Bass Pro Shop is a pretty neat place to visit. I spent i think 10 bucks there a mug and a hat. You, by no means, get the personal service you get from the local shops. I would like for them to stay out and keep the little guys who treat you like an individual and not as money maker.
Denis
Bass Pro Shop in Ottawa
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valley_boy
- Participant
- Posts: 88
- Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2007 6:57 pm
- Location: Dunrobin ON
The Kingston idea is interesting because I was at BPS about a year and a half ago and one of their staff said they were looking at putting one in Kemptville. I talked to him about it because I thought that sounded ridiculous, but in the end it made some sense. The land would be cheap there, and it could serve all of eastern Ontario because of its proximety to Ottawa, Kingston, and Belleville. Its a fun store to go to, and they have some great deals so I wouldn't mind seeing one anywhere in eastern ontario.
have you been to Paddletails taylor? Ed runs an outstanding operation, and his prices are at par or beat BPS. I am sure that there are other local shops running a similar operation.taylor wrote:BPS would make a fortune in the ottawa area. Currenty, there's too many small shops that are under stocked. They can all "order' you something, but you can do that yourself online. Those that are stocked are full of old stock. I'm not even going to start on their over priced retails.
Bring on bps.
Yes I've been there. If I wanted some bass plastic or an over priced fishing rod, it'd be in the right place to go. No hunting gear there, nothing for boats, no clothing/gear inventory, ect. Other than bass junk, there's not much else there. Unless you want to rent a movie.
If you're comparing Paddletales to bps, you need to shake your head.
If you're comparing Paddletales to bps, you need to shake your head.
I agree that the small retailer has its place.Wallyboss wrote:Ed gives good deals to F-H'ers, just tell him your username next time you are in and I am sure you will be well treated.
I recently bought a new rod, close to $200 at BPS, bought it a Bennets using one of the FH discount coupons and paid a little less than $150.
I'd like to see a better chandlery around here, but fishing gear is well served by the stores already associated with F-H.
here is a true story about BPS. I am not trying to slag a business but this was off the chart.
BPS had a sale on full body RedHead Brand Goose decoys. I have a sister in Missasauga and asked her to pick me up a dozen. I phoned BPS to make sure they had some left and get the SKU number. I was transferred to a guy in Hunting and the conversation went something like this.
Me; Hi hows it going
BSP; we are freakin busy here get to the point
me; uh sorry, do you have any of the...left
BPS; you phone and ask a dumb question like that? I am looking at 20 boxes.
Me; can I get an SKU? I am 4 hours away my sister is going to pick them up.
BPS; I have no time to get a SKU for something we have lots of. Hang-up. this is probably not indicitive of the whole store but cripes!
BPS had a sale on full body RedHead Brand Goose decoys. I have a sister in Missasauga and asked her to pick me up a dozen. I phoned BPS to make sure they had some left and get the SKU number. I was transferred to a guy in Hunting and the conversation went something like this.
Me; Hi hows it going
BSP; we are freakin busy here get to the point
me; uh sorry, do you have any of the...left
BPS; you phone and ask a dumb question like that? I am looking at 20 boxes.
Me; can I get an SKU? I am 4 hours away my sister is going to pick them up.
BPS; I have no time to get a SKU for something we have lots of. Hang-up. this is probably not indicitive of the whole store but cripes!
Thats some pretty bad service. I went to BPS to go buy a rod and a reel, and well i waited over 30-45 minutes just to speak to someone at the reel counter. There was supposed to be 3 guys working there, but 2 of them were not there. But they sure are busy. I did get some good service from them.bardern wrote:here is a true story about BPS. I am not trying to slag a business but this was off the chart.
BPS had a sale on full body RedHead Brand Goose decoys. I have a sister in Missasauga and asked her to pick me up a dozen. I phoned BPS to make sure they had some left and get the SKU number. I was transferred to a guy in Hunting and the conversation went something like this.
Me; Hi hows it going
BSP; we are freakin busy here get to the point
me; uh sorry, do you have any of the...left
BPS; you phone and ask a dumb question like that? I am looking at 20 boxes.
Me; can I get an SKU? I am 4 hours away my sister is going to pick them up.
BPS; I have no time to get a SKU for something we have lots of. Hang-up. this is probably not indicitive of the whole store but cripes!
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Prairieboy
- Bronze Participant
- Posts: 279
- Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 12:40 pm
- Location: Stittsville
Cabelas in Montreal will not affect our local shops too much anyway. BPS can't really see it happening with Cabelas in Montreal.
My Lebaron's experience is 1- Really Good, 1-Really Bad and several visits when I did'nt need any help. So for me they are batting 500.
I have been to BPS (Auburn, NY) on a weekend and it is busy as heck but I just asked for some help and guess what happened... 5 minutes later a guy followed me around the store until I had a basket full of goodies...maybe my Canadian t-shirt gave it away and he knew I was in for a bunch of spending. Then again it could have been the deer in headlight look on my face as I walked around bumping into every aisle along the way. I was also there on a weekday and had two guys selling me reels at the same time...battling reels cool.
