Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Long_Cast on May 09, 2020, 07:44:17 PM
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Soon there must be some discounts in their fishing department.
I won't be missing Army and Navy because of their customer service. One time I went to the customer service desk at the Army and Navy in New Westminster and I was refused a refund on a package of spinners which I purchased at the Army and Navy in Downtown Vancouver with a receipt because the staff said that they didn't sell it! Back in the 90's, Army and Navy didn't use a barcode system at the cashier, so exact item you purchased didn't show up on the receipt, only price of the item and taxes. I was so furious that I didn't shop there for over 15 years after the incident.
On another note, my Dad took me to Army and Navy in Downtown back in the 80's to get my first fishing license.
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You can forget about any deals. Their fishing department has been gutted for years.
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That makes me feel even better that they're closing for good.
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Bums me out. That's where I buy just about everything besides food...
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Not that surprising. The New Westminster location has been very sorry looking the last year or more. I asked once if they were phasing the fishing and camping department out and they said no. It has been about the only place local to buy basic tackle.
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Liked this store in the past a lot.
From Coq. we drove to Columbia St ..parked on the ramp and checked out the stores...2 movie theatres
Columbia and Paramount.
There was an Army & Navy store and then east of it was an Eatons store.
Then Eatons closed and went to Coquitlam Centre mall. Army and Navy then moves into the vacant store where Eatons was. More sq footage.
Have not shopped their for many yrs....being in Richmond.
Gone are so many department stores...Eatons Zellers Target (ha!) Woodwards Sears so on...now Army and Navy ...
( in the idea of closing...Future Shop ..that was a surprise ...x Cargo sometimes got good deals)
Sign of the times. People buying on line ...
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Liked this store in the past a lot.
From Coq. we drove to Columbia St ..parked on the ramp and checked out the stores...2 movie theatres
Columbia and Paramount.
There was an Army & Navy store and then east of it was an Eatons store.
Then Eatons closed and went to Coquitlam Centre mall. Army and Navy then moves into the vacant store where Eatons was. More sq footage.
Have not shopped their for many yrs....being in Richmond.
Gone are so many department stores...Eatons Zellers Target (ha!) Woodwards Sears so on...now Army and Navy ...
( in the idea of closing...Future Shop ..that was a surprise ...x Cargo sometimes got good deals)
Sign of the times. People buying on line ...
I would recommend visiting the paramount now
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I would recommend visiting the paramount now
Great night out with the wife. But I’d save it for a special occasion.
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Back in the day, Army and Navy was the place to go for fishing tackle. Their selection and price were unmatched. Zellers, Woodwards, Steveston Marine, and even Nikkas couldn't compete. I'm talking in the 70's (the time that I got into fishing from watching Red Fisher every Saturday morning at 7 am). Personally, I'm going to miss the downtown location because of nostalgia. My father took me there to buy my very first fishing rod because it was the only place he found affordable while supporting a young family of six.
If it wasn't for that place, I don't think I would have gotten into fishing as seriously as I did, at such a young age. It was also around that time (while fishing the seawalls of Stanley Park) that my siblings and I had the honour of meeting and befriending a young one legged jogger by the name of Terry Fox. It became routine every weekend that he took time to greet us and little did we know that only a year later he would make history. I don't know why, but every time a historical department store closes, it brings me back to a moment of my life where an event affected me profoundly.
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A&N did have a great selection of gear unmatched by others...in the 70's. That is when they purchased from several local manufacturers along with imported gear from Japan. Vancouver area had many local suppliers at the time and built gear for the area rather than having the retailer purchase junk and marketing it to the uninformed. I don't know what employee pay and work hrs were but hope they can find other work...it's going to be tuff no doubt.
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This has been planned for a year or more. Covid has been the perfect excuse.
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Some great memories there at the New West store. My Dad would take me when I was a little kid. It was the go to place for fishing tackle back in the day. I grew up buying most of my fishing gear there. Fond memories. Sad news to see it go.
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The DTES store will be missed...
Many memories from as early as mid eighties, but mostly around the early 90's for me.
My Edgemont buddy got me into the river action, and I can still vision the days of going to A&N for those bulk packs of Eagle Claw trebles, pencil lead, and that blue 40lb mono that came in a dispenser puck!
The stories I could tell...
I was very Macgyverish…I even fashioned a belt mounted custom gear holder from the black plastic bait container that I had no idea what it was used for at that time.
