Continuing Bass Pro Experience

[Sam]

Do not want to steal the Bass Pro Shop Experience thread, but I do want to suggest to all that if you want a specific bait try to find the store's buyer for the fishing department and ask them if they can stock it for you.

 

You can do this at department stores, too, just not for fishing stuff.

 

It may take some months to get the products into the store but if the buyer agrees with your request you may be able to have your favorites in the store.

 

You should ask for the store manager as the clerks have no idea of how merchandising works and they will probably look at you as if you caught a catfish and called it a bass.

[TOXIC]

Bass Pro used to be able to get baits "drop shipped" to the store directly from the manufacturer but not anymore.  If you go in and ask for a specific bait and color chances are they will not be able to get it for you.  If it is in their on-line site, they can probably get the bait shipped to the store.  Like I posted on the other thread, they are limited to what the corporate buyers order (no buyers in stores) and your store's rank in the pecking order.  Stores order from a BPS distribution Center stocked by the Corporate buyers.  

[Mike L]

I did just that last October at their "Stick Marsh" store in Malabar Fla. 

The only Rage products I found were Bugs and Craws but no Cut R's. 

Also they didn't carry any Sunline Flouro. 

 

First I asked the floor guy who said "what they have is what you see, but you can ask the department manager if we have any on order" which I did. 

He was polite and receptive but blew me off saying "This is what we've always carried but let me see"

 

We talked a little bit, he said "he'll look into it"

I checked back every month or so since until we left in May and they hadn't got any. 

 

I probably should have followed up but didn't, but I will when I go back in September. 

 

 

 

Mike

[thinkingredneck]

I like to go there and look at stuff, impulse buy (especially plastics) , and pick up an occasional sale item.  I like some of their BPS brand stuff.  I seem to be buying just as much at DSG and Academy.  One of our local Walmart's kicks butt wit the fishing section.  The trend I don't like is that they  (bps) are pushing other brands out in favor of their own BPS brands and those are going up in price.  

It has got to be getting tough for brick and mortar stores.  I buy most of my rod and reels and major purchases on line, which is new for me.  Younger people live on the internet.  My kids had some groceries delivered from Amazon on Sunday.  One of my kids works from home, or a coffee shop.  Times are a changing.  

I think BPS is looking a lot like SEARS did a few years ago.  Losing relevance and trying to buy their way out.  Remember k mart?

[Deleted account]

There are no buyers at individual branches or locations. Managers and merchandisers sometimes have some input into the merchandise mix, but this is the exception. I know it seems counter intuitive or even wrong, but stocking merchandise based on individual requests doesn't make business sense.

[Mike L]

Of course.

One person asking for a specific product has no chance of convincing anyone to stock anything alone. But with enough requests maybe someone up the food chain will do some research of their own. 

Worth a shot sometimes 

 

 

 

Mike

[Sam]

10 hours ago, reason said:

There are no buyers at individual branches or locations. Managers and merchandisers sometimes have some input into the merchandise mix, but this is the exception. I know it seems counter intuitive or even wrong, but stocking merchandise based on individual requests doesn't make business sense.

Reason, the merchandiser at Green Top outside of Richmond, VA is very helpful and he is willing to look up what you want in the various catalogs he has and then order it for you.

 

You are correct in your statement about not having buyers at individual BPS or other large box stores. But the buyers do receive input from the store managers and they also visit stores on a regular basis to check out how the products are presented.

 

Major problem is that when you ask someone at a box store for help or information on how to contact the buyer they have no interest or concern about your request and it dies with them.

 

This is what we call retail.

[TOXIC]

Ever wonder why most every Bass Pro or Cabela's or WalMart or Grocery store are all set up the same?  Or how the psycological influences on buying and product placement work?  There's soooooo much that goes into it nowadays.  I have learned so much from my brother-in-law who was a top executive in merchandising for some of the biggest product lines (grocery not fishing).  His last position before he retired at 50 was as the Vice President for Sales at Jack Links.  Very interesting to talk to him.  I helped him when I would do shows in BPS and Cabela's.  He called us the "Hooks and Bullets" demographic.

[GReb]

I buy a few products from bass pro, academy, and my locally owned shop but for the most part I buy online from TW or academy and have it shipped for free. 

[Mike L]

1 hour ago, TOXIC said:

Ever wonder why most every Bass Pro or Cabela's or WalMart or Grocery store are all set up the same?  Or how the psycological influences on buying and product placement work?  There's soooooo much that goes into it nowadays.  I have learned so much from my brother-in-law who was a top executive in merchandising for some of the biggest product lines (grocery not fishing).  His last position before he retired at 50 was as the Vice President for Sales at Jack Links.  Very interesting to talk to him.  I helped him when I would do shows in BPS and Cabela's.  He called us the "Hooks and Bullets" demographic.

The same reason why slot machines in a casino are always the first thing you see, outside the door to the rest rooms, surrounding the entrance and exits to the buffet and theatre. 

It's because they are their profit centers which most people percieve as their chance to get rich quick so the casino gives them more of what they want. 

 

Retail stores do it by laying out the store to generate more impulse buying, and hopefully stocking what their profit centers want to buy.

When they don't listen their profit centers will go elsewhere.

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

 

 

[Spankey]

4 hours ago, GReb said:

I buy a few products from bass pro, academy, and my locally owned shop but for the most part I buy online from TW or academy and have it shipped for free. 

Would have to agree. TW and another site are easy to deal with. I live in S.E. Penna. There ain't crap out here. 

[Wurming67]

I use to enjoy going to bass pro shops but it seems every time I go and look for a certain bait and color or equipment they don't have it,I find it much easier and more efficient just to go online to TW and get exactly what I want with no hassle delivered right to my door without delivery charge or tax.

[Cgolf]

The only issue I see with Bass Pro is that they are pricing themselves out right now and it seems to be getting worse. While sure the stores will get the impulse buys, less people are hitting brick and mortar stores nowadays and shop on the internet. Once you look online you see how high their prices are and you instantly go elsewhere. The only reason I ordered from them this year was that they had an item in that I needed and everyone else was sold out.

 

What BPS should be doing is upping their customer loyalty program and normalizing their prices a bit, shoppers seem to be getting smarter. DSG imo has done a good job staying relevant with online and instore sales and their loyalty program is pretty darn good. Even though their fishing section is small, their sale this weekend got me in to buy a rod reel combo and I picked up 20 bucks worth of gear that was on sale on an endcap. Maybe BPS should take notice, or maybe they will buy them out;) Oh yeh and almost forgot, since I spent 100 at DSG they gave me 20 bucks to spend on ny next trip, felt like I was shopping at a Kohls.