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Sportsman's Warehouse Files for Bankruptcy

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expatriate · Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 12:17 am Post subject:

Dang, that sucks!! Sportsman's Warehouse has been a godsend up here since they opened. I guess this explains why their shelves have been empty of ammo and reloading components.

WesternHunter · Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 7:37 am Post subject:

Yeah I read about that a few weeks ago. All my friends are pissed.

They were a Godsent here too. They were the place and only place if you wanted a good selection of reloading stuff.

Now I'll have to go back to making those semi-annual trips to Sidney, NE like I used to do. Luckily Cabelas is only about 2 hours drive from my house.

expatriate · Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 9:10 am Post subject:

Sportsman's Warehouse was like a mini-Cabelas -- only better because up here I could always buy things at Sportsman's cheaper than I could anywhere else. I've spent thousands in there over the past couple years -- just bought a rifle from them on the day they filed for Chapter 11 (didn't know it at the time). Good gear, good price...I really hate to see them go under. I was worried this might happen, because the franchise grew so rapidly. There have been too many franchises that expanded too fast and drove past their headlights.

Critter · Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 9:41 pm Post subject:

I'm afraid that I will have to post a different type of reply than positive for Sportsman's Warehouse. I have been going to two of the stores here in Colorado since they both opened and have never seen enough reloading material on the shelves to even look. This also applies to loaded ammo. This has been through out the year so they can't claim that they ran out of stock or a seasonal buying streak. I watched one store threaten another sporting goods store by telling them that they were going to go to the manufacture of a product unless they sold it for the same price as Sportsman's Warehouse. This may of been an isolated problem but it happened. One plus is that most of the employees were more than helpful but then there were the lazy ones. Right now I can't wait until Cabela's gets their store built in Denver if it ever happens, but for the most part I will pass them by and go to other stores that are more helpful and have what I need.

expatriate · Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 9:59 pm Post subject:

I've been going to Sportsman's regularly for the past 3-4 years, and until about Sept-Oct they kept a pretty good selection of ammo and reloading components -- at least they did up here.

The Anchorage Sportsman's Warehouse is the most profitable store in the franchise. I sure wish Cabela's would come up here to Alaska, because they'd make a killing. Without exception, every Sportsman's Warehouse customer I know up here would much rather go to Cabela's.

Having an Alaska Cabela's would also add to their credibility when it comes to merchandise they offer. But I don't think Alaska fits their business model -- they build their stores on interstate corridors and Alaska doesn't fit the mold. What they're overlooking is the high percentage of potential customers in Alaska compared to other states, and the fact that Alaskans will travel great distances to shop -- and shop big when they're in town. Alaskans are also more demanding on their equipment and would patronize Cabelas because they offer things you just can't get from Wal-Mart or Fred Meyer. Alaskan hunters and fishermen spend a LOT of money on their sports. And finally, Alaska has a lot of tourists -- and a lot of people that come up here are interested in things that dovetail with the interests of Cabela's customers.

Heck, if Cabelas had any smarts they would open up some "Cabela's lite" stores along the lines of Sportsman's Warehouse -- offering Cabela's products without the huge floorspace, fish tank, log cabin architecture, etc. That way they could tap into markets like Alaska without as much overhead expense.

WesternHunter · Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 2:35 pm Post subject:

Cabelas has been trying to open a mega store here in Denver (Wheatridge actually) since 2005. The city of Wheatridge and it's residence have been red-taping it and the location still hasn't broken ground yet. The residence and surrounding businesses are worried about traffic. Like Denver doesn't already have a traffic problem 16 years old

As for Sportsman's Warehouse, they were the depot if you wanted ammo and reloading components. At least the stores in the Denver area and even the one in Medford Oregon.

SoCoKHntr · Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 1:51 pm Post subject:

The one in Colo. Springs sucks big time. They never have a damn thing in stock bare ammo shelves all the time!!! Both reloading and loaded ammo.

expatriate · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 3:57 am Post subject:

I've been told that they're out of bankruptcy now and that things should improve. We'll see. The last time I was in there, the shelves weren't so bare. They actually had ammo that wasn't .223 WSSM or .405 Winchester. But the shelves for reloading components were still cleaned out. I frankly don't know how they could've been in financial trouble considering the amount of money I spent on gear in that store since moving to Alaska.

elkkill06 · Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 10:32 pm Post subject:

Critter, I'm with you on the one in Grand Junction, but good news this summer Cabelas is coming to Grand Junction and moving into the old Mervyn's part of the mall. Yes

Critter · Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 9:44 am Post subject:

expatriate · Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 2:44 am Post subject:

Congrats on your Cabela's...but I just see stuff like that and shake my head. The Cabela's business model prioritizes interstates over local market -- which is why they're not in Alaska. Sportsmen's, on the other hand, postured itself as a specialty box store to serve a local market. People in Alaska spend a lot on sporting equipment, because they spend a lot of time outdoors and the environment demands quality gear. Cabela's offers good stuff, but it irritates me to see how often they use the word "Alaskan" in their catalog when they aren't even up here. If they opened up a store in Wasilla, they'd put Sportsmen's out of business in six months.

WesternHunter · Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:23 am Post subject:

I'm not happy about Cabelas opening up on the western slope of Colorado. Why? Now every time I place an order from Cabelas I now will have to pay state tax on all my orders. Grand Junction is a 4-5 hour drive for me. Sidney is only 2 hours drive at most. Guess I will be having to reserect those semi-annual trips we used to make to Sidney. But either way it was always less expensive for me to just pay for shipping rather than to burn gas and time or pay both shipping and tax.