Bashaw Sports Under New Management

[DiabeticKripple]

I heard through the grapevine that there is some civil litigation going on between the new owner and Pud.

[IL Bar]

Originally Posted by Dean2

I ahve bought a lot of stuff there over the years. Since I am rigging up the new smoke pole figured I would check out the website. To call it rugged and antiquated, with very low functionality would be an understatement. I sent them an email with a bunch of suggestions. I can see why your online experience did not turn out well.

Anyone been in the store itself recently?

I’ve made a few purchases there in the last year. Dealt with Taras a couple times. I will say he’s been good to me. Store has a new look as the shelving has been changed. Definitely not the inventory on the wall or scope shelf as there was previously but I imagine lots of stuff is tough to get right now. His website might need some more work but I think he’s done an excellent job on his bills of sale keeping things itemized. Keeps my book keeper happy.

[marky_mark]

I bought some reloading components from them in may and they were at my house the next day… can’t complain about that

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by Canadian

My name is Taras St Jean and I'm the new owner shortly or near July 1. To put everyone's minds at ease, we'll be carrying on business as usual with the addition of an electronic point of sale system and a completely new website and online store. The online store is going to be a work in progress but check back regularly as I add more items, as you can imagine there's lots to put up and it's a rigourous process. My commitment is to make sure all sales experiences are appreciated and smiles all around from everyone here. We're here to help and make a great business fantastic! I'm excited to meet you all. Your suggestions are all considered and appreciated. Cheers!

PS. Pud is staying on for at least a couple of years, hopefully a little less entrepreneuring and more time working with you all and your firearms.

Sent from my SM-N9860 using Tapatalk

Awesome to hear and best of luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by hilt134

They seem like a great store but having a website that bad these days is brutal.

Try checking the website for Pro Line Shooters in Calgary then, they don't even have one at all, yet still seem to do just fine...

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

Try checking the website for Pro Line Shooters in Calgary then, they don't even have one at all...

Seeing as this is your 1st time on the internet, how do you have almost 20k posts?

Pro Line Shooters

[roper1]

I stopped in at Bashaw Sports on my way to Prophet River's grand opening. Bought a handy little day pack to replace one that grew legs. I was quite impressed with the inventory & the price. Taras was there but I was served by his employee. Nice fella with just the right amount of presence.

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

I have purchased quite few things there over the years but was recently left a bit disappointed.

I made an online purchase and received a confirmation as such, but my card was never hit and I tried to followup to no avail, I didn’t receive an explanation as to what went wrong either.

No more attempts at online purchases there. I may stop In on my way through to browse though. Website doesn’t have to be glossy it just has to work.

LC

You ever get this sorted out? Considering buying an item and wondering if I should drive in.

[Dean2]

To be fair to Bashaw, I did get an email back from them saying they would look into a bunch of the suggested changes. I just checked their website and I can see they did implement a number of them. It is far better organised, the search functions actually work, as in you don't need to sort through out of order ammo listings to find 30-06. Now you can search for just 30-06, guns have a search for left and right hand, by make, by cartridge etc. They also have 12 different types of 30-06 ammo in stock, and thee prices are very good. That is far more selection than I have found anywhere else in one store.

The website has come a long ways in a couple of months so I would say they are trying hard to get on top of the issues they had.

https://www.bashawsports.com/c-4-amm...452-&pagenum=1

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by Trochu

You ever get this sorted out? Considering buying an item and wondering if I should drive in.

I bit the bullet and submitted the order. Received a phone call from Brody confirming said order and clarifying a minor detail, sales receipt confirming order received. I don't have the item in my hand yet, but excellent experience so far.

[BlackHeart]

Originally Posted by Dean2

To be fair to Bashaw, I did get an email back from them saying they would look into a bunch of the suggested changes. I just checked their website and I can see they did implement a number of them. It is far better organised, the search functions actually work, as in you don't need to sort through out of order ammo listings to find 30-06. Now you can search for just 30-06, guns have a search for left and right hand, by make, by cartridge etc. They also have 12 different types of 30-06 ammo in stock, and thee prices are very good. That is far more selection than I have found anywhere else in one store.

