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Bass Pro Shop Loses Another Sale

dvajda

dvajda

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So, I'm a MA resident, and Bass Pro Shops was such a huge deal coming to a town near me. I couldn't have been more pleased. So, I try to shop there, spend my money, so the place doesn't get closed down. But, every time I try to buy something expensive there, it doesn't work out...

So this happened to me there 2 weekends ago. I decide I need another gun cabinet to hold some ammo and stuffs. I already have one StackOn brand that I like, so I figure I'll get a matching one, don't change what works. I bought the other one at Dick's Sporting Goods, so instead I check online at Bass Pro. Yes, they have it. Sweet. So I borrow the brother in-law's car since it won't fit into my sedan. This is pain, now I owe him. But I need the cabinet. So I drive to Bass Pro on Saturday. Place is a zoo as always, hot dogs being cooked, kids running around, its not a store it is an amusement park. I could go on about the fact that supporting such an atmosphere must cost money and translate to higher prices on goods, but I digress...

So I get inside, stand at gun counter for about 20 minutes before I snag a guy. I tell him I want to buy the cabinet on display, which I have located. He is helpful and tells me to grab the tag and they'll help me get it into the car. Sweet. I get the tag, he looks it up in computer. They are out of stock. Mind you the place is beyond huge, but I guess with all the fish tanks and stuff there wasn't enough room for storing goods. Anway, these things happen, the item is probably popular. No problem. So I ask if perhaps I could buy the display model, because it is closed and it's a metal cabinet so who cares. Salesman says sure, no problem.

I then of course ask what the reduction in price would be, since it is the display model, no box and its been out there with people touching and kicking it and such...

Well, he has to get a manager to find out that info, so I wait, no biggie. He comes back and says that they are getting more cabinets of that model in next week. So he can't give me a discount on it.

Let me repeat: [highlight]They are getting more of the cabinets in next week so he can't give me a discount on the display model. But he can sell it to me for normal price.[/highlight]

I like to think I'm witty and good with a comeback, but I was so blown away by this intelligent thinking, that I had no idea what to say to the guy. I just stood there completely dumbfounded. If that makes sense to anyone, please chime in. He had a chance to make a potential sale, plus he was getting more of them in next week. I mean, if he wasn't getting any in, I could understand he would want to keep floor model till then so people would see it. But if you are out of stock and are getting more, plus you are willing to sell it to me for REGULAR PRICE but not for a DISCOUNT. So, I said no thank you and stumbled out the door in a complete fog.

I then drove directly to Dick's Sporting Goods, where I asked for the safe and in 10 minutes they had it in my car and I was driving down the road.

Thanks Dick's Sporting Goods!
 
This happened to me at Dicks in Saugus.they sent me to Peabody who was also out of stock on the cabinet. The difference is the Mgr knocked 20% of the floor model and through in a Rem Dry...Thats why I continue to shop at Dicks,.
 
Other side of the coin

Went there with a Cabela's flyer for a gun on sale.
They said they would match prices.
When they entered it into the computer the computer said no go since this price would be below their cost.
Manager stepped up to the plate and gave me a $30 gift card that I could use on the spot for the purchase of my new rifle.
So discount + $30 gift card = 1 cent below the Cabellas price.

Have had other good experiences.
Just have to get the right manager I guess.

Forgot to mention that I wanted to order this same gun from a shop down the street (which I went to first)
and was quoted $89 above the Cabellas price.
 
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I've been to BPS a few times now and to be honest, it's not worth the hassle. If I'm looking to waste some time and not really buy anthing the BPS is the place to look around. If I'm going to buy something I'll go somewhere else. Plus BPS prices are not even close to be competitive on a number of items.
 
Rockrivr1 said:
I've been to BPS a few times now and to be honest, it's not worth the hassle. If I'm looking to waste some time and not really buy anthing the BPS is the place to look around. If I'm going to buy something I'll go somewhere else. Plus BPS prices are not even close to be competitive on a number of items.
Click to expand...

