R.I.P. Wholesale Sports

[sjemac]

Originally Posted by Jjolg123

Being Canadian doesn't excuse poor customer service. You want people to shop local give them the service that warrants them coming back ie. Flys Etc

This. Good riddance.

[BPM]

Originally Posted by trapperdodge

I shopped at WSS only when I had too. Staff had the wrong attitude for retail - IMO. So does the UFA for that matter.

Originally Posted by Jjolg123

Being Canadian doesn't excuse poor customer service. You want people to shop local give them the service that warrants them coming back ie. Flys Etc

Exactly this. They sure had some ornery folk manning the Calgary bench and frankly I don't feel too bad. Loved walking into Russell sports and always being treated like I was welcome. I don't appreciate being talked down to. I don't appreciate being made to feel like I'm being graced with their time and presence. I don't appreciate being talked to like I don't know what I'm talking about. I do know what I'm talking about. When I ask for an item and get "why" among with why my choice is a poor decision or condescending backtalk about how I load my ammo I just figure whatever man just serve me my request and I'll be on my merry way. Time and time again I gave them a chance like the good ole days but time and time again I remember why I shouldn't have. If I wanted to hear about how I should do my job better I'll just watch the bloody news. Definitely didnt need those crusty guys to question and then impress their superior knowledge upon me on what I SHOULD be doing. (Like the time the one guy gave me the gears for loading my 300wm to 3.600 col and not crimping... um because I can and Its what I do for MY gun.) They obviously know everything and will transition just fine to one of the other big box stores with their niche market skillsets. I feel more bad for the general staff that had this as part time for school or to make ends meet running the front of house areas or stocking the clothes racks. They never treated me poorly once. Their gun counter can **** right off. Back to my online retailers I go. Or the boys and girls at proline. Haircut and a revolver from the same store. Gotta like that.

Yah yah we lost an option to buy local. Pfft. Those days ended 15 years ago. Get online or get in line. It's inevitable.

[conservativeken]

Good riddance. They had high prices and terrible service.

[ovis40]

For the most part I had good service and supported WSS.....well that was until Saturday at Calgary. I went to the gun counter to get some powder. The store was packed and lots of people at the counter so I got a number had stood waiting. All the guys but one were showing guns or accessories. He was standing there BS'ing two guys. After 10 minutes this got very old so I asked him if there were others working here. He came back very ignorantly with a NO! So I suggested that instead of BS'ing he could maybe sell something. Well that set him off. He yelled at me to "GET THE FUZK OUT OF HERE"! I told him "there is a good reason you are going down" to which he repeated the get out thing. I didn't think there was a good chance getting any powder so I snooped around some more and then hit the till. I told an older lady running the till what had happened and she was quite shocked. She asked me which guy it was and when I told her she wasn't surprised. She started working at WSS when it was owned by the original owners. She told me that it started to go down hill shortly after UFA bought it. She said "They just don't get it". I said it's the same way with the farm stores. When the Red Deer store put in the partition and made the retail area at least half the size one of long time sales guys there told me " this is what happens when bean counters try to run a business, it's unbelievable how they think. They have no clue what a farm store should be". If it wasn't for UFA I bet WSS would still be going forward.

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by ovis40

For the most part I had good service and supported WSS.....well that was until Saturday at Calgary. I went to the gun counter to get some powder. The store was packed and lots of people at the counter so I got a number had stood waiting. All the guys but one were showing guns or accessories. He was standing there BS'ing two guys. After 10 minutes this got very old so I asked him if there were others working here. He came back very ignorantly with a NO! So I suggested that instead of BS'ing he could maybe sell something. Well that set him off. He yelled at me to "GET THE FUZK OUT OF HERE"! I told him "there is a good reason you are going down" to which he repeated the get out thing. I didn't think there was a good chance getting any powder so I snooped around some more and then hit the till. I told an older lady running the till what had happened and she was quite shocked. She asked me which guy it was and when I told her she wasn't surprised. She started working at WSS when it was owned by the original owners. She told me that it started to go down hill shortly after UFA bought it. She said "They just don't get it". I said it's the same way with the farm stores. When the Red Deer store put in the partition and made the retail area at least half the size one of long time sales guys there told me " this is what happens when bean counters try to run a business, it's unbelievable how they think. They have no clue what a farm store should be". If it wasn't for UFA I bet WSS would still be going forward.

Have you got no empathy at all. These guys are two days off of being told their Christmas bonus is the "Unemployment line". Now they have to work their asses off helping to un-employ themselves even faster because they have been mobbed since the closure was announced. They can't quit because you get no UI if you do, you have to stay and take it, and they won't likely get any severance either. IMO you are really lucky all he did was yell at you.

