Sales Associates At Cabela's And Bass Pro Shops

[Montanaro]

Field and Stream opened here. One of the opening days I just got there and was browsing when an employee came up and asked if I needed help...I said No I'm good.

Girlfriend was with me and apparently my resting mean face and deep tone spooked him because he looked at her and mouthed sorry and backed away in in a joking manner. Didn't even realize I did anything wrong! Then later I was " considerably nicer" to another employee which prompted my girl to tell me about the previous encounter.

I also noticed in their fancy reel wall that the $600 steez was actually a Regular tatula...which I immediately notified staffing and watched them fix it.

As for people working the reel display being the most knowledgable...I approached one and asked about the *** reels that had just been released...she had zero clue and I just shrugged it off.

[everythingthatswims]

Field and Stream opened here. One of the opening days I just got there and was browsing when an employee came up and asked if I needed help...I said No I'm good.

Girlfriend was with me and apparently my resting mean face and deep tone spooked him because he looked at her and mouthed sorry and backed away in in a joking manner. Didn't even realize I did anything wrong! Then later I was " considerably nicer" to another employee which prompted my girl to tell me about the previous encounter.

I also noticed in their fancy reel wall that the $600 steez was actually a Regular tatula...which I immediately notified staffing and watched them fix it.

As for people working the reel display being the most knowledgable...I approached one and asked about the *** reels that had just been released...she had zero clue and I just shrugged it off.

Guy behind the counter at BPS the other day didn't know what a cardiff was

[MainelyBASS]

As a current employee of Cabelas in the fishing department I can say that my coworkers have sold 8 year olds baitcast reels, or button poles as this employee likes to call them. Ive seen ultralight combos sold with 65lb braid on them. These are just a few of the mishaps I see on a weekly basis. To be clear, I don't watch these scenarios take place and say nothing, I am the guy who gets the phone call to go up to the customer service counter and hear the story about the customers nightmare purchase. Ive learned over the years that Cabelas is no different than any other retail store. The pay is $9.50 regardless of your knowledge of the outdoors. The first 2 times I applied for fishing they gave me the job and "moved" me over to the cammo department. The second time I applied for fishing they "moved" me to the camping department. A few of our current fishing associates came over from the Deli and Janitor positions, having 0 knowledge of the department or the sport. I guess I cant blame them for taking a full time position over a part time position, but it reflects poorly on the company in the eyes of our customers. We have customers who drive 3 or 4 hours to visit our store, when they leave with a Abu Garcia baitcast combo for their kids first ever fishing pole because the guy in the fishing department said it was the best outfit for them. We as a store do not come away looking too good. I cant speak for BPS, but at Cabelas the only qualifications you need to be an employee are 2 lips and a tounge.

[bighed]

For what it's worth, my 20yo son works in the fishing dept at Cabelas in Allen, TX.  I'd put his knowledge up against anyones and say without a doubt that he knows more about fishing (and the outdoors) than 99% of the folks that walk in the door.  He has tournament fished for a decade, caught smallmouth and northerns from a canoe in MN and DD largemouth from a 100 mph bass boat at Falcon, caught yellowfin tuna at the floaters in the Gulf, trout and redfish wading the Chandeleurs, Peacocks on the fly in the canals of Dade County, Brook/Brown/Cutthroat/Rainbow trout in the Gold Medal Streams of Colorado, and on and on and on.  I know all this because I was fishing with him when he did it.  He works hard for $10 an hour, no benefits, and no commission on anything so doesn't push product on anybody.  I've met and fished with some of his co workers and they are not bad either.  I've said this not to brag but to say that you can't paint all of these sales folks with one wide brush and say they all s##k because it's simply not true. 

[Missourifishin]

The guys in my local bass pro seem to know a lot about fishing gear. I've only been in a Cabelas once, and the guy I dealt with was rude. I could chalk that one up to bad luck though. I'm sure not all of their employees are like that.

[clark9312]

If i know exactly what i want BPS is fine. If i have some questions i go tot he mom and pop stores. They started the business because they have a passion for it so I know they are knowledgeable.

[Bluebasser86]

I worked at Cabela's in KC for 5 years. We had a great group of guys in there that complimented each other very well when I was there. Then they started moving guys to different departments if we were slow and they were busy and making the part time guys work a minimum of 20 hours a week. I was part time with another full time job where I was already working 40-60 hours a week, still I tried to stay because I enjoyed working with the guys there. Once I started getting moved to footwear, hunting, and even retrieving carts a time or two, it was more than I was willing to deal with. I know I had a lot of customers at first that avoided talking to me since I was only 18 and I'm sure they felt there was no way I could know anything. After my first year or so I had regular customers and even became good fishing buddies with a couple of them. Now they've pretty much run off everyone in that store that is very knowledgeable about anything other than where to find something if a customer knows exactly what they're looking for. A couple of the guys I worked with are still there, but the others I've tried to get help finding something look at me like I'm speaking a different language when I ask if they have any sexy mouse War Eagles or lime-purple passion Pit Bosses. 

