[Thunderstick]

I think the latest list of those in Nova Scotia that opposed the new firearms bill speaks volumes to the hunting out doors activities. I think it was like 1400 signed, same for NewFoundland and PEI. I sure wouldn't think if I was a hunting store that this screams support.

 

[3macs1]

It is not a hunting store. Was years ago but those days are gone

It is just the largest outdoor retailer that happens to sell some hunting stuff

Going to be even less of that hunting stuff with bass pro as the owners IMO

Remember they did almost 6 billion in sales last year in

Outdoor apparel , fishing equipment, marine, camping, golfing and hunting . I bet hunting might be 10-15 %

Cheers

 

[robert1]

Even out west in the bigger cities, stores like Wholesale Sports couldn't make a go of it. I have been in a few of them, and was surprised to see a lot of empty shelves in the gun section. They just couldn't get product to sell, don't know why, but there it is. Customer comes in to buy, sees nothing, leaves and shops online. Then comes to his favorite hunting forum and complains.

 

[labradort]

I really cannot get myself around why there is so much hoopla over this? It is nothing more then a retail department store. Nothing there which you cannot buy online already, or from one of our many small retailers. Like some, it think it is too big for the population in NS and will likely not survive. Just my thoughts however..

There are some things I prefer to buy in person. Clothing is a big one. The selection at the competition (Canadian Tire) isn't even in the same league, and small stores don't have enough selection to make a trip there something you can rely on - you might find they don't have anything close to what you want, or your size is all gone.

Another category is heavy stuff I wouldn't think would be economical to ship like boats and gun cabinets.

Another level is just the experience of browsing. You can find things together in a section in a physical store that are not together on the web site. If you have the idea of Brand X, Item Y already in mind, then yes, it is easy to find. But if I want to look at fishing lures, I might want to pick up something I didn't know existed 10 minutes ago.

I think the biggest threat to their existence is price. I was in Cabelas and The Sail Outdoors last fall while in Ontario. I wanted an inexpensive rain coat for everyday use. Everything I saw was over $100 - some as high as $400. When I came home I looked at a shop right in the Halifax airport. Picked up a raincoat on sale that was good quality for about $50.

 

[MWO has left]

There are some things I prefer to buy in person. Clothing is a big one. The selection at the competition (Canadian Tire) isn't even in the same league, and small stores don't have enough selection to make a trip there something you can rely on - you might find they don't have anything close to what you want, or your size is all gone.

Another category is heavy stuff I wouldn't think would be economical to ship like boats and gun cabinets.

Another level is just the experience of browsing. You can find things together in a section in a physical store that are not together on the web site. If you have the idea of Brand X, Item Y already in mind, then yes, it is easy to find. But if I want to look at fishing lures, I might want to pick up something I didn't know existed 10 minutes ago.

I think the biggest threat to their existence is price. I was in Cabelas and The Sail Outdoors last fall while in Ontario. I wanted an inexpensive rain coat for everyday use. Everything I saw was over $100 - some as high as $400. When I came home I looked at a shop right in the Halifax airport. Picked up a raincoat on sale that was good quality for about $50.

Yup. Just for Clarity, (my post was not a debate/argument , simply my own opinion) I have been in their stores out west. Been in the former SIR, been in most of those big retailers out west. Yup, the WOW factor hits you when you walk through the door. My point, only point, was that this is no different in the big PIC of retail then any other retailer, just that they hook outdoor users with the old gimmicks and WOW factors. You shop where you please, I have shopped at Sail, as you mentioned, on line. Excellent prices/service, I also buy online VIA Cabela's, time to time. Horrible service IMO...and they are very over priced on most products. But hey when they open have at it....I am sure I will hike through the store at some point as well. BTW, I like CT and the local guys too...I always get what I need, priced well too, add to that amazon and other online shopping..

 

[Thunderstick]

I have noticed over the past 3-4 years that the stock Cabellas keeps is getting smaller and smaller. I view there reloading supplies and the have only half of what they used to. Many times what they list is on back order. Several of my orders over the years have been screwed up. The last order for a die and ammo, they sent me two dies no ammo. I had a long talk with one of the head guys, they sent my ammo for free (they tried a store gift card first $15) and I refused to send the second die back. Get competent people. Not my favorite store, things are priced to high in many cases. Expensive clothing, fishing camping gear not going to keep the doors open I am afraid. How many camping, fishing, surplus shops are presently in the province? It will be interesting to see after the first year. Maybe they will make a killing on eagle t-shirts.

