Brian & Chris are the bomb-diggidy staff members at DSG who helped our shopping experience be not only a fun one but a productive one! On a busy yet relaxing Memorial Day, a friend decided she wanted to buy a kayak. And who did she call for help?... Moi! ;D And where did we wind up getting her grand spank'n new yak after visiting 4 other outfitters in town?... Dick's Sporting Goods @ Bridge Street! Not only did she buy 1, she bought 2 yaks along w paddles and a PFD for her dog!
NO DEMO DAYS IN THE SOUTH
When it comes to shopping for yaks, it's one thing to do your research ahead of time, and it's another to actually see them in person and sit in/on them to get a feel for them. Unfortunately, since we're nowhere near the coast like in CA, the outfitters here do not have demo days to try them out on the water. But w a friend like moi 8D who has years of exper and owns a few made for a productive time.
CONSIDERING LOCAL OPTIONS
With only a couple hours to spare away from family, we had a target plan of what stores to visit. 1st stop was at LiC Earthpedition @ the Pkwy Mall to check out the high end Jackson yaks. If cost isn't a factor, you have decades of exper yak'g, and now want to upgrade, this is the brand I'd recommend (Hobie is another great brand I'd recommend but @ a hefty $ as well). The J manufacturer is even located in TN so you could even special order a yak in your preferred color @ no additional cost. Friend didn't want to drop over $1k on her 1st yak, but it's always nice to see options. So off we went to GanderM. Selection was slim pickens there, but they had some interesting Perception yaks available. She wasn't 100% sold. Then off we went to Dick's in the CTJ area. That's when things started to open up for friend when we saw their selection. One of many things I like about Dick's- they always have a nice variety of yaks to choose from throughout the year. But friend didn't quite break out the pocketbook just yet w/o us hitting the other stores on our list. So off we went to the new outfitter near Bridge Street (hint: starts w Cab...). Man, was that a waste of time. Selection & quality of yaks at C were unimpressive. They hardly had any except those frying out in the sun out front of the store, and who wants a yak warped up before even hitting the water?! So we quickly headed for our last hope.
LAST HOPE DIDN'T DISAPPOINT
We headed for Dick's @ Bridge Street. I was just here in the past week, so I knew they were not going to disappoint. Sadly, we came just after DSG ended their big annual boat sale, but there were still some good deals. Here they had a wide variety of yaks to choose from in various lengths, colors, & brands. I'm partial to the Perception brand because their recreational yaks are made purdy solid, light enough to carry, decent tracking, and that's the brand I and many friends own as well. Friend found the one she liked here and it actually had a sales tag on it for an amt less than the other DSG store was offering. It was $100 off! Was it a mistake?! Maybe. But they gave it to us for that amt anyways. SWEET! The display model showed a few minor scratches. Thankfully, there were more stocked out back in their truck container. They let us come out w them to see which would be the best. Staff said they had 2 more out back, but when they opened up the container, there were 6! Boy what options! Lol. Friend had a field day of now having to decide which one to go w. The staff, Brian and one other gentleman, were quite helpful and patient w us in this process. And it was hot in that container, but they endured as we carefully inspected each of the 6 yaks for any warping, scratches, variation in color, etc. In the end, friend walked away fully loaded w 2 Perception Hook Angler 10.5 kayaks in Turquoise/Grey/Black equipped w anchors @ $450 each (they honored last week's boat sale price since they left the sales tags on over the wknd), 220 and 230 paddles, and a PFD for her border collie mix dog. Friend doesn't plan to go fishing w her yak, but it was the style, tracking score, color, width, and length, along w the included anchor that sold her on this model. It's rare that a yak comes w an anchor. It will come in handy for when we stop off and photograph some interesting scapes. The pleasant shopping experience didn't end there.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Brian & the other gentleman were helpful and quite patient when it came to deciding which yak to choose. Brian went over & beyond in helping friend also find the right size of paddle, and the right size & type of PFD for her dog. Brian's knowledge base & assistance were invaluable. Ringing things up at the register w Chris extended our exper. The $10 off $50 scan card made things sweeter! ;D We had things rung up separately to maximize the discount. Ha!
FINAL THOUGHTS
We recommend Dick's for reasonably priced quality yaks. Go there now, and we'll see y'all out on the water! ;D read more