I'm always confused about the bike industry and the fact that people expect discounts and free fitting just because they're buying something, if you tried that in a garage or asked for a discount in most stores they would give you a funny look.
Fair enough charging over RRP is a bit much but if you consider how much the shop actually makes from something like a CK headset after all the overheads then you'll realise why they charge labour.

Agreed….. Go to a restaurant and the margins are upwards of 200% gross and then you pay a service charge of 10-20%…. Go to a bike shop where gross margins are TOP 35% (on bikes) and people want either a cash discount or accessories chucked in.

Funny old world…. Although I still ask for a discount at sainsburys every time I shop!

Do you ask them to taking your shopping to your car too?

ha never thought of that always depressed that they never give me any extra discount!!!!

How do LBS stay in business

Also saw a lass walk in with a flat rear tyre, she asked for new tyres to suit, chap sold her 2 tyres (front & rear) and then charged £10 per end (so £20) for fitting them… lady took that without batting an eyelid

Answered your own question

I don't go near the bike shop normally but when I was going single speed properly they were dead helpful, worked on stuff there and then, lent me tools, gave me the spacers free etc etc.

I think if I'd handed the bike over and let them get on with it I'd have paid through the nose, but overall I was pretty pleased.

Ian

Actually working in a bike shop this kind of thing really gets my goat. In no other line of retail would you expect free labour as well as discount on parts, and it's amazing how many people come in, try out components and clothing, waste your time and advice and the go online and buy it.
And then come and complain to you when they've bought the wrong thing or it goes wrong. Aaargh!

Actually working in a bike shop this kind of thing really gets my goat. In no other line of retail would you expect free labour as well as discount on parts, and it's amazing how many people come in, try out components and clothing, waste your time and advice and the go online and buy it.
And then come and complain to you when they've bought the wrong thing or it goes wrong. Aaargh!

See what you need to do is qualify people more. Ask the right questions to make sure they are not just using you as Googles Changing Room.

There is also the argument that you just need to 'work' with people and give them a reason to buy from you.

mansonsoul – Member
This might be a funny thing to say on this thread, but one of the things that really attracts me to cycling is the self-sufficiency it gives you. With my bike I have my transport, my recreation, my access to travel, the hills, shops, anywhere, all within my control. I don't have to rely on anyone else.

For me, that extends to the mechanics side of things too. I like being able to sort everything on my bike, with simple tools and be self reliant. I always buy online, because it's cheaper and I like fitting everything myself. Any LBS' I've ever had have been annoying, with blinkered opinions about bikes/riding, expensive and not that helpful. So I learnt to do it myself.

I totally 100% agree, if there is a job on your bike you can’t do then learn!

Especially in this day and age, the information is widely available, and forums like this one are useful enough if you need to ask a question….

I sometimes despair when friends ask me to fix their bikes for them, it’s not rocket science…

As for LBS’ staying in business, the ones that survive sell more than boutique crap to overpaid mechanical morons…
They shift commuter bikes I expect their weekends are taken up with selling £300-£500 bikes to people baulking at the cost of fuel…
Joe average most likely doesn’t go to an online retailer to buy his new commuter bike…

There is also the argument that you just need to 'work' with people and give them a reason to buy from you.

Even when you know they're just using you as a changing room, you can't just ignore people unfortunately. You can spot them a mile off…..

If they have been rude enough to use you as a changing room then you just need to politely say… "we do appreciate you coming to visit us sir/madam, but we are not able to let you try on products that you do not intend buying from us. As soon as Google work out a way of allowing you to do this on line then we will be happy to price match"

Depending on how you deliver this line you will get
1. a laugh and an open frank discussion and usually a sale
2. no sale from someone who wasnt going to buy from you anyway

spend some time with people at the browsing stage before trying on and ask the right questions.

Feeling a bit guilty about this one at the moment. I almost always use my LBS, ride with them regularly, know them reasonably well and get a fair few bits from them and a bit of free maintanance when i need some.

BUT, i'm getting them to build my new bike tomorrow that i bought in bits from ebay, classifieds, wiggle, chainreaction etc, and not from them. I would have loved to have helped them out and spent my money with them, but price wise i couldn't afford to. The money i'll be charged to get it built will be covered in the savings on the chainset alone. I'd have had to down spec loads of components to have met my budget (and i've stretched that a fair bit already – don't tell the misses).

Would liked to have built it myself, but time, decorating new house, babysitting, lack of garage, tools and skill have ruled this out.

A lot places do pricematch stuff these days, as long as it's in stock and includes price of delivery etc, so often you can walk into a shop and get the same price and speak to a real person.

but price wise i couldn't afford to

But thats part of the argument isn't it? If you couldn't afford to, why are you riding mountainbikes, a stupidly expensive sport? Why not take up jogging or football?

What you mean is "my desire for high performance XTR/X0 kit over-ruled my desire to shop in the local shop". Which is fair enough, but my general, very hippy-ish and probably very mis-informed conscience wouldn't allow me to do that.

My LBS will either price match the www or fit for free for many parts. This seems like a fair deal to me and involves the minimum of arithmetic.

Well I am the kind of people who buys wheels 150€ more expensive from the LBS.

But then they let me use the workshop to install it myself 😀

Look, I know they're a business and need to make money… all I'm saying is that that £15 cost them a sale, so now they've made nothing at all (though I accept that even by selling me the unit for £120 and fitting it for free, maybe they wouldn't have made much either… though I find that a little far fetched…)

'tis all good, I wish them well 🙂

I think the main problem is that people are confusing Goods and services here, your LBS sells both, and you were proposing to buy both except you’re expecting them to absorb the cost of a service (not a cheap one to offer) into the pricing of the goods they sell, or in other words taking the piss a bit…..

