[Closed] Overheard in a LBS the other day

It happens more than you think.

"I'm going to buy one online but needed to come to a shop to find out what size bike/helmet/shoes I need"

*awaits post stating that shop chappy should have helped him in order to potentially maybe be given the chance to give that customer an inner tube in the future*

Welcome to our world 😉

I had a guy come in to try some SPD shoes on. As I was getting them out the box he said he only wanted to get the right size so he could buy online. I put them back in the box, explaining we weren't an internet showroom, and he scuttled off somewhat chastised.
Used to have another guy who simply wanted a very expensive bike at a sale price. £6k for £4k. That sort of thing. He used to come in and bug me about what I thought about bikes CRC etc had on sale.....

*Applauds PP!*

Yup, used to get them all the time back when I was a shop rat 9 years go, I can only imagine how bad it is now.

I've heard tales of people trying a helmet on, getting their phones out googling it, asking "Is that the one?" and hitting 'buy' stood right in front of the shop owner who's just spent 20 minutes helping them find the right lid and fitting it for them.

In Australia some shops now charge a fee for trying on high-end clothing, shoes lids etc, refundable if you buy something. Wouldn't be surprised if we started seeing that here. A sad state of affairs

So he's still going to need them fitted. If he knows little enough about them to have to ask, then he probably doesn't know the best length for his bike, or have the aptitude to cut his steerer.

A halfway decent salesman would have done the deal, say thrown in fitting or a modest discount and taken the fitting fee. Instead, the "cycle enthusiast with spanner skills and no sales ability" lets someone with the money, who wants a product, out the shop virtually unchallenged.

Thats why bike shops close - staffed by people who think the world owes them a favour. Arrogantly stating "Come to me, I'll charge you full rrp and fitting is extra mind" isn't an inducement to purchase these days.

Awaits flaming.

So bike shops are bad at retail?

Nah.Bike nerds are crap at being customers 😉

Did the shop person at least ask what price they were getting them online, and then tell the potential customer what the best price he could do fitted?

If he still couldn't come near in price then its fair game that he doesn't get the customer. I don't understand why some people think that an LBS is not in the same market place as an online retailer...

It is BUT it has higher overheads because you can try stuff on.
It is trying it on to try it on then buy elsewhere.

I had a guy come in to try some SPD shoes on. As I was getting them out the box he said he only wanted to get the right size so he could buy online.

Fool. I always find some other excuse for not buying when I go to my LBS to try stuff on 😈

I am in the position to price match in our shop. Makes life a lot easier.

Iff I was the shop chappy I would do what I used to do when a out of Towner asked for directions,well put it this way the lad wouldn't be receiving the desired forks in the post after answering his "questions"

Thats why bike shops close - staffed by people who think the world owes them a favour.

In some instances fair point, but those shops tend to eventually go phut.

The good shops with helpful, knowledgeable staff still get 'showroomers' and bitter experience tells them that no matter how helpful and knowledgeable you are, they're never going to get any meaningful business out of them.

Fortunately enough people appreciate the services LBS's offer for them to keep going and most of the more experienced, self-sufficient riders are aware that by buying something from bikemegabargains.de you're essentially side- stepping the LBS sector and wouldn't have the cheek to expect them to help you do it.

It's when people want to be bargain hunters but don't have enough knowledge or tools to really do it without advice or assistance that the piss-taking occurs.

Classic line on a busy a Saturday at my old place "Hi, I bought these forks online, you're a Rockshox dealer so you'll fit them for free won't you? I want to ride tomorrow."

Fortunately these people are still a minority, just a very annoying one.

Junkyard - I agree, but this isn't about ethics, on both sides its about cash. If you don't at least try and get the potential customer, then you don't have a business.

Well said, Hatter.

The amount of folks that walk through the door to "just borrow" a tool is amazing.

The amount of folks that walk through the door to "just borrow" a tool is amazing.

I've always wondered - is that acceptable if you've put a considerable amount of money through their till rather than being some random bod?

I fairly regularly use a bike shop pump to pump up my tyres if they're leaching or if I've had a flat. I buy spare tubes from there sometimes.
Do I have the right to ask them to replace the POS pump they have for customer use because the valve is knackered?

I've always wondered - is that acceptable if you've put a considerable amount of money through their till rather than being some random bod?

I spent so much in mine, they gave me full access to the workshop 😀

You must be a very good customer to get that!

