Why do people like Cabela's and Bass Pro so much? They seem overpriced?

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Okie1907

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I stop in at BP and look around if I'm already downtown for something, haven't bought anything there in years, last thing was some hunting boots. I haven't been to Cabela's. I'm more of a Walmart or Academy shopper, cheaper and easier in/out.
Academy from my experience has pretty good pricing on guns. What you would think cabelas and bass pro would be
 

Okie1907

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I went into Cabela's on my lunch break today and went in with an open mind and really looked at a lot more stuff than I originally had. I still think they are overpriced on most things mainly guns because that is what I know. Also accessories and gear too. Ammo could be better but it isnt bad. They had way more selection than when I was in there a few months ago. They pretty much have everything you could want when it comes to ammo. Hunting, defensive and of course plinking. They had a lot of boutique rounds as well which is something you dont typically see in retail stores. The Gun Library had some decent deals and some big rip offs as well. They must be shelling out some good money to the people who are selling their guns or just totally ripping people off. I saw some pretty good deals and some terrible ones. I saw an ok shape Smith Wesson Model 10-2 inch for under 700 which isnt bad. On the other hand I saw a taurus 1911 for 724 and a Taurus TCP for 299!!! That is just ridiculous. There were a lot of interesting old guns that you just dont see anymore. Not even at gun shows so that was nice.
The people were freindly to me, more so than last time. I think there were a lot of newer guys that just didnt know what was what the last time I went in there. I had a way better experience this time. Also they had a different group of guys working, the last set of people were all older and really didnt take me seriously when I asked to look at things. This newer group while still older were a lot friendlier and wanted to help me.

Huge selection of gear a lot of cheap stuff that youd find at walmart and a lot of higher quality things that youd usually have to order on line so that is pretty nice. All and all I do like it. It is nice to have I just wont be buying too much there. Id have to really want something that no one else has or buy something on sale. Ammo had some decent sales today so that is something to look into. Again I just dont know why that would be your go to place when there are locally owned shops that sell things for cheaper and have probably better knowledge on the product.
 

OKCHunter

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Yeah I can get that, not other store has the vareity there but I always see at least someone filling out a 4473 at Cabelas and just dont get it. They could save 20-100 bucks and go else where. Heck Id suggest the internet over cabelas, at least a local gets the transfer fee.
Same can be said for Wilshire, H&H, and Academy. You can almost always beat the price on firearms by using Bud's Gun Shop or Gunbroker. With that said, a couple of places (Village Tactical comes to mind) are dang competitive and you don't have to pay a transfer fee. The pricing is close or identical to Bud's - And for the record, I'm not affiliated with them; I'm just a customer.
 

rickm

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I will never step foot in or buy anything from Cabela's again, dont care if it is the last gun store on the planet i will pick up rocks and throw first. As far as Bass Pro i did some online business with them years ago when i first got started with the internet sales thing and didnt take me long to learn there are a lot of cheaper places to do business with, so havent bought anything from them in years and im not driving 3 to 4 hours just to walk around and see if i can find something cheap to buy just to say i did.
 

Okie1907

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Same can be said for Wilshire, H&H, and Academy. You can almost always beat the price on firearms by using Bud's Gun Shop or Gunbroker. With that said, a couple of places (Village Tactical comes to mind) are dang competitive and you don't have to pay a transfer fee. The pricing is close or identical to Bud's - And for the record, I'm not affiliated with them; I'm just a customer.
Cabelas is typically (but not always) more expensive then local shops. I compared several guns and a few different brands of ammo and H&h and even wilshire beat them 75% of the time as far as guns went. All I'm saying is that cabelas and bass pro should beat the smaller shops. Of course they can't compete with Internet although they do have a huge online presence. After going today and really spending some time looking I have changed my mind on cabelas. I would buy from them they just wouldn't be my go to place like they are with so many.
 

druryj

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I like the Red Head brand of clothes at Bass Pro. They got good stuff for fat people too. Never bought a gun there, but I have bought some Breakfree CLP there a few times.
 

OKCHunter

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Cabelas is typically (but not always) more expensive then local shops. I compared several guns and a few different brands of ammo and H&h and even wilshire beat them 75% of the time as far as guns went. All I'm saying is that cabelas and bass pro should beat the smaller shops. Of course they can't compete with Internet although they do have a huge online presence. After going today and really spending some time looking I have changed my mind on cabelas. I would buy from them they just wouldn't be my go to place like they are with so many.
I'm with you. For gun purchases there are better local alternatives. For other outdoor stuff, they are hard to beat for both selection and price.
 

mr ed

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Those big fancy places have a lot of overhead that takes a lot of money to keep open. can't do that on $10 gun transfers.
Why do they do a lot of business? There are 6 million people in Okla. They go in, see something they want, they want it now, not next week, they buy it.
Versus a few hundred cheapskates on this forum who order everything online from out of state so they can get it cheap and avoid sales tax.
 

n423

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People go to the big stores to fondle the variety that you can't get at the smaller shops. After that they make an affordable purchase.

^^^^^^that's what I do. Enjoy looking at stuff other stores don't have also.
 

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