Has Cabela's Changed in Your Area?

[RealTreeHunter]

I'm gonna call BS on that. I work in the Ft Worth Cabelas as a vendor from time to time and that store is always packed.

Several of the associates stated that they cut about 30% of the staff and cut full time hours back.

Dudley is mostly correct actually. Quite a few stock reports on Cabela's (been a shareholder off and on for a few years) have stated that the company is opening less of the large stores and going with the Next Generation concept more going forward. The reason behind it is they can cram more of their brand of product in the stores and end up selling more Cabela's brand merchandise versus selling other brands. It's a win-win for Cabela's. Considering how much of their sales come from online, it makes complete sense to cut back store size and having products sit on the shelves for extended periods of time. Staff size required for the smaller stores is less than half of that of the large stores and they won't require as many "seasonal" workers and can keep a higher employee percentage of full time workers.

[Dudley]

Dudley is mostly correct actually. Quite a few stock reports on Cabela's (been a shareholder off and on for a few years) have stated that the company is opening less of the large stores and going with the Next Generation concept more going forward. The reason behind it is they can cram more of their brand of product in the stores and end up selling more Cabela's brand merchandise versus selling other brands. It's a win-win for Cabela's. Considering how much of their sales come from online, it makes complete sense to cut back store size and having products sit on the shelves for extended periods of time. Staff size required for the smaller stores is less than half of that of the large stores and they won't require as many "seasonal" workers and can keep a higher employee percentage of full time workers.

Yes, I got my info on this from my SIL, who is a hardlines manager at one of the Cabelas stores and has sat in on many of these corporate meetings.

[Sterljh]

Dudley is mostly correct actually. Quite a few stock reports on Cabela's (been a shareholder off and on for a few years) have stated that the company is opening less of the large stores and going with the Next Generation concept more going forward. The reason behind it is they can cram more of their brand of product in the stores and end up selling more Cabela's brand merchandise versus selling other brands. It's a win-win for Cabela's. Considering how much of their sales come from online, it makes complete sense to cut back store size and having products sit on the shelves for extended periods of time. Staff size required for the smaller stores is less than half of that of the large stores and they won't require as many "seasonal" workers and can keep a higher employee percentage of full time workers.

Although this is a thoughtful view on what it's happening it is foolish to think that any store will move towards more full time employees. If by higher percentage you mean there will be less seasonal and the same amount of full time then you may be correct but there are very few retailers in any market that are increasing or maintaining full time employees. Usually a hand full of managers and everyone else is part time or seasonal. Unfortunately whether it be the economy, Obamacare, or whatever the pressures have moved most retailers away from high trained and customer service oriented staff towards gross profit margins, credit cards, and low quality products.

[Bill]

Obamacare makes it cheaper to hire 4 30 hour/wk people than 3 40s.

[Vermin93]

I've concluded that Cabela's stores aren't really necessary. You get $5 shipping on most orders if you have their credit card. It costs more than $5 in gas and more than $5 in time for most people to drive to Cabela's and back. Cabelas.com has a much better selection than any Cabela's store and it has better sale prices, too. I'd prefer they close all the Cabela's stores in Texas so we don't have to pay sales tax with online orders.

Also, their prices for non-Cabela's branded items are usually not competitive. Amazon crushes them on many things. Buds crushes them on guns. Eders crushes them on archery and hunting gear. Sportman's Guide crushes them on low-end hunting gear.

Unless Cabela's has it on sale or in the Bargain Cave, you're probably paying too much for it. All of this holds true with Bass Pro as well, and Gander Mountain is even worse.

[tradtiger]

I've concluded that Cabela's stores aren't really necessary. You get $5 shipping on most orders if you have their credit card. It costs more than $5 in gas and more than $5 in time for most people to drive to Cabela's and back. Cabelas.com has a much better selection than any Cabela's store and it has better sale prices, too. I'd prefer they close all the Cabela's stores in Texas so we don't have to pay sales tax with online orders.

Also, their prices for non-Cabela's branded items are usually not competitive. Amazon crushes them on many things. Buds crushes them on guns. Eders crushes them on archery and hunting gear. Sportman's Guide crushes them on low-end hunting gear.

Unless Cabela's has it on sale or in the Bargain Cave, you're probably paying too much for it. All of this holds true with Bass Pro as well, and Gander Mountain is even worse.

Well-considered perspective. Can't disagree with a lot of this. Works well for merchandise you're thoroughly familiar with and just need to literally order. However, many things need to be tried on for fit, or there is a time crunch, or you just want to feel the thickness of the material or see the size of a tent and check the quality of its zipper. Also, hard to be an expert on everything, and I've had pretty good advice from Cabela's guys on tents, boots, and some other gear that worked out well when my son took a Scout trip to Canada.