They just increase the prices for everyone. If you make up a list price it hides you lifting the bottom price. Everyone is at it, food shops have cottoned on now like you say. They love those inflation busting price hikes they hid under cost of living....it's a drug they don't want to pull back from.
I worked at go outdoors in Manchester for 6 years, back when it was owned by John Graham. We had really good training from big brands, 90% of the staff were outdoors enthusiasts of one form or another and it used to be a great place to work....the staff discount was the best in the industry, all my expendable income went back into the store 🤣. I never really got why people were so upset by the discount card, we mentioned it to every customer, at every point along the buying experience, and after the price match (-10%) or extra discount for armed forces/veterans, blue light card, D of E staff, cadets, scouts etc your paying less than the vast majority of other places, and you dont have to wait in for delivery, you can bring it straight back if its faulty and get the problem sorted etc. i much prefer buting from a physical shop than online personally. But hey ho, you can only please some of the people some of the time...
Yeah. of course they do! They make YOU check everyehere else hoping many mugs don't. I detest these big and soulless shops. Keep the high street alive, shop locally and shop with real people.
They are NOT lower prices per-se, they are the normal price with a premium for the non membership holders; membership holders so they can then advertise their goods by email and post! in a never-0ending stream. Please, please, please use local shops that sell a wide range, and with staff who know their stock and what you will need, and not what GO will push for the highest margins. PS. A quick check on a coat I am looking at I found was 10% cheaper at my local independent shop, and I am treated like a person and not just a. cash-cow. NO haggling and having to prove it is cheaper elsewhere, just good, time-honoured customer service. Have I ever worked at GO? NO... have I ever worked at any outdoor shop? NO. Do I have any interests in any outdoor shops? NO. I just value honesty, integrity and good customer services.
@@davidashton5901 Big shops like it are killing off the high street and the sense of community that existed for centuries. I will NOT be shopping at the souless barns, and I will shop with local shops, run by local people who know their business and stock. As for price-match plus a %... yeah, OK, but only if YOU do the legwork and make them do it. KEEP SHOPPING WITH LOCAL SHOPS. PS. I am not a a shop keeper in any way shape or form, but I support my local ones in the village and surrounding small towns, and that is why we have a thriving community. We meet in the shops, we chat, keep up with what is going on and take the time to live a REAL life.
I took my daughter to go outdoors, I explained to her that there are usually two prices for most things, the mugs price and the real price. It is frustrating and I, like you, much prefer the Alpkit way of doing things. This is a good video, particularly for newcomers who have probably never heard of the price match scheme.
All shops make a profit regardless of how low a price they sell, unless they are going bust. The JETBOIL is seriously expensive and the OEX Copy is just as good. I use mine for months at a time not one nighters and I am confident in it for sure. The JETBOIL could be “better”than the OEX But I don’t care, it’s 1/2 the price, it works all day and it’s lasted for multiple month trips used every day.
Totally agree have bought a few things lately from GO, inc a tent, coat and other bits. On checking, it's all been the same price on Blacks and you dont need to pay a £5 subscription. Its just the convenience of being able to go and look and try out the product before buying, whereas Blacks stores are few and far between. This is the only reason i pay the £5.
Paul, a lot of math science went into maximizing profits, especially at big companies. It’s way beyond what almost 100% of customers will do. Even small businesses have to make a profit to stay alive. Back in 1972, I used to work in a privately owned men’s store. We bought nice, wool pants, wholesale for $6 USD/4.70£. We charged $52/40.69£. That’s 11.5 times the wholesale price. When we put them on half price SALE, we still made more than five times what we paid wholesale. Remember, this was back in 1972. We made over 500% profit when there was a HALF PRICE SALE. Customers will almost never beat the store. I really appreciate you, what you’re trying to do…helping folks see how to do better. Keep doing that…from an old veteran, finally retired in the US, foothills of the East Tennessee, Smoky Mountains National Park.
I have a problem with this bussiness model you do their work for them by finding a cheaper price THEN you don’t do bussiness with the cheapest price provider who then loses trade to the lazy feckers who get the customer to do their work. I recently renewed my insurance and when I cancelled to go to a different company I told them I will not do their work for them and expect them to already give me their best price …NOT the price they can get away with. They tried to undercut my new quote but wouldnt explain why they couldn’t give me this price to start with. They are scallywags and I refuse to play by their rules …..anyhow rant over lol …….love your videos 😀
Get off your high horse, they are a Business so can set their prices at what they want, you can choose to either buy or not to. They are cheaper than places like Cotswold outdoors.
As a businessman, I sympathise with them trying to get away with the highest reasonable price they can. We are molly coddled in the uk with fixed pricing in many shops, but the cost of anything is what someone is willing to pay for it. So if you can sell something for more, why wouldn’t you, until the customer says they have found it for less and are unwilling to pay that cost. It’s the real way things work.
The same with these so-called "supermarkets" and petrol stations. They get you to go round picking things up and then do the job of the former/now redundant till staff for them - so they achieve greater profits, and all with a gazillion cameras watching your every move in detail. Petrol station use to be served - I did this as a student, and it still saddens me when they no longer offer it.
@ that’s called a normal shop and not really the same. If you were waited on in that way nowadays, you’d either have to wait forever whilst others are served or prices would be way higher to employ more servers. We’re just a much busier and more populated nation now, that prevents such service being possible. It’s certainly not about profit. Get that notion out of your head.
@@martincheesman4564 Firstly, what is a "server"? Do you mean an assistant? Secondly, I am old enough to remember a time not so long ago when we had early closing on a half-day in the midweek, and shops closed at 5:30 on a Saturday and didn't open at all on a Sunday. We didn't just 'manage', we positively thrived. Families had time together and we ate fresh food from LOCAL shops; we hadn't been conned by the so-called "supermarkets" into buying the lowest-common-denominator food that they make the largest profit on. Home cooking from scratch wasn't some faddy internet company thing, it was what people - normal and ordinary people did each and every day. We also grew food in the garden, and what we didn't do was to sit watching mind-numbing wall-sized TVs with nowt but dross on them, or spend time "LOLing" or similar to endless and quite banal "social media" comments and pictures. People went for family walks and played games together; children played out in the fields from dusk to dawn in the school holidays; the TV was often left off, and when on it closed down at night. People read books, knitted and sowed home-made clothes... but I digress. With time-saving heating, washing and cleaning devices, we now have so much more free-time, but so many waste it day-in, day-out with time wasting. I could tell you of some of my clients as examples of not wasting time, but I suspect you would really be interested.
A few years ago my wife got a discount card as we were after some camping gear for our daughter who was going on an outward bound course. She got the card and proceeded to spend £80 for sleeping bag, mat and a 3 in 1 jacket. I looked on amazon and eBay and we could have got the same for around £40. One thing I will add, I went to my nearest camping store ( independent) in Trowbridge Wiltshire, and they were open to haggling and discounting without being asked. In fact, their no pressure selling was a boon to see. A few months later they even gave 50% discount on an electric hookup cable for our campervan as the packaging was ripped. I think the term horses for courses spring to mind in fairness 👍🏻
And you’re right about Outside. It’s a fantastic place. I do use it as much as I can but obviously it’s a balance. You’re so right in what you’re saying.
A few years back I was in the market for 3 bags from Osprey. A holdall type bag, a 40L backpack and something else. After shopping around and looking at the various discount codes I had access to, I bought them from 3 different suppliers, which says to me that each supplier had pricing strategies that varied across the range, otherwise I'd have bought them from the one store. Definitely pays to shop around.
