Dropped into Big 5 today for a tennis ball but I guess they come in 3 packs so I walked out with 3 tennis balls. I don't play tennis espicially in this weather. I use to but years ago. These tennis balls are for massaging the bottom of my feet or at least the foot with plantar facsiitis which I am currently doing while writing this. I realized I hadn't written a review for this place so here it is. They have a just enough of almost everything here which is fine. I have purchased day packs, running hydration packs, shoes, socks, dumb bells, golf balls, pocket knives, ammo, yoga pad, shooting accessories, camping gear, other stuff and most recently today, tennis balls. Also, all the other sorts of sports equipement like baseball, basketball football ,etc gear. Always quick in and out and usually well stocked. The staff is pleasant and can answer my dumb questions. For an assortment of skies, and bikes, rock climbing you'll need to go elsewhere. BIG 5 has a niche and they fill it. read more

Need to take a moment and appreciate the people that work in retail especially at Big 5 - it's not an easy job dealing with angry customers. They have an assortment of different sporting goods and many different sales/discounts. This is the go to spot to grab something quickly. Keep in mind they have a variety of items for a family value price. read more

This Big 5, which is located at the Alameda South Shore Shopping Center, has all kinds of sporting goods in here!! I've come here for all sorts of things shoes, sleeves, athletic wear, running gear, so many things. I can usually find what I'm looking for, but sometimes you have to really look because they pack a lot in here. The checkout line is usually pretty short and goes quickly also, this is a good store!! read more

See all

Wide selection of sporting goods and outdoor supplies as well. Very friendly and helpful staff working in the shoe department.

Big 5 is one of those places that you'll always find a good deal, but the quality isn't always the best. Their return policy is inconsistent at each store and managers like to make their own rules. I worked for the company for 12 years, 9 of which were in management, so when I have a return and I have a manager tell me I can't return an item, I have to tell them, actually you can. read more

I hadn't been to Big5 for sometime; the same store, service was very courteous and helpful. Store was busy. I was able to get my purchases quickly. read more

Making a quick return here was not so quick ... They have to get the manager Who took a really long time to come to the front to make a simple return ... I'm never coming back .... read more

THERE IS NO FITTING ROOM! I went here for bathing suits. Why do they even sell clothing at all with no fitting rooms?? I just left. Do not come here for clothing. read more

Customer service are beyond bad, there's a heavy set man and a older heavy set lady that was just extremely rude, the lady talked like she knows all about rifles, handguns and ammo, when I finally asked her to get me two specific boxes of ammo, she had no clue as to what they were, mind you, I have given her the brand name, caliber, weight and type of bullet, she had no clue and said I have to show her where they are, I told her it's right there on the top shelf above the Speer 9mm FMJ. She then made a stupid comment as in...oh, I knew they were here somewhere.The heavy set man had a extremely bad attitude, he made me feel like I'm interrupting his world when I was in the middle of purchasing a rifle, almost as if he didn't want my business. What can improve? Fire these two and hire someone that has some knowledge and a proper attitude. read more

Today at about 5pm, my wife and I witnessed a theft by a customer. This customer was tall. Probably 6'1. Slender build. He had sunglasses and a hoodie to hide his appearance on the security cameras. The person grabbed a handful of items and ran out the door. The employees had noticed this person when he walked in. If I was an employee, I would have watched him and called the police. At the end of the day, none of the employees did anything. Sad. My wife and I also felt at risk witnessing the brazen theft. Big five needs to retrain their employees to be aware any suspicious customers. We will no longer patronize big five location in Alameda. read more

can't even buy ammo the guy is always on break or gone wrost store they need to close this store down literally have sork an needed ammo which is the closest store to me with ammo an couldnt get it this store should be gone read more

