Dicks and Gander Mountain compared.

keithdog · 10-16-06, 06:31 PM

I just returned from a trip to Dicks Sporting Goods for the first time. Our area didn't have much in the way of a store for fishing supplies, untill Gander Mountain opened about 10 years ago. However, just recently we had a new Dicks store open just a stones throw from Gander Mountain. After comparing the two I found some interresting comparisons with both stores fishing departments. While Gander Mountain had by far the larger of the two fishing departments, I did notice that Dicks had a selection of quality tackle, at better prices than Gander Mountain. It was as though Dicks left out the crap, and instead, chose to sell the more sought after items. Walking around Dicks, I quickly became aware of the fact that Dicks was much more reasonably priced. The chatterbaits were a dollar cheeper. A package of off set Gamagatsu worm hooks was roughly 30% cheeper at Dicks. On down the line, everything appeared to be cheeper. I had just left Gander before going to Dicks and was very suprised to see the differences in pricing. Plus, while I had been looking for items all year at Gander that were never available, Dicks had them. I'm sure that with Dicks having just opened, one would expect them to be up on their stock compared to Gander who has been selling all year. However, what I saw in Gander today was basically the same things I saw all year. And one gripe I have about Gander is they don't seem to keep up on there stock. I'm always going there to purchase items only to leave empty handed. Repeated trips durring the year result in the same pegs being empty over and over again. While there are definately items I would go to Gander for, I am glad to see Dicks open. I think I'll be spending more at Dicks than at Gander, and saving $ at the same time. Oh, and by the way. In the next year, we are also going to have a Bass Pro Shops and Cabella's open in our area too.

Lets see what that kind of competition does for Ganders prices, LOL. One last thing, I FIANLLY was able to buy a chatterbait today at Dicks. No one in our area has had them untill now, including Gander or WallMart.

ToPwAt'R GuY · 10-16-06, 06:59 PM

Good luck with the chatterbait. I havent had much luck with them.

lizardsrule · 10-16-06, 08:18 PM

I think a lot of that has to do with the store managers, and their work. If they want to keep the fishing dept. up to snuff, they have to keep up with it. It may be the manager isn't doing a good job, or they don't consider their fishing dept. to be the most important in sales, so give it the least amount of consideration? I have found diferent Gander's, and different Dick's are exactly that different. I use both, but Dick's usually has the plastics I'm looking for, so I go there. Neither carry a lot of the stuff I like, so I order online more. At least you have some competition now. Dick's bought out Galyan's a couple of years ago, and their quality of equipment, and selection went way down from what I always expected when I went in the door at Galyan's. Oh well there's always online to use.

Lizards

skeeter944 · 10-17-06, 10:58 AM

we have a dicks in columbia ,a sports authority and academy are both in augusta georgia. oh,we also have a sportsman link that has lots of good stuff like g loomis rods and expensive shimanos and quantum reels that i can drool on! i go to sports authority and dicks for my hardbaits,wally world for terminal tackle and soft plastics,sportsmans link for soft plastics and sales,and i havent been to academy yet.

JB · 10-17-06, 01:22 PM

I'm sure in the long run dicks will give gander some stiff competition

FlyRod · 10-17-06, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JB

I'm sure in the long run dicks will give gander some stiff competition

Mods! He said "long", "stiff", and "short for Richard"

! All in the same sentence!
I demand action

(Lotsa hot 'n heavy action!) be taken immediately

!!!

The Reverend Fly R. Odd
Outraged in San Antonio.

JB · 10-17-06, 01:37 PM

geesh flyguy,
ya'd never guess I am amish would ya

FlyRod · 10-17-06, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JB

geesh flyguy,
ya'd never guess I am amish would ya

No! Wow! You see, I thought all Amish used capital letters where appropriate.
Are you certain that you don't mean "aimless"

.
(Now Ol' FR goes out on a limb on the slim chance he isn't being jerked about...)
If, in fact, you are Amish, please know that I've come to realize that I'll be grieving until my dying day for the tragedy that befell your gentle people at the little schoolhouse. When will the madness and cruelty ever end?

