Cabela's 2013 Annual Report Download - page 19

9
Customer Service
Since our founding in 1961, we have been deeply committed to serving our customers by selling high-quality
products through sales associates and outfitters who deliver excellent customer service and in-depth product
knowledge. We strive to provide superior customer service at the time of sale and after the sale with our Legendary
Guarantee and Cabela’s Xtreme Protection plans. We continue to advance our efforts for offering customers a
seamless, integrated experience whether they shop with us in our retail stores, on our website, or on the telephone.
Our customers have access to well-trained, friendly, and knowledgeable associates and outfitters to answer product
use and merchandise selection questions. We believe our ability to establish and maintain long-term relationships
with our customers and encourage repeat visits and purchases is due, in part, to the strength of our customer
support, product information, and service operations.
Distribution and Fulfillment
We operate distribution centers located in Sidney, Nebraska; Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin; Wheeling, West
Virginia; and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. These distribution centers comprise approximately 3.3 million square
feet of warehouse space for our retail store replenishment and Direct business activities. We also plan to build a
590,000 square foot distribution center in Tooele, Utah, to support our planned growth. We expect to have this
distribution center operational by April 2015. At December 28, 2013, construction had not started on this planned
distribution center. As of August 2013, we leased a 325,000 square foot distribution center in Tooele, Utah, which
is expected to be in use through the third quarter of 2015. We ship merchandise to our Direct business customers
via United Parcel Service, Federal Express, Canada Post, and the United States Postal Service. We use common
carriers and typically deliver inventory two to three times per week for replenishment of our retail stores. We also
operate a small merchandise return center in Oshkosh, Nebraska.
Because we have begun adding stores to our distribution network through the omni-channel fulfillment
process, customers who order through our call centers or Cabelas.com are no longer solely dependent upon the
stock we have in our distribution centers. Going forward, we will ship products from both our distribution centers
and our retail stores.
Information Technology Systems
Our information technology and operational systems manage our Retail, Direct, and Financial Services
businesses. Our information is processed in a secure environment to protect both the actual data and the physical
assets. These systems are designed to process customer orders, track customer data and demographics, order,
monitor, and maintain sufficient amounts of inventory, facilitate vendor transactions, and provide financial
reporting. We continually evaluate, modify, and update our information technology systems supporting
the supply chain, including our design, sourcing, merchandise planning, forecasting and purchase order,
inventory, distribution, transportation, and price management systems. We continue to make modifications
to our technology that will involve updating or replacing certain systems with successor systems, including
improvements to our systems for omni-channel merchandise and financial planning, e-commerce, and customer
relationship management.
Employees
At the end of 2013 we employed approximately 16,400 employees. We use part-time and temporary workers
to supplement our labor force at peak times during our third and fourth quarters. None of our employees are
represented by a labor union or are party to a collective bargaining agreement. We have not experienced any work
stoppages and consider our relationship with our employees to be good.