I usually buy my every day shoes at Big 5 because of the large selection in my price range. Unfortunately their staff is minimal. At 1:30-2pm on a weekday I went in. The moment I arrived at the shoes a young man asked f I needed help. I told him I needed time to look. After a while I had selected a couple I wanted to try on. I could see no one to help me. I finally found the young man hiding between shoe racks in the back room. He got the shoes I asked for then disappeared again. When I was ready to try another pair I scanned the store for help. A young woman staring at her phone carefully avoided my area. Another was busy putting up sale signs. I raised my voice to ask for help and the original young man appeared and came over. He got me another pair and disappeared again. I truly felt like I was interrupting their day. read more

I would not think many readers have had the same experience I recently had at Big Five Sporting Goods, in Vacaville, Ca. I needed to purchase scope mounts to mount my full size rifle scope to a Gamo pellet gun. The mounting grooves that these pellet rifles have, make it difficult to find mounts that are secure. I needed to take both my scope and my pellet rifle to the store to try their mounts. Carrying a rifle (even a pellet gun) in full California public view, is a recipe for confusion, pre-conceived 2nd ammendment bias, ignorant Karens, and scurrying people in parking lots! Even though I "broke" the barrel (now folded in half) and hung it over my arm, clearly visible to be in a non-operatable position, too many people are wholly ignorant of the California gun laws. I stood in the entrance of the store and calmly explained what I needed and why I was bringing my pellet gun into their store in this fashion. I assured the sales ladies that not only was it unloaded, but that when the barrel was in the bent, or 'broken' position this pellet gun was not able to fire at all. I didn't receive any excuses or personal bias. The manager came to the front, accessed the situation, and ok'd me to enter the store. While others may view this with "whats wrong with taking his pellet gun in the store" all gun owners, even BB and Pellet guns, know exactly what I expected to happen. However.... The staff was very helpful, even though we weren't able to find the mounts that I needed. I do appreciate their professionalism and the Manager's knowledge of gun laws in this predominantly Blue state. read more

Prices not competitive and there's no restroom in this store. You have to walk all the way to Safeway or Target if you need to use the bathroom for number 1. read more

Went to Big 5 Vacaville looking for helmets. Only 1 person working, and he was at the register. Inventory was very meager. There was no one available to assist with sizing. So I left feeling frustrated. Went to same location during the holidays to purchase bicycles but didn't since they "don't assemble." read more

I can't say enough about John . He greets you when you come in and asks if he can help you find anything. He always has a smile on his face. He's very informative about the products in the store . Great customer service. He's amazing. Way to go John read more

All I can think of when I come in here are the guns. But it's a fine store. Our local store in El Cerrito closed, so we took the opportunity to go in to find some shoes for the hubs. We went in and were greeted by a cashier, which was really nice. But, we were looking for shoes and the sales associate wasn't very helpful. He explained something about the shoes and said they may have some in the back and then said that everything they had was on the floor. At one point, he pointed to an area that had the shoes we were looking for and suggested that we look there. Did he bother to help us? No! Was it because there were tons of people shopping in there and he was busy helping lots of other customers? No, again. So yeah, it's a store and if in the area, we probably wouldn't bother. read more

Don't use this Big 5 if you want your goods!. Bought a weapon 10 days ago - interaction was great when purchasing ....today, 10 days after mandatory weapon hold, with a scheduled pick up time (today at 6:40pm), associate behind the counter declined to release my purchased goods to me because "No one was available to give it to me" even though he just sold ammunition to the customer in front of me, apparently he is not capable of releasing a purchased weapon, after the mandated waiting period, nor could anyone else in the store - but he could sale ammunition. DO BETTER BIG 5! read more

I visited this store on 2/17/23 and I want to make it clear: this poor review is SPECIFICALLY FOR THE WOMAN NAMED LORI. I walked in, was greeted by the man at the cash register and asked what we needed. I told him we were interested in hiking gear and a compass. He was polite and pointed us in the right direction. While shopping, I could hear this woman Lori (not sure if she is the store manager?) yelling back and forth with the cashier guy. Both of their voices became so loud that another customer and I made eye contact and commented at their LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM and shook our heads. Regardless of what the employees were bickering about, this issue does not need to be publicly and loudly discussed in the store with so many customers! It truly sounded like a dysfunctional family arguing at the dinner table. While checking out, another cashier (young gal in her twenties) politely rung up my items, applied my Military Discount, and bagged our items... during which Lori walks into the cashier's booth, complaining and gossiping about other employees, complaining about how she is "already off the clock" and shouldn't be working anymore, etc. I could feel my cashier's agony as she tried her best to keep calm. Big 5's Corporate Department needs to do an assessment of Lori because I suspect she is the common thread among more than half the negative review on Yelp outlining bad customer service!! PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. You are losing valuable customers due to rude employees. I will be traveling to a different Big 5 location moving forward- this Vacaville location has sadly lost my business. read more