I went to this store a few years ago since it was close, down at one corner of So. Shore Shopping Ctr. in Alameda. At the time, they were having a sale. My intent was to find a new sports bag. The one I used to tote laundry to & from the laundromat was well past its prime. The woman at the front desk had a sales assoc. come up, take me to the pertinent part of the store. The selection was a bit sparse, just a few to choose from. However, when he brought down the Puma, in black & silver, from up near the ceiling (for display), I liked it a lot. It's plenty roomy and has several pockets of different sorts (including a very deep one to carry shoes). I've used it nearly every week to haul laundry and it has performed very well, no tearing at all on any seam & black doesn't show soiling. I fully expect to use it for years, as I did with my last one. Well worth the cost. read more

I have never been in a store that sells clothing, and especially bathing suits, that doesn't have a dressing room! I was told they used to have one. But because someone complained the dressing room wasn't ADA compliant, they got rid of the one they had. So instead of making the dressing room ADA compliant, they penalize all the rest of their customers! Basically, my only option was to pay for all the bathing suits I was interested in, take them home, try them on and return the ones I didn't want. Unbelievable! I handed all the bathing suits to a staff person and walked out. It's not the staff persons' fault. It's the corporate office who apparently doesn't care about their reputation. Are they in favor of 2025 and not supporting those with handicaps and anyone else who isn't an able bodied white male? They'd rather lose sales? What gives??? read more

This is a lovely big five when I walked in I was greeted by a young lady named Keyana She also helped me find what I came in the store, looking for down to the exact brand and the exact size and was willing to go search for the ones I needed. I really appreciated all the dedication and hard work. You just don't find customer service like this anymore. I rate this Big 5 5Stars Thanks again Keyana. read more

I've had some great experiences at this store. But, during the most recent visit, the store manager embarrassed my mom. She tried to pay with a check and he made the experience for her challenging. I suggest that Big 5 make sure that all employees are able to communicate with all populations in a positive manner. And it would be helpful if your payment technologies were up to date and worked! read more

Micah was very friendly, professional and knowledgeable. He was able to help my picky son get a pair of hiking shoes he really liked. I was pleasantly surprised about how great the customer care was here. read more

Big 5 Sporting Goods - Boy's Hiking shoes. - Sporting Goods Near Me - Alameda, California

Nice atmosphere, good customer service. Staff is always helpful and suggestions are welcomed.

My Avia sneakers were worn and ragged. I went to Kohl's first because that's where I bought my Avia's. Apparently Kohl's no longer sell the brand (boo hoo), but the very nice saleslady referred me to Big 5 Sporting Goods. I did not see any Avia's on display. I have been wearing this brand for over 15 years because they are the most comfortable sneakers around besides New Balance. Forget Nike, no matter how expensive it is. It takes about 7 to 10 days to break in a pair of Nike for it to become comfortable on my feet (and this was info that was passed to me also many years ago by an employee of Foot Locker). I had a wonderful salesman who was assisting another customer in the shoes department, who was able to multitask to also assist me at the same time. He found a pair of Avia for me (and it was on sale with another 20% off - woo hoo). Well, I also wanted to try on two other brands of sneakers - Dr. Scholl (made in the USA) and Starter. Both those brands were comfortable, too. Since this salesman was very helpful, I ended up buying all three pairs and the total price was great...$113.29 (tax included)...averaging out to less than $40.00 a pair. I love when I land a bargain at Big 5. read more

This store deserves no stars. You will be wasting your time at this store. This store is trash. The employees are trash, especially the tall skinny 110 lbs Latin guy with glasses and a half bun. He hates his job there. He doesn't want to help he's just there talkin to the big guy with the huge belly whose also just standing there. When I went to ask a question he pretty much brushed me off. I was so frustrated I just walked out. If you want to be able to go into a store to steal whatever you want and have not one employee watching or seeing if you need assistance. This is the place to go! read more

Amazing customer service. I lost my receipt and they still let me return the items. Very kind manager. read more