All well and good but odds are they set their prices excluding a fitting charge and considering the shops other basic Overheads.
They run the business to make money, if the only way they can get your business is to basically loose money then I doubt they need the trade, there will be some mug who’ll pay £135 to have a CK headset bought and fitted on the day, try finding a shop without London overheads and you’ll probably find a cheaper deal on the item and fitting together, except you’ll have the additional cost of travel to factor in…

Basically it’s worth working out the “Total cost of ownership” for the part before you whine about £15 to fit an already overpriced part….

Or just buy an FSA and save the best part of £100…

I do use the local bike shops, but being honest I probably spend more money online.

3 main local bike shops I use:
[list]
[*] Edinburgh Bike Co-op – Service is a bit supermarket-like, but they hold decent stock and their own brand products aren't too bad. I will *never* get my bike serviced there, after they broke my forks and hid the damage a few years back.[/*]
[*] Bicycle Works – If I ever need anything done that I can't do myself, I always go to this shop[/*]
[*]The bike chain – Really nice shop for a browse, or if I need to get something during a lunch break. Last time I was in a really nice American woman (I think?) was manning the till and started chatting about my bike etc – I was just in to buy some new cleats but thought that was pretty nice – taking an interest in customers etc.[/*]
[/list]I bought a £160 endura jacket from EBC last month after trying it on – I would never try something on then buy it online – I think its quite immoral.

Sandy-she is Slovakian. Dasa-ex WC bmx star. She always gets called Australian or American!

Thanks for your comments btw. Say hi next time you are in.

Mark

I've worked in two well respected mtb specialsits. We used to do free CK fitting and try to price match etc. Both shops went bust. Busy but no profit!

Maybe they thought that if you could afford £120 for a headset (I'll confess I don't rate them) then the £15 for fitting wouldn't phase you.

.

"I'd like to pricematch this jar of marmalade please" 😆

Sandy-she is Slovakian

Plan a trip to burg to visit mark's shop…

Now this is bonkers.

i recently bought shimano mw80 winter boots. tried on at localish shop – price £140. thought that's a bit steep. 1 day later looked at the same shops website and they were online for £99.50. (ieven ordered them online and then picked them up from the shop lol)

Travel agent, living in London and can afford to drop 120pounds on a headset? Low paid, does not compute…… 😉

Having worked in LBS's in the UK, and now living in NZ, i'm perplexed how the LBS's survive here (Auckland). I've been in a few and they are very expensive, most don't bother selling parts branded by hope, king, etc. They just stock mid range bikes and kids bike, although quite a few sell really high end road, but not much componentry.

Folk have asked me 'why don't don't you open a bike shop'? I can't see the merit in it here, there apears to be little in the way of commuter market (the bread and butter of most inner city shops) due to the being killed factor. Also even thou the NZ dollar is very strong local prices are very high, and that makes CRC&Co seem very good value. (Try 40% cheaper for Hope stuff!)

Bike shops in the UK are on the whole very competitive to NZ and Australian market, especially as wages and taxes are higher here. I know a lot of folk want to get the best deal possible and fit stuff themselves and sort out any compatabilty/warrenty issues, but by the same token a lot of people will pay a premium for the value added aspect of dealing with maybe knowledgeable staff with the correct tools for the job. Swings and round-a-bouts, game of two halfs etc…..

I've worked in two well respected mtb specialsits. We used to do free CK fitting and try to price match etc. Both shops went bust. Busy but no profit!

Out of interest, which shops?

they'll stay in business by not stocking chris king as you can get pretty much any of it off ebay at what i would pay for it and charging for fitting it…..

why do you all expect a discount in a bike shop? whats different with other shops where you wouldnt ask? do you ask in a hifi shop? a pet shop?

a lbs is a business at the end of the day…ive yet to see crc,merlin or wiggle fit anything!

do you ask in a hifi shop? a pet shop?

Yes, I'd haggle a little in these types of stores, why not?

do folk haggle in your travel agents?

I'll haggle in any type of specialist store where I'm spending large amounts of money.

So LBS, motorcycle clothing shops, and the motorbike dealer, car dealers, furniture shops, tailors. They've all been at least asked for a discount over the last year or so.

None have refused.

I can see both sides of the LBS-coin having working in one years ago and recently always buying everything myself online (because I have the tools and skill to fit anything myself). My LBS will always give me a straight 10% off due to years of custom, and I do sometimes think their prices for fitting take the piss a little. But when you added up what it costs them for half an hour of a spanner-monkey's time to fit a pair of tyres or a headset, the charges aren't too bad really.

do folk haggle in your travel agents?

indeed they do… everyone wants a discount nowadays, sometimes I give one, sometimes I don't, depends on a lot of things (much like a bikestore I'd guess 😉 )

i haggled in currys and got £150 off a sony telly 😀

khani check the price of that TV in 3 weeks, I bet they knock £150 off for the January sales.

was an ex display down from 900 to 650, offerd 500cash and got my hand bitten off, you're probabley right though but it was ok at the time,

Well – just picked up £80 worth of tyres from my LBS. Maybe a couple of quid more than if I had got them of t'intenet but no more than that. Nice little bit of discount.

Service – thats what you get from your LBS. Thanks TBC