Mom and pop will survive. But, they must learn to live on being what these stores are not. Cabelas lives on the myth that they sell high end gear. They do not. They sell low to mid level gear at or near msrp. But, they sell hunting gear, camping gear, backpacking gear, fishing gear, snowshoeing gear, atvs, truck accessories, home decor, cooking spices, and myriad other items. Their sales people are not exorbitantly knowledgeable in any particular area, although, you can pick up the same amount of "gun counter talk" at Cabelas and Bass Pro that you can at any other gun shop in America. Cabelas' return policy is nearly as good as Vortex optics and I've seen some pretty sketchy items returned for full reimbursement. Cabelas brand gear is pretty good, and in my estimation a better value than redhead gear sold at BP. I like going to Cabelas and am a rewards member, but I don't buy much there anymore. I have found that I prefer to buy from stores that specialize in narrower markets. Even though the price paid may be higher at a specialty shop, the quality is more likely to be higher as well- shifting the value proposition toward the small shop. Specialty shops can also better cater to exactly what you want/need and fit you into what will work best for you. And, they often have "tiers" of quality/value for their merchandise, where the "budget" level is often higher quality than what you can find at a big box store- which cannot stock the depth of items due to their breadth. This is where mom and pop can thrive. Survival of the fittest does not mean that only the biggest and strongest survives. It means that those most adapted to their niche survive. I like Cabelas and hope they continue to be run as separate from BP. But, there is plenty of room for others to thrive.
