Cabela’s banning African hunting pictures from pro staff

I wrote off Cabela's years ago (same with Gander Mountain, which is no more). As of now almost all of my online shopping is with Midway, Graf & Sons, Wholesale Hunter, and the like. As for in-store sales, I keep it local. I'm willing to pay a bit more to help out the guy holding on by the skin of his teeth against the giants of the industry.
 
A friend owned a small tackle shop attached to his house and he told me that he would soon be going out of business because a Wal-Mart was being built 5 miles from him.

I had no idea what a Walmart was at that time.

When it opened we took a ride over and their sporting goods department was enormous. They had 5 long rows of just fishing stuff. Their firearm display was outstanding as they had hundreds of rifles on display and mouts of moose,deer and bears on the walls with ammo out the wazoo. It was wonderful.

Then came mail order, then internet and a lousy economy.

Today in that store the entire sporting goods Dept is 3 isles, adout 20 cheap firearms and the department isn't even manned .no more stuffed animals either

Oh well...
 
When we support the monster retailers we're basically shooting ourselves in the foot. I understand budgets and all that but at some point a person has to appeal to the greater good. My opinion.
 
When we support the monster retailers we're basically shooting ourselves in the foot. I understand budgets and all that but at some point a person has to appeal to the greater good. My opinion.
To each their own, of course, and I respect your opinion.

But I think I could make a pretty strong argument that appealing to "the greater good" is exactly what mega-retailers do, by bringing low prices to the greatest number of people on commodity and staple items. I sure can't complain about the impact of these retailers on the prices of basics which we now pay, mostly as a result of the advent of these retailers.

Of course, it's not always easy for smaller retailers to compete - I own a small retail business myself now, and we have to compete with Costco among others. We've had to change our business model, offering a better selection of hard-to-get items, with more knowledgeable staff, and as a result, I think we're a better retailer today. Having said that, it was a lot easier to make money before Costco came along. But as a consumer, that's not really the test, nor should it be.

I still patronize specialty retailers for all of those hard-to-find things for which the market is so small that Costco and Walmart don't even try to compete. People who care to sell the very best, and are knowledgeable about what they sell. For example, I love handmade knives from Carlton Evans, but I know that very few can or would spend what it takes to buy one. I'm glad that people who can't afford these can still pick up a decent knife made by a big manufacturer at Cabela's or Bass Pro.

It's just the competition between retailers, by the way, which is forcing us towards ever bigger retailers, to keep prices down. If consumers were happy to pay more, I think we'd see fewer of these deals!

That's what makes a market, and while it's made retailing tough, no one ever said anything worthwhile was going to be easy, or that what's best for retailers is automatically best for consumers.
 
RESPONSE FROM BASS PRO / CABELAS

Recently you requested personal assistance from our Customer Support Center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.


Subject
African Hunting pic ban



Response By Email (Ashley) (01/03/2019 04:13 PM)
Dear Sir/Ma'am,

Thank you for contacting basspro.com. Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s is steadfast in our support of hunting, which is a critical conservation tool for saving species in Africa and around the world. Our proud commitment is reflected through our decades of strong support for the conservation efforts of Dallas Safari Club and Safari Club International and throughout our stores, sponsored television shows, ambassadors and partnerships. Despite a recent misunderstanding causing some confusion on social media, we fully encourage our pro team members to share photos from their hunts and adventures around the world to help us promote legal and responsible hunting and a shared love of the outdoors.

Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.

Best regards,
Ashley
Bass Pro Shops
2500 E Kearney
Springfield, MO 65898
1-800-BASS-PRO

Yep, that walk back sounded just like Yeti's response to similar concerns after they were called out for dinging the NRA.... pure horse puckey!
 
To each their own, of course, and I respect your opinion.

But I think I could make a pretty strong argument that appealing to "the greater good" is exactly what mega-retailers do, by bringing low prices to the greatest number of people on commodity and staple items. I sure can't complain about the impact of these retailers on the prices of basics which we now pay, mostly as a result of the advent of these retailers.