[big zeke]

Originally Posted by Dean2

Have you got no empathy at all. These guys are two days off of being told their Christmas bonus is the "Unemployment line". Now they have to work their asses off helping to un-employ themselves even faster because they have been mobbed since the closure was announced. They can't quit because you get no UI if you do, you have to stay and take it, and they won't likely get any severance either. IMO you are really lucky all he did was yell at you.

There's 2 sides to this. I get it that the employee is working himself out of a job. I get that he can't really quit without repercussions. I get that the buyer is seeing crappy service and I get that he made a choice to go to the WSS sale.

Both could bend a bit I guess. The buyer should have expected poor service given the circumstances and bit his tongue, nobody MADE him go there and he knew what he was walking into. Does he unload on a clerk at a Boxing day sale? The employee is being paid to do a job that he obviously isn't doing and perhaps doesn't care about, the buyer didn't make the decision to close the store and doesn't deserve to be railed on when asked about service.

If this is what day 2 looked like I hate to think what month 2 will look like.

Lighten up folks...

[abbgdr]

I wonder if that was the same clown working the gun counter 4 years ago when I went in with a buddy to purchase a couple of rifles. There were at least six customers waiting to be served while three of the staff were all clustered together watching one of them show a customer how to strip down a SKS. This went on for 15 minutes while customers got more annoyed at being ignored. We ended up leaving and spending our money elsewhere. I ended up buying a Sako and my buddy ordered a Weatherby. When you have staff that are that inconsiderate and so clueless that they think a $200 gun desreves that much attention it's time to fire the whole lot of them and start over or step aside and let a company that knows how to serve it's customers take over.

[bobtodrick]

Originally Posted by Dean2

Have you got no empathy at all. These guys are two days off of being told their Christmas bonus is the "Unemployment line". Now they have to work their asses off helping to un-employ themselves even faster because they have been mobbed since the closure was announced. They can't quit because you get no UI if you do, you have to stay and take it, and they won't likely get any severance either. IMO you are really lucky all he did was yell at you.

Can't say for sure of course, but I also highly doubt the 'F' word was used.
Sounds like a bit of embellishment on the posters part.

[PeterLester]

Bear in mind that eBay, Amazon and most other online selling sites have strict policies against selling of firearm related equipment....

and losing Wholesale Sports in Calgary means much longer drives to/from the big stores while paying more for the same items.....

If only WholesaleSports in Calgary had remained in their smaller original facility and not overspent of their spectacular upscale new facility they would still be making money..... IMHO.

[bobtodrick]

Originally Posted by abbgdr

I wonder if that was the same clown working the gun counter 4 years ago when I went in with a buddy to purchase a couple of rifles. There were at least six customers waiting to be served while three of the staff were all clustered together watching one of them show a customer how to strip down a SKS. This went on for 15 minutes while customers got more annoyed at being ignored. We ended up leaving and spending our money elsewhere. I ended up buying a Sako and my buddy ordered a Weatherby. When you have staff that are that inconsiderate and so clueless that they think a $200 gun desreves that much attention it's time to fire the whole lot of them and start over or step aside and let a company that knows how to serve it's customers take over.

So, when you are in a store buying something you'd have no issue with the salesperson telling you that he was done with you because there was someone behind you buying a more expensive item.
Sure ya would.

[PeterLester]

Welcome to the age of predatory capitalism....Big Box US based stores wipes out the smaller Canadian stores with initially lower pricing, then later, after small stores shutdown, we all lose because the big box stores jack their prices back up while cutting back on the hard to get items we are really looking for.....

[kinwahkly]

I've never had any good experiences with staff especially at the Gun counter. I would rather burn my $ before I handed it over to them .

[Anomaly85]

Originally Posted by PeterLester

If only WholesaleSports in Calgary had remained in their smaller original facility and not overspent of their spectacular upscale new facility they would still be making money..... IMHO.

The Calgary location was their head office, and warehouse for their online sales....I thought it was a pretty modest store compared to Bass Pro or Cabelas

[Bergerboy]

Originally Posted by kinwahkly

I've never had any good experiences with staff especially at the Gun counter. I would rather burn my $ before I handed it over to them .

Well if you want to have knowledgeable staff to sell you your firearms the store will likely have to pay more to hire these people. When the stores expenses go up so does the cost of the products they sell. I would rather do my own research and go to a store where things are cheap and tell them what I want. I could care less if the person behind the counter knew what it was.

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by bobtodrick

So, when you are in a store buying something you'd have no issue with the salesperson telling you that he was done with you because there was someone behind you buying a more expensive item.
Sure ya would.

