With all of the great local shops in the area, why would anyone want a “big box” sporting goods store? None of those big box stores are going to have their fingers on the pulse of the local hunting and fishing patterns/trends. Sure, the associates working in them MIGHT but they’re not the ones ordering the product for the stores. People sitting behind computers in Nebraska (Cabela’s), Missouri (Bass Pro), Texas (Academy) or Pennsylvania (Dick’s) are the ones placing the orders. Plus, the local shops will have more flexibility when it comes to varying their product offerings to keep up with local patterns/trends. The staff working in the big box stores have to sell what the corporate buyers send them. Big box stores don’t always equate to better selections and better pricing. There are several “buying groups” out there that smaller local retailers can be a part of that give them just as much buying power as the big box national chains, and in some cases, gives them more buying power. That equates to more competitive for the consumer. With stores like Academy and Dick’s, there’s a reason those stores stock more athletic sports gear than hunting and fishing gear. Hunting and fishing gear, as a whole, doesn’t have the margins that apparel and the athletic gear does so those stores would rather sell you a pair of running shoes or workout clothing than a basket full of fishing lures or a new firearm because they don’t make as much money on the lures and firearms. Sure, as soon as those big box stores come to town, their the “new shiny toy” but that “shine” wears off soon after people realize the hype was just that, hype.
Support your local shops. While they may not offer as much square footage and as many skus, the square footage and skus they do offer are going to be more inline with local patterns/trends and the staffs are going to be more in-tune with those same patterns/trends.
No matter how much it hurts, how dark it gets, or how far you fall…you are never out of the fight.