+1....

although I did recently buy the same safe the OP mentioned. it's got my 10/22, some ammo and a few parts for my builds in progress. [laugh]
 
Bass Pro Shops is one of the closest and largest outdoor retailers around in the area. Granted I believe that at times they are understaffed for instance just this night I tried to buy a 100 pack of .45 ACP nothing special just your normal old Winchester or what have you but I asked multiple sales people where the 100 packs of .45 acp ammo was and all they did was just point, I have been working retail for a little over 10 years now and I know how important customer service is and it really annoys me even when I see another employee just nonchalantly point where something is in the store that I work at. In this day and age if people want to be successful customer service is the only way to go. And when I asked another salesman they showed me where the aisle was for ammo of course there were hundreds of different types of ammo in that particular row but there weren't any 100 packs. So in conclusion I will be stopping by good old Four Seasons tomorrow to pick up some boxes of 100 count ammo where I know people will actually take there time to show me where something is in the store instead of just point!
 
Yeah, I want to help the place out, but its too crazy there. Plus the prices are inflated too it seems to support all the craziness.
 
BPS is more like a museum than a store, forget about going there on Sunday, forget about going there for anything. I would rather spend 2 more hours driving to Cabelas than 2 hours standing in line than waiting for the kids to stop playing on the stairs at BPS!!!!
 
dvajda said:
Yeah, I want to help the place out, but its too crazy there. Plus the prices are inflated too it seems to support all the craziness.
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c


The "Place" never looked like it needed my help.

I take family and friends visiting from out of town to sight-see, but I continue to do most of my shopping at smaller shops.

I don't need mounted animals and goose calls on the public address system, I need a decent price on ammo, and USED guns. Without selling USED guns at a fair price, Bass Pro doesn't offer anything I can't find elsewhere.

By the time I walk from my car to the Gun area, I need a nap. Their fudge is stale and I don't wear hats that advertise companies, especially if I have to pay for them.

About the best thing I have to say about Bass Pro is they have a great selection of Magazines to read and buy, and a couple of nice guys from NES work there.
 
depicts said:
c
About the best thing I have to say about Bass Pro is they have a great selection of Magazines to read and buy, and a couple of nice guys from NES work there.
Click to expand...

They do have a very good magazine selection [grin]. I have found that when there are not that many people in the store, or looking at guns, that the staff that works behind the counter at the gun display have always been very welcoming, helpful, and have given me some really good advise. I would probably shop there more if they did also sell used guns.
 
There are two business reason why they don't want to give discounts for floor model merchandise. Firstly, why would they discount a model for a purchase today, when a replacement model would have to presumably put back on the sales floor? Secondly, and INAL, they may discourage floor model sales because they may need to show merchandise that was advertised in a sales circular.
 
mikem317 said:
There are two business reason why they don't want to give discounts for floor model merchandise. Firstly, why would they discount a model for a purchase today, when a replacement model would have to presumably put back on the sales floor? Secondly, and INAL, they may discourage floor model sales because they may need to show merchandise that was advertised in a sales circular.
Click to expand...

The first point is moot. The store could get the money NOW and would still make a profit on it. I know that any smaller retailer would discount the floor model to get the money in the door and make the customer happy. Perhaps bc they are a much larger store, they felt as though the single item wasn't worth it. Well, they lost a customer over it. That was a mistake. Whether they had them coming in soon or not, they should have sold it to him for a reasonable discount, %10-20 perhaps.

To the second point. What good is showing people something that they can't sell right away? it's like a restaurant having food on the menu, but you can't order any of the items. They'll get it in the store soon anyways (assuming it isn't back-ordered) and someone wants to buy it NOW. That person came to the store for that item and doesn't want to drive all the way back a whole week later to get it. In that regard, i never trust anyone when they say "we'll have them in again next week" bc shipments can always be delayed or an item might be back-ordered from the manufacturer. And if that item IS on back-order, it doesn't do much good to have it on display does it?

Nobody wants to hear this.
"Oh i'm sorry, i can't sell the diplay unit and it's on back-order for 2 months. Sorry i can't be of any help today."

This manager made the wrong call. He pissed of a customer when he had the power to reduce the display item price. They were willing to sell him a display unit at full price, but were not going to honer a respectable request to discount due to it being a display unit. If it was missing items or scratched at all, it deserves a reduction in price.

You can't have the same display unit for too long or else it really starts to look used.
 
mikem317 said:
There are two business reason why they don't want to give discounts for floor model merchandise. Firstly, why would they discount a model for a purchase today, when a replacement model would have to presumably put back on the sales floor? Secondly, and INAL, they may discourage floor model sales because they may need to show merchandise that was advertised in a sales circular.
Click to expand...

