Just read where Cabelas had sales last year of 530 MILLION dollars! Wonder how much of that was in rod blank and component sales. WOW! I knew they were popular but,

I wonder how Bass Pro did? They are the Cabelas of the south even though they don't sell rod building componets. I don't think they want to mess w/ their own brand of rod sales!

Snooker Pete

WOW!!!

What's the point?

What has this got to do with building custom rods? I don't consider either of these outfits to be a competitor. Why not? Because someone looking for a rod or kit from either of these places is not the kind of customer we expect to be successful with in our shop. Why not? Because as soon as someone says "I can get a rod like that from Cabelas/BassPro for $XXX".my answer is exactly the same as someone who substitutes "Wal Mart" in that sentence - "then go buy it there and catch fish and be happy". And the conversation is over. We have learned the hard way that people who come to us for a custom rod and say that, actually want us to build them a custom rod "just like the XXXX model I saw in (Wal Mart, Cabelas, or Bass Pro), but actually, for a cheaper price. Since we build Calico Creek Rods, not "XXX-brand" rods, there's no point is continuing the discussion. Same as if someone says "I want a rod just like the XXX-brand my buddy has". Then go buy one. We're not in the business of copying or reproducing someone else's rods, especially for something less than the off-the-shelf price.

Cabelas sells kits and components. Their blank prices are decent, their kit prices also, but their component prices are outrageous compared to any sponsor on the left. More importantly, several years ago they decided to make their shipping area into a profit center and their shipping costs for even the littlest order are beyond stupid.

Bass Pro sells rods - not components or kits. Their shipping costs are better than Cabelas by a wide margin but if you are going to buy a whole rod, then I repeat my original question - what's the point?

Both of these companies have built incredible businesses and part of what has got them to where they are is their customer service, especially for returns - literally, no questions asked, and in some cases, you don't even pay the return shipping (although they will hardly ever refund your original - and in the case of Cabelas, exhorbitant - shipping. That's something we could all learn from. Given the range of products they sell, including ATV's and boat/motor/trailer packages, of course their numbers will be pretty good. Good on 'em for that.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

Russ -

Seen you post similar comments like that before. I have to say I really appreciate that perspective.

As a newer builder, and newer to selling custom rods, it's easy to fall into the "I can match that trap". Luckily I read a post you wrote on that a while back and avoided that pitfall. I was a little hesitant to say it at first, but totally agreed so not hard to say to a customer wanting to buy something.

What I got in return shocked me...

Customer said ok and that was the end of the discussion. Got a call about a week later from the same guy. Basically he said he appreciated my honesty and that even if it wouldn't match exactly what he was wanting he felt better spending his money on my rods and maybe he might even come out with something better. Pretty much worked out that way.

Thanks for the insight.

Russ,
You seem to have gotten much more from the 3 sentences than I did. It was an admittedly off topic note on Cabela's overall business. The point seemed to be WOW, Cabela's sales a bunch of stuff.

Just to clarify, in my experience, Cabela's will do a store delivery for any item you order online for free. You then pay sales tax, but no delivery charges. I do this about once a month and have never paid shipping.

Robert

I couldn't say how much in total dollar sales Cabelas does in components, but I do know in talking to Jim Cabela, that each and every year they will sell blanks and/or components to roughly 48,000 - 50,000 customers who had not previously bought rod building supplies from them previously. Cabelas probably puts supplies into the hands of more new rod builders than anyone else, with the possible exception of Mud Hole who gains ground in that category every year.

Even then I'd doubt that rod building supplies make up more than a few percentage points of their overall sales. But obviously they do well enough with it to keep publishing their Tackle Craft catalog.

................

I went to the Cabela's retail store in Hamburg, PA, which I believe is the biggest, in terms of square footage, in the country. What struck me is that while there is a lot of outdoor stuff there (hunting, fishing, etc.), the floor space was overwhelmingly devoted to apparel. There evidently are a lot of guys out there buying camo Underoos.

I have no data or information whatsoever to back this up, but I would be willing to wager that apparel and shoes make up a huge majority of Cabela's annual sales. My guess would be that it's at least 70% or 80%. Yes, they have tents, guns, and fishing rods and reels, but the stuff that seems to move out the door the most is clothes, shoes and boots.

You may be right - the same is true of Orvis.

...........

Chris,
Don't forget thay have those camo underoos with some sort of charcoal that mask your scent. I've given those some thought and I don't even hunt. :)

Robert



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2008 10:36AM by Robert Russell.

Too true about the cloths. Every fall when I get my new Cabelas catalog I play the what page does the camo clothing end game, it is always well past 100. They also do lots of corporate clothing deals. At work we wear shirts with BorgWarner embroidered on them, and most of the ones that we can choose, especially the tall’s like I wear are from Cabelas

On those Charcol Underoo's how much scent will they mask?..........I had mexican last night and even the dog is in the other room....lol Russ it is nice to hear someone esle with the "Then buy it there attitude" I have said that for a while now. I build rods in my spare time and have no problem staying busy. Let them buy a rod at one of the chain stores every year.I have been fishing some of my favorite rods for close to 10 years now and one of them is the second rod I ever built. I just can't leave that one at home.........:) A well constructed, well cared for custom rod will last for years is what I tell everyone.

I wasn't really commenting on their rod sales, I just found it hard to believe that they do over a HALF BILLION dollars in business each year. WOW! And I'm sure they are in the black doing it.

Also, I got that info out of the Fishing Tackle Retailer magazine that a local tackle dealer had lying on his counter. I found something else too, a letter to their editor from Tom which really puts the whole tackle and rod building industry's futures into perspective. If you have a local tackle dealer they probably get the magazine. Ask them and read that letter. It explains a lot about the future of fishing and rod building if more us don't get involved at a grass roots level.

I meant no harm nor foul. I was just using it to comment on them /vs/ us and how that creeps in to some customer visits.

Alex, I've had exactly the same experience. Funny how that works out. I never meant that you have to be mean when you say it, it's more like the "no, we don't carry that" reply you often get in a store.

BTW, I don't live within 500 miles of a Cabelas and the nearest Bass Pro is Myrtle Beach, which is a minimum of 2-1/2hrs away. That's why the shipping cost issue is an issue.

There was a time when all I had were the Clemens and Cabelas catalogs. Little did I know - - -

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

It's kinda like the lifetime warranties we've all come to expect from blank manufacturers. They just build the replacement cost into the price. So blanks are way more expensive than they really need to be...
Cabela's provides awesome, exceptional customer service. They will replace the item or credit your next purchase on just about everything they sell. That level of service is built into the price that they charge.

Sometime back in the early 80's,I cant remember the exact year,I was looking at a cabelas catalog and saw they had rod making kits for sale!I never thought about building a rod before and thought that it would be cool to catch fish on a rod I built myself.So I purchased one of their kits, i loved it.I was hooked,soon i was building rods for friends and family at cost,many were gifts.I found other suppliers as my interest grew like clemens custom tackle and netcraft and others.My point is, how many other people did the same thing?I would wager that there are quite a few.In that respect I'm sure that cabelas has had a positive impact on the rod building industry.Just my 2 cents.

I did the exact same thing after needing to locate a new tiptop for a broken one. Cabelas has likely put more people into the craft than all other endeavors combined.

.............