Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Cabelas Gun Counter

Met a couple guys as Bass Pro who are very knowldgeable and seem to be nice as hell. They are still in their infancy here in the KC area, so it might be just be a matter of time until they lose their good emplyees. Their prices are just a bit higher than Cabelas, but I guess I have proven to myself that it might just be worth it. (They might even price match too)

Boy, did this story bring back memories! I sit down from time to time to read my husband's (Dr. Encore) campfire stuff, but never before have I been compelled to reply. I was in retail management for 20 odd years, working for some of the major players (Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus to name a few). These were companies that made customer service a FOCUS during their training of new employees. But- sure enough, after a few weeks on the selling floor, that ol' "Customers are an INTERRUPTION of my work , not the PURPOSE of it",- attitude would rear it's ugly head. Shame on the manager of that Cabelas firearms department for not having his stock well maintained and ready to sell,and shame as well on the selling associate for putting "conditions" on his willingness to sell product.

The best way to address this problem is for the customer to make a VERY LOUD FUSS right at the point of infraction and demand to speak to a member of upper level management. Once the manager appears, quote the seller, EXACTLY, and you will see a major change of attitude. And by the way, there is ALWAYS a member of management on duty, trust me... Rude selling associates are banking that you won't complain..... Also effective, write the manufacturer of the product you were interested in and explain your frustrations. The last thing a store manager wants to get is a call from the president of a major gun company with a gripe about service or product maintenance. It is down right humiliating! The relationship between vendors and stores is VERY important these days...... As a last resort, walk away from the store. It seems that this is a great way to have the last say, but in reality, you do more good for the overall retail enviornment by MAKING the retail establishment get it right. There will always be a fellow sportsman (or sportswoman!) walking up to that counter after you, and unless you help retailers weed out the worthless sellers, they will take over the planet!!

Doegirl

Doegirl,
FWIW My sister in law worked at Nordstrom and I wish Cabela's would take a page out of their book. Excellent customer service and return policy. As a manager, if one of her floor salesgirls ever got out of line or "lippy" with a customer, she would move in and take care of the client herself. THEN she would write the salesgirl up and would follow that up with a meeting with the floor manager. Some salesgirls made the cut, others didn't.....

I try to buy from the local place, but when they are priced anywhere from 10 - 20% higher it makes it tough. Especially when this wasn't a "local" place for me being that I was ~ 200 miles from home.

You know it�s my dream to work at a gun store like Gander Mountain or Carter�s Country (a local one here) when I retire. Carter�s Country has very knowledgeable and helpful people� but a cat could do a better job than most of the guys at Gander� I know I have a lot to learn about guns� but at least I want to learn it. It�s a shame they hire and keep such poor employes.

I've only been to one Cabela's store. First and last time. I collect Ruger #1s and I have a pretty good idea of the value of the various styles. They had a use (and abused I might add) #1S in .300 Win. Mag. with a sticker price of $1,200 plus tax.
Most of the bluing was gone and the stock looked like it had been dragged over half of Planet earth. The salesperson told that this was one of the very rare models of the Ruger. I'd looked it over very carefully and it was not a Pre-prefix model nor was it a 200th years of American Liberty model, the latter not really adding all that much to the price. I have four Ruger #1 rifles in .300 Win. Mag., one a "B" model and the other three "S" models, two of which are 200th year models The "B" cost me all of #265 and the three "S" models were all under $600 and they are all in at least 98 percent or better. The only reason I even had any interest in the gun was that it was all beat up. I could make sure it shot decently and then use it for my hunting trips rather that taking my nice ones out and maybe scarring the heck out of one of them. I probably would have gone maybe $500 out of the kindness of my heart but I truly believe tha $350 for the barreled action would have been more than generous.
Now I know someone will surely say I'm full of it, but you would have had to see the condition of the gun. There were rust holes all over the barrel where apparently someone held the gun with bloody hands. A real mess, perfect to sit behind the seat of my truck and me not worrying about anymore beauty marks. I couldn't even get a manager to bring the price down.
I won't ever be going back. It's not worth me driving 155 plus miles one way for that kind of gun prices.
Paul B.

That pretty much sums up 98% of the posters here..........

The best "customer Service" employee training manual is used as Kimber7man said by Nortrom's and the second best is the Marriott training program used by the hotel chain.

John Hopkins hospital in Baltimore adopted and uses the Marriott training program for all of its hospital staff and you cannot walk 20 feet in that hospital with-out someone asking if they can help you.

Service is amatter of training and attitiude.

Doc

and tips.

So Steelhead do you think your 2c certainly makes the 2%?.......................DJ

Nope, but yours makes it 98.05%

What is this "be your own expert" nonsense?? I am a Bank CEO and if I EVER hear one of my employees say anything like that to a client, he or she will be told to hit the bricks on the spot! It is not EVER a customer's responsibility to know everything there is to know about a product/service someone else offers for sale; theoretically anyway, it is the STORE/RETAILER's responsibility to know what in the world they are talking about, and to consultatively determine the client's needs and SELL TO THOSE NEEDS, not just push a product they have for sale at the time. !
There is a Cabela's just down the road from me; their lack of knowledge and courtesy is disgusting and degrading to their firm. I've been in Cabela's stores in Dundee, MI; Owatonna, Minn; Prairie du Chien, Wi; Mitchell SD; Hammond, IN and Hoffman Estates , ILL and their knowledge and level of service is not appreciably better in any one of those stores. In fact, the gun "Libarians" in their Hamburg, PA. location were so arrogant and inflexible that I'll never again set foot in that store; don't ask me for a reference on Cabela's because I flat cannot give them a good one. Their prices are ludicrously high, they exhibit a disgusting arrogance, and I crap more gun knowledge out my rear every day than most of their salespeople will ever have! I'm done with my rant; sorry but this thread just struck a nerve with me.

