is service getting worse at outdoor retailers

went to bass pro back in march to order autochart pro guy at counter gave me a price of 125.00 asked him if this had the card and cd together he replied yes, it seemed to be to cheap for me asked him again he said it has both he mentioned it would be 4-6 weeks when I went there after 7 weeks they had one in but it was just the card, other guy said the gentlemen probably did not know what he was doing.


called sail outdoors in Oshawa to see if they had a product in first call when transferred went unanswered and hung up second same third got guy on phone asked if any livetarget golby in stock he said they don't sell this item but I see in the catalog in front of me a price of 12.49 seems to me they sell them. it just seems service is getting worse at stores

If we don'T have it you don'T need it.
Which means I don't know what the heck you are looking for so I am going to say we don't sell it or there is no such thing.


Have you ever noticed that when you are in Bass Pro for example, another customer will start asking for your advice or ask questions about something "even" when there is a sales person not more then ten feet away?

I agree. I called sail in Oshawa about a product that was in the email flyer and they said they don't carry them. Sure enough there they where in store. I posted a few years ago about when they opened I was working at a game farm and had to go buy 2 spare O/u's as back ups for our guests. Guys at sail couldn't give me the time of day.

I like the big box stores... They sell a little bit of everything. Selling a little bit of everything gets more than hunters in the store, it gets non hunters in there too... By getting non hunters in the store, they get exposed to the hunting section (guns/knives/dead animals) seem less scary...So since a lot of non hunters make up laws, I say the more exposure the better....

As far a customer service goes, well......... I know they try but I always like to do the homework before I go in for the purchase, after all, we do have access to a global market... :)

I was part of the team that opened the first English Canada SAIL in Ottawa.

We were rocking that store for the first few months. We had a solid team of guys who knew guns, knew hunting and knew xbows, and we enjoyed everything about outdoor pursuits so we were genuinely invested in making shoppers' experiences stellar.

Then the cuts started... And they started with us most knowledgeable guys because they'd agreed to pay us WAY-higher-than-average retail wages, because they needed that knowledge to make a good first impression when opening.

Just a few short years later all the best of the old guard were gone, and you can't get a straight answer about anything. The folks behind the counter (that I've spoken with) are not active hunters, are not familiar with the firearms they're selling, are not familiar with hunting regs, and can't offer any help or suggestions worth putting stock in.

Last time I was in i heard one staff member telling a customer that a .22 mag & 410 combo is a great wild turkey gun. :-S

It's too damn bad. Coulda been a good thing.

Pretty tuff to get knowledgeable staff when most are being paid minimum wage. Most are there putting in time just to collect a pay cheque.

Deerslayer, you have both Easthill Out fitters and Gagnon's near you, give them a try.

Lots of big box stores pull the same stunt. Before opening they'll hire a bunch of knowledgeable guys, Home Depot comes to mind, then let them all go and hire kids who know zip about anything. I guess, we the customer aren't wise enough to know this.

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Originally Posted by fratri

I like the big box stores... They sell a little bit of everything. Selling a little bit of everything gets more than hunters in the store, it gets non hunters in there too... By getting non hunters in the store, they get exposed to the hunting section (guns/knives/dead animals) seem less scary...So since a lot of non hunters make up laws, I say the more exposure the better....

As far a customer service goes, well......... I know they try but I always like to do the homework before I go in for the purchase, after all, we do have access to a global market... :)

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Problem is they don't sell everything you need in any one product. They have decoys, decoy line, but maybe there will be no anchors, or line crimps. They sell fifteen styles of winter jackets, but maybe they don't carry mittens/gloves or maybe hats. Some times it is the parts to keep your gear running, got a shelf of lanterns but they don't sell mantles for them. They sell reloading presses, but no dies, or no shot. Lots of the time it is not that the extra piece of kit is out of stock, they just don't carry it. They don't have room for mantles for my lantern, because they need it for gag gift items, or home decor things that let people pretend they are outdoorsy by having a "cute" sign in the TV room..

I get lots of items from gagnon sports guys there are very knowledgeable just that he wasn't sure when the stock of this item would be replenished they are great to deal with find easthills is a small store and don't carry that much but hopefully they will grow bigger

Were they ever good?

