The Backpacker — Local services in Baton Rouge

I visited the store to purchase a pair of running shoes. When I arrived there was only one associate working with one family in the shoe section. I happily waited my turn. I knew that once she was done she would assist my mother and I. She looked right at us but said nothing. No, "One moment and I'll be right with you." No acknowledgement that we even existed. But still that didn't bother me since she was already helping someone else. Again, I was happy to wait my turn.

She then went to the back to get more shoes for the family she was already helping. During her time in the back another family arrived in the shoe section and stood next to us. When she came out the back she walked to the other family and greated them and started assisting them despite the fact that my mom and I were there first. In fact, she said nothing to us and proceeded to walk away from us again with no acknowledgement that we even existed.

At that point I interjected and asked her if any other workers were available to help considering several others were in the store in other sections and not busy or doing anything. I literally saw other employees doing NOTHING. She responded no because she is the only one that works in the shoe department. She did however ask me what I needed. I told her I was looking for shoes for flat feet. She pointed at the wall and said those are for flat feet then walked away. I couldn't do anything at that point because you need a worker to get the shoes from the back. Again there were several other workers there doing nothing. It was ridiculous to sit there watching one worker trying to assist three different families nd one family (mine) was completely overlooked and disregarded.

At that point I told my mom to put her shoes back on and we left. I rushed to Varsity Sports on the other side of town and luckily barely got there before they closed. As soon as we walked in the door we were greeted and two employees assisted us. One for me and one for my mom. I'll never go back to the backpacker again. You missed out on $300 plus dollars in sales today because you were too concerned with assisting others WHO didn't buy anything. The family the girl was running behind at backpacker walked out as we were leaving and the other family was doing an exchange. It serves them right for running paying customers away. Customer service goes a long way. We got none of that at the Backpacker today. Retrain yout employees and if you see one department overloaded train your other employees to assist vs telling me they can't help out in the shoe department. Utterly ridiculous. My money worked...

Disatisfied with the kayak the I purchased due to the fact I went in wanting a kayak with the stability to stand up and site cast. I ended up with the passport after comparing it with the next model up (excuse my lack of knowledge, outback I believe?)

After my first trip into the water, the stability the boat has, is definitely less then what I was led to believe. After a few discussions with Nick he said he sees guys way bigger than me (6'2" 190lbs) stand up in the pass port with ease. I'm not saying it not possible, but even attempting to stand up to pee is sketchy.

I called the day after, which a staff member took my information due to, nick, I believe being out of town. After 4 days of the anticipated call, I contacted Nick and discussed what I am writing here w him along w info on a bent mast on the drive system. (I did not go into any shallow water and hit anything hard or abnormally)

He said he would get back to me to see if there was anything he could do and asked to give him a few days as times were busy. Here I am a month later, 3 weeks after the promised returned phone call and had to text nick to call me which he did to inform me there was nothing they can do.

May be just a disgruntled customer at this point, but when I explained what I was looking for, I was very specific and feel I was lead on for the sale to be made and now that, that's happened.. I'm reselling a boat that I ended up w that doesn't come close to what I asked for ..

The new vibe shearwater 125 and even the cheaper acsdemy pescadors seem to be a more viable option and if you're worried about a pedal drive, get one cheaper on ebay and buy a decent boat elsewheres, but again, this is strictly based off my experience and you may be ok with feeling bamboozled. ... Not my thing though.

End of the day: I was lied to about the capability for a sale.

Edit: 03/18/21 in response to the owners response - instead of reaching out to a valued customer, the owner, below, responds publically vs calling and discussing this issue with me directly. Are you talking to everyone who reads this review or me?...

My girlfriend and I recently decided to try out casual camping and hiking. We came here and Andrew and Regan were incredibly helpful! Regan helped us find the right size backpack that works for us, and Andrew told us about tents, sleeping bags, and sleeping mats. My girlfriend and I quickly realized that many of the products here are out of our budget, but Regan and Andrew still helped us out and gave us lots of advice. Andrew was especially helpful, and he showed me websites for local trails and camping recipes, and he told me about his own experiences camping and hiking to help me understand what to expect. I did end up buying the book 50 Hikes in Louisiana, per Andrew’s recommendation. We will be going with cheaper options for gear for the time being, but if we stick with hiking and camping we will definitely come back to The Backpacker to purchase better quality gear. My experience here was very pleasant and the employees really want to help customers find the right stuff for their purposes. The employees are experienced and know what they’re talking about, and they’re super nice and helpful and fun to talk to. I left the store feeling motivated and excited...