I've been thinking about this awhile and finally decided to do it.

I spent over 15 years working for Gander Mountain, full time in the gun department, then again briefly when they reopened under the Gander Outdoors name. I imagine there are a few members here who spent some time there as well, and I thought it might be fun to touch base.

Personally, I spent my whole career in the Appleton, WI store #130. At the time they closed the doors, it was the oldest continuously operating store in the chain.

I'd appreciate it if we can keep this thread on the positive side. No one knows better than I do how many ups and downs the company had, just like every other large retail chain. Still, I spent a big chunk of my life there, and have many fond memories. Now I'm wondering if anybody here would like to reminisce.

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Ain't This Fun Though?

Gander Mt was a big deal when it came to Tonawanda NY (Buffalo). I particularly liked their archery department. Guys were knowledgeable and would make minor repairs at no charge. When they went out of business I bought a lot of stuff. Then they reopened for a couple yrs. And when they went out of business again, I bought a lot of stuff again. Their coolers were great. As good as any Yeti.

I visited the store in Northglenn,Co quite a few times.They had a great selection compared to most of the other stores here.
I still have the 3x9 Burris on my Ruger 17 hmr,but I sold the Ruger Mark III

One of the great things about working at Gander, especially as a dedicated gun guy, was the ability to search used gun inventory across the company, and arrange for transfer if the store agreed. Among my best acquisitions is a 4-screw M17 I located at the Tonawanda store. I called and was told the gun was in practically new condition, and they agreed to send it because it had been there for months with no customer interest. Well, they sent it, and I was amazed to find this all original gun in 98% condition, marked down to $199.97!

Yeah. Still got it.

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Ain't This Fun Though?

I am betting money you and I have met. I spent many hours in the gun dept. at Gander Mountain in Appleton Wi. It was my go to place for looking at guns. I purchased new and used and always had good service. Thank you

I was not an employee but a customer of the store in Middletown NY. I had (still have) the Gander Mastercard and used my Gander bucks to get ammo etc on the way to Catskills for hunting. Bought my hunting licenses there also. Always managed to find some bargains. Got my safe there on sale. Pleasant employees. Good selection of merchandise. Had no idea they were closing or I would have gone for the sales. I miss the store. There is a Bass Pro near me. I don’t bother going.

Seems likely that we have met. For the most part, the team members I worked with offered outstanding customer service.

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Ain't This Fun Though?

Turned the one in Mechanicsville, Va into Greentop after it closed. The area was kind of saturated with Greentop across the street and Bass Pro and Cabellas within a couple of miles

I bought an unfired Pre-27 there for $295. I believe it was mismarked (should have been $1295). It took a while until they would release it (computer issue), but they couldn't say no.

A year later I bought a Pre-14 there for $250.

Years ago when they had a catalog, I had a friend in Wisconsin that was their catalog manager. I bought most of my archery equipment thru him at discount prices.

I cried when they went out of business.

In Wilmot, I imagine. Before working for the company, I was a sales rep and I called on the catalog buyers there.
Me too...me too.

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Ain't This Fun Though?

I left my long standing job in 2002 after they shut down the office. When I cleaned out my desk I saved a bunch of mementos for posterity. I often called Gander on my lunch hour to order stuff. I still have old Herter's catalogs as well...

Attached Images

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HERE IN.w.Indiana my wife and I would make a weekly visit to Gander Mttheir line of clothing far surpassed what Bass Pro now sells.and i bought a few Smiths from them.Sad to have seen them close

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age is just a number

I've bought a couple scopes, and a good amount of ammo from the now gone Gander Mountain that was in St. Augustine right off 95.

It was also the place I'd meet people from Jax to buy, sell or trade guns...out in the parking lot.

I live about 20 minutes from where the Middletown store was. I spent a lot of time and money there. I bought several guns, lots of ammo and a bunch of clothes there. I still have the guns and most of the clothes, and maybe some ammo.

I have a question. How did they price guns? Was it throwing darts or rolling dice? There was one store in North Houston and what they were not giving away they were very proud of.

5 years at the Reynoldsburg, OH store.
2001-2006.
A lot of the other employees there were my second family.
A couple of us still hang out about once a month.
I still miss a lot of the others.

My first 3 “ k frame came from the Gander Mountain in Woodbury, MN back in ‘98 or so. Super helpful guy behind the counter asked what I was looking for. They had nothing in the case, but he got on the computer and found a brand new 65LS in a Wisconsin store somewhere that had been marked down because they had been sitting on it for a long while. He had it sent to the Woodbury store and when I went to pick it up, S&W was running a coupon that was supposed to be used on “accessories”. The guy behind the counter put it towards the gun anyhow and I think I got that gun for less than 300 bucks. One of the best gun buying experiences ever.

Assuming you're asking about used guns? That's a good question that I've had occasion to put a lot of thought into.

