are we being duped, cheated, fooled, mislead to get our hard earned money

[Poopdeck 0]

My neighbors work at the local big box stores. My kids all worked at local big box stores. My dad, after retiring from his accounting job, took a part time job at a big box store. I plan on one day working a couple days a week at a big box store. This doesn’t mean I lack knowledge. It doesn’t mean I lack passion and I’m only working for a pay check. In fact, I most certainly won’t need a paycheck and it’s absolutely not why I will be working. It’s because I like to work. My father wasn’t working for a paycheck, he liked to work too. My kids most definitely were working for a pay check and the big box stores paid them far more than any local shop would have but this doesn't make them horrible employees. I also shop at big box stores and local shops. I must be fortunate because I find the staff in the fly shop at my local bps/Cabelas to be equally friendly, knowledgeable and passionate as I. All this big box store bashing over local shops is based more in ideology than tangible truth, in my ever so humble opinion. 

[Mark Knapp 0]

4 hours ago, Poopdeck said:

My neighbors work at the local big box stores. My kids all worked at local big box stores. My dad, after retiring from his accounting job, took a part time job at a big box store. I plan on one day working a couple days a week at a big box store. This doesn’t mean I lack knowledge. It doesn’t mean I lack passion and I’m only working for a pay check. In fact, I most certainly won’t need a paycheck and it’s absolutely not why I will be working. It’s because I like to work. My father wasn’t working for a paycheck, he liked to work too. My kids most definitely were working for a pay check and the big box stores paid them far more than any local shop would have but this doesn't make them horrible employees. I also shop at big box stores and local shops. I must be fortunate because I find the staff in the fly shop at my local bps/Cabelas to be equally friendly, knowledgeable and passionate as I. All this big box store bashing over local shops is based more in ideology than tangible truth, in my ever so humble opinion. 

I agree with almost everything you said, except the part about your humble opinion. 😄

[WWKimba 0]

20 minutes ago, Mark Knapp said:

I agree with almost everything you said, except the part about your humble opinion. 😄

👍👍😁

[DFoster 0]

13 hours ago, Poopdeck said:

My neighbors work at the local big box stores. My kids all worked at local big box stores. My dad, after retiring from his accounting job, took a part time job at a big box store. I plan on one day working a couple days a week at a big box store. This doesn’t mean I lack knowledge. It doesn’t mean I lack passion and I’m only working for a pay check. In fact, I most certainly won’t need a paycheck and it’s absolutely not why I will be working. It’s because I like to work. My father wasn’t working for a paycheck, he liked to work too. My kids most definitely were working for a pay check and the big box stores paid them far more than any local shop would have but this doesn't make them horrible employees. I also shop at big box stores and local shops. I must be fortunate because I find the staff in the fly shop at my local bps/Cabelas to be equally friendly, knowledgeable and passionate as I. All this big box store bashing over local shops is based more in ideology than tangible truth, in my ever so humble opinion. 

 Mr. Deck I was speaking in generalizations which I often do because it drives the PC people nuts and that is strangely fun for me.  Guilty your Honor. 😉 My intention was not to bash box stores, they have their place.  They are less expensive, convenient and well stocked.  The problems happen when I'm looking for a recommendation backed by experience. I know from your post that you are a handy guy and as such you will certainly be an exception to my statement about box store employees when you retire.   I'm a handy guy too so when I need assistance my questions are usually beyond the knowledge of most box stores staff.  Most, not all,  I do get surprised which is nice and I will remember to look for that person on my next trip.   At least in my location stores of any type are desperate for help and they are hiring almost anyone.  A lot of them lack knowledge and or real experience in the section they are assigned to work.  It doesn't make them bad people and I respect them for working because until recently a lot of them could have been paid more by the government to stay home than they would earn at a job. 

My wife and I needed to place an underground drainage pipe in under a cart road which a heavy truck delivering our cord wood will need to drive over from time to time.  After an hour with 4 less than convincing employees at the local Home depot we drove another 20 minutes a family owned hardware store.  We need to hire a machine to dig the trench so an important detail is to place the correct type of drainage pipe at the correct depth.  I don't want to have to re do this in a year. The box store kids were all guessing and trusting their advice potentially could have been an expensive mistake.  The hardware store had a guy on staff who had worked for years on town civil crews and had real world experience doing exactly this type of installation.   

When I first started fly fishing I bought an LL Bean combo which included backing and line at one of their large outlet stores.   I found out at right after I paid for it that the only person in that whole store who knew how to set up a reel had left for the day- Uh!   I was brand new to fly fishing and had no idea at the time how to set up a fly reel plus the store was an hour drive each way from my house.  I was contemplating my options when she came back into the outlet for some reason and saved my day.   My next reel and line came from a local fly shop and even so I spent some time on youtube  on  "How to set up a fly reel",  you never know. 