Can't fathom anyone knowing my needs cept me.

Steelhead!!! Hope that you are never in a bad accident and cannot reply as to what hurts or what care you need and no E.M.T. is available.
I know that you will have a smart aleck reply as you often do, so lets hear it. No one cares anyway.

Bob,

I have been in that same store when I have been up in the Puget Sound Area...as you said in your post on the other site, this sales clerk didn't know a darn thing of what he was talking about.. after about 5 visits to that store... they Have ALOT of sales people in their gun department that don't know what they are talking about...they must be on commission as they want to wait on folks who seem to have lots of money and want a big expensive gun, in some caliber that costs $10.00 each time you pull the trigger, along with a $1500.00 scope on top...

If I lived in Metro Olympia and Tacoma there, I'd do my firearm shopping at the Sportsman's Warehouse on the other side of the Freeway by Costco...

I have been to all the Cabelas stores in Nebraska and Minnesota, and the big one in Utah.. and they are a lot better than that Lacey Washington Store....

I have visited 3 Cabelas stores and I have never had a bad experience.

Every employee has done what I expected of them: "Bring me what I'm asking for"!!!!

I have had to wait for some time at a gun counter (take a number and wait) but that was because the store had lots of customers. That made me happy because that meant lots of Americans were buying guns.

The original poster stated that Cabelas had six guns he was interested in and none of them passed his approval. Well, if I ran a "ma and pap" store, I'd tell you to get [bleep]. Do you mean to tell me ALL the guns they had were in terrible condition? Forgive my being blunt, but I smell bullschit.

I read a comment on here stating that (I'm paraphrasing) that gun counter clerks should be knowledgeable when it comes to firearms. Give me a [bleep] break. Most of us have been doin' this hobby our whole lives and still can't tell somebody what cartridge is best for them. Hell, Jeff O' has chewed up 10 pages just trying to decide which [bleep] Sendero he should buy.

As far as I'm concerned, when you walk into a buyer's/seller's atmosphere, you should be there to buy, or shut the [bleep] up.


Travis

Your post is just another about service that in your opinion was not adequate. From what I read the clerk opened six boxes for you.

You get what you see's. Thats what they had! Perhaps it was the attitude of the clerk from the start? That might set one off.

Now we have a Cabela's close to me here in CT. I doubt that I am going to buy a gun there. I did try to sell a MS 1952 30-06 rifle there and got offered $500. Maybe that is the market. At least I got an offer.

So far I have bought two coats there. I got bargains and I like them a lot. Cabela's makes the outdoor sports and in particular hunting look good.

Below is a parka that I got at Cabela's in the late winter. Its a $300 list price NorthFace that is really nice. The sale price was $150 and I had a good choice of sizes.

If I wanted to buy a gun in used and [bleep] condition, I would have shown up to your ma and pap store in person. I dont expect to pay my hard earned dollars for a gun that is not in "New" condition. I dont care if it is on sale, I dont care if the gun guy is not as intelligent as me. I am very particular when buying guns, and this guy showed me six, i repeat six rifles that could not have passed for new if I was blind. Three of the six rifles actually had surface rust aound the top side of the recoil lug (note: these are SS rifles), all of the barrels were covered in corrosion, dings in the sythetic stocks, chips in the stock finish. These were not just your average, dust covered rifles where the packing grease got a little nasty on ya. Travis, I dont know how much money you make, but if you make enough to not care what condition guns are in that you buy, then good for you. I just so happen to not be in that boat.

This place tried to sell me a [bleep] piece of hunting gear with a [bleep] attitude the entire time. And expected me to love every second of it. It was as if the salesman was upset at me for these guns being in such disrepair. He was annoyed every time he opened a box and new before I opened my mouth that it was a piece of [bleep].

Lets just start a poll here. Would anyone here buy a gun at that looked like [bleep], and was supposed to be new for a "new gun" price?

I highly doubt it.

SS

Yes, the attitude bothered me from the beginning, and the service was well below par. And no I absolutely did not get what I saw, because if I took on that way of thinking, would have actually bought the thing. I am upset at myself now for even considering to buy one without demanding to ask the manager Why, oh Why would you try to pass these guns off as new. Someone should have got off their ass and attempted to bring these guns back to "new" sale quality, if it was possible.

I dont think some people get it. If you worked for a gun store, would you accept a gun sent to you by remington that was of [bleep] quality and expect the hard working american to buy it because thats all you have, or would you send it back and ask for another one. Your reputation as a gun salesman or gun dealer is on the line every time someone opens a box that should have passed your inspection.

This was not a clearance rifle on the shelf in the open where everyone can handfuck the rifles without a salesman present. These were new in box rifles that they brought from the back and not a returned parka that someone didnt like.

The reason Cabela's gun prices are so high is because fools unfamiliar with the market for the guns they are seeking, "know what they need" and have to have it NOW. I could have fallen for it too: about a month ago, I stopped in to the Hammond store to look at a Colt Officers' Model Match .38 spl revolver. It is in approx. 90-95% condition. They were (and incidentally, still are)asking $999 on this gun, when several firearms value books I checked put the value closer to $600---and that's for a NIB specimen--which this one definitely wasn't.. For you mathematicians out there, that's a whopping 166% higher than the market! I hope it sits there forever.
I passed on it, and two weeks ago I attended a gun show in St. Charles, Ill. and bought a 1968 OMM 99% and with box, for $620.
Another example: I passed up a "great opportunity" to buy a Winchester High Grade 9422 at a Cabela's in Dundee for $1,300 just a few weeks ago---and found a NIB High Grade for $700 at a local show. Cabela's gives a whole new meaning to price gouging.....I like their clothing, boots, catalog service etc. but their gun dealers are PIRATES.