Cabelas is lame for being out of ice fishing gear alrady.

[bobber_down_1979]

Whoops....see next window )

[bobber_down_1979]

Hey, maybe it was "bobber_down"

Not I, but I did load up on some great discount lures. Just seems a bit early to be out of the essentials. The employee I was speaking with, emphaticly agreed. Not too much I need going forward, but I am a fish-a-holic, and you never know when I might get the urge to stimulate the econamy.

[LightningBG]

IMO it all comes down to dollars. Some math nerd somewhere figured it more profitable to run out early, than to sit on product through the summer months. Happens in lots of businesses. I tried buying a snowmobile trailer last summer and everyone said they wouldn't have any until at least September. I'm not sure I can blame the business, as its their primary objective to turn a profit, but it does suck if you lose something or if something breaks.

[desert_bulls]

Even in the last couple of years the the basic items they are $10 higher. They have a pretty sad selection for ice fishing in the first place.

[leech~~]

Hey, maybe it was "bobber_down"

Not I, but I did load up on some great discount lures. Just seems a bit early to be out of the essentials. The employee I was speaking with, emphaticly agreed. Not too much I need going forward, but I am a fish-a-holic, and you never know when I might get the urge to stimulate the econamy.

I hear ya, I've gone there three times with a X-mas gift card and just can't find anything worthwhile or that I need. I spent more on gas running out there three times than the darn card is worth!

[Duffman]

With gas prices continuing to rise, it makes more sense for me to just order things online. It costs me about $15 in gas to make a Cabelas run. Gander rarely has anything I need in stock, Fleet can be hit or miss, but I can do other non-outdoors gear shopping while I'm there.

"Richards" doesn't have a ton of fishing stuff, but at least they seem to restock items. I make a weekly Wendy's run for lunch and stop by Richards to see what they have on clearance, that's when that store can shine at times.

The lack of fishing gear on the shelves at all the stores during the last couple of years has been quite noticeable. So I'm ordering more and more online these days.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

This year seems to be worse than other for running out of ice fishing gear. I was in Fleet Farm & Gander in Lakeville 10 days ago looking for a couple fishing rods, and an assortment of ice fishing lures. Both were out of St Croix rods, and had only "clown colors" of the lures I was looking for. Instead of spending $200, I bought 1 off-brand rod and 2 lures for a total of about $35. The bean counters can put that in their pipe and smoke it.

[Northlander]

i've always and only stop at charlstroms for bait when i'm up there and have been for many years. nice people. good luck.

For sure and you get enough minnows to last ya a week.

[GotALunker]

Instead of spending $200, I bought 1 off-brand rod and 2 lures for a total of about $35. The bean counters can put that in their pipe and smoke it.

Awesome!

[TruthWalleyes]

I can't believe it takes at minimum 10 minutes to check out at cabelas...and why do they keep asking me for my phone number!

Bout the only reason i go there anymore is if i ran out of their chapstick!

[leech~~]

What is the rest of the name for this Richards place I have heard about?

[LightningBG]

What is the rest of the name for this Richards place I have heard about?

I'm not sure if you're kidding or not, but its Richards Sporting Goods. But most call Richard by his nickname.

[Duffman]

leech.....

The word filter prevents us from naming the actual store name. Think of nicknames for Richard....Richie, D____.

[Duffman]

6 seconds Lightning! Almost a simulpost!!

[leech~~]

leech.....

The word filter prevents us from naming the actual store name. Think of nicknames for Richard....Richie, D____.

Oh du! I know I had never heard of this new store!

[mr.z 1972]

I hear ya, I've gone there three times with a X-mas gift card and just can't find anything worthwhile or that I need. I spent more on gas running out there three times than the darn card is worth!

[Slabasaurus]

IMO it all comes down to dollars. Some math nerd somewhere figured it more profitable to run out early, than to sit on product through the summer months. Happens in lots of businesses. I tried buying a snowmobile trailer last summer and everyone said they wouldn't have any until at least September. I'm not sure I can blame the business, as its their primary objective to turn a profit, but it does suck if you lose something or if something breaks.

Some math nerd forgot to carry the one or something, if this nerd were truly worthy of nerd title, he'd figure out how to not run out of this stuff... it's very possible to keep lean inventory and still maintain availability, especially with the negotiating power the box stores have with the MFG's and suppliers.

Maybe the Supply Chain department at Cabs et al. were too busy fishing to perform statistically pertinent forecasts... Could be there are more people getting out this year, hence a spike in demand, which would result in shelf shortages for some time...