All that said the local Cabela's fly shops at times have people in their fly shop who know what they're talking about but they seem to have a hard time keeping them.  I rarely see the same face twice and I'm in there once a week at least. They're 10 minutes from my office and I buy a lot of my consumable  stuff like tippet from them.  

[Poopdeck 0]

I also enjoy driving the PC crowd crazy which happens to be a short drive for most of them. To be sure some jobs require more direction and guidance then can be found at a big box store but a lot don’t. The ability to pick your poison is the part that matters so both have their place. 

[Mark Knapp 0]

12 hours ago, DFoster said:

 Mr. Deck I was ...

He and I are on a first name basis, he told me a long time ago I could call him Poopy.

On the same note, I had been treated poorly at my local sports shop, and much better at the Sportsman's Warehouse, so now I just go to the Sportsman's warehouse.

[DFoster 0]

12 hours ago, Poopdeck said:

I also enjoy driving the PC crowd crazy which happens to be a short drive for most of them. 

😆 I've noticed that the people demanding that I follow the "science" when it comes to man made climate change and covid are the same people telling me there are actually 137 sexes.  Damn if I can figure out.

[flytire 0]

okay its time to hijack this thread back to its intended purpose "buying specialty tying tools when cheaper tools exist that are essentially the same thing"

create a post in the "lodge" category for stuff not related to the intended subject

 

or you have to use my uv name brand $50-60 curing light when you can buy them for $13 and even cheaper

 

$42.50

45 cents

 

[Mark Knapp 0]

To me, there is a big difference between the two examples of the knit pickers and would pay the extra $10.00 for the wooden handled one.

I wouldn't pay for the Solarez  UV light, But if someone did, I'm not sure they got duped because they knew what they were getting, should have shopped for the alternatives, and chose to pay that price for that item.

On the hair clips, I can see what I believe to be some pretty big differences in the two clips, not really "essentially" the same thing. I still wouldn't pay the $42.00 for the name brand one but if someone did, I would assume they made the choice freely so , not duped.

[Jaydub 0]

2 hours ago, flytire said:

 

 

$42.50

45 cents

 

These two are not that close. They can do some of the same jobs, but it's like comparing a pair of vise-grips to a LAW vise. 

[DFoster 0]

9 hours ago, flytire said:

okay its time to hijack this thread back to its intended purpose "buying specialty tying tools when cheaper tools exist that are essentially the same thing"

create a post in the "lodge" category for stuff not related to the intended subject

 

or you have to use my uv name brand $50-60 curing light when you can buy them for $13 and even cheaper

 

$42.50

45 cents

 

Dammit Norm it was just getting fun 🤩 

[Mars Rover 0]

Here's a good one. I'm on the e-mailing list of this fly shop and today this one shocked me. I thought the item looked nice and could be something that I could use so I clicked the link and holy carp - $130 for nippers! 

https://www.tcoflyfishing.com/products/hatch-nipper-model-3

Also, although I live within a fly fishing mecca, I've never actually seen one of those stupid $500 rod vault / tube things strapped to the top of a vehicle. It must be a western guy thing. But I'm looking forward to the day it happens so I can have good laugh and make fun of the guy!

 

[Lesg 0]

3 hours ago, Mars Rover said:

Here's a good one.

 

But they come with a custom Hatch "lanyard"! Isn't that a fancy name for a string?  I think we allow ourselves to be duped.

[mikechell 0]

10 minutes ago, Mars Rover said:

one of those stupid $500 rod vault / tube things

If they weren't so expensive, I'd have one or more.  Putting the rods in my Connect is a bit of a trick,  since there's not quite enough length for the longest ones.  Also, I hate it when some jerk brake checks me for no reason and the rods come sliding forward.  I've been trying to design something I can build myself that would allow me to keep the rods on the truck all the time, and those rod tubes would work.

But I am definitely too cheap to pay that much money for them.

As far as being "duped" by fly tying equipment?  I think it's mostly been covered here.  My opinion is, if you're ignorant enough to pay top dollar for something that can be had for much less, you deserve to be duped.  In today's internet world, doing the research for less expensive items is too easy to NOT do.  "Duped" is when you're fooled into buying something at too high a price.  Separating a fool and his money is the fool's problem, not the one doing the separating.  Only if they're preying on the elderly or disabled are they guilty of "duping".  (is that a word?) 

[Mars Rover 0]

Regarding those car-top rod vaults, I just thought of something.

Because those tubes are about as long as a typical flagpole, you could probably see them in your field of vision while driving. Then you don't have to remember to not drive under any low hanging branches.

Nah - I would still get them caught on something wreck the rods, my roof rack and the top of my car!

Or maybe some crackhead would would damage my car trying to rip it off!