stocking associate

order picker

retail sales associate

outfitter

fulfillment associate

Bass Pro Shops

Bristol, Tennessee Location:

Easily the worst job I have ever had due to management. The majority of management in this building use fear instead of actual leadership to run the store, and don't even know their employees names. Management doesn't listen to suggestions or ideas, even successful ideas that have worked for other employers, unless it is their idea, it isn't a good idea and you are belittled for speaking up to your boss. Everyone literally runs in fear of management, especially the two upper managers, on the very rare occasions they are actually not on the sales floor hiding in their offices. "No cell phones on the floor!" while walking around all day on their cell phones. "No food except in the break room" while sitting at their desks stuffing their faces with lunch. "No drinks on the floor" while they walk around with their coffee or bottle of water. Rules for thee but not for me!

Management doesn't appreciate hard work, you'll never get a thank you, even for going above and beyond. If it is noticed that you have gone beyond the expectations of your job you'll either be ridiculed for not doing it enough or be given even more work than everyone else.

There is zero "culture" allowed here, even taking two minutes to say hello to a fellow employee is frowned upon, you are expected to stay away from your coworkers and never speak to them, even in passing. And if you do, expect a lecture about how you shouldn't be huddling with each other, even if you are working in the same department. Although, some departments are allowed to stand around and chat all day while others are expected to work as if they are in a military facility.

No drinks are allowed on the floor, period, even a bottle of water on extremely hot days. (I have never worked somewhere that you weren't at least allowed to keep a bottle of water close by) One would consider this shocking since the AC seems to be rarely used and you'll break a sweat just walking from one side of the store to the other. Speaking of AC, during the winter the heat is turned off at night, on more than one occasion causing pipes to freeze and burst, a laughable moment.

Also expect to push, push, push the Bass Pro credit card onto customers constantly. Bass Pro is one of the few retailers left that is open on Thanksgiving day and Easter Sunday, and yes, you'll probably work long shifts away from your family on those days, but they don't tell you that when you are hired.

Bass Pro doesn't even adhere to their own return policy, allowing customers to refund items months, even years after they have been purchased, even when they were clearly used and abused. Bass Pro seems to have the most entitled customers, rude, inconsiderate. It seems to be an almost daily occurrence that a customer's dog relieves themselves and just leaves it for someone to step in, not notifying anyone.

Overall, just a terrible place to work. Employee moral is terrible, managers rule by fear and don't appreciate hard work and expect to work on major holidays where other retailers are closed.

Bass Pro really tries to have a small family feel in the stores. Each store is a little different and the management has the ability to run the store as they see fit, within some basic policies and procedures. With that being said, each store is a little different and has a different feel to it. That makes it difficult for communication; if every manager isn't on the same page, it can be hard to enforce policies and procedures consistently. This negatively impacts the overall morale and creates the perception of favoritism.

I absolutely love my job here and don't regret coming here; however, I wish I would've dug in a bit more about advancement opportunities. Since I started, the company has begun the process of centralizing a lot of HR functions. This means I no longer assist with investigations at the store level, no more LOA maintenance or administration, completely hands off with scheduling, and now they are working on centralizing recruiting. Those are some pretty big chunks of an essential site HR individual. On top of the removal of some key duties, there aren't any opportunities to move up in HR here. There have been some remote roles posted internally, but they are quickly filled with regional/senior HR Managers. Then, those Regional/senior HR Manager roles aren't filled. This tells me there is a restructure coming and those next-level roles are being eliminated.

I truly love coming to work every day and the freedom to work with the team and listen to them. It's just difficult to act as an HR professional in this role. If a team member makes a complaint that needs investigation or follow up, the HR Coordinator is simply supposed to listen and then inform management or direct the team member to report their issue to the ethics hotline. While these are great tools to have in place, it makes the role of site HR mostly obsolete. The idea of the site HR is to promote and enforce the open door policy so that the team has somebody to talk to that is outside of their leadership. Again, great in theory, but nearly impossible to do given the current circumstances.

Most days, I feel like a glorified events coordinator; scheduling meetings, printing documents, managing files, planning lunches, decorating, etc... It is a lot of fun, just not super fulfilling. In addition, since I am the one coordinating and planning all of the fun events, I rarely get to enjoy them as a team member. I understand that it's part of my job, but I can't help but feel under appreciated at times.

All in all, Bass Pro is a great company to work for. On the retail side, there is a lot of opportunity for growth. There are 15+ Team Leaders, multiple Senior Team Leaders and a team of Managers. If you're looking to grow in the HR or administration side, I would probably look elsewhere.

Let's start with the good:

The pay isn't bad compared to other retailers, and the benefits are pretty good.  The employee discount is better than anything I've heard of from other companies.  If you're full-time, you'll get 40 hours a week.  There are monthly employee recognition luncheons/breakfasts, and management is, for the most part, respectful and willing to accommodate time-off and other requests.  Also, the interior and exterior of the stores are much more appealing than most brick-and-mortar stores.  

