For me the Cabela’s brand clothing is what I’ll miss the most. I’m still using my deer hunting jacket and bibs from 25 year ago. Granted it gets used for one week a year but the pattern hasn’t faded, no tears or holes, and it’s still water resistant. Also IMO, the Fish Eagle rods were pretty good for the price. Now BPS has them branded under their name. Unfortunately I’m sure they are cheaper quality now.
I sure miss the good ole cabela brand clothing.
yea same here. 
Mr. Beads –
“Not sure why everyone rags on Cabela’s all the time. Maybe I don’t remember the “glory” years but it still has alot of stuff worth looking at.”
Brand name goods are brand name goods, judge on assortment, price and availability. They do OK with many items. My beef is the degradation of quality of their house brand products. Twenty years ago the house brand was my go to – good assortment including sizes, good quality, good prices and in stock. Now the house brand products, whether Cabela’s or Bass Pro, are of disappointing quality.
On my outdoor clothing rack in the basement it is Cabela’s brand one after the other: couple of Guidewear suits, synthetic underwear, fleece pants, duck hunting hat, deer hunting coat, liner socks, Gore-tex 3-finger water fowl gloves. Most are over 20 years old and still performing. Underneath the rack are several pair of boots.
On the bright side, I placed my order yesterday at 1:27 pm and one of the items was on my door step at 9:52 am. Less than a 24 hours? Holy crap!! Maybe they aren’t very busy. 
The decline was inevitable. First off, it was really a Basspro takeover of Cabelas, not a merger.
In terms of retail store strategy, I don’t think Basspro loves the Cabelas “cornfield megastore” philosophy of placing the big stores “on the way” to lake or woods. It would not surprise me at all if after Basspro rebrands all the Cabelas stores, they start shutting down stores like Rogers and goes with the Basspro model of urban/suburban destination stores.
Secondly, their focus and core customer was very different. Anyone who ever really compared Bass Pro with Cabelas back before the merger would have noted that:
– Basspro was heavily focused on lifestyle and athleisure brands up and down the lineup and their own brands in this segment overlapped with national brands. In hunting and fishing, their own brands were heavily biased toward the low-end value segment, so much so that they had multiple brands overlapping and therefore competing in the same low-end value position.
– Cabelas was focused on middle to the upper range and their own brands did not overlap. In the lifestyle and athleisure lines, they heavily focused on their own brands and national brands were clearly an “also” and most of the time carried a premium price closer to SRP.
So when Basspro took over, the race to the bottom started immediately. Game over for Cabelas. I haven’t been in a Cabelas store since I was Christmas shopping with my son in December 2019. And I live within 3 miles of the Woodbury store.
I have to question if the Mega Box retail store isn’t going the way of the dinosaur anyway. In the premium segment (where the real profit margins are) of almost every clothing brand, the brands are now selling direct. Kuiu, Firstlight, Sitka, etc, you can buy them all direct at the same price and often with perks like free shipping/returns, etc. Cabelas was already getting slammed with changes in customer behavior before the merger.
Grouse
I’m liking the take over.
Saves me an hour, on my drive from Iowa to Northern MN.
I no longer make the stop, saving both my time and money.
Now the house brand products, whether Cabela’s or Bass Pro, are of disappointing quality.
I agree with this and it seems to be the most common complaint on here. The issue I have is that when Bass Pro took over, they no longer honored the warranty on Cabela’s brand name products. For years before Bass Pro came long, the unconditional warranty was one of the major perks of buying the brand name products Cabela’s had.
As I previously stated, they still have a wider selection of fishing tackle than anyone I have near me. Plus their pro staff spools my reels at no charge every spring with a twist free tornado line winder. Saves me a lot of time when there’s about a dozen reels that need re spooling.
Don’t order from them any longer, rarely have items in stock.
Moving to Capital One Visa also a fail. I pay off full balance after making a partial the cycle before and they charge me additional interest. Now I have a fraud alert, someone hacked my card and are charging things all over the globe! I’ll give them credit for catching that and stopping charges to me. But hay, the horse is lose before the barn door gets closed. Very suspect security. Bad choice of card providers in my estimation.
