Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire My Experience At The Gun Counter: Bass Pro Shops

Drove there to see what I could pick up in smokeless powder and primers. I put a couple of pounds of powder in my shopping cart, then asked the guy stocking the shelves why I didn't see any primers on the shelves. He tells me I have to buy those at the gun counter.

I go over there, and it's full of waiting customers lined up at the counter. Seemed a crazy system just to stand there and try to remember what position one is in for help from a sales clerk, so I asked if I was supposed to take a ticket. I was told that I needed to sign in at the kiosk (like at a doctor's office), and he points to it.

I go over and sign my name and enter my phone number, as the device requested. I wait patiently for over a half hour, chatting with other customers, then decided I had had enough, since a good many of the people who were there when I arrived were still waiting, and was about to leave in frustration when it occurred to me to just interrupt one of the salesmen and ask "Do we still have to wait on our queue position to come up if all we want is a box of primers?" The guy says, "Oh, no, you just have to ask." LOL.

There I was, wasting over a half hour waiting for my name to come up on the queue when all I needed to do was ask. You'd think there would be a sign there, "The Kiosk Sign-In Is Just For Help With Firearms, All Others, Just Ask For Assistance."

Anyway, I told him what primers I wanted. He grabbed them and handed them to me.

I thought that maybe you sang the wrong song at the kiosk.

Yeah, there are always lots of typos when I first post. Then I do a proof read, make dorrections, and post it again.

I like the BPS used guns online. Some good deals there. However, IMO if they don't get it together Scheels is going to eat their lunch.

I'm glad I still have a few guns that use "rocks what'll spark"- - - - -no primers or even percussion caps to worry about!

Yes, indeed. I've never owned a flintlock, but have always thought they were cool. Shortly after the COVID insanity got underway, I wished I had some for my black powder shooting, since getting caps became almost impossible. Stayed that way for a couple of years.

I hate the BassPro/Cabelas gun check out BS
2 hours……9 people behind the counter. My LGS does it in 5-10 minutes…….

257x50 I wonder why it takes 2 hours at your Bass Pro? I’ve only bought 1 gun from Bass Pro and I thought it was quick.

I would have to want something awfully bad to go into a BPS looking for it. Scheels is eating their lunch and their dinner.

Buying a gun at BPS is a PITA. All the unnecessary paper work that you have to sign and never read. But sometimes they do have some decent deals. I try to avoid BPS during the Christmas holiday shopping as its crazy. I did sell them a rifle and they were fair. Not great but better than any pawn shop around and sometimes they have used rifles at really decent prices. Sometimes!

I purchased my first and last gun at Bass Pro in 2005. It was such a hassle that I said never again.

I won't waste time inna Big Box store....anymore than I would sit inna tree to shoot at a Frizzing deer.

I bought my last gun from Bass Pro about a year ago. I did get them to bring the price down to a reasonable level (they had a used Henry single shot priced at $150 over dealer retail for s new one). I gave them a bad review after getting blown off by the gun counter dweeb when I pointed out the irrational price. A couple hours later I got a call from the store manager who "explained" to me their pricing strategy. I explained to him my history as a for homer dealer and a present certified appraiser and employee of another gun store.
He called me back and offered the gun to me at 80% of dealer suggested retail. I told him I'd consider it.
I stopped in a few days later and the gun wasn't in the used rack. I asked the kid if it had Bern sold. He said it was in the back on hold for some guy named Stan.
I filled out the paperwork, paid my price and when I came back three days later it "only" took an hour to get out of there with the gun.
THREE employees each had to check the paperwork for any errors.
Ill stick to mom and pops from now on.

Dealing with, or attempting to deal with, Bass Pro / Cabelas gun department is a fruitless exercise in self flagellation.

It's gotta be out of pure desperation to ever do so.

MM

Shocked they had primers. Large rifle?

None in Florida.

Large pistol.

Yeah, whoever thought of their checkout system must wear a tie and run a pen, and know nothing about guns or customer service.

Sportsmans Warehouse is just as bad. A full hour once you get to the front of the line and the process starts. I bought a single action Ruger Wrangler from there a few years back during Covid. One numbnuts decided it was his job to pull the cylinder pin and take the cylinder out. Only took him 20 minutes to get it back in. I should have just told them to forget it. Ended up selling it a year later anyhow.

Same with other corporatized "outdoor " stores, and
many other industries.
They get management and "buyers " that aren't
familiar with the products and their customer base
and the stores eventually get padlocked.
Cullum and Boren/ Oshmans, Sports Authority, etc.
now Academy is going down the path of casual
clothing and athletic shoes and such, and gradually
shrinking hunting, fishing, and camping little by little.
Unfortunately, sometimes bass amateur shop is
the only option for many
Lots of industries in the nation have been torn
apart by the business degree people