The death of the retail store

[Customweld]

I moved to Idaho in 1999 - no job prospects, no cell phone, no nothing. I saw an ad for Intermountain on the TV (remember Jerry Sweet?) and drove over to the Meridian store. I was working within a week. Toward the end of my time there I worked at the Vista store - archery department at both places.

Jerry and Ed were both super guys. I had the opportunity to hunt turkeys with Ed and Gov. Andrus when I was in high school. I had a 280AI that Ed built for me, wished I hadn't have sold that! The store in downtown Meridian was a staple.

 

[StuckoYota99]

I stopped shopping at the local sporting goods store because I got tired of arguing with the guys at the counter over what ammo I "should" buy versus what I'm asking for. I see the box of rounds behind you give me that box I don't care what rounds you shot in 2005 on your elk hunt.

 

[Ucsdryder]

I stopped shopping at the local sporting goods store because I got tired of arguing with the guys at the counter over what ammo I "should" buy versus what I'm asking for. I see the box of rounds behind you give me that box I don't care what rounds you shot in 2005 on your elk hunt.

I think most of those guys are on LRH forum still.

 

[Shō[t]gun]

I stopped shopping at the local sporting goods store because I got tired of arguing with the guys at the counter over what ammo I "should" buy versus what I'm asking for. I see the box of rounds behind you give me that box I don't care what rounds you shot in 2005 on your elk hunt.

That just reminded me of a similar situation. I was buying ammo at an Ace hardware and asked the sporting goods guy if they had a certain 7mag in the back that wasn’t on the shelf. He proceeded to explain that I should try out the 300win mag ammo of the same brand because it would give me some more “knockdown power”. I played along long enough to cement the fact that he actually thought it would work in my rifle and the ammo was interchangeable. I talked to the store manager and explained the potential liability of letting that idiot continue to make ammo recommendations.

 

[CorbLand]

That just reminded me of a similar situation. I was buying ammo at an Ace hardware and asked the sporting goods guy if they had a certain 7mag in the back that wasn’t on the shelf. He proceeded to explain that I should try out the 300win mag ammo of the same brand because it would give me some more “knockdown power”. I played along long enough to cement the fact that he actually thought it would work in my rifle and the ammo was interchangeable. I talked to the store manager and explained the potential liability of letting that idiot continue to make ammo recommendations.

Had a guy come in one day that even after two of us told him multiple times 7mm weatherby mag ammo would not work in his 7 rem mag. Yes, I understand it’s the same bullet but it’s not the same cartridge. He told us we were stupid and bought it anyways. Watched the news for a week or so after that one.

Had a guy come in and was tired of trying to find 7-08 ammo and wanted something similar (he specifically stated in ballistics and recoil) but with better ammo availability. Two of the kids working there were trying to sell him a 7mag because it was the same bullet. Still not sure why you wouldn’t suggest a .308.

Got in trouble after a customer chewed my ass up, down, left and right because someone, not me, told him we had lead free .300WSM ammo (we didnt) and he drove over an hour to get it. After a solid five minutes of getting a lecture, he asked “how this could happen?” I responded with “**** if I know. You should see the stuff I deal with everyday.” Apparently that was the wrong answer.

I worked there for 9 years and the entire time I was there all I was ever told is "customer service" and the "we serve the customer." During the covid ammo sale craze people were buying 9mm Makrov and .327 Federal thinking it was for their 9mm and .357 mag. I would move it to the other side of the shelf, away from the 9mm and .357 so people didnt get them confused. The store manager saw me do it and asked me why? I told him and he told me that if people arent smart enough to know the difference, thats their problem. So apparently serving the customer is second to making money.

Long way of saying that while most of the employees are dumber than a box of rocks. Most of the general public isn’t far behind them.

 

[Boarmaster]

Brick and mortar retail has always been like the OP described. I order everything possible online.
I open my front door grab the package open it up check it out. If good great, if not back in the box and I drop it off at one of the 10 shipping places I pass every day to return it.

You dont get any expert advice at store. Thats what this place is for. Do your research, get online with a reputable supplier and order it up.

Sometimes I pick up at a store If Im in a hurry for it. I make sure its same day or next day pick up.
I order it online for store pick up and they let me know its waiting on me.
I walk in , check it out and walk out with what I want. Sometimes I save a few days shipping or shipping fees doing this.

I go to the grocery store and thats about it.

I’m in the east but use Scheels for gear frequently. Cabelas was my main supplier but after the Bass Pro buy out we got a divorce.

I mostly buy from small specialized retailers or direct from manufactures if it makes sense.

Its a lot less frustration buying online. I have minimal headaches.

 

[CB4]

Scheels gets as much of my business as I can give them. 365 return policy is hard to beat. Call the local store and people are always friendly and helpful. I bought shoes in store, got home over an hour away and noticed some fabric had a hole in it(clearly a mfg error) and they sent me a label to send them to the store and they sent me a new paid no questions asked. Bought pants online that didnt fit exchanged them through the online system again with them providing shipping labels.

