Cabelas had a much different operating philosophy than Bass Pro which ultimately lead to their “demise” in such a competitive category. Pricing was usually at a premium level, but they had pretty good sales and their customer service on product was exemplary. Lifetime warranty on Cabelas brand, (lifetime of the product, not the buyer), quality Cabelas products, lots of inventory, and lots of “Outfitters” to assist customers. And, they offered a really good military discount on just about everything. They weren’t perfect, but they were a pretty decent place for many years.
Amount of “Back Stock” inventory, warranty/return policy, discounts, and the number of on-duty sales people was very costly, and just the opposite of the Bass Pro mantra. Bass Pro utilized a very limited inventory system, few sales people and warranted their cheaper Redhead products to a much lower degree. And they gave very few if any discounts to military or police. Their operating costs were significantly lower than Cabelas.
Cabelas gun prices may be at the high end, but they sell a TON of guns. Much more than you can imagine.
It’s a shame to see what Cabelas morphed into after the Bass Pro take over....