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I worked the downtown store for a few years, I was one they hired to help restore it around 2005 or so, they had wanted to rebuild it back to its former glory. But the area, man, the stories I could tell you of the behaviour down there. Absolutely disgusting at times.
And as a consequence, nobody wanted to drive down and park the truck and come in when dealing with the very real threat of vehicle break-in, aggressive panhandlers, bodily fluids, and worse. It was sad to see.
I will always miss George my elderly co-worker, a gentlemen of the old order, who was a walking encyclopedia of BC fishing knowledge, he was one of the kindest and nicest persons I have had the privilege of knowing and calling a friend. And to my other co-workers, they know who they are, some post here, we had some fun times eh? Shoe sales were nuts!
And I really enjoyed meeting all of you folks, the local fishing community, swapping stories, hearing about great trips. I really enjoyed seeing newbies come in, get all set up, then come back later with tales of success. I also learned a lot from those who were more experienced and took some time to share their knowledge, thanks for that!
Farewell A&N!
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I bought my first Avon reel at the West Hastings store in the seventies, that I still use. I believe I paid $17 for it. Used to buy shotgun shells there too, by the case I think Imperials and Canuck Heavy Load worked out around $3 a box.
When there we always had to look around the meat store next door to it, forget the name. I used to visit Harkley & Hayward store behind Army and Navy
Good memories now long gone.
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I bought my first Avon reel at the West Hastings store in the seventies, that I still use. I believe I paid $17 for it. Used to buy shotgun shells there too, by the case I think Imperials and Canuck Heavy Load worked out around $3 a box.
When there we always had to look around the meat store next door to it, forget the name. I used to visit Harkley & Hayward store behind Army and Navy
Good memories now long gone.
Save On Meats
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Is it still there?
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Still there but in a different format
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I worked the downtown store for a few years, I was one they hired to help restore it around 2005 or so, they had wanted to rebuild it back to its former glory. But the area, man, the stories I could tell you of the behaviour down there. Absolutely disgusting at times.
And as a consequence, nobody wanted to drive down and park the truck and come in when dealing with the very real threat of vehicle break-in, aggressive panhandlers, bodily fluids, and worse. It was sad to see.
I will always miss George my elderly co-worker, a gentlemen of the old order, who was a walking encyclopedia of BC fishing knowledge, he was one of the kindest and nicest persons I have had the privilege of knowing and calling a friend. And to my other co-workers, they know who they are, some post here, we had some fun times eh? Shoe sales were nuts!
And I really enjoyed meeting all of you folks, the local fishing community, swapping stories, hearing about great trips. I really enjoyed seeing newbies come in, get all set up, then come back later with tales of success. I also learned a lot from those who were more experienced and took some time to share their knowledge, thanks for that!
Farewell A&N!
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My wife works for VPD and spent 20+ years working at Main and Hastings building. She has plenty of stories from that area as well. It's a whole different world down there.
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My wife works for VPD and spent 20+ years working at Main and Hastings building. She has plenty of stories from that area as well. It's a whole different world down there.
When I was first in that area, early sixties, before most of you were born it was not all that bad but look at it now.
Most of our larger towns are getting like that now and contiues to get worse, I know it is like that in DTCHWK
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Sardis is gettin sketchy too
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When I was first in that area, early sixties, before most of you were born it was not all that bad but look at it now.
Most of our larger towns are getting like that now and contiues to get worse, I know it is like that in DTCHWK
Unfortunately city council doesn't care. They're more interested in building bike lanes instead of cleaning up the Downtown Eastside.
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Unfortunately there’s no simple solution to the problems down there
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Unfortunately city council doesn't care. They're more interested in building bike lanes instead of cleaning up the Downtown Eastside.
Yes downtown ...before /after dark...prostitution drugs crime alcohol assault rape robbery...
But in NYC read about a story...where in daytime a gang of black teens...14-16 yrs old maybe about 10-12 or so in number swarmed a 13 yr old black girl...knocked her to the ground ...kicked and stomped on her...she was bloodied ...one teen then took her running shoes.
Good girl who was on a basketball team at school or some gym...
Her mom is a single parent ..with 2 children girl/boy.
Some of the teens have been arrested. One teen was shot dead.....think the one who took the shoes. ( shot not by the police)
But downtown Vancouver...the victims are many.
As for Army/Navy really so sad it's shutting down.
Got tempted and stole a 25 dollar reel at the New West store. Ya would come in the main doors from Columbia St . and nearby was stairs going down to the bottom floor ..at bottom of stairs hang a 180 L or R and there was the fishing tackle rods so on...always quite the crowd too.