They have frozen squid , anchovies , and worms ! The other 2 Big 5 I went to didn't have that so I appreciate them keeping this stocked in their store. Also was lucky to find some copper ammo for hunting here (6.5 creedmor) read more

I needed a pike pump and decided to go to a local store. I had researched pumps and know what I needed. I got one, took it home and tried to use it. The thumb lever needed two thumbs to make it work. When I took it back to see if that was normal, I spoke with the manager.He said it worked and dismissed me. I guess I was not as important as the customer buying ammunition. read more

Wow. This store was so disappointing. Litter on the floor everywhere, clothing on the racks was not organized at all, impossible to find anything. Needs a deep clean and total reorganization! read more

Will never shop here again. Let this store go into extinction with the dinosaurs. After waiting 20 minutes for help with shoes and waiting another 20 minutes for the shoes. It took 2 hours to get shoes!!! They only had one sweaty hard working staff person helping 5 customers while the other "I'm-too-good-to-help" employees (the manager and the supervisor) is sitting in a chair in the back while I stared at him for help for 20 minutes at the window (nothing) and after an hour and a half the "supervisor" comes to tell me to put shoes away like I'm staff and scolds the only employee that helped me to "not give out shoes". Super lazy Supervisors just didn't want to do their job or help customers. I'll go to Zappos, thanks, I'll probably get my shoes faster, and it's known for good customer service. read more

I have gone there a couple of times to get shoes, and I have felt frustrated everytime. The two men that are supposed to help with getting shoes don't seem to want to be there. I have had to wait for 20 min just to hear them say that they don't have my size. Atleast the two women at the front are friendly, but the guys in the back just seem overwhelmed and confused most of the time. This store can use some help by hiring new clerks and training them to have better customer service. Please don't waste your time and energy on their shoe section. read more

Call to find out if the store had any ammunition the gentleman that answered the phone was rude obnoxious and very disrespectful to customers he spokeor mumbled He hung up on me and I had To call back as I started asking him some questions every question was no no no no no I definitely would not recommend this big 5 store even though it's convenient for me because I live in Alameda I could go elsewhere like cellar anzo I hope the manager of the store recognises who I was speaking to for the corporate office just in case he was a manager root of noxious in pain in the ass I do not recommend this big 5 the sillitti at all read more