Wife and I used to make the 1.5 hour trip couple times a year. Straight back to the bargain cave then check out rest of store. We would take a break and sit in the little snack shop, have a soda, fudge, and some brand of Buffalo sticks that were very tasty! When the Buffalo sticks were no longer available, had to find someone to get a couple chunks of fudge and no more fountain pop, bargain cave was a fraction of what it used to be. Just wasn’t the experience it used to be so we haven’t been there in couple years.
Employee discount was great under Bass Pro bought it. 7% over cost. The mark up on stuff is unreal. Cabelas employees had to go 20 steps backwards because that’s how far Bass Pro was behind in the operations. Any long term employees were shown the door.
Seems to me it would make good business sense to take all of the Cabelas brand and go 100% back mail order with what they sell. (Like they were before opening any store fronts here in Mn) Return the focus to quality outfitter goods. No store front needed. Let BPS brand the stores.
Can’t think of a better time to make that kind of move.
Always did like getting the Master Catalog each spring. Good stuff!
-J.
Bass Pro put the final nail in the coffin, but Cabela’s demise started when Elliot Management, an activist investor Hedge fund, bought 11% of Cabela’s.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/paul-singer-sidney-nebraska-cabelas-bass-pro-shops-merger
Seems to me it would make good business sense to take all of the Cabelas brand and go 100% back mail order with what they sell. (Like they were before opening any store fronts here in Mn) Return the focus to quality outfitter goods. No store front needed. Let BPS brand the stores.
Can’t think of a better time to make that kind of move.
Always did like getting the Master Catalog each spring. Good stuff!
-J.
I loved those days. There was nothing better than the Cabela’s master catalog as a kid. I would study those pages and colors. Fill out the little order sheet in the middle. Then you had to wait for what seemed like 3 months for your lures to show up. (more like 10 days but hey I was 10).
I always dreamed of having my products in Cabela’s as it was like being in a Burger Bros store. I still can smell that store in Roseville.
I don’t want to come off as a shill, but I have been happy shopping at BPS. Good selection of fishing gear. The clothes bought there have been fine. I bot my Helix 10 there and they did fine job installing it. I haven’t shopped at Cabellas much but only because none near me.
Wow, lots to digest.
I have had really good experiences at EVERY store mentioned here.
Don’t care who they are, brick and mortar is awfully tough to sustain anymore with online purchasing coming right to my door two days later.
For my two cents, I have purchased rods, reels, tackle, clothing… from all of these stores in the past year.
Scheels is expensive, Fleet Farm is expensive, Gander is okay but not much selection.
If you look for the name brand bargains you can find them, at any one of these stores. I bought a Veritas on sale for $50. Everywhere else I went they were $100 or $110. Just gotta look and pay attention. Cabelas is as much about ambiance and experience as it is about inventory for me. They have MORE inventory most of the time I visit.
That being said, our years of wandering in fully stocked aisles with well-made products have come to a close for the most part. It’s like everything else, how to make a buck?. For my two cents, in our current economy/reality there is NO WAY Scheels can turn a profit in that new city they build in Eden Prairie. I have never been in ONE store that big in my life.
Yup,the Cabela’s clothing was top-notch.Bought 2 sets of middle-weight base wear when the PDC retail store first opened.Regret not buying more.Haven’t purchased any Cabela’s clothing in years,but if is the quality of stuff like Redhead,pass.
DSCN1400.jpg
My most recent experience with Cabela’s/Bass Pro is probably the best one I have had in several years.
I order numerous bags of crappie plastics in different styles and colors and they were all in stock. Ordered on Sunday January 24 and it was delivered on Wednesday January 27.
Considering the issues with shipping over the last month or two I was amazed it arrived on time.
Buffalo Fishhead
I just got cabela’d again! Their website says the Woodbury store has an item I want so I foolishly drove there to purchase it and of course none available. I cant believe I fell for that again! I am so done with them. They are a business tragedy.
I just got cabela’d again! Their website says the Woodbury store has an item I want so I foolishly drove there to purchase it and of course none available. I cant believe I fell for that again! I am so done with them. They are a business tragedy.
Haha that’s happened to me before too. Not just at Cabela’s either…
Last time I asked an associate to physically go find the item before I went to get it because I got burned before.