Well it was only a week later ...and I returned the reel.
A man was thankful and said I did the right thing.
Just felt too guilty. Maybe 12 yrs old at the time.
Good thing I returned it.
If not maybe I'd be a bank robber or jewelry store robber today. ;D
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Good for you on returning, A Boater. My dad was the store manager for a number of years,, and you were one of the few with a good conscience. He had to deal with the security nightmare of an alley between the two buildings. He would get calls in the middle of the night to take care of broken store windows and what not.
I worked the fishing department back when Nishi was working there. I also got my 1st fishing rod there when I was 6.
Dad finished his career there, but always loved managing the New West store. I worked there, too, in 1979 and 1980. There were people working there who were real characters. I was a teen who was trying to find himself, and being the boss' son was a little daunting. People would drive down from the interior and use us as a wholesaler. I remember stacking the dolly with ammo to wheel out to the parking lot. I also got to talk with former Canuck Glen Hanlon quite a bit. I still have and use some raw cork floats we were selling for 5 cents apiece. Oh, the memories of a better time...
Pretty good smokies, malted milks, homemade doughnuts, and a cheap cup of coffee. My dad always wanted cheap food and coffee for those less fortunate that you guys talked about.
Memories of a bygone era.
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Good for you on returning, A Boater. My dad was the store manager for a number of years,, and you were one of the few with a good conscience. He had to deal with the security nightmare of an alley between the two buildings. He would get calls in the middle of the night to take care of broken store windows and what not.
I worked the fishing department back when Nishi was working there. I also got my 1st fishing rod there when I was 6.
Dad finished his career there, but always loved managing the New West store. I worked there, too, in 1979 and 1980. There were people working there who were real characters. I was a teen who was trying to find himself, and being the boss' son was a little daunting. People would drive down from the interior and use us as a wholesaler. I remember stacking the dolly with ammo to wheel out to the parking lot. I also got to talk with former Canuck Glen Hanlon quite a bit. I still have and use some raw cork floats we were selling for 5 cents apiece. Oh, the memories of a better time...
Pretty good smokies, malted milks, homemade doughnuts, and a cheap cup of coffee. My dad always wanted cheap food and coffee for those less fortunate that you guys talked about.
Memories of a bygone era.
Thanks obie1fish for kind comment.
The guilt consumed me big time.
Plus if I had a bad day fishing ...the curse of the stolen reel ...
Driving to fishing location and flat tire ...the curse of the stolen reel.
A load of guilt left me returning that reel.
Never did use it...brought it back about 2 /3 wks later.
New condition like it was when I took it.
Wow that must of been great talking to The Carrot. Glen Hanlon.
He had a lot of good games ...some not so good.
He was /is a likeable guy.
Your family & you have memories about the store for sure.
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I see on June 4th , 40% off the entire store in new west .
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I see on June 4th , 40% off the entire store in new west .
“Up to” 40% off
I guess they are consolidating all their stock from the other stores into their New West location?
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Been wondering what was going to happen to their stock. Kept checking Able Auctions to see if it would pop up. The Langley store is gutted so I assume this is the consolidation of all three stores in the lower mainland.
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received notice that the fishing and camping stuff is only going to be 15 percent off....
I thought about this but then thought... heck.... why not support the little guy at the tackle shop.
Not that Army Navy isn't a good place but I can tell you the service I heave received over the years from Highwater is second to none. Dave was great and now Gil is rocking it. Don't forget during these times we need to support each other.
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The email I rec'd said 25% off all fishing and camping.
I guess I get a better deal than you! :)
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sorry. my bad 25%. still worth feeding the lil guy...
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Went this morning, waited in line for an hour and a half, left. They only had one cashier working so the line to pay inside was ridiculous and they weren't letting more people in until others left. Figured saving a couple bucks wasn't worth spending my whole day standing in lines. Will go to a local shop instead.
Shout out to the guy behind me in line who kept standing too close and when I politely asked him to "please keep some distance" told me "no, f#ck off. don't f#cking talk to me".
people are awesome.
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Thanks for that. Rethinking my decision to go with a buddy after work. I just had some smaller items in mind to pick up and all that effort for saving $20 doesn’t really seem worth it
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I was really hoping to pick up a casting rod for the Vedder as well as some fly tying materials but it's exactly as you said. Is wasting my work day to save 25% at best really the best use of my time? Especially when it also involves being in the vicinity of too many people who couldn't care less about being safe right now.