It's not a scam. It would be a scam if you had to pay for the membership card and still get NO discounts or benefits for it. Then it would be a scam. You're using the wrong word there.
@@KNURKonesur but you're not getting any discount. The supermarkets hike the price and then tell you you can have it for the 'clubcard price which is the normal price all other supermarkets sell it for.
What is your point in this video? You just contradict yourself throughout. It is not a scam is it, as you proved. You price matched and also got discount. Everyone can do the same can’t they. If I was Go Outdoors I would cancel your card and ask you not to purchase from the company in the future. You are just a guy who makes interesting videos, but now you are starting to believe you are some ultra authority on everything camping and company business strategies. You have already put me off from watching you any further.
I feel the same way we go to town to support the town but the price of parking on top is killing it too. whilst out we will buy stuff to help the community and usaly have some thing to eat spending more hard earned money. But paying nearly £7 in parking will also stop people going to these places. It a shame.
I don't have a problem with the discount card as such. My problem is with the size and dominance that Go Outdoors has in the market. Aggressively price matching independent stores means that the smaller stores miss the sale, so rather than your £119 going to Wood & Water, you decided to give a multimillion-pound corporate company your £107. To Go Outdoors, you buying this stove is a tiny drop in the JD Sports income, but it would be a sizeable sale for an independent. Each sale the independents lost to JD Sports is a step closer to us losing the independent stores. If you value stores like Outside, Needle Sports, Climbers Shop, buy your gear from them and think of the little extra you paid as a contribution for the benefit such stores bring to the outdoor community.
I only recently got the go outdoors discount card , i got an ev900 sleeping bag ,a pair of walking trousers an oex morino bas layer and some other bits n bobs , the saving was way more than the 5 quid , so im happy :)
Firstly you definitely didn’t need a new stove. You wanted one. Secondly this is actually a really useful video. I had a go outdoors member card for a year when I made lots of camping gear investments. I knew about the C&C club discount but had no idea about the price match 10% off. I know John Lewis do it but you have to contact them and claim it back, not do it there and then in the shop at the till. So thanks for the video.
Used many times and saved plenty of money - especially with the online price match minus 10%. It's easy enough to cherry pick items that don't match, even easier to check prices online before you buy, with or without the card.
Go Outdoors is a lot like TK Maxx, in that they sell a lot of own brand stuff that you can't find anywhere else, so it's impossible to compare the prices to see if you're actually getting your moneys worth, never mind a bargain. Mountain Warehouse do the same thing. Sometimes though, you can bag yourself a good'un. Last summer I bought a kayak with my discount card for £189.99. The cheapest I could find it anywhere else was Decathlon, and they wanted over £300. I put my ultralight camping set up together almost exclusively from thier OEX range, and it cost less than £100 for a base pack that weights less than 10lb using the card. If I had gone somewhere else I would have to spend at least 3-4 times as much for analogous kit. Spending £5 for a discount card is well worth the money, provided you do a little research and scan the bargain bins. Also, Jetboil is a scam.
Thank you for another great video Paul. It was objective, balanced, and gave some great tips. Unless your purchase was a Christmas gift, you do not 'need' another stove.
You almost got it correct with the club card (and others). Effectively, you (the shopper with a clubcard) are not the customer. You're the product. Big brands like Unilever, Nestle etc will pay Tesco a lot of money for realtime shopping data and with that pay a lot for product placement on a shelf (is it at the bottom shelf or the shelf at eyeline). So the corporations are the customer, you the shopper are simply data/ the product when it comes to membership/discount cards. (That's why Tesco effectively forced all of its shoppers to get club cards, so they can charge their big customers more money for better data).
i don't agree with the £5 card but the money I've saved on price match - 10 per cent makes up for it. just got a pair of Berghaus hillmaster boots a lot cheaper than any where on line . massive saving.
Interesting topic. Ive just bought a haul of outdoor gear from Varusteleka, Finland. Even with import duty, I saved hundreds of pounds over buying the same stuff in the UK. This tells me there is a massive mark-up on gear here; including online only retailers. As an example, the sleeping bag I purchased would have cost me £450 more on Amazon. Ridiculous!
Varusteleka is Finnish but yeah their stuff is great. Even their own brand is amazing, often made in Europe and is high quality and lasts. Bit heavy for backpacking but for general outdoor stuff it's fine. Shame about the import duties after brexit though.
Great upload Paul. I remember a few years ago asking for a price match for a paramo jacket that was 80 cheaper at Foothills just up the rd. They matched it plus 10% but visited a few days later and their Pajero seemed to have disappeared temporarily 😂 I find their pricing structure a bit disingenuous especially for brands like OEX, which they own.
I have been to GoOutdoors and multiple outdoor shops in Europe, like NL and Germany. The big difference is that European stores mostly carry way more top brands. Therefor I am more inclined to visit those shops if I need proper stuff (online or in an actual store). In other words I have more choices. Particulary if I look at the clothes, besides Rab and Fjallraven GoOutdoors really doenst offer any top brands anymore. Its all Regatta or similar quality and their own brands. I get that they want to offer low prices, but this comes at the cost of less quality items. I dont have a member card, so Im looking at the normal prices and yes, they are more expensive then EU shops. I cant remember when I bought something at GoOutdoors, but it has been a while. I rather support the local outdoor shops that have all the proper stuff, I can feel and touch it and go back to with warranty issues. Instead of a big retailer who doesnt give a @# about their customers anymore. I can only spend my cash once, so if Im not being served properly Im getting it at the cheapest price.
Wow mate am impressed tonight,Paul you ticked a box tonight bud ,watched some of your earlier utube shows if i recall a couple of years ago was entertaining me being a novice at the time ,drifted off to other utubers however Paul ,loved this show ,shown me more to you than meets the eye ,well done pal ,us consumers need this stuff ,personally i like being shown rip off Britain ,money hard to come by for me ,do work hard but get paid a pittance .Give these places a miss buy 2 nd hand i say bud thats me 2nd hand Joe ,but as a treat i inow where to go and what to do now nice one Paul ,excellent job like it bud
I've had a GO discount (members) card for many years, but I do check their prices against Amazon. I tend to stick to "good" stuff from GO (eg rucksack)and if something is cheaper on Amazon and not important then I will get it from there. My thinking is, if the "good" stuff goes wrong I find it easier to pop in the shop to get a replacement then to try and contact Amazon/seller.
I buy a bunch of used electronics through Amazon, sometimes they shouldn't be listed at all as they are just faulty. Quite often they are sold via Amazon but by third party companies. The consumer "tech support" is surprisingly helpful and I've had several situations when a piece of kit was faulty or developed a fault some months later - so far they organized a refund and Royal Mail to collect the item back from me whenever it was suitable to me every time.
Hi, the point is that £5 discount card is encourage people to go and shop exclusive go outdoors. What you failed to mention in your video that if you are a member of the CAMPING AND CARAVAN CLUB the CAMPING motorhome club., English heritage another organisation like that you got an extra 5% off
I don't go to Go Outdoors anymore, they are 'OK' if you know your pricing and do your research beforehand, but I've got a massive Decathlon within walking distance and I really like their pricing and business ethics. In their Forclaz range they seem to do a budget, middle and top end in most of their product types which I really like as it makes it accessible for those on a low budget. They also keep bigger sizes in stock and so they live up their 'Sport for All' motto. I also really like their policies on warranty and returns. I returned a pair of shoes after about 6 months, sole maybe half worn through, because part of the stitching had gone on the upper and they just swapped them for a new pair without any fuss. 2 year warranty on all their own gear against defects, which is pretty good I think. And their stuff is good. Maybe not up there with the top brands in terms of fine nuance and detail, but perfectly adequate and will do the same job for a fraction of the price.