At one point Gander had something like 150 stores, and I suppose on average each store had maybe 5 employees who were authorized to appraise and price trade-ins, with varying degrees of expertise. Some were very good at it and some were less so. We were supplied with the current Blue Books, of course, and had internet access. We'd consult with other employees, and everyone had their own opinions. Sometimes exact models would be misidentified, condition was poorly estimated, customers would argue and intimidate, managers would intervene in order to "make the sale", and so on. Then, once a deal had been made and the gun entered into inventory, it took darn near an act of congress to change the price, because we had to make margin, and the whole computer system was set up to make it almost impossible to change a price at the store level.

If you look at some of the appraisal threads posted here from time to time, it's not unusual to see a gun bring estimates with some pretty extreme differences. I just looked at a gun on an auction site that I thought was under-performing. A quick look at GB showed the recent sale of a virtual twin for just under $800, while Blue Book of Gun Values valued it at $1200-1300. And speaking of "the book", I have frequently seen it give retail values for clean used guns that were quite a bit higher than the current sale prices for the same gun brand new, particularly when there were rebates and promos involved.

About 2010 or 2011, IIRC, Gander started putting much of their used gun inventory online. To do so, they opted to gather selected guns from each store. Every week or so, they would go through the computer listing, and send out lists of the guns each store was required to ship to a warehouse in North Carolina. There, each gun was photographed for posting on the website. Sales were pretty good, but it became immediately obvious that there were some pretty glaring description errors and price discrepancies. So, in November of 2012, they looked around the company and recruited three experienced employees to fly to NC to reappraise and evaluate the entire current warehouse inventory, about 1200 guns. I was on that team. It started out as a hell of an adventure, but after several days, we were glad to have it done with.

So, yes, there were some very odd used gun prices seen at Gander Mountain over the years. I hope this puts it into perspective just a bit.

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Ain't This Fun Though?

First, congrats on 15 years. That is a big accomplishment. Job, well done!

I have bought a few over the years from them or another big box outdoor store. Generally, I go to retailers if there is something new or an advancement in bow technology, which happens fairly regularly.

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Rather be outdoors

I didn't work there but fondly remember going to the store in Wilmot, WI. We would show the clerk an item from the catalog and they would have to bring it out from the warehouse in the back. Not sure if it was one of their first stores or not. There were only a few things on display.
Sad day when they closed the doors nationwide.

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USN Submarine Service '66-'71

Yes, Wilmot was the original. Primarily the main office and warehouse for the catalog, and not much of a retail store as you noted.

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Ain't This Fun Though?

I've been in the Wilmot store many times. We bought a lot of fishing supplies on our annual trek to the Canadian lakes to fish walleye and northern pike. Great store

Several years ago, I purchased a Buck model 110 knife, hi polished blade with the Gander Mt. Geese in gold. It also came with a wood platform to display the knife on a wall. No leather case. The only item this knife has ever cut is the air in my den.

I’m a Browning A Bolt guy. When they closed the first time all the rifles were heavily discounted. I stood at gun counter while employee helped another customer. It was slow, late morning, mid week. As I waited another guy came along. Told me he was looking for a deer rifle. When sales man finally came down he said how can I help you. I said I want that Browning. He says let’s see what caliber it is. I said I don’t care about caliber for $229. It was a .270 and has since become my favorite deer rifle. The other customer was visibly angry. He offered me double what I paid for it. I told him that would still be giving it away.

I was a very frequent visitor to the Lake Mary store , outside of Orlando , and it was always a pleasure . I bought a few guns there , but it was not for someone with no patience . The place was always crowded , plus the had the virtual range that all the local police used . I was sad to see it go , they certainly got a lot of my money . They used to have a sale on safes that were scratched and or dented once a year , picked up one of mine there . I have nothing but good to say about GM .

I liked Gander Mountain. When I commuted to DC from NC for a tour of duty every other week, I’d stop at the Gander Mountain in Ashland VA on the way through.

They had a nice selection of guns and accessories, and I got some good deals there over the years. I was sad to see it close. That’s probably been 11-12 years ago.

I shopped occasionally at the Lubbock TX location. Bought a Sig Sauer pistol there along with clothing, boots, and ammo. May have bought a couple of magazines there as well. That store had a gigantic gun counter far superior to the one at the very nearby Cabelas store. I was sorry to see it go.

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Or something like that . . .

I go to the Galleria mall in Middletown and I used to go through Gander Mountain all the time. It’s a Home Goods store now and I’ve never walked in the doors. I miss it but wish it was replaced with a Bass Pro or a Cabelas, only to maybe get some reloading components every now and then.

For a real time warp, I bought my Ruger 10/22 at a Galyan’s in Westbury, Ny, for $179, back in 1999.

I used to shop at the store in Fredericksburg, Va.. I remember I bought a Model 39-2 there for $250.00. My wife and I bought a couple other guns there too. Took the class for our Virginia concealed handgun permit there.

I don't think I ever went into that store but once. It didn't last long though. Green Top, the big local store just a block or so away, and the Bass Pro Shop up at the next exit on 95 were just too much for them to compete with I suspect.