[amateurfishing]

I used to work WM sporting goods & we would be 90% out of ice fishing first week in Jan. Store managers worried bout $ would not order more cause to afraid get stuck with it. So much of bonuses is based on inventory and lack of loss that they are programmed to be a fraid to make a costly mistake and would rather not order more instead of making customer happy. We had regional VP's come in and theyheard 3 customers complain were on the phone & had 2 pallets the next day of ice stuff. Regional mgrs and store mgrs work different thoughts patterns, store mgrs more concerned bout waste and excess inventory & programmed not to order extra, but i suppose this is case with most of any seasonal merchandise.

[leech~~]

Leech~

I would like to do you a favor. The gift card that you have seems to be giving you much grief. I would be will to take that grief over for you and relieve you of the stress and sleepless nights it must be causing. Send me a PM and I will let you know where you can mail the card to. No need to thank me. I am just a man trying to make another mans life easier.

Thanks for the offer but I'm sure I will find an open water lure or two sometime I need now that all the ice fishing stuff is gone!

[IL Res]

That's the problem. Times have changed. The "universal business model" that these stores employ is keep inventory levels as low as possible. They are run by accountants.

Real entrepeneur's understand that a store has to have a quantity of inventory to generate traffic in the store. If you know chances are low that a given store won't have what you want, you'll never visit it.

How many people out there have overspent and bought items at a store, that they originally did not intend to buy, because 1.] it was on sale/ good deal 2.] hard to find, but in stock? I know I have.

Personally, I never visit Cabelas or Bass Pro because I know from my own past experiences that chances are good they won't have what I'm looking for. If they do have it, then I paid too much.

[Slabasaurus]

That's the problem. Times have changed. The "universal business model" that these stores employ is keep inventory levels as low as possible. They are run by accountants.

Supply Chain Solutions are certainly not accounting principles!! I am not the savviest accountant but am quite capable of maintaining lean inventory while demonstrating high availability rates.

meaning, while I might not have an excess of everything, everything i say i will stock, i in fact have in stock.

Then again, wholesale and retail forecasting are very different beasts indeed.

But supply chain is lumped in engineering programs at schools now, not in accounting.

[OnAFly]

I for one, love Cabela's. Their sales on fishing/hunting stuff can be very good. I don't go there for very obscure things, but for general stuff, it's a great place to go.

No one can carry everything that everyone wants all the time. If someone did that, they wouldn't be around long. Any real entrepreneur can tell you that.

[Fish Head]

I was at the Fleet Farm in Lakeville last week... Nothing but cheap fishing rods. No St Croix, almost no Frabil. Anything I would be interested in was gone.

I hope next year with a stronger economy, the stores stock up a little better.

[LightningBG]

Supply Chain Solutions are certainly not accounting principles!! I am not the savviest accountant but am quite capable of maintaining lean inventory while demonstrating high availability rates.

meaning, while I might not have an excess of everything, everything i say i will stock, i in fact have in stock.

When did they ever say they would stock anything?

Then again, wholesale and retail forecasting are very different beasts indeed.

Keep in mind, in a lot of businesses, its not always the retailer that is making the decision on when products are going run out. Manufacturers are trying to stay lean too. Back in Nov I ordered something for my business. Normally takes 3 weeks to get (the last 100 times I've ordered), but this time it took 9 weeks. I just got it today. I'm not real happy, but that's business.

Maybe its a 4 month turn around to buy a St. Croix pole (order to receipt) So they have to pick their number and live with it way back in September.

But supply chain is lumped in engineering programs at schools now, not in accounting.

News to me. My alma mater still has it in the business school.

Carlson's Operations and Management Science faculty research covers a broad range of topics, including strategic management of operations, quality management, technology management, service operations, supply chain management, simulation, and statistical quality control.

[Slabasaurus]

yeah, a backlog can happen anywhere in the pipeline, that's for sure.

I know a lot of schools that are SC Specialists are moving their programs to engineering. Thse same schools also have algorithms/optimization, operations, statistics, and industrial engineering in the engineering program. My alma mater doesn't even have a SC program... or ops program... but if it did I am sure it'd still be in management.

If there is a place for it on the shelf in the store, i assume that means it's an item they intend to stock. Catalog/Internet sales would be a bit different, as they offer the entire catalog there, not select items that definitely vary by location.

Backorder and backlog situations will come up on occasion, and lead times may be variable to some degree, but it sounds like (and I've experienced) a lot of the big retailers are having more trouble than would be indicative of "one off misses."