Midway's last mailer is half fishing

[kevin c]

I've never seen so much non shooting related stuff in their monthly mailers. I'm wondering if this represents a strategic shift in their business model or is just a temporary thing.

[M-Tecs]

My guess is they are have the same problems getting items to keep in stock as everyone else. Why advertise what you don't have?

[Winger Ed.]

If all the good stuff is on backorder, that's all that's left on the shelf to sell.

[Iowa Fox]

He's been saying he was going to start selling fishing stuff for a year. I wondered when he was going to start selling it. I think he knows there are going to be a lot of people out fishing this year.

[iomskp]

some people just don't know how to play to an audience, everybody is trying to broaden their market.

[winelover]

Natchez is getting into fishing, also. Been offering free shipping on $49 (just fishing stuff) for a while, now.

Winelover

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

fella's...did you know what the two largest (most money spent) American hobbies are ?

Answer: Fishing and Gardening

I guess I'll start worrying about Midway, when they start selling seeds, LOL :P

[elmacgyver0]

Perhaps they see the handwriting on the wall.

[Tripplebeards]

fella's...did you know what the two largest (most money spent) American hobbies are ?

Answer: Fishing and Gardening

I guess I'll start worrying about Midway, when they start selling seeds, LOL :P

That’s funny.lol Guess they need to keep the lights on when there’s no shooting supplies inventory.

[DocSavage]

Noticed the same when my flier arrived honestly can't sell what you don't have.

[Mal Paso]

I think they are taking Cabelas place. I bought my hiking boots and a couple shirts there this year. Nice that someone is filling the gap left by Cabelas demise.

[bedbugbilly]

I'm not surprised at all. First . . . spring is coming which means fishing for a lot of folks. More importantly though . . . why advertise shooting/reloading/associated things when your shelves are still empty??? Any person in business with a lick of common sense knows that you don't wast advertising money on its,s you don't have. So . if they did advertise those things, and you ordered something and every item, you ordered you we're told that "sorry . . we don't have it in stock" . . . would you not be upset over that and asking why they advertised something they don't have:???

And I guess in defense of Midway . . and they don't need anyone defending them as they are "big boys" . . . I recently placed two orders with them for items I had been looking for and they showed them as "limited quantities in stock" . . . the orders were placed a day or so apart and both arrived on the same day within a week . . . no problem,s, no complaints as far as I was concerned. People need to have patience with suppliers . . . they can't sell something they don't have, can't get or their distributors and suppliers put on "back order" because they can't get them either. And if you think it's going to get any better . . . think again with the corrupt clowns in office now who are anti gun, anti capitalism, anti AMERICAN CITIZEN and TAXPAYER . . . they don't care about getting people back to work . . . they are too busy trying to start new schemes to control all of us.

[dverna]

I rarely buy stuff from them anyway and generally toss the mailers I get.

[contender1]

It's business.
ALL successful businesses only survive & thrive if they are willing to keep up with current marketing trends, AND offer the products people want.
And,, when you start a business,, you can't offer "anything & everything." You can only offer what you can afford to buy as well as sell.
As any business grows,, they expand their line of products to meet the demands of their customers.

And honestly,, a large percentage of shooters are also hunters, fishermen, campers, hikers, etc. So, instead of shopping at one store for one product, then go to a different store for another product, followed by a 3rd store, for whatever else you may need, businesses have always done well when they offer a wider variety of items.
Look at wally world. It was a discount chain of stuff,, primarily for the home until it grew & started offering a grocery store as well. They called it the wal-mart supercenter.

So Midway is just re-investing in their customers desires by offering stuff for fishing as well as shooting. They are growing.

Beats the heck out of NOT having a business that caters to us outdoor types.

[tai95]

I went to Cabelas yesterday just to see what they had. The old ammo sections used to be two walls in an L shape and roughly 10 8ft aisles. The new ammo section was one side of an 8ft aisle and consisted of like 3 boxes of 500S&W, some random 6mm, a few boxes of 12ga birdshot, and a bunch of 28ga birdshot. The gun library was limited to 2 people at a time. I wasn't gonna wait so I did a quick look and there was maybe 15 long guns and maybe that many pistols. The regular long gun section like the library was empty, they had a bunch of black powder stuff on the shelves and in the pistol cases to make it look fuller than it was. The pistol cases were full of metal signs and ammo cans to make it look full. They had 2 kimber's and maybe 5 glocks in the cases, definitely under 40 new pistols in the entire store.

The reloading section had a few die sets, again they were weird calibers. I saw 2 boxes of brass one was a 50 count of .257 Weatherby Magnum for like 70 dollars and the other was a real oddball caliber I can't remember. They did have a box of 350gr 50cal HP on the shelf. They did have one MEC 12 gauge reloader on the shelf. Was tempted to just grab it for trade bait, but left it hoping someone who needed it would be able to get it for retail. I was going to ask about powder, but I overheard another customer asking and the employee just kind of laughed and said he's looking too.