Most are limited to the cheap multi tool kept by the till in our shop.

If you don't at least try and get the potential customer, then you don't have a business.

I think the vast majority of LBS's 'try' to get all the business they can but there are limits.

For example: Merlin are currently selling Reverbs for £189.99, that is less than trade price for a small-medium IBD. What should they do in this instance? Sell at a loss or at such a low margin that even the slightest customer service issue wipes out any profit made?

What about people who have already ordered something and are waiting for it to arrive so go to their LBS to ask for lengthy and detailed set-up instructions, the sale's gone, I've had that as well.

Better know when you've lost, cut your losses and move your limited time resources onto people who you can actually make a profit out of.

It's not always an easy call to make, sometimes shop staff get it wrong and end up offending someone who actually had the intention of buying something there at a reasonable price. This is especially likely if the member of staff recently had to deal with a particularly brazen time waster and is feeling a bit cynical about human nature.

Is it a great state of affairs? No, is it understandable? Yes!

I feel like I should check this story on snopes.

I don't spend a fortune in my LBS, but always get a 10%ish reduction and if I pop in and they're not busy the mechanic will whip the bike up in the stand and give the gears a quick tweak, check wheels, bb etc.
The other day I went in to buy some brake fluid which resulted in a free bleed 🙂
I do take in the occasional jaffa cake offering and sone xmas beers, but because they're decent guys not to get freebies.

Last time I walked in to my LBS the owner pokes his head out of the workshop and shouts "tea with two sugars". Thing was I had to go down the road to buy some milk.

* I did help myself to cash out of the till to pay for it though.

I suppose I get where the grief is coming from which is aimed at the shop staff in the OP, in that the shop person could have enquired what price is was paying online or willing to pay, or could have offered to fit them for him...

...but what the non/customer said was number 10 on the cheeky scale of 1 to 10.

hear and see this all the time ,people borrow tools and a pump then you find a wilko tube box in the bin ...they've saved 50p.
saturdays is more like bike fit these days,the i phone will be the death of many shops.

I do take in the occasional jaffa cake offering and sone xmas beers

I do about the same with a case of beer and a couple of pizzas a few days before Christmas.
I buy all my bikes and most components from the LBS and 20 years of dealing with the same shop, they give me a good price and will almost always squeeze me in if I need something tweaked that I can't fix. Shorts, jerseys, gloves, etc. I tend to buy online.

My LBS is ace. Went in to buy a XTR crank tool for some 2nd cranks I bought, and they didn't have one for sale, so the mechanic gave me his spare from his toolbox, saying he never used it. Proper Shimano one as well. And I get lots of little bits and bobs. I do buy energy drink, bars, gels, clothes and a bike 12 years ago though, and I don't freeload advice or sizing.

It's hardly new practice, people have been doing it since the dawn of mail order retailers back in the 90's. But actually announcing to the shop staff that you're just after advice so you can buy online... Really? That's a special kind of stupid!

9 times out of 10, I can spot the time wasters a mile away... Lots of loaded questions and a pseudo knowledge of the products they're asking about (because they did all of an hour's research online the night before, so now they think they're an expert) are tell tale signs. As is the customer trying to gain any kind of one-upmanship within a conversation.

Simple fact of the matter is, ANY customer who is honest enough to walk in through my shop doors and say "hi, I can buy this product I want at X on the internet, if you can supply it for X or cheaper, or even X + a fitting fee, then the business is yours" will get a big thank you from me, and as much free information as I have to offer. Just giving me the chance to come close to matching an online price is sometimes all the chance I need to show them just how worthy my skills and knowledge are, and that I provide a service that is hopefully worth something, and it often forms the beginning of a longer term customer, particularly if they know you'll do your best for them to be competitive where it counts...

For every pair of £400 Rockshox forks bought, a customer is likely to need many other items that will bring a shop a much higher profit margin than selling a fork at almost cost would bring, so sometimes it's worth the effort to gain a customer as you never know what they're going to buy next week... But by the same token, don't sell at a loss, that'll get you nowhere fast!

I do about the same with a case of beer and a couple of pizzas a few days before Christmas.
I buy all my bikes and most components from the LBS and 20 years of dealing with the same shop, they give me a good price and will almost always squeeze me in if I need something tweaked that I can't fix. Shorts, jerseys, gloves, etc. I tend to buy online.