Just stumbled on this by accident, very good to know , I’m considering to start going outdoors and I’m looking to get ideas of gear and products, but most of all the cost ! This has come in very useful and I will be looking out for this from now on thanks buddy great channel brilliant information 🙌❤️
If you purchase on line, you can find all the products cheaper than in store. Store shopping is I find good to checkout the product before I buy on line.
The biggest benefit for me is having a neighbour who works there. She tips me off when things are being reduced heavily! I am also signed up to lots of clothing brands and manufacturers so get plenty of email offers.
The weird bit is blacks/millets/ultimate outdoors all have the same stock and pricing with the 10% price match. Go outdoors for some reason has different pricing BUT you need to spend £5 to get the same price match.
Do you have details of that other brick and mortar shop you mentioned? Great video explainer. I just bought membership as the Go Outdoors store by us is relocationg. Did get a couple of bargains on things I needed so very worth it.
I don't see the problem here, You DON'T have to buy from here at any of those prices. Use the members price as a benchmark at what you can get it for, then do some research and google. it isn't hard, and if you can't be bothered then pay the price. Go outdoors are decent, and their price match is better than most other retailers.
The main reason I like Go Outdoors is because the stores are very large and they have pretty much every brand you could want. Perfect place to try on and compare different items.
Great video, just one question - what made you decide on the Jetboil Minimo? Do you have any other Jetboils? I’m looking for one and I’m not too sure which one to get.
Alpkit stuff is good and the member rewards can be really generous, and Outside is legendary (been going well over 40 years) - but yes, there do need to be other places, and Go Outdoors, Blacks, etc., tend to be in city centres...
I can only talk for the two Go Outdoors stores that I have used in the last few years, Bristol, the nearest to me and Sheffield, on the road north. If you live in the South West Go Outdoors Bristol is almost always cheaper than Cotswold, probably even without the member discount. Their staff are also friendly, knowledgeable and honest. I wanted a new rucksack this year. The Lowe 25L day sack is the most comfortable I have ever owned and when I found that they do a big-brother 45-55L version with a similar back system my mind was pretty much made up. For a major purchase I really prefer to go into a shop so I know exactly what I am getting. So I went into Bristol Go Outdoors and talked about what I wanted. They admitted straightaway that they did not have what I wanted in stock, were completely straight about my choice of prospective purchase, and made no attempt to offer me another brand about the same size, such as OEX. I bought from somewhere else but I appreciated the honesty and will continue to drop in every now and again.
Own brand stuff, which there is a lot of at GO, has highly inflated rrp, as Paul has pointed out. The Noobs to camping really think they’re getting a HUGE discount on this own brand stuff. The price match minus 10 % really does create massive queues at the tills, so please have your price match details sorted before you get to the tills and not start looking on your phone once you get the tills. The customers behind you will hate you. Remember the reason for shops to exist is to provide reliable and accurate guidance on your purchase, & if a member of staff spends 45 minutes backpacking fitting etc with you, that has value. If you then go and buy elsewhere online or demand a price match that saves you 63 pence, true story, then quite honestly you can sod off.
I've no problem using my discount card. You can mostly recoup the £5 charge in one purchase. Also like the beat the cheapest price by 10%. I needed a new gortex and 4 season winter boots a couple of years ago. I decided on a £320.00 Mountain Equipment gortex and a pair of Mammut winter boots for £250.00. Went on line in the store and found the jacket for £220.00 in Gaynor Sports in Ambleside, couldn't find the boots any cheaper. So, I'm at the checkout, and I ask to match the online price. Manager comes over, shakes his head and humms, 'different colour mate' I say it's blue. He says it's a different blue. So I say, look, there's nigh on £450 -£500 on the counter there, see ya I'm off to Cotswold Camping. He says hang on mate, I'll do the deal. I get the jacket for something like £190.00 after price match plus 10%, but no go on the boots. Happy days.
I was at the till in Go Outdoors in Coatbridge one day, and the cashier was trying to explain to the customer that by paying £5 for a card, he could save around £80 on the item he was buying. I was gobsmacked when he refused! Unreal!
5:05 They will price match things on Amazon so long as it’s a VAT registered company selling the item on Amazon and not sold directly by Amazon. I was able to benefit from this earlier this year and got an unbelievable discount on Garmin! The staff initially tried to hide behind the “we don’t price match Amazon” line when I pulled up the webpage but later agreed, somewhat reluctantly, to give the discount when I pointed out it was in fact being sold by a VAT registered company and not by Amazon themselves as it’s stated in their own t&c’s (at least it was when I bought my item, happy to be proven otherwise if they’ve updated them)
The only real negative with buying from Go Outdoors is having to buy a 'store card' in order to get access to the real prices aswell as price matching, but the cards not a stupid price and you only have to buy one once and then renew each year if you still use them.
Agree, some things are blatantly a rip off, but having a place to go and see kit is well worth it. And to be honest, when Swindon Go-outdoors moved, the staff were amazing at giving me every discount they could for the stack of kit I piled into my trolley! 😄
Ah Yes... the IN-STORE factor, the YOU CAN SEE IT, FEEL IT, INSPECT IT factor, the I Need It Now factor, the OH LOOK! LET'S GET IT factor. But I'm "so guilty" of not always pursuing the BEST deals. 😂
Im probably wrong but i imagine all the shops only need to break even as their total profit for the year will be the £5 loyalty card each year. It would be interesting to see how many members they have and how much profit they make. Fir example they might have 2 million members and make £10 million each year. Saying that the way retail is these days for companies with physical stores i wonder if they are making any money which would be a shame.
I give myself time to work things out in places like that. Last visit there I paid £5 for the card & got a bobcat tent for £59, so effectively £64. Some of their stuff was really expensive.
If its your money youre spending and youre making the decision to spend or not how can a shop possibly rip you off. If an item seems unjustly expensive ,either buy a different product or walk away. The retailer isnt in the driving seat. Too many people spend their money on all kinds of stuff then complain about being ripped off
I've had a member card for Go Outdoors for years, but I wasn't aware of the 10% better price-match thing. What did you show them at the till, Paul? I'd love an instruction video on this specific process.
Just find the same product at a lower price on your phone &show at till The discount is applied once they check that the other company is UK based (usually bottom of their home page)
on a separate note. I try to support blacks, millets, cotswold, alpinetrek and all the other smaller , independent camping shops like what you get up Brecon town as much as I can because if go outdoors decided to shut down and go bust - we'd all be left with nothing just like the way the big supermarkets killed the high street years ago. My problem with the price match thing is - the small outdoors shop thats busting it's nuts to give you the Stove for example for £119 doesn't have the buying power of go outdoors so you're feeding the big players and eventually the wee shop will shut.
Just had a Quick Look online at the famous river prices saw this for £132 same size and model. No discount or promotion just this price. I don’t mind paying a bit more to go to a shop if I need to but I don’t like it when shops take the P
I rarely use them if ever. Mostly I end up in the local millets or on the interweb. Just got a goshawk eddy x spirit burner all the way from Australia. I have a blow up knee pillow and duvet from the US, a bottle from Germany, much stuff from China and a down filled dehydrated meal pouch from Sussex 😂 Been loving up alpkit recently. I don't know about you guys, but I mostly just look for what I want at the cheapest price... unless I need it quickly.
