Viewing 40 posts - 81 through 120 (of 124 total)
  • We're opening a new shop – tell us about the services and products you want?
  • Saccades
    Free Member

    A 2 stage service.

    1 – bog standard, could take up to a week say, to repair.
    2 – premium, next day or faster if simple.

    Get the punter to fill his details in, ie address and phone number, and phone them whilst they are there to make sure the number is the right one. I live miles from any LBS and it drives me mad the number of times i've been told ready on X at Y, to find out it's not ready. I do like the idea of you mailing/texting me to say that the bike is due a service or an extra 5% as it's your bikes birthday.

    List of prices is also very good.

    allyharp
    Full Member

    Another thing I'd add is pricing for at least some items on your website, even if you don't have an online shop. I often find that I order items online just because I don't want to make my way down to the shop without knowing the price and end up paying loads more. If I knew the price was the same or only slighter more expensive I'd make the trip to the shop every time…

    Big-Pete
    Free Member

    2nd Ton, Clydsdale cycle stuff is near impossible to get in this country. Neither Mt Borah or Hoss have a dealer in the UK. Gore will do runs of xxxl quality jackets, but no one will place an order, if you will ship to USA you could clean up. Put me down for 1.

    Pete

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    kamina
    Free Member

    I'll tell you what I like and don't like about my LBS…

    + They are cool guys
    + They stock quite a lot of clothes (I can't buy clothes without trying them on)
    + Their pricing is pretty competitive with the big online stores (don't know how they achieve this)
    + They have often let me use their tools / helped in assembling parts purchased from them (or even from elsewhere) without charging extra (I just bought a 5000€ bike from them largely because they have always been so cool in this regard in the past)

    – They are pretty bad at keeping agreed time schedules
    – They are pretty slow at responding to emails (even an auto-reply with information on when to expect a reply would be better then days of waiting)

    I think one reason why they can be so cool about fitting things / borrowing tools is because they are a fairly specialized shop in a place where all your average joes won't come by accident.

    scruzer
    Free Member

    Ok I know we're not always, always…. right… Honesty with your customers is helpful though and avoiding comments like "no, but we can get you one…" referring to not stocking item or being out of stock… 2 months later and a deposit paid… still waiting etc etc. Had that one so many times. My longest wait was for a pair of rims being delivered (with a different excuse everytime)is 6 weeks. Was told 3 days at first. One day they were in the delivery van riding around the town "as we speak" and still had to wait more weeks… rant over

    Kramer
    Free Member

    thanks for the inspiration to do it right Mr profit-centric!!

    A word of advice – if you're running a business, then you need to make a profit for it to be sustainable, which unfortunately means keeping a close eye on the bottom line.

    SigmaF
    Free Member

    Great comments people, fantastic to see so many ideas that are very similar to the concepts we're modelling our shop on….keep them coming!!

    bikewhisperer – sounds like you've given this some thought yourself???!!

    Agreed, for sustainability and long-term growth/customer value then a certain element of profitability – if not the just required turnover and healthy cash flow – is a fundamental. But – the % of profit the shop owners need/want is something else. If you set about modelling a business around the control of huge dividends and directors salaries as an essential, then in trying to achieve said salaries it seems that the focus on the consumer, staff, service and shop philosophy tends to get clipped in the pursuit of the dollar!!

    We may be mis-guided fools (tbd!!)….but, we don't think it needs to be this way…….

    We could be on a hiding to nothing though!!

    Trekster
    Full Member

    Take it you have no family and a very small or no mortgage. Are futureproofed against all the coming increases in taxes etc
    Prepared to work 24hrs to satisfy the customer samples on here:twisted:

    acjim
    Free Member

    personally I only use bike shops after work (between 5 and 6) or on the weekend (sat or sun). IMO closing on monday or tuesday would be preferable to closing Sunday

    cycleworlduk
    Free Member

    i think you'll possibly need 26 hours a day to achieve all the points above…

    an epos system will do quite a few of those things that were mentioned though but ive run a succesful shop for 6 years without the investment of epos…

    one thing that gets me up most mornings (and i hate getting up!)is the fact that i enjoy what im doing(which is the first time in my working life)its often stressful,but mostly rewarding…the biggest headache is staff not money or customers…cos good staff make the whole job a lot easier…

    id recommend a couple of books(ill get back with what they are,theyre at home) and make freinds with any local dealers big or small…when you cock up with an order they can often get you out of a hole…go in and introduce yourselves.any petty squabbles wont benefit either parties.

    good luck!