Of course, it's not always easy for smaller retailers to compete - I own a small retail business myself now, and we have to compete with Costco among others. We've had to change our business model, offering a better selection of hard-to-get items, with more knowledgeable staff, and as a result, I think we're a better retailer today. Having said that, it was a lot easier to make money before Costco came along. But as a consumer, that's not really the test, nor should it be.

I still patronize specialty retailers for all of those hard-to-find things for which the market is so small that Costco and Walmart don't even try to compete. People who care to sell the very best, and are knowledgeable about what they sell. For example, I love handmade knives from Carlton Evans, but I know that very few can or would spend what it takes to buy one. I'm glad that people who can't afford these can still pick up a decent knife made by a big manufacturer at Cabela's or Bass Pro.

It's just the competition between retailers, by the way, which is forcing us towards ever bigger retailers, to keep prices down. If consumers were happy to pay more, I think we'd see fewer of these deals!

That's what makes a market, and while it's made retailing tough, no one ever said anything worthwhile was going to be easy, or that what's best for retailers is automatically best for consumers.

It’s a catch-22 situation. Capitalism demands it, and society as a whole (the entire, global market) pays the price (consolidation, depressed wages, lost wages, wealth disparity, environmental degradation, and so on). Sure, the goods come cheap but the actual cost is not reflected in the price paid at the register. This is precisely why such a paradigm is not sustainable, long term, a fact a great many are coming to realize.
 
It’s a catch-22 situation. Capitalism demands it, and society as a whole (the entire, global market) pays the price (consolidation, depressed wages, lost wages, wealth disparity, environmental degradation, and so on). Sure, the goods come cheap but the actual cost is not reflected in the price paid at the register. This is precisely why such a paradigm is not sustainable, long term, a fact a great many are coming to realize.

Are you referring to capitalist system being unsustainable long term? I think I missed something.
 
It’s a catch-22 situation. Capitalism demands it, and society as a whole (the entire, global market) pays the price (consolidation, depressed wages, lost wages, wealth disparity, environmental degradation, and so on). Sure, the goods come cheap but the actual cost is not reflected in the price paid at the register. This is precisely why such a paradigm is not sustainable, long term, a fact a great many are coming to realize.
Oh Lord. Just need to gain control of the means of production, then the proletariat can be adequately provided according to their needs (and grievances).
 
It’s a catch-22 situation. Capitalism demands it, and society as a whole (the entire, global market) pays the price (consolidation, depressed wages, lost wages, wealth disparity, environmental degradation, and so on). Sure, the goods come cheap but the actual cost is not reflected in the price paid at the register. This is precisely why such a paradigm is not sustainable, long term, a fact a great many are coming to realize.
The more pressing is issue is naively financing an aggressively expansionist Asian superpower
 
The more pressing is issue is naively financing an aggressively expansionist Asian superpower
Complicated issues @Pheroze.

I'd agree, but that same Asian (global?) superpower is also financing the US deficit. If they don't do it, who will or, more importantly, who can?
 
Mom & Pop, shops, have been the backbone of this country for centuries. Unfortunately, the big box companies, have been slowly strangling small business. Look at what Amazon has done, and all the businesses that have been negatively affected by this Titan of the online ordering world. Sign of the times I guess?
In the past, I always received good service, and products, from Cabela's. Never had a problem with them. They were kind of the Icon of the outdoor gear world to me.
 
Yeti coolers?

I consider them the finest coolers made and have a few on my boat as they are very sturdy and do keep ice for a long period of time.

Yeti, as a business practice, offered members of some organizations a generous discount as an incentive for them to buy yeti products. They did not offer this discount to all groups and let out groups like the Black Panthers, KKK, or the First Baptist Church of let's disrespect our brave dead soldiers and their families and many, many others who might have also wanted that discount as well. So as a business practice they stopped organization association discounts for everyone.

So on a early morning we were loading up the boat to head offshore and a neighbor who I invited asked if he could bring his boss as he was looking for some points towards a promotion.

I normally say no, but he looked desperate so I said ok.