I was at Gander Mountain this past Sunday in Watertown, NY for nearly two hours and had one of the the fishing department guys almost to myself, unfortunately he was a fly fisherman so he could not answer all my questions but he brought out the lure depth curves and charts to help me pick the right line and gear for my intended purpose. BTW: instead of baskets they use 5-Gallon Gander Mountain pails, never realized how much you can pack into a 5-gallon pail until I hit the checkout...ouch!
I compared the price of a rod/reel that I just picked up from one of our local shops and as already mentioned with the 10 or 15% F-H discount it was cheaper at the big store but not really worth the drive for one item. Then again each time I venture south I nearly break the bank saving money. Look honey its it's $5 cheaper and these are $2 less and this is $4...wow....
I enjoy the wow factor of the big stores and the personal factor that comes with the local guys too. I spend a lot of time in the smaller shops (Paddletales, Bits & Baits, Baitcasters, Manotick, Bennetts) why not, they are around the corner and have great selections. I try to buy something on almost each visit but sometimes just stop into look around and shoot the s...
That reminds me I have to go the Bits & Baits and pick up those.... and that rod/reel I ordered from Baitcasters should be in....
My Lebaron's experience is 1- Really Good, 1-Really Bad and several visits when I did'nt need any help. So for me they are batting 500.
I have been to BPS (Auburn, NY) on a weekend and it is busy as heck but I just asked for some help and guess what happened... 5 minutes later a guy followed me around the store until I had a basket full of goodies...maybe my Canadian t-shirt gave it away and he knew I was in for a bunch of spending. Then again it could have been the deer in headlight look on my face as I walked around bumping into every aisle along the way. I was also there on a weekday and had two guys selling me reels at the same time...battling reels cool.
I was at Gander Mountain this past Sunday in Watertown, NY for nearly two hours and had one of the the fishing department guys almost to myself, unfortunately he was a fly fisherman so he could not answer all my questions but he brought out the lure depth curves and charts to help me pick the right line and gear for my intended purpose. BTW: instead of baskets they use 5-Gallon Gander Mountain pails, never realized how much you can pack into a 5-gallon pail until I hit the checkout...ouch!
I compared the price of a rod/reel that I just picked up from one of our local shops and as already mentioned with the 10 or 15% F-H discount it was cheaper at the big store but not really worth the drive for one item. Then again each time I venture south I nearly break the bank saving money. Look honey its it's $5 cheaper and these are $2 less and this is $4...wow....
I enjoy the wow factor of the big stores and the personal factor that comes with the local guys too. I spend a lot of time in the smaller shops (Paddletales, Bits & Baits, Baitcasters, Manotick, Bennetts) why not, they are around the corner and have great selections. I try to buy something on almost each visit but sometimes just stop into look around and shoot the s...
That reminds me I have to go the Bits & Baits and pick up those.... and that rod/reel I ordered from Baitcasters should be in....
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almontefisher
- Diamond Participant
- Posts: 2971
- Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 3:08 pm
- Location: Carleton Place
Wallyboss wrote:Jamsers as per Bass Pro Shop????Jamsers wrote:The mall is being built on schedule in Mirabel.
Cabela's was supposed to go in there. They even bought SIR, it is rumored they did so as they wanted it to be their Canadian distribution point. However, I heard that as BPS in TO hasn't done as well as expected Cabela's got cold feet. I think they plan to open out west.
I would doubt it very much if BPS opened in Ottawa. There are stores that are licensed to re-sell their products. Baitcasters being one of them.
J
"With its Vaughn, Ontario location serving as one of Bass Pro Shops' top performing stores, we look forward to the impact its anchor presence will have on both retailers and visitors alike as we continue to move ahead to develop Lac Mirabel as one of Canada's most distinctive attractions for shopping and entertainment."
Wallyboss...I said I heard....never said I couldn't be wrong!
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Bobber
- Diamond Participant
- Posts: 3182
- Joined: Mon Sep 30, 2002 10:40 am
- Location: Stittsville, Ontario
- Contact:
I've been to many a large store, either here in Canada or in the United States, whether it be BPS, Gander Mountain, Cabellas, Dick's, Fat Nancy's, or other little shops here and there on my way to Florida.
BPS is an awesome store, strictly for it's size, it's inventory, and it's extremely large aquariums. I have noticed however that they have very few items that you cannot get here as it relates to fishing gear. BPS supplies to some of our local shops. Sure, they have plastics, cranks, rods, reels, finders, terminal tackle, and lots of other types of baits for specific fishing such as Salmon and Trout, which we may not have here in our stores simply because we don't have a lot of trout or salmon fishing in these area, apart from Lake trout.
BPS does have a large selection of other items for hunting, clothing, boating, etc, but Bennetts, BaitCasters, and Manotick Bait and Tackle also sell some of that type of stuff too.
Paddletales and BaitCasters focuses mainly on Bass fishing and they have a lot to choose from, with tackle for other species as well. Bits and Baits has a great inventory of Musky and Quinte Baits, again with other types of tackle, Oziles focuses mainly on Ice Fishing gear, Manotick on Hunting and Fishing, and Float, Paddle and Fly on....well the name speaks for itself.