The first point basically cost them the sale, because I went down to Dick's and bought the same thing. They should know what their competitors have, and also realize their competition is better. Second point is not true, because they were MORE than willing to sell me the floor model, they just didn't want to reduce the price. That is pure greed and audacity, and I chuckled about that as the guy at Dick's helped me load the cabinet into the car.
 
I can relate but if you want to spend your money on a store to help out so it doesn't get closed down, go to your local mom and pop shops.
 
cad said:
I can relate but if you want to spend your money on a store to help out so it doesn't get closed down, go to your local mom and pop shops.
Click to expand...

Darn straight. The big box is controlled by corporate policy dedicated to volume sales. Regardless of how good the locals behind the counter are (BPS, Walpole WallyWorld), the big box will sell you down the river in a heartbeat and replace guns with Chinese toys or pet food if carrying firearms inventory becomes an aggravation.
 
Greg said:
There were no cuss words and not one mention of a possible draw down with an employee or innocent bystander,this is what separates the good rants from the truly epic ones.
Click to expand...

I agree - excellent rant - a model for future rants everywhere. [cheers]

Martlet said:
Rant = 4/10. No cussing. No angry faces. One highlight.


AND you started your sentences with "so" 3,334,877 times.
Click to expand...

I give major breaks for spelling and/or grammar during a rant. I give him an 8.56...[grin]

mikem317 said:
There are two business reason why they don't want to give discounts for floor model merchandise. Firstly, why would they discount a model for a purchase today, when a replacement model would have to presumably put back on the sales floor? Secondly, and INAL, they may discourage floor model sales because they may need to show merchandise that was advertised in a sales circular.
Click to expand...

I disagree. I can't speak for Dicks Sporting Goods on a corporate level and trust me, I have been on both sides of the customer service issue there, but at least in our store, customer service is important to many of us. If I scan an out of stock item on a Sunday and it says "IT: 4", (In Transit), I still offer the customer the option of the display model - it just makes good sense from every perspective. Ultimately, I could care less whether or not Dicks makes money, or the "sale", (short of needing them to be solvent to maintain my job). I'm not paid on commission and am not required to take the extra steps. I do however believe in customer service and want people leaving my presence anyway, feeling that they were taken care of and that I'm genuinely interested in what they are looking for. If offering the floor/display model full-well knowing that more are on the way helps to satisfy the instant gratification many are after when they shop for a product, then I'm more than happy to do it. In fact, I did it last night with a scope that a customer wanted and he left the store thanking me, (I also did a stellar scope-mounting job on his Omega I must say), instead of disappointed and heading to another store. Everybody wins and he saved himself 10% on a perfectly good scope.

As to BassPro - I have not idea - teething pains perhaps? Or a poor business model? Inconsistent messages regarding customer service? I haven't been there to assess it. Obviously, they offer something people want, as they are hugely successful. All I know is that at DSG, there are people who will work to get around the corporate plan that makes customer service difficult to find and to achieve. I worked the Lodge solo last night and we were busy. I remained focused and apologetic to customers for the wait. It disarmed some, but you can;t please everyone. What I do know is that a guy walked out of the store with an Omega that he purchased somewhere else and a display scope, base, rings, sling, a free mount and bore-sight and a nice case that he bought from Dicks Sporting Goods because I gave a shit...He was and is a happy camper, Dicks made money and for me, it negated the people who could not bring themselves to understand that I'm a one man show in The Lodge...
 
MassMark said:
I disagree.
Click to expand...

I disagree with you and agree with mikem317. I can see BPS's logic here. I'll explain.


Let's say you get 20 safes in stock that you're going to sell at a 20% markup (I have no idea what kind of margins BPS works with, but large retailers selling commodity items aren't getting jewelry store markups).

You take one of your 20 safes out of the box and use it as a floor model. You sell the 19 remaining ones, and are expecting 20 more in a couple of days. It doesn't make sense to sell the floor model at a discount on Sunday, only to have to open another one on Tuesday and lose money on that one too. In addition, somebody browsing the area on Monday won't get to see the full selection because your floor model is gone.

You look at it as BPS losing a customer, BPS looks at it as not selling something at a loss.
 
