I have been coming for over 20 yrs. I just tried to remove a review from 2008 which reflected how busy staff is-not great review. It is so far in past- the yelp robot also removed the other 5 star reviews of Big % I had written including one in 2020 when covid was locking everyone down and they carefully kept open supplying weights and other workout items so people can remain sane and healthy. I am currently on a shoe hunt- I shop her eoften-- the staff are so thoughtful and kind. Thank you read more

Great value for the most part. In a not so great neighborhood. Felt a bit unsafe. Customer service was amazing they were really helpful and good. read more

When a store closes early during posted business hours, it really screws up customers who drive to the store to buy something read more

Big 5 Sporting Goods - Store not open during regular business hours. - Sporting Goods Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I caught this turned out to be the manager , literally with his hands wrist deep in my jacket pocket and iasked what was going on he acted like he didnt hear do i asked "ehy in the eff he was going through my ish?" He replied " this is a high theft store and I said maybe it is.. but it does not give you the right to dig through my things and I said he zhoukd hook it up for the mistake he said he heard a Anti theft tag rattling in my coat while I was changing out which made absolutely no sense. And he was still trying to kick me out . And asked why and he said if I walked through the door it'd veep. I said if it don't could i have a few few items and he said yeh and we walked through with no beeps! And he still denied me My items. So I asked for yhe manager because I'm no rat and would never call the police but I'd let his boss know. And he laughed and said he was the manager​ read more

Haven't patronized a big 5 in many many years. Needed some snow pants ASAP. Selection was great and prices very reasonable. Customer service not the best. 4 workers standing around and they are trying to figure out if I'm a thief or not. You would think they'd be a little more excited to see a real customer. If you can't afford the other places this is the place to go. read more

I bought sub some bullets at the big 5 store In Renton but they Didn't work in my pistol so I tried to take them back or exchange them I think it's store stupid that your basically forced to buy the Shit because they dont take it back even with a receipt hella stupid read more

After calling and visiting multiple big box stores, looking for inner tubes, I finally lucked out at big 5. The store was busy but as I walked in the cashier said hello to me. They had lots of summer floats still available in early august (everywhere else has switched over to back to school- upsetting on so many levels!) I found my tubes though they were a lot more money than what I'd pay at Walmart and they were that kind of quality. The cashier was great and made me feel welcome as I checked out. This place seems like preteens would spend a fortune here in sports gear! read more

Big 5 Sporting Goods - 9.99$ inner tubes - Sporting Goods Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I needed a fishing license and I couldn't get it because their computer system didn't work. Then I asked if my 10 year old daughter could use the restroom and they said no. Thanks for absolutely nothing. read more

Terrific customer service in a classic Big 5 setting - I'll go out of my way to keep coming back

Poor (or no?) customer service. I went in to buy a jacket that was hanging up out of reach. The employee at the front counter said he could not leave his post to come help me get the jacket down. The reason (as far as I could tell) was that a homeless person was wandering around aimlessly. The employee was literally just watching this person. I stood for a long time waiting and finally just left the store. I am sure that theft was the fear here. But seriously, I was actually planning on buying something. So, lost a sale. read more

I have a love-hate relationship with this place. I love the prices but hate the service. Whenever my kids need athletic shoes we go there because the same Nikes that sell for $75 elsewhere are 45 at big five. Same with jackets, bathing suits, sports equipment etc. But sometimes it's like pulling teeth to get somebody to help find something or grab shoes. More than once there have been several people near the register talking and we've asked for help and they kind of looked at us like... Did I say you could talk to me? My kid almost went into the back and found the shoes himself he was so disgusted by the poor customer service. And the stores not that big so when I ask for help in finding something, it would be lovely for them to show me where the item is instead of giving a vague "it's over there". read more

Store is not bad. It has most things one might need and has good sales every week. That staff is friendly and wants to help. However, some of the store isn't well laid out. I was looking for exercise bands and they had them spread out all over the place. I have only ever had to return a couple of things and it was no-hassle. I'd give it 4 stars but the prices are hit/miss in terms of matching other stores with similar offerings. read more

