What! my local camping specialist has dust dirt grime and god knoes what on their....brand new stuff 20% over RRP, I popped in to store to today to buy some new plates and glasses (£48.75) online £23.85.....how can anyone support poor retailing let alone highway robbery.
We all want to support locals ....maybe you are one of them Arsenadles, good on you but with some smarts you can get the best prices if you look.
I have to buy online or by go.....but always call to get a better price.
------------- It's better to ask a silly question than make a silly mistake.
------------- Mar - Milarrochy Bay - 9 days
Apr - Drayton Manor - 1 day
May - Saxdale - 4 days
May - Nantcol - 9 days
July - Weymouth - 1 day
July - Rozel Bay - 14 days
Aug - Corfe Castle - 2 days
Aug - Saxdale - 4 days
Sep - Stratford - 2 days
Oct - Stainforth - 2 days
Dec - Saxdale - 5 days
To be continued.....
Quote: Originally posted by HT James on 10/7/2012
You have to pick your time to get a proper sales discount, end of season or just before start of season is usually best as they try to clear old stock.
Or when its p*ssed down with rain the whole season
The mobile mains kit that you're talking about was shown on page 16 of the Go Outdoors catelogue that I received a few weeks ago, right under the banner saying one week only 2nd July - 8th JUly
Quote: Originally posted by mcguire6078 on 10/7/2012
arsenaldes: True.... It would be nice if it your opinion was constructive, helpful and informed rather than I don’t like Go Outdoors. However you are fully entitled to your opinion.
If you read his previous post on this thread you will perhaps notice that Arsenaldes' argument was much more constructive and informed than you caricatured.
He stated that his local independent shop has reasonable prices with intelligent staff. Despite their headline "sales" (and they are not sales in the traditional sense as they are planned months in advance in the cynical attempt to paint a picture that they are a cheap outlet) their prices overall are not great. Also, too many staff in Go are not knowledgeable about the products they sell. But what would you expect? It is basically a supermarket and supermarkets tend to pay low wages for low-skilled workers. I use Go for some things just like I use TESCO for some things; but when I want a good quality joint of meat, bacon without loads of added water or some mutton instead of lamb, then I go to a proper butcher.
Arsenaldes then went on to state that if we don't support our local shops then we will lose them and Go Outdoors' price match would go with them. There's absolutely no argument with the first part of that (and our high streets are the poorer for it) and I don't think that you can reasonably argue with the second.
I have had some real bargains from go outdoors and just ike everybody elses experience the local independent retailers are rubbish just selling over priced tat,
for what its worth go outdoors or ccc as it was known then was our local independent retailer until they started expanding and i have always found their staff to be very Knowledgeable, and if you use your head and the pricematch correctly you can get some real bargains, i got a cadac carri chef deluxe last year for £80 odd i would like to see an independent retailer do that
Quote: Originally posted by campernovice on 11/7/2012
The mobile mains kit that you're talking about was shown on page 16 of the Go Outdoors catelogue that I received a few weeks ago, right under the banner saying one week only 2nd July - 8th JUly
I used to get the online mag but since Virgin "improved" its system its to much trouble logging in every time I want to see email then wading through days of spam, that fed up Ive even considered going back to Outlook express but windows updated & I cant use that now, so much for progress.
My personal view is I think we look back with rose tinted spectatcles. If shopping in the high street was such a great experience it would still be going strong now. In most cases the shops were overpriced, offered a poor selection and had limited opening hours. I remember the days when most shops were shut on Sunday and you had to get your shopping in a mad rush with everyone else on a Saturday.
The internet is the biggest catalyst we have for changing our shopping habits. We can now get informed choices about products and services with the added benefit of finding the best product for the lowest price or best after sales service. We can shop and browse 24 hours a day to fit around other life commitments.
I think the opinion “I hate Go Outdoors and shop local” is fine but what do you do when your local shop is terrible or you don’t have one. The buy local mantra starts to look a bit limited.... and just posting because you don’t like a shop is not helpful. If you had a bad experience, can offer help and advice, offer an alternative product or shop, then great. Just saying I shop local will help no one unless they live close by. I also cannot understand wasting your time and energy analyzing prices at Go Outdoors then posting this view.
As far as the price guarantee goes – most on line camping shops are offering this – Go is better because they will beat the price by an additional 10%. As previously mentioned the main reason this marketing strategy has been employed is because the internet allows you to research prices quickly. Retailers have realised this. Will this be sustainable depends on the margins involved and whether retailers can buy and sell at a profit. Do I think Go Outdoors will be the only camping retailing shop left in the UK, no not at all.
GO Wakefield was Mitchells Practical Campers, where we got our first frame tent 20 years ago, then our Pathfinder. So the history, and possibly expertise, is there.
Our local GO is managed by a UKCS member who was previously their tent buyer, so I think we can safely say that he at least knows his camping onions, and based on experience, so do the staff we've come in to contact with.
That said, it's a while since I asked for any camping advice in a shop. I do my own research, I know what I want, the decision then is who and how. I think that's how many of us shop in 2012, certainly for the bigger ticket items.
Conversely, before any of us had ever heard of Go Outdoors, our local specialist camping retailer was a dusty jumble with a few forlorn tents flapping around outside. The owner had a permanent expression akin to "I've lost a quid and found a tanner" and the staff were surly and disinterested.
The last time we went in to buy a camping cupboard, they couldn't have cared less. So we came out and bought the same item online for 2/3rds their price.
And the last time we went, it had closed. They didn't close because of supermarket style commodity sellers, they closed because they were crap.
I'm puzzled that several years on, GO still seems to delight and annoy in equal measure, sometimes simultaneously. I loose no sleep nor worry about their "sales" nor their data mining membership card. I'm just happy to use them for the convenience and a brightly lit spacious store for the mundane items, and play the game for the bigger stuff.
That first frame tent I mentioned was a 4 berth. It was £800. In today's money I'd guess it would be around £1500. Modern marketing and manufacturing gets us a family tent for sub £200 today. Will it be as good ? Probably not. Is it simply a commodity ? Probably is.
The halcyon days have gone. In our area, I prefer the brave new world.
------------- Mike
My advice is worth no more than the price paid for it
I believe you have a choice of where you shop. One thing I could never do is give an opinion about a shop without having had a personal experience of it.
Wow,the weather has a lot to answer for,not least the mood of grounded campers.....not wishing to take sides here,but as far as I can read..Arsenaldes wasn't giving an opinion on the actual shop,just the constantly changing prices which are causing a stiff neck.
Our local(ish) camping shop is lovely,great informed staff,nice tent displays..but seriously overpriced,so yes we go there,look round then come straight home and get whatever it is we want cheaper online,sorry local traders,but my wages don't stretch too far these days and who "honestly" would pay full price just because it was local???
------------- March- Padstow
April- Forest Glade
June-Grizedale
July-Jedburgh
and lots more besides
I quite often go to Go Outdoors. It's ok and generally only buy things that are on special or small gas cylinders if I can't be bothered going all the way into town as Go is closer to me. I have a Decathlon very close to me too but haven't ever bought anything from them (well not yet anyway but a pop up tent is appealing sometimes as I put the tent up on my own!)
However I still really like the Caravan shop in Gt Western Road in Glasgow. Long after many independents have gone this wee shop is still going strong. Fab customer services and good range and prices too. It's generally the first place I look for many of my camping (and of course caravanning) items.
Local shops can only stay open if they give the customer what they want and give good service too. Most of our other camping/ hiking/ climbing shops have all gone here in Glasgow.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: GO conning us