Green Top moved into the building after they closed and are still there. I'm in GT's two or three times a week. The Gander Mountain logo is still in the sidewalk at the entrance, and all the mounted animals are stiil there, except for a full mount bear I think I remember being just inside the front door.

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John 3:16 .

I never had a GM close enough to visit but we used to buy from the catalog sometimes. My mom had a pair of neoprene chest waders she trout fished out of forever. I have two 100 percent wool plaid shirts that are Gander Mountain brand, I couldn’t count the number of game I’ve killed wearing those two shirts as they were my mid layer for years. Sadly both are worn thin and torn beyond repair now. Wish I could replace them.

I miss the days when the big catalog outfits were competitive on prices and sold better quality gear than was usually locally available. Now the ones that remain are high priced Chinesium.

I agree competition from the Bass Pro Shop a couple miles north probably killed, them. But for nice used firearms Gander Mountain had them beat.

I used to shop at Gander Mtn pretty regularly when we had them, particularly the one in Ashland Va that became Green Top. Always preferred them to Bass Pro and Cabelas.

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Some Might Say.

Tell me more about Green Top. I’ve never been in there despite passing by at least 4x a year, 8x if you count the return. Always in a hurry going elsewhere.

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Sure you did

We used to make the rounds in Orange County BITD.
The Gander in Middletown was pretty good. Thruway Sports was/is good? There was a little shop in Goshen, Bobs Gun Exchange, he always gave more than you expected on trades.

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Sure you did

Thruway is OK. Been quite a few years since I’ve been there. I work right around the corner from what used to be Bob’s. It closed probably 10 years ago and is now a CBD hippie shop, selling CBD oils and pot smoking implements. The last time I was in Bob’s, they had an NYPD S&W Model 64 NY-1 3” revolver. It was listed at $350! I didn’t buy it because Bob replaced the spurless hammer with a spurred one, but it was black, and it didn’t match! I didn’t know anything about how easy it was to rectify that and I passed on it! When my son was a baby I used to take him on rides so he’d sleep, and I wheeled him through Bob’s in his stroller! People looked at me like I was crazy!

I think the original BGE owner sold the place to another guy back in the late 90’s???
We used to go shooting in an old abandoned quarry in Goshen after first stopping at the Goshen diner for breakfast.
Then we went to BGE. The owner was a real kind gentleman, always willing to talk guns.
That was in the early 80’s. I lived in Westchester at that time.

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Sure you did

Gander Mt was always a must stop when going through Eau Claire. They had the largest viewing selection at the time. Bought a couple of firearms at their old and new stores. An undervalued used revolver at their old store, and a overvalued 3 in Kimber 1911 at their newer store. It was the only store available to me that actually had the Ultra II in 45 acp, and still have/carry it.

Here's a photo of the once-proud gun counter at the Appleton store, days before the final closure, with one gun left on display.
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And then the last day, just before we shut off the lights.
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Ain't This Fun Though?

Reading about all the great deals we got over the years, I can't help but think I might know why they went under.

Make the stop. It’s worth the effort. The have an indoor range about two miles up the road too that’s worth some time.

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John 3:16 .

Never visited a GM out west, don’t recall seeing one. However, I did visit one a couple times when visiting my buddy in TN. It was along the 40, a short distance east of Nashville. It was well stocked. Ammo seemed reasonably priced. Remember buying sig 10mm.

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213th FBINA

Thank you.

I used to go to the Gander Mountain in Chambersburg, PA. I think the only gun I ever bought there was a Czech Model 82. I think it came in a box with a cleaning rod and spare magazine.

Gander Mountain, Joliet, Illinois - fond memories of a great store!

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SWCA 3749 SWHF 867

I never set foot into Bobs until about 2007, and I believe it closed around 2013.

Gander Mountain, Wichita, KS. Great memories and great people.

I've never set foot in a GM, but remember seeing great deals, online.

I've bought many guns over the years and sold some. My favorite transactions are in-person for vintage hand guns that fly under most folks' radar. I particularly enjoy "talking" guns with other similarly interested gun guys and I appreciate learning from them, too. (I imagine the OP was one such person.) I actively read a lot about older production firearms, as probably most of us here do. Since I am an informed buyer, that has served me well at the "used gun" counter.

Great thread, OP! I've enjoyed reading everyone's recollections.
I wish I could have visited your store.

-Bill

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Veteran Paratrooper, '86-'90

Can’t miss it from I95. I’ll be sure to next trek.

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Sure you did

When Cabelas opened here, I remember coming out thinking if I really needed something I would rather go to Greentops. Their newer store is well stocked and plenty of helpful associates. Lots of handguns to see and racks of long guns that are out where you can handle them.
My favorite memory is from the old store on rte 1. Friday nights customers were stacked up 4 or more deep at the handgun counter. Cigarette smoke hanging in the air,trading going on out of sight or in the parking lot. I bought my first handgun there in about 1980. A Dan Wesson pistol pack. Good times there.

I purchased my first Semi-Auto from Bob's back in the day. That place used to be awesome. I'm sad to hear it's gone.

To the OP, I used to shop at the Gander in Watetown and Monroe.