Magpul seems to be doing ok pushing out plastic. There was enough AR furniture in every color to equip all the AR's in the state on the shelf. It could be a local thing as with all our fantastic laws most of those pieces are not allowed to be put on the AR here. The BB gun aisle was stocked nicely, and they had plenty of crossbows and bolts available. The fishing department seemed to be double the normal size, but it's been a while since I was last there so maybe that's normal.

The one thing that really stuck out to me was the lack of camping chairs. I was planning on buying a few more to leave at the camper, but they had maybe 6 folding chairs and a couple of the zero gravity ones.

[Dunross]

One should only advertise what one has in stock to sell. With what has happened over the last twelve months how many firearms related businesses have much to sell? They've got to sell something if they're going to stay in business. If their customers can't shoot maybe they'll fish.

[ButchC]

There's a lot going on here, much of which has already been highlighted. An additional point is that fishing is an easy sell to a broader market and both fishing and hunting have state government level staff working on recruitment in tandem with industry and lobbyist groups like RBFF. Now, it's a heck of a lot easier to get rods into schools and inner city markets where traditionally (past 20 years) you can't even say gun without a bunch of squad cars showing up. Add to that the potential to convert customers in time and the general ease with which you can start fishing (no educational prequisite for a license) and it's hardly shocking to me to see the firearms retailers diversifying.

[panhed65]

One should only advertise what one has in stock to sell. With what has happened over the last twelve months how many firearms related businesses have much to sell? They've got to sell something if they're going to stay in business. If their customers can't shoot maybe they'll fish.
got to agree with you, nothing much else to sell, got to survive somehow, I think that also explains why midway is selling imi 9mm for about $60.00 for a box of 50.
Barry

[reloader28]

If I remember right, few years ago they started selling "everything to do with the outdoors".
It makes perfect sense to me to advertise fishing stuff now that its coming to prime fishing season.
Now with turkey hunting coming up also, look at how many turkey hunting ads and shows there is.

[Duckiller]

Midway sell fishing stuff as well as shooting stuff. Pay attention to his adds on tv.

[Winger Ed.]

He's been saying he was going to start selling fishing stuff for a year. .

I just ordered a couple things on the birthday special deal.

I needed about $1.87 more to get the free shipping, and saw the fishing section.
I needed a couple packs of swivels, so I went to order some.

All but the real expensive ball bearing ones were out of stock too.

[monadnock#5]

The leftists have told us quite clearly that there is no place for the private ownership of guns and ammo in our utopian/dystopian future. Perhaps Mr Potterfield is strategically diversifying the Midway portfolio. Might work for keeping one's head out of the lunette. Figuratively speaking of course.

[Geezer in NH]

Think about, ammo unavailable, firearms and accessories almost there also. When they have nothing to sell they go out of business. Who wants that?

[zarrinvz24]

During the inter-war period and to survive the depression the Winchester Repeating Arms (WRA) company made all sorts of things that aren't associated with firearms. Razors, Ax, Hatchets, Shovels, etc. The cogs of the machine need to stay moving in order to justify the expense in their upkeep, care and feeding. Unlike past shortages, current retailers seem to be unwilling to accept backorders, and the Remington groups bankruptcy is weighing on all minds of the shooting sports companies. Many industries have been effected by the lockdowns, and the deadline for things to get better seem to just be getting extended further and further out.

[KCSO]

With no guns and no ammo and no reloading supplies you are surprised that at the start of fishing season they flyer is fishing related? I went to order a M/L Pistol for a fellow and they are ALL out of stock.

[reddog81]

Better than sending out a flyer where 90% of the stuff is out of stock.

[kerplode]

With no guns and no ammo and no reloading supplies you are surprised that at the start of fishing season they flyer is fishing related? I went to order a M/L Pistol for a fellow and they are ALL out of stock.

This...


Better than sending out a flyer where 90% of the stuff is out of stock.

And this.

I immediately noticed the heavy fishing content as well, but all the stuff they usually put in that flyer is all out of stock.

[GOPHER SLAYER]

First off, fish taste fishy. Second thought, until they develop a sport where you can shoot the fish, count me out. I just don't have the patience for it.

[sharps4590]

A nd none of it is my kind of fishing....

[Shawlerbrook]

Pretty much covered above. Back during prohibition, many breweries sold near beer and soft drinks. I think we are approaching another prohibition.

[Winger Ed.]

First off, fish taste fishy.

They cause other issues too.

Awhile back, a co-worker got a couple bottles of water from the shop frig. As he was about to take a big swig, he offered me the other.
As the big gulp went down---- I said "I don't drink water. Fish **** in it".

As he spit & sputtered, and after his nose cleared, he told me, "I simple 'no thank you' would have been fine".

[bluebird66]

I noticed that too.

[jonp]

They cant get enough shooting related items to sell and syay in business so are selling other sports related items to take up the slack

[frkelly74]

There is always golf and tennis and running and weight lifting they could branch into. Swim wear.. all kinds of stuff.

[sharps4590]

Figured by now Potterfield would be into polo...

[sharps4590]

I think we are approaching another prohibition.

The last one worked out really well, didn't it....