Our Weekend Trip
We made our way up to the Scranton area yesterday to visit a friend. We stayed over and, on our way back, decided to run over to Dickson City to check out their Gander Mountain.
I’ve never been in a Gander before, though I’ve always heard about them. I have to say, what the hell are you people thinking?
I hope this was the exception to the rule instead of their standard store presence. It was messy, disorganized, out-of-stock, and out-of-date.
First, the reloading section:
None of the bullets were actually aligned with their price tags, and all of the boxes had been opened at least once. They were misplaced on the shelves, or in one case, in a completely different section of the store. (I’m gun friendly, and I like cooking, but I’m not going to spice our next batch of chili with bullets, thank you very much.)
Second, the dog section:
I was browsing while Sebastian was trying to solve the mysteries of the reloading aisle and looked at the dog items. One item for sale was a pack of doggie shoes for hunting dogs. Only the pack hanging in front only had 3 shoes. Now, I understand there are some pretty amazing 3-legged dogs out there. However, I don’t know how many of them are hunting dogs. And perhaps more importantly, the product might have more appeal if it came with the standard 4 shoes. That way owners with a 3-legged dog could just throw one away, but 4-legged dogs have options, too.
Oh wait, it did come with 4 shoes, but they were somehow missing shoes from at least one package of the doggie boots. At this point, it’s becoming the rule that things are messy, not the exception.
Third, the food section:
I wandered through to see if anything would jazz up meals, and I noticed a garlic game marinade that you could use on any kind of meat. Hmmm…Sebastian and I like garlic, and we like meat. I picked it up to check it out and discovered the “Best if used by…” date was a couple of weeks ago. Ummm…no thanks.
I have to say, if that’s your standard Gander Mountain store, I was wholeheartedly unimpressed. I’ll stick to my Cabela’s, Bass Pro, and Sportsman’s Warehouse.
No obviously related posts.
I have been to a couple of Gander Mountain stores in the past, and have been to the one in Middletown, NY a few times. If the little gray cells are not deceiving me right now, they have always been fairly well stocked and neat. My gripe with them has been their priices, way over the top. They usually have a bunch of items in stock – I suppose because no one can afford any of it.
I have also been to a few Cabelas’ stores, the one in PA I think near Hamburg, and one out in Sidney, NE and one in Maine, and maybe another somewhere in my travels. The first one I went to was the one in PA. They did not impress me much either. Their prices were a tiny bit better, but the first time I went to the one in PA the shelves were almost bare of ammo. I went out of my way to buy ammo there, and that which they had was priced too high.
It seems that just about every large type of chain that sells ammo, and guns and other outdoors folks type of stuff really have hit rock bottom lately.
I used to love shopping at Dick’s Sporting Goods when it was a few stores. Now that they have gone nationwide, they stink too.
I don’t recall where, but I have been to a Bass Pro Shop once or twice. As I recall they were pretty neat and well stocked.
I have to say though, out of all of em, Cabela’s in Hamburg, PA sure has one heck of an impressive display of stuffed wildlife, and also one pretty neat aquarium.
All the best,
Glenn B
I actually go to the Gander Mountain in Fredericksburg quite often. Its ok. Like a no frills (or rather, low frills) Cabelas.
They have some stuffed game, and lots of stuff. And its not as professionally set up as Cabelas or Bass, more like a Kmart or Walmart really. But I dig it. Have a good gun counter and plenty of reloading supplies.
A big Bass Pro just opened up about 10 miles south of it, haven’t had a chance to visit that one yet, but I suspect it’ll get Gander to step up.
I’ve been through Cabelas, Gander Mtn, Bass Pro, LLBean, Dick’s, WalMart, KMart, and numerous mom’n'pops.
I was impressed with the Cabelas in Hamburg, PA – nice store, friendly staff, clean and well-stocked, prices were a little high. I loved the fact that used long guns were out on racks to be handled and fondled at will.
BassPro in Auburn, NY does not impress me. Indifferent and even obnoxious staff, poor stocking, and not very well laid out.
GanderMtn in Henrietta, NY and Johnson City, NY – both of them have OK selections and the best prices of the chain stores. They are to sporting goods what WalMart is to … everything else. Not always clean, shelves are poorly labelled and sorted, clerks are hit and miss with knowledge. Rarely worth the drive.
Dick’s – only if I know exactly what I want, and usually only if I have a coupon. Their clerks are morons, their policies are insane, and prices tend to be exorbitant.
WalMart/KMart – my local Walmart no longer sells firearms, only ammo – I do buy bulk .22 there, and shotgun shells when they’re on sale. Clerks can be tough to find, and it’s like playing “warmer/colder” to get them to the right box on the ammo shelf.
LLBean: Their hunting/fishing section can be very good. They’ve recently remodeled, and they have quite a few used guns out. Prices are a little high, but selection is good and staff is always friendly. And they’re open 24/7/365!
Mom’n'Pops: yes please! I’ve found a couple that have the selection, manners, and knowledge. Prices are usually fair to excellent, friendly owners, and happy to just shoot the breeze for a bit.
One more option: I order most of my non-hazmat stuff online. Brass, bullets, durables, ammo, etc… all comes from Midway, Midsouth, etc.