JAX Fort Collins Outdoor Gear — Attraction in Fort Collins

Lived here 30 years. Shopped Jax every one of them. Love (or loved) them. A little pricey but good service and good gear (if not great). Bought guns, boats, clothes and lots of shoes. Camping and cooking gear. I'm a photo enthusiast and a gear head. Buy lots of photo stuff. Most from Jax. Last May bought a Tamron 150-600 zoom. $1400. Could have gotten cheaper on line but I'm not thrilled with 'on line' for everything. I wanted service and help and paid a little more for it from Jax. The lens never fit well for my Nikon d3s. Just couldn't get the sharp focus I wanted. Bought a d850 for Christmas and had to go online for it as I went to Jax but they didn't have new in box. this month took the lens back with my story. It's been used VERY little (like new) but struggles with focus. They said they'd take care of me but it would take a week for them to work with Tamron. So I bought the Nikon 200-500 floor model (it's all they had again) for full price thinking I'd get a full credit back on the Tamron once they blessed that. They called and wanted the Nikon 200-500 back and told me I had to take the Tamron back. I really don't know why or what happened. I love or better said 'loved' the Nikon lens. Now I have a marginal Tamron $1400 lens and they have a slightly used Nikon 200-500 for sale in Loveland. This is why I bought local... this has been soooo disappointing. Why buy local now?

April 2020 UPDATE: Jax contacted me to help. Appreciate that but it has gone nowhere and I've not heard from them in three weeks or so after I reached out to them again. So they're posted response to me really isn't to be taken...

I stopped in at this Jax to get some water and to calm down because I was approached by one of the creepy dudes hanging over by that area down the street. I go into this Jax and immediately I’m getting stared at by some of the employees but I brushed it off and let the front desk associate what happened with the creepy dude, so then they called the cops but said they couldn’t do anything about it so I left but came back because I didn’t want to wait for my ride outside in the heat alone so I came back in and used the restroom, trying to calm down I go over to look at some of the things that they have hanging up, I am looking at the candles, overall I'm just minding my business and trying to be somewhere safe. I was then later approached by the manager or gm who kicked me out the store and said that my behavior was “really erratic” when all I was doing was looking at candles and shirts just like everyone else. Anyways got kicked out and on my way out I heard a woman say “did she leave yet” now I don’t know if she was a customer or an associate but I was hurt and confused and so sad cause I just needed somewhere safe to be for like 30 minutes until I could be picked up and and I was just looking around trying to pass time. I asked the manager or general manager why he thought my behavior was “erratic “on my way out and he didn’t say why and told me to have a nice day. I feel like I was being racially profiled especially because I was simply doing nothing and they kicked me out for no reason, but it’s fine because it says a lot about who they are and it’s cool cause I’m not coming back. Jax do...

I've had mostly good experiences here. Usually a better selection of items than REI in Fort Collins. However, REI has more and better sales than JAX. If you can't find something on sale / in stock at REI, go to JAX.

Last week I had gone in on a Saturday to look for my girlfriend some nicer hiking boots than what she had then (Keens are garbage). She found a pair she really liked and fit well, but REI was having a sale for them online for $80 down from $140, but didn't have her size in stock, while JAX had them listed at full price and had her size in stock. I had asked the department manager Dianne (sp?) if we could get them price matched to REI. She said no, but that she could take 30% off of the retail price. We waited until the next weekend to take her up on her offer, but she wasn't there the following Saturday. I asked another employee in the department if we could get them marked down, and he said that he didn't think JAX marked off or price matched anything. What? I was frustrated from the mixed responses and about to go to REI, but I then asked another employee, Mike, who said that he would honor Dianne's offer for 30% off. Nice! She bought them on the spot, and I ended up getting a patagonia rain jacket which would have ended up being a sale for REI had Mike not saved the day.

It was a roller-coaster of emotions lmao, but overall Mike did an awesome job of saving a customer who would have otherwise avoided any future purchases from JAX. Good job my dude, you should...