What's With Go Outdoors?

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 MrsBuggins 01 Jul 2019

I've never bought anything from Go Outdoors but, looking at their web site they seem to be selling reputable gear at considerable discount.

Is there some sort of catch? Are they as good as they look?

I note that you can "purchase" a discount card but can find nothing about how much it "costs"

Post edited at 11:32
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 GrahamD 01 Jul 2019
In reply to MrsBuggins:

A discount card is 5  pounds a year. What their mail order is like right now depends on whether their gremlins from their recent takeover have been sported. 

OP MrsBuggins 01 Jul 2019
In reply to GrahamD:

> What their mail order is like right now depends on whether their gremlins from their recent takeover have been sported. 

Can you purchase in-store? There's a branch within about half an hour of me.

In reply to MrsBuggins:

> Can you purchase in-store? There's a branch within about half an hour of me.

Yes

 Rob Exile Ward 01 Jul 2019
In reply to MrsBuggins:

If they've got what you want then it can be cheap, though the ranges of truly specialist and quality stuff they sell can be limited.  They also give additional discount for other reasons as well e.g. BMC or Ski Club. Sometimes I seem to have had so much discount I've been vaguely embarrassed.

 peppermill 01 Jul 2019
In reply to MrsBuggins:

I thought this was going to be the annual 'GOOutdoors told me one price on the label and tried to charge another at the till outrage outrage outrage nothing to do with me not reading things properly' thread but thank goodness no.

I've used them for years, usually pretty good. Basically just the Lidl of the outdoor world but with well known brands. Discounts are hit and miss with whether theyre actually worth it you can get some proper bargains. I remember the one next to the Edge in Sheffield being particularly good with their climbing gear bargain basket.

 Neil Williams 01 Jul 2019
In reply to MrsBuggins:

They're going through a bad patch at the moment because of being taken over and integrating a new online sales platform as a result.  So I would advise at present ONLY buying in store and not via click and collect nor for delivery until this sorts itself out (give it a few months).

But other than that they are decent value in a "box shifting warehouse" sense.  There are also additional discounts for some organisations, e.g. 15% for Scouting - and this is off their price, not RRP, unlike everyone else, which means this can be really good value.

Post edited at 11:53
 acrkirby 01 Jul 2019
In reply to MrsBuggins:

In regards to the web discounts i would take them with a large grain of salt, the discounts may be at select stores only, or only for a specific size/colour/model (not noted on website). They also dont deliver so though there may be a fantastic deal on in Coventry you'd have to waste £60 driving there to pick it up.

tl:dr those amazing deals are more advertisement to get you into shops and while im sure the next guy will come along and say they got one of these deals in general its just them pi**ing you around

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 Martin W 01 Jul 2019
In reply to GrahamD:

> What their mail order is like right now depends on whether their gremlins from their recent takeover have been sported. 

The takeover (by J D Sports) was nearly 3 years ago.  AIUI the gremlins have occurred more recently, as a result of trying to merge/integrate/replace Go Outdoors' system with J D Sports'.

To the OP: I have in the past got some decent stuff at Go Outdoors at reasonable prices (a couple of Deuter rucksacks spring to mind, also a Camelbak Eddy and Superfeet insoles).  Be aware that they also have some own-brand stuff (eg Calibre bikes) for which the "retail price" is largely fictional (how this is legal I'm not quite sure).  That said, they can still be good vfm, just not as good as the "discount" might suggest.

Post edited at 12:08
 RomTheBear 01 Jul 2019
In reply to MrsBuggins:

Bought from them several times, they have a price guarantee meaning that if you find the same item at a lower price elsewhere they give you back the difference. Tried it before and it works.

But tbh the catch is that they often don’t sell specialist stuff, or often sell gear from the previous year, so you are getting the lowest price, but that’s on an item that everybody else stopped selling.

As a discount store I find decathlon to be much better, their own brand gear is actually pretty amazing for the price.

 DR 01 Jul 2019
In reply to MrsBuggins:

I second what acrkirkby says below - the really cheap deals that come up on Google are for stock in a specific store so if you are nowhere near that store then you can't really purchase them without a long drive. We've been trying to buy some new walking boots for my partner as they've got some amazing so-called deals on Scarpa boots at the moment - but the nearest store to Glasgow that stocks them is Preston. And that is the ONLY way to get them - no option for home delivery, no option for click and collects and no option for internal transfer like other companies such as Cotswolds. I've complained by email and got fobbed off, and no-one answers their phones. Pretty piss poor but apparently not against advertising standards.

Aye, Davie

 Timmd 01 Jul 2019
In reply to DR:

If you know sizes etc, I'd buy and post some for you if I lived in Preston, I wonder if another Preston UKCer might do?

 jonfun21 01 Jul 2019
In reply to MrsBuggins:

Proceed with caution ref. online, lots of items shown which aren't actually in stock - experience below was c.3 weeks ago

They charge you straight away, then send an e-mail saying not in stock then promise a refund in 5 - 7 days which doesn't turn up, took me a month of chasing to get them to refund me, nearly had to resort to chargeback with credit card provider (others seem to have had the same issue according to trustpilot).

Buying from a store clearly avoids this but apparently people have travelled there to find not actually in stock. 

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.gooutdoors.co.uk 

Post edited at 14:18
OP MrsBuggins 01 Jul 2019

Hmmm. Thanks for all the info. Think I'll give them a miss.

