Better Shopping at Tackle Warehouse
Less than a generation ago, Tackle Warehouse revolutionized the way bass anglers shop for tackle, with maximized selections of all of the staples plus immediate access to the latest and greatest new gear. Combined with solid pricing and exceptional customer service, I doubt that there are more than a handful of serious bass fishermen who’ve never ordered from TW. While it’s important to support your local shops who give back to the community, most of them simply cannot compete on all fronts with the best in the business. Just about every bass pro I know has had them overnight gear to a tournament site, and just about every obsessed weekend angler I know has their likely sale dates circled on the calendar.
If you’re reading this, therefore, you probably don’t need to be introduced to Tackle Warehouse. You probably don’t need to be convinced to shop with them. As with everything, though, there are ways to make the shopping experience more enjoyable and productive. The following are a list of suggestions that will make you a more educated consumer going forward.
Sign Up for Emails and Follow them on Social Media
Tackle Warehouse has a robust campaign of email and social media outreach, informing consumers of new products, upcoming sales, and also providing substantive advice about how top anglers rig and fish the products they sell. Sign up for the emails today and make sure that they don’t end up in your “spam” or “trash” box.
Wait for Sales
Tackle Warehouse regularly offers 10, 15 or even 20% off of most in-stock items in conjunction with certain holidays and events. Black Friday is almost a given, while others – like the Bassmaster Classic, July 4th, Memorial Day, etc. – are less certain, and the discounts may vary. If you do not need certain items immediately, but you know that you’ll need them for a future trip or a season down the road, it often pays to wait as long as you can.
Know Which Items Do Not Go on Sale
Certain manufacturers do not typically allow their gear to be sold for less than a standard price, assumedly to protect smaller retailers. This consistently includes Megabass, Shimano and G. Loomis and several others. If you know that a brand is likely excluded from sales promotions, and you are going to need them down the road, don’t wait for the sale to order them. Get them while they’re in stock. [Note from reader Austin Earnest: If you call in your order, some of the “never go on sale” items can actually be discounted — they just can’t be advertised as such.]
Be Aware of Supply Chain Issues
As implied in the previous suggestion, even though Tackle Warehouse has an incredible inventory (which is reflected in real time on the site), things do occasionally go out of stock, especially “garage” brands, but during the recent pandemic that extended to major manufacturers like Berkley and Shimano as well. If you know you are going to need something and cannot live without it, it may pay to get it while it’s in stock, rather than waiting for a sale closer to the time of need and having to go without.
Never Spend Less than $50
Tackle Warehouse provides free ground shipping in most circumstances for orders over $50 in the contiguous United States. Accordingly, if you spend $49 on tackle, and $6.75 on shipping, you could have had $6.75 more in tackle for the same price. Alternatively, you could have found a single item for a dollar and saved $5.75 and gotten more gear.
If you see a better price on an item elsewhere, it pays to call the Tackle Warehouse toll-free number to see if they’ll match it. Furthermore, they offer ongoing discounts to active or retired members of the military, members of collegiate bass clubs, and high school anglers as well. There are some verification requirements for each, and discounts cannot be stacked with other deals. [Another note from Austin Earnest: With appropriate proof, Tackle Warehouse provides active and retired military with a year-round 10% discount. It cannot be used in addition to any other sales or discounts. There are also discounts for college and high school bass clubs.]
Use the Email Reminder
This is one that I didn’t know about until recently. If an item is out of stock I’ve always relied on the published date to tell me when it was expected to return to inventory, but there is also a little “envelope” icon next to that date. Click it and enter your email address and you’ll be among the first to know when they’re back in stock. Critical for items like Berkley Flat Worms or low-volume swimbaits that sell out quickly.
Build Wish Lists
Tackle Warehouse allows you to save multiple lists of items that you need or covet. As I get older, I often forget what I plan to order at the next sale date, so as soon as I see something that piques my interest I enter it on one of my wish lists. Then, when I’m making an order, I go back through my ongoing list to make sure I don’t miss anything. This feature is also great for building links like our “Basic Tackle for El Salto and Picachos” or providing gift ideas to friends and family, or other anglers’ friends and families (although a TW Gift Card is always welcomed).
Check all “New Items” Tabs
Tackle Warehouse is constantly updating the items that they sell, at an almost dizzying pace. That’s why it’s important to click on the “New Items” tab on the home page regularly. I used to do that every day. I sometimes still do, but I’ve found that now it’s better to go through once a week or so and hit all of the buttons on that page – not just “Featured New Items” but also “New Rods,” “New Fishing Line,” “New Topwaters,” etc. – which prevents me from missing anything.
Watch the “What’s New at Tackle Warehouse” Videos
If you don’t want to regularly check the “New Items” page, then you can pretty much accomplish the same thing by watching the weekly videos about new products, either on the site or on their YouTube channel. The rotating cast of hosts keep it light and informative at the same time.
Look at “Rebates and Promos”
Some items you order may incentivize you with mail-in rebates or add-ons in the form of apparel or complementary gear. Tackle Warehouse has these all inventoried on a single page.
Consider Two-Day Shipping
In most circumstances and for most items, Tackle Warehouse will ship all orders over $50 to you UPS 2nd Day for the modest amount of $5. I’ve never had a “regular” (i.e., UPS Ground) order of in-stock items take more than seven business days, but if you need to be sure that it’ll be here by a date certain (or you’re just impatient like me), the $5 deal is often too good to pass up.
Get the T-Shirt
With an order of $150 or more, you are entitled to a free short-sleeved Tackle Warehouse t-shirt. You may have seen them on just about every angler who can fog a mirror from coast-to-coast. No matter how many t-shirts you have, everyone can use another, right? Even if you can’t you probably know a young angler who can’t afford to make an order of that magnitude but would love to “rep the brand.” I won’t admit how many I have in my rotation, but I eventually started ordering them for Hanna, and when her supply grew overwhelming we started giving them to fishing guides around the world.
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