Outdoor Emporium — Local services in Seattle

I have been to Outdoor Emporium 3 or so times over the past couple years and while they do have quite a good selection of products their customer service and knowledge is definitely lacking, so much so that I told myself that after this visit I will not be returning. The first bad experience I had from OE was two years ago when I went halibut fishing out in Sequim... the weekend before leaving town one of the employees sold me a reel that he personally said would hold up to a 60-80lb halibut and well needless to say the drag broke after two times of reeling up just a 4lb weight without a fish on it. The next year I went back and bought another reel that again they said would be great for halibut fishing, well again that reel broke within 15-20 minutes of fishing. So this year I did a bunch of research on reels and ended up buying a Shimano Tyrnos two speed reel that would be more than enough for halibut fishing.

I called up tonight before going down as I live in Lynnwood, and I needed them to put braided line on my reel. They said on the phone that the 80lb braided line I was looking for was going to be $.09/yard, so I said ok I'll be down before you close. I get down there and come to find out they don't have the line that I wanted in stock, they just had the 65lb braided line. So I decided to buy a spool of 80lb braid with 500 yards on it for $65 and have the guy at the counter put that on my reel. He puts the line on and just before finishing I notice that there is a spool on the wall for the 80lb braid that he could have used to put on my reel and that would have been $20 less. I tell him this and he says he already put the more expensive braid on and that he can't match the price and then goes on to say that the 80lb braid was actually $.13/yard when the guy on the phone told me it was only $.09/yard. Well it's not a big deal until you put 500 yards of line on a reel and then you have a difference of $20. So basically I drove all the way to Seattle from Lynnwood for fishing line when I could have bought it in Lynnwood for the exact same price of $.13/yard when they told me it would have been $.09/yard. Also, after looking at the line put on my reel it's definitely wavy and has a high and low spot on it from the guy behind the counter not knowing what he was doing. It was just frustrating driving 25 miles each way to get something you think is going to be for one price and come to find out it's the exact same price as Ted's which is 3 miles from my house. Then dealing with an employee who knows little to nothing about pricing or products? I told myself after leaving tonight that I won't be coming back. Everytime I've been there the customer service and knowledge of employees has definitely been poor and been given bad recommendations on products that weren't to the level they were supposed to be at. It seems to be an ongoing trend of poor customer service and employees lacking in...

Local tackle shops are always the first place everyone should go if they are looking to get started in fishing no matter the species or type of fishing. Whether you are a beginner or seasoned angler, the staff at these shops are always willing to help.

As an avid angler I came into Outdoor Emporium with little to no knowledge of salmon fishing in Washington. I came across Sam who was able to outfit me with a particular rod for float fishing. He also set me up with the proper terminal tackle and baits catered to the waters I was going to fish. Sam gave me the ins and outs of what I was looking for and I came out with a lot more knowledge than I was expecting! Sam is very passionate about what he does and is willing to help anyone. Not only is Sam very knowledgeable, but he's an awesome guy.

I headed out to the river the next day and I was able to hook into a couple fish but lost them :(. But what I learned from Sam gave me confidence out on the water which gave me more opportunities to land fish. If you guys need help getting started or to hone your skills, Sam is your guy!

Part 2... (Update)

Needless to say, whatever your fishing needs, Sam at Outdoor Emporium is the man and I am glad to have met him. He’ll outfit you with gear and outright give you tips and advice. No nonsense whatsoever. After coming across him, I was able to fish with him every other week as he taught me the ropes and I progressively learned from him each day on the water. For about 6 trips I had no fish in the net, despite a couple of lost chances, but kept at it. After giving me a few of his spots for me to try and setting me up with some of his cured salmon skeins, I killed it two days in a row, catching a 6lb silver, a PB. I owe my recent success to this guy. If you’re like me and don’t have a boat, as long as you are nice to Sam, he will meet with you to fish. He’s always killin the fish game and it was just a matter of time before I...

So I was in their shopping with my wife when I noticed if you ask go on between a man who claimed he was the owner and a random individual who was trying to purchase a couple items. First off the guy asked him to stop handling the gloves that he apparently was purchasing and handing his hand that his hands were dirty. The customer apologized agreed to go wash them, but after so the owner continued to follow them around and harass them finally after about 10 minutes of things escalating from the owner making comments toward them which I heard him say numerous times being very rude. One of the customers who had had enough said listen you're a complete blank blank blank expletive if we were in a dark alley I would fight you fish up any day. The owner accepted his invitation I thought the two were going to go outside and handle this like men did in the old days but as they approach the check stands the owner then started screaming help these men are threatening me help. Somebody please take a video or pictures of this. I never seen such a bad display of respect or someone claiming to be a man in my life it actually made me so sick that I had my wife put back anything she was purchasing and my friend I was with also we told them we were leaving. Ultimately I feel sorry for the owner he was a very rude man I heard the customer say his name was Cody over and over again so definitely do not shop from sports outdoor emporium in SoDo Seattle their owner Cody is not a respectable person and has no right to claim himself as an actual man, other than that they do have great gear all way...