Great Outdoor Provision Co. — Attraction in Raleigh

On Saturday evening, I visited this location in search of a pair of trail shoes from Salomon.

Upon entering the store, I was initially excited to see an expansive selection of merchandise. Unfortunately, that excitement quickly faded as I noticed a stark contrast in the level of attention and service given to other customers around me. While others were being assisted or offered help, I was left feeling watched, with employees seemingly preoccupied with “straightening racks” while keeping a watchful eye on me. At first, I brushed it off, assuming I was overthinking the situation.

When I reached the shoe section, the lack of engagement became even more apparent. The older gentleman working there was busy putting shoes back in boxes, and not once did he acknowledge my presence or offer any assistance. As someone who enjoys engaging with others, I’m always happy to start a conversation when needed—but it should never be the responsibility of the customer to initiate such interactions in a retail setting. Basic courtesy, such as a simple greeting or inquiry about whether I needed help, would have made all the difference.

After reflecting on the experience and reading through other reviews, it became painfully clear why I was ignored. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help but feel that my skin tone played a role in the lack of customer service I received. At the end of the day, money speaks in one language, and it’s disheartening to think that it may not be welcomed here.

That same evening, I drove down to REI in NH, where the staff greeted me warmly, engaged in conversation, and provided excellent customer service. Not only that, but REI had a larger selection in outdoor gear, and clothing from Vuori.

I hope Great outdoor provision takes this feedback to heart and makes meaningful changes to foster an inclusive, welcoming environment for...

Unfortunately, I had a very bad experience at this particular location. I walked in with ambition to purchase a new kayak with a 5k budget. From the time I walked in, the store staff particularly in the kayak section seemed to not want to help me and seemed frustrated that I walked in with an open mind with a few kayaks in mind... You would think that a purchase of 1k or more would warrant at the very least decent customer service. However, that was not my experience. Because buying an expensive fishing kayak is a niche market, there's not a lot of other options with display units. Nevertheless, I stepped forward with renting a kayak I was interested in purchasing. The unit they rented me had issues. I deployed the kayak and found the seat was not completely assembled. In addition, the rudder was not working properly. It kept getting stuck. Also the pedal drive system was having some intermittent problems. Needless to say it wasn't a great experience.

I returned the kayak and narrowed my options. The day I rented the kayak, they told me they had a few units of the particular kayak I was interested in, in stock.. However, upon return of the rented kayak, it turned out they didn't actually have 3 units, they only had 1 and that last unit sold....

Icing on the cake... They told me they were going to pull in a demo unit and call me when it came in. It was supposed to come in 2 days laster.. 4 days later I have not heard from the particular sales associate who initially seemed disinterested...

Terrible customer service experience. I was especially surprised they're review rating is so high. I must of just had a one-off bad experience, but I certainly won't be recommending this place to anyone I know. Take your 5k and shop somewhere they're willing to help you and make you feel...

Eight of us just completed a full day Fly Fishing Class, held outside by Scott Wood. Originally, the classroom portion was to be set up inside. Scott set up enough tables to accommodate the eight of us (Covid 6 ft between) under the trees where we watched red tailed hawks play overhead while we learned some great stuff.

During the morning Classroom portion, Scott covered everything from types of flies for fresh water-- trout, bass, salmon and salt water fishing, plus rods, flies, line, leader and tippet . He brought such an assortment of flies that it more than covered an entire table. After demonstrating technique, we were provided a rigged rod and able to practice casting at an adjacent stocked pond. Scott made the rounds helping us find the sweet spot -- 1 o-clock to 10 o-clock.

After an amazing lunch catered from Alpaca of grilled chicken, fried plantains, black beans and yucca (totally delicious) we reviewed knots. Scott provided notes on everything covered, a fly fishing booklet, and a container of most used flies to get us started.

He was more than experienced, having traveled and fly fished some of the more remote streams across the US and Canada and most helpful in sharing his hard earned info on some pretty cool spots.

We ended a beautiful day with many of us catching trout and bass with our new found technique--a total of about 3-4 hours casting and fishing--so lots of muscle memory and fun .

Watch for Scott's class to be advertised. It fills up fast, is a great refresher too. IT IS A...