I’m revisiting my earlier “career” in bike shop retail.

I’m astounded by the no. of customers that have a lengthy chat and say “OK I’ll definitely come back to buy that/bring my bike in for that service we’ve discussed at length” etc…never to be seen again.

I’m not at all pushy in dealings with customers, so I can’t see them doing this to get away…why do they do this, is it some inability not to lie?

Do you do this?…Why?

Yeah, I had that too – common unfortunately in retail – If they don’t put money down, you can assume they’re unlikely to be returning.

Why do they do it – they get carried away with it but don’t want to admit face to face that they’ve been wasting your time so carry on with the pretence. At least that’s what I figured.

Also some ****er is now claiming a colleague offered him a discount that was in fact not offered…all for £20 😡

why do they do this, is it some inability not to lie?

To gleam all your knowledge, then buy it cheaper on the net probably sadly…

People lie………..all the time.

A common one round here is “I’ll be back after I’ve cleared it with the wife”.

I’m revisiting my earlier “career” in bike shop retail.

Don’t do it

I did this once regarding an alfine conversion for my SS road bike. Seemed like a great idea in the shop but when I got home I realised that for the cost I should just buy a geared roadbike and also you couldn’t get a shifter for drop bars)

In fairness I still use the shop reguarly and they never mentioned it!

To gleam all your knowledge, then buy it cheaper on the net probably sadly…

Wasn’t a problem when I worked in the bike trade…

They’re probablly just being polite. I use to work in a few bike shops on sales and as a mechanic. The thing i use to dread was when customers would start a sentence with “I was just riding along when…..”

Then followed by stupid things like:
“my wheel bent”
“my cables are now wrapped arround my bike (head tube)”
“my wheel went flat” (puncture)
“my brakes dont stop me. They just lock the wheels”

I don’t like to BS, if the deal doesn’t sound too great or I reckon I might be able to get something better elsewhere I’ll say “I’ll have a think about it.” I’d feel guilty saying “yep I’ll def be back”

You have got savvy customers, well at least people visiting your shop.

People are doing it more and more, and to be honest I think you just have to accept it.

You go to the LBS, ask about a product etc, you get a price and go away and think about it, and to check whether the LBS is offering good value like your other LBS the internet.

You get home and the internet is much cheaper, so you buy on the internet.

I guess the only way round it is for LBS to do more price checking and be aware that X or Y can offer it cheaper, ok you might not be able to match, but at least point it out to the customer and advise why they are better to buy from you even though it costs more.

bellerophon – Member
Don’t do it

Not my first choice, but better paid/less dull than office temping crap, and better than watching the house get repossessed…

Before I got into the habit of fixing the bike myself I’d usually ask the opinion of more than one LBS to make sure they were giving proper advice (or at least saying the same thing) and to get the best price. It’s called shopping around.

It’s nice to hold a shiny product in your hand….. then go home and order it online.

*runs away*

It’s called shopping around.

OP didn’t seem to be complaining about that

In the united kingdumb, it all about image innit?

Who gives a shit about the truth or facts for that matter.

If someones lies to you then they have an accomplishment under thier belt.

I never believe anything unless I can varify it for myself, hope you enjoy your career change al! all the best!

Sometimes it’s just being polite.

Have you never had a conversation with someone in a shop, realised they are talking pish and then decided to walk? You either waffle about “coming back” or be a bit more blunt and tell them they are spouting drivel.

So you lot couldn’t sell a black hat to witch and when the customer tries to let you down gently you go online and bitch.

Not suprising the webs doing so well.

I guess the only way round it is for LBS to do more price checking and be aware that X or Y can offer it cheaper, ok you might not be able to match, but at least point it out to the customer and advise why they are better to buy from you even though it costs more.

To be fair (and I don’t work in an LBS) I don’t think many LBS can actually pricematch the likes of CRC can they? Not when the online lot flog many items at lower prices than an LBS would pay the distributor for the same item…

Perhaps its easier to just say:

“OK you go order it off the internet and we’ll charge you the £20 you saved doing that – to fit it for you when you realise you actually only own a Mastic gun, a pin hammer and a multitool and not the specific Cassette/HT2/Torx tool you actually needed to fit it…”

I did this a while ago. Went into a new LBS in town to price-up getting some forks fitted as thought they would want the business.

Guy was very helpful and said I’d come back later that week but realised after I received the boxed forks that there was little chance of me riding up Oxford Road in town with the boxed forks under my arm. I don’t drive so they got took to the LBS nearer to me (but with a longer waiting list) in the end.

Can’t say it bothers me- if you work in retail than you can expect to deal with customers, and there are a million reasons why they may change their mind after agreeing something verbally with you. Probably best getting a different job if you work in retail and this kind of thing bothers you.

Its just the sales magic wearing off as soon as they leave the shop, happens to me, I almost bought a £400 stereo I didn’t need, had to go home to pick up some ID for the interest free credit, but common sense caught up with me halfway along the pavement and I didn’t go back.

Didn’t mean to lie to the guy but thats effectively what I did.

“So you lot couldn’t sell a black hat to witch and when the customer tries to let you down gently you go online and bitch.”

ouch………..;-)

As a few have alluded to I think this is the getting carried away in the shop or some sort of internal point scoring as kaesae said. “I really want a “X” but don’t have the money but if I tell the chap in the shop I’ll be back Sat to buy it it’s almost like actually owning it”. I honestly believe this to be the case in a lot.

Personally I think people shopping around would just say “I’ll leave it for now” which is a watered down version of “I’ll be back on Sat” but different enough. Personally now I’d either go in armed with on line prices and ask LBS how close they could get.