The website has come a long ways in a couple of months so I would say they are trying hard to get on top of the issues they had.

https://www.bashawsports.com/c-4-amm...452-&pagenum=1

Good action!!! Rather than B!, you took a constructive approach and actually helped the business rather criticize and hurt them. That’s what we should all do. And if the business ignores the issues and our suggestions and areas of concern or needed improvement ... then by all means....then criticize.

[1899b]

Originally Posted by 270person

Not arguing with the inventory part or the service. Just shouldn't have to phone to ask what scope or rifle brands they carry then walk thru the models. Theres an easier way. Websites aren't that tough and in this day and age they're kind of essential to retail survival.

eg I'm in Edmonton. Lloydminter and Bashaw being roughly equidistant guess where I'm driving after a look at two websites.

Anyhow, I'm sure new management will bring new vision.

I loved that it was a Mom and Pop shop with a personal touch. Yesterday We walked into a Telus store that was busy and we never even got greeted for 15 min. We left and did our upgrades online anyway. If you ever want to deal
With a store like that it’s the Telus store off Wye Road close to the Henday in Sherwood Park. The wife says Telus has a decent website though. Lol

New owner will likely have a new modern website as he will now have a large business loan ti tend to and the best way to do that is to go National with a huge user friendly website so that they can up sales. This will also entail price increases but hey, you won’t have to pick up that phone and call them so that’s good. It will all be at your fingertips…..

[270person]

Originally Posted by 1899b

I loved that it was a Mom and Pop shop with a personal touch. Yesterday We walked into a Telus store that was busy and we never even got greeted for 15 min. We left and did our upgrades online anyway. If you ever want to deal
With a store like that it’s the Telus store off Wye Road close to the Henday in Sherwood Park. The wife says Telus has a decent website though. Lol

New owner will likely have a new modern website as he will now have a large business loan ti tend to and the best way to do that is to go National with a huge user friendly website so that they can up sales. This will also entail price increases but hey, you won’t have to pick up that phone and call them so that’s good. It will all be at your fingertips…..

Never looked at Prophets website? If they carry a product line it shows. If I google search a brand in Alberta and they carry it, it shows. If its in stock it shows. Can't say I've seen any evidence they are overly expensive either.

Having to phone a retail business to ask what lines they carry in this day and age is just, well, you know. This isn't about trying to market your wares across the country although there's certainly nothing wrong with that. It's called proper retailing in 2022. If I do a simple Google search such as Leupold Scopes Alberta, and your business name doesn't pop up on the pages below, guess who isn't likely to get my business? I'm not even going to phone because I'll just assume you don't carry the lines I'm looking for.

Pretty basic stuff here.

Anyways, it looks like they are making efforts towards this end so good for them.

[outdoorguy]

Does no one learn anything? Who cares about the website? Call them, drive there to speak with them , isn’t that part of the fun? I understand that it may be not the most efficient way of finding what you want , but if that’s what they offer then that’s the options. To me the issue is there are far less gun stores now then there was even 10 years ago. So that means less options for us hunters/shooters/ collectors. I was not a big fan of WSS in its last years as head office people ruined that business but it was another option that we had to go to. I feel we should support all the smaller businesses that support our sport or we will end up only having Cabelas as an only option.
Just an old guy’s opinion…

[Dewey Cox]

Back in my day, business was inconvenient.
And that's how we liked it.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by Dewey Cox

Back in my day, business was inconvenient.
And that's how we liked it.

Then you must like Bashaw’s website.

For the life of me, I can’t figure out why a business owner wouldn’t just go to a web designer and say, hey, this one works good, and shows real time inventory quantities, copy it and put my logo everywhere and my colors. Honestly, this stuff isn’t that hard if you wanna do it right. I just went to their website the last two days. Wanted something that I knew Pud used to carry. Searched for stuff for a while, and said, nope. I’m out. Did a google search which took ten seconds and I found a competitor who had it.

Tell me again why I should go there? To burn gas on $50k truck?

You gotta adapt or the world will pass you by. It really will. And it don’ t give a damn if you are in a small town or a big city.

I still wish them success, but I have found it difficult to try to give them my business on a few occasions now. Small town or not, I’m done.