Pretty simple review...Poor customer service! We asked how much a pair of sandals were and the guy said everything is priced. Uhh, wrong. None of them were priced and he seemed to debate the obvious...Idiot! Time to check out. The young short haired, expressionless girl at the count did not make eye contact nor did she greet us. All she said was how much the merchandise was after tax. Even worse, when it was time to leave, she didn't say thank you...NOTHING! Having a job must be an inconvenience for her. She's probably one of those young gen's that complain/offended about everything and thankful for nothing. Anyway... read more

Very rude employees, I usually go to the one in Davis because this one's customer service is non existent! Walked in about 5:50pm and was rushed out of the store at 6:00 said that one employee didn't show up so they had to close early when there was 3-4 employees there. Didn't finish shopping wasn't able to buy anything. Completely unprofessional and rude. I'll continue to take the drive to Dixon Whitney is the best there and very knowledgeable and amazing customer service! read more

Horrible customer service. We were ignored the entire time we were in there. We waited at the counter where the knives are for some time. Another customer came up and they helped him immediately. Won't be back. read more

Worst place to buy sports equipment anywhere around, people who work there and are very rude. It sucks we only have one sports equipment store in town otherwise I would not give them a penny. read more

Very poor customer service. Went in not long ago and waited almost 30 minutes before someone came around. They are also WAY over priced on some stuff, and don't do on-line price matching. Not impressed at all. read more

Thank you to the woman that helped load my equipment into my vehicle. She didn't have to help but she did. Great customer service.

At all Big 5s, I've always gotten great customer service. It was no different here. They pretty much answered all my questions and addressed my concerns. I did however found that they didn't have much fishing gear. Perhaps, I'm more of an ocean water and not much of fresh water angler that they cater to more. Other than that, I love this place. I like their tactical and wading boots which is affordable without sacrificing quality. read more

Clarissa helped me and my boys today with soccer gear. She was super helpful and very friendly, and went out of her way to get us the right sizes in everything! Clarissa even gave me a coupon which saved me a nice chunk. Top notch customer service and super friendly.....I'm a Vacaville Big 5 fan from now on!!!!.... cheers!! read more

Called asking to see if profit resistance bands was in stock, she stated there was four boxes when I got there it was some other item. Does big 5 hire idiots who cant even check stock right? This is why people buy online. Hope this "business" goes out of business. read more

Karen helped me out in firearms and made the process speedy, easy, and enjoyable. Great customer service and an asset to the company! :) Thank you so much Karen, very satisfied with the buying process and I will be back! Keep up the fantastic work! read more

So I came here one day and one of the lady workers were very nice and super helpful. But I ended up getting the wrong size so I came back the next day to make a return. First off, when me & my fiancé walked in they looked at us so weird. It made me uncomfortable. So one of the other ladies helped us and sounded like she didn't want to help us. She calls another lady I'm assuming manager (the lady who looked at us weird) and they were very non chalant, sounded like they didn't want to help us. And the return process is SO LONG. It was ridiculous read more

Purchased 2 pairs of sunglasses online. The arm to one pair broke the first 10 mins of wearing them. Went to my not so local store to exchange them. I was told that "I needed to print out the sales order for them to be able to process my request" ??? They can't look up the order? Is this the 1990's. They don't have access to that info? I guess not, I believe that they didn't want to be troubled help me and could care less about generating sales. Well they will never get another dime from me. I recommend they update there computer systems. I don't even have a printer or the one that I do needs ink and that's 50 bucks exactly what the sunglasses cost. At least when I left the brand new broken sunglasses on the counter and asked them to throw them away he was polite. Probably because he will switch them out and get a free pair of sunglasses read more

It is important to support smaller chains and avoid shopping online on Amazon for purchases that could easily be made at a local retailer. Big 5 is a great place for all your sporting goods, camping, fitness and leisure needs & accessories for hunting, travel and more read more

Meh. Perfect word for the experiences I've had at this store. I came here with my daughter recently to get new swimsuits. Definitely scored on the price since it's pretty much end of season so the swimsuits are pretty much 50+% off. Walked in and no one greeted us. Not a word. The lady at the register just stared at me. After my daughter and I found some suits to try on, we walked over to the ONE fitting room in the entire store- next to the guns and fishing gear. awkward. There were two gentlemen who walked by, looked like management types, I smiled and was about to ask if one of them could let us into the fitting room... nothing. Both of them hurried past as if they wanted to avoid asking an questions. Wow. That's management? A guy came in and clocked in at the computer near the register so I finally went up to him and asked to let us in the fitting room. The customer service could use some help. Well, a lot of help. This store should definitely look into proper fitting rooms. read more

