Quick and efficient service. Easy in and out. (always a plus in the Bay Area) The grandson wanted a new basketball. Off to Big 5. We were directed to the product as we entered the store. Good selection. Also easily found wiffle balls, another grandson "need." read more

Beyond horrific experience. Will stop shopping at Big 5. Bought a Coleman queen air mattress and pump at another Big 5 and the pump came in its own box. Both new and never used. The mattress probably came with pinhole so didn't hold air in. Used up a credit so didn't keep the receipt. Always keep the receipts from this store. Andreas, a manager when I called to explain the situation said he could give me a $30 gift card. But when I got there, I waited about 45 minutes and he didn't give me a refund. He gave me a receipt at my request since I didn't want to go to that store again, saying I left both there for customer service to resolve the next day...figured he could mail me a gift card as promised. The Big 5 store where I bought it understood the situation and apologized for the way I was treated because the actual manager, Matt, hung up on me 4 times and each call was the same: he didn't listen to me and told me to call their customer service and then hung up on me. When I was told by Coleman to take a photo of the items so that they could give me the proper customer service...nobody at the store would take a photo of my items for me. But Matt didn't stay on the phone long enough to hear it. I'm now thinking that's because they tossed the items long before my month deadline expired. Coleman took care of me anyway. April 22 I brought the items to this store and Jessica in customer service told me that I had a month to resolve the issue, not necessarily pick it up as non profits have pick up schedules. Several days before the month ended, I found very appropriately, an abuse shelter who would pick up both items once they had a team member to make the 45 minute trip to do so. I notified the store and customer service before the deadline of the plan that a non profit would be picking them up so they had no right to toss my items. I let the store know on Friday 5/29 that someone was on the way from San Jose (within a week of the deadline within which the plan had to be communicated, as Jessica abruptly mandated) and gave the store the heads up. Andreas couldn't find it and after so many lies and being hung up on so many times, and Jessica not listening and talking over me when I tried to correct her with accurate info, I figured that when he said he would look for it and let me know...that I would never hear. So today, my last call with Jessica, the manager of Big 5 customer service, she defended their action to toss my items since there was a pinhole leak (which they knew from the beginning as I told them so and it was sold that way; I think it was a prior return) and reneged on her prior comment that I had to let them know within the month...not picked up within the month. So I got the expected answer from her when I asked her to send a new queen air mattress and pump to this shelter and here's their address. She verbally attacked me. Now off to call the shelter...and let them know the unconscionable ending. Before I end this you should know that I called at least 5 other Big 5 CA stores for the regional/district manager's name and contact information and none would share it...so abusive managers can get away with their behaviors and their bosses never find out. So regional managers Paul Stockdale (No. CA) and Frank Golden (So. CA), make your contact info known if customers ask so that you can get the best store managers and staff who aren't afraid of accountability, truth and good customer service. read more

LOVE Big 5!! Great selection and definitely has saved me when I needed some last minute sports items that my kids needed!

Andrew was extremely helpful and patient while assisting me with fishing gear. When I asked a manager for help, he only pointed to the cheapest telescoping pole and mentioned that their fishing supplies weren't very stocked, then walked off. Andrew, on the other hand, took the time to explain options and made the whole experience easy and pleasant. Great customer service from him! read more

Great customer service and willing to go in to the back to look for items needed appreciate it

Great customer service. Wide selection. Very good prices on most products. Went there for children's inline skates.

Oh my god, worst customer service ever. There is a girl there who was so rude and aggressive.