EddieCoyle said:
You look at it as BPS losing a customer, BPS looks at it as not selling something at a loss.
Click to expand...

It all gets sold eventually anyway - floor model or not. BPS got a pissed off customer who went and bought the item somewhere else and likely won't be back to spend money in the future, (future loss as well). If you mean that losing 10% of an items retail as a loss that's one thing - but based on mark-up, they don't sell anything at a loss - even at 50% off.

Dicks Sporting Goods on the other hand got a customer who came in pissed off, spent money, posted a +1 on the web and will likely be back to spend more money, (future earnings). He didn't have to wait until more came in, (he wanted it now) and left the store lighter in the wallet, (profit for the store) and happy, (again more future profit to the store). I don't understand who lost here other than BassPro....
 
MassMark said:
It all gets sold eventually anyway - floor model or not.
Click to expand...

True. It makes sense to sell the last floor model of a product that you no longer plan to carry. It doesn't make sense to do that with every shipment. You get ten in today, sell 9 for full price and the demo at a discount, then do the same thing a couple of days from now, ad infinitum?

Once you sell the demo, you have a missing display model; so anyone that comes in to look at the safes while you're awaiting your next shipment assumes that you don't carry the one they want. You're going to lose those customers.

I don't expect a retailer to sell me the floor model. Don't get me wrong - I'll ask - but I don't get upset if they won't sell it to me even at full price (most won't).

Also, I've found that it is always a good idea to call ahead and see if the item you want is in stock. I don't know about BPS, but lots of stores will tell you if they have it, how many, and some will even put one aside for you if you're going to be there in a reasonable amount of time. If you show up without calling and they're out out of an item, you shouldn't be mad at the retailer.

MassMark said:
BPS got a pissed off customer who went and bought the item somewhere else and likely won't be back to spend money in the future, (future loss as well). If you mean that losing 10% of an items retail as a loss that's one thing - but based on mark-up, they don't sell anything at a loss - even at 50% off.

Dicks Sporting Goods on the other hand got a customer who came in pissed off, spent money, posted a +1 on the web and will likely be back to spend more money, (future earnings). He didn't have to wait until more came in, (he wanted it now) and left the store lighter in the wallet, (profit for the store) and happy, (again more future profit to the store). I don't understand who lost here other than BassPro....
Click to expand...

I'll bet the same thing happens in reverse an equal number of times (a pissed off Dick's customer goes to see C-pher and gets what he wants at BPS).

Big box retailers rely on the fact that most people will come back even if they have a bad experience. Maybe you won't, and may the OP won't, but most people (including myself) will.

Just for the record, I vowed never to set foot into Dick's again because of the 15 minute odyssey to find someone that can actually give me ammo, followed by the 20 minute wait in line at the one cash register out of 5 that is open while three employees chat at the service counter. At least at Walmart I can pay at the ammo counter.

But you know what? The recent Dick's flyer came out with the Merrells that I like at a good price (plus I had a coupon); so I went there last night and bought a pair.

Seriously, do you guys really go into a Dick's/Walmart/BPS and expect the same service that you'd get at a small place? It doesn't happen.

Look at how many "Big Box Retailers Have Bad Customer Service" threads there are on this forum.
 
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I will say, so far Dick's has always been much more helpful to me than Bass Pro. Like I've noticed that I spend more at Dick's than I do at Bass Pro, even though Dick's is further away... Which means I go to Bass Pro first, fail, and then go to Dicks. I think from now on I'm going to go to Dick's first. The previous posters are correct, Bass Pro lost a sale and probably future sales, I'm def. going to try Dick's first. Plus, on a side note, I go to gym a lot, and Dick's has a really nice selection of UA workout gear too, as well as other sporting items, making it kind of better for me.

Dicks also has lower prices on a lot of items, probably because they don't have to pay to heat a massive store with hanging whales and boats and stuffs.
 
Scrivener said:
Darn straight. The big box is controlled by corporate policy dedicated to volume sales. Regardless of how good the locals behind the counter are (BPS, Walpole WallyWorld), the big box will sell you down the river in a heartbeat and replace guns with Chinese toys or pet food if carrying firearms inventory becomes an aggravation.
Click to expand...

+1. I've been preaching that for years, but nobody listens.[sad2]
 

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