Best sports stores in California: find options near you

Its interesting to see a Sports Basement location here at Presidio right across the street from the coast. I like how it is decorated with many stickers at the entrance and a makeshift coffee stand. The atmosphere is definitely friendly. The same can be said to the store’s staff as well; they were friendly and helpful. Its location and selections were awesome. Overall, I think it is a great Sports Basement location to visit.

We rented two ebikes for the day. It took 30 minutes— it is not a streamlined process and I was shocked when one of the employees wanted to offer me a bike that was not at 100% battery. One of the employees was very friendly and the other was a bit short with us. He seemed very busy and didn’t have time for us. My husband tried to get some kind of receipt when we returned the bikes, and they didn’t have a process for really taking the bikes back. In the end, I would say, these bikes are good for smaller Hills, and most likely the Golden Gate Bridge but I wouldn’t take them up the very steep hills (Buena Vista Park for example). We struggled to get them to work on some of those hills! The bikes are very fast on flat ground, even in second or third gear. If you’ve only ridden regular bikes, there is definitely a learning curve for these. They are really heavy, and I would suggest using the throttle lever on the left for getting started from stop. I’m a very experienced cyclist and I actually fell within the first few minutes. It wasn’t anything serious, but as I said, there is a learning curve. Also, I would add that these bikes haven’t been serviced in a while. There was a drag on the brakes and on the wheel hub. My husband was able to use some tools to fix his wheels, and one of mine.

Amazing bike rental service. Bikes are easy to ride. Breaks need some maintenance since it was squeaky but overall a pleasant experience. We had to ask for a lock as well – it wasn’t offered to us during rental. Highly recommend nonetheless

This place is a hidden gem. Huge selection of outdoor and sports gear, but what really sets it apart is the team. The consultant who helped me was patient, super knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about the outdoors. Feels like talking to a friend who happens to know everything about gear.

Sports Basement is my go to for anything sports. They have the best selection and large varieties for you to browse and literally spend a couple hours in there. The Frontdesk sale staff is always so friendly and makes you feel at home. For shoes, I love to try it first before buying and you can ask for advice with their sales staff. This is so much better than online shopping.

I’ve rented bike racks from the Presido Sports Basement for three years without a hitch (pun intended)…until today! Fortunately, thanks to an outstanding employee named Ben, I am still a very happy customer. When Ben tried to install the rack, he immediately noticed it wouldn’t seat properly in my hitch receiver. After patiently troubleshooting the issue, he determined that the bike rack itself had been damaged. Without missing a beat, Sports Basement brought out another rack, Ben installed it quickly, and I was back on the road. What impressed me most was Ben’s, calm, professional attitude throughout the entire process. He—and the rest of the staff—were focused on making things right and ensuring I left as a satisfied customer. That’s why I will continue renting and purchasing from Sports Basement

Reid D. In the Ski Department was Exceptional!!!! I bought Skis, Boots, Bindings, and Poles with him and save a whopping 61% on the whole set. Reid was very helpful in all explanations, trying on boots, and going over quality and cost options. Learned a lot in an hour and got my purchase quickly done! I recommend anyone purchase Ski/Snowboard here. Thank you Reid! 12/10

I had a great experience purchasing my shoes at Fleet Feet. The representative who assisted me, Gannon, was incredibly helpful and made the entire process enjoyable. I’m so glad I chose to shop there — the customer service was outstanding, and they made me feel like part of the community. I highly recommend Fleet Feet to anyone looking for quality footwear. I love supporting local businesses, and this team truly goes above and beyond to find the best product that fits your feet. Thank you once again

Had a great experience at Fleet Feet Fresno. Stephanie took the time to really listen to me and my wife and helped us understand what was going on with our feet. She was knowledgeable, patient, and made sure we got exactly what we needed. I came in for insoles for a new pair of shoes and ended up getting socks for both of us as well. You can tell they genuinely care about helping customers, not just making a sale. Highly recommend this place if you want quality service and the right fit the first time. My wife and I love the socks and insoles we purchased here. The quality is excellent, and they’ve made a noticeable difference in comfort. We will definitely be returning.

I love Fleet Feet Fresno. I recommend them to anyone who needs proper shoes for walking or running. I never buy running shoes from anywhere else. Their staff is very knowledgeable about the latest running shoe models (Thanks, Eric, for helping me with my latest purchase!), and they have the best gear. For example, their night light belts are the BEST. It is surprising how hard it can be to find good gear in person in a world where everything is online. Also, I have excellent training groups for all types of runners/walkers.

