sportsman’s warehouse closing 23 stores…

That was my favorite store to swing into every time I had to go to the twin cities. I am very sad to see it go!!

I must admit to never having walked through their doors. Sounds like I have been missing out on a good thing! Oh well, the pangs suffered from their closing will certainly be more tolerable. I guess I’ll have to make amends by checking out their upcoming sales!

I do apologize for venting a bit… I am (hopefuly understandably) very frustrated. I did take your comment personaly Perch, but that is just the kinda guy I am. Because this post is about SW I automaticaly thought you were of course talking about my employees and myself.
No hard feelings.

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I do apologize for venting a bit… I am (hopefuly understandably) very frustrated. I did take your comment personaly Perch, but that is just the kinda guy I am. Because this post is about SW I automaticaly thought you were of course talking about my employees and myself.
No hard feelings.

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no problem, none taken!

Has anyone found the complete list of which stores will be closing? All the articles I have read just jive a number of locations that will close

I don’t mean any disrespect to employees out of work and such, but I’m not surprised at this news. See post #753291 from a few weeks back. I don’t think this will be the last one imho.

Well first off lets not get all herky,jerky just yet. We don’t even know which stores are closing for sure.

Reasons for store closures more often then not are based on bad leases for buildings or malls locations. While the amount of business per store does count it may not be the over riding factor on a store closing. Case in point. Lets say you have a group of 3 stores located in a geographical area, like the Twin Cities. Lets say one store performs very well, one breaks about even and the other loses a bit each month. The parent company ships product on their own trucks and makes 3 deliveries a week, one to each store. Now lets say the lease renewal is due on the under performing store and the amount is going up 15% per month. So,the corporate question becomes, can the 2 remaining stores generate enough to cover the lease increase in the poor store? Now what if the lease is up on the good store in a year? The medium store in 2 years? Get my drift on this?

Corporate needs to be looking down the road several years as they decide which stores stay open or close. If the decision to close a store is made then you look at delivery options. Many times corporations close store and eat many years of lease payments due to rising costs.

So while poor service or product selection will likely lead to closing of small chain or mom and pop stores they very rarely will have an impact on huge chains.

i have sold interior signage to retail for the last 15 years. i have never seen a business climate like this. most retailers have slashed their capital expenditures by up to 50% this year. they are closing what they deem underperforming stores. also making sure they have access to cash. while SW closing some stores is disappointing not entirely surprising.
Hey the stock market is way up today. maybe a harbinger of things to come? again sorry to hear a bout the closing and the jobs that will be lost.

I’m not sure how corp looked at the MN stores…but our MN stores will be closed in 60 day.

Please tell me the Coon Rapids store ain’t closing. I don’t care what the guy above said. Joe and the guys in the archery dept. in Coon Rapids are great! I’m gonna miss em. Kelly and the guys in the fishing Department Rock too. They helped me with my Calcutta and my new fishing bag. Gonna miss em all.

Oh well at least I wont have to see pictures of BK every time I go to buy fishing supplies

I did not memorize the whole list but I do know that all stores in MN and WI are closing. That is:

Woodbury, MN
Coon Rapids, MN
St. Cloud, MN
Depere, WI
New Berlin, WI

The stores that are going to stay open are mostly out west in the Rockies.

Sorry to see you guys go. Sorry to hear about those that are loosing there jobs also. Good luck to you guys.

crap, I go to the Woodbury store all the time, I am 6 blocks away….

Wow. What a bummer.

Let’s all chip in and buy the old Link Recreational site in Woodbury. Get Ryan to run the joint selling great gear and great boats. Fishing boats that is.

There should be some real good deals at the closing stores. Does anyone know when this is all going down? I don’t mean to sound callus; good luck to those that find themselves unemployed.

this is too bad and i feel bad for all the employees that are going to be losign their jobs because of this. its too bad the economy is the way it is. i also would rather shop at cabelas or gander mt. and with the reeds on my way to and from work everyday they get most my business for the fishing things. but even though i like gander and cabelas if the bows go on sale at the st. cloud location im there being as how i am in the market.

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Please tell me the Coon Rapids store ain’t closing. I don’t care what the guy above said. Joe and the guys in the archery dept. in Coon Rapids are great! I’m gonna miss em. Kelly and the guys in the fishing Department Rock too. They helped me with my Calcutta and my new fishing bag. Gonna miss em all.

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Thank you! After almost 6 1/2 years at the Coon Rapids store it’s going to be tough to leave a job that we were all passionate about and really enjoyed as much as this. Paul, Edd, Ron, Floyd, Aaron and I in the fishing dept wish to thank all of our loyal customers who have become our friends over the years. It has been alot of fun. Hope to see you guys before we close the doors for good.

Kelly Gustafson

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Hope to see you guys before we close the doors for good.

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Oh, you will Kelly.
I am still shocked to hear the news of our Sportsman’s stores closing. Great store, great prices, fantastic selection, and even better people working and running them.
You guys will be missed

Ron

I am bummed that the Coon Rapids store is closing mainly because that was where the boys would go while the girls went shopping.

