Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Cabela's and Bass Pro

I just need to rant a bit about how disappointed I am at what Cabela's has become. I have always considered Cabelas to be my favorite outdoor gear supplier. On many of my cross country hunting and fishing trips a visit to a different Cabela's store was always a fun part of the road trip. I have used their credit card for years and always enjoyed the customer service and liberal return policy. I have ordered through the on line store many times recently and the shipping as well as the process updates emailed were always perfect. Recently I ordered 3 items for my boat and the initial shipping estimate was 5 days which fell in line with what I had previously experienced. I needed the equipment ordered to finish up a trolling motor replacement and wanted it done so I could start my open water fishing season. On line stated all 3 items were in stock and so I decided to order rather than purchase locally. After 5 days I contacted customer service to check the status and they said there was a short delay due to order volume but that it would be shipped soon. At that point I decided it would be arriving soon and figured I would give it another day or two and then call again. 2 days later I called customer service again and got the same story so I told them I wanted to cancel the order and had was buying what I needed locally. The rep said I couldn't cancel and when i asked when it was going to be shipped he said he couldn't tell but was sure it was sitting on a shipping pallet somewhere and all would be ok. I said then I will just return the 3 items for a refund and he said that would be OK. Several days later 2 of the items came to the house followed by the third a few days later. I looked at the shipping email and there was a button for a prepaid shipping return label. I clicked on that with both computer and cell phone email access and nothing happened. I contacted customer service once again and explained I wanted a return label and he said he could do that for me but would be charged something like $7.50 as a return fee. I said I have returned many items in the past and never had to pay. He said since Cabela's was bought by Bass Pro that there was a new policy. He said if I still wanted to return the 3 items I could do it for free at any Cabela's or Bass Pro store.The nearest Cabela's is 6 hours away and Bass Pro is 3 hours. This whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth and I just wanted to rant a bit. I am done with them at this point and to think I was going to order a 30K tracker fishing boat as soon as orders for 2022 could be made. Now I'll buy another brand just on principle. I explained all this to the service rep and he said that he was sorry I was angry but there was nothing that could be done. So at least I get some satisfaction airing it out on social media. Now I feel better...thanks for listening.

The sale of Cabela's to Bass Pro was a national tragedy.

I live nearly 3 hrs to the closest Cabelas............

No plans in the near future to shop there

or ever..........

I have two Cabelas, two Bass Pro and a Sportsman's Warehouse closer than the Fin, Feather and Fur that I go to just south of Toledo. It's a small Ohio chain that reminds me of the old Sportsmans Warehouse when the original owner had it. Good selection, good prices and a friendly staff.

I’m with ya 100%

All the way from South Hero.

Be well fellow islander.

Hope you feel better, but that part of your life is over. They don’t care what you think.

Cabelas sucks new that Johnny Morris owns them. Either place is in absolute last resort for me to buy from. Have a card for each that is almost paid off. They are get to g canceled as soon as the balance is paid.

An infection that will not go away.

I work about 10 minutes from the grandville mi cabela's and I won't step foot in it. Been probably a couple years. I'll hit al and bobs first (a local mom and pop store)

Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s I loved Cabela’s.

when I need stuff...........

I go to Larry's store.........

Fug Cabela's & Ass Pro

You are better off without the Bass Pro Shop boat too. Read some independent reviews on them. Cheapest built package boat on the market.

Paul Singer destroyed Cabelas and everything else he touches. Azzhole should he hung by his balls and used as a pinata.

Family owned businesses rarely last through the third generation, and in some cases the second generation.
So write that down so as not to be shocked over future business closures.

Nuff said

https://www.midwayusa.com/

A Cabela's store opened near me 'bout 8-ish years ago. Was a big deal around here. Dad scored VIP tickets for the "Pre-Grand opening." Sales staff lined up when the customers walked in, greeting and cheering at all of us. Felt like a rock star.

Been to that store exactly once since the sale to Bass Pro. Wasn't the Cabela's I knew. Still had the same name outside, way different inside.

Cabelas had hit a bad slide about 5 years before BPS bought them.

I long ago stopped using them. Too many good vendors in the marketplace to deal with their garbage.

Yep, they suck.
I cashed out my points while my old Cabela’s Visa was still good and never activated or used the new MasterCard from Capital One. I have not boycotted Asspro; I may purchase some cheap cargo shorts from them. That’s all they are good for to me anymore.

Don’t fall for the 3x points promotions. Their shooting related gear is way overpriced, so you pay full retail to get a bunch of points and when you spend the points you will pay full retail again. No more 20% off coupons, no more $100 off $500 purchase coupons. Asspro will charge you 20% more than other places but give you points so you can pay 20% more on your next purchase!

I as well enjoyed the stop by Cabela's, on hunting trips to Nebraska. Stopped at the original store, always a good time. Now not so much. I will look at a stuff but don't buy near what I used to. Things are never what they used to be. Memories now I guess..

I never understood how Cabela's made cash flow with that many sq feet.

Cabelas went to hell when the family allowed it to go public and lost control of it to the corporate world which has destroyed it. I knew Dick Cabela and he would throw a wild eyed fit if he was still alive and saw what has become of the business he and his brother built.

Now we get to watch as BPS wrecks Sportsman's Warehouse.

I have no doubt that is true.

Both suck now. Shame, Cabela's was such a great place.