It doesn't take 3 salesmen to show a customer a gun. Did you miss that part?

[MAC]

Originally Posted by Bergerboy

Well if you want to have knowledgeable staff to sell you your firearms the store will likely have to pay more to hire these people. When the stores expenses go up so does the cost of the products they sell. I would rather do my own research and go to a store where things are cheap and tell them what I want. I could care less if the person behind the counter knew what it was.

x2
I know what I want before I go. I dont rely on sales staff to tell me about a rifle I want to purchase. I LIKED the gun counter at wholesale in Calgary.
Some reloading components. Not much else was I interesrted in, hunting for 40 years I have accumulated most of what I need

MAC

[bat119]

I'll miss another source for supplies, I usually stopped in to pick up a few things I needed when passing through town. As far as customer service goes if somebody can tell me where to find something I'm good. I don't buy any guns without researching myself.

[Mangosteen]

Yep way too many conceited clowns behind the gun counters. They think they are gods gift to the Hunter.

Never been impressed. Only one in five are good. Salty and usually grumpy. Even when nicely approached.

The younger punks better.

[YoteStopper]

I think that we got lucky down here, most of the counter staff at the Lethbridge location were good to deal with vs Calgary. I have been in some other locations and still found the local store the best. Sad to see them close as I don't shop at the other place in town, prefer to drive to High River and give my business to Fly's Etc.

[Ken07AOVette]

There are some incredible guys that worked for WS years ago, a few of them are on this board. When they started getting rid of them, there was a sudden and immediate downhill slide. The writing was on the wall shortly after.
I am going to miss the old store. The new model, not so much. I will find somewhere online or in Rupert that sells heavy salt gear.

[Unregistered user]

I like CT, bought my boys 20ga. there for Xmas. Same price as anywhere else and I got some funny money too.

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by PeterLester

If only WholesaleSports in Calgary had remained in their smaller original facility and not overspent of their spectacular upscale new facility they would still be making money..... IMHO.

The facility before this one was not the original. The move to the present store was not what led to their demise. What put WSS in the stink hole was when it was sold to UFA. There were at least 5 WSS locations when UFA took over. All doing well. UFA had made some money in oil and gas and the banks were easy to get along with and they thought there was no end of money. They expanded with more stores in Canada and bought out a whole bunch of Sportmen's Warehouse stores in the US. UFA also did not get along with their suppliers and suddenly their stock across their entire empire was stretched thin. When UFA took over the Calgary store was their flag ship and they even described it as their crowning Jewell.

UFA then started taking all money made by WSS and sinking it into UFA ventures that were not doing well. I asked one buyer why WSS did not order certain items and the answer was that the bank was calling the shots and would not let them until they reduced some of their other inventory and paid some bills. Along the way there were many bad business decisions including really bad upper management choices and policy changes and they ended up in a slide where there was no recovery.

[bobtodrick]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

It doesn't take 3 salesmen to show a customer a gun. Did you miss that part?

I know two things...I've spent a lot of money at Wholesale, never had a bad experience. Second, I worked in retail long enough to know that with stories like in this instance, there is another side of the story we aren't hearing.

[Talking moose]

Originally Posted by bobtodrick

I know two things...I've spent a lot of money at Wholesale, never had a bad experience. Second, I worked in retail long enough to know that with stories like in this instance, there is another side of the story we aren't hearing.

I know one thing.
You weren't there. Being you weren't there and he was, your opinion is the only one not holding any merit.

[Jalan]

Originally Posted by bobtodrick

Can't say for sure of course, but I also highly doubt the 'F' word was used.
Sounds like a bit of embellishment on the posters part.

The whole thing probably never happened.

[Huntsman]

Originally Posted by Jalan

The whole thing probably never happened.

Exactly. It's the internet.

[dwyldethang]

As a woman and new to hunting I had a very good experience at the Edmonton store the sales guy was helpful and showed me a few things with my gun. I'll be sad to see them go, competition is always good. I just hope he gets a good job when he has to find one.

[MAC]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

I know one thing.
You weren't there. Being you weren't there and he was, your opinion is the only one not holding any merit.

Not having a bad encounter of his own is not opinion. His version but not opinion. Secondly we have not heard the other side. That is a fact.

So the only opinion is yours.

Yes I liked wholesale sports, did not whine and cry if there was no one to hold my hand. That is also a fact, as that was my experience.

MAC

[bobtodrick]

Originally Posted by Talking moose

I know one thing.
You weren't there. Being you weren't there and he was, your opinion is the only one not holding any merit.

So...were you there?
If not you have no proof what is being said is true.
Kinda at a stalemate, aren't we??

[tacomama]

I think a couple boys need a ruler....