Absolutely agree on all your points. I’ve got a Tiso card which gives a great discount with no membership fee but they don’t do price match, I’ve chibbed Go Outdoors to price match a few times and although not happy they’ve done it and I’ve got a great deal. I guess it’s just swings and roundabouts 🤷🏼♂️.
You can’t argue with Go Outdoors generally, the shop infuriates me as the clothing layout is just all over the place and most of it is poorly made tut, but they are good on price and the price promise is great, I even get a discount with my blue light card as well. I tend to get my preprepared meals in there as they’re a good price and things like bridgedale socks, but go elsewhere for the more expensive items like sleeping bags and tents as they don’t sell decent gear like that. They are handy tho and like you said they are still on the high street - sort of. I hope the recent budget and NI contributions they’ll now have to make isn’t gonna kill them off, be a crying shame, I would really miss them
The last time I purchased in Go Outdoors, the till lady told me my discount card had expired and charged me £15 to renew it! That was the last time I used them - their hard luck for being tight.
Could you help with a recommendation please. The Beghsuse transition 300c square sleeping bag or the Snugpak navigator 3 season bag. Both similar price and comfort rating .. If it was your money..which one ? using in a berghause air 4 tent. Thank you
I didnt know that Paul , ive just ordered online if i cant find it local at a decent price . Im in Fort William Scotland and we have 2 mountain warehouse, Nevisport, Ellis Brigham , Go outdoors, Cotswold, and a Regatta store . Prices as you can imagine vary wildly...
When i first starting hiking and camping ithere wasnt many outlets for quality gear but i used to deliver in Sheffield once a week and always went to CCC outdoors, got my first Sleeping Bag there (Rab) in the early 90s, wasn't anywhere up in Sunderland selling that kind of stuff.
Now that you made this video, I have a feeling the policy might change 😂 Also, since you mentioned people going in without their membership card (though you were probably talking about non-members): If you forget your card, they just need your postcode and house number and they'll apply the relevant discount.
it depends what your looking for. i got a £150 tent for £85 and a decent cooking set for 20 reduced from 80. those have done me well for about 5 years now and i have no plans to replace anything unless it breaks. but where those products really worth the original price, i don't know. the only price matching i see these days is everyone puts the prices up at the same time without the increase in quality and hard to return items. that's why i don't buy certain things online and will go to places like go outdoors. and go outdoors is great to look around for a couple hours.
The only time I set foot in Go Outdoors is to try something on for size, when you have to do the awkward "I'll have a think about it"...it's an unapologetic rip off for a massive chain...unless its something in the sale maybe. *Update* I thought they'd stopped doing the price match...well worth heading back in after some shopping research then!
Thing is when the cheaper companies go bust because people buy elsewhere where it’s price matched,then they’ll have an open market to sell at whatever price they want!!
Personally I think the card is worth it'd weight in gold. Once you learn they price match anything online and beat it by 10%. Has to be a UK company they match, same size, colour etc (and they're savy enough to have colours specific to go outdoors on certain items) but even factoring all this, there's some great bargains to be had!
ALPKIT used to be quite reasonable prices for quality gear, but like everything else it has gone expensive now, but you can still get a few bargains but yo have to look for them. Also if you are a BMC member you get a discount.
I bought the OEX Hero stove when it came out a couple of years ago from Go Outdoors. I think it cost me around £55 and I have used it several times and it's been fantastic. I can't see the point of paying silly money for a Jetboil stove when the OEX one is just as good. It basically does what it says on the tin, nuff said.........
Of course they are, it's the same trick that Tesco etc. do with their 'special clubcard price' which is the actual price but they charge you extra if they can't track you and your purchases.
I find this whole thing to be pointless...you could say the exact same thing about buying from ebay or market place and all stores are ripping you off....its a business at the end of the day, they can offer really good deals and some not so great deals, its your responsibility to do your research and spend your money the way you want to.
in general I've found the prices in other shops for the same outdoor gear are often less. Like those Garmin mini in reach 2 - could be £269 some places. £199 others. which is a big difference of £70. And you could apply that to so many other products. Go outdoors are generally more expensive on more than half the products I buy so when you factor in the £5 fee for membership it's just not worth the hassle. If they say you won't get the discount - you gonna put the item back?. I heard a story about that big cash and carry chain making more money off membership fees than they do selling stuff in the shop - probably because it's cash in the bank for zero effort and .... many people will pay the membership but not use it.
They don't reduce the prices for members, they increase the prices for non members.
Same with Tesco,they are the worst with the price difference somtimes heading for 50% more
@@chriswilson3009become a member then and save your self some money , or pay more 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
They’re tricking people in to signing up to be tracked so they can sell the data.
They just increase the prices for everyone. If you make up a list price it hides you lifting the bottom price. Everyone is at it, food shops have cottoned on now like you say. They love those inflation busting price hikes they hid under cost of living....it's a drug they don't want to pull back from.
Of course they do. Just like all the supermarkets. It's basically a way of charging people who aren't price-sensitive, or are careless, extra.
You needed A NEW STOVE . Buggrr off , if you lit all of the stoves you own , the polar icecaps would melt 😂😂😂😂
😂
I worked at go outdoors in Manchester for 6 years, back when it was owned by John Graham. We had really good training from big brands, 90% of the staff were outdoors enthusiasts of one form or another and it used to be a great place to work....the staff discount was the best in the industry, all my expendable income went back into the store 🤣.
I never really got why people were so upset by the discount card, we mentioned it to every customer, at every point along the buying experience, and after the price match (-10%) or extra discount for armed forces/veterans, blue light card, D of E staff, cadets, scouts etc your paying less than the vast majority of other places, and you dont have to wait in for delivery, you can bring it straight back if its faulty and get the problem sorted etc. i much prefer buting from a physical shop than online personally. But hey ho, you can only please some of the people some of the time...
Yeah, whilst in principal I'd prefer to buy from smaller independent retailers (I do when I can) Go Outdoors is convenient on many levels.
The opening lines... "I 'NEEDED' to pick up a new stove" - made me chuckle... Paul Messner, buying another stove, who would've thought it...
How many Minimo does Paul own? www.youtube.com/@PaulMessner/search?query=minimo
I own one Jetboil, a Sol Ti from 2012.
If you forget your discount card, Go Outdoors can verify you are a member using the postcode of the address you registered with them. 👍🏼
Anyone paying £180.00 for any stove is being ripped off.
I must be getting old, but even the discounted price was high enough to activate my fight or flight response 😮
I've been a member for years and always enjoyed the lower price. DID NOT KNOW they price match! Thanks Paul!
Yeah. of course they do! They make YOU check everyehere else hoping many mugs don't. I detest these big and soulless shops. Keep the high street alive, shop locally and shop with real people.
I didn't know they price matched either. Good to know.
They are NOT lower prices per-se, they are the normal price with a premium for the non membership holders; membership holders so they can then advertise their goods by email and post! in a never-0ending stream.
Please, please, please use local shops that sell a wide range, and with staff who know their stock and what you will need, and not what GO will push for the highest margins.
PS. A quick check on a coat I am looking at I found was 10% cheaper at my local independent shop, and I am treated like a person and not just a. cash-cow. NO haggling and having to prove it is cheaper elsewhere, just good, time-honoured customer service.
