Sportmart.com: Fan-tastic Selection, But Can They Beat the Dog?
Written: Jan 05 '03
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I shop FogDog.com, the online sports mecca, every Christmas for my husband. He’s a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan and I’ve found the fan shop at FogDog to be a much easier and more reliable place to shop than either the Philadelphia Eagles own online store or NFL.com’s fan stores. Having shopped with FogDog, happily, for years now, I was surprised to feel an urge to try a new spot this past holiday season. I’d seen Sportmart.com listed on Epinions, so I thought I’d pop on over and see what they carry.
What Sportmart.com Carries
Um, everything.
Sportmart bills themselves as the “largest Sporting Goods retailer in the West”, which is curious, because they have physical stores out West and also all around the Lake states and Midwest -- all told, sixty stores in nine states. I’ve never seen a Sportmart store, but if their online product selection is any indication, these must be really big brick and mortar stores. They seem to carry everything,
Every sport has its own category. They cover the basics, like baseball and golf, and branch out into the more fringe categories too - archery, paintball, boxing. and the like. Beyond individual sports, they offer apparel (sports bras, parkas, shirts, shorts, etc.) and footwear. Their electronics category is rather fascinating and I was surprised to find a tanning bed that could be my very own for just $2994.99 (free shipping). Should I ever choose to spend $3000 to change my ghostly pale skin another shade, Sportmart will be right at the top of my list of retailers to check out.
Since the Fan Shop was my real destination, and I was running short of pre-holiday shopping time, I stopped poking around the rest of Sportmart’s site and headed on in. I was shocked to find a huge selection of fan products under these categories:
* NFL
* MLB
* NBA
* NHL
* NCAA
* NASCAR
* World Soccer
* World Cup 2002
* Winter Olympics 2002
* World Hockey
* WNBA
* WWE
* Arena Football League
* Minor League Baseball
If you are wondering where to buy a Roots beret from the 2002 SLC Olympics, drive on into Sportmart.com. (We’ve already bought ours, sometime back, but can’t find anywhere in South Jersey to wear them without feeling stupid.)
The real test of Sportmart.com’s usefulness to me was the depth of their product selection in Philadelphia Eagles merchandise. I wasn’t disappointed. It took me just a few minutes to find a cap that Don didn’t own already, and a surprisingly attractive welcome mat for the front porch. The prices were good (for overpriced fan merchandise, that is), and so, I became a customer of Sportmart.com
My Ordering Experience
I fooled around too much this holiday season and had run out of online shopping time. By the time I placed my order with Sportmart, my back was against the December 25th wall. Sportmart seemed to be ready for me. Each item was marked with the number of days it took to be available to ship, and the ship method necessary for receipt before Christmas. I gulped when I realized I had to pay extra for guaranteed three day shipping, but I appreciated their marking the products clearly so I wouldn’t be disappointed. Three day freight added about $8.00 to my shipping charge total, bringing shipping to $16.56. More than I like to pay, but, I’m the one who waited too long.
My products, the cap and the mat, both shipped separately from two different warehouses or stores. They shipped before they were promised to ship, and arrived before schedule. If I wanted to quibble, I could say that I didn’t need to pay extra for three day shipping, ground UPS would have brought both products to me on time, but I’m not going to gripe at a retailer for being cautious enough to not over promise.
All in all, I’m pleased.
The Online Experience
The biggest disappointment in Sportmart is that the online experience isn’t very aesthetically pleasing. The website functionality and features are first rate, with every amenity, like online order tracking and buying guides, that a hardcore shopper could want. It’s just not very pretty.
FogDog.com sets the bar for feel good shopping. A few minutes ago, I pulled the sites up next to each other, and immediately felt the urge to start clicking on FogDog’s pretty pictures and throwing money at them. The casual shopper will probably enjoy shopping at FogDog more, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Aesthetics do count.
Overall Recommendation
My transaction with Sportmart.com was flawless, and I plan to be a repeat customer. If FogDog didn’t exist, Sportmart might very well be my “go to” supplier of sport related equipment and fan shop merchandise, but right now they are running second. I can see using FogDog to find pretty stuff to buy, and price comparing the same with Sportmart, to see who comes out the winner for a particular order. I can also see, given Sportmart’s extensive selection, using them to locate hard-to-find items.
All in all, Sportmart is a reliable place to shop and a four star store if not the most satisfying visual experience. They could give the Dog a run for its money with an investment in graphic design.
This review is dedicated to Philadelphia Eagles fans everywhere. Go birds! It just might be a Super Bowl year.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Member: Andrea Barton Gurney
Location: Almost Philadelphia
Reviews written: 74
Trusted by: 290 members
About Me: Gone fishing for awhile.
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