Ok, so given that schools are closed and the library is closed and the park is closed and all kid sports and activities are canceled, I realized that I could not wait for Amazon to ship me a basketball hoop. I found one on the Big 5 website, called this location, and was very politely told that it could take a while to find the hoop in the back. After a few minutes they offered to call me back if they found it, which I happily agreed to even though I was enjoying the hold music. Later in the day I got a call from them saying they had found it, and agreed to hold it for me until I could pick it up. I drove up to the store, and they brought it out to my car and loaded it for me. I picked up an extra basketball for myself (we just have a small one for our six year old at home) - it was on sale and also came with a rebate. I got a 10% coupon to use next time. The staff were very helpful and seemed happy to help on a slow day. The store itself is dense with racks of clothes and lots of sporting equipment; sales seem to be quite common at the old RWC location and this one is no different. I've assembled four of the five steps, our sanity over the next few weeks depends on me finishing it and getting it out onto our driveway for our kids and our neighbor's kids. Then we can do social distancing and work on our shooting at the same time! read more

It's nice to have a sports store right in the neighborhood. This store isn't huge but has enough inventory to get you going. There's a lot of women's and men's apparel , shoes and equipment ...whether you're in yoga, softball, Pickleball, swimming, tennis, jogging. Pilates, etc. Choices are limited but what they have is adequate. If you're done with malls, give this place a try. read more

Big 5 Sporting Goods - Well stocked - Sporting Goods Near Me - San Mateo, California

I asked the black guy cashier for assistance and he said "go look for someone else I'm busy now" lmao LoL I came to him for assistance and he could have called another coworker to help me but he said " to go find someone else" what a clown LoL fire him now ‍ ‍ ‍ 3/8/24 read more

Yuck. I shop here sometimes for my kids' equipment, but I never enjoy it. Store is always a mess and feels dirty. The staff can be moderately helpful, but I've also experienced really rude service. More often, I have a horrible time even locating a store employee. I didn't love having to explain to the 3-year-old why there were guns in a place where we were buying tiny soccer cleats. But the main reason for the 2 stars is that it's dirty. read more

WOW!!!!! Dante is "Fantabulous"! His customer service and communication skills are excellent. He is knowledgeable, friendly, professional, kind and made our shopping experience incredible. Thank YOU Dante! read more

They are pretty good. Sometimes a bit understaffed, but they do try and that is a lot more than I'll give other, similar merchants.

Big 5 is going down. They used to have great products at good prices. But they are horribly managed. More than half the time they have one day sales and I go to get that item I am told the manager is not there. They sometimes have great advertised 1 day deals on ammo but 3 times I've been here to make a purchase I'm told the manager isn't there and they are the only person that can sell the ammo. Great 1 day sale right? Spend a few more bucks and goto dicks or bass pro. read more

Every time I go here I see cashiers that are unfriendly and rude to some extend. It really discourage me to go back to this place

Look, the thing is, I want to support brick and mortar stores, I really do. But every time I go to this Big 5 I can't find an employee to help me. Dude, hire more employees. Also, it daily looks like the day after Thanksgiving. Like a sports supply hoarder opened a store. Dude, hire more employees. The good part? You can find some sick deals on marked down shoes. read more

This is my local big 5 and it is a pretty good location. I one time had to return a basketball because it had a hole in it and the employee helping me was super easy to communicate with and didn't give me a hassle. My only complaint would be that sometimes there would only be one person at the checkout area which would create a line that sometimes would be really long to wait in. Other than that, this is a great place to buy sporting equipment. read more

This is the filthiest sporting goods store I have ever been in!! And the lady cashier couldn't be bothered to get her ass off the stool she was sitting on to get us a big bag for our two pairs of shoes (amounting to $168.00) so she told us " we're out of large bags right now--REALLY at Christmas time --this store needs to get reorganized from the top down--DESPICABLE!!! I will never shop in this store again!! I do want to compliment the young man in the shoe department. He had great customer service skills! read more

This Big 5 is very different from the one in Menlo Park - a bit smaller and a little cramped feeling - but the service is always good. I've never had a question that couldn't be answered in a professional and cheerful manner. Even though the store is on the smallish side, the selection is pretty good. I usually come here to buy running shoes. They carry a couple of kinds of New Balance and their pricing is far better than the local Sports Authority. The only thing I really dislike about this store is the parking lot. It's tiny and really tough to navigate in a big truck. Otherwise, this is a good place for your sporting good needs. TIP: Park at the mall and walk over. You'll save your doors and bumpers. read more