On to the mediocre:

It's retail.  Outside of a select few positions, you're expected to meet goals for CLUB (store credit card) referrals, Gear Guard (repair/replacement plan), and Outdoor Fund (charity donations).  If you're a cashier, or even if you work the floor, you might meet those goals, but if you're more of a behind-the-scenes employee, expect to be on the hitlist each week when the percentages are published, and for it to be brought up during your annual review.  The store I worked at was really good at making do with what they had, employee wise.  I was hired as a Gun Vault Specialist, but by the time I left, I'd spend up to half of my shift working the gun counter and range and appraising used guns on some days.   Other days would see me bored out of my mind in the vault, though, so it balanced out in the long run.

Why I left?

I was planning to stay until after the holidays, but company policies (and a lack of managerial ownership) led to my premature departure.  The scheduling was my primary reason for deciding to leave.  As stated above, I'd sometimes spend half of my shift doing other jobs, so that left little time to properly focus on my own when we were short staffed (probably 25-33% of the time).  Scheduling is flexible, so there are no preset workdays/hours, unless you're one of the handful of privileged employees.  Additionally, the Firearms department is the only one that is required to put out displays every morning and to secure them at night.  A closing shift will see you doing physical labor until 10pm, while the next morning you might be opening at 7am, putting out hundreds of displays that you just secured nine hours earlier.  It's tedious work, compounded by the fact that I was the one responsible for tagging and assembling displays with full knowledge that the more work I did, the more work I created.

Overall assessment:

This was my only foray into retail, but if you've got the temperament and even passion, Bass Pro Shops is a great place to work.  I enjoyed my time there, for the most part, and would recommend it to anyone looking for an entry-level job, or even those who have the experience to get into a leadership position.  Would I go back?  No.  I'm done with retail.  Would I heartily recommend it to family and friends?  Absolutely.  

I've worked here for 5 yrs they started out ok but its gone downhill, they can't keep anyone,  they have been good on some things, i know all companies are not perfect and most of them all are ran the same way . But things are changing and there is a deadly virus going around changing things.. but not here,, its the same business as usual , they don't care no one social distance themselves and no one where's masks. Even though there's posters telling us to do so, but its all for decoration. There is a deadly virus going around and they have some departments that have sanitize wipes and other departments that run out and they're are not rushing to replace it, and no paper towels. I've been loyal to them I go wherever I am asked to go with arguments. Which us a different department every other day or week. There's  virus going around i know and understand this is new for everyone,  but we were told that if we are not feeling well or have symptoms not to come to work to get others sick, because no one social distance themselves and nobody where's masks, but now im having to worry about attendance issues,  when all this is going around this is why those who are sick and contagious go to work sick and get others sick because they can't afford to lose there jobs. So I'm stressing about losing my job or bringing and virus in and get others sick.  Which I went get tested today. And, then also a company is supposed provide you with the stuff you need to do your job, they lack on supplies and supplies they do have is about 40 yrs old never been cleaned and  nasty there's mold in certain parts of the warehouse. Just be careful with deciding to work here. Its extremely hot in the summertime and dosen't cool off til some time in October. And you'll be working on overtime there until further notice. Communication doesn't exist there. They tell you to take care of yourself then turn around and write you up if you miss work for it. We are at a skeleton crew right now and we have soo.. many orders coming in and we are still expected to get the same number of stuff done as if we were fully staffed. We bust our behinds trying to take care of them but a 4 billion dollar company can't do or won't do anything to take care of there people who take care of them. No integrity at this place with owners, supervisors no one could care less about you. And then they wonder why no one is coming to the job hiring events? And the few people they have there thats been tgere for over 5 yrs plus and know what they are doing get treaded like trash and alot of them are fed up to.

I love the place and a lot of the people there, I get along with just about everyone and talk to everyone. We will just say i know everyone's secrets, likes and dislikes as well about the company. I started off working as a full time employee and then decided to go to part time due to a lot of different reasons. Being there a while now i can see that the problem with the store is the management and hire up that is destroying our Nashville location. I feel like i could help and change the store for the better but talking to the management there does not help. There is a huge turn over rate for this store and mostly everyone there is looking for something better or they have been there for so long they just stick it out, believe me though everyone hates the way the store has turned out. The good things about the store is the big discount you get its a good 45% (mostly the reason a lot of us are staying), there are some really good employees and the products are great! They do offer benefits, a weeks paid time off for full time employees after a year, cake twice a month for anniversaries and birthday and they also buy us food here and there for certain times of the year. The bad is that if you are willing to become a full time employee don't plan on being a church member, If you can not work certain hours due to church then they will not hire you for a full time position they will offer you a part time. When hours have to be cut for our store they start with the part timers so be prepared to get about 13 hours a week, on the other hand if you are full time you don't go below 40 a week. The amount of days off you get a year are 10 days, that is sick and personal days. once you get close to 10 be aware people hire up start treating you differently, it feels as if they are out to get you fired. Now once you hit the 10th day you at that time are fired from your position no matter what the cause. In this ten day period if you are a minute late that counts as a half a day on one of those ten days, so if you had 4 missed days out of 10 and then you were late you now have missed 4 and a half days. Once you decide to work for the company, say you chose part time and for some reason you need to change your hours they will not work with you. I know a lady who was part time and when she told them she could only work weekends after the holiday rush was over they acted like it was okay then she received an email telling her they no longer needed her. I could go on and on about this story but you would be reading it all day.

