Independently owned sporting-goods stores and outdoor chains including Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, and REI make sports-minded shoppers happier than do chains such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Modell’s, and The Sports Authority and big-box stores such as Costco, Sears, and Walmart. That’s the conclusion from a survey of more than 3,000 ConsumerReports.org subscribers who told us about buying products as varied as treadmills, tents, rackets, and roller skates at walk-in stores.
Of respondents who shopped at independent stores, 84 percent said they were highly satisfied with their experiences, and 81 percent who shopped at outdoor chains felt that way. By contrast, 62 percent of people who bought at sports chains and 54 percent of those who bought from big-box stores were highly satisfied.
Bottom line. The next time you need gear, check out independent sporting-goods stores and outdoor chains.
Shoppers rating each attribute excellent or very good, by store type.
Attribute | Independent stores |
Outdoor stores |
Sports chains |
Big-box stores |
---|---|---|---|---|
Knowledge of staff | 86% | 73% | 50% | 39% |
Ease of checkout | 85 | 78 | 64 | 51 |
Attentiveness of staff | 83 | 73 | 50 | 34 |
Service quality | 82 | 69 | 47 | 26 |
Source: Consumer Reports National Research Center online survey
A version of this article appeared in the May 2012 issue of Consumer Reports magazine with the headline "Independent Sports Stores are Tops."
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