It looks like the party is over. It was a good run up until 3 years ago. It’s unfortunate that the “Vision 2020” lacks the substance and most important the DIRECTION it needs. Don’t get me wrong it does have some direction….dead SOUTH….and we are following it straight down. We had so much potential but lie after lie and too many broken promises later we find ourselves where we are today….Dead in the water…..9 years ago we had ambition….we had comradery….we had a willingness to go the extra mile…that culture changed about 3 years ago when this company and its management team went from ‘WE” to “I”….Today everyone is in self preservation mode.....When we were in our prime we used to be a “destination” place…..but greed and ego (Tommy) lead us to sprint before we could walk….By making the bold statement that we are striving for 250 US locations it generated quite a buzz in Stock Market….But as you can see from our ‘Comp” store sales, cannibalization (as we expected) is taking its toll….Since it’s not “In Our Nature” to be transparent and honest we needed find a way to jump start margin and sales. In comes Wildlife and Land Management……dubbed the “Savior” of Cabelas because of its high margin, we decided to jump in with both feet instead of testing the water first….a lot of people made good money on that debacle just not us…..we’ll be paying for that mess for a while…..Back in the day we had plenty of people on the floor…all trained with a measurable liver temp…..by todays hiring standards the liver temp is optional. Everyone who lives in a 25 mile radius of the Hammond store knows how we operate and would rather hold a “will work for food” sign than take the bullying and verbal abuse suffered here. Upper management created the entitlement structure. Too bad we as Outfitters have to pay for their sins. It must be nice to have every Sunday and every other Saturday off (our GM and Operations Manager)….must be nice to never have to close and only work 35 hours a week….again we allow this….it’s funny that the term “Core Values” is the punch line of a joke at parties….didn’t know we could pick and choose what rules we decide to follow….do as I say not as I do. Tried to go to lunch today only to see out GM at a table at 11:30…..I refuse to break bread when she is around…it’s nauseating….so I tried at 12:15…still there……1:00….still there……1:30…yep…still there….2:00…still there at a table eating…..How many lunches a day do they get???... Did it ever cross your mind to come in for a surprise visit????….to see the store as it fails on a daily basis….to not see your Senior Staff here even though they are schedule do to be here…to stand in a Department waiting for an outfitter that isn’t going to come because there aren’t enough bodies……Do you know that we as outfitters were instructed that when you DO show up that we are NOT TO APPROACH you at all with concerns….we are under strict orders that we are to express our issues to OUR GM and she and only she will convey our message to the corporate people if she deems it necessary….wow….you are unapproachable here in Hammond… As we held meetings with Outfitters regarding their open schedules, not very many people found it comforting when the first words out of our GM’s mouth were….You have 3 options…open your availability….apply for this waiver….or sign this resignation form as it’s slid your way on the table….granted our HR (said loosely) rep was there and allowed it….and if anyone tells you it went down any differently than that…they are a flat out liar….Well over 40 complaints have been lodged against our GM for bullying, threats and intimidation…..over 40 documented complaints…..not a very good environment here and getting worse….there should be a sign over the employee entrance…..”abandon hope all ye who enter”….Dante’s Inferno…..It didn’t fare well for Kmart when they brought in all the Walmart people…..it’s not doing us any favors here either…..As we continued to fail quarter after quarter the “Go Lean and Green” mantra echoed thru the stores….But unfortunately it didn’t resonate in Sidney as they still received their incentives and stock options while we struggled. We have outfitters here that are on State assistance…..they used to get enough hours to keep their heads above water….I couldn’t tell you how many Turkeys I’ve bought over the years to secretly give to outfitters too proud to admit they couldn’t provide for the Holiday…..I would venture to say there are some prized dogs out there that may eat a bit better than some of our outfitters….that’s sad…..This culture didn’t manifest itself…..Every time we have a “Restructure” there’s turmoil…..Every newbie wants to make a name for themselves….they have to be heard and they want their fingerprint on everything…..first of all the wheel has already been invented….your job is to help it roll smoother…..no need to fix what isn’t broke….so we re-dig the hole we buried on Monday just to fill it in again on Tuesday…..we are the most redundant work force I’ve ever seen….we piss away money on bad ideas…..just wondering how those Nature Sounds worked out???….I remember that memo…..Uncle Tommy stating that it was groundbreaking….nobody in the industry was doing it….went on to say we spent big money to “authenticate” the sounds……the reason nobody in the industry was doing it was because nobody was that STUPID to spend money on that….do you have any idea how many labor hours that would have created?.....This company has no system of checks and balances….we afford our GM’s and Senior staff absolute power and absolute power corrupts..……they lie….they cover for each other and they fabricate paperwork…. they throw us as outfitters under the bus when things go south……they give us Hotlines to call and web sites to complain to…..all a joke…..we have an HR rep here that’s just as intimidated by our GM as everyone else and suddenly becomes blind when she’s confronted with the allegations of abuse….common thread with this company……sacrifice the masses to save a few…….If Cabelas wants us to buy in to the Vision than they need to adhere to the points in that vision…..listen to the outfitters….be more transparent…..not buying what you’re trying to sell……I would bet the farm that our CFO was compensated for that check he had to write to the SEC for false earnings…..I’m sure he was given stock to cover the fine but we’ll never know……my days are numbered here as is a majority of the Department Managers and a maybe a Senior Staffer as well…..all of us that have skin in the game…..here from the start…the 2 time store of the year….leaving because we are tired of the abuse….the bullying….the retaliation…..the dictionary in Nebraska must have a different definition of ZERO TOLERANCE than we have here in Hammond…….can’t wait for them to see the Compass results…..I’m only hoping our current Board of Directors get to see them before the Regional team gets to pick and choose what they get to see…..self preservation……..Sidney….we have a problem………….
6 replies (most recent on top)
Amen. When I was working there we got an email from the current Sr. Ops manager talking about ways to save money and she decided that they should no longer have coffee and donuts provided for there meetings. Apparently they were using company funds to purchase a few dozen donuts and some boxes of coffee from Dunkin Donuts while we were being told there was no funding to fix things. The warehouse had a broken elevator at the time and it sat and sat as they did not want to pay to fix it.
The horror stories I hear about the place and the new store manager make me glad I am no longer with the company. There is no accountability for any form of management. That's the entire problem.
OP I could not have said it better myself. It's is too bad they won't heed your advice.
Why on earth is tommy still there along with the Walmart her guy and many others - so sad reading all of this. It is funny, from the outside, the once highly respected Cabela's name is now a complete joke, a has been with the likes of Gander. How could this happen, it defies imagination. Such a great American sucks stories now in shamble.
Well said, Sydney you have a problem.
To some extent the same was true in Hamburg under Burtch.
Best Buy is a shining star on Tommy's resume, too. Remember Best Buy?
The sounds of nature was hilarious, just like the tractors...A bunch of money being pissed away. It's a shame that Tommy boy is running Cabela's so far into the ground not even one of the tractors could dig it out. Not to mention what he did for Remmington...oh thats right....he drove them into the ground as well. I guess it's true that sh-- runs downhill....