I got my first pair of self-purchased running shoes here 21 years ago. Black and white Nike's from a mind reading sales person. Said I wanted a new pair of running shoes. He looked at my feet, then at my face and said he would be right back. He reappeared with the perfect pair of running shoes for me and somehow guessed my size correctly. Great moment. Hard to forget. I was way too young at the time to understand that I could put in a good word with management. But I was immensely grateful as I was walking several hours a day at the time. Thanks to Yelp I finally get to share this even though it was quite some time ago. Every business is really just as good as the people who work there. Appreciate your good people and everything else falls into place. read more

Awesome store with a bad manager! :( Been coming to this store for over 3 decades. Never had a problem, but if you have to deal with a manager whose name is Ed, you might as well just pack it up and go somewhere else. Bad attitude and arrogant guy. Not sure if I just caught him on a bad day or he had just given up processed sugars. But he makes me never want to go in that place again. Which is too bad because the rest of the staff has always been awesome in every way. Hope they get rid of him soon. read more

I can say this was by far one of the most painstaking shopping experiences I have ever had in this store. I came in with the intentions of purchasing a sporting rifle. I come inside with the intentions of purchasing one as I have done numerous times in the past in this location. My girlfriend and I come to the gun counter to be greeted by what seems like a lively assistant manager ready to assist us in any way he possibly can. After browsing through a few products with his assistance both my girlfriend decide on which ones we wanted. Now for the paperwork.... Previously working at an establishment that had specialized in such wares that I have came in to purchase that day I am pretty familiar with how the process works. It took over an hour EACH person to simply fill out a DRoS with Jose, the assistant manager. It was ridiculous how clueless at the process he was being one of only the two people allowed to handle such transactions in the store. We finally were able to pay for our purchases and be on our merry way after a miserable 3 hour wait to fill out 2 sheets of paper. She was the first one to pick up her good. We entered the store and came to the gun counter to finish the process and were greeted again by Jose. According to Jose at that moment he explained to us how he was 'too busy' to finish the buy process that we had to already wait 10 days for because what we were asking him to do was going to take over one hour and thirty minutes, according to Jose. Even assuming that it would (which is utter bullshit, it does not take anything more than 15 minutes if your IQ is higher than your own shoe size), you don't blow away a customer because you 'don't have the time'. It finally took him a bit over an excrutiating hour to get it done. Today I came in to pick up my good. I was told on the phone by the assistant manager, again Jose that as long as I came before 1800 I would be able to pick it up. (Because I can only come between a certain time to pick up something I paid for when they are open way later than that). I come in to being told by the store manager, Ed, that I would have to wait because someone had just left on lunch. Seriously, what the actual fuck, man?! It finally took me over an hour to process what should have taken no more than 15 minutes. Bring Bill back. read more

Store is a mess- everything is crammed together and not really organized well. Staff does not seem particularly friendly. Also god forbid you have to pee while shopping here; they have a restroom but they will only let you use it if you're "disabled, or you know a lady with a little kid or something." Yeah thanks, I'll go somewhere else. read more

This location has horrible customer service. I called to check on an item to see if it was in stock and was told "you're going to have to hold". I then spoke to a manager that told me the same thing in a very rude tone and put me on hold for a very long time until I decided to hang up. I won't be shopping here anymore. read more

Place to buy snow sleds, kickballs, and guns. Lots of guns. The staff doesn't seem very well trained to dispense potentially lethal firearms to the general public or young adults. Very helpful when shopping for camping equipment and a pack of gum for the long ride however, so 2 stars! read more

Big 5 Sporting Goods - Very handy tips Re: Big 5 ways to keep your kids safe from guns. Please share! Xoxo - Sporting Goods Near Me - San Mateo, California

Overall, this location has exactly what you need for your sporting good needs. Although it may seem a little bit outdated, they have everything you need in stock. The manager During the daytime helped me find exactly what I was looking for in terms of shoes, the right size basketball, and accessories. It made for a very nice gift for my husband. The manager was definitely exceptional. read more

The worst store that i ve ever encountered. No one cares about customer. One one really cares about helping customer. I am surprised this store still survive with this level of customer service. I will never come back. read more

