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Gander Mountain bites the dust

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olvart

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A very strange regional company went bankrupt a few days ago.

Part of the assets purchased by Camping World tycoon Lemotis?

 

Gander was around since I was a kid. There first warehouse was about 10 minutes from me, and they grew from there. A lot of my friends worked there. The service was great and prices were the best around. Not so anymore. It is easier to buy the stuff online from Tackledirect, or cheaper at other websites.

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We will miss Gander Mtn.  Bought a lot of shotgun and 30-06 shells in their NY and PA Stores.  Visited the Original GM in WI with my brothers.

 

Brother Kevin lived in Lake Co. IL and it was a short ride to the Store.

 

Never found a employee who wasn't on his game. Fishing gear, especially fly reels in the Kingston NY Store 10 years ago were nicely priced and a I picked up 2 # 4, 2 # 3 and 1 #2 Ross Reelswhen they discontinued that line at the store.  The fours hold ten weight line nicely. #3 * Wt lines.

 

I still have a pair of Red Wing Boondocker Style half Boots that wear like a pair of gloves.  Got them on Sale for $59.95 have wornout the soles 3 times in 25 years. Still keep them shined for spring and Fall hunting boots.

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I have NO sympathy for Gander Mountain, or Cabelas or Bass Pro, etc. They are simply outlets for Chinese products just like Walmart. 15 years ago Gander came into town. As a company they were quite friendly to the fishing club we had and ranked high on community outreach. They also put a local outfitter of kayaks and outdoor gear out of business. This was unfortunate since the smaller business was much more service oriented with excellent personal relationships.

 

In a surprise twist, 10 years ago Gander Mtn. opened a big store literally 2 miles from a much smaller long standing regional fish & gun shop near Richmond VA. The Gander store closed in about 5 years and Green Top Sporting Goods expanded into their floor space taking over the Gander building right off I-95, a better location. Green Top won out in a true neck in neck competition because of loyal customers and much better service (local knowledge & gun knowledge). Meanwhile about 10 miles up the road (north) from the Gander / Green Top location a brand new Bass Pro mega-store opened. I think Green Top still does better business. They have a better selection / knowledge of just about everything outdoorsy.

 

When the big boxes close .... they're only good for fire sales.  So thanks for the clue that the Gander's Goose has been cooked.

RockfishOn!! :cool:

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We have one in town.  But we also have a Dicks and a Cabelas.  There probably isn't a mom and pop "bait & tackle" within 400 miles.  Practically everything I buy, I get online, so I don't much care one way or the other, except for the loss of some jobs.  Entry level retail sucks, but there were probably some managers making decent coin at each store.

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The one near me has all rods and reels 10% off and 15% off all tackle. They had mojo bass rods for $70.

 

Just be careful when buying from any of the stores that are closing.  This is prime time for ripoffs.

 

Lemonis/Camping World bought the IP rights to Gander Mountain.  Liquidators are actually handling the sale of existing merchandise, and these people are masters of the art.  First thing they're going to do is take out any really valuable merchandise and sell through other channels.  Of what's left, they're going to mark up so that they can mark down, and will usually sell with lousy terms (cash only, final sale, as-is, etc.).  You think you're getting a bargain based on the tagged prices, when in fact you're probably getting it no cheaper or only slightly less than you would from a retailer who would have to provide you some warranty/return service.

 

Not that there aren't any deals to be had, there may be.  But be very wary.  I had a friend get totally ripped off thinking he scored a great deal on some plugs from the Sports Authority closure out in Riverhead.  When we sat and pulled up the plugs he bought online, turns out he could have bought them cheaper elsewhere, even factoring in shipping.  At least they were just plugs - who knows what his luck might have been had he bought an expensive reel or another big ticket item.

The sea was angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.
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