 

[5MilesBack]

He proceeded to explain that I should try out the 300win mag ammo of the same brand because it would give me some more “knockdown power”. I played along long enough to cement the fact that he actually thought it would work in my rifle and the ammo was interchangeable.

Back when the Ford Super Duty's came out in 1999, I asked a salesman exactly what differences there were between the F-250 and F-350. His first reply......"Oh, the F-350 is a lot more powerful". SMH

 

[TheCougar]

I don’t get how retail stores stay in business. Do they have a single redeeming quality? The employees know less about what I’m buying than I do, because I’ve already researched it. There’s a good chance they won’t have what I want, and if they do it will be marked up significantly compared to online. Plus I have to spend gas and my time to travel there.

Scheels is nice because they carry high quality gear that you can’t find in dumps like Cabelas or BPS. I’ll go to Scheels to try on that SG pack and Crispi boots, then I’ll go home and order it online for 20% less than they charge in store.

The smaller local stores are in general more knowledge and have better selection, but they charge laughably higher prices. My local Ace (basically a gun store that sells hardware too) has 6.5CM Hornady Match for the low low price of $40 a box. I can find it right now on AmmoSeek for $27 a box. And I’ll save myself the hour round trip and the $20 in gas.

 

[CorbLand]

I don’t get how retail stores stay in business. Do they have a single redeeming quality? The employees know less about what I’m buying than I do, because I’ve already researched it. There’s a good chance they won’t have what I want, and if they do it will be marked up significantly compared to online. Plus I have to spend gas and my time to travel there.

Scheels is nice because they carry high quality gear that you can’t find in dumps like Cabelas or BPS. I’ll go to Scheels to try on that SG pack and Crispi boots, then I’ll go home and order it online for 20% less than they charge in store.

The smaller local stores are in general more knowledge and have better selection, but they charge laughably higher prices. My local Ace (basically a gun store that sells hardware too) has 6.5CM Hornady Match for the low low price of $40 a box. I can find it right now on AmmoSeek for $27 a box. And I’ll save myself the hour round trip and the $20 in gas.

There are still a lot of people that want to have things now. Amazon can have the same thing to you in 2 days but people will pay 20% to take it home that day.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

My Karen moment.

I can’t stand dealing with retail stores anymore.

Went to Cabela’s yesterday to buy some turkey shells, online says they have them in stock at the store, nope, not in store. Left empty handed. Side note, that place is so sad. The trout tank had carp in it.

Went to sportsman’s this morning, bought some turkey loads, not what I wanted but at this point I’m tired of looking.

Bought a powder funnel set. When I got home I went to toss the receipt, they overcharged me 5 bucks for the powder funnel from the price marked in store. I called and they said come back and we’ll refund you the 5 bucks. I’m more than 5 dollars away in gas, plus my time which apparently isn’t worth much.

Oh well, a good reminder why retail is dying. Next time order from scheels online. Thank you for allowing me my Karen moment.

Agree 100%. However, as much as I love me some Scheels, I've had the same problem with the store in West Des Moines. Said they had some reloading bullets in stock, I purchased online for pickup (75 mile drive), and when I arrived they weren't in stock and hadn't been for weeks.

Anymore, no matter what it is (bullets, dog food, etc...), if it says they have it online ready for pickup or "in stock", I always call ahead since its at least a 30 mile drive for me to any retail store.

 

[CorbLand]

I can answer some of the issues with things saying they are in stock when they aren’t. My wife did inventory for one of the big box stores and I worked with many of the others. They have counts they are supposed to do and they go and physically count things. If they can’t find something, they are supposed to mark it as lost and remove it from the inventory. The kicker is that when they do it, they get in trouble for it. Most of them would lie, say they found it, just to save their ass.

 

[khart_6882]

I don’t get how retail stores stay in business. Do they have a single redeeming quality? The employees know less about what I’m buying than I do, because I’ve already researched it. There’s a good chance they won’t have what I want, and if they do it will be marked up significantly compared to online. Plus I have to spend gas and my time to travel there.

Scheels is nice because they carry high quality gear that you can’t find in dumps like Cabelas or BPS. I’ll go to Scheels to try on that SG pack and Crispi boots, then I’ll go home and order it online for 20% less than they charge in store.

The smaller local stores are in general more knowledge and have better selection, but they charge laughably higher prices. My local Ace (basically a gun store that sells hardware too) has 6.5CM Hornady Match for the low low price of $40 a box. I can find it right now on AmmoSeek for $27 a box. And I’ll save myself the hour round trip and the $20 in gas.

For anything specialized, I definitely buy online. Which includes most of my hunting gear. But we’ve got a decent sized locally owned sporting goods store in town that I try to support.
There’s some things that I like to get my hands on without playing shipping back and forth games. Things like the hundred different options of darn tough socks or boot insoles. Also scope rings. It’s handy to be able to dummy it up with different height options to get it as low as possible.
I also like the idea of giving my money to someone I know from my small town opposed to someone a thousand miles away.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Steve300xcw]

This is a real thing, also not great because often I want to pick up and handle a rifle/shotgun before I just blindly buy it off line and have it shipped to store

I'm to the point, where I have all the guns that I actually need. So any purchases are spur of the moment. Its a lot harder to walk away from something on the counter, than a picture on the screen

 

[KurtR]

Amazon and most orders take 4 days to get to me . So I usually just drive the 100 miles to scheels if I really want something. Some times if I’m bored I will drive to Bismarck to get something good to eat and walk around scheels.

