By Chuck Woodbury
Good Sam Club CEO Marcus Lemonis, also head of Camping World, with ownership in about 100 other businesses, recently purchased the bankrupt Gander Mountain store chain, now called Gander Outdoors, and has begun to reopen 69 of the chain’s stores across the United States..
The business tycoon’s rise to fame and fortune started with his purchase of the Good Sam Club, in which he once appeared to show some interest. He’s never owned an RV, so his motive wasn’t to head up an organization where he had some passion. Not long after he purchased the club he referred to its members as “marketing tools.” That pretty much summed up his feelings about the club. Since he took the helm, all national rallies have been cancelled.
He’s a smart, maybe brilliant business man, but you wonder if he even pays any attention to the club anymore as he continues to acquire new businesses as well as build his celebrity through his popular CNBC show “The Profit.
If you are a member of the Good Sam Club, you may find it interesting, perhaps even offensive, that Lemonis has repurposed your Good Sam Man as the mascot of Gander Outdoors — Gander Man, if you will.
What do you think? Do you care? Or could you not care less?
I love my president and I love camping world. Never had an issue with them yet. Neither my president and I would vote both one back into office and the other to stay open. I go nuts in Camping World.
There is nothing camping world sells that I want. I’m letting my Good Sam membership expire. He got it wrong when he said I should not shop there. What that means is no one should give him any business at all. I remind everyone that when I find out they are thinking of buying there. There are better places to buy from.
He said if you support Trump don’t shop at my business, so I’m thru.
The only time I use CW for ANYTHING is when I am traveling and need to dump my BLACK TANK and there is a CW nearby that has a dump station..I therefore can dump my crap on him like he dumps his crap on us. Sound silly maybe so but makes me feel better..
I am leaving CW and Good Sam as well…that organization is going down same path as KFC by gender nuturing propaganda marketing. Good riddance.
I ditto the majority of the other comments. I have found CW to have gone way downhill since we began our membership 25 years ago. We don’t usually do business with them unless they are the only place we can get what we want/need. The only perk I see worth continuing is their fuel discounts. Just waiting for those too to disappear!
I don’t like being anyone’s “tool” unless it has high rewards for me which CW doesn’t any longer.
If you think the fuel discounts are a benefit, you should check price at other stations. In my experience, P/FJ is $0.20 to $0.35 higher per gallon than others. Only good fuel prices go to trucking companies that have specific contracts with P/FJ. SUPPORT LOCAL (fuel dealers & RV repair facilities)!!
I am now and for a while have been ASHAMED to say I am a Good Sam LIFE member. He has ruined a once fine organization.
I wish RVTravel had a 4th choice on the poll: “I won’t patronize CW so I don’t care!”. That’s the one I would have selected.
Lemonis and I have VERY different ways of doing business. Fortunately everything that I need is available elsewhere.
I’m with you. Only get stuff from CW if it’s cheaper than other online stores and it very seldom is.
We will be dropping our Good Sam ERS – we’ve been notified we must upgrade to a more expensive plan because our RV is a class A motorhome. Since our insurance is through Good Sam, we’ll also be letting the insurance expire and move our RV insurance to the company that insures everything else for us. We’re not 100%, but will probably drop our Good Sam membership as well. Yes, we’ll miss the discount, but I don’t want to support an “RV related” business that is about nothing but profit for the owner.
When I see Marcus’s name and anything he associated with, I cringe. His C/W RV organization have left a bitter taste in many mouths. He is so good that he is shown being Deposed for a Lawsuit on U-Tube; there is a short video of some RV Outfit really putting the bad mouth of this dufus. Me personally, I won’t affect their bottom line, but I will never darken their doors.
I’m a lifetime Good Sam Club member. I got into it back when it was much more pro-RV-owner. When Lemonis first took over, he sent an email asking for members’ input. Apparently, he just wanted to know our opinions so he would know which was the opposite direction for him to go! The only “perk” I actually use now is the VISA card, which earns pretty good cash-back deals.
No one likes a monopoly and that’s what he wants. I just dropped my Good Sam roadside plan and will only go to CW storse in an emergency. He has the magazines , the stores, the dealerships… Too much power for me.
I have never had any problem with Mr. Lemonis or any of his subsidiaries. I am a Good Sam life member. I get several services through the club. I guess I’m one of his tools. I don’t feel the pain. I shop around for my RV needs. I buy what I consider a good deal which isn’t everything offered by the club.
Agree with the general sentiment stated by all the other folks above…wouldn’t give this fella a dime of my business. As a matter of fact, I would go out of my way to avoid any business he owns.
What a shame it is that celebrities, business owners and the like feel the need to voice their opinions in such a way that it alienates a whole segment of their customer base.
Lemonis characterized as a “smart” business man…hah! A smart business person, celebrity, etc… would not voice their opinions on matters that would alienate a segment of their customer base. Why they would do so is plain stupid and mind baffling!
They have become an over priced store for the Rv’ers. Just a business that has lost touch with the customers. Support your local area RV dealers, Not CW!!!
Won’t use CW anymore, they can’t even get the address correctly on shipments. Better deals else where. Lemonis is just greedy. Its to bad he owns Good Sam, he has changed what the founder started, its hard to consider it as a club, to him its just another business.
No more Good Sam scams for me,and absolutely no more anything Camping World.Buyer beware doing any kind of business with CW.One can get a military discount,or AARP just as good as any Good Sam discount.
We got a Life Membership in Good Sam over 20 years ago when we thought this was cool. Now? Not so much. In fact, except for a couple RV rally’s we attended for a much reduced price, I’d say that has been the only benefit to membership. We don’t advertise the Good Sam Club on our trailer either. Not impressed with this guy.
Experience tells me, for years, that employees at Camping World are very unhappy and very aware that the service they provide to RVers has gone downhill significantly. I am still a member and take advantage of its perks – gas discounts. Have been hoping for years that someone else would open a nationwide RV business that ‘really’ understands and serves the needs of the RVing community. So far I’ve not seen that happen. Seems this is a business opportunity is just waiting for the right person.