Tackle Warehouse Issues

[GReb]

7 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

Yeah, we all get that somehow their expedited shipping isn't affected...accept that it's double the price it was pre-Covid but you shouldn't have to pay for expedited shipping to get your order quickly...standard shipping should get your order to you within 5 - 7 days...not 16 days, that's just ridiculous!!!

Obviously if you pay for upgraded shipping TW is moving your order to the front of the line. Enough are doing so that standard orders are being pushed back. Seems like you are paying for expedited processing more so than shipping.  

[Junger]

Did I miss a new law that everyone has to buy from Tackle Warehouse or something? Did we lose the freedom to choose where we spend our money? Spend your money elsewhere if you don't like their processing speed, this isn't hard.

[Brett's_daddy]

4 minutes ago, Junger said:

Did I miss a new law that everyone has to buy from Tackle Warehouse or something? Did we lose the freedom to choose where we spend our money? Spend your money elsewhere if you don't like their processing speed, this isn't hard.

Nobody’s saying you have to...in fact most are agreeing with you and buying from their competitors because of their shipping woes. We’re just mystified that TW was one of the best online tackle retailers in the business and now they’re one of the worst because of their ridiculous standard shipping delays and we’re wondering what happened to them as most of their competitors aren’t experiencing delays like this.

[Allen Der]

2 hours ago, NorthernBasser said:

I've been using Omina Fishing more recently. Their stock can be hit or miss, but you get fast shipping, and they seem like great peeps. 

 

I placed a small order a while back and got this hand-written letter and they threw in a free pack of Flukes and Z-Craws!

 

I want to order from omnia because I have a 20% off code but they never have what I need in stock.  Seems like a good company and I'll eventually order some things from them.  

1 minute ago, Brett's_daddy said:

Nobody’s saying you have to...in fact most are agreeing with you and buying from their competitors because of their shipping woes. We’re just mystified that TW was one of the best online tackle retailers in the business and now they’re one of the worst because of their ridiculous standard shipping delays and we’re wondering what happened to them as most of their competitors aren’t experiencing delays like this.

They are magnitudes bigger than these competitors you mention.  I bet they are having record sales right now and they have to prioritize the majority of orders coming in with expedited shipping and processing.  It's not like they aren't being upfront about it either. I challenge you to price out a $200 order with expedited shipping at TW vs your competitors. I bet it's darn close and you get more of what you need/want from TW.  

[Junger]

11 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

Nobody’s saying you have to...in fact most are agreeing with you and buying from their competitors because of their shipping woes. We’re just mystified that TW was one of the best online tackle retailers in the business and now they’re one of the worst because of their ridiculous standard shipping delays and we’re wondering what happened to them as most of their competitors aren’t experiencing delays like this.

 

I guess, I just don't care. I can buy things at other places for $.50 more and be done with it. Life is too short to understand the mystical powers of online tackle retailing.

[Eddie101]

3 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

Nobody’s saying you have to...in fact most are agreeing with you and buying from their competitors because of their shipping woes. We’re just mystified that TW was one of the best online tackle retailers in the business and now they’re one of the worst because of their ridiculous standard shipping delays and we’re wondering what happened to them as most of their competitors aren’t experiencing delays like this.

Either they have a different business model now or had an overhaul of a company's internal structure. Who knows. All I know is they lost me as a customer, and - like most of you folks - I spent a ton of $$ there before the pandemic. Life goes on.

[Cgolf]

3 hours ago, Allen Der said:

Just pony up for the expedited shipping at TW.  If you place a good sized order you're only adding a few cents per item.  I bet they still come out the same price or cheaper than their competition plus a much larger selection

The whole point of me ordering from Tackle Warehouse is to save money over other sites or local big box stores. As soon as I add expedited shipping I might as well by local or other sites. This is why I plan ahead and don’t order anything I need in the next two weeks. Generally I am given gift cards to spend so semi limited budget. 
 

I am just your average fisherman that gets out 3-4 times a week, but I don’t tournament fish. I could see folks that tournament fish needing stuff on a shorter time frame for an upcoming tournament. 

[jbsoonerfan]

32 minutes ago, cgolf said:

I am just your average fisherman that gets out 3-4 times a week, but I don’t tournament fish. I could see folks that tournament fish needing stuff on a shorter time frame for an upcoming tournament. 

I too am just your average fisherman, but I have at least 100-200 baits of any soft plastic that I might need, 3-5 ea of any chatterbait or spinnerbait and at least 2-3 of any hard bait that I use. If a tournament fisherman isn't any more prepared than I am, then they need to find a new hobby.