If they don't have what you're looking for, you can bet they can get it. Yes it's true that you can go online yourself to order the stuff as well, and perhaps pay a little less for the item, but you'll most likely get hit with the shipping and customs to get the stuff here for ya.
Bottom line for me is that while I've been to many of these stores to check stuff out, mostly cause I'm on a trip and need something to pass the time away, I very seldom actually buy anything in them. The prices in the States are not much better than they are here, and only once in a while will I see something that I've not seen in one of our shops locally. I've even been to BPS in Toronto and found it actually "more expensive" than here. I didn't understand that and perhaps it was just the baits I was looking at, but I was quite surprised.
To sum it up, you can't beat the personalized service you get from local tackle shops who will always go out of their way to get you what you're looking for. Yes, prices may be a "bit" higher since they don't have the buying power of larger stores, but if you're going to nickle and dime over 25, 50 or 75 cents for a lure, which is what it may be for the majority of items, then that's your perogotive, but I have yet to see the same type of service in the larger tackle distributors.
Going into the smaller shops is like going over to your brother's house for a visit. If you spend some time and talk with them for while, get to know them, and discuss fishing gear that you're interested in, you'll even find out that they are very knowledable in the type of fishing around these parts and will share some helpful hints on where to go and what's hot. Many of them even welcome just popping in for visit, not necessarily to buy anything, but just to say hello. It's that type of shop that I really enjoy going to the most.
Again, not being negative about BPS or any of the larger stores, they are awesome just for their size, and not pushing local tackle shops just because they support us here at Fish-Hawk, but it's these types of shops and the people that work in them that really make the difference. They are family owned businesses with many of them having family values, just looking to make a buck as a business, and will do whatever it takes to help you find and get what you're looking for with second to none service........you may even get a smile too.
BPS is an awesome store, strictly for it's size, it's inventory, and it's extremely large aquariums. I have noticed however that they have very few items that you cannot get here as it relates to fishing gear. BPS supplies to some of our local shops. Sure, they have plastics, cranks, rods, reels, finders, terminal tackle, and lots of other types of baits for specific fishing such as Salmon and Trout, which we may not have here in our stores simply because we don't have a lot of trout or salmon fishing in these area, apart from Lake trout.
BPS does have a large selection of other items for hunting, clothing, boating, etc, but Bennetts, BaitCasters, and Manotick Bait and Tackle also sell some of that type of stuff too.
Paddletales and BaitCasters focuses mainly on Bass fishing and they have a lot to choose from, with tackle for other species as well. Bits and Baits has a great inventory of Musky and Quinte Baits, again with other types of tackle, Oziles focuses mainly on Ice Fishing gear, Manotick on Hunting and Fishing, and Float, Paddle and Fly on....well the name speaks for itself.
If they don't have what you're looking for, you can bet they can get it. Yes it's true that you can go online yourself to order the stuff as well, and perhaps pay a little less for the item, but you'll most likely get hit with the shipping and customs to get the stuff here for ya.
Bottom line for me is that while I've been to many of these stores to check stuff out, mostly cause I'm on a trip and need something to pass the time away, I very seldom actually buy anything in them. The prices in the States are not much better than they are here, and only once in a while will I see something that I've not seen in one of our shops locally. I've even been to BPS in Toronto and found it actually "more expensive" than here. I didn't understand that and perhaps it was just the baits I was looking at, but I was quite surprised.
To sum it up, you can't beat the personalized service you get from local tackle shops who will always go out of their way to get you what you're looking for. Yes, prices may be a "bit" higher since they don't have the buying power of larger stores, but if you're going to nickle and dime over 25, 50 or 75 cents for a lure, which is what it may be for the majority of items, then that's your perogotive, but I have yet to see the same type of service in the larger tackle distributors.
Going into the smaller shops is like going over to your brother's house for a visit. If you spend some time and talk with them for while, get to know them, and discuss fishing gear that you're interested in, you'll even find out that they are very knowledable in the type of fishing around these parts and will share some helpful hints on where to go and what's hot. Many of them even welcome just popping in for visit, not necessarily to buy anything, but just to say hello. It's that type of shop that I really enjoy going to the most.
Again, not being negative about BPS or any of the larger stores, they are awesome just for their size, and not pushing local tackle shops just because they support us here at Fish-Hawk, but it's these types of shops and the people that work in them that really make the difference. They are family owned businesses with many of them having family values, just looking to make a buck as a business, and will do whatever it takes to help you find and get what you're looking for with second to none service........you may even get a smile too.
Rob Atkinson
Site Admin (retired)
Site Admin (retired)
BPS Auburn NY.
I, like prairieboy, shop the Auburn store. This store provides much better selection on all types of fishing and hunting gear than the T.O store and the prices are much cheaper than any other store in Ontario.
The 3 times I have been there, the service has been outstanding. Thats why I go back, cheaper prices, wider selection, and better service, and lower taxes than the Toronto store. The Toronto store, in my estimation is really not worth the time.
d-mo
The 3 times I have been there, the service has been outstanding. Thats why I go back, cheaper prices, wider selection, and better service, and lower taxes than the Toronto store. The Toronto store, in my estimation is really not worth the time.
d-mo