What the hell happened to Sierra Trading Post

[Wasatchman]

It has been a while, and when I jumped on Sierra Trading Post, well damn, the cupboard is bare. I used to enjoy shopping them but it doesn't seem like anything it used to be. Damn. What happened?

 

[coskigirl]

TJ Max bought them.

 

[scott43]

Seems like a good marriage...

 

[Muleski]

TJ Max bought them.

Google the details. $200Mil deal, all part of TJX expanding their on line footprint and operations. Moving HomeGoods, TJX, Marshalls etc. to new platforms.

I sense that they bought the operating model…and not so much the vendor relationships, the big close out deals AND the type of inventory that they were known for.

No longer the same. I feel the same about Backcountry.

Too bad.

 

[Wasatchman]

TJ Max bought them.

TJ Maxx has not been kind to them

 

[Philpug]

In fact, we were just in there today. No, it is not the STP that we all grew to appreciate. Gone are the discount codes and deals that we would see on line.

 

[SBrown]

Covid, too. Obviously it was happening before Covid hit, but after they shut down for a while, they came back and have had NO more extra deals (which had already diminished from 40% to 25% tops). I still spend too much money there, but it's nothing like it was.

 

[KingGrump]

STP has been on a steady decline since TJ Maxx brought them in 2012.
Here is a thread on that topic.

 

[SBrown]

I did get Kästles for $199 earlier this season ... but those deals are few and far between these days.

 

[Wasatchman]

I did get Kästles for $199 earlier this season ... but those deals are few and far between these days.

Were those the FX85?? If so, those have been cleared out at a number of places. I wouldn't be surprised if BJs had them on clearance lol

 

[Tricia]

Oddly, when @Wendy came here to visit in May, she had packed for skiing in Colorado then added a leg here onto her trip. She was unprepared for the warmer weather we had here so we hit STP. She struck gold for that kind of stuff.
I'm amazed at the extent of yoga wear and sports bras, but saddened by the lack of hiking poles and shoes.

 

[Tony S]

Back in the day they were owned by some super religious family. In itself that was not a particular selling point with me. (I won't get near a Hobby Lobby.) But their service level and integrity were awesome, I always thought. That was admirable and definitely got my loyalty. Now it's just another pretty algorithm masquerading as an actual human-grounded thing.

 

[Moose32]

I used to buy a bunch of Phenix Norway gear from STP. I don’t think they have one item from Phenix now. Inventory used to be interesting and now is horrid.

 

[Truberski]

And their original, main brick & mortar store was always worth a visit if/when in area. You truly never knew what you would find but always left with the highly unusual and dirt cheap. You could spend hours there!! I still check out the online store from time to time but have only bought fishing gear from them in last five years.

 

[Uncle-A]

I was in the store in NJ a few weeks ago and picked up a pair of North Face shorts. It seems to me that they had 90% clothes and only 10% hardware also I was not impressed with the shoe selection. I am not sure if that is true for their other stores but it is a trend I have noticed in other sports stores.The TJX purchase may help if the clothing business is going to sustain a fading hardware business.

 

[scott43]

Sounds familiar... MEC used to sell good gear and clothes..now they're shifting more towards fashion clothes (name brands) and while they still have some technical gear, more mainstream. Selling bikes (they never sold bikes..), downhill skis..definitely a shift in branding..then they went bankrupt...

 

[Wendy]

Oddly, when @Wendy came here to visit in May, she had packed for skiing in Colorado then added a leg here onto her trip. She was unprepared for the warmer weather we had here so we hit STP. She struck gold for that kind of stuff.
I'm amazed at the extent of yoga wear and sports bras, but saddened by the lack of hiking poles and shoes.

But, in the brick & mortar store there’s a bunch of summer clothing…t shirts shorts, etc. I wasn’t picky about brand; I just wanted some things that fit and were comfortable. So that was easy. If I were looking for hiking shoes or a certain brand, I would’ve been out of luck. Still, I was grateful to find some good deals on stuff I’m wearing frequently.

Earlier this spring they had a bunch of closeout DPS skis for cheap. I didn’t partake. I’m wondering if the days of good skis on close out are nearing an end.

 

[Cameron]

I think the combination of increased demand from the Covid economy and the decreased production from manufacturers since 07/08 has hurt most of the businesses that operated around closeouts.

 

[Johnny V.]

We have a STP B/M store here in Rochester. I used to stop by any time I was near and usually found something. Lately much less, especially their shoes. Haven't found much on their website either.

 

[Uncle-A]

We have a STP B/M store here in Rochester. I used to stop by any time I was near and usually found something. Lately much less, especially their shoes. Haven't found much on their website either.

I see that the NJ store is not the only one that has a disappointing shoe dept like I posted earlier. It must be a STP pattern to have a small shoe selection. Maybe it has to do with carrying the inventory.