Most fishing gear is from overseas…but I emphasize most. You can bet though that the local stores carry more American made products than the chain stores, as many of the smaller “made in USA” bait/rod companies will not do business with the chain stores due to lack of knowledge of their product…
I know over the course of 17 years both local companies I have been in management with have gone out of their way to carry the most local and American products possible…but china still dominates.
Totally agree!!
To take it one step further, those smaller/local stores are more flexible when it comes to product selection and they tend to tap into local product that the “big box” stores haven’t even heard of.
There’s also a false perception that the “big box” guys buy at cheaper prices than the local shops and therefore sell at cheaper prices. That’s just not the case. Sure, if you’re only means of ordering product is through a distributor (third party), you’re not going to be able to buy as cheap and sell as cheap. However, with a lot of companies implementing a MAP policy (minimum advertised price), it levels the playing field. Plus, there are buying groups out there that “pool” retailers together and strengthen their buying power to the point the small shops are buying just as cheap as the “big box” stores and in a lot of cases, even cheaper.
Like I said before, if you want a BPS or Cabela’s t-shirt (that they’re making 80 points on) and you want to look at all of the taxidermy and fish tanks, those types of store are perfect. If you want all of your favor gear at the best possible price, “big box” is not the answer. Our state has some very reputable retailers and product manufacturers. Take advantage of it.
I will not buy a reel or rod anywhere but online, but that is because I enjoy paying 30% less than local stores. As for most terminal tackle I will usually pay more locally due to ease, HPT most of the time.
Just out of curiosity, how did you come up with the “30% less” mark when purchasing on line? That’s a serious question, not sarcasm.
For a lot of companies that sell fishing product on line, I’ve found that a lot of them sell for MSRP which tends to be higher than MAP and regular retail price. Then you have to add shipping costs. Plus if you have to deal with a return of defective products, it’s a lot easier to walk back into the store you purchased the product from as opposed to have to ship it back.
I’m more of a hands on shopper but I know that’s not the norm anymore.
Earn it everyday
If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.
Never shoot a large caliber man with a small caliber bullet.
Most companies offer free shipping, and hassle free shopping. You can order directly from japan for shimano for fraction of price here in us. Takes 1-2 weeks but cheaper with free shipping. I won’t post my sites because don’t want start a war with local retail, but feel free pm and send you in right direction.
30% more ? I recently bought 2 new Penn spinning reels at Haddrell’s Point for the lowest price I saw them selling for online.
No extra discount, just their advertised sale price.
My pleasure sir. I’ve been a customer since I moved here back in 1987. I still have the first 2 Penn reels I bought from Mike way back then. Except for a couple of ABU baitcasters, every reel I own was purchased and serviced at HPT. Thanks for the excellent service.
Don’t get me wrong, I definitely fall in the support local first category. Just saying that among the corporate stores I like Cabelas. Helps even more that HPT is 3 minutes from the house versus 30 to where these places are going in. But I do welcome the chance to handle 15+ different reels/reels/combos for each of my particular needs, all in one location. Makes comparing and narrowing down that much simpler. Then go buy from a local shop if they happen to carry the reel/rod/combo I decide on. But I’m not going to limit my purchase choices/decision to whatever models the particular local shop I’d prefer to buy from has on hand.
The main difference is regionalization. Store like BPS and Cabela’s will work off of a basic planogram when it comes to their product offering. The big box stores will never be able to tweak their product offerings to fit the specific market their stores are in. What you see in the Cabela’s in Wheeling, WVA you can pretty much be sure to find that same product in the one that’s supposed to open here. Pretty much holds true for all of the big box stores. BPS did do it somewhat right when they opened their World Wide Sportman stores. They’re much smaller and better-suited for the region they’re located in.
When you’re talking about outfitting as many stores as they have, it wouldn’t be feasible to warehouse the various SKUs needed to tweak each store to fit the market it’s in. With the selection offered between the shops in the Charleston/Mt Pleasant area, you’d be hard pressed to find a better selection. I’m not saying the local shops carry “more” product, but what good is “more” if it’s not the right product?
Earn it everyday
If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.
Never shoot a large caliber man with a small caliber bullet.