I quit in June. I worker in customer service part time started out as a cashier, was here just over 1 year. Place is a lot of fun to work at and people I work with are good, has its moments of stress and disrespectful customers, but treat people the way you want to be treated and you'll be fine. 

They are about customer experience but it's about the bottom line. They want EVERY department onboard with credit cards, credit cards! Get the customer to sign up all day everyday. If you wear a theatros, walkie talkie like, they will talk your ear off credit card totals wanting more. 

Cashiering and customer service you have requirements. Encourage round ups donations to the conservation fund, ask about their interest in the bass pro club Mastercard, selling gear guard 2-3 year protection on certain eligible products, and obtain their phone number at the end before receipt. You'll get customers mad and annoyed if you ask them about the cc for the 6th time.

Gear guards they want you over 10% and donation round ups wan you over 30%, ask for phone numbers constantly or you will get a talking to.

Management, depending who they are pretty decent. I'll only use initials JC ahead of the front was the best manager I came across in retail. Just be open with communication and he'll schedule you accordingly. Never an issue I came across. Full time employees have more of a challenge. 

Coworkers were great especially in other departments. Cashiers come and go like a revolving door. VERY BUSY especially during summer and the fall winter holiday season. It was frustrating for me the most, you would hope for more help from customer service and leads especially when they were standing around at a podium talking with long lines going or hide in areas of customer service from the cameras using their phones. If the front manager JC or general manager JP is around it doesn't happen but if they're not people don't want to work.

I would say overall this is a pretty great place to work but if you don't mind sales and want long term and do a good job they'll keep you. 

Cashier/Customer service if you do both more work for you with no extra compensation over just being a cashier. I started at $11.88/hr and left at $13/hr. They did an overall company raise earlier this year only for select employees. There is no review, they only do this yearly in April. You will be overworked and not paid enough. Most people whom have been there a long time like their job or complain about dislike their job.

I enjoyed my time but after a year I was wore out.



A typical day consists of typical cashier duties plus the potential for tasks such as: retrieving carts/baskets, stocking the drink coolers on the lanes, checking and organizing products on lanes, assisting other departments (happens very rarely), and greeting customers as they walk in the door. 

As stated in the summary be prepared to pitch the Bass Pro Shops CLUB card and ask for phone numbers (unless the customer has a rewards card/CLUB card) during every transaction. There are times when customers become agitated and you may get a tongue lashing. The CLUB card is engrained into the job to the point it can be toxic and the managers do place expectations on getting people to sign up. For the phone numbers they want you to get 90% of people to give it, but they typically only start cracking the whip if you go below 60%. If you have consistently bad numbers then you'll get a "talking to" which from what I've heard isn't pleasant. 

The previous paragraph is the hardest/most annoying part of the job. However, It is probably worth informing you that you can NOT request time off on any holiday (sometimes the whole week of that holiday). I also was present during Black Friday which everyone has to work 9 hours that day (either 4 am to 1 or 1 to 9 (plus the additional hour of cleanup)). Also, you have to work one of the two (with no exceptions): Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve.

The people that I work with is the best part of the job in my opinion. If there isn't that many customers in the store, you can get to know your fellow workers. It is worth building bonds with your fellow cashiers
as they may be invaluable when you need a shift covered. Also for when you want to pick up more hours and someone wants a shift covered. 

It is worth mentioning that all of the current front leads have been as such for less than a year. They are all very friendly, but the inexperience can show from time to time. Sometimes they need to be reminded if you haven't had your break, and they might schedule you during times you aren't available. My advice would be to be vigilant of such things and never be afraid to go up a step in the ladder (department manager) if you have any problems. The current department manager up front is a good man and very understanding. He will help you sort those things out. 

Although from time to time there are annoyances with the job (all aforementioned), I love my job and quitting almost sounds unimaginable.

Having worked for the company for a decade, I feel I can speak on where it needs improvement, and what made it great.  