My wife was told that she needed to get 2 pairs of boots, one for hunting and one for ice fishing. The guy explained to her that if the boots smell like fish then she would not have any deer come close to her.

I promptly asked the guy if the boots were vacuum packed? He said no, they are in a box. I looked around the store and asked him what the heck they smelled like right now? Would the smell of the big box store not be worse than that of the fish? I can only imagine that he works on commission and tried to pull a fast one on my wife.

Remember, they are trying to sell what they have and convince you that is what you need and could not be bothered to get you want you want, it is not worth the effort for them.

I think that if you suggested to raise the minimum wage in the political section, you might hear many reasons why we should not , including it is a Liberal trick and they are up to something.

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Originally Posted by Oddmott

I was part of the team that opened the first English Canada SAIL in Ottawa.

We were rocking that store for the first few months. We had a solid team of guys who knew guns, knew hunting and knew xbows, and we enjoyed everything about outdoor pursuits so we were genuinely invested in making shoppers' experiences stellar.

Then the cuts started... And they started with us most knowledgeable guys because they'd agreed to pay us WAY-higher-than-average retail wages, because they needed that knowledge to make a good first impression when opening.

Just a few short years later all the best of the old guard were gone, and you can't get a straight answer about anything. The folks behind the counter (that I've spoken with) are not active hunters, are not familiar with the firearms they're selling, are not familiar with hunting regs, and can't offer any help or suggestions worth putting stock in.

Last time I was in i heard one staff member telling a customer that a .22 mag & 410 combo is a great wild turkey gun. :-S

It's too damn bad. Coulda been a good thing.

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You are right on. I was so stoked when they opened in Ottawa because finally we had some competition and loved going to the store the first couple visits. Now I only go wen I need something that I can't find anywhere else. Service sucks, and its almost boring to walk around because it seems to never change.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Oddmott

I was part of the team that opened the first English Canada SAIL in Ottawa.

We were rocking that store for the first few months. We had a solid team of guys who knew guns, knew hunting and knew xbows, and we enjoyed everything about outdoor pursuits so we were genuinely invested in making shoppers' experiences stellar.

Then the cuts started... And they started with us most knowledgeable guys because they'd agreed to pay us WAY-higher-than-average retail wages, because they needed that knowledge to make a good first impression when opening.

Just a few short years later all the best of the old guard were gone, and you can't get a straight answer about anything. The folks behind the counter (that I've spoken with) are not active hunters, are not familiar with the firearms they're selling, are not familiar with hunting regs, and can't offer any help or suggestions worth putting stock in.

Last time I was in i heard one staff member telling a customer that a .22 mag & 410 combo is a great wild turkey gun. :-S

It's too damn bad. Coulda been a good thing.

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So, who's to blame? The customer that doesn't want to pay regular prices and who's always looking for the best deal, or the store that tries to compete?
We can't have it both, as you mentioned knowledgable guys have a price tag that doesn't fit the bill. For the one that don't like it, shop somewhere else, lots of "overprice" small familly store, or do your research online and don't ask question (that's what I do).

If your good at what you do, or anything more than a student or high school drop out, you can make more for yourself than minimum wage. Heck even a high school drop out with brains and ambition will make themselves a lot more than minimum wage. You can't go into these places expecting much more assistance than checking a stock number. You can't blame retailers, as it was said above, everyone is looking for a killer deal, and that reflects in staffing. There is a lot of rent and overhead on a place of that size! If you go in knowing what you want and having done your research they are a fine place to shop. I still buy all my tackle for the most part from a small local retailer, but there are no hunting shops near where I live. I either need to drive to a city, or order online. When I drive, the nearest cities pretty much have box stores so I make it work!

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Originally Posted by deerslayer

I get lots of items from gagnon sports guys there are very knowledgeable just that he wasn't sure when the stock of this item would be replenished they are great to deal with find easthills is a small store and don't carry that much but hopefully they will grow bigger

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Yes the guys at Gagnons are great to deal with. My favourite store. East hill is growing and they have good staff. Beyond that is Williams who are also a great bunch. They get in what you need with regard to reloading fairly quick with few exceptions.

I hope my wife never finds that box of receipts most from the guys mentioned in the above few lines.....

I might not survive!