A Heads-Up Buying at Cabela's

[misswired]

An errand to Huntsville yesterday had me stopping at Larrys P&P for a quick look at potential Christmas presents for myself. Picked up a Buckmark 5.5 inch slab side in good condition for a fair price. Fifteen minutes later in Cabela's a High Standard Dura-matic with box and papers is spotted....wishing I hadn't just purchased the Browning... I reluctantly left without nary an inquiry.

A quick call to Cabela's today and the gun library manager drops the price 25% over the phone.... hot-dang I'm on the way(2hour round trip). Telling them I'm on my lunch break and need to get back, the purchase takes forever. Finally, right before I take possession, he starts taping the box closed...as I shouted "please don't tape the box"; he applied the second piece of tape. With a whizzed off level above 10, I ask why he just ruined the box? His reply: "as long as the box is taped you can continue shopping, otherwise I'd have to escort you to the door!"


Remember me telling him I was in a hurry? I'm still fuming!
Yes, the flashy cabela's tape cannot be removed without destroying the box.

This is your heads-up when buying a pistol with the box from cabela's!

 

[KalamazooKid]

Oh man I’d be ticked off! The one boxed (old) Smith I bought at Cabelas a few years back was carefully wrapped in paper first, then taped. [emoji106]

 

[ladder13]

YIKES!

 

[22hipower]

Yes, I know the feeling. Bought a Colt Service Ace from 1980 NIB a few years ago at the local Cabela's Gun Library. The salesman was ever so proud of the "fact" that it was truly NIB from the estate of the original buyer; "the slide has never even been racked back." Said he would put a note on it so that the clerk checking me out would know to treat it carefully. An hour later after working through their 4473 process the check out clerk grabs the box, ignores the note, pulls open the plastic bag, drags out the gun and racks the slide saying "nice gun." Not a big deal really, the gun was surely function tested at the factory, but a little bit irritating but humorous too. Well, slide has only been racked once since it left the factory. . . . Which reminds me I should dig it out of the safe and take a look at it again one of these days.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

 

[TTSH]

An errand to Huntsville yesterday had me stopping at Larrys P&P for a quick look at potential Christmas presents for myself. Picked up a Buckmark 5.5 inch slab side in good condition for a fair price. Fifteen minutes later in Cabela's a High Standard Dura-matic with box and papers is spotted....wishing I hadn't just purchased the Browning... I reluctantly left without nary an inquiry.

A quick call to Cabela's today and the gun library manager drops the price 25% over the phone.... hot-dang I'm on the way(2hour round trip). Telling them I'm on my lunch break and need to get back, the purchase takes forever. Finally, right before I take possession, he starts taping the box closed...as I shouted "please don't tape the box"; he applied the second piece of tape. With a whizzed off level above 10, I ask why he just ruined the box? His reply: "as long as the box is taped you can continue shopping, otherwise I'd have to escort you to the door!"

Remember me telling him I was in a hurry? I'm still fuming!
Yes, the flashy cabela's tape cannot be removed without destroying the box.

This is your heads-up when buying a pistol with the box from cabela's!

Yep. The clueless Cabela's gun goons LOVE their gosh-darn tape. I think they get a bonus based on the amount of tape they put on each box. And if you think it's bad where you are, I can tell you that it's 10 times worse up here behind enemy lines.

 

[Firesticks]

Try a hair drier on high to soften the glue. it has worked for me.

 

[TTSH]

Yes, I know the feeling. Bought a Colt Service Ace from 1980 NIB a few years ago at the local Cabela's Gun Library. The salesman was ever so proud of the "fact" that it was truly NIB from the estate of the original buyer; "the slide has never even been racked back." Said he would put a note on it so that the clerk checking me out would know to treat it carefully. An hour later after working through their 4473 process the check out clerk grabs the box, ignores the note, pulls open the plastic bag, drags out the gun and racks the slide saying "nice gun." Not a big deal really, the gun was surely function tested at the factory, but a little bit irritating but humorous too. Well, slide has only been racked once since it left the factory. . . . Which reminds me I should dig it out of the safe and take a look at it again one of these days.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

I'd say you got off easy. The Cabela's gun goons dropped on the floor one gun I bought from there and very nearly broke a second one screwing around with it... both during the checkout process. Thank God that they were unable to do any permanent damage. Asking them to be careful means nothing to them. Goes in one ear and right out the other.

You have to expect that at Cabela's. It's sad, but that's just the way it is.

 

[misswired]

Try a hair drier on high to soften the glue. it has worked for me.

Thanks, was hoping someone would offer some help! I'll try this tomorrow.

It's doubtful I'll ever sell the pistol, but that's beside the point.
If I'd of been aware this was even possible, it wouldn't have happened.

 

[sophie]

Just goes to show you can't fix stupid.

 

[LittleCooner]

Cabelas has gone to that place we talk about in a hand basket since they were purchased by Bass Pro Shop. Dang, I have been a buyer of Cabelas stuff for over 50 years and it is coming to an end.

