Dicks Sporting Goods removed firearms from website

[Slimster22]

Dicks Sporting Goods has recently removed firearms from their website. I sent several emails which had evasive responses from their customer service. The final response was in part:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for contacting Customer Support at www.dickssportinggoods.com.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you experienced while trying to locate firearms on our online store. However we have recently removed firearms from our website.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------


The first three or so responses, said they can't sell firearms on the web. Apparently, they didn't understand the question, but I finally got to someone who gave me the above. I wrote back asking them for the official corporate reason. No response yet.

 

[Rapture]

Another reason not to shop there (one of many.)

 

[DC-W]

Interesting.

They may be lining up to shift firearms sales exclusively to their Field and Stream stores instead.

 

[Second Amendment]

They don't get any of my money. I remember when they changed the title of "The Hunting Lodge", to "The Lodge" What PC a55holes they are.

 

[Mr H]

Yay, Dicks R Us...

They lost my business when they wanted DoB for a rifle sling...

 

[HarCo2ANewb]

Their firearms section was totally useless anyway, they probably didn't get any traffic.

 

[Raineman]

Years ago, the Dicks in Columbia removed all of their hunting stuff.

I haven't stepped foot in any of their stores since.

F them.

 

[razorV23]

Yay, Dicks R Us...

They lost my business when they wanted DoB for a rifle sling...

Same for me when they asked for my DOB for a Nikon scope mount.

 

[Trbo6gn]

Interesting.

They may be lining up to shift firearms sales exclusively to their Field and Stream stores instead.

I talked to a guy who worked in their hunting section and he said this was what is happening. He said that corporate no longer wanted to have the firearms section in each store and they were in the process of moving them to the field and stream locations only.

 

[DC-W]

I talked to a guy who worked in their hunting section and he said this was what is happening. He said that corporate no longer wanted to have the firearms section in each store and they were in the process of moving them to the field and stream locations only.

It would make sense. They are trying to compete directly with Cabela's and Bass Pro. There are currently two F&S stores; one outside of Pittsburgh and another in Ohio. I think both stores were formerly Dick's locations converted into new shops. They have stores all over the place and if there is enough of an outdoors market in a given area, they can quickly convert a location to being F&S and still have a nearby regular Dick's.

 

[clay_shooter]

The Gaithersburg gun racks were full when I was there this weekend.

 

[WeaponsCollector]

I haven't stepped foot in Dick's since they stopped selling "scary looking guns" and definitely won't be going back now.

 

[tapeman1]

I haven't stepped foot in Dick's since they stopped selling "scary looking guns" and definitely won't be going back now.

Yup

Dick's can suck my sporting goods store.

 

[Half-cocked]

The management of Dick's has no more firearms knowledge or experience, than Macy's.

90% of their business model is hawking cheap, Chinese-made consumer-grade crap to the yuppie set.

They could give a rat's ass about hunting, shooting, or the 2A. They're just in it for the money.

 

[eruby]

The management of Dick's has no more firearms knowledge or experience, than Macy's.

90% of their business model is hawking cheap, Chinese-made consumer-grade crap to the yuppie set.

They could give a rat's ass about hunting, shooting, or the 2A. They're just in it for the money.

And at least at Macy's, some girl with big pillows and too much make-up may try to spray you with cologne, giving a cheap thrill.

 

[QM2]

The management of Dick's has no more firearms knowledge or experience, than Macy's.

LOL.... I had a experience similar to this about two years ago. It seemed as though the guy I was talking to behind the counter had nothing more than "magazine" knowledge. Meaning, he was just reciting facts and numbers that he had just read in a magazine, and no real hands on experience. I literally looked at him, shook my head, and walked away....

 

[fabsroman]

The Gaithersburg gun racks were full when I was there this weekend.

That store used to be a Galyans and the racks were a lot fuller before Dicks bought them out. That store is where I bought my Benelli SBE in 1997, which was Galyans at the time, and they had $3,000+ o/u shotguns in a glass display case. They had tons of handguns. Bought my HK USP 9 compact there too in 2000 when it was a Galyans. The difference is night and day between what the Dicks is in Gaithersburg now and what it was when it was Galyans. Even the ammo selection is drastically different, and not for the better. I used to live in Germantown and that was the closest place to me with anything that resembled hunting stuff. The Walmart across the street from me sucked.

As already mentioned, the Dicks in Columbia got rid of its hunting and fishing stuff quite a while ago.

Personally, I have no issue with this move since it appears they are branding themselves a certain way. There is only so much retail space they have on the floor, so why sell something that isn't moving. Now, I was slightly shocked when my brother told me he found 9mm ammo back in June at the Dicks in Wheaton. I told him I was shocked that they carried guns and ammo in Wheaton. His response, "The gangsters create high demand".

Now, if Dicks was taking an anti 2nd Amendment stance, I would hold it against them. However, the fact that the powers that be in the corporation (i.e., have no idea if F&S is a subsidiary, sister corp, etc.) are opening F&S stores that are supposed to be something akin to Cabelas and Bass Pro, means they are still catering to us just fine. In the business world it makes zero sense to have two sister companies compete with one another.

Million dollar question though is "Where are they going to open F&S stores".

Then again, with Bass Pro just down the road from me, chances of me buying a gun from Dick's limited selection is pretty slim. Heck, my FFL is closer to me than a Dick's and I just e-mailed him today about a Remington 700 SPS in .25-06.

With all that said, the only thing that is keeping me from being irate at Dick's is that it is associated with F&S. I was pissed at what it did to Galyans after it bought Galyans, both at the Gaithersburg location and the Virginia location right off of route 50 near Reston.

Sports Authority did this BS back in the 90's. At one point, they covered up all their firearms displays with cardboard for some reason I cannot remember. Well, guess how much I patronized Sports Authority after all that BS. ZERO Sad thing is I bought my very first goose call from there, and I still use it to this day.

 

[fabsroman]

LOL.... I had a experience similar to this about two years ago. It seemed as though the guy I was talking to behind the counter had nothing more than "magazine" knowledge. Meaning, he was just reciting facts and numbers that he had just read in a magazine, and no real hands on experience. I literally looked at him, shook my head, and walked away....

At least you got to speak to somebody. I was in the Dick's in White March over the summer. Was looking for .22lr and they had some CCI Velocitors behind the counter. Somewhat pricey at $9 for 50, but I was going to buy all 10 boxes they had. Was waiting for about 5 minutes for somebody to come out from the back, and I could hear his voice, but he never came to the counter. Finally saw the 3 box limit and decided waiting any longer just was not worth it. Mail order is just so much nicer.

 

[DC-W]

Field and Stream (the brand, not the magazine) was bought by Dick's in 2012. They sell AR-15s in these stores too.

I think another one just opened in Kentucky.

 

[pbharvey]

They're just in it for the money.

News Flash: ALL stores are just in it for the money. They buy stuff and sell it for more than they paid for it. That's it, complete, end of story.
Either a store makes money or it goes out of business.

If Dick's thinks selling guns will jeopardize its tennis shoes sales, then that's the call they make. If they also own dedicated outdoors hunting and fishing stores, its hard to say that they are anti-gun.

Before Bass Pro opened up in Maryland, Dicks had about the best retail hunting and shooting store in Maryland outside of dedicated gun shops.

I do miss Galyans though. That was a great store.