Sportsmanswarehouse going out of business?

[Coues Sniper]

CS,

Bear Mountain is a gun/archery store in Mesa.

Gotcha. Thanks Doug.

[IHunt2live]

I sure hope sportmans doesn't go out of business. If they did we in Tucson wouldn't have any options.

 

It looks like the sale of Sportmans is still progressing but at a not surprising slow pace. Once done I would expect many of the issues to be resolved.

 

http://www.ufa.net/inTheNews/archive/sport...ehouse_adv.html

 

http://www.newwest.net/city/article/ufas_ceo_explains_acquisition_of_sportsmans_warehouse/C94/L94/

 

 

No Joke, Tucson has nothing without SW. I feel like a redneck going into walmart for all me sporting good supplies . Even right now I hardly make it to SW becouse I'm clear on the other side of down and it take me a good 45 min. to get there in light traffic.

[firstcoueswas80]

Lark, and the rest:

 

What you guys may not know about ordering at SW is it is ALL done by computer. It is a truely jacked up system. Basically, when stuff gets put on the truck, it comes in. I can not tell you how many times I had to go assist one of my co-workers because a customer was getting pissy because my co-worker didnt know when the bullets the customer wanted would be back in stock. We TRUELY did not know! When the people in Utah decide we need more of something, they send it.

[GameHauler]

In this day of computers there is no reason for a store to be out of an item for more than a few days if the are a chain store or a private store with some volume.

Inventory is in the computer and shows when to reorder.

All the controller has to do is check what the box is telling him and CLICK YES. (or no)

 

I hand write all my invoices and get caught when I have more than one customer in the store and they take the last one without me knowing it.

I have the software to do it but just takes a TON of time to get it set up.

 

I feel for the employees who have to listen to everyone's gripe because they can't do Jack about it.

[hawkeye]

The whole problem isn't with ordering it's with the whole workforce. No body I talked to wanted to help and some of them just laughed, like I wasn't in on the joke. And four months of the same bare shelves isn't just a lack of ordering it tells me that they don't intend on doing anything about it. I used to love the store and spent thousands of dollars there in the last few years but not anymore. In the last 4 or 5 months they have chased me away.

Amanda I sure am sorry to bash a supporter of this site, but I sure don't think I would count on anymore support because I don't think they will be in business any longer. It's just not the same store it was in the past. If you had seen how rude I was treated and the total lack of give a crap attitude. It is amazing the difference from a few months ago.

[CouesWhitetail]

The whole problem isn't with ordering it's with the whole workforce. No body I talked to wanted to help and some of them just laughed, like I wasn't in on the joke. And four months of the same bare shelves isn't just a lack of ordering it tells me that they don't intend on doing anything about it. I used to love the store and spent thousands of dollars there in the last few years but not anymore. In the last 4 or 5 months they have chased me away.

Amanda I sure am sorry to bash a supporter of this site, but I sure don't think I would count on anymore support because I don't think they will be in business any longer. It's just not the same store it was in the past. If you had seen how rude I was treated and the total lack of give a crap attitude. It is amazing the difference from a few months ago.

 

 

Not a problem Hawkeye. It's always useful to get feedback on sponsors, good and bad. I usually forward links to threads with customer feedback like this to SW. In this case, they will be able to see for themselves that they are losing customers. Used to be only good things were said of SW on this site. Sounds like changes in the store are making it hard on everyone. I have had trouble getting reloading supplies there, so I got them online through Cabela's. It's sad when we try and give SW business and they don't have the supplies to take our money.

 

Amanda

 

[firstcoueswas80]

Having worked there, I know the unprofessionalism you are talking about. IMHO, that comes from people that are out of their element that dont know what they are doing at that job. It also has to do with some people who are just young and dont know how to work.

 

When I worked there, I would bend over backwards for the customer, and did my best to make sure everyone was taken care of and happy when they left!

 

I got more compliment cards in the 6 months I had worked there than most had gotten in a year or two

[DUG]

My cousins company supplies items to SW. I'm assuming ammo, she didn't say. She said what they sent them will not go far. I go to the Yorkshire/I-17 store. If I need something I go find Mary. She is always willing to help. I think sometimes she seems to be the only person working. I'm not keen on their customer service except for her.

