Cabelas

gearguywb

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Out of boredom and wanting to get out of the hose to look at a few things, stopped by Cabelas last night. Was hoping to find a couple of different powders that I wanted to try. Stock was pretty bare across the gun section. Firearms, ammunition, reloading components, etc. Not sure if they are struggling to get stock delivered during these times or ?
 
I formerly worked at Cabela's, I saw it going downhill before the Bass Pro purchase. Doctoring the books, cutting hours and benefits. Then after the takeover, some of the worse executives stayed and the best floor leads were fired. No more Bargain Cave. Gun Library reorg. Employee morale went from low to bottom.
Did you know that Cabela's got a $400,000,000 bailout from the 2008 Recession Bank bailout? Most went to exec bonuses. It's been in a mess for some time, and it's still digressing.
 
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They never had that much reloading varieties of powder, primers, etc. I was in the Fort Worth, TX store last year some time, there were not very many customers. Looked to me like they were going down hill. I like buying local but buying online saves time and money, especially when you go to store and they don't have what you want.
 
I certainly agree with all of the "going downhill" comments. Really a shame. Here in KC we have 2 Bass Pro's and a Cabela's. Once the acquisition was completed they immediately started on the process of transforming Cabela's into another Bass Pro. Big sections of sunglasses, cheap everyday wear, Chinese toys, etc. They had managed to keep a fair stock of some items but it appears that time has changed as well.
 
our bass pro and cabelas are nice in my opinion. we still have the bargin cave. i dont care for the gun library because it's a bunch of overpriced guns. i got a good deal on a rem 700 ADL in .308 for $320 a few years ago. after i sold the barrel, i got the action for about $250. usually i only went there for ammo because they have a much bigger selection and you can go up and grab it. i liked the herters 9mm for plinking as it was usually 8.99 or 9.99 per box for brass. i'm a fan of academy for the same reason. you could get varget at bass pro for around $30 for a 1 lb container back when i was reloading. cabelas always seemed to be overpriced. the corona buying panic seems to be dying down because there's been ammo on the shelves when i've gone in.
 
Haven't been to my local Cabelas in a couple years. Like others I noticed higher prices, much less customer service, less selection since the buyout. Our Cabelas never adjusted to our geographic hunting venue. Never stocked higher quality shooting items needed for our longer hunting shots here. They went for the high volume cash selling semi-auto crap and the cheapest ammo to the gang-bang crowd.
 
Same in my area.....Before the buyout I used to be able to get various powders and had a good selection of bullets.....after the buyout went to crap. Was complaining to one of the sales guys about not having anything on the shelves and he agreed it was pretty bad now. Told me the best way to get my stuff was to order online because he didn't believe they would ever have stock like previously. I always used Cabelas because Bass Pro's selection was always crap when I tried there. Now both are. I drive an extra hour and go to a big local distributor to get my goodies these days.
 
It is sad. Its always nice to have a local shop that carries a selection of stuff that you can grab when you need it. At one time I was the co-owner of an indoor range and gun shop. We carried enough reloading stuff to satisfy the "I need it now group" with the added benefit of getting you to come into the store.
 
It is sad. Its always nice to have a local shop that carries a selection of stuff that you can grab when you need it. At one time I was the co-owner of an indoor range and gun shop. We carried enough reloading stuff to satisfy the "I need it now group" with the added benefit of getting you to come into the store.
Unfortunately our "local" indoor range/gun shop has decided to carry minimal to no reloading supplies, despite being a fairly large store. I'm not sure why they don't since myself and several of my friends, who reload, would gladly pay a bit extra to not have to drive 2 hours away for our supplies. I've asked why they don't and generally just get the usual shoulder shrug.
 
I remember the days when you purchased an item with the Cabelas brand you had something that would last a lifetime. I still have a few items like that, however that is not the case anymore. Since the buyout or merger with BassPro most of their items are on the same par as BP...junk. Just my opinion based on my experience.
 
It's a real shame. There was a time you could count on Cabela's stores having 95% of catalog or online items in stock unlike my local Bass Pro. I own 2 Tracker boats and would drive 45 minutes past Bass Pro to go to the nearest Cabela's. I've been a Cabela's man since 1969, but I no longer buy from either.
 
I have always looked at Bass Pro as the Walmart of the outdoor world. Cabela's at least carried some better quality stuff. I always enjoyed going through the fine gun room to see if there was anything that I couldn't live without. It is a shame
 
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