I actually get a pretty good discount with Cotswold which tends to negate their higher prices anyway.

Better the devil you know...

 Ridge 01 Jul 2019
In reply to DR:

The fact they're now flogging £10 tents that will appeal to the 'camp for a couple of days and leave all your shit behind' demographic has really put me off using them in future.

 Timmd 01 Jul 2019
In reply to Ridge: It speaks of money being their priority above very much else. 

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 Philip 01 Jul 2019
In reply to MrsBuggins:

It's a mixed bag. A lot of cheap brands at prices that look cheap compared to quality brands. I was in there the other day for some trousers - I paid about £30 for Craghoppers, that's about the same as jeans from Next. SO on fabric weight about double. But £30 for 'outdoor' trousers looks good next to a TNF or ME branded £100 pair.

There's a code for additional discount for Scouts but it never seems to give any reduction.

On the plus side, easy to try on different brands to find a good fit for everyday climbing/walking stuff. I picked up a nice little rucksack for my new Beaver Almost laughed out loud at "Approach shorts" as a concept - my existing shorts seem okay for approaching things.

 Tom Valentine 01 Jul 2019
In reply to Timmd:

It's a business so I wouldn't expect much else. I've never had a problem with them but then again I've only bought my stuff in store.

Post edited at 16:20
 DaveHK 01 Jul 2019
In reply to Timmd:

> It speaks of money being their priority above very much else. 

So just like most other shops then?

My experience of them is decent prices and no quibble returns which is more than you can say for some supposedly more upmarket retailers.

If you want advice or a big range of specialist products there are better options though.

 Blue Straggler 01 Jul 2019
In reply to DaveHK:

> So just like most other shops then?

Indeed. I am constantly baffled by naive criticisms of businesses trying to make money. 

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 colinakmc 01 Jul 2019
In reply to MrsBuggins:

You’ll do better than their ordinary discount in Cotswold if you’ve got a BMC or MC of S (or whatever they call themselves now) card & discount code. However they sometimes do phenomenally good discounts and if it’s on something you want, you’ve won a watch. My summer boots (Scarpas)  and both my previous and present winter boots-  Cumbre’s - came at a pound or so more than half price. 

Just don’t look for high quality advice in store....

 LastBoyScout 02 Jul 2019
In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

I didn't know they gave additional discount for BMC, no-one's ever asked me if I was a member in there. That said, I've only ever bought stuff in there on special promotions/sales where most other places wouldn't have given the extra discount on top anyway, so it never occurred to me to ask about it. I'll remember next time.

Generally, I've not had any problem with ordering with them, but last time I did that would have been Black Friday last year - I did buy a couple of things earlier this year when the Reading shop had it's first birthday promotion.

However, I was trying to order a pair of sandals at the weekend and it would let me put them in the basket, but the button to complete check-out didn't do anything. Also wouldn't tell me which store actually had them in stock. The following morning, the size I wanted had dropped off the options - phoned up and was told by a very puzzled agent that there was some sort of error on the web site.

On the off chance, if anyone is in a Go Outdoors anywhere, I'm after these in a size 7, please:
https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/236342/merrell-men-s-all-out-blaze-sieve-conve...

In reply to MrsBuggins:

So I've previously done some business research into their business model, here are a few things to note.

Discount card: This costs £5 and think of it sort of a Tesco Clubcard that you pay for and you receive the benefit there and then, rather than as reward points. The benefit of them having this card, which they expect 90% of their customers to hold, or purchase at checkout, is that it logs all your purchases to your profile, to inform advanced stock making and promotional decisions. This data is extremely valuable and contributes to why they can afford to discount their prices over other competitors.

Product range: Their bread and butter and main profit come from their own-brand outdoor and camping range, I believe it's currently called Freedom Trail but it is also sold under other trademarks. The huge profits on these items mean that they can discount and compete with other retailers on things like climbing equipment which draw in the punters.

It's still laughable to go into my local store where none of the staff have any climbing knowledge, also, stocking a range of quickdraws which they only seem to stock one of each. It's a mess but that does mean hidden bargains can be found!

Sources - CMA Mergers & Acquisitions Report between JD and GoOutdoors, annual reports of both companies and additional material

 SDM 02 Jul 2019
In reply to LastBoyScout:

> However, I was trying to order a pair of sandals at the weekend and it would let me put them in the basket, but the button to complete check-out didn't do anything. Also wouldn't tell me which store actually had them in stock. The following morning, the size I wanted had dropped off the options - phoned up and was told by a very puzzled agent that there was some sort of error on the web site.

This is a common problem on their website and is not a new issue. It has been around for at least a couple of years. The website includes a number of great looking deals for items where they may only have one item in stock in the entire country. On the item page, it says the item is available for free delivery and / or click & collect. It lets you add it to your basket fine, but when you come to select the shipping method, delivery is no longer an option and click & collect is only available for the one store that has it in stock (and you can only find out which store that is by trial and error). 

It is a rubbish system that makes it look like there are more deals / better deals than are actually available. But there are still some good deals to be had for the patient. Sometimes one size will suffer from the phantom stock issue while  the half size up or down are in stock and available for delivery. 

Regarding the price match, there is again some good deals to be had (be aware of the restrictions regarding which retailers qualify for it) but be prepared to have to argue your case in store. Some managers will accept price matches straightaway and in good grace. Others will initially reject all price matches despite them qualifying for all of their terms and conditions and will only grudgingly accept them after much debate. 


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