F.Rod

flfireman · 10-17-06, 05:27 PM

You have a Dick's, Gander Mt, Cabellas, and a future pro shop. Quit itchin, I would kill to have all those. BPS, I love. Do fall short now and then. Dick's- so-so, being in Cent. Fl you would think the fishing section would be top notch. New Gander, have not made my way to lake mary yet to see her. Bait monkey has been yanking some strings, "Got to go, got to go".

zooker · 10-17-06, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyRod

The Reverend Fly R. "ODD"

you certainly wrote that right..

you heard about the train wrecking in san ann ?? the cops are looking for and "elder grand paw walton looking person. who was last seen wearng a oklahoma uni hat. and in the company of a large busted burnette..

so grand pappy farter what have you to say in your defense?? hmmm??

zooker

FlyRod · 10-17-06, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zooker

you certainly wrote that right..

you heard about the train wrecking in san ann ?? the cops are looking for and "elder grand paw walton looking person. who was last seen wearng a oklahoma uni hat. and in the company of a large busted burnette..

so grand pappy farter what have you to say in your defense?? hmmm??

zooker

Well,if I'm wearing an OU hat and have a buxom brunette on my arm/face/whatever then WHAT do I need to defend?
BTW, Zooksquatch, when are you coming to visit? Reb has been redoing his guest cage, with the help of an interior decorator from Primarily Primates, of course.
Unfortunately, I'll be out of town at that time, but you can count on Reb to show you a good time.

Have a good evening, buddy! Sorry I missed your call the other day.
Busy man am I.

FR

adamgambill · 10-18-06, 11:38 AM

YOU S.A. Fellas,
Have anything good to say about that Cabelas in Buda, been thinking hard about making a road trip.

FlyRod · 10-18-06, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adamgambill

YOU S.A. Fellas,
Have anything good to say about that Cabelas in Buda, been thinking hard about making a road trip.

It is what it is...an outdoor super-store. Nice enough, and folks that work there seem very friendly and willing to go out of their way to help.
Food court passable.
Best feature: Buda is sandwiched between Texas State U. to the south and the Texiz WrongWhorns to the north. Therefore, Cabela's in Buda (dunno what happened to Pest) is a babewatcher's paradise.

Been there, bought there, ogled the ladies there.

FR

Rebbasser · 10-18-06, 01:40 PM

I concur with my tailgunner-Cabelas is worth stopping at. Today, however, the San Antonio Bass Pro Shops opens it's doors. Guess where I'm NOT going to be? I'll wait a week or so before I venture in there-don't want to fight the crowds.

adamgambill · 10-20-06, 01:35 PM

True Reb. The Katy Mills took almost a month to clear out. I aint sure what it is but I like cabelas better from going to the one in Ft. Worth and the BPS in Grapevine-(got to love Rita, heck of a vacation.) I just dont like the BPS branded stuff much and they tend to overdo it a bit. Eg " Where are your g-loomis rods" "sir the BPS extreme killer two tone IM17 super long cast with the power hump handle is better than a G-loomis rod" Do these guys get a spiff if they sell BPS stuff?

TackleTester · 10-20-06, 03:45 PM

keithdog, Gander matches the price of any local competitor.....so anything from the Gammy's to the chatterbaits can be matched as long as you mention it to the checkout person.

