Great Outdoor Provision Co. — Attraction in Wilmington

I ordered a kayak on 04/23 from their Wilmington location, put down a deposit of several hundred dollars, and was told it should arrive in a few weeks and they'd call to let me know. On May 8th I called to check on the status and they said it should be there "soon." I asked what "soon" was and the employee said probably the following week.

I then called back the following week and was told it was supposed to have arrived in their prior shipment, but that they were still waiting for it, but should be soon. When I asked again for a more precise timeframe, this time the employee estimated 3 weeks. It was pretty clear to me he was just pulling that number out of nowhere, and decided to tell him to just cancel the order. However, rather than just cancelling it as I'd asked, he replied that he'd have the manager call me back the same day because he didn't want to give me wrong information. I reluctantly agreed, thinking the manager may be able to resolve the issue.

However, the manager never called me that day, or at all, so I called back the following Monday and asked for him. He was friendly, but confirmed I'd been misinformed, advised me that they basically had no clue when the kayak would arrive from the supplier, and estimated arrival in another month at best. When I explained my frustration with all the misinformation, he kept repeating that they had no control over the supplier's shipments, but didn't seem to fully grasp that my frustration mostly stemmed from being strung along and misinformed, not the wait. With regard to why it was taking so long to arrive, he claimed it was due to "supply chain" issues, and the fact that the manufacturer had been bought out recently and just getting up and running again. (I later learned the buy out he was referencing had actually happened 2.5 years ago). Finally, he advised me if I had questions on order status in the future I should contact him directly and he'd give me "the straight scoop." While I appreciated the sentiment, it seemed a bit odd that he was apparently acknowledging I couldn't rely on his rank and file employees to provide truthful/accurate information about my order status.

Given my continued concerns after speaking to the manager, I did some checking on google and was quickly able to find the same kayak I'd ordered in stock at a different retailer in Wilmington for the same price. I ordered it online, and was able to pick it up without incident the very next day. I also came across several other retailers that were promising pick up times for the kayak online within a week or two of ordering. Not quite sure what the real reason was for why Great Outdoor was having so much trouble getting it, or why it took them a month to admit to me they had no idea when it would arrive, but the experience was obviously pretty frustrating. To their credit, they did assure me they'd refund my deposit immediately without giving me a hassle, and were pleasant on the phone, thus the extra star.

However, the bottom line is that I missed out on nearly a month of prime paddling season by choosing to order the kayak from Great Outdoor Provision Co. in Wilmington, and then relying on what turned out to be, for lack of a better term, "BS" about when they expected it would be ready to pick up. While I totally understand that there could be supply chain issues right now they have no control over, if that is the case, they should have been up front about that at the start by telling me they could not provide an anticipated delivery date. It also seems odd that, despite their claimed supply chain and supplier issues, I was able to order and pick up the same kayak within 24 hours from another store in town, and multiple other nearby big box retailers were promising delivery to store within a week or two. Thus, based on my experience dealing with their disorganized logistics, I probably wouldn't buy anything from Great Outdoor Provision Co. unless I was physically standing in the store looking at...

I don't normally write reviews, but this time I just had to! I just had an amazing experience at the Great Outdoor Provision Co. in Wilmington, NC. I am preparing for a trip and purchased a couple pairs of The North Face (quick drying) pants that I love. One pair had to be transferred from another store to get my size and that just took a couple of days. When I went back to the store to pick them up neither the salesperson nor I checked to see that the security device had been removed. (For whatever reason, it had not alarmed when I exited the store.) To my surprise as I was packing I discovered the device and went back to the store to have it removed. I explained to the salesperson that I needed a new eye glass retainer and as compensation for my extra trip to the store, I would appreciate that as a token gift. He said he was sure he could take care of that. He was very gracious and sincerely apologized for my troubles and inconvenience. As he was packaging my pants he handed me a $20 gift card, thanking me for my patronage and again apologizing for the inconvenience!

Now - that is customer service! I love the merchandise this store offers and now I especially appreciate the...

I think I have bought the worst pair of expensive shoes ever! I know it's too late to return them, but I wanted to spare anyone who might be thinking about purchasing these awful shoes. They are Keen causal loafers, all leather, very nicely made, but so uncomfortable! The person working there was useless, after less than 3 minutes of her time, she basically walked off and left me, never once asking me what I thought of the shoes after walking around and around the store trying to decide if I wanted them. I told her I was looking for some good walking shoes that I could walk in everyday with my wife. We walk about a mile every morning! I can't even wear these shoes going to the grocery store, they hurt my feet! I'm basically using them as sleepers! I should have bought another pair of Merrells, but we just don't have many options for them here in Wilmington, NC. I have never tried this brand, and after this experience I never will! These were not cheap shoes, they were 80.00! I will continue to purchase Merrills from their website. They have an excellent return policy, but I've never had to return any shoes because...