[fishnguy]

Originally Posted by Dean2

To be fair to Bashaw, I did get an email back from them saying they would look into a bunch of the suggested changes. I just checked their website and I can see they did implement a number of them. It is far better organised, the search functions actually work, as in you don't need to sort through out of order ammo listings to find 30-06. Now you can search for just 30-06, guns have a search for left and right hand, by make, by cartridge etc. They also have 12 different types of 30-06 ammo in stock, and thee prices are very good. That is far more selection than I have found anywhere else in one store.

The website has come a long ways in a couple of months so I would say they are trying hard to get on top of the issues they had.

https://www.bashawsports.com/c-4-amm...452-&pagenum=1

Entered “ttsx” in their search to look through factory ammo availability. The results were:



No ammunition to “filter” the results and provided only bullets. Every other website I know of would provide both. In your search for 30-06, they showed Barnes and Federal as in stock ammo.

To think of it, when searching Google for anything firearm or hunting related, I have never seen their shop pop up. So if it wasn’t for this forum, I don’t think I would even know this store existed.

And I am not calling to find out if anyone has anything in stock and definitely not driving unless it is a 5-minute drive or so (unless I am really bored and have nothing better to do). I can search google and place an order in less time than that, get free shipping or pay less for shipping than I would for gas travelling. One can either provide great customer service in the store and have inventory that is hard to find elsewhere and serve a few hundred or thousand people who live around and a few that are willing to travel; another can do that and expose themselves to tens or hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people living in this country. But web design isn’t cheap, so it has to make sense.

[270person]

Originally Posted by Dewey Cox

Back in my day, business was inconvenient.
And that's how we liked it.

You live in wmu 204 Dewey. Bashaw is what, 30 minutes or less for you? Doesn't really sound that inconvenient. Driving to P&D in Edmonton on a whim to "mosey" around and see if they sell Cooper rifles might be .

Like your philosophy though and I'm pretty sure I studied that marketing concept years ago. Think it was titled Recipe for Disaster.

[wallz]

Hey, even I have ordered stuff from Bashaw. Even had to organize my own shipping, but that was 7 months ago.

Basic principle: You want sales in this day and age, you better have a decent web page. Theirs is not the best, but by far not the worst either. Not everyone is going to drive 14 hours to go in and see what they got, and not everyone has time during the day to call in and talk to someone. I can let my fingers scroll at my leisure time and make all my necessary purchases, and have it shipped for a fraction of travel costs.

Great when things are itemized in drop down/ or scroll menus. Nothing worse than using their search function and having to scroll thru 20 plus pages of things that are not even close to the search item. Those are annoying.

Recipe for online sales: Great web site, great prices, great shipping times. I put in an order last week from a store in Onterible. Even paid a bit extra for UPS shipping to get it quicker. Now a week later, still showing order as processing?????? This will be the last order that goes there.

I've ordered rifles from Ontario that I received in a week, with no extra shipping fees attached, in fact those were free shipped. Plus the prices were the best in Canada for that particular firearm.

It can be done, and there are several small town stores that are excelling at this. Some are even known nationally. Think Quesnel. He is in my back yard, but I will not drive the 1 hour each way to see what he has in stock, when I can search on line, and have it shipped for cheaper than driving there, unless I'm passing through the area.

I get it, some locals have some real gems in their backyards, but the local sales is no where near enough to make it in this day and age of online sales. Those dinosaur days are over, and a few are riding their gravy train while it still has the momentum pushing them along.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by sns2

For the life of me, I can’t figure out why a business owner wouldn’t just go to a web designer and say, hey, this one works good, and shows real time inventory quantities, copy it and put my logo everywhere and my colors. Honestly, this stuff isn’t that hard if you wanna do it right.

SNS2, you hit the nail on the head, there. I love to support local shops, but I don't have the time to run to each of them to explore.

Most of them have web sites, but they fail miserably in execution. A web site is created to promote sales of product - but I'll bet that they have no idea how much business they lose to click fatigue and poorly designed inventory searches. Many of these would need only a slight improvement in usability to be successful, as the underlying data is often already there and up-to-date. Phone calls work, of course, but staff time is not cheap either. They could be selling a rifle to a person at the counter instead of doing a price check for some VihtaVuori for a phone caller who may never come into the store...

Yes, it requires an investment of time and money, along with a commitment to ensure that inventory is reasonably tracked. But in a global commerce environment, it's a competitive edge that many of these companies could surely benefit from.

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by wallz

Theirs is not the best, but by far not the worst either.