I came to this Alameda store approximately 8:10 pm. I had a negative experience with the manager and encountered poor customer service overall, which was in stark contrast to the positive experiences I have had at your other Big 5 stores including the Dublin location. I asked the manager for help finding the 1 day deal sleeping bag that I received an ad for via email. The manager called a team member to assist me, which I appreciated. When this employee came over, I told him I would like the 1 day deal sleeping bag that is rated at 5 degrees and he asked me to pull up the ad. It surprised me that he didn't know it, but didn't bother me too much since I know there are lot of sales, and he helped me get it down once I found the name of the bag on my phone. Then I went over to the sporting arms area. I asked a question about a shotgun that was on sale with the employee behind the register who saw that I needed help. The employee deferred to the manager and the manager then asked me to come over to where he was standing by the front door. He immediately said "Just so you know, I am not selling any shot guns tonight." When I asked him why, he said they need two managers and the store was closing and it would take an hour to process the paperwork. I said okay, but asked him if he could still help answer my questions about the guns they had near they were located since I had questions about multiple guns. He said no. He did not provide a reason say that it was for safety or policy, just that he needed to stand by the door because they were closing in 15 minutes even though I believe the advertised closing time is 9pm and it was about 8:20 pm. I was confused, a bit annoyed, and disappointed since I know sporting arms are in high demand but decided I'd come back later and still wanted to look at weights. After reading a sign about kettle bell prices, I selected a 25 lb one I believed was $45. I took the kettle bell and the sleeping bag, which has a list price of $80, up to the cashier. He rang me up for these and told me they were ~$130. I told him I had a $10 off coupon from my email when you spend $40 or more, but did not understand how this could total $130. He had not rung up the sleeping bag as a 1 day deal, which should have been $30. He asked me to pull this ad up and then the manager pointed out that he had a paper already about the 1 day deal. Then the employee scanned my coupon for the $10 off. Then he asked the manager if the 1 daily deal and the coupon could be used in the same purchase and the manager said they could not. At this point I am frustrated by my experience, but also that I was being overcharged and needed to propose what seemed to propose the solution of ringing up the purchases as two separate transactions. First though, I had noticed that the kettle bell had also rung up more than the price I saw on a sign and pointed that out. The manager goes to get the sign, acknowledged the difference of $5 in price, but then points out the one I have isn't the same brand. They say they don't have that brand at all in stock. I ask how it is that I am supposed to know what the price is of this kettle bell if it is not labeled and the only sign you have is for kettle bells you don't have anymore. The manager then said that I didn't ask for a price check. I pointed out that it seemed odd to me that anytime I would need to get a price on a kettle bell I would have to bring it to the check out. I asked if this seemed customer service oriented, efficient or effective and they said it was not. At no point was there any acknowledgement of a mistake or proactiveness to create an ideal outcome. Instead it felt like I had to advocate to make a purchase or correct advertised pricing and ads. I would have been fine with mistakes at the end of the day, but the attitude of the manager was unfortunate and has made me hesitant to go back to this store. Even when I offered feedback there was defensiveness and a lack of responsibility. I remain unclear when/how I should make a gun purchase even though I have a license. Do I need to call ahead and make sure there are two managers on site? Do I need to go more than an hour before closing? Or should I just go to another store and if I have to go to Alameda, make sure to double check how everything is rung up at the register and triple check my receipt? read more

I went to this big 5 sporting goods at 8:55pm I went straight to the back where the men's shoes One of the employees said that they were close Lazy!!! Employee he really did not want to help me Very bad customer service read more

My cousin is a little bit lighter than me he told him 20 for stuff and I asked for the same thing he said 40 just cause I'm brown don't come here if your brown read more

This Big 5 has a great and friendly sales staff that are very knowledgeable about their stock. They seem to have a very great comprehensive training process. I was able to find exactly what I needed which I was not excepting since they have an incredibly large selection. read more

Big 5 Sporting Goods - Sporting Goods Near Me - Alameda, California

The store manager was a total jerk to me for absolutely no reason. Even customers behind me agreed with me. I have been coming here to buy bullets for some time now and today they asked if I have done the background check. Long story short I was unaware of the new laws, he told me if I didn't purchase a gun in the last year, my background check would be denied. I couldn't remember if I did purchase in the last 4 years. So I asked him what could I do. He said "nothing" I then noticed on the counter was a different option to run my background check for a $20 fee and it would take a few weeks to come back. Why wouldn't he just tell me that instead of telling me this was an option. So I asked him if I could just do the background check, he told me "here take your ID, I'm going to help someone else, I'm not going to deal with you and your attitude" I did absolutely nothing wrong and this is how I was treated. It's Christmas eve and store manager Alex is definitely the grinch of retail management and customer service. All he could have said was the following: if you have purchased a firearm in the last 4 years, the fee will be $1 and your background will come back in a few minutes. If not, the background check is $20 and will take a few weeks. I was going to go back with my husband (who has already completed the process) just to prove a point...but no, this company does not deserve our patronage anymore! read more

I had a very pleasant experience yesterday. The person helping me in shoes was fantastic. i Couldn't decide on the shoe I wanted. He did not complain. It took me a little longer since I had to remove my brace to make sure it felt good. He was extremely helpful with the prices and sizes. Today I came back to exchange for a bigger size. Again, the worker was very nice. I felt bad because he had to keep getting shoes for me. it Was a very good experience. I will be back for my next pair of shoes. read more