Great running store. Staff is nice and approachable. One of the members helped scan my feet. He did a rescan because he said I was running more and there may be changes in my feet. I expressed my concerns and current training goals. He brought our three shoes with a similar heel drop to not throw me off from my previous shoes. I was able to run outside to test them out too haha. Their return policy is great at well because it gave me a chance to really feel the shoes out. I’ve purchased my insoles here as well which have been working great for me. Love that they host running events and not to mention, the gels they hand out during the two cities marathon

My husband and I came to this location, in Fresno, today. I am giving this place 2 stars for their lack of acknowledgement to the customer, and sub-par customer service. From the time we walked in the tiny store til the time we left no one greeted us, asked us if we needed help or assistance, or even offered to pull shoes to try on. There were 5 employees at that time and only rwo customers. They were not busy. After we waited for help and no one gave the slightest effort to care, I took a shoe to the young female employee and asked to try on a size. She went to the back, came out with a box and walked away. I opened the box to find it wasn’t what I had handed to her. So I asked and she replied «Oh, we didn’t have that». She didn’t bother to attempt to find anything I had actually wanted. So, I handed it back to her and we left. We will not be returning to this store. I have received better customer service from just about every other store I have purchased shoes at. Even rhe chat bots at online stores seemed to care more than this store’s employees. I do not recommend this place to purchase shoes from.

Went to Fleet Feet yesterday for the first time and had a wonderful experience. My son is new to track and the sales associate who was helped us was so encouraging and knowledgeable. Honestly didn’t know this kind of amazing customer service existed in retail anymore. You would never receive this kind of attention at a big box store or Amazon. Highly recommend checking out this store if you are a runner! We will be back for sure

I was referred to Fleet Feet by my dental hygienist 😊 she recommended I try it out and I was thrilled to learn about my feet and what size I actually wear in tennis shoes. I had an appointment and was a bit early and they helped me right away. The technology they use to measure your feet is amazing and I learned a lot about different styles and insoles for my shoes. Sarah was very pleasant and had fabulous customer service. I left with a pair of hooka and new insoles. I highly recommend Fleet Feet!

This is my favorite and first Sports Basement I’ve ever been to. So far I’ve been to the San Francisco location and South Bay. The staff and building itself are the best I’ve been to. Every time I come here I meet someone passionate about helping me. So far I got help from this older gentleman named Joe and my last time this younger guy named Dylan. Joe gave really helpful advice to my girlfriend and I after our first snowboard season. 2 years later we were ready to buy some gear and Dylan helped us with buying our boots, bindings, and snowboard. I love this store because of its warehouse size. It’s like a Costco for outdoor gear and sports. The fact that the Basementeers get 10% off every purchase is amazing. Every time my friends or family need anything outdoor or sports related I send them here.

This place has so many options for shoes, outdoor gear, luggage, sports items, and clothing. They have fitting rooms so you can try on anything you like. It’s a huge warehouse-style store with plenty of space to walk around comfortably, without people bumping into you with carts or bags. Employees so nice and always helpful.

My husband and I recently visited the Sports Basement Fountain Valley store to replace our old camping gear, and we had such a great experience. Cassie and John were incredibly friendly, patient, and knowledgeable. They took the time to answer all of our questions and helped us choose the products that best fit our needs. We never felt rushed or pressured, and we really appreciated their honest recommendations. We ended up buying quite a bit of camping equipment, and they even offered to ship everything to our home so we didn’t have to haul it ourselves. That extra level of service was a wonderful surprise. We’ve shopped at this location several times, and every visit has been a positive one. The entire team is always welcoming, helpful, and greets us with a smile. Thank you, Cassie, John, and the whole Sports Basement team for the outstanding customer service. We truly appreciate everything you do!

Had a great experience over Memorial weekend with Tom, Derek, and another gentleman that I forgot the name. They were knowledgeable about bikes. Derek is sure a bike engineer. The facility is huge, carries gear of almost all sports. Service is excellent. Def will come back. Ohhh somebody is going to splurge 🙂

Scott at Sports Basement – Fountain Valley was absolutely outstanding. He demonstrated immense knowledge about running shoes and took the time to help me find the perfect training shoe for my needs. He also walked me through options for a Garmin running watch and made sure I understood the features before purchasing. Scott was extremely pleasant, patient, and personable throughout the entire experience. I originally came in just to browse, but his expertise and thoughtful recommendations completely won me over. He never made me feel rushed or pressured—just genuinely cared about getting me set up with the right gear. Thank you, Scott, for turning a casual visit into a great shopping experience. I’ll definitely be back!

