Fleet Farm — Local services in Oakdale

One of my absolute favorite parts of Fleet Farm is using the app. The physical stores are so big and carry such a large variety of items, it can be incredibly difficult finding something specific that I'd seen online or similar. That's where their web presence comes in and steps up. Being able to look up a specific item, see if it's in stock and carried, and THEN being given a specific location within the physical store itself, is worth it's weight in gold imo. A resource like that becomes an instant liability if the information isn't up to date and accurate. Nothing is more frustrating then finding exactly what you want online, seeing it's in stock and going to the listed location only to find... Nothing. That is a relatively common occurrence unfortunately with most big box type stores. Up to now, I've yet to experience that with any FF location. That simple functionality is the reason that I do most of my outdoor activity shopping there instead of one their competitors. Prices are relatively the same across the board so having a service that differentiates them from competition is what keeps me going back. During height of pandemic I was still working as my current job is in the construction field. Knowing that if needed, I could go into the store and directly to what it is I was looking for, ensured I was in and out quickly and didn't expose myself to any additional risk. That may not always be the best business model for a retail venture as getting a person to buy more than they initially planned for is the name of the game, but it was for me a real good reason to spend my money there instead of elsewheres. If I was able to offer any feedback to help make services like this even better, it would be to add a store layout map that has isles listed. Also, being able to see a real time cursor of your position within the store using phones gps, would also be very helpful. A simple map that doesn't really provide any useful information is basically pointless for me. Making it more user friendly would go incredibly far in improving the overall customer experience in my mind.

I would recommend to anyone asking if they should go here. I plan on returning the...

Worse service ever! Their employees do not care about providing good services at all. I called the store in advance and spoke with someone in the Farm department inquiring about hay. The employee on the phone told me they don’t sell hay bale but the closest thing they have is the “Timothy straw bag” which comes in few different pound bags. I arrived at the store and walked around the garden area but could not find the farm department. I found 2 employees in the Paint Department that was busy chatting with each other. I stood there to wait until they were done talking but they didn’t bother to ask if I needed help so I approached one of them and asked for the Farm department. The employee just said “over there” as if I knew what “over there” meant since the store was huge. I was still lost but I walked back towards the garden area hoping I’ll just find the farm department. When I finally found the farm department, the straw bags was no where to be found. I asked another employee in Farm department but he was confused so he radio his manager and directed me to the animal feeds in the left the corner of the store which still did not have straw bags. I figured they must be confused with what I’m looking for so I decided to ask the third employee who was approaching the animal feed area if they sell “hay” hoping that she will know about the “straw bags”. She seemed to be in a rush pushing her stroller cart that she continued walking away from me while I asked her the question. She radio the store about hay and just responded, “no, we don’t”. I told her that’s ridiculous, this is the third time I asked about it and each time I’m directed to another area. I told her I called the store and they said they sell straw bag that was closest thing to the hay but she just shook her head and walked into the employee only zone. She never once stopped to care if I’m helped or not. I was hoping that by the third employee, I will be helped but it got worse each time. I never had this bad of a customer service. Worse service ever, never going back...

I went in for a bike rack that the wbsite said was in stock. It was not on the shelves, so I asked an employee. He said he would go "in back" to find it. He said it might take some time and to meet him in 10 minutes by the bait display. Three minutes later I saw him back by the gun counter with no bike rack. I asked about the rack. He said there was too much stuff back there and that I should order it on-line and maybe one of the guys back there could find it. I did the order on-line and went to look for a manager to expedite so I wouldn't have to wait hours. The manager I found looked up the order and called the guy in back who said there were 3 orders ahead. I tried to explain how messed up this was trying to buy one item, in stock, and having to deal with all of these steps. He was unwilling to ask the guy in back to just bring the rack out. I asked how long do I have to wait. He said maybe an hour. I told him we would run an errand and wait for the message that the order was complete. The message came with a phone call from a manager an hour later, who said the rack was in his hands. I went back to the store, back to Customer Service, waited in line (I had asked a cashier if this where on-line orders are picked up), was told on-line orders are picked up around the back. Now, I had to drive to the back lot, present the order on my phone to get in, then wait for the guy to go bring it out. This took 2 1/2 hours, two trips to the store, waiting in three lines for an item that was in stock. In the store there were dozens of employees visible around the floor, but nobody was available to just get an item that should have been...