The Big Get Bigger

[jdmidwest]

Local farm supplies get most of my hunting dollars lately.  Guns, ammo, stands, clothing, boots, and other supplies.

Rural King, Orscheln, Buchheits, Tractor Supply, and many others.  Every locale has one and you can find good deals and equipment there along with other stuff.

[fshndoug]

I try and stay away from any Johnny Morris entities.

[MrGiggles]

Bass Pro seems to have a 10-20% price hike over everyone else. 

Academy has great prices, but their selection can be limited. 

I wouldn't mind BPS if the closest one to me wasn't Springfield. That place is just a tourist trap. 

[Dutch]

1 hour ago, MrGiggles said:

Bass Pro seems to have a 10-20% price hike over everyone else. 

Academy has great prices, but their selection can be limited. 

I wouldn't mind BPS if the closest one to me wasn't Springfield. That place is just a tourist trap. 

According to a guy at Lews there is a new shop opening at that boat dealership on E. Chestnut Xpy.

[Al Agnew]

Most of you may know that I did a lot of covers for BPS catalogs, so I felt some loyalty to them.  I spent quite a bit of money with them over the years, and for many years I got a discount, which made me spend even more money.  But BPS is a general outdoors retailer, and while they started as a fishing store, I'd be willing to bet that fishing stuff made up a smaller part of their business over the years.  Their selection of tackle was good, but they seldom sold any real specialty tackle, and more and more they went to their own store brands of lures, rods, reels, etc.  Some of their rods and reels were okay,  a few were excellent--for a while, until they found a cheaper manufacturer.  

Anymore, I shop local as much as possible.  Denny Dennis and Dunn's get quite a bit of my business.  But if I want a different and better selection of lures, I shop online at Tackle Warehouse.  As for Sportsman's Warehouse, I have bought the vast majority of my flies at the Sportsman's Warehouse in Bozeman, MT.  I sometimes feel a little guilty buying flies there instead of the local fly shops, but at less than a dollar a fly compared to $2.75 and up at the fly shops for flies that are of comparable quality, I am just frugal enough to opt for cheaper.  I've bought a few other things at SW, including one high dollar set of Swarovski binoculars.  It's always been an excellent store.  I wonder how it will change.

[Chief Grey Bear]

On 12/23/2020 at 3:39 PM, tjm said:

Like Cabela's, Sprortsman's was in financial difficulty, so, in your estimation, would the consumers be better off if the pair just died natural deaths or if BPS bails out the remnants of them? I saw that SW's stock is up 37% since the announcement. 

Cabela’s was never in financial difficulty. What it was some over zealous shareholders who found more value in selling it off in parts. Which would have killed the brand but made them extremely rich. And in a very short period of time. 
 

[Johnsfolly]

 

[fishinwrench]

Back in the '80's and into the 90's the BPS branded stuff was pretty darn good.  Then somewhere along the line that changed.   BPS branded jigheads now look like something that 2nd graders have put together and painted,  worm weights have slag hanging off of them and you may or may not be able to thread a line through the hole of them.  Rods of the same model with irregularly spaced guides..and crap like that.   Honestly you can't even find stuff with quality that disgustingly poor at Walmart.   

Cabela's branded stuff was always top notch, but it probably isn't anymore.

[snagged in outlet 3]

8 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

 BPS branded jigheads now look like something that 2nd graders have put together and painted,  worm weights have slag hanging off of them and you may or may not be able to thread a line through the hole of them.  Rods of the same model with irregularly spaced guides..and crap like that.   Honestly you can't even find stuff with quality that disgustingly poor at Walmart.   

Probably 2nd graders in China or some other other 3rd world sweat shop.  

[Basfis]

9 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

 

Cabela's branded stuff was always top notch, but it probably isn't anymore

100% agreed here. Redhead wasn’t in the same league as cabela’s branded gear. Hats, boots, anything wearable was hands down better from cabelas.