Whole Sale Sports in the U.S.
- Thread starter DANCESWITHEMPTIES
- Start date
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
If WSS pisses of as many customers in the US as has been the experience with some on this forum, I doubt they will do very well. My suggestions are:
1) have the inventory folks want to buy,
2) provide knowledgeable and courteous customer survice,
3) keep your prices competitive.
1) have the inventory folks want to buy,
2) provide knowledgeable and courteous customer survice,
3) keep your prices competitive.
1 & 2 is were they had their major problems when I was in Edmonton. Some of their staff was excellent, Knowledgeable & friendly. Doug & old Frank come to mind as I say this. Some of their other staff were simply stealing my oxygen when I went in there.
I think you guys are missing the point of WSS's acquisition. Their expansion into the US through the purchase of an existing chain increases their buying power and gives them access to, and influence with, the big US manufacturers and distributors in a way that they previously didn't have. The end result should (hopefully) be that we see more product on the shelves at better prices. At least that's the hope...
WSS's profitability is keeping UFA afloat. But that is in spite of the UFA Board's (mis)direction... That's just my 2 cents... I could be missing some of the picture...
I don't think they will be able to export themselves; at least not without a whole ton of new paperwork! But it will give them more clout with the current exporters/distributors/manufacturers. Ant that might help improve the flow of products into their Canadian stores.
Explain to me how a company thats been around for 100 years and does close to 2 billion in sales is going to be broke in a year. I'm more than willing to listen. I'm sure that last years statement said Wholesale contributes 18%. That is fairly signifigant but that alone doesn't keep a company going.
M12shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- East St. Paul, mb
Thats for sure! Get pissed off just go to the competition next door...and they know it!
In the US, the competition next door doesn't have squat either, same reason we don't have much here. Because lots of people there are hoarding, much the same way people here are hoarding. Look at alot of the adds on the EE, rifle with 250 brass and 500 bullets etc etc. You didn't see that stufff before....
Dances with empties, I see you're back east now. Doug Hill passed on kind of suddenly, last summer near the end of June. A serious loss to the shooting community and anybody that knew him. One of the finest people to deal with and a person many would consider a friend, even tho alot of us only seen him when shopping at WSS Edmonton a half dozen times a year.
JT.
Dances with empties, I see you're back east now. Doug Hill passed on kind of suddenly, last summer near the end of June. A serious loss to the shooting community and anybody that knew him. One of the finest people to deal with and a person many would consider a friend, even tho alot of us only seen him when shopping at WSS Edmonton a half dozen times a year.
JT.
Have you guys even been to a WSS in the states? I have been to 2, and let me tell you, it's a completely different store and mentality in the American WSS stores. Shelves are stocked full and staff are all firearm enthusiasts. The supply chain for products is much better in the states because the manufacturers and demand are there. While it's owned by WSS, I imagine their American arm is still run by the former Sportsman employees, so it's a much different experience.
so far, they still run everything from Calgary, they apparently went thru a very large cleanout in WSS management at UFA just recently, some possibly criminal issues involved. And as to powder & primer & bullet & brass shortages---that is all over N. America over the last couple of years, shud read some of the U.S reloading sites. And apparently ammo prices will be going up--Wholesale got caught in the beginning of it last year on their fall orders.
Sorry to hear about that. Doug was truly a gentleman.
WSS are as incompetent as ever!I was in Calgary last week and got the usual 1 hr wait at the guncounter as they skipped numbers and line jumped customers! SSDD.I always end up with the same plant no matter what # I get.They are indifferent or don't know Speer from Hornady much less what bullet weights they make.So they stand there arguing with you until you pull out the catalog and show them.Then it's we don't have those in stock...................I wish they had a viable competitor.............Harold
Great_White_hunter
Member
- Location
- Edmonton Alberta
it matters entirely on the person on the other side of the counter, it doesn't matter what store you go to, there was a small family owned store called Back Country Sports in Red Deer, it went out of business because its staff knew so little. You have to realize for many of these guys guns are not their passion they had to take this job, every once in a while you get a guy that really loves guns and hunting and can give you some insightful information, at any store, from Canadian Tire, UFA/WSS, or a mom and pops hunting store.
I have talked to a few guys from WSS who are ex cops or CO's and they know their stuff and try to be a little more humble, then I have talked to other guys that pride themselves experts that have known less about guns than those other guys have forgot in their life. I am not going to lie some places, like Bass Pro for example, that are cheaper than WSS, but an average of 5% price difference is not much especially seeing as Bass pro is so far from so many people. Personally I think I will be making my next major purchase their, or possibly another Canadian provider, because giving them business and feedback is the only way they will be able to afford to make service changes.
I have talked to a few guys from WSS who are ex cops or CO's and they know their stuff and try to be a little more humble, then I have talked to other guys that pride themselves experts that have known less about guns than those other guys have forgot in their life. I am not going to lie some places, like Bass Pro for example, that are cheaper than WSS, but an average of 5% price difference is not much especially seeing as Bass pro is so far from so many people. Personally I think I will be making my next major purchase their, or possibly another Canadian provider, because giving them business and feedback is the only way they will be able to afford to make service changes.