Very small selection. Very jam-packed store. If you know exactly what you want and you know they have it , come here and buy it. But if you want to browse through a good selection, go anywhere else. This Big 5 Sporting Goods is about one-quarter the size it should be. read more

Shopping here is like having babies - when you do, it's so awful that you promise yourself you'll never do it again. But then you forget, and you do it again. Cashier staff is mostly mumbly, can't answer questions, don't say hello, look you in the eye, or thank you. My kids would be more professional than what they hire here. Dressing room interior is actually visible from TWO security cameras, is always a mess, and has no hooks, unless you count the sharp, exposed screw ends poking through from an outside wall. I've gotten things I need here, but it's never an enjoyable experience. And certainly it must be 100% illegal that there are security cameras trained INSIDE the dressing room. If I know Target has it, I'll go there instead. But unfortunately there are some things you can only get at Big 5, unless you leave the island. And who wants to do that? read more

See all

Alicia!! You are awesome and super cool- you made our basketball shoe search a pleasant and funny experience. Shopping with 3 teens could be an exasperating project but Alicia - along with her outgoing and "don't-worry- mom-I-got-this attitude!" Made our visit to Big 5 so easy. Even though the selection was limited we found everything we needed and then some. Each athlete found the right shoe and the right style - I was happy with the customer service and competitive pricing. Alicia exercised patience- and wasn't phased with all our demands - even though there were other Customers - she was able to help and get everyone what they needed without delay. Super customer service. Thanks Alicia - we will definitely come back to Big 5 for our sporting good needs. read more

The manager Alex and staff were both extremely helpful as well as knowledgeable about the products they had and what might be coming into stock. Although it was relatively busy, they handled multiple customers with behind the counter request, appropriately, and I believe that myself and multiple other customers left happy with our purchases. I go to Big 5 for all my sporting needs, this Big 5 staff rocks! read more

I have been to just about any big 5 i could find within a 30 mile radius and this happens to be the one closest to my house. They're usually out of stock on a lot, or just don't care enough to replenish shelves or pull something from the back. Majority of the time, the workers seem unimpressed by what they do for a paycheck and could care less to be there. Honestly, whoever is in charge or owns the place here needs to gut the entire team and put some people in place that actually give a damn about customer service and the job that pays them. read more

Other sporting goods fine but I don't like that they sell guns. I shouldn't have been surprised, though, because big 5 is the term for the five major game animals that people used to like to hunt for "sport." No excuse for sport hunting these days. read more

This is one of the few locations left in all of Alameda county where you are still able to purchase a rifle for hunting or personal protection purposes, and overall their prices are reasonable; especially when items make it to their weekly sales ads. I don't tend to buy many sporting good items here because protective gear and accessories can break the bank, but if you stop by at the right times then you can save a bundle with their seasonal closeouts and dramatic mark downs. read more

See all

3 1/2 stars *... Nice little building right next to Alameda Beach and Southshore shopping center. This particular Big 5 has its ups and downs, one up being that it has the majority of the stuff you need if you were planning on going on outdoorsy adventures or if you wanted to check out their gun selections. You can also purchase a gun & fishing license here as well! Other areas include a nice shoe sales area, gym equipment, swim wear, athletic clothing, and one fitting room. The downside of this place is that everything seems kind of cluttered, everything is everywhere so you really gotta keep looking around to find some of the things you need... like today I found a top I wanted near the gym equipment area like what??? Any-who, service can be a hit or miss. Some days they'll acknowledge you and ask you if you need assistance and other days they'll just walk right past you. Customer service is a big one for me, like if I was the manager I would try some team building skills for them or something cause nobody in there seems to communicate to each other. There's usually one or two cashiers up front, but usually one of the two is busy at the gun selection area so there can be long lines which can get very unpleasant. Aside from their slow services sometimes, they're generally friendly. I will return back to this location because I don't feel like driving all the way to Dick's sporting goods and there's a lot of other stores for you to shop at around there so that's a plus! read more