Thanks Gander...

[fsnrod]

Ganders policy must be to not open checkout stations every one I've been in the last few years is like that ten people waiting one person working in customer service.

[Rexx]

NOT bitter-left for a better job. But then any job was better that job. Unless you work for or have worked for ff you don't know what a pit it is-warehouse is a rat trap and the employees bathroom -OMG.

[Knoc]

The gander in St.Cloud is awesome and has everything in stock. Why? Because noone ever goes in there. Whenever Im in there, Im usually the only one. NO CLUE how that place stays open.

[20lbSloughShark]

I also think that about the st. cloud gander. It seems to get most of its business closer to closing time. I've been the only one in there at noon, but at around 6pm (when I normally go) there have been about 10 other cars there.

[Comit 2]

I used to get all my fishing gear at Gander.

You never know where anything is because they are always moving it to different spots. If they sell out they don't restock, they just remove the hook and move everything in closer. By mid-summer everything is pretty much picked over and no restock until next season.

I can see why the employees would be so grumpy. As soon as you get done moving everything you have to start moving everything. I know I wouldn't work there.

It's now a shoe store, isn't it.

[20lbSloughShark]

On a side note, anyone try the "Mystery Tackle Box" that you see adds for everywhere now?

[slammer]

I shop the Fargo GM as its the closest to me. Only go there if something is on sale that I want. Scheels has a good selection and hard to find items. Prices can be higher but I'll pay more for quality products.

[Hawg]

Scheels is the only store on earth more expensive than Cabela's IMHO. Private label Chineese junk is just that, no matter who's bouteeqe it comes from. It is clean though.

[20lbSloughShark]

Scheels has its place, I just don't go there for fishing. For those who care, the one in St. Cloud is very good about keeping gun powder in stock. If you reload, you realize how hard it can be to find the one you want right now.

[mainbutter]

Retail being squeezed on payroll? NEVER!!

[Dooley87]

I was very disappointed to see sportsmans warehouse in St. Cloud go, they had everything you could ever want, I am very dissatisfied with gander, in my opinion they don't have a very large selection on anything, their prices are always high unless they have something on sale, customer service is very poor, one time a friend wanted to purchase an automatic clay pigeon thrower, gander was $50 more then FF, my friend asked if they could match the price, the employee went and talked to his manager and they said they could match the price if he bought a $60 warranty with it, when my friend said he didn't want a warranty the employee said it will break so you want the warranty, then my buddy said so your selling a s****y product? Employee didn't have anything to say but we had a good chuckle, also since they took all their mounts out of their stores it shows they don't care about the customers who hunt and fish at all, I'll shop at FF every time first before I step foot in a gander.

[Muskeye]

I used to go to sportsmans warehouse in Coon Rapids when I lived in the cities, was a good store. Sad that it got closed. Now my only option for a lot of stuff is gander...I usually order online elsewhere.

[delcecchi]

Well it will be interesting. Scheels is in process of building a shiny new 140,000 square foot store at Apache Mall in Rochester. At least I will have some place to hang out besides barnes and noble while waiting for my wife.

[Twins Guy]

Nice of them to price match for the original poster but I am done with Gander. The kiosk setup where you can't find anything drives me nuts. The final straw was when I asked for help finding panfish tube jig heads and two employees told me they were not a regularly restocked item. Also struck out looking for a pedestal seat base for my boat.

[20lbSloughShark]

The good thing about the sportsmens wearhouse leaving St. Cloud is I found hundreds of slugs for reloading that time. I think they were marked like $1 for 25. I bought like 500 that time, and just finished shooting them up last year.

[mrklean]

Well it will be interesting. Scheels is in process of building a shiny new 140,000 square foot store at Apache Mall in Rochester. At least I will have some place to hang out besides barnes and noble while waiting for my wife.

Would love to see a Scheels in the metro always been a fan

[h8go4s]

"Would love to see a Scheels in the metro always been a fan"

There is one, in the Eden Prairie mall. Nothing but clothes.