[jtharris3]

I’m well stocked up on baits, etc. That being said, I have two pending orders with TW that are being “Processed”. I find the extended wait times for shipping to be a bit ridiculous. I’ve ordered tackle from other retailers and have had items shipped much faster than TW is shipping lately. I think they need to take a look at their processes and address where they are falling short! And yes, I have called and told them my thoughts on the matter!

[lynxcat]

13 hours ago, Glenn said:

TW has higher volumes than those other sites. Which means the inventory/supply issues are more visible and impactful with them.  The entire industry is overwhelmed with supply chain issues, from large to small companies.  It's just more visible with the larger companies because they sell out of whatever inventory they get as soon as they arrive.

 

There's an even bigger problem looming in the horizon that could make this issue look like nothing in comparison. Hopefully that doesn't happen, so I won't mention it here because it's possible it might still be avoided.

 

Suffice to say, it's going to be a long time before the supply issues are worked out. Just pack your patience and plan accordingly.

Raw materials sourcing constraints can throw the industry sideways. Plastisols and metal/alloy availability albeit I’m not close enough to those upstream supply chains to have a point of view. Nonetheless, inflation is hitting / will be hitting in the next few months so prices will be rising. 
 

For TW, it’s a strange phenomenon that they are facing. I think there are two issues that likely main contributors. COV spacing requirements make their picking operations significantly less efficient. They quite literally will have fewer people in the same space to be able to process a higher number of orders (because popularity of fishing has risen in the last year). Every company that produces a widget has dealt with these protocols. Second, there is a major labor shortage that is taking place. The stimulus and unemployment payments are creating labor market distortions and it is very difficult to hire unskilled / semi skilled resources. I think this is probably the bigger issue TW is facing...a labor force that stopped showing up for work. Their picking process is highly manual so labor shortage would put them on tilt. 

[Revival]

My apologies for bringing up TW.  I just thought people would like to know ahead of time  that they weren’t having one of their annual sales.  I usually prep for it and I’m sure other people do to.  Didn’t mean for this sale thread to get off track.

 

Back to sales fellow anglers!

[Jaderose]

Like most on here, I love TW and will continue to....later.  I have found other avenues to get the, admittedly, small number of items I need throughout the year.  I do my restocks around Christmas with all the deals and gift cards.  For now, I'm getting the things I need from other, and often smaller, companies I enjoy working with.  Having to pay extra for expedited shipping from TW for my little orders just isn't worth it to me.  They will rebound or they will wither, die, and someone else will take their place.  As long as it isn't Johnny Morris, we'll be fine. 

Does anyone else think it's odd that we aren't really talking about BPS?  Does ANYONE buy from them anymore, other than stik-o's and square bills?  I was just in a BPS a couple of days ago.  Got some Paca Craws that were a whole dollar more expensive per bag than you can get online.  I do not understand their business model anymore.  As far as I can tell, they are basically a tourism company now.  It was 9am on a Tuesday, the store had maybe 10 people in it (old guys like me) and people still bugging me about signing up for vacation packages.  It's like..."Good Lord!  Leave me alone"

[gim]

13 hours ago, cgolf said:

Like some I still mostly order from TW, but I always order in the off season so the wait doesn’t impact me. 

This is me too. I order from them in the winter when the amount of time isn’t relevant. During the season, no way.

I find it completely unacceptable when you place an order, all the items are in stock, and it says it will be 12 days before it even ships. To me that is not a supply chain issue, that is a personnel issue. If it’s in stock, ship it.

 

I understand that they are having manpower issues to physically fill orders, but it was like this with them before the pandemic too. So using the current situation as an excuse doesn’t fly because it’s still the same.

 

1 hour ago, Jaderose said:

Does anyone else think it's odd that we aren't really talking about BPS?  Does ANYONE buy from them anymore, other than stik-o's and square bills?  I was just in a BPS a couple of days ago.

I don’t generally go there because there aren’t any near me but there’s Cabelas, which is owned by BPS. The Cabelas here still have a better selection than any other retailer I know of. There’s 20 something aisles of tackle. When I was in there in March they were all full too. I don’t know if it’s still like that now though.

 

Last season they suffered the same fate as everyone else: mostly empty pegs because of increased demand and reduced supply. I have a feeling it’s coming again soon if it hasn’t already happened.

[Glenn]

15 hours ago, cgolf said:

Alright Glenn I will bite on this one. Only things I can figure that makes things worse is a war of some sort or China stops sourcing tackle or limits the amount and companies have find new sources to make their products. I must be missing something but in my 47 years this is the first time I can remember supply chain issues like this. 
 

Even weird things like hot wheels, which I kind of collect, have been hard to find with some stores not getting shipments for months. 
 