A typical day in the current iteration of the company starts with a beleaguered skeleton crew working in a hot building to unload trucks, put firearms on display, followed immediately by a lackluster presentation of how many credit cards we sold yesterday and department sales.  If you're looking for a "good work" this is the only time you'll hear it.  Then it's back to the sales floor to help customers and sell credit cards.  

What I've learned is that even if you exceed your yearly sales goal by several thousand dollars, you will not receive a bonus, or a raise commensurate with how hard you've worked to do so.  You want more money?  Move more credit cards.  

Management is the single most contemptable aspect of the job.  There's few good managers in the company, but they're handcuffed by the whims of people above them.  Many have little to no actual sales experience, and even less managerial skills.  It's alot of little fish in big ponds becoming big fish in little ponds, with all the joy that brings.  Napoleon could take a lesson from some of the egos that work there.  They have an open door policy, sure.  But you'd better not use it.  

The culture is the only thing that makes the job worth doing.  I've worked with some of the finest people I've ever met and made lifelong friendships that I cherish dearly.  But for a company that claims to be all about the great outdoors, we don't foster an atmosphere that allows the outfitter to share that passion with the customer.   If you spent an hour talking to a guest about fishing on grand lake, you had better gotten a credit card. 

The hardest part of the job is the lack of recognition for your herculean efforts to limp the process along with an understaffed crew.  Should you ask your manager for help, they'll tell you that we don't have the hours, or that they can't hire anyone.  Don't expect the same manager to jump in, the trenches are for the rank and file, not the officer corps.  

The most enjoyable part of the job is the commiserating with your fellow outfitters.  My old assistant GM had a sign on his wall that read "the beatings will continue until morale improves"  

It used to be a joke.  


The company has a high turnover rate and morale with people who still work there is progressively getting worse and worse. Management expects everyone to break their back into pressuring people to sign up for the companies credit card so they can get their end of their year bonuses. If you happen to sign someone up for the card you get $1, which is taxed.  Your performance in getting cards is also looked at in your annual pay increase (barely an increase). This ends up making customers annoyed as they are approached 5 times every time they come in about signing up for a credit card that doesn’t benefit them.

There is also a significant wage gap between employees who work the same exact job. People with no job experience nor knowledge of their department are started at $2-$3 more than people who have worked at Bass Pro for years. The company regularly cuts hours as soon as the holiday rush is over, but will continue to hire people instead of just giving people more hours. If you want a consistent schedule management won’t work with you on it. They will have 4 people work at the same time  on a Tuesday when no one is in the store, but will have only 1 person to handle an entire section alone on a weekend when it gets packed.

The managers are never on the floor. If there’s a situation when you need them they will just tell you to handle it on your own. When they happen to be on the floor they will critique you for every little thing you do and never give any positive feedback. In the past year I’ve seen probably 60 people come and go. At one point 13 people quit in the span of 2 weeks because of the way our managers treat everyone. Since working there I’ve witnessed 8 managers leave the store, a majority of them being fired. The people that get hired into their position are just as incompetent as the last.

There are some aspects I enjoyed, like talking to customers and my coworkers. I’ve met some great people that I’ve became friends with. The discount is also nice too. All in all I wouldn’t choose to work here because of the direction the company is heading.

Job Description
Overseeing all department functions and objectives. This includes but is not limited to; the implication of all tab signage and product placement for maximization of sales. Printing and reviewing sales reports from prior years so as to shoot, key and enter feature quantity requests for three months ahead. Run Display Integrity reports ensuring all product is represented on the sales floor, and available for sale. Conducting weekly walks of the departments gondola's, end-caps, side-kicks, and power-arms for sale quantities, so as to ensure placement increased sales volume. If not, then removal or change of product was conducted. Monitoring high sale moving items, and requesting additional product quantities from corporate via e-mail to increase gross sales margin in the instance that feature requests did not keep up with sales volume. Recording detailed special customer order logs and submitting to corporate for product not stocked, and if requests presented a high demand, taking measures to have said product added into the stores assortment. Working with top management and other department leads to cross-merchandise items so as to increase overall store gross sales percentage. Responsible for all training of new hired employees, and the continued development and coaching of associates to ensure productivity and knowledge growth. Also conducted basic store requirements, such as operation of cash registers and responsibility of money, the breaking down of freight and its placement. Keeping back-stock organized, and setting standards so purge to the sales floor was incorporated. Shooting raid reports for both opening and closing shifts, to ensure department and store recovery was maintained. AND OF COURSE, delivering world class customer service every day, 100% of the time, to ensure repeat customer visits, sales increase, and leading by example.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Stocking associate 48 salaries reported	$28.66 per hour
Order picker 21 salaries reported	$17.50 per hour
Retail sales associate 1 salary reported	$16.00 per hour
Outfitter 20 salaries reported	$21.39 per hour
Fulfillment associate 10 salaries reported	$1,600 per week

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