Dom is that Guy, best sales associate. Gets me right everytime. God bless him.

Nice store. Too long of lines. Rarely find decent kids’ shoes.

Nice clothing and shoes. They even have really good discounts on some of the stuff, just have to keep checking.

I loved the entire store! I had went to check out and met a girl name channel I extremely loved her she was so friendly made the transaction so smooth as possible. I love how she felt comfortable to have a conversation! 100/10 on my whole experience

When we were there this big Nike store had a quite good variety of shoes. The display is good and well maintained. We did not need help from the staff but we could see then hurrying through the shop to help the customers. We honestly were impressed. We were also happy with the prices for our selektion. We can definitly recommend this store.

Worst store ever, is a small store they don’t have many options of clothes and customer services is very poor, another thing when you come and purchases something here at this damn store make sure the cashier link your purchases to your email or else if you want to exchange or get a refund you won’t be able unless you have ur receipt. I don’t recommend this store at all. 👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎

So today I went looking for some shoes at the Outlet and when I buy shoes (which is a quite rare occasion), I look for wide high tops. I visited here and a few other places in the Outlet like Skechers and Vans. This place was the only place that had shoes that matched my type of shoe. Ended up picking up a nice pair of Giannis shoes which are awesome!

I have purchased 2 of my firearms here and ammos here. Service is good but the wait time can be long if you just walk in. They are usually pretty busy and most of the time I do have to wait in line if I just walk in for ammo. I usually place an order online couple of days ahead first and then come in. I also took my FSC here which was extremely fast, got a perfect score.

This store falsely claims individual store policy as California DOJ gun law. I was told that my un-expired still has 30 days left on it, valid CA driver’s license is actually invalid in the eyes of California DOJ regarding DROS background check, because I went to DMV the same morning for a license renewal and received a renewal slip. I was told the renewal slip invalids my unexpired license immediately in the eyes of law. This is legally false, California Penal Code Section 16400 does not have any limitations on unexpired license with 30 days left and a renewal slip. I asked the store, is this a store policy or a California DOJ law? I was told it is the DOJ law, which is absolutely legally false. It can be a store policy because they don’t want to go through the hassle of dealing with delayed background check windows and soon to expire licenses, I can accept that. I cannot accept a store lying about a specific California DOJ gun law in order to enforce their individual store policy of providing terrible customer service. Also, the wait time is atrocious, 2 hours minimum. Hey California DOJ! Investigate me and my license’s validity first then investigate this store for making up California laws on their own and other possible violations.

I want to give a super shout out to Kyle in the fishing department for his superb customer service & fishing expertise. He went above and beyond and took his time explaining & walking me through different set ups to try for bass fishing. Because of his advice, my little boy was able to catch his first bass and the look on his face priceless!!! We were both shocked haha and I will definitely be coming back, thanks Kyle!

I want to give a big shout out to the managers Lao and April of Sportsman in Fresno. I had an online order get stuck in limbo and they both helped me, resolving it amicably. Leadership like what you both showed is rare and greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

I am very disappointed with the management of this store. I am an advisor for a youth fishing club and we worked out a deal with the previous management that the kids in the club could come in and get a discount on fishing gear only. The new manager, his name started with an A, cancelled everything. I have been a loyal client of this store since its opening. I have never had a bad experience with this store until my talk with this manager. The outdoor industry is supposed to be community based. Kids are the baseline of our community. If you don’t keep the kids engaged they will do something else. Your companies unwillingness to help the youth speaks volumes. Thank you for your time.

0 stars if I could. Store looks like it’s closing. Fishing department has been a night mare to find what I needed for months. Asked for help in said department, I remember his name, same as mine «David»…. not knowing a single thing. Found a manager.. she must know!… Female blonde tall manager couldn’t tell me where or what hooks were…. you are a manager how do you not know your stores products..? I’ll be back when the «store closing» sale happens. Til then.. save your money and time. Miss stores hiring acknowledged workers, not just favoritism with everyone’s trainable mind set. Bad business.

