View Full Version : Cabellas, the unspeakable
Has anyone been to a Cabella's store?
I went to one last weekend.
As one of my old East Texas hunting buddies said, "Them ain't my kind o' rednecks. My daddy wouldn't of let us hunt with them kind of nimrods."
I went to the one at Buda, Texas. Out front is this sculpture in the Charles M. Russell tradition but it has a rider with a lever action Winchester on a sling (!) across his shoulder. A sling. No rider in his right mind ever did that. It's a guaranteed broken back. And imagine keeping it on at a gallop. Not to mention buggering the tubular magazine. That didn't seem to bother anyone, they didn't know better.
People were approaching the door on their bleeding knees saying, "We are not worthy! We are not worthy!" They had rolls of fat over their collars and wore gold chains. People were all dressed up in their best camo to attend the store.
The biggest display and biggest seller was automatic deer feeders that make lots of noise, keeping deer distracted and covering the noise from the blind so 'sportsmen' could pop them at short distances while they feed.
It went downhill from there. A real cultural experience. And I'm a hunter and a certified, genuine redneck from the woods of East Texas than which nothing is more redneck. Cabella's made me want to puke.
Just had to get that off my chest. Did it without cussin', too. But it wasn't easy.
Another "red neck Heaven", tho not nearly as "bad" is the Smokey Mountain Knife works in Severville (near Pigeon Forge TN).
OMG!
Like you said: formal camo attire seems to be the rule, lots of bloody kneed pilgrims. Great place to get a Swiss Army knife tho, they have almost every model ever made.
Doctari.
While I agree mostly with whats been said... I must say that I got a heck of a deal on my zip off pants from them... Not that Im tall, I have legs that need a longer inseam, and since most of their stuff comes un-hemmed, I was able to get an awesome price and pants that were just right instead of too short.
Bought my Frogg Togs in Cabelas near Port Clinton, PA for $49. I was pleased.
boarstone
09-08-2006, 19:17
Haven't been to one, know those who have, don't care to go, get their mag every now and again, while flipping thru it this last time, can't say as I was amused, but I was abused...nothing for anyone over 5 and female, at least not to go out and hunt in! About as chavinistic as they can be...I'll keep shopping at------for my outdoor stuff, at least I can be fitted for what I'm looking for.
Pacific Tortuga
09-08-2006, 19:19
Bought my Frogg Togs in Cabelas near Port Clinton, PA for $49. I was pleased.
O sure, the classic Yankee response. :rolleyes:
Brrrb Oregon
09-08-2006, 19:34
As one of my old East Texas hunting buddies said, "Them ain't my kind o' rednecks. My daddy wouldn't of let us hunt with them kind of nimrods."
....
It went downhill from there. A real cultural experience. And I'm a hunter and a certified, genuine redneck from the woods of East Texas than which nothing is more redneck. Cabella's made me want to puke.
Just had to get that off my chest. Did it without cussin', too. But it wasn't easy.
In other words....there are rednecks, and then there are people without two neurons on speaking terms who have never heard of sunscreen, self-respect, or a bad all-you-can-eat buffet.
The latter group should not be allowed to reproduce, let alone hunt with firearms.
Yep, corporate suit decision making at it's best.
I've gone to a Cabelas, it's way wannabewoodsman type stuff, but I got FroggToggs there too for $49!Yes, although the store was a bit on the 'floof-ball' side, I contributed by $49 bucks to the coffers of the corporate machine that keeps those thick - but nice for mulch - catalogs coming every year. I'd like to see them start printing it on recycled paper with soy ink, you can't burn the thing, it'll turn colors and offer up black smoke.
No bloody knees here, but I did have to duck under a few mounts and hike around back of the trout tank to find the clearance rack though. I survived the hype. :)
Cabelas caters to the hunting and fishing crowd first - hikers/campers second. REI is the place to go if you are offended by deer feeders. Cabelas sells good stuff - for hunters and fishermen. If you are a car camper, Cabelas is vastly superior to REI.
I recently enjoyed a new Cabelas store in Boise Idaho. Idaho still has enough "red necks" to make me feel comfortable (I just love parking at Walmart next to a hand-camo painted pickup where the front quarter panel is held flush with duck tape).
I wish Cabelas was out here in liberal-weeny-ville.
...all this talk about 'rednecks' is making me hungry for grits and gravy.
Toolshed
09-08-2006, 21:50
I don't understand the open hostility to Cabela's. don't like it-don't go. They seem to be doing do great without you - At least it seems that way everytime I go....