Have I ever worked at GO? NO... have I ever worked at any outdoor shop? NO. Do I have any interests in any outdoor shops? NO. I just value honesty, integrity and good customer services.
Price match plus a % off, including online as long as the company is UK registered.
@@davidashton5901 Big shops like it are killing off the high street and the sense of community that existed for centuries. I will NOT be shopping at the souless barns, and I will shop with local shops, run by local people who know their business and stock.
As for price-match plus a %... yeah, OK, but only if YOU do the legwork and make them do it. KEEP SHOPPING WITH LOCAL SHOPS.
PS. I am not a a shop keeper in any way shape or form, but I support my local ones in the village and surrounding small towns, and that is why we have a thriving community. We meet in the shops, we chat, keep up with what is going on and take the time to live a REAL life.
I took my daughter to go outdoors, I explained to her that there are usually two prices for most things, the mugs price and the real price. It is frustrating and I, like you, much prefer the Alpkit way of doing things. This is a good video, particularly for newcomers who have probably never heard of the price match scheme.
ALPKIT is excellent. I highly recommend them based on my personal experience.
All shops make a profit regardless of how low a price they sell, unless they are going bust. The JETBOIL is seriously expensive and the OEX Copy is just as good. I use mine for months at a time not one nighters and I am confident in it for sure. The JETBOIL could be “better”than the OEX But I don’t care, it’s 1/2 the price, it works all day and it’s lasted for multiple month trips used every day.
I've got a fire maple 42 quid off amazon even comes with the gadget so you can use it has a regular stove n fry some bacon . it's great 👍
Yea, i have the OEX one andbits absolutely fine. Def not 110 quid worse than a jet boil.. I got mine for 45 quid
Totally agree have bought a few things lately from GO, inc a tent, coat and other bits. On checking, it's all been the same price on Blacks and you dont need to pay a £5 subscription. Its just the convenience of being able to go and look and try out the product before buying, whereas Blacks stores are few and far between. This is the only reason i pay the £5.
Paul, a lot of math science went into maximizing profits, especially at big companies. It’s way beyond what almost 100% of customers will do. Even small businesses have to make a profit to stay alive. Back in 1972, I used to work in a privately owned men’s store. We bought nice, wool pants, wholesale for $6 USD/4.70£. We charged $52/40.69£. That’s 11.5 times the wholesale price. When we put them on half price SALE, we still made more than five times what we paid wholesale. Remember, this was back in 1972. We made over 500% profit when there was a HALF PRICE SALE. Customers will almost never beat the store.
I really appreciate you, what you’re trying to do…helping folks see how to do better. Keep doing that…from an old veteran, finally retired in the US, foothills of the East Tennessee, Smoky Mountains National Park.
I got one recently and used it to scrape the ice from my car windscreen but it only got 10% off !
its about all the card is good for
I have a problem with this bussiness model you do their work for them by finding a cheaper price THEN you don’t do bussiness with the cheapest price provider who then loses trade to the lazy feckers who get the customer to do their work. I recently renewed my insurance and when I cancelled to go to a different company I told them I will not do their work for them and expect them to already give me their best price …NOT the price they can get away with. They tried to undercut my new quote but wouldnt explain why they couldn’t give me this price to start with. They are scallywags and I refuse to play by their rules …..anyhow rant over lol …….love your videos 😀
Get off your high horse, they are a Business so can set their prices at what they want, you can choose to either buy or not to. They are cheaper than places like Cotswold outdoors.
As a businessman, I sympathise with them trying to get away with the highest reasonable price they can. We are molly coddled in the uk with fixed pricing in many shops, but the cost of anything is what someone is willing to pay for it.
So if you can sell something for more, why wouldn’t you, until the customer says they have found it for less and are unwilling to pay that cost.
It’s the real way things work.
The same with these so-called "supermarkets" and petrol stations. They get you to go round picking things up and then do the job of the former/now redundant till staff for them - so they achieve greater profits, and all with a gazillion cameras watching your every move in detail. Petrol station use to be served - I did this as a student, and it still saddens me when they no longer offer it.
@ that’s called a normal shop and not really the same.
If you were waited on in that way nowadays, you’d either have to wait forever whilst others are served or prices would be way higher to employ more servers.
We’re just a much busier and more populated nation now, that prevents such service being possible.
It’s certainly not about profit. Get that notion out of your head.
@@martincheesman4564 Firstly, what is a "server"? Do you mean an assistant? Secondly, I am old enough to remember a time not so long ago when we had early closing on a half-day in the midweek, and shops closed at 5:30 on a Saturday and didn't open at all on a Sunday. We didn't just 'manage', we positively thrived. Families had time together and we ate fresh food from LOCAL shops; we hadn't been conned by the so-called "supermarkets" into buying the lowest-common-denominator food that they make the largest profit on. Home cooking from scratch wasn't some faddy internet company thing, it was what people - normal and ordinary people did each and every day. We also grew food in the garden, and what we didn't do was to sit watching mind-numbing wall-sized TVs with nowt but dross on them, or spend time "LOLing" or similar to endless and quite banal "social media" comments and pictures.
People went for family walks and played games together; children played out in the fields from dusk to dawn in the school holidays; the TV was often left off, and when on it closed down at night. People read books, knitted and sowed home-made clothes... but I digress. With time-saving heating, washing and cleaning devices, we now have so much more free-time, but so many waste it day-in, day-out with time wasting.
I could tell you of some of my clients as examples of not wasting time, but I suspect you would really be interested.
A few years ago my wife got a discount card as we were after some camping gear for our daughter who was going on an outward bound course. She got the card and proceeded to spend £80 for sleeping bag, mat and a 3 in 1 jacket.
I looked on amazon and eBay and we could have got the same for around £40.
One thing I will add, I went to my nearest camping store ( independent) in Trowbridge Wiltshire, and they were open to haggling and discounting without being asked. In fact, their no pressure selling was a boon to see. A few months later they even gave 50% discount on an electric hookup cable for our campervan as the packaging was ripped. I think the term horses for courses spring to mind in fairness 👍🏻
And you’re right about Outside. It’s a fantastic place. I do use it as much as I can but obviously it’s a balance. You’re so right in what you’re saying.
Just had a quick look at boots there and sit seems expensive to me.
A few years back I was in the market for 3 bags from Osprey. A holdall type bag, a 40L backpack and something else. After shopping around and looking at the various discount codes I had access to, I bought them from 3 different suppliers, which says to me that each supplier had pricing strategies that varied across the range, otherwise I'd have bought them from the one store. Definitely pays to shop around.
All the loyalty cards are a scam - Tesco, Sainsburys included. You need the card to get the price that items should be anyway.
It's not a scam. It would be a scam if you had to pay for the membership card and still get NO discounts or benefits for it. Then it would be a scam. You're using the wrong word there.
Proven this week NOT to be the case. Legitimate and legal. If you don’t like it don’t shop there.
@@KNURKonesurWait till you see that Tesco sold everyone’s data for £300 million 😂
@@KNURKonesur but you're not getting any discount. The supermarkets hike the price and then tell you you can have it for the 'clubcard price which is the normal price all other supermarkets sell it for.
What is your point in this video? You just contradict yourself throughout. It is not a scam is it, as you proved. You price matched and also got discount. Everyone can do the same can’t they. If I was Go Outdoors I would cancel your card and ask you not to purchase from the company in the future. You are just a guy who makes interesting videos, but now you are starting to believe you are some ultra authority on everything camping and company business strategies. You have already put me off from watching you any further.