 

[nomad]

In regards to wholesale sports, they didn't go under because of lack of support. They were driven into the ground by the ownership group. That group being the United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative.wholesale sports was profitable but the UFA wasn't so profitable and they pillaged the profits of WSS. WSS thrived until they were sold to UFA.

 

[featherweight]

Agreed that it is far more than a hunting gear store. A good percentage of their sales go to people who don't even hunt.

Personally I feel blessed that the first hybrid store will be located right in our backyard.

As mentioned by labradort, it will be better than online for certain items and for the endless supply of odds and ends I seem to absolutely need just before the season starts. lol.

 

[Sidney]

In regards to wholesale sports, they didn't go under because of lack of support. They were driven into the ground by the ownership group. That group being the United Farmers of Alberta Co-operative.wholesale sports was profitable but the UFA wasn't so profitable and they pillaged the profits of WSS. WSS thrived until they were sold to UFA.

It's the corporate way, when Nova Scotia Power Inc was sold to Emera same thing happened. Instead of Emera taking the profits and maintaining and upgrading the infrastructure they instead gave the money to the higher ups in the company hence so many power outages. There is a great You Tube video called "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" which is a must for everyone to watch which shows that privatizing national assets is bad:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=confessions+of+an+economic+hitman+full+documentary

 

[gary]

The billionaire thats owns it all sure puts $ into promoting the outdoors, conservation, etc. so Im hoping that flavour shows through at this store, in our little corner of the world.

One day I hope to visit this spot they built - sign me up for the kids educational section.LOL.

http://www.wondersofwildlife.org

 

[KEVIN]

Gotta be a great spot alright, buttt, Mannn...tickets are expensive !! That's a big chunk of coin for a family with 3 or 4 kids to go visit. ...no wonder he's a billionaire

 

[KEVIN]

The 12 or 13 times I've dealt with Cabelas on line....10 of em were fudged up,(wrong items...wrong size....wrong prices...wrong colors and patterns) and always resulted in long drawn out returns with NO CUSTOMER SERVICE whatsoever !!!

If I'm now looking for something specific, and can't find it in other haunts I hang out at/on....I normally wait till they get it in instead of calling "Can't belas"

About WS Sports....You're right Ed ! WSS's demise was indeed and in fact the UFA !!

I know the folks that started it personally, (( Butlers )) they grew in leaps and bounds after the first two years in business...albeit the first year was very scary indeed with a new, big, giant warehouse style of store. After opening several more stores around the prairies ...due to popular demand , they had a great clientele and the lions share of the sales before the other big stores opened up.

Brad had some guides working for him too so that life and hands on experience by employees with products he was selling, made for positive reviews for his customers !

After a number of years, UFA made a "could not refuse" offer to the family, so they accepted...totally unaware of what was coming.

butt...in all reality, they're no different than anyone else in this business world.

Pretty sure we'd all love to start something and hope it becomes profitable and ultimately famous. Constant flow of good bucks coming in ...family set for life ...get a chance to retire and enjoy the rest of your life with no alarm clock. Millions hope do it every day.

I sure miss stopping and seeing Brad, Janice and Russ...and visiting all those places like when I was trucking...IMHO...cabelas couldn't hold a candle to those guys.

 

[Tyson10gauge]

Cabela's customer Service ( cough , cough , B.S ) is just that , Calling them is nothing more than a Call Center , what do you expect , Same goes for 95 % of companies today , your dealing with a call center . Your not even dealing with some one that is in the same Field or Catagory as most outdoorsman , They have no idea even what half of this stuff is used for . My last call to Cabela's to inquire on a order that was overdue , the $11hr flunky was eating while talking to me , asked to speak to his supervisor and told they did not have the means to transfer complaints.
WTF I said , hung up and called back , got some girl who could not even pronounce what I was ordering , finally she transfered me to someone with half a brain ( better than none ) If ya think thier customer service is bad Ha ha Sears Canada Parts for lawn and Garden made Cabela's look like Royalty . This is what happens when Family Run Business goes Corporate , Customer Service is lack luster at best , Profit , Profit and more Profit is what matters.fydge everything else

 

[louisbear]