This place has gone downhill over the years! This is a chain store yet they cannot get stuff from other locations. Living in San Mateo and needing a pair of hiking boots and a tent I went in and when they did not have the two items I needed I was directed to drive to Redwood City for the tent and Daly City for the hiking shoes, REALLY? They said they could "request" them but it takes 2 weeks and again suggested going to the store. OH and do not TRY to return anything to another location that is impossible, the store has to call the other store, manager to manager and they have to exchange missle launch codes. read more

I agree with alot of people here that the services really sucks!! I returned a fishing reel one time and the assistant manager some girl with an accent, gave me the sale price of the item for the return, when I paid full price. There is also some wierd little latin girl who always wears rubber gloves who never says thank you, or even speaks to you in a whole sentence! She's like a robot with ACNE! When ever they have sales on shoes they only have the sizes for the wierdos like 13 EEE or a 6 slim. LOL! Yes the prices are high selection is low!!!, and the service below average! For now on I will head to Redwood City and check out their selection. read more

Came here on black Friday. As early as I went, there was good customer service. They were all awake and ready to help.

Pro: cheap shoes if they happen to have your size in stock Con: way understaffed: there never seems to be any one around to answer questions or check to see if they have a shoe in your size; it took me over 10 minutes to return something yesterday because only the manager can do returns and she was on the phone Summary: If you have an infinite amount of time, you might be able to save a few bucks. read more

If I want to make a quick stop at a Sporting Goods Store, I come here. Big 5 always has a weekend sale special going on. If you need a shotgun, they always have a good deal on that type of firearm every week. The Managers (Jason, Julie, and Janice) and the employees are very friendly and helpful. read more

I am writing today regarding a situation which I experienced today at The Big 5 Store in San Mateo, CA. It saddens me to write this letter as I was a former employee of this store back in the 90s and have been a loyal customer both before and after my employment. Today, February 15th 2021 I went into Big 5 looking for some snow pants for myself and my children. I decided to do a very impromptu trip to our friends cabin in Arnold with my kids. We needed snow pants so I decided to come into your store and purchase some pants. I called ahead first to see if you had some pants, and the woman who answered the phone said that there were only a couple of pairs left. I asked her if she wouldn't mind, could she just please go and check to see if there was an adult small and an adult medium. She returned promptly and let me know that she did have both but they were both $80. I tried to thank her, but she had already hung up on me. I headed down to the store to see what they had available. Upon arriving, and NOT being greeted I walked around the store looking for some options. I found a rack with lots of different options - all starting at $29.99. The sizes were in mens sizes starting at 30, so perhaps she did not know how to translate S/M/L to 30/32/34/36... simple mistake. No big deal. However where she came up with the pricing was interesting. Little to say, I was able to find three pairs of pants which I thought might work for myself and both of my kids. They were all the exact same brand, same style, the only difference LITERALLY were the color. Here is what happened next. I am just going to put it into a quick summary (I will try to): - Cashier rang them up - I reminded her that I had a coupon (in store coupon 10% off on sale items, 20% off non sale items) - Cashier very flustered - Starts getting upset about the computer - Asks me if it's ok if I pay in 2 separate transactions - I say sure (this is after she has already rang things up about 3 separate times now) - She rang up my pants and they were ALL different prices $29/$34/$39 - I told her that they should all be $29 - She looked at the prices, the pants and then said she needed to go and ask her manager - Me, understandable - Manager over at the gun counter, looking up pricing - Poor lady in line behind me only has one item - Manager comes over to me and tries to start to talk through the pricing - I kindly asked him to please ring up the woman behind me because she only has 1 item - Manager explains to me that "what has happened" is that the one pair of pants ($29) must have been here in our store for a long time so the pricing is old. So, he can honor that one price at $29, but the other prices are as is. - I said, "I use to work her many years ago, and I don't remember it ever being like that". - Manager's response "Well I have been here for 5 years and that is the way I was trained and my manager has been her for 15 years and that is the way he was trained". - I said "wow, ok so that is the final pricing"? - He said "yes" - I had him ring up my coupon and left the store. On my way leaving, I thought .... you know what - this just does not feel right. Pandemic or not. Former employee or not. He did not have good customer service. He did not even take into consideration that perhaps, there was mistake. However, as any GOOD manager knows in the service industry, at the end of the day - the customer is always right. Even if it sucks. Now, granted you are in the product industry - however, he was NOT a good representation of the Big 5 Brand. When I worked there, it was my first job out of high school. I remember bring on the microphone during the holidays and making up fun "in store commercials" about the sales we would have going on. I would be on the microphone at the end of the night letting our customers know .... "Thank you for shopping with us tonight... we will be closing in a BIG 5 MINUTES". These are the wonderful, along with so many more memories I have of the brand, but also THIS STORE. Now, I have this horrible taste in my mouth. I decided to call the store almost immediately when I left. I asked for the manager. I started off my conversation by "was this the gentleman who was just at the cashier stand".... he said yes. I also mentioned that I was not a "KAREN" - the new term of the pandemic. I offered him some kind advice ... LITERALLY kind advice about customer service and how I felt as if he did not even thank me or offer me the same/lower price for the items. This was not correct and he should have honored that price. I send all of my clients and have always recommended Big 5 to everyone. I own a softball academy and work with all of the local softball and baseball leagues. His response was something of the sort. He told me that I was comparing his tenure now to my referrals .... that my expectations of his customer service were just not true and unrealistic. I was blown away. THERE IS MORE. read more