The people they have working at the gun counter it should not discriminate against other people. I went to buy a scope. Was there for 15 minutes nobody inside The store made eye contact and said what’s up to the employees brush me off and never helped. Then other customers better dressed, show up and like flies on a turd, the employees rush to help them

This place has gone downhill. I used to love this place for its no-frills, affordable outdoor gear with a wide selection. For some reason, the inventory now sucks and everything is way over priced. If you want to have Bass Pro Shops prices, at least have the inventory to back it up. You suck now.

0 Stars for the customer service . Walked in to buy ammo and the aisles were empty in the back almost as if it was closing … I now understand why. Jadon attempted to help us out , that is after getting off his phone and clearly looking like he wished I wasn’t there. He was incredibly curt! Almost as if I, the customer, was a nuisance. NEVER will buy ammo here again

GUNS/AMMO Dept at Visalia store has HORRIBLE customer service! Drove across town for advertised ammo sale…the two calibers I wanted were not on the shelf. I stood near the counter for 15 minutes waiting for assistance, which I was never offered. Employees ignored me. I’ll never return to that store.

Theres and old dude there i forgot to ask his name definitely helped me out alot. I’ve only been going here alot recently and everytime he’s reallt helpful. The store has alot of options. Things are always explained clearly.

All in all really nice place, I like coming here cause they do got a verity, from fishing, guns, cloths, ect. the staff really nice ppl and kinda funny at time 😂 witch helps, prices eh hit and miss I guess just depends on what you looking for I would say. But I really enjoy coming to the store.

I enjoy going into the store with their well-trained professional and helpful employees If you catch inventory at the beginning of each sports season I’m sure you’ll find everything you need but you have to act quick because they sell out fast

I just had to run in and get last-minute, cleats, shinguards, and socks for my boys to play soccer bright and early tomorrow morning and the staff was super helpful. There was also a manager named Michelle that did me a solid and grabbed the AYSO discount coupon because nothing had been distributed to the teams yet. I will definitely return for all future sporting goods purchases!

I bought a monocular there and when the kid behind the counter dropped it because he was twirling the box, he didn’t think anything of it. Upon. Requesting a different monocular, he tries the Jedi Mind Trick by placing it on the shelves, moving things around and grabbing the same one saying» ow, I found another one». SHEESH!

Good customer service staff is really respectful.\nTo help me with all my need to in the store

Employees are rudes here no service at all and when paid barely tell you the amount and thru the change over the counter without saying anything words big five ever visit

As the author of The Most Crucial Knots to Know and The Motivated Amateur’s Guide to Winter Camping, I like checking gear setups at REI locations, and REI in Burbank is a massive store with a strong layout. Parking is easy here, which helps given the size. Right at the entrance there’s a tent display that sets the tone, and once you’re inside the layout starts to open up. Backpacks sit off to the right, while the checkout area is to the left as you move deeper into the store. Farther in, the shoe wall runs along the back, and the camping section is pushed toward the back right corner with a solid setup. The backpacking gear sits just behind and alongside that area, which makes it easy to compare systems in one pass. The bike shop and bikes are off to the left past the registers, and the clothing selection is excellent across both men’s and women’s gear. It feels like a full-spectrum outdoor store rather than a trimmed-down location. The staff seemed friendly and helpful, and it’s easy to get what you need without much friction. As the author of The Grant Colson Thriller Series and SERA Archives, I also pay attention to how gear is arranged and used in real conditions, and stores like this help ground those details. Overall, it’s a large, well-stocked REI in Burbank with a clear layout, strong selection, and plenty of space to explore.

Thrilled! Very positive experience at this store. Especially great customer service from Jim, the shoe manager. He was thoughtful and went the extra mile, being patient and kind while helping me solve an issue. And they were doing inventory the same day so it was extra busy there. Thanks Jim! And Joe, another manager, was nice on a different day. I will keep shopping there…Great service, selection and a very clean space too. ❤️

Rude/awful staff. I used to love REÍ, but this experience really made me question why I shop here. Came in to get a little something for my kid at opening, asked staff for help and was treated with zero kindness. Actually felt like I was bothering them. Customer service matters. Shook it off… moved on… complimented one of the staff for their cool Grateful Dead pins and they looked at me like I’m a weirdo… rude.. just rude. Ruined my morning. Major ick. Won’t be back.

