't have to pay insane shipping fees for powder. They also have the cheapest transfer fees in my area for any guns that I buy online. Usually go there to see a gun, then find it cheaper online even with the $25 transfer fee I still save a little $$
 

Rob5589

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It's unfortunate. I used to love going through the catalog (pre online shopping), was like the Sears toy catalog when we were kids 😁 Still have some gear from them from years ago, still going strong. They used to offer a good compromise between high end and Red Head trash. Now it is all BPS junk.

They should have killed the stores and went back to their origins; mail order. But that ship has long sailed. RIP Cabela's...
 

Lonald

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Sep 17, 2019
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Sounds like my experience yesterday. Had a gift card and left without spending a dollar. I couldn't find anything worth buying or anything that I couldn't get substantially cheaper elsewhere.
I told my family last year no more Cabela gift cards
Damn....one person's greed leads to wrecked lives. Would be nice to see some sort of balance.

Also very impressed that Fox News, always thought to be a lapdog for Republicans, told it like it is in the case at least.
that was easy for Fox most the Wall Street guys are Democrat’s
 
Joined
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North Dakota
Used to work for Cabelas in the late 90s and they were a great company. The hours spent on employee/product training was second to none and like has been repeatedly stated on here they had super quality Cabelas branded merchandise for fair prices. I now travel cross country several times a year and used to drive out of my way to go to a Cabelas to see what I might find in the bargain cave and usually would walk out with much more merchandise than just cave items. Since the merger, removal of the bargain cave, and loss of quality gear I have driven by dozens of their stores and don't even have an urge to stop. It's sad as they were one company I could rely on to find quality outfitter type gear and to be able to look at it before purchasing.
 

Trial153

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I told my family last year no more Cabela gift cards

that was easy for Fox most the Wall Street guys are Democrat’s
Sorry to bust your bubble but Paul Singer is one on the largest Republican donor in america.
 
OP
menhaden_man
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I watched this video yesterday. I never understood why Cabelas would sell to Bass Pro, I though it would have been the other way around. Turns out they didnt really need to sell at all.....

Makes the whole failing of Cabelas even sadder in my eyes.



Thanks for posting - privatize the gains and socialize the losses... very sad that so many politicians are bought and paid for and this goes on.
 
Joined
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WY
I have watched the Cabela's branded items get less and less in the fishing sections of several of the stores. Now there are only Johnny Morris/Bass Pro brand rods and reels.

While in one Cabela's store, I asked the guy in the fishing department about the lack of Cabela's branded rods and reels. He said, "Yeah, now all there is Bass Pro junk." This guy worked there, I have a feeling a lot of the longer term employees are not happy with the situation.

ClearCreek
 

Brooks

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New Mexico
I never buy anything at Cabela’s or BPS anymore and I used to spend a ton with them. Nowadays I just sit down with the iPhone, find the best deal with free shipping .....and Cabelas is never the best deal..... wait for it to show up in a couple days. I’ve been buying all my guns and ammo online and it is always in stock or I just keep surching until
I find what I’m looking for.....Won’t surprise me if they start shutting down stores someday soon .
 

TheCougar

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Virginia
Cabelas and Bass Pro have jumped the shark. Their sales suck, the got rid of most of the Cabelas Card members benefits, their in-store selection is poor, and you can beat their prices with a minimum of effort. I used to enjoy “shelf checks” at my local Cabelas, checking out gear, and looking through their ads. Now their ads just go straight to the trash can. Right before BPS killed their 10% off card member sales, I bought some SLCs. Maybe 18 months ago? That is the last time I bought anything from them.
 

Stalker69

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I have 700.00 in gift cards over Christmas, figured I would put it toward a rifle. Nope they don’t carry, seems everything I want to buy from them they don’t have. I will figure something out or sell them for a discount. ( loss)
 

Glory

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The internet will kill them unless they change to a tourist type destination with lots of junk with a 100% markup.

I go there and look, barely ever buy.
 

philos

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The internet will kill them unless they change to a tourist type destination with lots of junk with a 100% markup.

I go there and look, barely ever buy.


I work there now and I can tell you they are already a tourist destination-at least in some of the stores. You can observe the typical contents of the shopping carts to see the items most often purchased-low priced clothing, fishing lures, miscellaneous car camping stuff and see the days of Cabelas being a serious outdoor store are likely over.

They seem to be profitable but not from serious hunters dollars. The reality is there are substantially more weekend warriors and not-so-serious outdoors folks than there are hardcore outdoors types. I believe Cabelas will eventually lose the Cabelas name and continually evolve to be the store of choice for the the average consumer that is not terribly serious about outdoor pursuits. Sadly they do not need our (Rokslider types) dollars to be successful.
 
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