 

[TheCougar]

For anything specialized, I definitely buy online. Which includes most of my hunting gear. But we’ve got a decent sized locally owned sporting goods store in town that I try to support.
There’s some things that I like to get my hands on without playing shipping back and forth games. Things like the hundred different options of darn tough socks or boot insoles. Also scope rings. It’s handy to be able to dummy it up with different height options to get it as low as possible.
I also like the idea of giving my money to someone I know from my small town opposed to someone a thousand miles away.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree with that in principle, but when the prices are ridiculously high, they lose me. Kind of like Made in the USA. I support it whenever I can. But when I need a widget, and a Chinese widget is $200 and the same widget is $400 with a Made in the USA stamp, my principles begin to waver, I’m ashamed to say. When my “local mom and pop” gun shop is charging 20-30% more on average for a box of ammo, or anything for that matter, local patronage be damned - I’m not paying that unless there is some SERIOUS customer service or knowledge/expertise to justify that mark up.

 

[Remington92]

For most things if I can I use brownells or scheels. Brownells has free 2 days shipping with edge membership and if I filter in store for my closest scheels (an hour away) Ill get it next day. Scheels has also been awesome for returns/ lemons. They once bought a rifle back from me for what I paid for it 6mo earlier when I couldn't get it to group and gave me current store credit on 5yr old binoculars instead of warranty replacing them so I could upgrade to something nicer. I have learned though if I'm making a large gun purchase I call ahead to make sure one of their knowledgeable guys is working the gun counter that day.

When I'd go back east to visit family the local cabelas used to have a really nice used gun department/ gun library. When Covid hit they closed that all up and said they were done dealing in them. Havent been back since.

 

[thegrouse]

Brick and mortar retail has always been like the OP described. I order everything possible online.
I open my front door grab the package open it up check it out. If good great, if not back in the box and I drop it off at one of the 10 shipping places I pass every day to return it.

You dont get any expert advice at store. Thats what this place is for. Do your research, get online with a reputable supplier and order it up.

Sometimes I pick up at a store If Im in a hurry for it. I make sure its same day or next day pick up.
I order it online for store pick up and they let me know its waiting on me.
I walk in , check it out and walk out with what I want. Sometimes I save a few days shipping or shipping fees doing this.

I go to the grocery store and thats about it.

I’m in the east but use Scheels for gear frequently. Cabelas was my main supplier but after the Bass Pro buy out we got a divorce.

I mostly buy from small specialized retailers or direct from manufactures if it makes sense.

Its a lot less frustration buying online. I have minimal headaches.

I agree, once I started using WalMart plus I bet I only make 3 trips a month to the grocery store. Any issues the come back and pick it up off my porch. WalMart doesn't have the best meat but the rest of the grocery items are on point and it saves me a ton of time.

 

[Flyjunky]

I agree with that in principle, but when the prices are ridiculously high, they lose me. Kind of like Made in the USA. I support it whenever I can. But when I need a widget, and a Chinese widget is $200 and the same widget is $400 with a Made in the USA stamp, my principles begin to waver, I’m ashamed to say. When my “local mom and pop” gun shop is charging 20-30% more on average for a box of ammo, or anything for that matter, local patronage be damned - I’m not paying that unless there is some SERIOUS customer service or knowledge/expertise to justify that mark up.

I understand a good deal but the problem is when we have a supply chain problem, war with the country that makes those cheaper products, etc then those manufacturers/suppliers/local stores who we put out of business by buying cheap foreign shit…where does that leave us?

I’m all for good deals but it’s going to come back and bite us in the ass, even more than it already is. Relying on other nations, some who are enemies, for our goods is a bad practice.

 

[Winnie]

Everyone has their own motivations and I recognize that. However, I have a different twist on why I HATE online purchases, especially the biggest of online companies.

Online companies do not employ anyone in my town. Thus they do not pay employment taxes to my state. They do not pay real estate taxes to my county. They do not support the local baseball team or conservation organization. They do not volunteer to help at any local event. In short, they take your dollar out of your local area and it isn't ever coming back.

Scheels has contributed a LOT to my local conservation organizations. Twice, we have gotten unsolicited checks withe a letter that says that they want to share their profits with organizations that help the local area. Anyone ever get an unsolicited check form Amazon for their local group?

The local mom and pop store may have higher prices. I get that. But they may be the girl scout leader or the trap team coach. If you are frustrated they have higher prices, can you imagine how frustrated they are?

Again, I get the cost and convenience of online shopping. But for me, I really, really try and avoid it.

Oh, one other thing. MidwayUSA is an exception for me based on their support for local shooting sports and I buy some from them. The MidwayUSAFoundation is top notch all the way around. I still don't like that they don't have a local presence, but they certainly support local with their money.