I went into a BassProShop yesterday.

[thediscochef]

1 hour ago, Cbump said:

Sounds like you have social issues. Weird about COVID, won’t go ask for permission to fish a private pond face to face, haven’t been in a store in 10 years, a slow BPS freaked you out. Relax man. 

Also It blows my mind when people go into BPS, Academy, etc and expect these entry level employees to know everything about the gear they want to buy. Do your homework before you go into a box store. This isn’t the good old days at the hardware/sporting goods store with one owner/operator lol. 
 

Those employees likely make less money per hour than some parking lots do tbh

[Darth-Baiter]

2 hours ago, Cbump said:

Sounds like you have social issues. Weird about COVID, won’t go ask for permission to fish a private pond face to face, haven’t been in a store in 10 years, a slow BPS freaked you out. Relax man. 

Also It blows my mind when people go into BPS, Academy, etc and expect these entry level employees to know everything about the gear they want to buy. Do your homework before you go into a box store. This isn’t the good old days at the hardware/sporting goods store with one owner/operator lol. 
 

i actually did my homework.  i was looking for a MegaBass Freestyle in 6".  for the guy stocking the shelves...to tell me they dont have MegaBass and point out some that might fit the bill, and have them be exactly MegaBass is really low hanging fruit.  low.  i just needed directions to the baits.  i dont think reading the package lable before hanging it up on the peg is beyond anyone that works at a box store.  it never questioned his fishing knowledge at all.  but to read?  yea.  he should read.  

 

i lost a good friend to Covid.  sorry, i feel weird about it.  another childhood friend cant go up stairs anymore and will probably need oxygen.  

 

and we killed a turkey this weekend on land i got permission on, by asking face to face. 

 

and the store being empty is more about (on a saturday) the climate of shopping.  just an observation.  the online side is probably keeping the lights on.  

 

 

[volzfan59]

10 hours ago, Munkin said:

Can't stand the vacation rental stalkers they have. 

I agree with you 100%! Right after I resigned from the BPS I worked at, the General Manager had them removed from that particular store for being overly aggressive. We got more complaints about them than anything else. They were allowed back after a couple of months I think. After that they were on a short leash. When I do get to go in a BPS, I don't even acknowledge their existence.

10 hours ago, Munkin said:

Can't stand the vacation rental stalkers they have. 

I agree with you 100%! Right after I resigned from the BPS I worked at, the General Manager had them removed from that particular store for being overly aggressive. We got more complaints about them than anything else. They were allowed back after a couple of months I think. After that they were on a short leash. When I do get to go in a BPS, I don't even acknowledge their existence.

[Cbump]

35 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

i actually did my homework.  i was looking for a MegaBass Freestyle in 6".  for the guy stocking the shelves...to tell me they dont have MegaBass and point out some that might fit the bill, and have them be exactly MegaBass is really low hanging fruit.  low.  i just needed directions to the baits.  i dont think reading the package lable before hanging it up on the peg is beyond anyone that works at a box store.  it never questioned his fishing knowledge at all.  but to read?  yea.  he should read.  

 

i lost a good friend to Covid.  sorry, i feel weird about it.  another childhood friend cant go up stairs anymore and will probably need oxygen.  

 

and we killed a turkey this weekend on land i got permission on, by asking face to face. 

 

and the store being empty is more about (on a saturday) the climate of shopping.  just an observation.  the online side is probably keeping the lights on.  

 

 

My post was actually two different thoughts. One about your social anxiety and the other about people (not you) expecting the entry level employees to answer their questions. 

 

Btw, that dude may not have been who stocked the shelf to read what they had, but sounds Like he got you to the swimbaits so mission accomplished. Also some MB packaging is actually hard to decipher if you don’t already know it’s Megabass. 

[Darth-Baiter]

23 minutes ago, Cbump said:

My post was actually talk different thoughts. One about your social anxiety and the other about people (not you) expecting the entry level employees to answer their questions. 

 

Btw, that dude may not have been who stocked the shelf to read what they had, but sounds Like he got you to the swimbaits so mission accomplished. Also some MB packaging is actually hard to decipher if you don’t already know it’s Megabass. 

no i get it.

