Retail As Entertainment

As a very non-outdoorsy kind of person, a trip to Cabela’s sounds downright boring. I was asked to go there this past weekend and I was a little hesitant to accept the offer. “What’s there for me?” I thought. As it turns out, quite a bit actually.

While most of the merchandise failed to capture my attention (with the exception of a cute, half-priced Columbia jacket and a buttercreme frosting-scented candle), there was way more to enjoy than hunting rifles, fishing rods, and camouflage. In addition to the sprawling sales departments, I found an aquarium, a museum, and a roasted nut vendor –and that was just the first floor. Up a level there was a quaint general store with candy samples and fudge galore, a restaurant, and an interactive shooting gallery game for the kids. Given the size of the store, it would be easy to spend a day there. Judging by everything else it has going on, it seems that’s just what Cabela’s wants to you do.

I think it works on the idea that the more time a person spends in the store, the more he or she will spend at the register. Part of that is giving people a large variety of the products they come to your store for, but a larger part is giving the non-shopping companions something to do. Enter TV lounges, computer kiosks, cafes, and a bevy of other non-shopping entertainment options. The shopper is kept happy searching through merchandise while the non-shopper is kept happy doing other things.

While I didn’t leave the store with a bag in hand, I did gobble up some of those delicious-smelling roasted almonds while I wandered through the museum. Cabela’s didn’t turn me into an outdoor enthusiast, but it didn’t leave me feeling like I wasted an afternoon either. Retail as entertainment? I’d say it’s a pretty great idea.