It's considerably better than it was though. These things take time. If they continue improving it at the rate they have been, in a few months it should be pretty decent.

I also feel reasonable expectations are in order. While possible, a store in Bashaw with what, 6 employees, is likely not going to have as good a webpage as an international store listed on the stock exchange with tens of thousands of employees and revenue in the billions. Where they can shine, and so far have in my experience though, is their service.

[Dean2]

My suggestion, if there are issues you are finding with their website, take a minute and email them the issue and your suggestions. He has an outside firm doing his web development and he was VERY receptive to input and getting stuff fixed. You would help him a lot by donating your thoughts and experiences so he can be more successful going forward. We don't have enough independents now, I would hate to see one gone because we bitched endlessly about them like everyone did about Wholesale Sports, rather then trying to help them get better.

Fishnguy

No idea how you did your search but I went to ammunition, selected 30-06 and a full dozen options showed up as in stock. Two of those were Barnes, one with LRX and one with TSX.

https://www.bashawsports.com/c-4-amm...?section=-452-

He also had 12 types of TTSX and LRX in stock as components, along with 26 types of TSX when most places I have checked in Edmonton have none. Also, when you search TSX is does bring up 11 different loaded ammunition choices, including a couple loaded with TTSX. Not sure how much better the search function should be but if you have suggestions I am sure he would love to hear them.

[ctd]

I think they have done a good job with the new store and web page.
For a small shop their web page May not be 100% user friendly but it works.
When I have visited the store looking at product often I have bought something different.

They will adapt as they go along which is nice about a small shop

[wallz]

Originally Posted by Trochu

I also feel reasonable expectations are in order. While possible, a store in Bashaw with what, 6 employees, is likely not going to have as good a webpage as an international store listed on the stock exchange with tens of thousands of employees and revenue in the billions. Where they can shine, and so far have in my experience though, is their service.

Lol, you obviously don't know the store I was referring to in Quesnel. He is a grocery store. I want to say him and his son and one other employee take care of sales in the hunting dept side of the store. If you can even call them full time in that area that would be pushing it. They even mount and range verify rifles daily. He has the largest sales of Gunworks rifles in North America. Probably one of the largest selections of higher end rifles and optics in north america as well, all in a grocery store. Biggest hit is the web page sales. PERIOD! I even want to say that he gets name brand priority because his sales speak volumes. This is purely speculative on my part, but I would not doubt it is happening. Priority of stock shipments because of sales volume. How many can take that crown in this day and age.

I get it, web pages take time. What I'm getting at is the size of the store makes no difference to the web page design. Heck we have another "store" in PG that is strictly web based and has his stock in containers in his yard, so I use that title as "store" loosely. He does sales across Canada, and is fairly well know, especially in the rim fire world. He is a one man show. Again, web page!!

Any store wanting to make it in this day and age better get their act together and get cracking on that web page. Make it a PRIORITY!!! You will watch sales increase, but be prepared to get stock replenished.

[marky_mark]

Originally Posted by wallz

Lol, you obviously don't know the store I was referring to in Quesnel. He is a grocery store. I want to say him and his son and one other employee take care of sales in the hunting dept side of the store. If you can even call them full time in that area that would be pushing it. They even mount and range verify rifles daily. He has the largest sales of Gunworks rifles in North America. Probably one of the largest selections of higher end rifles and optics in north america as well, all in a grocery store. Biggest hit is the web page sales. PERIOD! I even want to say that he gets name brand priority because his sales speak volumes. This is purely speculative on my part, but I would not doubt it is happening. Priority of stock shipments because of sales volume. How many can take that crown in this day and age.

I get it, web pages take time. What I'm getting at is the size of the store makes no difference to the web page design. Heck we have another "store" in PG that is strictly web based and has his stock in containers in his yard, so I use that title as "store" loosely. He does sales across Canada, and is fairly well know, especially in the rim fire world. He is a one man show. Again, web page!!

Any store wanting to make it in this day and age better get their act together and get cracking on that web page. Make it a PRIORITY!!! You will watch sales increase, but be prepared to get stock replenished.