I'll keep shopping at------for my outdoor stuff
Wow, I feel slow. That took me a second. I'm like why didn't she put the name there? That's where I go for brick and mortar, non-rei stuff. Best part is, they just opened one (kinda small though, and size does matter in this case) right by my house. I've been to several cabela's and bass pro shops (usually just going with a friend or something), and they're definitely the wal-mart of fishing, hunting, car camping, and water sports. I enjoy hunting, but I can't say they're my favorite places though. :D speedy
saimyoji
09-08-2006, 23:21
Cabela's= the new WalMart? :eek:
I love Cabela's. I take my kid there sometimes. They have a great display of all different types of wild animals, and the African safari display is way cool. And, oh yeah, its a stone's throw from Port Clinton and Hawk Mountain is only another 5 min around the mountain.
Incidently, its the only place near me that sells the GigaPower fuel. :(
I don't hunt, no need to kill tofu or greens (vegitarian).
Hunting, can be as much of a religion as, say, religion. I say the best way to avoid being swept away with the masses is to avoid them. Being a true individual can be lonely, and put you under the microscope of others waiting for you to "show your true colors". :rolleyes:
I can live with that.
Cabela's has some good prices on main stream hiking and camping gear, but my hiking style has taken me in a different direction.
Has anyone been to a Cabella's store?
I went to one last weekend.
As one of my old East Texas hunting buddies said, "Them ain't my kind o' rednecks. My daddy wouldn't of let us hunt with them kind of nimrods."
I went to the one at Buda, Texas. Out front is this sculpture in the Charles M. Russell tradition but it has a rider with a lever action Winchester on a sling (!) across his shoulder. A sling. No rider in his right mind ever did that. It's a guaranteed broken back. And imagine keeping it on at a gallop. Not to mention buggering the tubular magazine. That didn't seem to bother anyone, they didn't know better.
People were approaching the door on their bleeding knees saying, "We are not worthy! We are not worthy!" They had rolls of fat over their collars and wore gold chains. People were all dressed up in their best camo to attend the store.
The biggest display and biggest seller was automatic deer feeders that make lots of noise, keeping deer distracted and covering the noise from the blind so 'sportsmen' could pop them at short distances while they feed.
It went downhill from there. A real cultural experience. And I'm a hunter and a certified, genuine redneck from the woods of East Texas than which nothing is more redneck. Cabella's made me want to puke.
Just had to get that off my chest. Did it without cussin', too. But it wasn't easy.
I was only in a Cabella store once, That was in the west during our seven week tour of the National Parks a year ago.
But Cabella is negotiating with the state for a Maine store to compete with LL Bean. If they win the fight, I'll remember what you say and never go near them again.
Kaptain Kangaroo
09-09-2006, 17:45
In May this year our group of 4 thru-hikers hiked into Port Clinton & got a ride to Cabelas with a nice lady who worked there. We thought that there was a grocery store nearby & we needed to re-supply. We soon found out that the nearest store was a couple of miles away. The Cabelas staff were amazing, they loaded all of us into one of the stores vans & drove us to the grocery store, the guy waited 20 minutes while we bought food & then drove us back to the trail at Port Clinton.
Although the store didn't have much hiking gear, it was an interesting cultural experience & I can't speak highly enough of their generosity to our group (especially since we didn't actually buy anything)
Cheers,
Kaptain Kangaroo
Blissful
09-09-2006, 17:47
Cabela's= the new WalMart? :eek:
I love Cabela's. I take my kid there sometimes. They have a great display of all different types of wild animals, and the African safari display is way cool. And, oh yeah, its a stone's throw from Port Clinton and Hawk Mountain is only another 5 min around the mountain.
Incidently, its the only place near me that sells the GigaPower fuel. :(
My son likes the fishing supplies. But the hiking area stinks, IMO, though they did have a few things in the warehouse section. It's like the Bass Pro Shops. All hunting and fishing.
I think they do offer a free shuttle from Port Clinton though if you want a chain motel, food, etc.
Brrrb Oregon
09-09-2006, 18:17
Cabela's= the new WalMart? :eek:
I love Cabela's. I take my kid there sometimes. They have a great display of all different types of wild animals, and the African safari display is way cool. And, oh yeah, its a stone's throw from Port Clinton and Hawk Mountain is only another 5 min around the mountain.
Incidently, its the only place near me that sells the GigaPower fuel. :(
My problem with Walmart is the way they treat their employees and their vendors, etc., not the customers they attract.
Unless the problem I had with the other customers was that they were rude, I'd still shop at a decent business whose only sin was having prices low enough and a selection that was big enough to attract all kinds. That would be kind of nuts.
