Save Money, Save Gas, Check Stock FIRST!

[Bamboozle]

First the disclaimer:

This isn't intended as a bash against Cabela's or big box stores but rather a bash against a stupid policy change and a heads up to you folks that have a brick & mortar version of your favorite on-line retailer close by.

Yea I know, I know, some of you only shop at Freddy's Feel Good Fly Shop, Babysitting Service & Dog Playground but many of us don't have a local fly shop and even if we did they don't sell the stuff I typically buy at Cabela's.

Now for the story...

I recently had a rude awaking at my local Cabela's a few weeks ago when I needed to order something that was out of stock. In the "'old" days when was gas was cheap, I didn't hesitate to make the 30 mile drive to Cabela's to browse and shop knowing that if an item I was after was out of stock; they would ship to my house with no freight charges.

That makes sense to me and is an extremely fair way to handle a situation that really is out of the control of the retailer but none the less kinda what I would do if it was my store, it was a destination for many with the next closest store a state away and I knew customers expected it.

Fast forward to the NEW Free In-Store Delivery policy at Cabela's where you can order something from home from the catalog and have it delivered FOR FREE to any Cabela's store for pick-up. A fantastic service and a great idea if you live close enough to a store to make it worth it.

BUT, now if you happen to be shopping at the same store on the day you pick up your order and see something else that you want but they don't have the fuchsia XXXXXXXL size in stock that you were after...

...yup, you guessed it, now you HAVE to pay freight to get it sent to your house.

I don't know if the other guys have this same policy but I seem to recall L.L. Bean offering free freight to me in the same situation and I can walk to their PA location.

I realize that freight costs a retailer like Cabela's a ton of money and the old policy was extremely nice since it allowed me to make the 60 mile round trip and not feel that the drive was a total waste of time if they didn't have the item I was after.

The story does have a happy ending because when the associate realized I was unhappy she had a manager waive the freight charges.

So if you were unaware of this change and are headed to the store to browse for a particular item and want to save yourself some frustration, time, gas and a few bucks...

...call the store FIRST before hopping in the Honda and have them HOLD the item for you and make sure they check stock on the shelf; NOT just the computer. I have been burned a few times by associates who are too lazy to walk and check.

Happy shopping!

[nighthawk]

Hey bamboozle,
That is screwy. Did you contact the main office about it? There may be a bug-a-boo in the system that they are unaware of or perhaps they didn't realize the potential negative impact of this policy on their business.

Anyhow, sounds like the folks at the Hamburg store came through again. That staff is pretty darned good and I have always been treated very well there.

Thanks for the sound advice about calling ahead for some items. I had seen an item in the catalog that I wanted and was all set to head out to the store to get it. I decided to call the store first to see if the item was in stock. The associate I talked too told me he was glad I called because they didn't carry that item in the stores, mail order only.

[Bamboozle]

Hey bamboozle,
That is screwy. Did you contact the main office about it? There may be a bug-a-boo in the system that they are unaware of or perhaps they didn't realize the potential negative impact of this policy on their business.

Yea I actually sent a very long and polite e-mail letter to their customer service "store experience" survey mailbox and never heard a thing back which surprised me. I think I may send the same e-mail to the main contact e-mail address because I have a feeling if the surveys are like those I'm used to; they go to the store manager who won't respond because the attitude is: "that's a corporate policy and there's nothing I can do about it".

The bad news for Cabela's is they will lose a LOT of impulse sales from me because my days of driving out there on a whim to look for something specific are over. With $4 a gallon gas it's cheaper to pay shipping and just order everything from the catalog.