Academy Sports & Outdoors

I liked shopping here better than Dicks Sporting Goods. They had more «value oriented» gear — lower price/​quality is what I mean. However, there is a ton of variety. I am now going to consider this the Walmart of Athletics and outdoors. Warning, there is nothing high end if you are so inclined. However as an avid camper/​Scouter — this is a place for some deals.

I’ve been to many Academy stores and they’re all pretty much the same to me. I go to the one in San Marcos frequently and can talk about the service here but not at other Academy stores. Mostly the service here is pretty poor. I think they must get a lot of shop-​lifting because the staff seems super suspicious. They’ll keep an eye on you but they won’t wait on you and if they did they probably wouldn’t know any more than you did about the fishing tackle or other stuff. Usually the lines are long at the register. They have the extra step of asking you to enter your zip code on the pin pad — I think you can opt out, but it’s still a nuisance. Lastly, and this is what I came here to say, they never say thank you. I don’t know why this has come to bug me so much. Maybe it’s because I spend quite a bit of money here. Maybe it’s because I remember the old Academy back in Austin when it really was «fun to shop at Academy». Bottom line is, it would be nice to think that Academy as a company appreciated my business enough to train the cashiers to express it.

Decided to check this place out since it was on the back back to San Antonio. Store is clean and well stocked for the most part. I asked for a specific firearm but the guy didn’t know what I was talking about – especially since this particular model had been out since the beginning of the year. I found it at another Academy store. Response of sales reps behind the counters (for a store with little traffic) was a little on the slow side.

Great Academy location.
Everything is decently priced and they have quite a range of products. A friend of mine got an exercise machine for under $ 200 dollars, which I thought was pretty good. They even moved it out to the truck (in the pouring rain no less.)
One of the big things they have going for them is their firearm prices. For a retail store they have a decent selection with prices to match. Ammunition is also priced well.
They don’t have much for high end survival/​camping/​hunting gear but it is a retail department store, so for what it is, you have to love it. Well stocked and plenty of staff to assist, I would come here over Cabela’s 11 times out of 10!

I was really happy when this store opened in San Marcos. Unlike the South Austin store, this one is clean and well stocked. The only bad thing is that while they had quite a few employees in the store, only two cashiers were open while other employees were standing talking not 10 feet away. Great on selection, so so on customer service.

Finally, a sporting goods store in San Marcos! No more trips to Cabelas. Clean, well-​stocked, and helpful staff.
Most significant find to date? A great pair of Panama Jack sunglasses when I badly needed them.
The right stuff, the right price – Academy!