[tjhunt2]

I haven't been in SW for several months but always enjoyed going there since my very first visit in Grand Junction, Co. They always treated me nice and I will still respect the store until other wise. Things are tough now and they might be going thru a rough time but let's give them a little slack. Things might turn around for them.

 

Ryan....it was always a pleasure to go in and say hi to you. Let's hope they continue to hire people of your quality and weed out those who need it.

 

They still have my support!

 

TJ

[fatfootdoc]

We have the same problem at the sportsmans in Las Cruces and ABQ in NM, I have gone to both and they have some obscure bullets and barnes in both places adn that is about it. So it is not just an AZ problem. ag

[TAM]

Just a guess, but I'll bet as soon as the sale of SW is final the new ownership will get the stores shelves re-stocked pretty quick. I highly doubt they're buying them out so they can be the new owners of a failing retail chain.

[.270]

after my infamous credit card dealing with sw, i haven't darkened the door. but i don't want them to go out of business either. i reload a lot. thousands of rounds per years. i just chunked 14 empty 1 pound powder cans the other day. and i do that several times per year. shortly after sw opened it was real apparent that they didn't have much of a clue about what they needed to stock as far as components for reloading. they really got on the short mag and super short mag bandwagon and had a lot of brass that nobody wanted. but few bullets or powder that was usefull to me. when a hole in the wall like the pistol parlor or guns etc have literally 10x the inventory of a huge place like sw, it shows some real lack of vision and poor planning. but they have been that way from almost day one. when i had the big go-round, the ceo of sw called me. no bs. he called me. and he said that they had some real problems in keeping reloading supplies in stock and that they were working on correcting them. doesn't sound like they made much headway. but when i was at bass pro the other day, they really stunk too. piles and piles of stuff nobody wants and nothing in popular calibers. stacks of bullets nobody wanted and nothing in weights and styles that shooters and hunters use. and no powder. none. they had about 6 pounds of powder and half that was for shotguns. cabelas is a little better, but for a serious shooter and hunter, like me, they have a lot to be desired too. again, when little places like the well managed ones here in the valley have a decent inventory, it shows some real inexperience and poor vision by the big guys. and they have a lot of guys working there that are career clerks that don't have much experience with shooting. not really their fault either. it's the way of business. the more a guy knows, the more you hafta pay him. keep around some people that are sorta literate and can lift heavy things and you can make more money than if you pay a guy a lot for his knowledge and experience. it's the big box mentality. try to find someone at walmart that has a clue. and it ain't just shooting supply. try to find a decent pair o' boots without insullation or goretex. when was the last time you needed either in this state? again, no clue. Lark.

[TAM]

I remember when SW opened the first store in N Phx and they hundreds and hundreds of duck and goose decoys taking up floor space. I doubt they ever sold, probably just shipped them off to another store in a market with better duck hunting. It was pretty apparent that they didn't do much due dilligence on the Arizona hunter demographics.

 

Things have changed a lot since then, but I think there problems now are more money related.

[elkaholic]

hello - SW is and can still be a good store - inventory, customer relations can make a difference but when the ecomomy and pressure from bigger stores come into play - what choice do they have - they'd be closed right now if not for the canadian deals - who remembers yellow front stores - mighty big in their day and how about Popular surplus - they put the hurt on yellow fronts - Sw put the hurt on populars and not bass pro and cabelas are hurting sw , whether they admit it or not - only way they are gonna stick around is give fair deals and support the customers they can keep!

 

 

[30-378shtr]

Well, not exactly true. First of all, SW didn't put Popular out of business. I worked there for over 8 years. It was something way different all together. And, BPS and Cabelas is not running out SW. I have experienced the same problems as Hawkeye and others. The customer service and selection have REALLY taken a turn for the worse. That is the true reason they are suffering. Now, from a true business standpoint, it makes sense to dwindle down the inventory before you sell the company. However, that also comes at a huge expense to the satisfaction of your customer. It seems the new owners will have alot of reputation rebuilding to do when they take over.