Dick's Sporting Goods in trouble

No. Dick's has already announced they're considering eliminating hunting supplies from their inventory.

They've already done it in ten stores as a test.

Dick's is obviously no longer interested in catering to shooters and hunters. I'm thinking the stores that remain open will concentrate on generic sporting goods...clothes, equipment, team sports stuff. Anything but guns and hunting. They'll either sink or swim with that decision. No problem for me. I've only shopped at a Dick's twice in my entire life.

That sounds like it would put a pretty serious cramp in their Field & Stream stores.
 
I suspect that they are finding that many gun owners are single issue, while most gun banners are theoretical. I would guess that doubling down will go poorly for them.
 
Sadly, most of my trap club friends sneak in and buy shotgun shells and ammo on sale. They have had some good sale prices, with the intent of trying to lure back customers.
Hey, if they want to sell some ammo at a loss to try to attract people back to the store I'll buy some - BUT I won't buy ANYTHING else.

If they're willing to lose money selling me something gun related I'll do my part to help them dig their own grave.
 
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Bless their little hearts.

I'm one of the people they must be talking about as I have not done business with them since they took their stand on gun control.

I've willingly paid more a couple times to buy the same or similar item elsewhere, but quite frankly Academy usually has them beat price wise anyway.

If they go under, it'll be no great loss to me.

On the other hand, I'd prefer they just admit they were wrong and start selling assault rifles and following local laws rather than making up their own. That might actually make their share holders happy, and it would probably work better than discontinuing all their hunting equipment and trying to sell more basketballs.
 
Yep cut off one of your money making departments because people that don't have guns don't want others to have them either.
I could just hear what was said at the meeting. Pointing a finger at everyone on the board and saying you all made a very dumb financial decision. No payoff from that decision because I doubt the number of sales lost equal a gain in sales from people that wanted guns removed.
I bought an inexpensive rifle cabinet from them when they first opened and I haven't been back since.

The few times I was in a Gander Mountain most of the customers were back in the gun and hunting department. Prices weren't competitive with Academy right across the street. I always wondered how they could stay in business. We know how that worked out. I wouldn't doubt Dick's and Bass Pro are in a sinking boat also. Bass Pro buying out Cabellas might just be what sinks them next.
 
On the other hand, I'd prefer they just admit they were wrong and start selling assault rifles and following local laws rather than making up their own. That might actually make their share holders happy, and it would probably work better than discontinuing all their hunting equipment and trying to sell more basketballs.


Sorry, but that just makes my toes curl..... Let's just say, 'Military Style' firearms, or, 'Modern Sporting Rifles' (aka: MSR). Not that I'm all that PC or anything, (in fact, just the opposite ;)), but let's call them what they really are. Sorry for being so picky. Carry on.
 
Maybe others will take notice for future decisions. I haven't been to a Dick's since they made what I feel was a very poor business decision. The fact that "WE" made our voices heard is HUGE!
 
I know that I personally haven't affected their bottom line since I've been a Dick's exactly 1 time and didn't buy anything, but they don't have to worry about me buying anything on sale in the future too. And that includes ammo on sale; it's just against my principles to buy anything from some company as despicable as them.
 
Gloat if you want, but it's always sad to me when another American business hits the skids. Abandoned store space, declining retail areas, and some fresh faces in the unemployment line all add up to something bad, regardless of what you think of the company.

I'll agree that it's possible they brought it upon themselves, but unless we know the profitability of the lines they've eliminated before all the hullabaloo began, we don't really know if Dick's was doomed to fail by now any way, or if eliminating rifles and handguns was just a way to get rid of an unprofitable sector. I never met anyone who bought a gun at Dick's. Ever. I can't imagine they sold many. Cabela's and Gander Mountain have had trouble for years, and they sold all kinds of stuff that Dick's is eliminating. It's possible it's a market trend, and not the result of some misguided (and I agree it's misguided) policy.

Psychologists have a word for what's going on in this thread. It's "schadenfreude." No matter what, it's always a bad day when a job is lost in America . . .
 
I agree with Muss. It's not just s business, it's the employees and their families that have their lives changed when the business fails.
 