Clothing (inc helmets) etc is probably the worse one where the LBS becomes the sizing test centre and then item gets online ordered.

IanW – Member

So you lot couldn’t sell a black hat to witch and when the customer tries to let you down gently you go online and bitch

Oooh, uninformed speculation and bitching hypocrisy?

Well done, sir!

I like to test out shop staff before I entrust my hard earned cash/bike to them, by engaging them in conversation and asking a few fairly basic questions, some of which I already know the answers to.

If during this process one of the following happens –

– I find out they know less than me
– Their general arrogance/lack of interest becomes plain, or
– They try and fob me off with something they have in stock that’s not fit for the purpose

I will politely tell them I’ll think about it and return if I decide to go ahead.

I do the same with any (important) purchase, not just bike stuff.

I just look at it as being a savvy customer, and that it gives good sales staff a chance to shine, while weeding out the bad ones…

PMTB the customers in question were clearly not savvy tho, just BSers it seems.

No, but all the above says to me is that the seller has failed to persuade. As to the online bit: buyers and sellers are always looking for the best deal. The point is that for both this needs to be considered over the longer term. Online cannot compete with local service and LBSs should ensure their staff have this mantra drilled into them.

Not my first choice, but better paid/less dull than office temping crap, and better than watching the house get repossessed…

Do it 😀

Sorry just re-read all of your post 😳

Just been having a further think about this, and I have done it before.

A couple of years ago I needed a new brake set, so I thought I would use the opportunity to visit a nearish LBS that I had never been to before.

Had a look round the shop and asked about brake sets. The guys were helpful, and said they could offer me a great deal on an XT brake set. I walked out with the serious intention to think about it and probably go back and buy them.

Subsequently I searched this forum and found that Ribble Cycles were doing them substantially cheaper, so bought from them. On top of this when I actually googled a bit more, the great deal the LBS was offering me wasn’t actually an offer at all but RRP. Hence why I have never been back again.

Well, when you walk in an LBS looking for a tube of teflon grease and the only one they sell comes in a pack complete with a gun (£16 instead of £6) and you say you only want a tube but don’t get anywhere…………..

Clothing (inc helmets) etc is probably the worse one where the LBS becomes the sizing test centre and then item gets online ordered.

Guilty 😳

Went into (an absolutely extortionate bike shop near Wokingahm) to buy a new helemt, tried on a couple of £100-£140 full face helmets, none fit properly so started at the lower end ~£80 but had a nagging feeling the one that fit was definately cheeper elswhere. £35 on CRC later and I had the same £90 helmet. the same LBS charged me £35 for 2 brakepads tough, so I don’t feel guilty in the slightest.

L(ish)BS up here is cheeper than CRC for clothing (Westbrooks), and the price online/on the shelf rarely bears any relation to the till. My shoes came up £10 less than the shelf price (which matched CRC) and LS260 jersy came up a tenner cheeper too. Good job really as on both occasions I ended up needing to try on 3 different sizes to get it right!

Clothing (inc helmets) etc is probably the worse one where the LBS becomes the sizing test centre and then item gets online ordered.

The frankly horrific pricing of cycling specific clothing has a lot to do with this I reckon. I’ll only ever buy discounted, £85 for some shorts? Get F*****
I really like my LBS, they’re top top guys BUT I can’t afford to give them the extra £100 it would have cost me to buy a reverb from them. I feel bad but I’d never have bought one at RRP so they’ve not lost out.

I don’t mind giving people time/advice/expertese if they give us some revenue, we can’t compete on price so I know they will buy online.

It’s just when people take up ages of your time then **** off!

The solution is simple. You need more big clumsy lummoxes like me around, as customers. Seriously… you’d make a fortune.

Every time I go to the LBS – and believe me, its fairly regularly – its because I’ve smashed/bent/permanently disfigured something important.

It also depends how good your LBS is. Mine’s great!

*unashamed plug for DJ cycles in Holcombe*

I have had 2 different lbs’s “order me in” stuff, write my name, number and what they are ordering down in a book and then never contact me about it. Both had painfully thin waffly excuses when I chased them about it. Neither asked for money up front: was that where I was going wrong?

cynic-al – Member
I don’t mind giving people time/advice/expertese if they give us some revenue, we can’t compete on price so I know they will buy online.

Maybe that condition comes through to the customer and they don’t like it.

A common one round here is “I’ll be back after I’ve cleared it with the wife”.

sorry 😳

“we can’t compete on price so I know they will buy online.”

Ok might not work for everyone, but if an LBS was up front and honest with me and said, you can probably get that the same XT brake set online £40 cheaper, however I will give you 10% off our price, and if you have any problems feel free to drop back in with the bike?

The fact that you 1. acknowledging you cant match the online price but are willing to try, and 2. Offering a service that can not be offered on line means that I would be more tempted to buy from you.

When they turn up 6 months later with brakes not quite working properly its ok to charge for a re bleed etc, but again maybe offer a small discount.

If you can’t compromise / un willing to compromise then surely you are not competitive in the market place?

I think it depends on what you consider what the market for an LBS is.

I don’t think there is any real money to be made for a LBS aiming to sell to the likes of the people on these forums – generally we know what widget/doo-dah we want, and the chances of a smallish LBS having that particular thing in the right size/colour, in stock and at (roughly) the same price as online, are extremely slim.

I think there are lots of things that LBSs can do sucessfully – but trying to compete with online pricing (with relatively savvy customers) is not one of them.