Big 5 Sporting Goods - Sporting Goods Near Me - Seattle, Washington

A good salesman, a good human being makes all the difference. Now that it seems that most of the Big 5 Sporting Goods has closed, one doesn't have that many options. The man who helped me, a young Caucasian man, whose name I didn't catch, was indefatigable, well-informed, honest, and very patient as I tried on four different pairs of cross-training shoes and he brought out at least six different boxes so I could find the best fit. That said, I was annoyed by the younger associate, a student I'm assuming. As a person of color myself, I was in particular annoyed by this young black man's attitude that I was in the way of his carrying on a conversation about his favorite basketball team (with the slightly older Caucasian man). This is no fluke, as I have been in the same kind of situation has occurred repeatedly in Seattle: racial minority, usually black, in an insolent manner, assumes racial privilege ("I don't have to be friendly or polite. And I can fu--- around all I like."). And liberal white guilt acquiesces. That said, the store, though jammed packed with things, is a good place to shop for athletic shoes, with a wide, representative variety of styles that include the major manufacturers. read more

We've been in there twice and have been followed around by employees. It's very annoying. We can't enjoy ourselves shopping in your store coz you got your annoying employee staring at us. Get a surveillance camera and leave us alone! read more

I used to shop here a lot for inexpensive running apparel. They seemed to carry quite a bit of Nike and Under Armour and it used to be on sale. Cute stuff, even. But lately, every time I've been in- they just haven't had too much for less. Most of the stuff that is on sale is horribly hideous. When Nike and Under Armour go on sale again in styles I'm not embarrassed to work out in, I'll be a happy camper. So why is it still A-OK? They've never let me down in the 'cleats, shin guards, soccer socks, batting gloves, socks, GOO' departments. The prices are reasonable and they've always got lots of stock. The service here? Super helpful. More helpful than any other Big 5, which makes me happy this place is in the 'Llard. 3 stars for Big 5. Woot. read more

The coolest thing about this Big 5 is that it shares a parking lot with a creepy looking lingerie store. So, while your wife is picking out a sexy nightie you can do some window shopping for a new composite bow. I went to this Big 5 for the first time earlier today, but it easily could have been any of the dozen or so different Big 5s that I've visited over the course of my 30 years on this planet. They all have the exact same things in stock, and I'm pretty sure they haven't updated their stock since sometime around 1985... in fact, now that I think about it, maybe the "5" in Big 5 is a nod to the year they stopped introducing new inventory. Anyhow, while I was there, I bought a Fun Ball. It looks like a wiffle ball, but the packaging claims it is an "official baseball-size fun ball." The packaging also points out that there is "one per bag." Something that may not be readily apparent being that its a clear plastic bag containing one ball. I'm also pretty sure I shouldn't taunt it. But, yeah. Big 5. read more

Shopping for new runners is a traumatic experience - right up there with watching my neighbor's dog eat my other neighbor's cat poo, then try to lick his owner's face. But when my left "wee wee wee all the way home" pinky toe finally poked a hole through my running shoes I knew it was time to get a replacement. After years of blowing a bunch of money on top notch runners, old age, bad knees and apathy have dulled my running ambitions, which is how I ended up in a Big 5 looking for mediocre running shoes. Big 5 doesn't have a deep selection of running shoes/cross trainers, but they carry a few brands. I guess this is how the store works - as *the* place for the lackadaisical or beginner sports person. Everything from tennis to running to soccer and even fishing and hunting. People have complained about the service, but I found the guy in the shoe dept (who also doubles as the guy in the soccer dept, the guy in the clothing dept, and the greeter) to be pretty knowledgeable about running shoes and the different characteristics of various brands. However, when another sales guy was asked, "Are you helping someone?" by a customer, he only replied, "Yes", and then went about his business, completely ignoring said customer. Not a, "let me find you someone else who can help", or, "I'll be with you in just a minute". At the check out, a mother (the one who'd asked for help from the above salesguy and received none) asked the cashier whether the soccer ball she was purchasing (at the tune of $80.00) was meant for an 8-year old. The cashier simply read the instructions on the box and said, "Says here it's meant for 7-10 year olds, so it's within the age range." Even after all of that, the mother purchased not only the ball, but also a small tin of candy that cost $1.50. Big 5, I think you exist, because of your customers' good nature and gullibility. PS: I'm not crazy about my new runners, but for less than half the price of the kid's soccer ball, I can't complain. read more

