My Bait Shop vs. Bass Pro vs. Cabelas

My Bait Shop vs. Bass Pro vs. Cabelas

(My Bait Shop vs. Big Box Stores)

(aka David vs. Goliath)


Sometimes I get the question why should I buy from your store, My Bait Shop vs. a big box store such as Bass Pro Shops or Cabelas (or Fleet Farm or Scheels or insert your favorite big box sporting goods shop here).  Well I'm here to answer that question.  First let me say I'm not here to disparage the big box stores.  In fact I shop at them too, we all do.  They have so many products, and honestly dominate the market, it would be almost impossible not to shop at them.  What I am here to show you is that My Bait Shop offers a different value proposition to our customers and we can have our own success story just like these big stores had many years ago.  After all, they started small too.  First a comparison chart.  Below is a quick chart below that will show you the strengths and weaknesses of each brand.

 

 
My Bait Shop
Bass Pro Shops Cabelas
My Bait Shop Bass Pro Shops Cabelas
New Fishing Lures for Sale Yes Yes Yes
Discontinued Fishing Lures for Sale Yes No No
Used Fishing Lures for Sale Yes No No
Vintage Fishing Lures for Sale (Antique Wooden & Plastic) Yes No No
New Fishing Lures from Small Contemporary Makers Yes No No
Musky Fishing Lures for Sale Yes Yes Yes
Fishing Hooks / Terminal Tackle For Sale Limited but growing supply Yes Yes
Fishing Reels for Sale Limited Yes Yes
Fishing Rods for Sale No Yes Yes
Other Fishing, Hunting and Sporting Goods Items for Sale No Yes Yes
Total Number of Products for Sale Over 25,000 and Growing Millions Millions
Gift Cards Available Yes Yes Yes
Free Shipping Yes. On all Domestic orders of $25 or more. At Select Times and Amounts At Select Times and Amounts
Guarantee

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

All items listed carry our money back guarantee.  If you are not completely satisfied, simply return the product/s and your money will be promptly refunded.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Store Locations Online Only Brick and Mortar Locations and Online Store Brick and Mortar Locations and Online Store
Ownership Family Owned LLC out of Neenah, Wisconsin. Owned by Keith Bell Founded by Johnny Morris. Now largest outdoor retailer in the U.S. Founded by Dick Cabela. Now owned by Bass Pro

 

As you can see each brand has it's own strength and weakness.  You couldn't go shopping on My Bait Shop for a new bass boat like you could at Bass Pro Shops or shop for treestands at Cabelas.  However you can't find vintage lures or lures from contemporary makes such as Chautauqua or Mother Nature at Bass Pro or Cabelas.  You'd have to shop at My Bait Shop for them, and I'd put our complete hard bait selection against anybody's out there.  Each brand clearly has it's own sweet spots.

One other thing My Bait Shop has that Bass Pro or Cabelas can't offer is that personal concierge shopping experience.  I personally keep a log of customers looking for those certain out of production or antique baits they are looking for.  As I am out buying lures and I find them, they are first on the list to get a call and get a shot to buy them.  That's a level of personal service that only a small business can offer.  You also have my personal guarantee on every transaction we make.  We work hard to get your business and will do whatever we can to keep earning it.   When you call you also get to speak with me, the owner:)

One of the great things about America is that anybody can have a dream.  It's one of the things that inspired me to really start this business from my hobby.  We've all heard the stories about how a young Johnny Morris started Bass Pro Shop in 1972 on eight-square-feet of space in the back of his father's liquor store in Springfield, Missouri.  Today, Bass Pro Shops is the leading national retailer of outdoor gear and apparel and has 200 retail and marine center locations across North America.  Now that's a success story. 

Or how about how in 1961 when Dick Cabela came up with a plan to sell fishing flies he purchased while at a furniture show in Chicago. What started with classified ads sooned turned into a direct mail business complete with a mimeographed catalog of outdoor items Dick and his wife, Mary, added to their product line. In the beginning, Dick and Mary ran the business from the kitchen table of their home in Chappell, Nebraska.  Again, another true American success story. (Bass Pro Shops closed the nearly $5 billion deal to acquire Cabela's in September 2017.)

What gets lost along the way though as these businesses grow though is that personal touch.  We want to be that next success story.  We aren't starting in the back of a liquor store or running classified ads.  We are however running the modern version of a mimeographed catalog, an online store.  We are small but growing, with over 25,000 products online right now and more being added every day.  Give us a shot.  You won't be disappointed.

"Happy lure hunting."

Keith