I feel the same way we go to town to support the town but the price of parking on top is killing it too. whilst out we will buy stuff to help the community and usaly have some thing to eat spending more hard earned money. But paying nearly £7 in parking will also stop people going to these places. It a shame.
That's a very good point
Absolutely agree...parking cost has regularly meant I bypass the town and go online...so shops and cafes suffer.
Don't pay for parking then,park for free and walk into town or get the bus
I don't have a problem with the discount card as such. My problem is with the size and dominance that Go Outdoors has in the market. Aggressively price matching independent stores means that the smaller stores miss the sale, so rather than your £119 going to Wood & Water, you decided to give a multimillion-pound corporate company your £107.
To Go Outdoors, you buying this stove is a tiny drop in the JD Sports income, but it would be a sizeable sale for an independent. Each sale the independents lost to JD Sports is a step closer to us losing the independent stores.
If you value stores like Outside, Needle Sports, Climbers Shop, buy your gear from them and think of the little extra you paid as a contribution for the benefit such stores bring to the outdoor community.
when you get to pay at the till,check what they say the price is.sometimes it's more than the label on the shelf you got it from.
Had that happen to me once when I was buying walking poles- apparently they were put on the 'wrong rail!'
@@carriehikes Had it happen with trousers and they honoured the price when it was pointed out.
I only recently got the go outdoors discount card , i got an ev900 sleeping bag ,a pair of walking trousers an oex morino bas layer and some other bits n bobs , the saving was way more than the 5 quid , so im happy :)
Firstly you definitely didn’t need a new stove. You wanted one.
Secondly this is actually a really useful video. I had a go outdoors member card for a year when I made lots of camping gear investments. I knew about the C&C club discount but had no idea about the price match 10% off. I know John Lewis do it but you have to contact them and claim it back, not do it there and then in the shop at the till. So thanks for the video.
The card lasts twelve months but how come every time I buy something they tell me the card ran out two weeks before and I have to pay another £5 !!
Used many times and saved plenty of money - especially with the online price match minus 10%. It's easy enough to cherry pick items that don't match, even easier to check prices online before you buy, with or without the card.
I remember when the discount card was free. Paul Messner is to camping stoves what Imelda Marcos is to shoes.
Go Outdoors is a lot like TK Maxx, in that they sell a lot of own brand stuff that you can't find anywhere else, so it's impossible to compare the prices to see if you're actually getting your moneys worth, never mind a bargain. Mountain Warehouse do the same thing. Sometimes though, you can bag yourself a good'un. Last summer I bought a kayak with my discount card for £189.99. The cheapest I could find it anywhere else was Decathlon, and they wanted over £300.
I put my ultralight camping set up together almost exclusively from thier OEX range, and it cost less than £100 for a base pack that weights less than 10lb using the card. If I had gone somewhere else I would have to spend at least 3-4 times as much for analogous kit. Spending £5 for a discount card is well worth the money, provided you do a little research and scan the bargain bins.
Also, Jetboil is a scam.
Thank you for another great video Paul. It was objective, balanced, and gave some great tips.
Unless your purchase was a Christmas gift, you do not 'need' another stove.
You almost got it correct with the club card (and others). Effectively, you (the shopper with a clubcard) are not the customer. You're the product. Big brands like Unilever, Nestle etc will pay Tesco a lot of money for realtime shopping data and with that pay a lot for product placement on a shelf (is it at the bottom shelf or the shelf at eyeline).
So the corporations are the customer, you the shopper are simply data/ the product when it comes to membership/discount cards. (That's why Tesco effectively forced all of its shoppers to get club cards, so they can charge their big customers more money for better data).
Tesco and Sainsbury’s make £300 million a year selling people’s data.
i don't agree with the £5 card but the money I've saved on price match - 10 per cent makes up for it. just got a pair of Berghaus hillmaster boots a lot cheaper than any where on line . massive saving.
Interesting topic.
Ive just bought a haul of outdoor gear from Varusteleka, Finland.
Even with import duty, I saved hundreds of pounds over buying the same stuff in the UK.
This tells me there is a massive mark-up on gear here; including online only retailers.
As an example, the sleeping bag I purchased would have cost me £450 more on Amazon.
Ridiculous!
Varusteleka is Finnish but yeah their stuff is great. Even their own brand is amazing, often made in Europe and is high quality and lasts. Bit heavy for backpacking but for general outdoor stuff it's fine. Shame about the import duties after brexit though.
@easternmenace My apologies on getting the country wrong. Sorry, Varusteleka!
Great upload Paul. I remember a few years ago asking for a price match for a paramo jacket that was 80 cheaper at Foothills just up the rd. They matched it plus 10% but visited a few days later and their Pajero seemed to have disappeared temporarily 😂
I find their pricing structure a bit disingenuous especially for brands like OEX, which they own.
I have been to GoOutdoors and multiple outdoor shops in Europe, like NL and Germany. The big difference is that European stores mostly carry way more top brands. Therefor I am more inclined to visit those shops if I need proper stuff (online or in an actual store). In other words I have more choices. Particulary if I look at the clothes, besides Rab and Fjallraven GoOutdoors really doenst offer any top brands anymore. Its all Regatta or similar quality and their own brands. I get that they want to offer low prices, but this comes at the cost of less quality items. I dont have a member card, so Im looking at the normal prices and yes, they are more expensive then EU shops. I cant remember when I bought something at GoOutdoors, but it has been a while. I rather support the local outdoor shops that have all the proper stuff, I can feel and touch it and go back to with warranty issues. Instead of a big retailer who doesnt give a @# about their customers anymore. I can only spend my cash once, so if Im not being served properly Im getting it at the cheapest price.
Wow mate am impressed tonight,Paul you ticked a box tonight bud ,watched some of your earlier utube shows if i recall a couple of years ago was entertaining me being a novice at the time ,drifted off to other utubers however Paul ,loved this show ,shown me more to you than meets the eye ,well done pal ,us consumers need this stuff ,personally i like being shown rip off Britain ,money hard to come by for me ,do work hard but get paid a pittance .Give these places a miss buy 2 nd hand i say bud thats me 2nd hand Joe ,but as a treat i inow where to go and what to do now nice one Paul ,excellent job like it bud
Why am I reading this in a Manchester accent haha
Hello Paul, digging the Burglar Bill outfit😮
I've had a GO discount (members) card for many years, but I do check their prices against Amazon. I tend to stick to "good" stuff from GO (eg rucksack)and if something is cheaper on Amazon and not important then I will get it from there. My thinking is, if the "good" stuff goes wrong I find it easier to pop in the shop to get a replacement then to try and contact Amazon/seller.
I buy a bunch of used electronics through Amazon, sometimes they shouldn't be listed at all as they are just faulty. Quite often they are sold via Amazon but by third party companies. The consumer "tech support" is surprisingly helpful and I've had several situations when a piece of kit was faulty or developed a fault some months later - so far they organized a refund and Royal Mail to collect the item back from me whenever it was suitable to me every time.
Hi, the point is that £5 discount card is encourage people to go and shop exclusive go outdoors. What you failed to mention in your video that if you are a member of the CAMPING AND CARAVAN CLUB the CAMPING motorhome club., English heritage another organisation like that you got an extra 5% off
I think it's 10%. Also serving and Ex military get 10% discount with an ID Card. (Veterans cards are available from the MoD)
@@Alan-DPhotos correct 10% i'm a national trust member.