I bought a great (and cheap!!) pair of athletic shoes here that have lasted me quite a long time. They are great for jogging and they also kept my feet in tact for my back-to-back 11 and 15.5 hour days at Disneyland earlier this month. So lots of stars for that! Generally, however, prices for things can be pretty high. They have decent sales once in a while and I am a huge fan of the shoe clearance area, but prices for regular-priced items are often far more than I want to pay. The nice thing about this location is that it's never been crowded. Perhaps everyone is at the adult shop next door instead...? read more

Ugh....I agree with Yelp user Taffy K. on this one... WORST customer service ever! I bought a tennis racket at the U-district Big 5 and asked if it was returnable and the store manager and clerk both said "yes, as long as it's within 30 days of purchase and you have your receipt". Great! And as most people do... I tried out the product to see if I liked it (who doesn't? especially if you're buying a tennis racket). Well, since I live closer to Ballard I decided to return the racket to this location. When it came to my turn, the clerk called over the associate store manager who "thoroughly" examined the racket, in detail (assuming to look for any minuscule damage) and finally pointed out a tiny scratch on one side of the racket which made it "non-returnable" and "not re-sellable". THEN, she proceeded to say "oh, you ripped the plastic labeling off so I can't resell it". WHAT?? Couldn't you have just said that in the first place instead of nit-picking at the tiny, almost non-existent scratches? My husband wanted to ask her a few questions about the return policy and consistency across stores but without hesitation, she turned away immediately and began helping the next customer. RUDE! Finally, the clerk (bless her heart for her patience) saw that we wanted to continue speaking to the manager, called for her attention. We asked the questions. Her reply--- "it is YOUR responsibility to go online and read our return policy"... and immediately turned away again. Wow... just wow. Never again am I stepping into this Big 5 location. read more

I've only had one experience with Big 5, but Dave in the shoe department made this a 5 star experience for me. I was looking for Tennis shoes, for playing tennis. i wanted to support the local indie tennis store, Avanti, but they simply didn't have any shoes that fit me. So, I headed to Big 5. i told Dave about my game, and my foot size, and the first shoe he suggested was an ideal fit, which I bought. i appreciated his knowledge about the fit and performance characteristics of each shoe shoe that Big 5 carried. He was able to help 3 customer simultaneously, without any of us feeling neglected. 5 stars for Dave in the shoe department! read more

Went in for some soccer gear for my kids. No staff contact, and though I was clearly looking and not finding what I was there to find, no offer to help ever came. Staff were not engaged with other customers, just seemed to have no motivation to sell any goods or provide minimal customer service. The staff did show me and my kids to their restroom (in the back of the store, not readily accessible to the public) and my son immediately said he wouldn't touch anything in the restroom and that it stank, which was understandable and true. Overall, about what I expect from Big 5, which is the at the lowest end of retail sporting goods. If I knew of other places to go, I'd skip it. read more

Same stuff you can get other places, but at Big 5 it's probably 30% less. Hurray! Plus the staff is pretty available and helpful considering the bargain-basement atmosphere of the store (think uber-narrow aisles and lots of stacking. It's a good thing that it's a sporting goods place because I don't know how a fat person could navigate in there). I took off a star because they sell guns. Don't like that? Well then go eat some raw meat or whatever it is that gun-owners do to relieve stress. But seriously...you need a rifle in Ballard for what exactly? Sniping at your rival gang in Magnolia? read more