He seemed nice enough and seemed pleasant enough during the short orientation.

He asked what could he help with and I mentioned that helping my on with the ice would be a big help. Hat is when he noticed my Yeti cooler an he announced that he wasn't going to fish on a boat with those coolers.

To make t short the neighbor stood with him and I asked them both to leave immediately as we had fish to catch. They both looked surprised as my son and friend showed them out.

For those of you who now hate and boycott Yeti Coolers for discontinuing their discount by association program, as well as the stores would sell their products .I have to ask ,"Why don't you hate and boycott all stores and all products who have never offered you any discount on anything ever because you are a member of the NRA?why aren't you hating Igloo coolers for no discount and Wal-Mart where you bought that 150 quart cooler that went for $39.95 on Memorial Day Weekend? You know the one I'm talking about.....the one where it's hinges break the second year and if you sit on in the heat it retans a perminent mold of your ass for eternity.

As far as boycotting Cabela's and Bass Pro on the word of an obviously disgruntled employee is that really all it takes to get your ire and rage ablazing?

I haven't bought anything from them in years. Should I stop shopping at Midway cause they don't have pictures of dead African animals festooning their site?

Think about it
The powder selection at both bass pro and Cabellas now sucks near me. The bullet selection now sucks. The use gun section where I bought some great rifles and shotguns now sucks. The hunting clothing at both is now bass pro (read wal-mart) quality.
You can’t feel the trigger at either anymore.
That is enough for me.
 
Mom & Pop, shops, have been the backbone of this country for centuries. Unfortunately, the big box companies, have been slowly strangling small business. Look at what Amazon has done, and all the businesses that have been negatively affected by this Titan of the online ordering world. Sign of the times I guess?
In the past, I always received good service, and products, from Cabela's. Never had a problem with them. They were kind of the Icon of the outdoor gear world to me.
Actually, Amazon may be the lifeblood of many small businesses which can't afford websites, hosting, order processing, etc. Amazon Marketplace offers all of those services (for a fe of course) allowing mom and pops to remain relevant in an online world.

And as for the big box stores slowly strangling the small stores, my retail business is wine and liquor. There is no way we can compete with the prices Costco sells for and the margins they seem to be able to accept . . . yet I'd argue we're a better - and more interesting - business today because of them. We've had to figure out how to remain relevant, how to provide better service and a better selection to our customers, etc. It's pretty clear that big box stores aim for about 80% of the market, leaving the top 20% unserved. That's where we come in.

Competition can be hard, but overall, it's the best approach to providing goods and services to consumers at a price they're prepared to pay. But if you have a better way, I'm all ears!
 
Actually, Amazon may be the lifeblood of many small businesses which can't afford websites, hosting, order processing, etc. Amazon Marketplace offers all of those services (for a fe of course) allowing mom and pops to remain relevant in an online world.

And as for the big box stores slowly strangling the small stores, my retail business is wine and liquor. There is no way we can compete with the prices Costco sells for and the margins they seem to be able to accept . . . yet I'd argue we're a better - and more interesting - business today because of them. We've had to figure out how to remain relevant, how to provide better service and a better selection to our customers, etc. It's pretty clear that big box stores aim for about 80% of the market, leaving the top 20% unserved. That's where we come in.

Competition can be hard, but overall, it's the best approach to providing goods and services to consumers at a price they're prepared to pay. But if you have a better way, I'm all ears!
I know some youtube Vloggers that have a personal Amazon page. They make a small commission for anything purchased on that page. Anybody can set one up I think?

Maybe niche markets are more adaptable? When Amazon was growing by leaps and bounds, I just saw many news stories about small business retailers that were complaining about Amazon? Online sales is one reason some states were passing internet sales tax laws. State Government's want a piece of the pie.
 
I can say one thing for sure, my Cabela’s card went from being easy to use, easy to access/pay...to being super hard to access and pay with a stupid 87 part authentication process via an app that I have to use.

It now sucks...


Thanks, Bass Pro. You made a great card into a pain.
 