    Handsomedog
    Free Member

    Similar to cycleworlduks post above, also get a good friendly relationship with local shops if possible. Ian at my LBS (Devereux cycles) is always ringing up Phil at Eddie McGrath cycles asking for advice or the odd part that he doesn't have in stock. No idea how they divvy up money for such things but its nice to know that the shops are working together to keep themselves afloat and give you the best service possible.

    Also I'm not massively worried about having a huge range of stock available here and now but an ability to get stock in asap every time is important. Next day for simple stuff or within the week otherwise.

    Pigface
    Free Member

    My old LBS was a really intimadating place to go into, it was very cliquey. Roady whuppets hanging out smirking at people asking what they percieved to be daft questions. When you got accepted as a good customer they couldnt do enough for you but it put a lot of people off.

    Not sure what the magic ingredient is to atmosphere but some shops just have a cool vibe.

    Be prepared to work very very hard for not a lot of thanks or returns.

    Good luck with it though.

    alpin
    Free Member

    try and aviod hanging shitty posters of guys riding in places that your average customer can only dream of. instead go out with a keen photography buddy and get some good shots of yourself or locals riding local spots.

    i'd say open all weekend, but have one (maybe two) days off a week. closed monday, half day tuesday and thursday?

    don't have a 'closed' sign hanging up. rather a 'gone biking' or 'we're out testing'. i'd rather think that you were doing what you enjoy than shopping at tescos.

    bereavementmonkey
    Free Member

    This shop is gonna be great!

    Where is it going to be?
    WHat brands are you going to stock?
    When are you opening?

    Or is this just a ploy from an existing shop wondering where they are going wrong?

    MrSalmon
    Free Member

    Lots of people have said it already, but don't mess people around. If you say you're going to phone me back, then do it. I'd rather hear my bike will be ready in 3 days at 3pm and actually have it ready then than be told it'll be tomorrow and it's not. Obviously things crop up, but call and let me know before I make a trip in.

    Don't tell lies for convenience's sake or the sake of a sale (e.g. that lid that you only have in black is only available in black).

    If a job turns out to be more complicated/costly than first thought, phone and discuss it.

    If someone's buying a bike and wants to try a different frame size, at least make an effort to get one and if you can't/won't then explain why rather than just insist the one you have is fine.

    These have been my main gripes with LBSs over the last few years. I think on the whole people will understand that you're not CRC and you need to make a living, but it's the details people remember, especially if they're negatives.

    surfer
    Free Member

    As Hilldodger said earlier, have everything for free really cos its a hobby not a business.

    cullen-bay
    Free Member

    1)Kettle
    2)stock madison stuff
    3)SRAM stuff
    4)have a hose out back for bikes.
    5) shop rides which YOU go on!

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    alpin – Member
    try and aviod hanging shitty posters of guys riding in places that your average customer can only dream of. instead go out with a keen photography buddy and get some good shots of yourself or locals riding local spots.

    Or, as an outdoor shop in Salisbury does, get customers to take a pic of them out and about (Ideally with one of your shop carrier bags) and use them as decoration instead. Great for building up a sort of community feel to it.

    atlaz
    Free Member

    I know it's not easy to do this, but try not to overbook your workshop. My LBS is about 200 yards away but I ride the two miles (or drive depending on what is bust) to the next nearest because even to loosen a shock bushing has the guy there telling me he can have it back to me in a week (for a 30-second job).

    Make sure your staff are as friendly if I'm buying a tube as if I'm dropping 1k on a bike (because sooner or later I will be).

    sheldonstarkey
    Free Member

    1. Components you can touch, smell, weigh – ya know – not behind a glass cabinet.
    2. A set of digital scales so you can weigh components/bikes.
    3. Price match with Chainreaction.
    4. More bling.
    5. Sofas
    6. Coffee machine.
    7. Sexy staff girls who know their stuff.
    8. Santa Claus

    😀

    Lemurian
    Free Member

    Decent range of parts, couple of test bikes. Also think it's a good idea to be open all weekend. Haven't been able to get parts on a sunday a number of times and it's a bit frustrating. Would definitely make business sense to be open all weekend because this is when most people ride, therefore there would be more broken parts to replace. Most importantly, friendly, genuine staff though.

    SigmaF
    Free Member

    …I see that we're going to be quite busy surpassing such a list of expectations…but, we'll certainly give it a try!!

    Thanks again for the suggestions and do keep them coming…!!

    We're hoping to be open for mid-Feb……depending on how long it takes to sort the shop layout….we have a vision of what we want interior wise, but not the £££ to do with it what we want…so, if there are any shop fitters/joiners out there drop us a line!!…

    Brands/lines we'll be back with once we've had location buy-in from the distributors….