Yeh I get an extra 10% being former Royal Air Force……. Good shout
It's 10% but you don't get it on items that are on special offer.
I don't go to Go Outdoors anymore, they are 'OK' if you know your pricing and do your research beforehand, but I've got a massive Decathlon within walking distance and I really like their pricing and business ethics. In their Forclaz range they seem to do a budget, middle and top end in most of their product types which I really like as it makes it accessible for those on a low budget. They also keep bigger sizes in stock and so they live up their 'Sport for All' motto.
I also really like their policies on warranty and returns. I returned a pair of shoes after about 6 months, sole maybe half worn through, because part of the stitching had gone on the upper and they just swapped them for a new pair without any fuss. 2 year warranty on all their own gear against defects, which is pretty good I think.
And their stuff is good. Maybe not up there with the top brands in terms of fine nuance and detail, but perfectly adequate and will do the same job for a fraction of the price.
Just stumbled on this by accident, very good to know , I’m considering to start going outdoors and I’m looking to get ideas of gear and products, but most of all the cost ! This has come in very useful and I will be looking out for this from now on thanks buddy great channel brilliant information 🙌❤️
You needed to pick up a new stove?!
Yeh, right!
If you purchase on line, you can find all the products cheaper than in store. Store shopping is I find good to checkout the product before I buy on line.
Great advise Paul thank you
The biggest benefit for me is having a neighbour who works there. She tips me off when things are being reduced heavily! I am also signed up to lots of clothing brands and manufacturers so get plenty of email offers.
With the members card they also get your personal purchase data which is hot property these days. Soon they will use it to calculate your CO2 usage.
I bought the Minimo two years ago from Go Outdoors and managed to get it for £85 because of its price match promise. I agree with you totally though.
Valley and Peak all the way
Spot on mate can’t beat them for service they are brilliant, with quality products
The weird bit is blacks/millets/ultimate outdoors all have the same stock and pricing with the 10% price match. Go outdoors for some reason has different pricing BUT you need to spend £5 to get the same price match.
Do you have details of that other brick and mortar shop you mentioned?
Great video explainer. I just bought membership as the Go Outdoors store by us is relocationg. Did get a couple of bargains on things I needed so very worth it.
I don't see the problem here, You DON'T have to buy from here at any of those prices. Use the members price as a benchmark at what you can get it for, then do some research and google. it isn't hard, and if you can't be bothered then pay the price. Go outdoors are decent, and their price match is better than most other retailers.
Puals on that december youtube ad revenue grind. Love to see it, lots of content
If you want a fast boil stove get a fishing stove and kettle. Your be amazed how cheaper it is. And how quick it boils.
Card for £5/customer. Would be interesting to know the total sold per year.
I have had the go outdoors csrd reduced to 1p on quite a few occasions when renewing it.
Hi, I go to Blacks same company,price match and don't need a discount card.. Always enjoyable vids
The main reason I like Go Outdoors is because the stores are very large and they have pretty much every brand you could want. Perfect place to try on and compare different items.
Great video, just one question - what made you decide on the Jetboil Minimo? Do you have any other Jetboils? I’m looking for one and I’m not too sure which one to get.
I didn’t know about the price match! Will be taking advantage of this in the future. Cheers Paul 👍🏻
Alpkit stuff is good and the member rewards can be really generous, and Outside is legendary (been going well over 40 years) - but yes, there do need to be other places, and Go Outdoors, Blacks, etc., tend to be in city centres...
I can only talk for the two Go Outdoors stores that I have used in the last few years, Bristol, the nearest to me and Sheffield, on the road north. If you live in the South West Go Outdoors Bristol is almost always cheaper than Cotswold, probably even without the member discount. Their staff are also friendly, knowledgeable and honest. I wanted a new rucksack this year. The Lowe 25L day sack is the most comfortable I have ever owned and when I found that they do a big-brother 45-55L version with a similar back system my mind was pretty much made up. For a major purchase I really prefer to go into a shop so I know exactly what I am getting. So I went into Bristol Go Outdoors and talked about what I wanted. They admitted straightaway that they did not have what I wanted in stock, were completely straight about my choice of prospective purchase, and made no attempt to offer me another brand about the same size, such as OEX. I bought from somewhere else but I appreciated the honesty and will continue to drop in every now and again.
Own brand stuff, which there is a lot of at GO, has highly inflated rrp, as Paul has pointed out. The Noobs to camping really think they’re getting a HUGE discount on this own brand stuff. The price match minus 10 % really does create massive queues at the tills, so please have your price match details sorted before you get to the tills and not start looking on your phone once you get the tills. The customers behind you will hate you. Remember the reason for shops to exist is to provide reliable and accurate guidance on your purchase, & if a member of staff spends 45 minutes backpacking fitting etc with you, that has value. If you then go and buy elsewhere online or demand a price match that saves you 63 pence, true story, then quite honestly you can sod off.
I've no problem using my discount card. You can mostly recoup the £5 charge in one purchase. Also like the beat the cheapest price by 10%. I needed a new gortex and 4 season winter boots a couple of years ago. I decided on a £320.00 Mountain Equipment gortex and a pair of Mammut winter boots for £250.00. Went on line in the store and found the jacket for £220.00 in Gaynor Sports in Ambleside, couldn't find the boots any cheaper. So, I'm at the checkout, and I ask to match the online price. Manager comes over, shakes his head and humms, 'different colour mate' I say it's blue. He says it's a different blue. So I say, look, there's nigh on £450 -£500 on the counter there, see ya I'm off to Cotswold Camping. He says hang on mate, I'll do the deal. I get the jacket for something like £190.00 after price match plus 10%, but no go on the boots. Happy days.
I was at the till in Go Outdoors in Coatbridge one day, and the cashier was trying to explain to the customer that by paying £5 for a card, he could save around £80 on the item he was buying. I was gobsmacked when he refused! Unreal!
I love a camping gear review... but I needed a new jetboil , hmm. Only bantering.,now I'm going to watch the rest of the your vid 👍
Thank you 🙏
Excellent tip Paul
5:05 They will price match things on Amazon so long as it’s a VAT registered company selling the item on Amazon and not sold directly by Amazon. I was able to benefit from this earlier this year and got an unbelievable discount on Garmin! The staff initially tried to hide behind the “we don’t price match Amazon” line when I pulled up the webpage but later agreed, somewhat reluctantly, to give the discount when I pointed out it was in fact being sold by a VAT registered company and not by Amazon themselves as it’s stated in their own t&c’s (at least it was when I bought my item, happy to be proven otherwise if they’ve updated them)
This is one reason i keep my YHA membership going as you get an extra 10% off the Go outdoors card price and 15% off with Cotswold /Snow and Rock etc.
I didnt know this about the discount promise! Thanks for that
The only real negative with buying from Go Outdoors is having to buy a 'store card' in order to get access to the real prices aswell as price matching, but the cards not a stupid price and you only have to buy one once and then renew each year if you still use them.
