Basspro shop at bluegrass

[Stevens]

Doesnt surprise me at all.. I went in there and looked thru some of there lake maps, i was seeing if they had Newton. Checked them all, they didnt have any.. i later figured out they dont make any.. but i asked a guy working there if they had any and he had no idea so he then did exactly what i did and looked thru the whole stack until he finally decided to say, no we dont have those.
I walked in the door another time and was pretty much harassed at the door lol. I told them i was going to look at trolling motors so the guy had another employee take me to them, since apparently i couldnt figure it out on me own So he takes me there and says, well there they are.. and left.. point of the story is they are no help there and the place is pretty much a mess. I wish a bps would show up and put them out of business here, just not by bluegrass

[JustinM]

Ask and you shall receive! This one is very accurate.

http://www.outdoorsportsmanslodge.co...ontour_map.pdf

Only thing wrong is the fishing pier on the warm side. Brush piles and so forth are accurate.

[JustinM]

I wouldn't mess with newton for a month or so more. They are averaging 100+ boats per tournament right now. That and normal people fishing messes up a 2000 acre lake pretty quick. You've got about a hour wait just to back a trailer in if you go before sun up. Next time we go I'll hit ya up stevens.

[psvec]

Not to mention the only person that works there that has a clue is big John. The rest have no idea.

i have known Big John for a long time, Great guy,he will go out of his way to help you. I used to work with him at Azteca Milling.

[bassmanic1]

Just my 2 cents but Dicks SG tiny little fishing section is better than Gander - Dicks had Yam. senkos 2 packs for $10.00 a few weeks ago , a very good deal and I stocked up . Right now they have a bunch of Rapalas on clearance and their prices are not that bad everything else . They also stock baits by brand so its easy to find what you need . The only weak spot is there rod & reel selection .

[RyanScheu]

As far as Gander is concerned, I agree that it just isn't staffed properly. However - and this is the unfortunate part - I have sort of come to expect that when I am shopping retail these days.

For example, I make my living as a computer professional - I have the degree, several years of experience, and many, many certifications to back all of that up. When I go in to Best Buy or another "big box" computer store, I typically end up leaving, shaking my head, and wondering how the staff can be that unreliable. Sometimes it is ignorance, sometimes it is lack of training, and sometimes they just don't care enough to go out of their way to learn and help their customers. Regardless of the reason, it is a rare day when I hear something that I did not know (and is actually true) when going into that kind of store.

I think the same can be said of some big box sporting goods stores. Yes, Gander is supposed to be a little more specialized than the fishing section of WalMart or Dicks's but in a way, that's what it is. If any of these stores had staff that knew what they were talking about, they would still have crap selection, but we might be a little more willing to tolerate it.

We have to expect though, as people who have made this our passion for a long time, that we are probably more informed than most of the customers that these stores ever deal with.

[SteveM4A1]

Id hate to see it near bluegrass, I think that would be a negative. But you have to realize that the people posting on this forum and the hardcore anglers are a very small portion of the people. There are going to be alot of regular people and casual outdoorsmen who wont order online or drive 2+ hours but will make frequent visits to one if it was in town.

The only thing good gander mountain has is their own trick sticks. I tried going through there this past weekend when I was in town and it was a disaster. Bass pro would put that fishing section to shame.

i just don't see the demand. i see your point, but i think it would be unwise of them. yes gander is bad, but if you need something now and don't have time for it to be ordered from bps, they will have something that you can use...now for their service, just like Ryan said, what do you expect? He said it exactly right: big box stores are generally unreliable. When I go to BPS sometimes I even get individuals that just make me shake my head at what they tell me...

[ClarkIR]

Your points have merit as well.

Yes, generally speaking, box stores have terrible customer service. Most of the people on this forum will know more than the guys at those stores. Alot of times they arent really there for us, as we know our way around.

Ill admit I am bias towards BPS as I frequent it once or twice a week. Not every customer service experience has been stellar, but I have felt like some of those guys have helped educate me to become a better fisherman.

One thing it seems we can all come to an agreement on is that Gander Mountain is not getting the job done. I honestly couldnt see it stay in business if BPS comes in.

[RyanScheu]

One thing it seems we can all come to an agreement on is that Gander Mountain is not getting the job done. I honestly couldnt see it stay in business if BPS comes in.

You know, there might be an idea here somewhere...

It seems to me that the Store Manager at Gander Mountain might be interested in hearing some of these opinions, and possible could end up making some changes based on them... Of course there is only so much they could do based on the Corporate guidelines and such, but this kind of feedback is valuable.

What's the opinion of possibly copying these notes, editing out the names, and passing them along to Ganders management? I would be willing to do this, but only if those posted here are in agreement that it might be a good thing and are ok with it being shared.

[SteveM4A1]

You know, there might be an idea here somewhere...

It seems to me that the Store Manager at Gander Mountain might be interested in hearing some of these opinions, and possible could end up making some changes based on them... Of course there is only so much they could do based on the Corporate guidelines and such, but this kind of feedback is valuable.

What's the opinion of possibly copying these notes, editing out the names, and passing them along to Ganders management? I would be willing to do this, but only if those posted here are in agreement that it might be a good thing and are ok with it being shared.

if it will help, then hell yes. their displays are a joke...at least group things in proper order...i don't like walking one place to get one type of string, then to another isle to get some other type. the one good thing they have going for them, as someone stated, are their trick sticks...BPS can't even compete with them, high quantity and quality for a low price.

[Moveon]

I think he should know what his customers think. How else can he learn to please his customers?

By all means tell him about this forum. He needs all the feedback he can get. But he must learn to take it as positive criticism and not get turned off by the suggestions. But any good manager should already know that.

You know, there might be an idea here somewhere...

It seems to me that the Store Manager at Gander Mountain might be interested in hearing some of these opinions, and possible could end up making some changes based on them... Of course there is only so much they could do based on the Corporate guidelines and such, but this kind of feedback is valuable.

What's the opinion of possibly copying these notes, editing out the names, and passing them along to Ganders management? I would be willing to do this, but only if those posted here are in agreement that it might be a good thing and are OK with it being shared.

[ClarkIR]

if it will help, then hell yes. their displays are a joke...at least group things in proper order...i don't like walking one place to get one type of string, then to another isle to get some other type. the one good thing they have going for them, as someone stated, are their trick sticks...BPS can't even compete with them, high quantity and quality for a low price.

I mentioned the trick sticks. Im pretty sure BPS also sells a 20 count but has their bag stuffed tight so it looks smaller. Gander is nice enough to give you a hook. I love the texture and the slit that Ganders worm has. Longer life for the worm = lower expense.

Now how they manage to F up a good thing is that there colors are hit and miss. I again only come in to Evansville once a month and each time i go I make sure to get a bag of them. I havent found 4in Green Pumpkin since last year. I was settling for GP/Chartruese swirl (Not the half/half). This last time I couldnt find that in 4 in so I just went with the Watermelon Red Flake. its like that thing is stocked at complete random with colors. Very frustrating.

I dont go there very often. But you have my permission to show these comments to whoever you want. You dont really need my permission. This is an open forum and we kinda agree to that concept by posting here.