Currently, the most competitive "local" retailer of sporting goods is Rural King. They beat Academy on price, unfortunately the nearest is 60 miles away. Joe
 
We have one about 45 minutes away. My wife and I would find some fairly reasonable prices and sales in the camping, fishing, outdoor gear area and stumble across items on sale in the hunting equipment and guns now and then. I did get a great (actually a fantastic), deal on an M&P T and a M&P Sport using Dicks Points we had built up, plus a promotional % off discount if you applied for a Dicks card at that time. Almost, but not quite a 2 for 1 deal. Luckily, we also picked up a couple cases of "loose/bulk" ammo that day and extra 20 round P-Mags they had.

That was in the Time period of the Newtown shootings. It wasn't a day later Dicks pulled ALL MSRs off the wall (including ALL semi auto rifles) overnight and you couldn't even find mags. Ammo was put on a limited quantity only sales. They also pulled ALL sales of "loose/bulk" cases.

By far, we spent more over the years on Fishing and Camping gear. But their banning of ALL MSRs was the last straw. We haven't been back to Any Dicks Sporting Good Stores since. Their management made a bad Political decision and have to live with the repercussions now. Hard to believe it took them this many years to figure out it was a bad judgement call and NOW they are just digging a deeper hole. The ship is sinking and they still can't figure it out.
 
Gloat if you want, but it's always sad to me when another American business hits the skids. Abandoned store space, declining retail areas, and some fresh faces in the unemployment line all add up to something bad, regardless of what you think of the company.

I'll agree that it's possible they brought it upon themselves, but unless we know the profitability of the lines they've eliminated before all the hullabaloo began, we don't really know if Dick's was doomed to fail by now any way, or if eliminating rifles and handguns was just a way to get rid of an unprofitable sector. I never met anyone who bought a gun at Dick's. Ever. I can't imagine they sold many. Cabela's and Gander Mountain have had trouble for years, and they sold all kinds of stuff that Dick's is eliminating. It's possible it's a market trend, and not the result of some misguided (and I agree it's misguided) policy.

Psychologists have a word for what's going on in this thread. It's "schadenfreude." No matter what, it's always a bad day when a job is lost in America . . .

Muss,

I've been a self employed Businessman all my adult life (ran 4 of my own businesses simultaneously) and I truly believe one makes his own destiny. Yes, luck & timing does play a small role as well, but the owner always has the ultimate decision making. Dick's made a HUGE error! They know it now!! NOW, let's watch and see what happens. In almost every Business category there are usually 3 levels...... 50% "make a living" and survive, 40% fail and 10% rises to the top and flourishes. My percentages might be a little off for your particular area, but the point remains that only a small percentage rises to the top and even fewer get to stay there for a long time. Yes, the economy, demographics, technology, changing trends all have their roles in just how long a Business gets to live, however the owners and Board members are the ones who make the daily decisions and MUST change with the times. Dick's DID change with the political times but they MISCALCULATED just how many of their customers were passionate gun owners. They also miscalculated how long the silent protest would last. In this case it actually kept growing.

Don't feel sorry for them! Yes, I know Americans might loose their jobs BUT you have to look at the long game too. The next Big Box Sporting Goods Store will be a bit wiser. Someone always seems to take the place of stores that go by the wayside. When Dick's smelled "blood in the water" from Sports Authority and Models, they opened up all around those stores and put the nails in their coffins.

I believe one of two things might happen here..... Either Dick's CEO will convince the Board to reverse their ill fated decision and reverse their policy (with a public apology to gun owners - but not likely) OR some enterprising group of Businessmen will open up a competitive business similar to Dick's (but more gun friendly) and ultimately drive them out. Employees that worked for Dick's could then have another job opportunity. This has always been a vicious cycle and will never end! No one felt sorry for the employees at Sports Authority when they went belly up after pulling their gun dept. out of many of their stores.... and so Dick's SHOULD HAVE learned a lesson from that! In my area, soon after SA pulled their Gun Dept's. Dick's opened up down the block and quickly put SA out of business. I'm hoping the same scenario happens in this case.
 
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I hope they go under, never were a very good sporting goods store in my opinion.
There's power in numbers and this is a good example of us gun owners showing how it works. Now if these people who boycott the antigun stores would all join the NRA we would stop seeing such a push from the left pertaining to new gun laws.
 
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