[GIANT1]

I was probably in a gander 10 years ago, but I don't remember it well enough to compare to now.

wernt you about 9 or 10 years old 10 years ago ????

[20lbSloughShark]

Yes, but I don't remember it that well. Back then weekend trip were to the sportsmen's warehouse.

[10,000 Casts]

I worked at a Gander while I was in College 10 years ago. What happened is they grew to fast and started building 120k sq ft stores and got away from local outfitting and started following the low price guarantee and their priority is margin. Their distribution seemed screwed up when I was there but I here it's better now. After I left I hear that they brought in some new management that didn't go so well..

Whether you like them or not just be happy we have choices. Gander, FF, Scheels, Cabelas, TB, Reeds, Joes, Scheels are all great stores and I'll gladly shop in all of them.

[20lbSloughShark]

Whether you like them or not just be happy we have choices. Gander, FF, Scheels, Cabelas, TB, Reeds, Joes, Scheels are all great stores and I'll gladly shop in all of them.

This is exactly how I feel. I'm not a huge gander fan, I just like the place. I like choices. I get some things at gander, some at scheels, lots at fleet farm, once in a while cabelas, etc. I absolutely hate when multiple stores are replaced with a "one stop shop." All you get is a huge store full of garbage. The best example is Walmart. I get that its all about profit, but do I really need to be able to get oil and groceries at the same place? I would much rather drive to multiple stores and get a better selection/quality.

[srfishin15]

We'll price match anything that's local. We can't price match online-only deals, and we're supposed to only match the price if the item is in stock at wherever it is that we're matching. Those are our official policies.

Anyone who thinks our stores focus on fly-fishing gear really must not have visited them recently. I work the EP store, but when I was back at Lakeville it was the same, our fly shops get less inventory year after year, to the point where we barely have anything past getting someone started with some basic gear.

As far as making room for brands like North Face while downsizing our camo selection, or clearing out half of the camping department so we have more room for patio chairs - we know. But corporate doesn't listen to us, no matter how many times I beg for high end St. Croix rods, or the new Shimano Curados.

Honestly the best way to change things would be to leave feedback. Either via phone, email, or by our feedback form on the HSOforum. I know it's more work on your part, and the changes won't be immediate, but that's about all I can tell you guys at this point. They do actually pay attention to feedback, and hopefully enough of it will get some policy changes going on our inventory.

As far as customer service goes, I'll admit that we have associates who don't go the extra mile, and don't always put the customer first. Having said that, do any of you work at a place where every single employee is always 100% on the ball? Every place out there is going to have some bad apples, that's just how humans work. Also, if you see a few of us standing around and BSing, please be a little understanding. We might actually be doing something work-related. Downtime is about the only time we have to share techniques, tips, information, and experience. If I'm teaching the new guy the finer points of the Lowrance HDS systems, I might forget to say hello to you. I'm not snubbing you, I'm just not perfect. Please feel free to interrupt with your question. On the other hand, if it's six hours into my shift and it's completely dead in the store, yeah, I'm gonna get bored and probably chat with a friend or two. Again, I don't think there's a person alive who spends their entire work day actually working. Having said that, I challenge anyone to hit up the Eden Prairie fishing department and not leave satisfied. Now when I say that, I don't mean about prices, inventory, or policies. That's stuff that us part-time hourly guys have no control over. But as far as doing everything we can to try and help you, that's gonna happen every single time.

Couldn't have said it better, same from the fishing department at the St. Cloud store. We work with what we have in the store and on our HSOforum, and most of us know what we're talking about. We do our best with what we've got. Stop in and chat with us and I bet you'd be coming back.

[20lbSloughShark]

If someone is looking for a rod, show them the gander store brand rod. That is my #1 reason for going to the store. Best rod for the money IMO.

[DLD24]

I buy a lot of stuff from Gander, but it's all on sale (I check online to make sure its actually a sale price)...Other than that its all Marine General in Duluth family owned and great folks... And its 3 blocks away haha

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

If someone is looking for a rod, show them the gander store brand rod. That is my #1 reason for going to the store. Best rod for the money IMO.

Which ones and why do you like them?