I have my concerns about those black motors nowadays anyway. It just seems Black Dont Work.

Ive heard horror stories on line about their big motors not working and taking a year to get them fixed under warranty.

Have others gotten reports, good or bad?

There is one Cabela’s & two BassPro stores in the KC metro area. I have never been to the BassPro on the SW side (Olathe, KS) but the other two stores are very large. Whenever I have been in the Cabela’s store since BassPro took over I always have the same thought:

“Man, I would love to have the money this place is losing right now!”

What????

yep ass pro is taking over sportsmans too. I wonder why asspro wanted either company. it seems like asspro doesn't even want cabelas to make money. I went into sportsmans today and the store is getting all changed around. more shoes and clothes for sale now, yippee. BTW who in the hell is actually needing to buy camo hunting clothes. I have enough old camo hunting clothes in plastic totes in my basement to probably outfit an army. I don't need camo anything till I die. who in the heck is buying this crap?

Scheels and Midway are my go to places now, maybe Walmart for cheap shotgun and rifle ammo.

Do you say that about food because your pantry is full?
Got your years supply?

This sucks donkey dick.

#FückBassProShop

Scheels is what cabelas was 10 or so years ago, actually it may be better. I was a frequent cabelas shopper. It’s been a year or so since I was in a cabelas and doubt I’ll ever go back.

You might think so dale 06 but Scheels is no better , ass pro has more selection and while the whole place is full chinese clothes and junk atleast they don't carry golf sh*t and f*g rag UA pc clothes crap. Fug all them yahoos. Mb

you buy a new house brand Cabelas scope that says right on the box, that it has a life time warranty, and if something goes wrong it will just be replaced...

and now when they ring it up, they have the employees trying to sell the customer a $60 two year warranty, or a $90 three year warranty...

you show them what it says right on the box, and they tell ya they are told to do that...

I've never liked Bass Pro, and now they have bought both Cabelas a few years ago, and in 2021 they are integrating Sportsman's Warehouse, because they have bought them also....

Looks like in the near future, I'm not going to be doing business with any one of them....

A never go in there anymore. I don't miss looking at used 700 adl synthetics for $849 or waiting an hour to have them tell you they won't price match the sportsmans warehouse a block away.

Bb

Wah,wah,wah.This was news three years ago.WGAFF?

Don't forget to buy a 1in square piece of fudge for $16 and a Redhead t-shirt for everybody in the family!!

Personal op; Cabelas invested in too much square footage that translates into overhead. With much fewer anchor stores and a continued robust mail order business based from that, and I believe this story would have had a happy ending.

Similar with Gander Mountain. Still have the best down jacket I’ve ever had that I bought mail order on sale for IIRC $39.95 about 25 years ago. Cami Fleece and nylon. And still in great shape. But they expanded brick & mortar when that product was on the downturn. One was built within a few miles of our home no more than 10 years ago and never matched the quality of clothing and most gear I had become accustomed to by mail order. I’m sure that mail order quality was matched in their much fewer anchor stores. Now they did have a good line of fishing gear I had never been exposed to but it didn’t make up for the reduction in quality and increase in price of most other of their lines. Plus whoever picked this retail location was penny wise and dollar foolish. Looked good at a glance. But the population demographics just didn’t match a monstrous retail facility. Lots of people, just not the right kind. And though they tried to be Firearms Central their prices sometimes bordered on foolish. Then a few years back bought by a travel trailer company and there standing alone, another empty big box.

Overhead kills.

Who?

One thing about Cabela’s that Johnny Morris has not ruined yet is the bathrooms are still by the front door. The last time the GF and I were in Cabela’s was because we both had to pee.

I always pass on that,

Your Cabelas must be different than our. The big Dundee store has the restrooms upstairs in the far back corner.

I was really happy when Sportsmans Warehouse came back to Spokane after the bankruptcy, but now that BPS has bought SW, I am strictly limited to going local. Had a real good local store, the White Elephant, but it closed down. Only option is the Black Sheep in Coeur d'Alene, owned by the same family as the Elephant, and mail order from Sportco On the west side of the state. Getting harder and harder to find sporting goods stores that really sell sporting goods, not soccer mom crap.

My only Cabela's experiences since the takeover were this winter. I'd been given a gift card last fall. We were in Boise and I was looking around for something I needed. This was when most of the shelves were empty but I did find an extra large Bass Pro fishing tackle bag that we're using for a car camping kitchen. Then I got another gift card for Christmas. I put that one toward a generator. I placed the order and had it in 3 days.

You might check Clark’s in Colville. Happy Trails

Actually go to a store, in person, to shop? Heathens.

Forgot these guys. Haven't been there in quite a while. One of the remaining good places to go.

Six months after Cabela's went on the stock market I got rid of my card and pretty much stopped shoping there . And I've been shopping with them since the 70s ......after they went on the stock market I called a order in and for the first time in my life I had to wait....and wait ....and I asked the operator/customer service and she said oh yeah they cut staff.

I always looked at bass pro and cabela's as competitors. Now competitors are linked and that brings questions to mind about price fixing by eliminating competition. I doubt the brick and mortar stores result in much of a percentage of their overall business.

The best Cabala type store around here is Whittaker Guns. Plenty of guns at good prices, lots of quality fishing supplies, lots of hunting and non-hunting clothes, and the best Archery shop around!