Went here today to get a new pair of work boots. Customer service was poor. I went to the front to ask for assistance in the shoe department so they called someone. They came out and helped everybody else but ignored me. Fnck this location!!! read more

Did they have what I wanted? Yes, but the service stunk. I walked around the store for about 10 minutes and was never asked if I needed help or if i was looking for a certain something. After finding what I needed, I proceeded to the check out, where 2 or 3 cashiers where "hanging around" and goofing off. They were "nice" to me, but they were more into there conversation then helping me. While i was paying, they were bantering back and forth about another employee. they kept talking bad about this person. Very disrespectful. Hope I don't have that experience again. read more

Big 5 Sporting Goods - Sporting Goods Near Me - Vacaville, California

I'm just starting to play softball again so I need some new equipment. The softball and baseball section is so scarce in the options of variety. I felt like there was so much youth products but hardly any adult products. None of their women's gloves mentioned being usable by anyone over 12. Uhh okay? Prices were okay ... but the lack of variety to choose from and then some items just downright not being there (softball socks, sliding pads, gloves of all sizes, etc.) I felt pretty disappointed. Paid for a softball and left. read more

Not as big as the other sports stores I've been too. The prices are decent. You really have to wait for a great deal. They do carry a wide variety of sports stuff though and the workers are willing to help you look for what you need. read more

This was my very first time shopping here and the customer service was outstanding! I just want to say Thank you Again to Karen. She went above and beyond to help locate a pair of baseball cleats for my son that I looked all over for on the service floor. She checked the stock in the back and even pulled out a ladder searching the very top shelf! Service like this is very hard to find nowadays. Businesses these days act like they're doing you a favor to shop with them and treat you like crap honestly. I respect the fact that there's people out there that still appreciate a paying customer! I'll most definitely be returning for my future sports needs. I even got a pair of batting gloves for my softball season coming up. read more

Terrible experience. Customer service was poor. I bought a firearm and tried picking it up on 3 separate occasions. They only had one person who could hand out the weapon and that person was not here on either occasion. Eventually the 30 day window passed and I was told I needed to fill out a background check again and repay the $25 fee. read more

POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM MANAGER I bought an inversion table on a Black Friday deal. After putting it together and trying it out for a couple weeks. I found it was not effective for me and I decided to return. Upon returning it, the manager gave me a hard time about why I decided to return it, saying they don't normally accept returns unless it's new and unused. The item was in brand new shape, just as it was when it came out of the box. Also their return policy clearly stated this was an acceptable return, ie if you're unsatisfied for ANY reason. He proceeded to act annoyed and begrudgingly returned it. Thankfully I saved my receipt! While processing the return, another customer asked where to find shoelaces. Another cashier told the customer she would show her where they were as she was having a hard time locating them. At this point the manager stepped in and told the cashier to stay put, and in a gruff tone told the customer where to find them. Poor customer service and attitude from the manager, who is supposed to set the tone for the store. I will avoid this store as much as possible, and recommend you do the same! read more

I was at the register finishing up my transaction. The cashier would remind customers walking in to wear their masks. A woman walks in without one , the cashier asks her to wear a mask too , and the woman says I have a medical condition , I can't wear one. The cashier does not argue with her and let's her walk in. Why remind everyone if your just going to let them walk in if they refuse ? read more

I haven't been here in years, and I understand everything that's going on right now. However, everyone is dealing with the same thing. Therefore, it gives no one an excuse to be rude to customers. Horrible customer service. I wish them luck in the future. read more

WAS a long time customer. Supported this store while bigger box stores came and went. Always kinda jumbled inside, lots of clothes racks making it hard to get around, tables with miscellaneous stuff on it. It's Big 5, not expecting a whole lot so it was never a problem. My son, who's 13, wanted to spend some of his Christmas money so we went to buy a few things. He gets his stuff, goes to the counter to spend said Christmas money, and is told the $100 bill he handed them is FAKE. I assured them it wasn't, they did the pen test several times and it passed, watermark passed, security strip passed. "But it's glowing" they say after they put it under some light. So they don't take it. My son, being 13 and awkward anyways, is completely embarrassed at this point. Two female associates (also mentioned numerous times in these reviews) said they would not take it, their manager "Scott" would be livid if they took it. We take the money, go across the parking lot to Travis Federal BANK and exchange the LEGIT bill for (5) 20's and are on our way. Fake? No. My questions is this though: why do all of those tests if you're gonna stick it under some glow in the dark machine anyways? If that's the end all as far as counterfeits go, shouldn't you just use that machine exclusively? "Yeah it looks good and it's all there...but it glows" she says. "Maybe it just got washed". Sooooo you're saying if a bill goes through the wash it will come out fake? Did you just try to pull the literal "laundered money" story on me??? Cool, I'll take my money and spend it elsewhere and will be sure to do so from here on out Big 5. Fix your system so you don't accuse 13 year olds of giving you fake money. It honestly blows me away that in a city of this size there in ONE sporting goods store. ONE. Especially with all of the youth sports, high schools, I'm super annoyed that we have a half ass Big 5 to supply everything, especially when you see the reviews of this particular location. Good riddance Big 5, your departure is anxiously awaited. read more

