Efinger Sporting Goods:

[XXlyakattacker]

Sad. I really like to put the rod in my hands before buying it.

[SPEARFISH]

Not really surprised. They had a decent selection, but way overpriced.

[Jigman13]

Yikes. That's awful! It's a damn shame. I'd rather pay a little more for customer service, the ability to handle items before I purchase and having a good whack of it while cruising the aisles for things I probably don't need lol. The Internet has done major damage to a small business owners ability to run a successful retail business.

They could down size, run out of a warehouse and turn to ecommerce. This would lead to layoffs of employees and bring their prices down but at least they'd still be operational. A total revamp of their website and marketing strategy would be necessary but it's certainly worth considering. No more live bait, though.

[acabtp]

mixed feelings

i grew up on efinger's gear. we always shopped there for our scout camping stuff and fishing gear when i was a kid and it's where i got my varsity jacket. i rode my bike over there from somerville one day and bought a sweet knife that my mom promptly confiscated when i got home bc i'd been gone for like four hours without telling anyone where i went. lots of memories of hiding in the sleeping bag aisles with my brother etc...

but once i grew up i realized that their prices were pretty much higher than anywhere else you could shop and the old guys at the rod or gun counters were always more interested in talking to each other than helping a customer. there's a reason that many people know the store as "effinjerks"

at least when it was still in the old building it had that mom & pop feel and the smell of decades of oiled leather and seemed like a place where fishermen and hunters would feel at home. the new building just feels like any other "sporting goods" shop hawking yoga pants to soccer moms etc. i think that's probably where things went wrong... a family business can't compete with the big box stores with on sales/prices on clothing, shoes, balls, bats/rackets etc. they should have concentrated on what the big stores can't do: knowledgeable staff, local insight, variety of firearms, etc.

if it's confirmed and true, it's sad to see end like any other 107 year old family business. really, i wish that they had made some changes years ago though so that it never would have come to this.

[Mikey topaz]

Very crazy, i been shoppin there since i was a kid riding my bike there with a fishing rod in my backpack for those of you that mnow susan the register lady remmeber her yellin at me leave your backpacks here at the counter lol! I worked there for years my brother current and some of my bestfriends work there now still gonna be sad to see it go. All the guys over there told me personally end of december it done

[phil]

That blows. Ive brought rods in there with snapped tips or busted guides and the guys were always really helpful for super short money. I have a couple ive been meaning to bring in for repair. Its nice to know you can walk in and out same day and not have it put in a corner and sent out to some random guys basement and get upcharged at 3 levels.

[bassnblues]

That really stinks. They were expensive, but they always had what I needed. Spent a ton of money there. Especially the old store.

First Rays, now Effingers.

[phil]

Originally Posted by bassnblues

That really stinks. They were expensive, but that always had what I needed. Spent a ton of money there. Especially the old store.

First Rays, now Effingers.

yea me too, what can we do, if anything with all those rewards points?

[Chrisper4694]

these places should start internet order sites to go with their store sites i would think that would save them or at least give them a chance...

[Gerry Zagorski]

Seems like a lot of these small Mom and Pop places are going under. Hard for them to compete with the big box and interweb companies. They have a lot less buying power, can only spend so much on advertising, need to have and maintain a storefront, economies of scale favor larger companies etc.

Bottom line is most have to charge more to make a decent living so the only thing they can compete on is their knowledge and service.... Not sure about the rest of you but that's worth something to me...

Think about it this way....... Lets say you're going to spend $20 more on a $200 reel at your favorite local tackle place. Instead you decide to buy it from BigBox Company X or nostorefront.com and save the $20. Now you're on your way fishing driving down the road at 6:00 AM and need to stop for bait or have a last minute rod tip put on and the place has a sign on it, OUT OF BUSINESS.

Sucks right??

If we want them to be there for small repairs, bait, personalized service and local knowledge, we need to support them on our other purchases as well albeit for a few dollars more...

Shop local, shop small business and especially shop our sponsors when you can. Don't let a few dollars be your deciding factor because at the end of the day it's not worth the trade off.