FlyRod · 10-20-06, 06:33 PM

I went to the new San Antonio BPS this morning. NO problem getting in and, except for checkout staff that seemed to be in a coma, no probs at all.
I would not have gone at all save for the fact that a good friend (and bassin' pal) has recently had surgery for prostate cancer and can't get around well as yet. He wanted 16 gallons of the Merc Q'silver O'board Oil (7.88, reg 23.88) so off I went.
They had a limit of 8 gallons per customer, so I took along a different cap, different shirt, etc, so I could buy the first 8 gallons, load it, wait a while, change appearance, and re-enter for the second batch. Turns out I didn't need to do that. I just bought and loaded the first batch, then went back and bought the second...Intrigue! Suspense! Sneaky stuff!
I also bought some soft plastics, a few of the Enticer jigs, and some of the Rat'l Traps on sale for .99 ea.
I didn't wander around, gawking like a hillbilly, just did my thing and boogied.
I DID see the new Nitro Z-9 and picked up a poop sheet on it for a friend.
Mebbe some day I'll wander back and see the touristy stuff and check out the eats. Frankly, there were a few items I wanted, and expected them to have, which they did NOT have. In fact, both Acadummy and Sportsman's W'house have a MUCH better selection of worm hooks, as an example.
The staff was super-friendly, the girls semi-cute, and it was an OK experience.
End of report.

FR

10-16-06, 06:31 PM	#1
keithdog BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: IN Posts: 8,308	Dicks and Gander Mountain compared. I just returned from a trip to Dicks Sporting Goods for the first time. Our area didn't have much in the way of a store for fishing supplies, untill Gander Mountain opened about 10 years ago. However, just recently we had a new Dicks store open just a stones throw from Gander Mountain. After comparing the two I found some interresting comparisons with both stores fishing departments. While Gander Mountain had by far the larger of the two fishing departments, I did notice that Dicks had a selection of quality tackle, at better prices than Gander Mountain. It was as though Dicks left out the crap, and instead, chose to sell the more sought after items. Walking around Dicks, I quickly became aware of the fact that Dicks was much more reasonably priced. The chatterbaits were a dollar cheeper. A package of off set Gamagatsu worm hooks was roughly 30% cheeper at Dicks. On down the line, everything appeared to be cheeper. I had just left Gander before going to Dicks and was very suprised to see the differences in pricing. Plus, while I had been looking for items all year at Gander that were never available, Dicks had them. I'm sure that with Dicks having just opened, one would expect them to be up on their stock compared to Gander who has been selling all year. However, what I saw in Gander today was basically the same things I saw all year. And one gripe I have about Gander is they don't seem to keep up on there stock. I'm always going there to purchase items only to leave empty handed. Repeated trips durring the year result in the same pegs being empty over and over again. While there are definately items I would go to Gander for, I am glad to see Dicks open. I think I'll be spending more at Dicks than at Gander, and saving $ at the same time. Oh, and by the way. In the next year, we are also going to have a Bass Pro Shops and Cabella's open in our area too. Lets see what that kind of competition does for Ganders prices, LOL. One last thing, I FIANLLY was able to buy a chatterbait today at Dicks. No one in our area has had them untill now, including Gander or WallMart. Last edited by keithdog; 10-16-06 at 06:36 PM.

10-16-06, 08:18 PM	#3
lizardsrule BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Saint Augustine, FL Posts: 7,374	I think a lot of that has to do with the store managers, and their work. If they want to keep the fishing dept. up to snuff, they have to keep up with it. It may be the manager isn't doing a good job, or they don't consider their fishing dept. to be the most important in sales, so give it the least amount of consideration? I have found diferent Gander's, and different Dick's are exactly that different. I use both, but Dick's usually has the plastics I'm looking for, so I go there. Neither carry a lot of the stuff I like, so I order online more. At least you have some competition now. Dick's bought out Galyan's a couple of years ago, and their quality of equipment, and selection went way down from what I always expected when I went in the door at Galyan's. Oh well there's always online to use. Lizards __________________ There are three types of Snakes I hate 1. Live Snakes 2. Dead Snakes 3. Sticks that look like Snakes. And Gators too!

10-17-06, 05:27 PM	#9
flfireman BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Palm Bay, Fl Posts: 2,751	You have a Dick's, Gander Mt, Cabellas, and a future pro shop. Quit itchin, I would kill to have all those. BPS, I love. Do fall short now and then. Dick's- so-so, being in Cent. Fl you would think the fishing section would be top notch. New Gander, have not made my way to lake mary yet to see her. Bait monkey has been yanking some strings, "Got to go, got to go". __________________ In the Lord all things are possible.