 

my Covid thing is actually not what  you think.  i live in a City.  if anyone can carry it, it's me.  if i talk to a rural landowner, chances are not that i catch it from them..it is the other way.  i was always compelled to be respectful of them and not bring them anything.  

[gim]

I don't have any actual Bass Pro Shops near me.  But we have several Cabela's, and they are similar.

 

The one that is 20 minutes from me has BY FAR the most fishing tackle of any in-person retail store in the area.  Nothing else is even close.  I am an in-person shopper too.  I will not buy certain items online that I need to pick up and touch and feel, like fishing rods.  Or items I need to try on, like rain gear.  Refuse to do it.

 

I just went to one last week for the Spring Sale.  Really didn't buy that much, a few plastics, fishing line, etc but got 8 reels re-spooled in under half an hour.  They have an electric tornado line winder that puts the line on quickly, evenly, and with zero line twist.  Plus they do not charge for it, and do not charge for backing line under braid.

 

This nonsense about having empty pegs and shelves must be location-specific.  The location I visit about 3-4 times a year has tons of inventory and they regularly refill it.  I will say that during the initial year of the pandemic (spring 2020), they were short on quite a bit of tackle but everyone else was too.

 

I'm not there to seek advice from an associate or gather amongst crowds of people.  I make a list of items I am searching for and buy them.  If they don't have them, I search elsewhere.

[Bankc]

The one near me is alright.  I try to go at lunch on weekdays so it's not too crowded.  

 

Honestly, the local retail environment in general is just bad these days.  And I think BPS buying out Cabela's has hurt both brands, as they're still both located in places meant to compete with one another (i.e. often too close to one another).  So they're splitting inventory and qualified staff needlessly to serve virtually the same amount of people.  They were a better brand when the stores were bigger and less common.

 

I just hate buying things online unless I have to.  In today's environment where everything is so cheaply made, it's becoming more and more important to see things in person before paying money for them.  Even trusted name brands these days will gladly burn a centuries worth of trust and goodwill to turn a quick quarterly profit, something that was unthinkable until about 10-15 years ago.  

[TheSwearingAngler]

I had a $50 gift card I planned on spending in the store. Then I realized how much easier online would be since I knew exactly what I wanted. Might be a fun way to get lost for a day… but I’m getting too old to waste time like that on purpose.

[thediscochef]

1 hour ago, Darth-Baiter said:

my Covid thing is actually not what  you think.  i live in a City.  if anyone can carry it, it's me.  if i talk to a rural landowner, chances are not that i catch it from them..it is the other way.  i was always compelled to be respectful of them and not bring them anything.  

that's a thoughtful approach. i lost my dad to the virus in Jan '21, he was 65 and generally healthy. It's not a political or anxiety thing. We all have causes we care about because it affected us or someone close to us, it's different for everyone and part of that person's story. For most, I don't think it's more complicated than that really. 

[Susky River Rat]

I have a BPS and cabelas each about 30 miles from me. I cost both. Mostly just to look around maybe snag up some stupid stuff that I have the urge to get. It’s a time waster for me most times but, I do enjoy looking and seeing sometimes before I purchase.

[thediscochef]

4 minutes ago, Darnold335 said:

I have a BPS and cabelas each about 30 miles from me. I cost both. Mostly just to look around maybe snag up some stupid stuff that I have the urge to get. It’s a time waster for me most times but, I do enjoy looking and seeing sometimes before I purchase.

the Cabela's near me has a big fish tank gallery so I often go there to dream about bass when times are tough and I'm not catching anything

[Susky River Rat]

1 minute ago, thediscochef said:

the Cabela's near me has a big fish tank gallery so I often go there to dream about bass when times are tough and I'm not catching anything

Our cabelas here used to partner with Muskies inc and raise musky for a year in their one tank. Then they would get taken out and stocked.

[BustedSwimbait]

I've got a BPS shop 40 minutes south of me and a Cabela's 50 minutes north. Both are always stocked with house brand which I'm not looking for. Its just easier to hit up TW or many other sites and get what I exactly want, not what's "similar". I'm sure people use and catch fish with BPS stuff but I'm weird about house brands things.

[gim]

Just now, Darnold335 said:

Our cabelas here used to partner with Muskies inc and raise musky for a year in their one tank. Then they would get taken out and stocked.