I was shopping around trying to find a few specific items and called Fred Meyer's near here and they were completely clueless. I was looking for a trigger lock or a cable lock for example they had no idea what I was talking about. I called these guys and they knew exactly what I was talking about but weren't sure if they sold them so went to check for me and turns out they do. They were super knowledgeable and were able to tell me exactly which one I would deed. I would definitely recommend the store for sporting good needs. read more

I needed a light set of weights. It took me a while to find them in here, since the place is kind of a zoo, and once i found them I had to actually get to them, which involved climbing over wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too many boxes of yoga mats. This place is definitely no-frills but who cares? I got what I wanted on the cheap. (Also points to the cashier for having a sense of humor when I responded to her "Happy Easter!" with a bitchy "Thanks, happy Passover.") read more

Not so much a review as a quick tale of sharp practice. Which is something I've never experienced before here. Hubby gets almost all his sports gear here. There's generally a good selection, and the prices can be simply AMAZING. The staff is friendly and helpful. Their parking lot is Irritation Central (it's a tiny dead-end U-shape without much space to turn) but is that their fault? No! It is not! So, normally, KUDOS to this place. Then we went to buy hubby some boots this past Saturday and I was pretty much shocked by what happened. Here goes: We walk in, cruise over to the shoe section, look around, find two selections: 1 pair of low-rise boots for $27, and a second, taller, pair for $29. Both pairs are on the wall - not in the "self serve" area on the floor. So we catch a staffer's eye, and he says "Someone will be right over." She was. She took the two display boots, went in the back, brought us out two boxes. Hubby tries on both pair, settles on the $29 boots, we say "We'll take these," and walk up to the cash register. Where we are charged FORTY bucks for the $29 boots. I say, "I think those were on sale for $29?" The clerk calls back to Shoe Dep't Lady who helped us, "Can you check?" Shoe Dep't Lady rummages on the wall and holds up what looks to me like an identical display boot, bearing a bright yellow sales tag on it - marked $40! This cannot be right, I am thinking. So I say, "I'll go check," and I walk over to the display wall and lo! There is the display boot we gave to Shoe Dep't Lady - clearly marked $29. "No," says Shoe Dep't Lady, "those aren't all leather. You asked for the all leather model." "No, I asked for these, I'm sure!" I reply. "The $29 boots." Which I now notice have some fabric construction. The ones in the box on the counter at the register - the ones Shoe Dep't Lady foisted off on us - were indeed marked $40, and are all leather. But they are NOT the ones we asked to try on. So in other words - classic bait and switch. There's no way it wasn't a case of Shoe Dep't Lady making the decision to pull out the more expensive pair and then, when questioned, show us (and the clerk, and all the other waiting customers) the HIGHER priced display boot, to try and either shame or railroad us into buying the more expensive pair. It was weird. I was clearly a railroad job... but for eleven bucks? WTF? Just left a bad taste in my mouth. And nothing I'd normally have associated with this place. Maybe the economy really is that bad. Sheesh. read more

It's summer and you are not stocked with summer outdoor activity accessories. What kind of sporting goods store are you? Don't be like sports authority and get shut down read more

While I was shopping, an incompetent employee (I believe his last name was Nathan?) profiled a black male customer, immediately accusing him of theft and aggressively cornering him with assistance from his coworker. The employee then called the police to report theft (the man had NOT stolen anything at this point) and gave a description of his car and license plates. DO NOT SHOP HERE. They harass and discriminate against black shoppers. read more

Rreally good prices and merch, but the employees seems not to care about you. Very nice store :]

Bought a pair of $44 shoes with a defective sole and tried to return the item. I didn't have a receipt, they were nice enough to let me exchange the item, but I was charged a $7 fee because I didn't have a receipt. read more