Like some I still mostly order from TW, but I always order in the off season so the wait doesn’t impact me. 

 

Nah, I'm not going to be the one that turns a (hopefully) temporary glitch into a rumor-fueled self-fulfilling prophecy.  If it happens, then I'll reference my post so you know what I was talking about.

 

My point was that things could be worse, so try to be happy with what you have now, and hope it improves soon.  

[islandbass]

Wow. Perhaps the silver lining in this is that we all get to start whittling away at the lifetime supply of lures we all have (you know you do, lol) we have accumulated over the years.  I am proud to say that I have done this and it’s taken nearly 8 years to do so, lol. 
 

What I have left is basically what I have right now that fits in my tackle bag and two small grocery bags half filled with plastics. 
 

I have realized that for the most part the fish I target have told me the colors and lure types they prefer and I’ve adjusted accordingly. I can honestly fit every lure I have in one bankers box. 
 

I’ve never ordered anything from TW but I just might. Perhaps to experience this 16 day wait period, lol. 

[12poundbass]

Maybe I’m just lucky but the only time I’ve waited over a week and a half for a TW order was Black Friday last year. My last order was a few weeks ago (Dobyns rod) and it took less than a week from the Georgia warehouse. I always just do the free shipping. 

[Michigander]

18 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

Maybe I’m just lucky but the only time I’ve waited over a week and a half for a TW order was Black Friday last year. My last order was a few weeks ago (Dobyns rod) and it took less than a week from the Georgia warehouse. I always just do the free shipping. 

I think I had one order that took two weeks to get to me, but most stuff shows up about a week after I ordered it. Maybe I'm also lucky. ?

[Tennessee Boy]

Everything is messed up right now.  Today I went shopping for a new Lazy Boy recliner at a local furniture / appliance dealer.  They said if I needed to order a different color it would take nine months to get it.  They are a major appliance dealer and the lady said they ran completely out of washer and dryers during the pandemic.  It’s crazy.  The government is giving us money to spend and there’s nothing to spend it on.

[GreenPig]

Just waited 23 days on an in stock rod & reel. We've clearly been overworking them at TW. I'm gonna give them a 6 month break from me. 

[the reel ess]

On 5/20/2021 at 12:48 AM, ryanerb said:

Doesn't surprise me considering their inventory and shipping issues....

Yeah, if you ordered now you still wouldn't have it by Memorial Day.

[QED]

Was/is there a run on fishing tackle and gear because of COVID?  I only restarted fishing recently but ordered most of my stuff via a major online retailer - turnaround for fishing stuff has been anywhere from 1 day to about a month.

 

Not nearly as bad as the run on shooting supplies though.  Primers are especially difficult to come by.  Basically, if you hadn't already stocked up, it's too late!!!  Fortunately, fishing tackle might be slow but at least it's mostly available for a relatively short wait.

[ghost]

Have you been to Bass Pro Shops or any fishing store lately, even Walmart? Inventories even those places are low. So after a year of Covid, tackle supply is still low. No surprise with TW, but really bummed out that there will be no Memorial Day sale???

 

Places that do carry fishing stuff, they have downsized considerably.

[MassYak85]

I'm fine giving them a pass on inventory, nothing they can do there. But the shipping is a bit much. I'm not gonna hold it against them cause I'm sure the state regulations and such tied their hands a bit but I'm also not "loyal" to them by any means. I've paid the 2nd day shipping once but I've been ordering stuff elsewhere for the most part during Covid. 

[Derek1]

1 hour ago, Jim Van Ryn said:

It certainly interesting what we see with Tackle Warehouse. They are a great customer for us on both of our brands; X Zone Lures and The Rod Glove. 

 

Challenges lie in several areas for them like supply, which is the obvious one, social distancing in the work place, which automatically cuts your capacity. Getting more space to operate in to be able to have more staff is not a sure solution either as it very tough to hire people right now. There is a definite labor problem. Unreliable courier companies, that are bursting at the seams and just trying deal with the growth as well.

 

The tough thing about being the biggest in the business is that when adversity strikes and you are as big as Tackle Warehouse, it is very tough to pivot quickly. This leads to smaller competitors, which are more nimble, by virtue of their size, to out perform you.

 

I am not making excuses for TW and I am not trying to minimize the frustration that some of your are feeling, but I can certainly sympathize with them during this time. I am sure that they are not happy with their performance either and they are trying everything they can to get back on track.

I’m glad you posted this. I hope everyone reads it twice. There is allot going on.

[WRB]

With the current product availability issue plan ahead, don’t expect next day delivery.

Tom