The Burger Bros stores were filled with quality goods. Really miss them.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>suzuki wrote:</div>
I just got cabela’d again! Their website says the Woodbury store has an item I want so I foolishly drove there to purchase it and of course none available. I cant believe I fell for that again! I am so done with them. They are a business tragedy.Haha that’s happened to me before too. Not just at Cabela’s either…
Last time I asked an associate to physically go find the item before I went to get it because I got burned before.
Same here. I ordered a brining bucket and a few other things to be curbside picked up. All items were “in stock”. I live an hour away so about an hour after I ordered, I figured I would just make the drive down there thinking my order would be ready by the time I got there. Nope, it wasnt so I went into the store and asked the customer service gal about my order and she said its out to pick. I said that I would just go find it and be on my way. Went to the area of the store where it was to be located and no brining tank. So back to customer service, I asked where the pick people are perhaps they had it in their cart and I could just find them. She then said “it hasnt been sent for picking yet”. Grr, turns out they didnt actually have any, so I cancelled my order and drove home empty handed.
I have done this same thing at my local Scheels store and the order was ready in minutes. Not doing Cabelas anymore unless I absolutely have no other choice, which I doubt will happen.
All items were “in stock
The problem with that is if there’s only 1 or 2 of the items left “in stock” but they haven’t been bought yet. They could be sitting somewhere else other than their designated spot on the shelf like in another customer’s cart. Or someone could have picked it up, changed their mind, and then placed it lazily wherever they were when they changed their mind.
Open water fishing tackle is coming back in stock now pretty good so I’m stocking up on that because I imagine there will be another shortage come spring when everyone is looking for it again.
I have to question if the Mega Box retail store isn’t going the way of the dinosaur anyway. In the premium segment (where the real profit margins are) of almost every clothing brand, the brands are now selling direct. Kuiu, Firstlight, Sitka, etc, you can buy them all direct at the same price and often with perks like free shipping/returns, etc. Cabelas was already getting slammed with changes in customer behavior before the merger.
Grouse
My time in-industry doing seminars and staffing events at both Cabelas and Bass Pro coincided with the start of the decline. In my earlier years, you dreaded the Spring Sales and the mobs of people. It was total chaos and you did anything you could to avoid any customer walking with a flyer in their hands. The isles were nearly impossible to walk through. Product was specifically brought in for the sales and pallets were dropped like goose poop everywhere. A 7 am door buster sale in Portage IN could have 400 in line to get in the store by 6am and the crowd never let up until near closing.
Each year was a steady decline of customers. When I arrived at 5:45/6am, maybe a few people in line already. But each year was less and less. Consequently, the stores stocked less product for the sales because the trending history shown that to be the case. In my opinion, that was the failure of the box stores. In the final few years I did events at Cabelas, I arrived with sale items listed in the flyers and nearly zero on hand stock. Even for those of us staffing events, the attitude was quickly becoming negative. Why be there if we had none of our products to demo or sell?????? Some product lines I received a spiff on, and I made zero $$$ for a weekend of work I was required to attend.
Moving forward to more recent, I’m not surprised to hear all the negative smack from ProStaffers, employees, and manufactures. The obvious trend is online sales. Very convenient and most items are sold like a commodity. In seconds you can price shop and buy from the cheapest source. The “intelligent” software retailers use for purchasing keeps # of SKU’s and stock at a minimal based on historic data – which has been showing a steady decline. Employees talk about how slow store traffic is. Some of us old farts remember the “glory days” and see the stores now as empty of cusomers. The younger generation that didn’t experience the chaos in the 90’s and early 2000’s really don’t know how much brick/mortar store sales have dropped.
As mentioned above, BP and Cabelas had very different business models and strategies. Johnny Morris was all about high volume areas near metro. Cabelas was a mix of metro and off the beaten path. Same with branded products. Johnny was all about cheap cost and Cabelas (in the early days of product branding) went for higher standards. We watched t6hat decline as well as the years went on. I think Cabelas cashed in on the name recognition for a while. But ultimately let quality get sacrificed for cheap goods as well.
Regardless of who ate who in the mega box store war, both are set up for failure in time. Its just a matter of when – not IF.