    Opening hours – we're thinking closed Tuesdays……Mon – Wed (10 – 7), Thrs/Fri (11 -8)…Sat (9 – 5), Sun (9 – 12)….

    Sexy staff girls?……..know where we can find any??

    thomthumb
    Free Member

    those hours are just confusing. KISS. 🙂

    SigmaF
    Free Member

    Agreed….but, it's not that easy to keep it simple!!….maybe this way, people will just be conditioned to think that the shop is open, when it should be open!!…might take a bit of time mind!! Need to keep the staff happy and motivated as a priority….opening until 8 every night and all day Sunday is not the way forward in that respect..

    enduro-aid
    Free Member

    I think location is one of the biggest things with bike shops, I'm always buying bit and bobs on the internet and not because its cheaper, its because my closest bike shop is a 30 min drive each way so its not really an option to shop there

    BTW I'm in Hamilton in Lanarkshire if anyone whats to PM me the details of a decent lanarkshire shop i dont know about

    Trekster
    Full Member

    we have a vision of what we want interior wise, but not the £££ to do with it what we want…so

    Simple and bright 8)

    Do not let your eyes rule your purse strings, unlikely to be much money around till Easter

    br
    Free Member

    You've missed Christmas – so open in Feb and only 10 months to the next one…

    That's not the best planning I've seen.

    cycleworlduk
    Free Member

    :wink:i wouldnt worry too much about xmas because unless your a shed selling cheap crap bikes you wont be that busy…..every shop i know in scotland has been down year on year at xmas for the last 3-4 years..

    summer is the time! feb is a great time to open

    Reluctant
    Free Member

    I use facebook and flickr to allow people to see shop news and photos of new stock – little things that help drive traffic to the mainshop website.

    cycleworlduk
    Free Member

    any update on your new shop? any closer to getting it open?

    stompy
    Full Member

    And where is it going to be?

    Karinofnine
    Full Member

    Where is your shop going to be?

    Shops are more expensive, which is fine with me, as long as I get good service. I have recently gone back to mail order because I ordered some parts in August before I went on holiday and I still haven't got them, and because they damaged part of my bike and when I complained they said "Oh well, it's only cosmetic".

    If I order a part, remember my order, tell me when I will get it, ring me when it arrives. Do not tell me something will be there "at the weekend" because if I have to drive a 30 mile round trip for nothing I will be very annoyed.

    I would love weekly rides out, probably one in the week/night ride and one or two at the weekends, depending on numbers/speed/on or off road.

    Coffee – essential!

    A female member of staff. Who actually rides bikes.

    Good luck

    ojom
    Free Member

    Our girl is ex WC Bmx, pulls a mean manual!

    genesis
    Free Member

    Run away, recently found out how much it costs to stock a shop!!!

    ojom
    Free Member

    Aye stock does cost a wee bit likes.

    Brown
    Free Member

    Need to keep the staff happy and motivated as a priority….opening until 8 every night and all day Sunday is not the way forward in that respect..

    Nope, your priority is making money by selling things to customers. Assuming you want to stay open, of course.


    Opening until 8 every night and all day Sunday can often be the way forward in that respect

    It sounds like you'd be a great manager to work for as you're thinking about your staff. They'll realise and appreciate this. But they'll like you less if you cut their shifts/sack them/shut down due to low takings. Customers, not staff, come first.

    SigmaF
    Free Member

    Customers, not staff, come first? Sounds like you're from the school of 'everybody is replaceable'?

    You don't develop relationships, a welcoming shop atmosphere and customer retention in the lifestyle sector by having a set of unhappy campers at the face of your shop…..you can maybe get away with it with FMCG, but not with higher involvement purchases!

    That aside, it looks like we'll be open late Feb……all the suppliers we wanted are on onboard, we're just struggling with locations now as finding a unit on the road we want is proving difficult…to say the least!….

    Keep the ideas coming though!

    stealthcat
    Full Member

    I really don't think the Sunday hours will work that well; I appreciate the point about keeping your staff happy, but closing on a Sunday afternoon just means you lose all the potential custom from people who broke something on a ride and either want to replace it straight away or will mail order during the week. Can't you play with staff rotas so that you don't necessarily have the same staff on every Sunday but they can swap if they want a particular weekend free?

    thomthumb
    Free Member

    my lbs are shut on sunday and i think thats fine. sundays are riding days. for staff and customers.

    spokebloke
    Free Member

    Customers, not staff, come first.

    You won't get customers in a LBS without decent staff – you only get away with that if you're Tesco / Asda etc

Viewing 40 posts - 81 through 120 (of 124 total)

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