[Turkey sandwich]

I've mostly encountered really helpful employees anytime I've been in my local (hour and 30 minutes away) Cabela's. The last time I was in, I had a great conversation with the fella who helped me on the fishing floor about water I grew up fishing and that he now travels well over an hour and a half to fish regularly. His knowledge of gear was spot on and offered some solid tips on fishing water that I'd fished hundreds of times before. And most notably - he was chipper and enthusiastic about doing it because he seemed to enjoy helping me. Realistically, that's what matters - and I don't care whether they're directly commissioned or not - a good sales person is someone who's primary concern is helping the customer get what it is they want.

[Nelson Wormefeller]

I drive 2 hours to get to the Harrisburg, PA Bass Pro.   I find the associates to be courteous and have helped me find an item a couple of times.

 

P.S. If any fishing department associates from that store are reading this, please put all your Gary Yamamoto plastics in the same aisle.

[*Hootie]

P.S. If any fishing department associates from that store are reading this, please put all your Gary Yamamoto plastics in the same aisle.

BPS arranges their lures according to category, not brand name.

Creature isle, spinnerbait isle, swimbait isle, etc.

Hootie

[EmersonFish]

I go to BPS to get what I need and move on. I only have two beefs from an employee perspective.

*The fishing guy who assumes he knows more than I do and offers unsolicited (and often ridiculous) advice.

*The sales people who try and push those vacation packages down your throat the minute you get near them. Somebody said no one at BPS works on commission. Well maybe these guys don't technically work for BPS, but BPS would be a better shopping experience if these people disappeared forever.

[*Hootie]

*The sales people who try and push those vacation packages down your throat the minute you get near them. Somebody said no one at BPS works on commission. Well maybe these guys don't technically work for BPS, but BPS would be a better shopping experience if these people disappeared forever.

 

 

I posted this before because it works. When you are going past that section of the store, just put your cell

phone up to your ear and they won't bother you. I know, maybe you shouldn't have to do this, but hey!.... it works.

No muss, no fuss.

 

Hootie

[ChrisAW]

*The sales people who try and push those vacation packages down your throat the minute you get near them. Somebody said no one at BPS works on commission. Well maybe these guys don't technically work for BPS, but BPS would be a better shopping experience if these people disappeared forever.

You're exactly right, those people do not work for BPS. But, they do have a deal going with JM and we all know exactly how annoying they are. We don't want them there either.

 

With our recent store manager change, the BlueGreen or Outdoor Traveler people were pushed to one area of the store only, where they used to have a station right infront of one of our entrances. He knew this was annoying customers, but we have no choice in them being there or not.  Unfortunately for us, they were put right next to the fishing reel counter, smack in the middle of our department.

 

Best way to avoid them may be to look distracted, but a polite-ish "No thank you." seems to work just as well.

[J Francho]

"No," works well enough for me without resorting to foolishness.

[*Hootie]

"No," works well enough for me without resorting to foolishness.

Gotcha.

Hootie

[EmersonFish]

I posted this before because it works. When you are going past that section of the store, just put your cell

phone up to your ear and they won't bother you. I know, maybe you shouldn't have to do this, but hey!.... it works.

No muss, no fuss.

 

Hootie

Yeah. I use that trick in several situations where I know people will be all over me if I don't. Most of the time, when sales people do approach me, I just say, "no thanks" and they move on, but sometimes they take it a step further after that, and that's when I can feel a little blood rushing to my head. Unfortunately in the BPS near me, their little vacation package sales station is right next to the stuff I go in to shop for most often, and there seems to be enough turnover in the sales people (or the regulars don't remember faces because they see so many) that they are not familiar with who comes in a lot and has probably been approached 1000 times.

[Missourifishin]

I go to BPS to get what I need and move on. I only have two beefs from an employee perspective.

*The fishing guy who assumes he knows more than I do and offers unsolicited (and often ridiculous) advice.

*The sales people who try and push those vacation packages down your throat the minute you get near them. Somebody said no one at BPS works on commission. Well maybe these guys don't technically work for BPS, but BPS would be a better shopping experience if these people disappeared forever.

Yeah, you're right. Like I said earlier, the fishing guys at my local BPS are good. And I've had great conversations about fishing with several of them. But I was really disappointed when I started getting hassled about vacation packages. For a while last year it was messing up my whole experience there because it was every d**n time I walked in the place.