Worst customer service ever! Last week I bought a pair of snow pants and gloves for my vacation that since got canceled. When I went in to return these items the store manager came out from the back room, glanced at the snow pants and turned to me to say I couldn't return them because the had pet hair on them and they were not in resale condition. They had ONE PIECE of dog hair on them and have never been used it worn! A far cry from not re-sellable. I took the items to another store and returned them with NO PROBLEM. Thanks for nothing Big 5 in Ballard! You've lost a good customer! If I could give zero stars, I would. read more

Ok selection, but not very good service. Found what we needed, but most of the employees were chatting around the cash register when we showed up. When employees do try and help, they end up being quite hover-y and annoying. read more

Big Disappointment Being a large box sporting goods store I figured why not check with them for a few items anytime I'm about to leave for a festival or camping etc. From camping stove fuel to tent pole repair kits, they don't have it. Seems like no matter what I need, Big 5 doesn't carry it or is out at the moment. The most consistent thing about this place is their acute lack of knowledge over their product inventory. On more than three occasions I've looked up an item online, found their website to indicate where an item is located locally only to show up to said store and learn no such item exists at that location while talking with a sales associate that is all palms. I even had one of these people look up on "their" computer's inventory tracker to find that the item appeared to be available at another store's location, a mere 35 minute drive away. Although I had to ask in three different ways I did eventually get the sales person claiming my item was available at another location to call THAT location to verify the computer's information was indeed accurate and guess what? Low and behold, it wasn't! Glad I knew about their reputation for incompetence lest I make the 35 minute drive and add ANOTHER paragraph to this review. Last visit (literally) I found myself waiting in line behind someone buying a fishing license. While not at the sporting goods counter an 11 minute conversation ensued as the register jocky poorly attempted to explain the differences and limitation of the various licenses providing full story narratives (let's say for example you and your family decide that you want to go fishing for trout but on the way change your mind and head to the beach to dig for clams, well THEN). After watching 5 customers get checked out on the other side of the counter I made the commitment to jump lines and try to pay for my singe item. Celebrating an internal victory as I reached the register amidst what was shaping up to be another 4 minute tale quickly came to end when I placed cash on the counter to pay for my goods. The sales person looked at me as if I had asked for all the money in the register proclaiming "oh we can't take cash at this register!!??" Not that there was a sign or any indicator that cash wasn't accepted, I took my unwelcome cash and left. read more

I came in to this big 5 looking for some winter boots. The manager (I think?) greeted me immediately upon my arrival and asked if she could help. She told me this years winter boots hadn't come in yet but told me she could check in the back. She came right back out with 2 different styles in the right size. Also bought a dickies jacket that I found for about the same price on amazon. Great customer service and good prices! read more

A fine selection of baseball gear for kids. You really have to know what your looking for and be willing to get it yourself as they seem short staffed and/or just really not interested in helping. Once you get there attention, there willing to answer your questions with a smile. read more

Shocking to hear horrible reviews from this place! Being a former employee, I refuse to set foot into a store. I shopped at a store once after my tenure, it was like I was a ghost walking through the store, not one person acknowledged me, however they were surely having a great time amungst themselves. The reason the employees are so rude is because their boss treats them rude. It's unfortunate, that company has potential, if the management could just represent them better. read more

come here wander aimlessly through picked over aisles of sporting goods. no one has a clue what they are selling. this is on par w walmart... read more

The staff was very helpful. They where able to answer my questions very quickly. I was looking for an item that had at best a fifty-fifty being in. The woman was nice enough to look up when the next shipment was coming into her store for me. read more

Probably the worst big 5 ever. Went to look for workout pants from Nike and workout gloves, they had no sizes at all except large. They need to do a better job of checking their inventory. Not going to go there again read more

Messy ,stacked up and junkie. There are a few hazy minded people working. The sales persons I spoke to seemed to lack much information about the products, And did not seem to have much motivation to learn anything about sporting gear . More sorting than sporting going on here . The location is good and lots of parking. read more

Prices can be a bit high, but they have a great selection. I always seem to come her for my running shoes, and my son likes to come here for his baseball gear. I would give them 4 stars except for the fact that prices are a bit steep, and the employees are not always the most knowledgable. read more