I can say one thing for sure, my Cabela’s card went from being easy to use, easy to access/pay...to being super hard to access and pay with a stupid 87 part authentication process via an app that I have to use.

It now sucks...


Thanks, Bass Pro. You made a great card into a pain.

I too was skeptical when my prized Cabelas Visa card turned into a Cabelas/Bass pro MasterCard. Almost cancelled it but thought I’ll give it a try. I didn’t download their app. I pay my bill thru my bank pay app. I really can’t tell any difference so far. I’ll keep my fingers crossed and maybe it will keep working. It’s nice to go and buy a lot of clothes and such for our trips to Africa and pay for it with points!! Makes me feel good!!
 
My wife was working for Cabelas when Bass Pro bought them. Within a month they had let her go, along with all the competent management and the entire loss prevention office. So now they shelves are often bare or minimally stocked, word got around that there was no more loss prevention office so theft went through the roof and the entire store went from shiny and awesome to slowly wasting away into nothing. The used gun section, when I last check last week, consists of some over priced savages and a passel of mosin nagants with rust and corrosion all over them. That's not hyperbole by the way, I picked one up to look at it and it was covered in rust and grime. I looked more closely at it's rack mates, all the same story. I wouldn't expect to see this level of neglect in a back-corner gun show booth, little own Cabelas. It's really sad to watch. From this perspective the whole merger was just an excuse for Bass Pro to kill a competitor because they sure as crap haven't invested a dime into improving what they bought, at least in this neck of the woods. Your millage, of course, may vary.
 
I have looked up a couple other Cabela's Pro Staff and they still have African game photos up. Makes me wonder if there is more to this story.

That said I've watched it all happen with interest. Personally I was always a Cabela's fan over BPS. But I know quite a few hunters who were the other way around. And I know more than one employee of both stores so I have kept an open mind. Really kind of funny how people took sides when they were both showing up to Anchorage, Alaska at the same time as we already had a Sportsman's Warehouse and this place really isn't all that big. So I would walk into all of them and make comparisons. Honestly, BPS impresses me the least. The merger didn't shock me, Cabela's decided to get into the big retail stores and then went public 15-20 years ago to make a lot of money for family members where as BPS stayed private. BPS played their cards smart. I expected BPS to be smart enough to leave Cabela's alone and make their money off of a slightly different model than theirs, but I may be wrong. Amazingly Sportman's is still in town as are some decent local shops who have performed as well or better than the box stores in their markets. I can't find Swift bullets at the big stores, but one local said YES, with good prices, and I bought them immediately. Funny thing (to me), BPS clothes are worse than Cabela's, but Duluth Trading opened a store in Anchorage with better clothing than both, so they both lose there in my eyes. If Cabela's/BPS wants to alienate me on hunting stuff I can walk away and give my money to others, no problem.
 
I've seen the photos on social media where the Canadian Cabela's social media guide did say to refrain from African photos. I also saw where Jeanette is going to do a podcast with Doug Giles regarding the matter sometime this week, so it will be interesting to see how that shakes out. I assumed when it broke it was directly related to Canadian pro-staff, because we know our friends across the border are a little softer on their feelings towards things sometimes, even though I know we are headed there too unfortunately.

I just hate seeing hunting stores, or hunting "influencers" speaking poorly on hunting in Africa. Especially when some of those who put it in a negative light have never been or haven't taken the time to educate themselves on it. If a "hunter" or "hunting store" doesn't approve of African hunting, then how will people who are non hunters feel? They will feel even more validated in their on the fence or far leaning distaste for "trophy hunting."
 
Friends, I know its easy to circle the wagons and get defensive that "hunting is being assaulted" in this discussion. Please consider another view also: The pictures don't help our sport out at all, and whether they don't allow pictures of kills or not, it isn't helpful.

1. Kill shots are off-putting for many customers and the public
2. It overemphasizes a small part of a hunt
3. It misrepresents what hunting is

I would very much like to see us move to the "orvis model" that emphasizes the experience rather than just the final moment.
 

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