I worked for the MN DNR back in 2006 when the Cabela's in Rogers, MN opened.  They asked for our help in stocking their tanks prior to their grand opening.  I helped supply them with a 46 inch pure strain muskie, a 28 inch tiger muskie, and a 55 inch lake sturgeon.  Most of their fish came from other Cabela's locations.  We issued a permit for them to move live fish from Missouri to Minnesota.  One of the fish from Missouri was about a 55 pound blue catfish.  That thing was enormous.

 

Cabela's used to have a full time biologist/specialist on site that helped keep all their fish alive and healthy.  They did away with that in 2008 when the recession buckled their profits, and the health and stability of their aquariums took a nose dive because of it.  They've since contracted a local aquarium company to take care of them.

[Susky River Rat]

4 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I worked for the MN DNR back in 2006 when the Cabela's in Rogers, MN opened.  They asked for our help in stocking their tanks prior to their grand opening.  I helped supply them with a 46 inch pure strain muskie, a 28 inch tiger muskie, and a 55 inch lake sturgeon.  Most of their fish came from other Cabela's locations.  We issued a permit for them to move live fish from Missouri to Minnesota.  One of the fish from Missouri was about a 55 pound blue catfish.  That thing was enormous.

 

Cabela's used to have a full time biologist/specialist on site that helped keep all their fish alive and healthy.  They did away with that in 2008 when the recession buckled their profits, and the health and stability of their aquariums took a nose dive because of it.  They've since contracted a local aquarium company to take care of them.

 

that’s pretty neat. I always wondered where the fish came from.
 

I am not sure why they stopped doing this where. It was around 2012 they were doing it.

 

[gim]

1 minute ago, Darnold335 said:

I always wondered where the fish came from.

They are sometimes given permits to try and catch local fish for transport back to the tanks too.  One of the perks of being an employee there for a grand opening I'm sure.

[Jaderose]

I have developed what seems to be an almost fool-proof method of shopping in a big box store of any kind.  If I NEED help, I find an employee (man or woman...makes no difference to me) that has AT LEAST as much gray hair as I do.  They are preferably at least 50.  I don't bother talking with young people anymore.  I was in a Home Depot a while back and I asked a young person where something was and was told I could use the app.  I told her, yes, it was true I could use the app but then why does the store need her?  She didn't have much to say to that...lol

 

[GReb]

My only real complaint about BPS fishing section is the way it is ordered by bait style and not brand. You can find zoom plastics on 5 different isles. 

[Bankbeater]

The BPS near me is actually pretty good.  The one big gripe I have with the store is that they always seem to be rearranging everything. 

[jbrew73]

BPS is an awful place to shop for fishing related items.    

[geo g]

I have been going BPS for over twenty years.  We are lucky because we have one of their biggest stores in the country in Fort Lauderdale.  It is well stocked, clean, and a few very knowledgeable employees, that have been there a long time.  I will sometime go just to troll the fishing department, without buying.  I love being able to touch something before I buy it.  It would be a real crime if they went the way of Sears just because everyone wanted to save a buck on a bag of baits.

[12poundbass]

The closest one to me is almost an hour away so I don’t make it there much. A co-worker was there a couple weeks ago and said they got rid of their cafeteria. No caribou sandwich, no 12poundbass. ?

[Munkin]

16 hours ago, Jig Man said:

Yes it is.  I live about 10 miles from there.  I go there a lot even though I don’t buy much.  I mostly buy stuff at the catalog outlet which is next door.  They have super close outs on boots, shoes, and clothing. I bought 4 St. Croix Avid rods ( new, not refurbished ) for $80 each once and a $150 pair of boots for $36.

 

Man I miss being able to go to the catalog outlet! That is where the best deals are found.

 

Allen

[stratos4me]

Ahh BPS...not quite the Kmart of tackle.

[Bolar]

On 3/26/2023 at 11:48 PM, Munkin said:

Use to go there about once a month and now only one trip in the past 2 years. Can't stand the vacation rental stalkers they have. I have resorted to telling them my PO says I can't leave the state as part of my parole conditions which stops them.

 

Allen

 

I actually went to BPS yesterday.  Saw these guys there and could only think of this post.  I don't think I could get through that with a straight face .