2020 is probably one of the worst years ever for lack of product fulfillment. Manufactures are so dependent of foreign production. When everything globally shut down, it all spiraled out of control. I know so many manufacture reps that are holding open orders for product that has yet to be delivered for last spring, then fall goods, and now rolling back up to spring goods.
One last thing that I’ve seen on the path to self-distruction. Manufactures and their “MAP” pricing. For those not familiar with MAP agreements – simple explanation. To be a dealer you agree to the Minimal Advertised Price or lose your dealership. Dealers won’t stock product with companies that compete against them. Especially if their is a MAP agreement and the manufacture has product for sale on their website at or below Map. In the old days, a manufacture either did not sell their product directly or was the HIGHEST price. Now, sometimes you find the best deal at a manufacture website. We had this problem with a number of manufactures that didn’t get it. I presented a dealer program to a buyer and the Map price of product X was $100.00. They went right to thew manufactures website and there it is listed for 89.99 and free shipping. The buyer laughed at me and simply said no way in hell is that going in my store. This is becoming a stronger trend with manufactures and they are cutting the throats of dealers.
So, no surprises for me
I just got cabela’d again! Their website says the Woodbury store has an item I want so I foolishly drove there to purchase it and of course none available. I cant believe I fell for that again! I am so done with them. They are a business tragedy.
Fleet Farm for myself. Website showed Otter small ultra-wide sleds available at Winona,went there and guy said sleds have been gone for a month.So much for updating info…
In my drive last week I saw a HUGE Scheels store somewhere around Salt Lake City. I didn’t know they where that far West.
The obvious trend is online sales. Very convenient and most items are sold like a commodity. In seconds you can price shop and buy from the cheapest source.
My personal preference has always been to buy it in person when I’m able to. I have a Dicks, Fleet Farm, Cabelas, and Scheels all within 20 miles of where I live. For 21 years I was able to get what I wanted in person.
2020 was different. As you mentioned, the increased demand and supply chain issues caused all kinds of problems. Bare shelves and empty pegs in the stores I regularly frequented were the norm. So I was forced into online shopping. I have to say that it is not as great as its cracked up to be. While you are able to shop around for the best price and usually better selection, there’s rarely free shipping until you spend 50 bucks and this past year there was also delays. If I order an item and it takes a week to get here, that really doesn’t do me a whole lot because I often need it in 2 days when I’m going fishing again.
I stepped foot back into a Dicks Sporting Goods 2 weeks ago for the first time since the summer. It was loaded. Everything was in stock in just about every color. So I am not sure if supply is catching up or if there is less demand because people are not buying open water tackle much at the moment.
I hear a lot of people put Scheels on a higher pedestal. I was at the EP one in July, 3 days after they opened. They were fully stocked and I went in there with a list of 10 items and walked out with all of those items at a fair price. My friend went back 2 weeks later…completely bare just like everyone else. So clearly no retailer is immune to global supply disruptions and increased demand.
Just my recent observations and experiences.
If folks are predicting Cabela’s demise by year’s end I’d say that’s a good sign we’re looking at a few more years of decline before they get around to putting her down.
I don’t buy that much anymore, have more than what I need. The majority of what I buy in person is done at Joe’s or Marine General. I’ll give Scheel’s a shot this summer since everyone seems to have positive experiences there for the most part.
So, in the last few days I did receive the 2021 BPS “Master” catalog. Nice to have that for browsing through. They also sent me an upgraded “Cabelas” card. (Not set to expire until 2023) Was the Cabelas Club gold card. Now have the World Elite “Black” card. Increases points on certain purchases. Blah, Blah, It seems if BPS was going to “retire” the Cabelas name, they would start by re-branding their credit cards. Just a thought….
-J.
I worked at Scheels a few years ago when I was in college.
Great company to work for as well as shop at. They do it right, period.
I worked at Scheels a few years ago when I was in college.
Great company to work for as well as shop at. They do it right, period.
I do like Scheels and hope they can keep it up. I worry that they’ll get to big and go the way of Cabelas. As Big Tom Callahan says, “you’re either growing, or you’re dying”. Sometimes it’s both IMHO.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