We went into Big 5 to purchase one item. One of the employees at the front pointed in the correct direction to find our item (she was nice, dark dark black hair - so as not to be confused by the other one below). The trouble started once we got back to the section. The employee in that section knew nothing, zero, about anything back there. We need additional help and when he just said "I don't know about this" we asked "do you have someone in this section or store that could help"? His reply = "no". Ummmm ok. So we used our iphones and Google to get to the answer we needed. He was nice enough, but either had only about one brain cell working at that moment or was just too lazy to bother with us. Then up to the front to purchase. The cashier was so unfriendly it made it uncomfortable to even be in her presence. We paid, said thank you, she said nothing and just kind of nodded her head. No, I don't need balloons, confetti and jumping jacks, but a little "thank you" to the customer or at least acknowledging us with a "you're welcome" or smile would have been nice. We will never go back, to this Big 5 or any other. I did get the cashers name but am going to run under the assumption that she was having a bad day, something went wrong somewhere else, and we had to bear the brunt of it. I can understand that and won't disclose her name for that reason. However, the customer, who is spending money, should not have to suffer. For this reason I give them 2 stars. Why two and not one? Well they were open on Sunday when all bike shops were closed so I decided I give them one extra for that. The moral of this story, times are tough and money is tight. If we are willing to spend our hard earned money in your store, the employees should at the very least not make the experience a miserable one. read more

I went in today to look for black youth baseball pants and they didn't have any sizes. I was at the checkout thinking I had to go to another store in this pouring rain with two little ones, but Patti was able to help us out. She took the time to go in the back to look for my son's sizes and even gave me ideas as to what to get being that I'm a first time sports Mama. Haha. A bonus when they ended up being in sale. I wish they posted the sales on their items, I believe it would bring in more customers then having myself debate which one to get because it's expensive(for my budget). Patti was great! Thanks again for your help! read more

Should change the sign on the door that says they open at 9am on Mondays and Google says 9am.

Went into the store last weekend and was NOT impressed. I was looking for a rifle bag and some ammo for my pistol and rifles. The Filipino guy, who seemed like a manager, seemed annoyed that I was asking him questions. He wasn't pleasant and seemed like he was hurried. Maybe since he was wearing a tie he felt like the other staff should have helped me. Whatever the case was, I wont be back. I will stick with the Big 5 in Fairfield. The staff is ultra friendly and willing to help as soon as you walk in the door. Not the case at the Vacaville location. Pass. read more

I went to purchase a decent shotgun for hunting from the store today. I was really surprised to see the negative reviews. I didn't get any hassle, and still had time left on my lunch to grab food next door. The two people that I talked to were friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. Got a deal, and very happy with the purchase. Standard 10 day waiting period of course. I think this might be the classic Yelp sabotaging businesses by pulling the positive reviews for the store not signing up for their paid service. read more

Eddie was outstanding!! As a mom, I was having trouble knowing what to buy my son for baseball. I never played. He stood by and helped me go through cleats. Explained from durability to brand. Then he helped me find a cup. :/ He was patient and never laughed. He explained the return policy so I was comfortable with my purchase. My fiance ended up coming back and said that salesman was just as helpful. Thank you big 5!! Keep hiring outstanding employees like that!! read more

Gentleman at the gun counter was surely helpful but rude away the he went about it. Asked a few questions and he felt the need to write it down for me instead of just explaining it over. read more

Do not buy a gift from here. And if you buy anything you aren't 100% sure, without a doubt, going to keep be sure to put the receipt in a safe place. My husband bought me a punching bag stand for Christmas. It was a very thoughtful gift; however, when we put it together it was much larger than we imagined and it wouldn't fit where we were going to put it. We had cleaned out the truck and accidentally thrown the receipt away. The manager approached us already with an attitude then informed us he would only give us store credit for the last sales price, which was literally half of what the actual price of the item is. I understand policy and perhaps had he not talked to us like we were criminals for returning an item bought at his store I would have been more accepting of the process. The entire experience was ridiculous. Apart from using the store credit we will not be shopping there again. read more