Agree, some things are blatantly a rip off, but having a place to go and see kit is well worth it. And to be honest, when Swindon Go-outdoors moved, the staff were amazing at giving me every discount they could for the stack of kit I piled into my trolley! 😄
Ah Yes... the IN-STORE factor, the YOU CAN SEE IT, FEEL IT, INSPECT IT factor, the I Need It Now factor, the OH LOOK! LET'S GET IT factor. But I'm "so guilty" of not always pursuing the BEST deals. 😂
Im probably wrong but i imagine all the shops only need to break even as their total profit for the year will be the £5 loyalty card each year. It would be interesting to see how many members they have and how much profit they make. Fir example they might have 2 million members and make £10 million each year. Saying that the way retail is these days for companies with physical stores i wonder if they are making any money which would be a shame.
I give myself time to work things out in places like that. Last visit there I paid £5 for the card & got a bobcat tent for £59, so effectively £64. Some of their stuff was really expensive.
Like most companies they set a a ridiculous RRP then con people into a sale that's bollocks
"con" means "to take advantage of someone's trust" - where is the trust being taken advantage of in this situation?
@@KNURKonesurThey’re selling your data. Tesco and Sainsburys make £300 million a year from doing it.
If its your money youre spending and youre making the decision to spend or not how can a shop possibly rip you off. If an item seems unjustly expensive ,either buy a different product or walk away. The retailer isnt in the driving seat. Too many people spend their money on all kinds of stuff then complain about being ripped off
exactly, some real thick people in the comments
I've had a member card for Go Outdoors for years, but I wasn't aware of the 10% better price-match thing. What did you show them at the till, Paul? I'd love an instruction video on this specific process.
Just find the same product at a lower price on your phone &show at till
The discount is applied once they check that the other company is UK based (usually bottom of their home page)
on a separate note. I try to support blacks, millets, cotswold, alpinetrek and all the other smaller , independent camping shops like what you get up Brecon town as much as I can because if go outdoors decided to shut down and go bust - we'd all be left with nothing just like the way the big supermarkets killed the high street years ago. My problem with the price match thing is - the small outdoors shop thats busting it's nuts to give you the Stove for example for £119 doesn't have the buying power of go outdoors so you're feeding the big players and eventually the wee shop will shut.
I remember when I moved house. Needed a new fridge freezer.
Went in a store and found it for £1500. Bought it from the same retailer online for £1100
Just had a Quick Look online at the famous river prices saw this for £132 same size and model. No discount or promotion just this price. I don’t mind paying a bit more to go to a shop if I need to but I don’t like it when shops take the P
I rarely use them if ever. Mostly I end up in the local millets or on the interweb. Just got a goshawk eddy x spirit burner all the way from Australia. I have a blow up knee pillow and duvet from the US, a bottle from Germany, much stuff from China and a down filled dehydrated meal pouch from Sussex 😂
Been loving up alpkit recently.
I don't know about you guys, but I mostly just look for what I want at the cheapest price... unless I need it quickly.
Absolutely agree on all your points. I’ve got a Tiso card which gives a great discount with no membership fee but they don’t do price match, I’ve chibbed Go Outdoors to price match a few times and although not happy they’ve done it and I’ve got a great deal. I guess it’s just swings and roundabouts 🤷🏼♂️.
Ultralight Outdoor Gear is the best place, they have a shop and a webstore. Might not be the cheapest but got the best choice.
You can’t argue with Go Outdoors generally, the shop infuriates me as the clothing layout is just all over the place and most of it is poorly made tut, but they are good on price and the price promise is great, I even get a discount with my blue light card as well. I tend to get my preprepared meals in there as they’re a good price and things like bridgedale socks, but go elsewhere for the more expensive items like sleeping bags and tents as they don’t sell decent gear like that. They are handy tho and like you said they are still on the high street - sort of. I hope the recent budget and NI contributions they’ll now have to make isn’t gonna kill them off, be a crying shame, I would really miss them
The last time I purchased in Go Outdoors, the till lady told me my discount card had expired and charged me £15 to renew it! That was the last time I used them - their hard luck for being tight.
Could you help with a recommendation please. The Beghsuse transition 300c square sleeping bag or the Snugpak navigator 3 season bag. Both similar price and comfort rating .. If it was your money..which one ? using in a berghause air 4 tent. Thank you
Do you have to be a member to get price match plus?
I always use this but I am a member
Really interesting vlog, thanks for sharing!
I didnt know that Paul , ive just ordered online if i cant find it local at a decent price . Im in Fort William Scotland and we have 2 mountain warehouse, Nevisport, Ellis Brigham , Go outdoors, Cotswold, and a Regatta store . Prices as you can imagine vary wildly...
If you’re a member of the National Trust you can get an extra 10% off
They won’t tell you that you have to ask at the counter.
When i first starting hiking and camping ithere wasnt many outlets for quality gear but i used to deliver in Sheffield once a week and always went to CCC outdoors, got my first Sleeping Bag there (Rab) in the early 90s, wasn't anywhere up in Sunderland selling that kind of stuff.
Now that you made this video, I have a feeling the policy might change 😂
Also, since you mentioned people going in without their membership card (though you were probably talking about non-members): If you forget your card, they just need your postcode and house number and they'll apply the relevant discount.
it depends what your looking for. i got a £150 tent for £85 and a decent cooking set for 20 reduced from 80. those have done me well for about 5 years now and i have no plans to replace anything unless it breaks. but where those products really worth the original price, i don't know. the only price matching i see these days is everyone puts the prices up at the same time without the increase in quality and hard to return items. that's why i don't buy certain things online and will go to places like go outdoors. and go outdoors is great to look around for a couple hours.
The only time I set foot in Go Outdoors is to try something on for size, when you have to do the awkward "I'll have a think about it"...it's an unapologetic rip off for a massive chain...unless its something in the sale maybe. *Update* I thought they'd stopped doing the price match...well worth heading back in after some shopping research then!
Thing is when the cheaper companies go bust because people buy elsewhere where it’s price matched,then they’ll have an open market to sell at whatever price they want!!
Personally I think the card is worth it'd weight in gold. Once you learn they price match anything online and beat it by 10%. Has to be a UK company they match, same size, colour etc (and they're savy enough to have colours specific to go outdoors on certain items) but even factoring all this, there's some great bargains to be had!
ALPKIT used to be quite reasonable prices for quality gear, but like everything else it has gone expensive now, but you can still get a few bargains but yo have to look for them. Also if you are a BMC member you get a discount.
Wont use any business thats runs a “members card “ scam . Pret Manger also lost me .
I bought the OEX Hero stove when it came out a couple of years ago from Go Outdoors. I think it cost me around £55 and I have used it several times and it's been fantastic.
I can't see the point of paying silly money for a Jetboil stove when the OEX one is just as good. It basically does what it says on the tin, nuff said.........
they also do a price match where if you find it cheaper they match it -10%
Of course they are, it's the same trick that Tesco etc. do with their 'special clubcard price' which is the actual price but they charge you extra if they can't track you and your purchases.
I find this whole thing to be pointless...you could say the exact same thing about buying from ebay or market place and all stores are ripping you off....its a business at the end of the day, they can offer really good deals and some not so great deals, its your responsibility to do your research and spend your money the way you want to.
in general I've found the prices in other shops for the same outdoor gear are often less. Like those Garmin mini in reach 2 - could be £269 some places. £199 others. which is a big difference of £70. And you could apply that to so many other products. Go outdoors are generally more expensive on more than half the products I buy so when you factor in the £5 fee for membership it's just not worth the hassle. If they say you won't get the discount - you gonna put the item back?. I heard a story about that big cash and carry chain making more money off membership fees than they do selling stuff in the shop - probably because it's cash in the bank for zero effort and .... many people will pay the membership but not use it.