Some good items available. No help, so make sure you can just grab what you need and leave.

Don't go here much, maybe just for a few firearm cleaning supplies. Prices are a bit high on general items compared elsewhere, especially ammunition. Best time to get stuff here are during sales. Got several 5pk cans of dunlop tennis balls for $2. Firearms also priced decent but only during sales. Bought a mosinnagant here, and overall customer service is best when talking to the managers. many employees may see their job as just a job, but the managers take pride in their work and are knowledgeable. read more

This place is lame, spend your hard-earned dollars elsewhere. I went by a few weeks back looking for a Remington 870 (only the most ubiquitous pump action shotgun in America) and they didn't have any in stock somehow. The guy refused to place an order for one and just said to check back later, they apparently won't place an order for anything less than $700. At least he did recommend waiting for the real thing instead of going for a Mossberg, I agree on that point. I went back today looking for a Ruger Blackhawk air rifle. They had one, but it was marked up to $235!! They go for $99 on Amazon with free shipping. I can understand a slight markup at a brick-and-mortar location, but over $100 is kind of ridiculous. I mentioned the price difference to the guy and he just kinda shrugged, clearly eager for me to be on my way. If you want to discourage me from spending money in your store, I'm happy to oblige. I quickly scanned a few other items around the store like fishing tackle, outdoor clothing, Leathermans, etc., everything is marked up way too high. For those prices you could just go down the road to REI and get some decent gear from a good company instead of wasting time here. read more

First of all, the manager of the store was horrible. She would not even let my 11 year old son hold an unloaded BB gun unless we purchased it. She overall was just a grump with a bad attitude read more

Last time an employe from big 5 was being racist the last time I went to look at the shoes. I did not like the attitude this employe had. He was being nice and kind to this other guy who wasn't Latino like I was. Big 5shouldnt have employers who are racist or who have favorism towards peoples race. read more

Went here cuz I had a gift certificate of sorts, and wanted to get a set of free weights, and admittedly, though this was in my more fit days, not only did I walk out with the weights, which they had the neoprene type I wanted, they're an unexpected treasure trove of all fitness/exercise stuff, plus all sorts of other stuff, e.g. pink mace, which ended buying as well :-) Their name really doesn't do it justice, because it's one of those places you can easily browse and get lost in, in the best way possible. The prices are fine and service is about what you'd expect, decent. read more

This place is an absolute dump, crap everywhere, service is terrible. I can't wait until all of the Big 5's go out of business. Tried to return something with a receipt and they would only give store credit. Go to SportsBasement instead. read more