That's what I was guessing. I wonder if there are any published numbers to show the market share each bow manufacturer has.
I hate to hear about anyone losing a job. I think a part of the equation here is the fact that many people aren't trading up/buying new bows every year. When top of the line bows were $500, lots of shooters/hunters bought new rigs every year or two. Now most are in the $800+ range, without a great deal of advances over the past few years. Hopefully this was just Mathews streamlining and not a case of a company that is really struggling.
Really, you cant see the lack in sales resulting in a lay off, I can break it down for you if you need me to!
I shoot a Mathews and really enjoy it.. actually have loved my last 3.. but you are right.. it certainly is not as "sexy" looking as some of the other bows out there... thats for sure.
Actually I understand sales extremely well. However with your logic it is all about the LOOK of a riser. I'd be willing to bet the lay offs have quite a bit more to do with other things besides what your oppinion is of the riser. No need for you to break down what I'm sure is an excellent logical explanation.
Rick I do own my own business and I do understand marketing and management. Being from Wisconsin I find the situation with Mathews not funny but sad. Laying people off is never easy and being laid off a couple months before the holidays is unimaginable. The point I was trying to make is of the 15 or so people I either hunt with or shoot at the club with that bought new bows this year, none where Mathews. I fail to see how that, in any way, is Obama's fault.
Layoffs are a part of the norm in my industry, you can expect them annually if not bi-annually. It is just a fact of reality in many areas of manufacturing..... I have had to do 2 layoffs just this summer.... yet come Jan/Feb, I will be scrambling to hire quality help. Exhausting really.
I dont mind, I'll start with a little class in sales 101, UGLY is hard to sell, and my oppinion is the only one that matters when I'm spending my money. I did not intend for you to assume that me stating the riser was ugly to be the only reason the workers were laid off, however I can say for sure one of the reasons for the layoff will be sales. Hey.. hey, if your shooting a ugly bow you can always tell everyone it's beautiful on the inside.
I do understand what your saying completely. I for one do not need a business lesson nor am I trying to stir the pot, but one thing I am having a hard time putting my finger on is that YOU think it is ugly. Ok, that's great and there is not one thing wrong with that. That does not mean that EVERYONE thinks it is ugly and that it is the sole reason for lay offs or the decline in sales. Everyone is very different and what you may think is ugly the next guy might think is beautiful. I for one love my Mathews, and it's not for the looks, although I do happen to like the looks of them, it is for the performance and the fact that I just LOVE the draw cycle and it is what felt best to me when shooting all the different bows out at the time. Best example I can think of is that you might happen to think a particular lady is a bombshell when I might think of her as a pig...it is all different tastes, likes, desires and opinions. Who is one to say what others like and don't like. At the end of the day my "ugly" bow puts deer down just as effectively as any others out there. I do agree with you that the lay off probably had a lot to do with the decline in sales over time and like others have stated this is because the market is now far more competitive with many other companies out there making some great equipment. When things change you need to adapt in order to be successful or you just simply will not get ahead. To me it seems like this is their first step in doing so, as unfortunate as it is.
Lol, some good and entertaining comments in this thread! I also think the waffle iron pattern and shape of Mathews risers are ugly. I agree they perform well and in a short cycle market that works fine for a short time. The problem is they have had a design that many many people do find ugly or if not ugly, at least not very appealing and what's worse than that is the fact they've kept it like that for quite a while. While other companies were introducing sexier newer designs every year, Mathews seemed to think they could coast on their name and existing products (basically). That's okay as a short term strategy but they are getting stagnate and it's probably hurting their sales. Now that said, I have no idea if these layoffs even are the result of sales numbers. Could have something to do with the new healthcare law (yes it definitely could) or it could be from incorporating automation that made the positions irrelevant. 35 jobs really isn't enough to make me think it's sales related but I don't know how many folks they employ either, maybe 35 is a lot to Mathews. I think they have a good enough name, that they'll be fine but I'd sure like to see them come out with some more interesting designs and tech...obviously they are a good company and make good products, I'd hate to see them get in trouble.
I agree, but to be honest. I have no idea on earth the cause of the Lay off. Riding on the name only goes so far till the tire start to go flat. I know about 10 die hard Mathews guys who have jumped ship cause it seems their going backwards with their bows. They make good bows IMO.
And what year did the movie star,oops I mean the worst president take over? 2008!! You guys know, the guy was gonna fix everything! Yes we can,uuuuuuummmmmm no he cant and no he just wont!
I think the mathews bows are sexy....but that's just me. They're are a lot of other good looking bows out but the riser on the mathews to me looks the best. That being said I have no clue for the lay off.
That's good stuff, lol. I think it's one of the ugliest bows I've ever seen also. I still believe the switchback was the best bow mathews has ever produced.
This thread is kinda funny to me. I went out last year specifically to buy a Mathews Creed. I liked the way it looked, but it didn't feel right in my hand. I ended up shooting and buying a Hoyt. Until I purchased my Hoyt, I thought they were not only ugly, but horrendously ugly. Now I think they look sweet and love them. Fast forward to the past off-season. I bought my son a Mathews Creed from ChuckC (forum member). It's 50lbs. My Hoyt is 60lbs. My son and I shoot the same arrows with 100g tips. My sons Creed @ 50lbs is faster and quieter than my Hoyt @ 60lb. They're both tuned properly, same strings, tuned by same guy. When the Creed hits the target, the target sounds like it's getting hit by a truck. The difference is shocking. I'm not knocking my Hoyt. I still love it, and it has plenty of power to harvest anything I'm hunting. But when you hear the Creed, you think to yourself....that thing is actually gonna knock the deer down when it gets hit. Again, personally I'm a Hoyt guy. But you can't say that Mathews isn't making a solid product. Those bows are the #1 selling bow in the industry for a reason. As far as the business lay-offs go, understand this is a company that is manufacturing a product in the U.S. and is competing with companies that aren't. They need to be as lean as they can be, the economy hasn't helped any, but think about it, these are expensive luxury items. If you've got a bow that is very similar to the current style, and only a few years old, you're probably not going to spend the money because you may not have the money to spend on an extra 20-40fps. Lay-offs while unfortunate are part of growing and keeping a business viable. You can be angry or upset about it, but the fact of the matter is, if you don't do it, at some point, there will be larger, possibly unsolvable problems. If I had a crystal ball, I'd bet that the majority of these companies will be swallowed up by the bigger conglomerates in the next few years.
umm, have you ever seen a Hoyt? The risers look like they have Ebola. Seriously. jokes aside, ever consider that maybe Mathews is a victim of it's own success and quality? They just last and last. Most guys who spent a grand on a new bow 4-5 years ago that still shoots as good, hits as hard and fast as the day they took it out of the box aren't lining up to drop another grand on one that doesn't really promise anything more other than a shinier paint job. My primary bow is a bought-new 2013 Mission Ballistic, and I love it. It's basically a Chill with a slightly less ugly riser (see what I did there?) for half the price. My "backup" is a 2011 Mathews ZX7 Extreme which I managed to pick up a month ago for $500. So a (basically) 4 year old used bow was selling at the same price as my brand new Ballistic. It shoots great and I'm happy with it; and I always wanted a Mathews. But why would I pay $1000 for one bow that probably shoots great when I can buy 2 awesome bows, one new and one used, for the same $1000?
Haha, sort of...and they are just as fricken deadly! Yeah but see, that's my point. If Mathews had been coming out with more innovative stuff with shiny paint (more than just a pretty face) like the other companies........then you would be more tempted to go buy new than to use the old stuff.