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After going to the whole sale sports blow out and leaving disappointed I knew this would not be worth it.
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cannot get into the store after 5:00pm. Come on it is 25% off
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I drove by...line too long. Essyoo made my decision to not go. I will go sea run.
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Anyone been by there lately? Wondering how the lines are now. It looked like a lot of fishing gear there in the photo I saw last week
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Its strange out there. We have a huge lack of retail fishing outlets in the region now. Ill definitely miss Army and Navy. I miss Wholesale Sports more. That store had everything you needed to fish in this region. Prices were good and when they had a sale it was a good sale they literally had every single BlueFox spinner in the catalog. Bass Pro Shops and Cavelas selection of regional tackle is terrible and Freds ALWAYS sells put of the seasonal tackle during peak salmon or Steel season. Dont vother to reapool with 15 pound or 20 pound braid at Freds during salmon season. They never have it. Popular Coho spinners ? Good luck. You gotta stock up before the season begins. Sea Run is great but then again, I'm in Mission and thats a drive. You only have Freds and Hatch Matcher servicing Maple Ridge,Langley, Abbotsford and Chilliwack. Thats a huge population. You could count Dart and Tackle and Vell Sports but the selection at those stores is sad.
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Went to Army/ Navy today, they still have lots of stock. Bought a couple of Scotty anchor stops and some Kokanee lures etc. No lineup to get in but waited 75 minutes to pay. 2 slow cashiers and another similar lineup upstairs. Absolutely painful! Would have purchased more but when I saw the lineup I had to get out of there
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Went to Army/ Navy today, they still have lots of stock. Bought a couple of Scotty anchor stops and some Kokanee lures etc. No lineup to get in but waited 75 minutes to pay. 2 slow cashiers and another similar lineup upstairs. Absolutely painful! Would have purchased more but when I saw the lineup I had to get out of there
How much did you save and was the total length of time for your trip, including travel time?
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How much did you save and was the total length of time for your trip, including travel time?
You know that the ratio of money saved to time spent is going to be dismal. Just let him bask in the glow of having saved a few bucks :P
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How much did you save and was the total length of time for your trip, including travel time?
If this is the metric, then why buy in person at all. Lots of tackle shops now have online sales with free shipping.
I get most of my saltwater gear now from shops on the island.
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Just got back. No line up to get in. Lots of stuff of all sorts still there. Lots of fly tying stuff and some good fly lines. Good selection of gear hooks, line, rods, some lure and so forth. I saved about $25 on couple of fly boxes and various packs of fly tying fluff plus a pack of gammy octopus hooks. Camping gear too.
Line ups are bad. I had to wait 40+ minutes. Lots of screwing around by the clerks and customers. Only 4 cashiers appear open in the whole store.
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Just got back. No line up to get in. Lots of stuff of all sorts still there. Lots of fly tying stuff and some good fly lines. Good selection of gear hooks, line, rods, some lure and so forth. I saved about $25 on couple of fly boxes and various packs of fly tying fluff plus a pack of gammy octopus hooks. Camping gear too.
Line ups are bad. I had to wait 40+ minutes. Lots of screwing around by the clerks and customers. Only 4 cashiers appear open in the whole store.
The one cashier I got this morning was so so slow. Man it was like watching paint dry. It almost seemed like he was the janitor being put on cashier duty.
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The New Westminster store has all the symptoms that something was wrong with the A&N. At the Front St entrance half the doors were slowly closed off - broken and they couldn't be bothered to fix. My favourite was the shut down of the Men's Washroom that happened that happened a few years ago. Once I asked if I could use the staff washroom and was told NO! I couldn't understand how they could stay open. The POS Terminals are just abut that POSes. took almost 5 minutes to produce my receipt. Then they staple it all together when none of it is returnable! What bugged me is the people who stood in line and then did their shopping for stuff behind the counter when they got to the cashier!
I wonder what will happen to the building? If the city doesn't allow a tear down, I imagine Jackie will wait sometime before cashing in.
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Everything including fishing tackle is now 50% off. Line up was about 20 minutes though the length behind me doubled while I was there. Still worthwhile stuff there. I got a SA line and saved $50. They have other SA fly lines. Lots of fly tying stuff. Good amount of mono, hooks etc. I didn't look at everything. Rod selection looks thin but there are some Shimano and Luhr Jensen casting rods.