Gander Mountain Reportedly Prepping for Bankruptcy

[BldHnd86]

Academy Sports isn't all that either. I received a rod holder as a Christmas gift ( the round carousel type). When I went to put it together, 2 of the wood pieces were severely warped. One had a crack in it. I called the store in Valdosta and asked about exchanging for another one. Asked about if there was any problems with me not having a receipt. "No " they said. Since the store is 50 miles from the house, it was about 2 weeks after Christmas before I could make it down. When I got there I told the lady what I wanted was to exchange the defective one for another one of the same model. She proceeded to refund the money to a gift card. I went and got the new one and when I got up to the register to pay with the gift card, she rang it up and said that I owed her $20 plus. They would not honor the sale price that it was purchased at on the exchange.... When I questioned the manager about it she said that I would have to call Corporate. . I may be wrong but I think that if you are exchanging a defective item for the exact same item, it shouldn't matter if it is no longer on sale.. For full disclosure after 4 phone calls to Corporate offices (because the representative that was supposed to contact me never did) I did receive a $25 gift card to spend at their store. Just don't think it was handled appropriately. JMO

[silverking]

Gander Mountain response, as published in this morning's Wire:

"As a privately held company, it is our longstanding policy not to comment on our business affairs. Unfortunately, recent speculative news articles have caused concern among some of our customers, employees, and trade partners, and require us to make a rare exception.

"Gander Mountain is the nation's largest outdoor retail network with 162 specialty stores across 26 states. We are a fully integrated Omni-Channel retailer dedicated to servicing the hunting, camping, fishing, shooting sports, and outdoor products markets. As 'America's Firearms Supercenter™,' we are a market leader in the shooting sports category with an extensive offering of firearms, ammunition, and accessories.

"Like most retailers, we are subject to normal economic cycles, changes in our industry and shifts in consumer demand that require us to adapt our business accordingly. It's been that way since 1960, when we started out as a catalog company in small-town Wisconsin, and it remains the case today. It is this constant adaptation and desire to offer our customers the best selection, best value and best service that has been our hallmark for generations.

"Gander Mountain and its ownership group have undertaken a best-practices approach to review our strategic options specific to positioning the company for long-term success. When we engage in such a review we often seek information and advice from external advisors to inform our decisions. To assist in this process, we have retained Houlihan Lokey as independent advisors and we are confident that the outcome of the review will identify the right go-forward strategy. In the meantime, our Gander Mountain stores and gandermountain.com remain the place to go for all of our customers' outdoor adventure needs."

[countrycorners]

Say What??