I Hate BPS

[t bend tex]

interesting comments about BPS.  I'll add my thoughts as a consumer and one time retailer.    

I have shopped BPS for many years-first by mail order, now electronic, and/or in person.  I have shopped Springfield, Destin, Orlando, Katy Tx, Bossier city, and tried to shop Oklahoma City, but could not find my way thru the traffic maze to get there, so I gave up and passed on stopping there.  most personal visits at BPS have been good- good employees and well stocked.  The Bossier City store had excellent service on the floor, but the cashier area was understaffed and had bad long lines. I mostly do electronic  ordering because the nearest store is some 150 miles away, and I have found the fill rate (that's the % of my order that was shipped) to be excellent- runs about 98% and backorders are prompt.   Having spent 27 years in retailing, that is saying something because most GOOD wholesalers ship around 95%, and poor wholesalers may ship 50%.   some of BPS out-of-stock issues could be caused by underestimating the demand and/or shipping issues from vendors-most likely from the far east.

I owned and operated  a "mom and pop" hardware store for 27 years, selling out 18 months ago.  I have always believed that a business is not "put out of business" by another business, but by the actions of the business itself- there are always exceptions, i. e., general economic conditions, floods, hurricanes, etc.   When I first started (in a small country town), I did well with hunting and fishing supplies along with hardware, but as the Wally  Worlds moved in, I had to adapt- and I did, dropping most sporting goods, and concentrating on hardware, and as the Depots and Lowes moved in, had to adapt even more.  The store grew to 20,000 sf with lots of specialty items- items that the mass merchants did not carry or carried in a limited quanity.  The store is still there and growing today because it is serving the needs of the customers.

All business have challenges, and while small operators can compete with service, some overhead (health care for example) is a killer.  Some above posts complained about teenage employees, but most of the problems aren't because of the kids, it's because management does not train and manage the kids.  In 27 years, I probably used around 100 high schoolers, most being good, some great, and some terrible- those did not last long.  I can say the same about mature full time/part timers-

I enjoy shopping with my local tackle stores- and most of them are specialty stores, and while may not always be as sharp on price as the megas, the service is usually outstanding- even so, the nearest to me is over 30 miles, so I do order from BPS- and Cabela.

while I realize the mega stores have hurt some areas - domestic production, for example- if one considers the number of new products that have been introduced  in the past 25 years, it is almost a good trade-off.    

[Tom Bass]

Fourbizzle,

I truly hope that you don't find Umbra Fisk to be a viable source for how you come up with your opinions on things. That person or group of people is seriously out of touch with reality. I'd say more about my opinion but it would get into politics and social engineering and that is not what this forum is about.

http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2004/11/22/umbra-walmart/

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/blame_walmart.php?dateid=20050412

http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2003/09/25/umbra-hunting/

http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2003/11/17/umbra-fish/index.html

I'm sorry to everyone else for diverting from the intent of this thread.

Tom

[mindtrix]

I've placed one single order with this company in my entire life. I was given a gift card. I spent the hundred bucks on worm binders and boxes. That is all I ever wanted to do with this company. This was 2 months ago.

I now receive spam email at the rate of about 4 emails per week, along with every stupid catalog they can send me. I don't need a bps saltwater catalog, I don't understand? God, BPS sucks.

[fourbizz]

Fourbizzle,

I truly hope that you don't find Umbra Fisk to be a viable source for how you come up with your opinions on things. That person or group of people is seriously out of touch with reality. I'd say more about my opinion but it would get into politics and social engineering and that is not what this forum is about.

http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2004/11/22/umbra-walmart/

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/blame_walmart.php?dateid=20050412

http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2003/09/25/umbra-hunting/

http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2003/11/17/umbra-fish/index.html

I'm sorry to everyone else for diverting from the intent of this thread.

Tom

I guess that shows me for just doing a random google on "wal mart is evil" LOL. I Was too lazy to type anything else on the subject.  Oh and "mindtrix" you are soo cool! You must be proud. Thank you for your wonderful contribution of stupidity.

[Tom Bass]

[mindtrix]

I guess that shows me for just doing a random google on "wal mart is evil" LOL. I Was too lazy to type anything else on the subject.  Oh and "mindtrix" you are soo cool! You must be proud. Thank you for your wonderful contribution of stupidity.

Don't  :'(, kid. It's only the internet. Ha Ha.

[dodgeguy]

I guess that shows me for just doing a random google on "wal mart is evil" LOL. I Was too lazy to type anything else on the subject. Oh and "mindtrix" you are soo cool! You must be proud. Thank you for your wonderful contribution of stupidity.

Don't :'(, kid. It's only the internet. Ha Ha.

i don't agree with fourbizzle either but if you don't have anything constructive to add why bother?

[mindtrix]

I guess that shows me for just doing a random google on "wal mart is evil" LOL. I Was too lazy to type anything else on the subject.  Oh and "mindtrix" you are soo cool! You must be proud. Thank you for your wonderful contribution of stupidity.

Don't  :'(, kid. It's only the internet. Ha Ha.

i don't agree with fourbizzle either but if you don't have anything constructive to add why bother?

I assume your post to fan the flames is something constructive? How about your insult to the thousands of Walmart employee's calling them unskilled people who can't work anywhere else?  Is it really necessary to start a thread complaining about advertisements of a company that supports our hobby? Talk about hypocrite. Get a clue dude and quit being a P.C. lemming. I guess you could always 'Google' your opinion like some.  :

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Fight nice kids....as Rodney King would say, "Can't we all just get along?"   ;D

[dodgeguy]

I guess that shows me for just doing a random google on "wal mart is evil" LOL. I Was too lazy to type anything else on the subject. Oh and "mindtrix" you are soo cool! You must be proud. Thank you for your wonderful contribution of stupidity.

Don't :'(, kid. It's only the internet. Ha Ha.

i don't agree with fourbizzle either but if you don't have anything constructive to add why bother?

I assume your post to fan the flames is something constructive? How about your insult to the thousands of Walmart employee's calling them unskilled people who can't work anywhere else? Is it really necessary to start a thread complaining about advertisements of a company that supports our hobby? Talk about hypocrite. Get a clue dude and quit being a P.C. lemming. I guess you could always 'Google' your opinion like some. :

you have 9 posts and you're acting like this.your on screen name says what you are all about.i for one will no longer answer any of your posts.