Omer’s the man
He probably spends hours a day on the phone answering questions from people who will probably never even buy anything from him.
That and he donates a ton back to great causes like the wssbc

[wallz]

Originally Posted by marky_mark

Omer’s the man
He probably spends hours a day on the phone answering questions from people who will probably never even buy anything from him.
That and he donates a ton back to great causes like the wssbc

I have been guilty of that myself, but not on the phone, but stopping in and talking to him.
He makes everyone feel like they know things, and I have never seen or heard of him talking down to someone that doesn't understand the speak! He blew my wife out of the water with this.

Slowly turning this around and spending more $$ there, plus getting a good plug in for him as he tries to get a new line of optics on board. Hopefully that was the push that the NA dealer needed to get him the optics line.

[Canadian]

I don't often read through the AO forums because I just haven't had the time but I do appreciate all of your concerns. FYI this is Taras (Owner of Bashaw Sports). When I purchased the store on July 1st or 2021 absolutely none of this store was digital so here lies the problem. Without items being digital, they cannot be put on a website. With over 7000 items at 5 minutes each to convert to digital, you can imagine the workload. Besides trying to order products that are always 6 months to a year out with backorders coming out the yin yang it has been a lot more than a challenging experience learning about the firearms industry and launching a website. Besides running the store I typically spend about 30 to 40 hours a week on the website. In the past couple of months, the website has come a long way, and it's my top priority right behind all the amazing loyal customers that are able to come into the store. The new stuff coming into the store definitely has a home on the website right away but there is still about 10% of the store that isn't on there and we're working on it. The previous owner although not anyone's business was extremely difficult to work with and ended up pulling his inventory mid march so that left us in a really difficult situation. All the employees and I pulled together and worked tirelessly to stock shelves and get products back and I commend them for that. Then there was the long gun registration and finally this BS handgun legislation so we've absolutely been turned upside down. We're doing everything we can to up the customer service game so please be patient. If you have any suggestions about anything we'd be glad to hear them at sales@bashawsports.com and by all means, if you've had an issue we prefer to deal with it personally instead of keyboard warriors lighting us up on social media. Thanks again to all of you that support us!!!
Taras

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Canadian

I don't often read through the AO forums because I just haven't had the time but I do appreciate all of your concerns. FYI this is Taras (Owner of Bashaw Sports). When I purchased the store on July 1st or 2021 absolutely none of this store was digital so here lies the problem. Without items being digital, they cannot be put on a website. With over 7000 items at 5 minutes each to convert to digital, you can imagine the workload. Besides trying to order products that are always 6 months to a year out with backorders coming out the yin yang it has been a lot more than a challenging experience learning about the firearms industry and launching a website. Besides running the store I typically spend about 30 to 40 hours a week on the website. In the past couple of months, the website has come a long way, and it's my top priority right behind all the amazing loyal customers that are able to come into the store. The new stuff coming into the store definitely has a home on the website right away but there is still about 10% of the store that isn't on there and we're working on it. The previous owner although not anyone's business was extremely difficult to work with and ended up pulling his inventory mid march so that left us in a really difficult situation. All the employees and I pulled together and worked tirelessly to stock shelves and get products back and I commend them for that. Then there was the long gun registration and finally this BS handgun legislation so we've absolutely been turned upside down. We're doing everything we can to up the customer service game so please be patient. If you have any suggestions about anything we'd be glad to hear them at sales@bashawsports.com and by all means, if you've had an issue we prefer to deal with it personally instead of keyboard warriors lighting us up on social media. Thanks again to all of you that support us!!!
Taras

Paul Reibin,One of Canada's premier fullbore accesory suppliers and originator of the Fclass rifle competition ( along with his good buddy George Farquarson of course!) did not even have email or electronic money transfer until a about a year before his passing!
He used FAX, snail mail, and phone calls.
He was a very dear family friend and a mentor of mine, and believed in a hand shake as much as a signature.
I don't get into Bashaw much these days, but still enjoy the old style country gun shops.
Keep up the good work!
Cat

[Trochu]

Gonna make me do the math hey, somebody always has to do the math....

7,000 items @ 5 minutes.... one guy working 40 hours a week, 14.6 weeks just to get up to date, not to mention new items coming in.

I've used the webpage with good success and I've always been pleased with your services, keep it up and good luck as you continue down this road!

[Bolete]

I’ve been there a few times. I really like the place. Polite, professional and they have stock. No complaints from me.