It's coming
 

Not sure when, but they parked this trailer at Gillette last week.

i buy some gear from bass pro if i cannot find it in the local shops , never had a problem

I thought in the fall? Also Cabelas in east hartford due to open in the fall as well.

:huh: WTF, not ever going to stop growth and "competition", but I don't relish the thought of a few more "Big Boy's" in the state.

I think the bottom line is that local tackle shops sell more than "product" - education, guidance, expertise, caring, and so on, and when that is good and helpful most of our customers, when given the choice, will continue to purchase the "common" product from the local shops.

hey that's a nice IN YOUR FACE to the msba show eh?

if i was msba i'd be on the fone complaining that theyre not pushing the msba show out there right now instead. maybe they have it on the sign i dunno but i think thats a real kick in the face from the gillette people.

the ugly side of capitalism.

Boy you aren't kidding. I was told they got 8 million in tax breaks in CT. When the state was asked why, their reply was they/Cabelas is creating 300 jobs. I guess the question I have " is that before or after X number of tackle shops go out of business".

:gorez:

I tend to avoid all big box stores if I can help it.

That being said I've never been impressed of Bass Pro Shops. In trying to be everything to everyone, the end up being nothing.

-spence

Just don't buy from them. In my opinion, the big stores like this don't sell any cheaper than the mom and pops, at least not what I'm looking for. And I like the service I get from them anyway. That's why places like M&D's and Belsan's will always get my business.

It's great to shop the local guys, however thee are not of small guys around that carry the hunting and camping gear you can get there. I welcome them..

they're nice stores but I try to help the little guy myself.

Spread it around. The Bass Pro offers somethings the others don't have and the locals have stuff they don't have. I think there is a place for both. It will be ineteresting to see if they try to meld with the New England flavor or stay tried and true to the mid west lg bass and camo crowd. NE can be a tough nut to crack.

I like Cabelas for clothing etc. The locals get and will get the gear/lure/bait trade (Did I say bait? ick, perish the thought of actually touching an eel, the slimy baztads):err: And I don't do worms either.

Like Flap said, there are items that we all use that the local shops do not carry. That said, I will always support my local shops. Not only for bait etc. but for equipment. The small amount of extra dough you spend you get back in knowledge and help many times over.

They're hiring, I see the ads in the Globe all the time. It would be a cool after school/weekend place to work in high school.

Being a good ways from the shore, I don't think they'll affect the small boys on the coast to much, certainly no more than the internet already has.

Thier prices aren't any cheaper are they? They have more certainly, but they don't have the people with the knowledge that the small guys do.

There is definitely a place for both large chain stores and local shops. A Cabelas in East Hartford is not going to put the shops along the coast out of business. Now a local shop a little closer maybe...but that local shop will still carry plenty of items that a Cabelas does not: live bait, custom plugs, local knowledge, etc. Sure there is some overlap in products like Redfins or Bombers but the local guys are not making their money on those. The other thing to consider is that a tackle shop being close to Cabela's may actually see an increase in business and have customers that never would have patronized the local store if it weren't for the Cabela's being close by.

yyyyyyyyyyyyyiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiipppppppppppppppp ppppppyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Outside of the owner/manager everyone who works at a tackle shop is making approx $10-$15 an hour. It's not like there are really good jobs at the tackle shops. In the end, the community will have more low paying jobs after the Bass Pro Shop or Cabelas goes up than before - along with at least ten pretty good jobs in management.

thats the way I see it too . I shop in the big tackle and little tackle guys . where ever they have what I need . I dont have too many local shops anymore since SA ( same ass crap ) came to town many years ago . When Sa came to town I went in and asked if they had any bunker or eels . the kid behind the counter just lookeed at me and said we ont sell bait . "then why did you put the local shops out of business "?