It does irk me to see people who are gullible, sloppy, and lazy (meaning the preferred hunting styles cited in the first post) being identified with people who live in rural areas and make their living at jobs requiring outdoor manual labor. People who live and work in farming, ranching, logging and so on tend to be as hardworking, neat, responsible, and just plain decent as you're likely to meet. I have not found them any less likely to be environmentally responsible as anybody living in the city and in my experience they are certainly less wasteful and have less of a sense of entitlement...again, as a group. No matter where you go, you get all kinds.
boarstone
09-09-2006, 18:31
Wow, I feel slow. That took me a second. I'm like why didn't she put the name there? That's where I go for brick and mortar, non-rei stuff. Best part is, they just opened one (kinda small though, and size does matter in this case) right by my house. I've been to several cabela's and bass pro shops (usually just going with a friend or something), and they're definitely the wal-mart of fishing, hunting, car camping, and water sports. I enjoy hunting, but I can't say they're my favorite places though. :D speedy
Just too many other places to list with campmor.com and sierratradingpost on the top of the list for hiking stuff, I hunt/fish but find the above mentioned .com's the best place to find "it all" that fit my small petite frame.;)
But Cabella is negotiating with the state for a Maine store to compete with LL Bean.
Why would they need to negotiate with the state of Maine?
No matter. Kittery Trading post is 10x better on everything except dress clothes.
boarstone
09-09-2006, 19:21
Must say I haven't been to The Kittery Trading Post, but then, it's so far away that postage is cheaper than the gas/taxes to drive there. Price I pay for having this beautiful north woods as my backyard and play ground.
Rain Man
09-11-2006, 09:36
When driving back from Maine in '04, my little group of hikers made a special detour to visit/re-visit Port Clinton, PA for my daughter. From there, we drove down to see the new Cabela's. I was expecting something special.
In a way, it was special. A special road, huge parking lot, massive fancy building in the distance. I halfway expected trolley buses to be cruising the lot, like at DisneyWorld.
Stepping in the place was as impressive as driving up to the place. However, from there it was almost all "downhill." The small backpacking section was upstairs in a back corner. Perhaps it was only by comparision to the rest of the place, but it surely seemed like a puny selection of backpacking gear and goods to me. I left disappointed, but wiser. I consider it a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to "live there."
Rain:sunMan
.
WalkinHome
09-13-2006, 17:02
When a store has a brick and mortar presence in the state of Maine they then have to charge Maine sales tax on internet orders from Maine. Cabela's maintains that their mail order/internet operation is a separate company and will not build here if the state of Maine does not recognize that. Of course Bean's is watching this very carefully. It seems that Cabela's has been able to avoid this in other states. Apologies to Weary for hijacking his post.
LIhikers
09-13-2006, 17:23
From this hiker's perspective the best thing about going into the Cabelas in PA is the display of animals. There's more than in some zoos I've been in. Like others have said, the section with equipment that's useful for AT backpacking is small.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
09-13-2006, 17:28
Cabella's for entertainment, my local outfitters for gear.
Mother's Finest
09-13-2006, 17:33
spock,
I am not a redneck, and certainly am no hunter (I won't kill an insect if I can help it)
But I totally understand what you are saying. It is the selling of an alleged lifestyle.......
peace
mf
Toolshed
09-13-2006, 19:24
When a store has a brick and mortar presence in the state of Maine they then have to charge Maine sales tax on internet orders from Maine. Cabela's maintains that their mail order/internet operation is a separate company and will not build here if the state of Maine does not recognize that. Of course Bean's is watching this very carefully. It seems that Cabela's has been able to avoid this in other states. Apologies to Weary for hijacking his post.
Most states, if not all are like this. If ther is a presence in the state, you must pay sales tax. Otherwise, internet transactions are Tax Free***
*** Tax Free at the point of sale. I beleive you must still file a Tax use form and voluntarily pay state sales taxes to the state of your home of record.
coldspring
09-13-2006, 23:45
I haven't been to a Cabela's store, but being from Missouri I've watched Bass Pro grow from one store to the large mega-biz it is now. I go to it sometimes and get a few things, but not much. I really get a kick out of all the touristy stuff they have. I guess that they do sell quite a bit of sovenirs when you consider that they get millions of shoppers in just the one store annually. There are a few stores around where I live that sell returned and closeout merchandise from Bass Pro. Sometimes I find some really cheap clothing, but I refuse to buy anything like a shirt with a giant Bass Pro logo on the back. It is amazing how many clothes they put their ugly logo on.
sherrill
09-14-2006, 08:52
Cabela's has a target audience and they stock accordingly. We have a sporting goods chain near where I live called Dick's that has some camping equipment but I wouldn't expect much from them either. Funny enough, there is an REI right across the parking lot.
I remember my wife and I laughing when we dropped in the REI in Anchorage and found that most of the stock was hunting/fishing gear.