 

[kennyb]

good googly moogly...

 

[Drm50]

You just tapped into my pet peeve. The people working in Cabelas gun
dept might as well be selling shoes. My daughter knew more about guns
when she was 12 than most of them. I don't deal there on one of my few
visits there I was in gun library window shopping. The salesman in there
had already POed me, that's another story, I was about to leave when a
guy with young son comes in. Salesman asked guy if there was something
he could help him with. Guy says he is looking for a Marlin 357. Clerk tells
him he must be mixed up, Marlin doesn't make pistols. Guy don't say a word turned around and walked out.

 

[daglockman]

Damn that sucks. I got tired of educating the salesman about the firearms that I came in to look at, so I stopped shopping there long ago. Same for optics there and at BPS. You have to go in prepared NOT to ask any questions about the product you are looking for.

 

[growr]

I have also held the taped part of the box over my oven burner ( 10-12" above burner) and had great results in removing tape and other labels.

Randy

PS. Let us know how it turns out........

 

[moosedog]

I'd be ticked too. I've never had much respect for Cabela's, now I have less.

 

[Marshal Tom]

I went in to one of my local Grand Junction shops today. I was talking to one of the clerks behind the counter. He is a retired CO. State Patrol Officer. I mentioned that I had looked at a nice BHP in there a few weeks back and now it is gone. He says to me that Gerry, the owner can order them and that they get them from time to time. I said, no he can't, they no longer make them. Some of these guys amaze me.

 

[walter o]

At the cabelas i go to they put the box in their plastic bag ,and then tape the bag up tight around the box . After long talks with them they now realize that the boxes add value to the guns ,This has been told to all the gun library sales staff.

 

[alaskavett]

Cabelas has only been in Alaska a few short years, but I tried to deal with them through the gun library at the Anchorage store. Twice I found interesting old Smith's, called and talked to the Liberary Manager(so he says on phone) Im assured the gun is there and drive 60 some miles to go and pick it up... Cant find it in case and finally the blob cleaning a rifle realises I'm speaking to HIM and responds with we sold that weeks ago.... Second time almost the same thing happens when I find a nice Smith listed on library and call and I'm assured that if it is "in the library, it is still there, as I'm looking at it" again, I journey to the dark side and I'm greated with some story that it was sold over a month ago... Funny as it just went in the "library" so I thanked each bozo I recognize as an Employee on way out thanking me for preventing me from ever spending any money there as I will never be back...
Still have gift cards for the place,but I won't be using them.. Now the gun liberary is all new stuff that is one the shelves..
Kyle

 

[scooter123]

Cabelas has gone to that place we talk about in a hand basket since they were purchased by Bass Pro Shop. Dang, I have been a buyer of Cabelas stuff for over 50 years and it is coming to an end.

No kidding. Went to this years Black Friday sale and it was, without any doubt, the LAMEST Black Friday sale I have ever been to at any retailer in my entire life. BTW, I am 63 years old so I have a rather large pool of experience with Black Friday sales. About the ONLY sale item was Redhead clothing items, such as flannel shirts that wont last 3 months in normal use for "only" 19.95. BTW, I am a huge fan of Carhartt for a reason, I have some of their flannel shirts that that are coming uo on 7 years of use and still not a single thin spot or much visible wear at all.

Last Saturday I stopped in to pick up a couple of choke boxes to to keep the chokes for my new 686 Sporting organized. While there I figured I may as well pick up some primers. Could not find Shotgun primers anywhere and didn't feel like chasing down a salesperson. So head over to the pistol and Rifle primers and what to I see, a Bass Pro Shop offering of primers. As in 100 pc. trays at a well overpriced cost of 3.99 per 100. That particular PITA way to sell primers is why I swore off shopping for anything at Bass Pro Shops. Oddly enough the web site is still showing 1000 pc. boxes but that will probably change in time.

BTW, having been thru Cabelas totally obtuse and anal 2 hours firearm transfer process I purchased this shotgun at Michigun, a Mom & Pop shop, just to avoid a transfer at Cabelas. Note, price paid was EXACTLY what Cabelas lists and that dealer had a SKB ripstop semi hard case for O/U shotguns in stock, something that would NEVER EVER happen at today's Cabelas. He also had me finished with the transfer in about 10 minutes or so. To sum it up about the only reason for going to Cabelas in the future is to pick up some flats of Shotgun ammo when it's on sale.

IMO Bass Pro's intention is to run Cabelas into the ground. A rather foolish choice since there is room in the market for both brands. Also foolish because a lot of folks consider Bass Pro as a Last Ditch option that entails a host of subtle anti gun policy's, such as selling primers by the 100 and having about the poorest in store stock of powders as possible.

 

[andyinlz]

Good Deals

Hand-in-hand with unskilled Cabela's folks are sometimes terrific Gun Library deals on older guns that they fail to accurately identify.

I have scored a number of unbelieveable deals on rare and generally unknown S&W variations.

So, don't be too quick to write them off.....at least if you know what you are buying (and they do not).