10-18-06, 11:38 AM	#12
adamgambill BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: West Columbia, TX Posts: 375	YOU S.A. Fellas, Have anything good to say about that Cabelas in Buda, been thinking hard about making a road trip. __________________ Anyone who has a problem with getting a truck dirty shoul trade for a Volkswagon and a pair of panties.

10-18-06, 01:40 PM	#14
Rebbasser BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 10,141	I concur with my tailgunner-Cabelas is worth stopping at. Today, however, the San Antonio Bass Pro Shops opens it's doors. Guess where I'm NOT going to be? I'll wait a week or so before I venture in there-don't want to fight the crowds. __________________ It's happened to the best of them: John 21:3

10-16-06, 06:59 PM	#2
ToPwAt'R GuY BassFishin.Com Veteran Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: missouri Posts: 930	Good luck with the chatterbait. I havent had much luck with them.

10-17-06, 10:58 AM	#4
skeeter944 BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Somewhere in South Carolina Posts: 2,377	we have a dicks in columbia ,a sports authority and academy are both in augusta georgia. oh,we also have a sportsman link that has lots of good stuff like g loomis rods and expensive shimanos and quantum reels that i can drool on! i go to sports authority and dicks for my hardbaits,wally world for terminal tackle and soft plastics,sportsmans link for soft plastics and sales,and i havent been to academy yet.

10-17-06, 01:22 PM	#5
JB BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,655	I'm sure in the long run dicks will give gander some stiff competition

10-17-06, 01:37 PM	#7
JB BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,655	geesh flyguy, ya'd never guess I am amish would ya

10-20-06, 01:35 PM	#15
adamgambill BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: West Columbia, TX Posts: 375	True Reb. The Katy Mills took almost a month to clear out. I aint sure what it is but I like cabelas better from going to the one in Ft. Worth and the BPS in Grapevine-(got to love Rita, heck of a vacation.) I just dont like the BPS branded stuff much and they tend to overdo it a bit. Eg " Where are your g-loomis rods" "sir the BPS extreme killer two tone IM17 super long cast with the power hump handle is better than a G-loomis rod" Do these guys get a spiff if they sell BPS stuff? __________________ Anyone who has a problem with getting a truck dirty shoul trade for a Volkswagon and a pair of panties.

10-20-06, 03:45 PM	#16
TackleTester BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Indpls, IN Posts: 333	keithdog, Gander matches the price of any local competitor.....so anything from the Gammy's to the chatterbaits can be matched as long as you mention it to the checkout person.

10-20-06, 06:33 PM	#17
FlyRod BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,270	I went to the new San Antonio BPS this morning. NO problem getting in and, except for checkout staff that seemed to be in a coma, no probs at all. I would not have gone at all save for the fact that a good friend (and bassin' pal) has recently had surgery for prostate cancer and can't get around well as yet. He wanted 16 gallons of the Merc Q'silver O'board Oil (7.88, reg 23.88) so off I went. They had a limit of 8 gallons per customer, so I took along a different cap, different shirt, etc, so I could buy the first 8 gallons, load it, wait a while, change appearance, and re-enter for the second batch. Turns out I didn't need to do that. I just bought and loaded the first batch, then went back and bought the second...Intrigue! Suspense! Sneaky stuff! I also bought some soft plastics, a few of the Enticer jigs, and some of the Rat'l Traps on sale for .99 ea. I didn't wander around, gawking like a hillbilly, just did my thing and boogied. I DID see the new Nitro Z-9 and picked up a poop sheet on it for a friend. Mebbe some day I'll wander back and see the touristy stuff and check out the eats. Frankly, there were a few items I wanted, and expected them to have, which they did NOT have. In fact, both Acadummy and Sportsman's W'house have a MUCH better selection of worm hooks, as an example. The staff was super-friendly, the girls semi-cute, and it was an OK experience. End of report. FR

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