On 2 different occasions an employee at the Woodbury store found the rod or reel I was looking for at another store location and had it shipped to my door in a matter of days. That type of customer service will be missed.

It’s a very sad day for IDO to lose a valued sponsor such as Sportsman’s Warehouse who has supported IDO and its members. Without people like them, we do not exist. Scott Mueller and his team were outstanding to work with and they will be deeply missed much more than the Coon Rapids store itself.

It’s a sadder day for all of the SW employees who are going to be losing their jobs. It must be really hard to see something go away so quickly after you put your heart and soul into building it.

I wish everyone at Sportsman’s Warehouse the very best and I hope all of you land on your feet once again. I realize this news hits home pretty hard. New jobs will have to be found, so you can pay your bills, put food on your table and support your families once again. This is real life and sometimes news like this we have a tendency to forget the individual concerns and needs.

Please let us know if there is anything that IDO can do to help you out during this uncertain time.

So, anybody in retail or insiders know why this is happening? Why the Midwest stores? You here of places like Target closing stores, but that seems more strategic as to reduce saturation and customer cannibalism. Why close all stores in an area? Seems like you would want to keep one store open? I guess corporate must be going in a completely different direction. Maybe they find they can’t complete with Gander in the Midwest? Yes, I know Gander is struggling too, but they have the “name brand” in the Midwest, at least in my opinion. I know a few people have mentioned that Gander is struggling. I don’t know if that is a fact or hopeful opinion? All I know is I drive by the Lakeville GM store all the time and it is always packed. Maybe more people are just in looking and not buying? I do know Lakeville keeps their expenses down by applying “just in time” inventory control, err should I say “maybe we will get some more in a couple weeks” inventory control . I would assume SW was always packed too? What about Cabelas? I like to go to the one in Owatonna and it also always packed, even on a weeknight. Has anybody heard if they are struggling…I assume all retailers are struggling, but are they in the position they have to shut the doors? Do you think maybe online sales makes a big difference for Cabelas vs. SW and GM? I guess to me, unless the company is close to filing bankruptcy, just closing all the doors in the Midwest seems a bit curious to me. Just wondering what other opinion are, especially if you are “in” the industry.

And sorry to hear about anybody losing their jobs. Maybe you all head over to the GM and then they will have the best fishing department in the area.

I gotta believe this is a strategic move. Likely the only competition down south is Bass Pro, out west maybe Cabelas. Here you are competing with Cabelas, Gander, Reeds, [censored](laughable, I know).

I visit the “big” Gander in Eden Prairie every so often. It’s no different than the old Minnetonka store, not busy either. Sadly, still out of snap and swivels, but got a ton of other stuff that never sells. The little stores like in Maple Grove are desolate. I mean desolate, for both employees and customers. Gotta believe they’ll be closing down those stores soon.

Luckily I live 8 miles from Cabelas, but sadly, they rarely have the items I’m looking for like terminal tackle etc… Unless you buy it off season.

Hmmm, I don’t really stop at the Lakeville GM because I know they won’t have what I am looking for, but the parking lot is always packed, at least on the weekends. I guess when I have been there during the week it would be pretty empty. I do wonder how much online sales makes a difference for these places to survining? Pretty much anything I don’t need to touch and feel I buy online from Cabelas or Thorne Bros. I don’t think SM has an online store and GMs really is worthless.

In my opinion the GM in Woodbury was the best of the GM stores in the metro. I will put it this way. If you wanted any other rod besides a GM Guide Series, don’t bother going to the Lakeville store. But the Woodbury store had tons of Avids when I got one last year. And the fishing employee was even helpful! I’m sure the completion from SW is a big reason. Now without the competition, I wonder how quickly they will become like the Lakeville store. It is a bad deal for everybody.

The problem with Gander isn’t the employees on the floor as much as the attitudes of the higher ups. I know for a fact that they have let some really good people go and it was more politics than anything else. Maybe if it gets bad enough they’ll shake the tree from the top and we’ll see changes but I won’t hold my breath.

SW closing in St Cloud, should help Scheels, Gander & even Mills Fleet. I have only been to SW a couple times, when they first opened and when I was looking for some Optics. I really didn’t care for the SW in St Cloud, big reasons, first its right across from CashWise (pain to get in or out) and they had more camping stuff, that was taking up room where they could of had more Hunting/Fishing stuff. Sorry people are losing their jobs, the GM in St Cloud could use some help in the fishing dept(knowledge) but I will put their Gun Staff against anyone Mills fishing dept is way ahead in knowledge (Bob Schroden), he knows whats biting, where and what they’re eating

big G

Makes ya wonder if the Holiday gas station arm of the business is holding up the sporting goods side some??

At any rate, this is a loss for us as consumers on several levels.

Sorry to hear of this,I hope everything works out well for you Ryan & staff.

The SW in Woodtickville had the best selection of cranks bar none and at good prices.. I wonder how the new Bass Pro Shops that is opening in Bloomington is gonna do??