has multiple issues . please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this article contains content that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . june 2015 learn how and when to remove this template message this article relies too much on references to primary sources . please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources . june 2015 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message the sportsman s guide type subsidiary industry internet & retail founded 1970 founder gary olen headquarters 411 farwell avenue south st. paul mn 55075 south st. paul minnesota united states area served north america south america europe & asia pacific products clothing outdoor gear ammunition shooting supplies services online and catalog retailer ; liquidation store attached to headquarters . parent northern tool equipment website www.sportsmansguide.com the sportsman s guide is a direct marketer and internet retailer of hunting gear fishing gear military surplus ammunition and outdoor sporting goods . it is based in saint paul minnesota usa . the company was founded by gary olen in 1970 and the first sportsman s guide catalog mailed in 1976 . in 2012 the sportsman s guide employed about 700 people . 1 online reviews for sportman s guide suggest a very low rate of customer satisfaction with extremely poor customer service being the key . orders have reportedly suffered from manual processes requiring human intervention that are often repeatedly mishandled resulting in avoidable delays in order processing . customer service staff have reportedly been felt to be uninterested in improving situations where a customer is expressing concern about an order and management seems as disinterested in customer service improvements systemically and individually when brought into a call . low satisfaction ratings and advice from customers to avoid sportsman s guide can be found on yelp google and on the store s site . contents 1 history 2 private label brands 3 buyer s club 4 mobile 5 international commerce 6 guide outdoors 7 references history edit the sportsman s guide was founded by gary olen getting its start in his basement in the winter of 1970 . the first product a patch for hunting jackets detailing the previous year s trophy success immediately proved popular with hunters across the country . the first sportsman s guide catalog was just one page and it was delivered at the time of the opening of the hunting season in 1977 . by 1992 the guide was mailing eight outdoor gear and clothing catalogs annually and by 2012 the number had risen to 63 . the sportsman s guide has over time expanded its range to include ammunition shooting supplies and accessories clothing and footwear camping gear items for home garden & patio electronics optics gifts sports and recreation and truck and atv items . in 2006 the sportsman s guide was acquired for approximately 265 million by redcats usa a wholly owned subsidiary of redcats group which is the home shopping group owned by french luxury and distribution group ppr pinault printemps redoute . 2 in 2012 the sportsman s guide was acquired for 215 million by northern tool equipment . 3 the sportsman s guide headquarters is located in southern st. paul minnesota . the sportsman s guide catalog website and retail store all operate from the 330 000 square foot building located on farwell avenue . online reviews for sportman s guide suggest a very low rate of customer satisfaction with extremely poor customer service being the key . orders have reportedly suffered from manual processes requiring human intervention that are often repeatedly mishandled resulting in avoidable delays in order processing . customer service staff have reportedly been felt to be uninterested in improving situations where a customer is expressing concern about an order and management seems as disinterested in customer service improvements systemically and individually when brought into a call . low satisfaction ratings and advice from customers to avoid sportsman s guide can be found on yelp google and on the store s site . private label brands edit the sportsman s guide also has three private label brands made up of items designed and sourced by company team members guide gear castlecreek and hq issue . 4 5 buyer s club edit the sportsman s guide buyer s club advantage catalog was introduced in january 1995 . members pay an annual fee to receive various discounts and other benefits . 6 mobile edit the sportsman s guide has launched iphone ipad and android apps as well as a mobile e commerce site that automatically optimized the website display to the smartphone or mobile device being used . 7 8 international commerce edit the sportsman s guide expanded shipping to canada in 2010 creating a website specifically for canadian customers . then on july 8 2011 the company launched the worldwide website in over 90 countries making it possible to convert currencies and accept international orders . guide outdoors edit the guide outdoors section of sportsmansguide.com publishes a collection of outdoor related news and information . references edit omastiak rebecca . the sportsman s guide caters to survivalists with new products . twin cities business magazine . 2013 4 3 . link http tcbmag.com news recent news 2013 april the sportsmans guide launches survival gear to gr http www.fashionwiredaily.com first word media article.weml id 66 http www.businesswire.com news home 20121108005989 en northern tool equipment enters agreement acquire sportsman % e2 % 80 % 99s the sportsman s guide launches new private label home product line . prweb . 2012 12 6 . link http www.prweb.com releases 2012 12 prweb10208682.htm the sportsman s guide launches military inspired hq issue brand . militaryspot.com . 2012 12 13 . link http www.militaryspot.com news the sportsmans guide launches military inspired hq issue brand buyer s club sportsmansguide.com palmer alex. the sportsman s guide launches mobile apps e commerce site . direct marketing news . 2010 10 11 . link http www.dmnews.com the sportsmans guide launches mobile apps e commerce site article 180812 tode chantal . the sportsman s guide ups investment in mobile to reach on the go outdoorsmen . mobile commerce daily . 2011 12 9 . link http www.mobilecommercedaily.com the sportsman % e2 % 80 % 99s guide ups investment in mobile to reach on the go outdoorsmen retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title the sportsman % 27s guide & oldid 739291031 categories online retailers of the united statesprivately held companies based in minnesotacompanies based in minnesotacompanies established in 1970hidden categories articles with a promotional tone from june 2015all articles with a promotional tonearticles lacking reliable references from june 2015all articles lacking reliable references navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version languages add links this page was last modified on 13 september 2016 at 21 10 . text is available under the creative commons attribution sharealike license ; additional terms may apply . by using this site you agree to the terms of use and privacy policy . wikipedia is a registered trademark of the wikimedia foundation inc. a non profit organization . privacy 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