Why We Carry Some Brands and Not Others
The Hiker Box carries over 130 different brands of backpacking, camping, and other outdoor products. Many of the brands have been with us since we opened in 2014 (Darn Tough Vermont, Outdoor Research) but we are constantly adding more.
We love to listen to customers about what brands and products they want in the store. But we can't always fulfill your wishes. Here are a few reasons we don't carry "X" brand:
1) We like a different brand better for a product and don't have room for both.
It happens. We think X brand is better because of Y. Often it boils down to what features we think are important on products we carry and what price we think is fair. That means we don't always choose the best brand/product for you.
Sometimes we find reasons to bring in more brands, but sometimes not. That's why we are always willing to special order if possible or send you to other stores so you get exactly what you want.
2) The brand carries too little of our core products to order with them.
The outdoor retail industry is BIG. Hiking. Biking. Camping. Paddling. Hunting. Fishing. Bird-watching. Geo-cacheing. Climbing. Skiing. Snowboarding. Snowshoeing.
Some brands span several areas, while others are really niche. We do work with general distributors where we can likely get a *little* of everything. That's how we successfully handle so many special orders.
But realistically, we need a brand to have a large hiking footprint (HA SEE WHAT I DID THERE?) for us to order from them regularly.
3) (whispers) The brand is difficult to work with.
We currently actively order from almost 130 different brands. It's a lot of juggling to keep everything stocked and some brands make the process easier than others.
If a brand doesn't make it easy to order their product, or doesn't communicate business changes, or doesn't communicate at all, it doesn't matter how awesome their stuff is. We don't have the resources to chase down brands and beg them to take our money.
4) The brand has too high order requirements.
There is a certain sandal brand we get asked if we carry every year. Multiple times. Last year I decided to look into what it would take to order from them.
They want a $5,000 opening order. It's simply too steep of a commitment for us.
Please note - We do not think poorly of brands regarding this requirement. Large opening orders help a brand ensure they are represented well in a store and the store is carrying enough selection of their product that it will be a successful relationship. It's unfortunate that it means sometimes smaller shops can't work with them, but it's a business model we understand and respect.
5) A nearby store already carries the brand.
In outdoor specialty businesses, you want to stand out. So no one - not us, not the brands, not other local outdoor stores - want customers to find the same thing in stores less than a mile apart.
We DEEPLY appreciate when a customer says, "But I want to buy from you!" when we suggest another outdoor shop. And there are definitely brands that we would jump to acquire if they lost good representation in the Northwoods. But there are enough great brands to go around. We love to send you down the road to check out 3 brands we don't carry. Because that means we have room for 3 other brands and provide better selection overall to our community.
I hope this information was helpful and an interesting behind-the-scenes as to why we might or might not carry a brand. Please do keep requesting new stuff! Even if we cannot bring in every new brand idea, we love knowing what you are interested in.