One of my goals is to go to every REI in the nation. This one is really close to my house and I’m surprised that I haven’t been there yet. I stopped in today with my wife and was surprised at the size of this REI. My local REI is the one in Oxnard and this one has to be 4 to 5 times as big as my local REI. Specifically, looking for a small towel backpack we were greeted by a customer service member of immediately when we got into the store. I was able to find the towel quickly. My wife and I decided to walk around the store and check out some other things. The bathrooms were super clean and nice. The store has a very good layout. The shoe section is really nice. I found a pair of shoes on sale but they didn’t have my size, bummer. REI is such a great store.

My visit was great as usual. I especially love the points earned with purchases; it’s almost like Christmas in may- I was able to walk away with the pair of pants, shirt and a scarf for $22! The associates are all helpful and very polite. it’s my go-to adventure activewear store

I have been to this location multiple times and always receive excellent service. On my most recent visit, Rashad assisted me with shoes and WOW I could not be more impressed! His knowledge about each shoe brand, professionalism and personality are all top notch. I left our interaction smiling, as he provided such outstanding customer service. If you’re in this store please request Rashad for 5 star service!

I came in looking for a wet suit off season and first a nice guy went asking around and came back to tell me it was low stock, then the shoe section guy for Saturday night was very helpful bubbly & friendly with me. Then there was Korbi! She went ABOVE AND BEYOND. She helped me try on a wet suit that was way too small & helped me get it off & then came to find me in the other section and found literally the only wet suit pants that would work. SHE WAS AMAZING and made me feel so comfortable amidst my poor timing of coming at closing therefore chaotic. She was even supportive when I lost my phone. Then Savannah was my cashier and she was so helpful with everything I was carrying, patient with me, let me run back & get my phone made sure I got the 20% off and so much more. GREAT HUMANS!!!

I was going to purchase 3 different items. 2 of them were on sale. That’s the reason I picked the 2 items. I took them up to purchase and the prices changed to higher prices. I told the worker that the price was wrong. She checked it and said the price was wrong. I told her I picked the item because of the price. She said she couldn’t honor it so she asked her supervisor, the supervisor said the same thing. The other item, I had to walk the supervisor to the item to show her the price that was on the item. She said it was in the wrong place. I said that’s not my fault. I worked retail over 10 years, the price the customer pays is the price that’s clearly listed on the items in a store. This store does not know how to do business. I was excited about these items. I ended up leaving the store without nothing. I can’t believe I wasn’t able to be helped. Oh well I purchased better items and target for lower prices. Will never shop this store again.

Awesome costumer service! Oswaldo was extremely helpful, even assisting to carry the merchandise I bought to my car since it was too heavy for me to carry. All the staff was very accommodating! Thank you!

Buying more than $300 worth pf things and the manager will not let my 5 yr old use the restroom. So we left everything and never coming back here

Very helpful plenty of stock great staff reasonable prices for a street store

3 workers at cash register with no customers. We asked for service for shoes. They called for customer service over the speaker and no one came for over 30 min!! And all they were doing was chit chatting with eachother as if we weren’t there. So I go back and there’s 5 of them, just standing at the registers talking . Poor guy just got off of lunch and finally came to help us . Horrible customer service and they should all be fired !!! .today at 3:35 on 11/ 21. Assistant manager was great.

A lot of good sports equipment but search the store because you can sometimes find the same item in another place in the store for a cheaper price. Good staff who help.

We stopped in looking for Softball gear for our Daughter. Equipment was easy to find. Fully stocked.

If I could give no stars I would. Went to get skates for the family, found some nice ones. I thought the price was not too bad but then I see they marked out original price of $69.99 and slapped a green » HOT DEAL» sticker on the top for $79.99 and get to the front and it’s $79.99. Won’t discount or lower so I will definitely be triple checking price at all times now, and going to another location.

Great workout equipment has best prices. Great customer service will be returning to purchase again soon

I went to the Kingscanyon Big 5 location and I had a great welcoming experience. All the employees there were friendly and nice however the Employee Sam not only had great customer service too but was very patient and helpful answering all my questions. I was shopping for a punching bag and he showed me the different kinds they had and the benefits to them and also was very calm listening to what exactly I was looking for and even gave his opinion on what he thinks might be best and he was right !!!! He even carried the big box to the cashier, and out to my car and loaded it in my car for me. I even went back to that store a few days later and another worker there (I didn’t get her name) helped me pick out the right size and color boxing gloves I needed). Thanks again and I will definitely be back to this location and refer my family and friends too. I also want to give a shout out to Alan that works at this location too, I feel he plays a big role on how cleaned and organize and respectfully ran this store is, including all the employees. Thanks again