Cabela's customer Service ( cough , cough , B.S ) is just that , Calling them is nothing more than a Call Center , what do you expect , Same goes for 95 % of companies today , your dealing with a call center . Your not even dealing with some one that is in the same Field or Catagory as most outdoorsman , They have no idea even what half of this stuff is used for . My last call to Cabela's to inquire on a order that was overdue , the $11hr flunky was eating while talking to me , asked to speak to his supervisor and told they did not have the means to transfer complaints.
WTF I said , hung up and called back , got some girl who could not even pronounce what I was ordering , finally she transfered me to someone with half a brain ( better than none ) If ya think thier customer service is bad Ha ha Sears Canada Parts for lawn and Garden made Cabela's look like Royalty . This is what happens when Family Run Business goes Corporate , Customer Service is lack luster at best , Profit , Profit and more Profit is what matters.fydge everything else

Yes sir. Talking to the people at Sears Canada Parts department is special. After moving to Nova Scotia from North Western Ontario we discovered our fridge was damaged. I explained to the lady on the phone that we had just moved and gave her our new address, the model # and serial # of the fridge and described the replacement part I needed. So her first question was ,"so where is the fridge now". I told her it was in my kitchen. No Sir, "I mean in what town is the fridge located." Well I just about fell off my chair. I started to laugh and just about lost it altogether. I did manage to pull myself together enough to order the part and made sure she knew that the fridge was in Nova Scotia at our new address. Well ,I received and returned the wrong replacement part three times. What a "Gong Show"

 

[Moose Magoo]

Damn dog got at my boots and tore one up pretty good. Loved the boots (Muck) so looked on-line at Cabelas and priced out the Muck Arctic Sport boots. Price seemed high so I called Young Guns and Bob's price ended up just shy of $60 less by the time I priced both out including tax. Stopped by there this morning and picked up a pair. Beauties, love them and good and high (16 1/2"). Going to be hard to buy at Cabelas when they open knowing that local outdoor stores will provide competitive and lower prices as well as great service.

For me I have no desire to guess when Cabelas will open - nothing against them just don't care.

 

[Buckmark]

I personally think cabelas / bass pro will do very well in Dartmouth. I know so many local people that made several trips to Moncton “just to look around”. I know we are just getting into the era of on-line shopping. I like to shop on line but the last 3 things i bought .... they screwed up the order. Cabela’s being the latest. Ordered 10 boxes of 12 gauge # 7.5.... and when it came ... it was #9. Kinda pi$$ed me off. For that reason... I cant wait to go shopping in there. At least when I am in the store... I have control of what I walk out with. First item will be a Browning gun safe.

 

[Thunderstick]

I personally think cabelas / bass pro will do very well in Dartmouth. I know so many local people that made several trips to Moncton "just to look around". I know we are just getting into the era of on-line shopping. I like to shop on line but the last 3 things i bought .... they screwed up the order. Cabela's being the latest. Ordered 10 boxes of 12 gauge # 7.5.... and when it came ... it was #9. Kinda pi$$ed me off. For that reason... I cant wait to go shopping in there. At least when I am in the store... I have control of what I walk out with. First item will be a Browning gun safe.

They say Bass Pro in Moncton is struggling with sales. Lots looking as you stated but just not jumping at the prices.

 

[Moose Magoo]

So if you search goggle for Cabelas Dartmouth or Cabelas Halifax the updated info now says "Permanently Closed" in red.

Interesting choice of words ...............

 

[Joyrider]

So if you search goggle for Cabelas Dartmouth or Cabelas Halifax the updated info now says "Permanently Closed" in red.

Interesting choice of words ...............

That's google's info, not Cabelas'. Google doesn't have a "opening in the future" category, only open or closed.

I was going to report it as incorrect and have it corrected, but they don't have a more correct option! Of the two choices I guess this is closer to correct. ha ha

Rob

 

[Moose Magoo]

That's google's info, not Cabelas'. Google doesn't have a "opening in the future" category, only open or closed.

I was going to report it as incorrect and have it corrected, but they don't have a more correct option! Of the two choices I guess this is closer to correct. ha ha

Rob

Rob - for sure I get that and that's why I said "Interesting choice of words" as google could have reported it as just "Closed". The other thing that crossed my mind (small as it is) is why hasn't Cabelas Communications or PR department reached out to google to have the correction made to "Closed". IMO "Permanently closed" (especially hi-lighted in Red) just doesn't sound right.

Anyway, guess we'll heard more closer to the Oct. time frame.