Academy Sports + Outdoors — Local services in New Bern

Moving to Carteret County from Wilmington 4 years ago, I am well acquainted with Academy Sports and what they have to offer. Always a good time making the trip, and I always buy something.

This was my first visit to the Newbern location. I was on my way back from Paramedic class and decided to buy some heavy grain home defense rounds for my new 9mm. (Was torn between .40 and 9mm, but heavier grain makes it almost like a faster .40) found the Winchester Silvertip shelf, and the 147g JHP rounds I'd been looking for, and at an incredible price at that. Grabbed a box, paid, and left. Got home, loaded my standard double stack, and went to sleep. In the AM, I was cleaning my gun to go to the range in a couple days after getting off my fulltime firefighting gig. Then I held both 12 rd double stack mags in each palm.....and the new rounds were noticeably lighter. My target rounds are some cheap 124g fmj, so I look at the box, and....115 grain..... It was my fault for not verifying the box was on the right shelf, I understand that.

But for an an item which cannot be exchanged or returned, I feel like more care should be given to assuring shelves are stocked and remain stocked in the correct order. And perhaps at checkout, just a question from the clerk "hey, are these the rounds you were wanting to buy?" Could have negated this, and many more future instances to come.

Still, a great store with great prices, deals, discounts, and selection. Better than...

So downgraded the stars. This establishment has been getting worse on their customer service. I ordered something online and went inside the store to pick it up. Decided to go in walked around and went into the pickup/customer service area. I was told to go into the big line because there were people forming up to cash out. There was the customer service cashier and one other, going inside the establishment there was no one at the door either. Just thought they stopped doing that. My SO went into the line because he was buying something so I asked him if he could pickup the item that I ordered online. After a couple of minutes three individuals came up front, one went towards the front doors to stand guard and the other two...I don't know what they were doing but they weren't helping the other two cash out and they weren't assisting with customer service. They were literally standing around joking with each other....all three. So what is the point of a pickup line for mobile ordering when customers have to just wait in the main line anyway? I felt that I was in a upscale Walmart. Several employees standing around not doing anything. Is this is normal occurrence at Academy, because it felt like the customer service went down here. Could it be bad management. Either way if you decide to order online it is a waste of time because you're treated as a regular patron and the customer service is just as bad as Walmart. Save the money and...

Management is unprofessional , does not respect store policy as advertised, when asked to respect store policy they begin yelling about how they have a shortage and do not like certain individuals buying the weights. , The reality of the situation that know one can deny, I am only asking them to do their job the way it is advertise to me online, which had at this point prompted me to drive 3 hours. I guess in the lady managers defense, i think she has no clue about the products i was trying to buy. She did not understand what she was doing is border line illegal because the products she tried to limit me on , were based on a previous purchase that was not even the same product or product type. The products being purchased were completely different to anyone with basic level understanding. (Olympic 2" weight set vs Standard 1 " weight set) They have different purposes and different primary uses , hence why both exist. . Instead of realizing it is two completely separate products, like apples and oranges. She insights a yelling competition over the phone in which she says very personal things instead of acknowledging the store policy as advertised online. If management only cared as much about honoring their policy, as they did policing fitness items in aggressive impractical non systematic fashions, it would be a half way decent...