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The other night in a rag-chewing session among
a bunch of us fly fishers, fly tyers, and hangers-on,
the subject of buying fly fishing gear came up and
branched into buying on the Internet, particularly
on e-Bay. Some were bragging about the lower than
list prices available that way, citing some of the
deals they made.
An objection was raised that these good deals and
the -Mart buys were taking business away from the
local fly tackle shops - an objection that was hooted
down by those concerned with getting the best price
without considering the ultimate price they're going
to pay.
Many of the PPTU members have always pumped their own
gas and can't remember the days when the pump-jockey
washed the windshield and checked the oil and the tires
while the gas was pumping - at no extra charge, all for
the price of the gas. All of this is history now - gone
because of gas shortages, higher overhead, and the "bargain"
prices. Gone too are the guys who would change windshield
wiper blades and fan belts for the price of the parts;
who could give you directions to almost any place within
a ten mile radius; who would tell you road conditions or
where the next motel was; who gave you a friendly smile
and a cheery greeting. And every once in a while, the
guy was a gal. (I know that you don't pump your own gas
in some states, but try getting any service from that
minimum wage slave who pumped your gas.)
Now, with a credit card, you don't have to come
face to face with a real person, and if you ask
directions or road conditions, you get a dazed
look and a "Huh?" If you want a light bulb,
wiper blade, or fan belt replaced, you're lucky
if you can by paying a hefty "service" charge,
even if you furnish the part, and you usually
have to. Often you have to get it done at a
dealer's garage - and then paying for overhead
charge and more.
Well, folks, while I'm not denying that the price
of rods, reels, lines, and everything else is too
high, it's not the local dealer who sets those prices,
when you buy that stuff on eBay or at -Mart, you're
denying that profit margin that keeps his shop in
business. The minute profit from flies and tippet
material and other small items won't pay the rent,
light bill, small salaries, insurance, and all the
ther expenses required to keep a shop open. And you
wonder why, when you bring in that line you got at
-Mart and want it loaded on the reel you got for 55%
of list on eBay, the guy behind the counter makes you
pay for the backing that was often free when you bought
the reel and line at the shop.
Try finding out what's working on Muddy Creek or when
the shad run will start on the river on eBay. Ask the
clerk at -Mart, if you can find one, to rig up that rod
and reel outfit you got for such a bargain. These and
all the other free services you used to get at the
local shop aren't available on-line or at -Mart.
As more people do their major item buying do so on
eBay and at -Mart, that friendly guy at the fly shop
is going to go the way of the pump-jock of recent
history. What are you going to do then?
Such a deal I got! ~ John Colburn
Such a Deal II
I didn't realize when I wrote that "Such a Deal I Got"
Last Word column in the January '03 issue that I was
being prophetic. Today I got a newsletter from Fly
Country Outfitters, the fly shop in Salem, OR, where
I worked before moving to the Soldiers' Home in Washington.
George Hadley, the owner and a good friend, wrote in part:
"Fly Country Outfitters is closing its retail store...February
25, 2003. Many of you have asked why...here are the reasons:
1. The sales have declined this last year due to the recession,
not too surprising.
2. The Big Box Warehouse [a discount warehouse] in
town has drawn off more of our customers than we
originally thought would happen. People just can't
resist the pull of those cheap flies and stuff.
Example: A friend of mine just had to buy a dozen
of those cheap flies and one of my very expensive
$1.95 flies. He called me after his fishing trip
to confirm my worth fear. The cheap flies lasted
about three casts and then fell apart and did not
produce a single fish but that very expensive $1.95
fly caught 13 fish. Go figure. Get this one: We
spent 1.5 hrs helping a "customer" understand what
he and his wife needed to begin their fly fishing
adventures. We said we would include a 1 hr casting
lesson with the purchase of a complete rod & reel outfit
from our store. [Probably a $165.00 value-Ed.] They
said they would think about it. The next day they
stopped by for their free casting lesson after they
had purchased their stuff at the Big Box Warehouse.
By the way they were mad at us for not giving them
a FREE Casting Lesson.
3. The Biggest Reason that really made us decide to
close was that The Orvis Company decided to break the
tradition of only putting their products in the Pro
Shops like ours. They decided to start putting their
products in G I Joe's in Portland, OR. [A chain of
general hook-and-bullet sporting goods stores in the
Northwest, usually selling below the suggested retail
price-Ed.] A BIG BOX store. It appears to me that
they [Orvis] want to sell a lot of stuff and really
don't care if YOU the Customer can ask questions of
the professional to find out if your purchase is correct
for you. Trial and error on your part means you will
have to spend more money to get the correct product OR
you can be very wise and purchase your fly fishing products
at a pro-shop that can advise [sic] you, assemble your
products and give you advise on where to use your products
safely. Skip the Big Box Stores and purchase your products
in the future at Pro-Shops. Think you really save money
at Big Box Stores? Think again when you need to know:
- 1. Where to go
- 2. What to use
- 3. How to use it
- 4. And what is the best equipment to do the job,
unless you like to throw away a lot of time and poor
equipment having a "good" time." [All emphasis above
is in the original except where noted.-Ed.]
[Editor's note: Fly Country Outfitters is/was a
full-service Orvis dealership. They had a contract with
Orvis that required that they sell only Orvis rods, reels,
waders, and other major items and at the Orvis catalog
price. In turn, Orvis gave them a slightly better break
on wholesale prices. For instance, FCO could not sell
Sage or Winston fly rods or Hardy or Scientific Angler
reels, Simms waders, or any product that directly competed
with Orvis. Incidentally, all these manufacturers or
suppliers require their products be sold at the suggested price.]
I guess the only thing I can say is "Such a deal the
flyfishers of Salem, OR, got."
John Colburn
FFF Mid-Atlantic Council
Copyright andcopy; 2002 John W. Colburn
[From The Conservationist; the newsletter of the
Potomac-Patuxent Chapter of Trout Unlimited,
Silver Spring, MD, thanks John!]
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