Last time I walked in to my LBS the owner pokes his head out of the workshop and shouts "tea with two sugars". Thing was I had to go down the road to buy some milk.

* I did help myself to cash out of the till to pay for it though.

It's good to hear that cases like this still exist... A customer that knows where the kettle is will ALWAYS get preferential service and prices on products. In the business world, customers will often look after their suppliers in order to get better prices and/or preferential service. It's not all about the cheapest price for everyone, everywhere thankfully!

I do buy stuff online for various reasons and I buy second hand stuff. However I have bought all my bikes in my LBS I also try and buy what I can in my LBS. I would never try something on in a store then buy it online.

neilsonwheels - Member
The amount of folks that walk through the door to "just borrow" a tool is amazing.

I have had to ask for this twice at a trail centre shop because of emergency repairs. If the shop said no then TBH I would be pissed and they would lose my future custom.

Lots of specialist bike shops give great customer service but are shocking in terms of sales skills.

Surely no one is surprised that retail shops staffed by enthusiasts are not as good at converting sales as professional sales, advertising and marketing people...

Surely no one is surprised that retail shops staffed by enthusiasts are not as good at converting sales as professional sales, advertising and marketing people...

Would you rather walk into a bike shop and speak to people who know a lot about and ride bikes or one where they just repeat all the spiel from the press launches and pressure you into a sale?

Where I work we are hired based pretty much on bike knowledge and enthusiasm not just because we are experienced at sales. Bike shops would be like car dealerships then...

Jamie +1

It's nice that you just happened to overhear a conversation which confirmed your fondest prejudices.

Merlin are currently selling Reverbs for £189.99,

rip off. Rutland cycling have em for £174.99, and thats ignoring cashback sites 🙂

I've never heard anyone stupid enough to do the "I'm shopping online" thing but I don't doubt that there are people that stupid that they don't see why it's just morally wrong.

You also see the number of "Where is the cheapest place for?" threads where people are looking for a couple of hours to save a fiver.

Usually you can tell if the person is a [i]buyer or a tryer[/i], if a buyer then carry on with sale as normal but if a tryer you can usually wangle something out of it. Offer them a coffee/tea while you search suppliers for prices etc, If it was someone i knew that had purchased goods or a service from us previously and i was on first name terms with then i'd initially try to get as near the price as possible, or if it was impossible to compete then i'd say so but then offer to fit it for them if they bring it in on the proviso that if they bought the wrong parts then that's their problem.

I'd fit the part at normal workshop rates and everyones bike has a possible wee tweak that could be made once it's up on the stand - so i'd give it a quick check over : Brakes/pads aligned correctly, crisp shifting gears, cup n' cone bearings adjust?, wheel true, headset adjustment, that annoying squeak?. I'd make a quick judgement as to what is the most annoying issue but the simplest fix and do that, give the chain a quick scrub and lube and list the problems on the job sheet that got handed to the customer on collection - then as an afterthought [i]BTW[/i] mention the issues you fixed when it was on the stand.

Not everyone can afford the retail price that many small shops need to sell items for but it's possible to adapt and offer that something extra that is lacking in the online experience whilst increasing the shops profile amongst riders. Once you have them then it's easier to offer group rides, shop rides/organised days away riding with other shops you know or introduce them to a select few local riding spots, everyone wants to feel [i]part of something[/i] these days with our increasingly connected but distanced lives.

Large retailers enployee analysts to understand customer journeys why they don't buy or swap from one channel to another, they then deploy strategies to keep those customers buying with maximum profit. That cycle of analysis and activity is ongoing and relentless.
LBS sole strategy appears to be moaning about some of their customers whilst lending others a multi tool. Some will intuitively get it right most in my experience will get wrong and lose customers or keep the wrong stock or over value their advice.

I would suggest you develop a way of dealing with what customers are doing as opposed to what you want them to do.

I would suggest you develop a way of dealing with what customers are doing as opposed to what you want them to do.

Is that the only option or are you just being obtuse?

It seems to be the consensus, internet is amazing bike shops are evil. In a world where price is the only measure of value and loyalty goes out the window there is probably no future for actual shops of any description.

It's perfectly normal for people to let of steam and vent about the idiots that they have to deal with during their working day. Unfortunately some of those idiots wander round in here.

I know places that will bend over backwards for people, match as far as they can only for the customer to turn their noses up as they can get the part for 5 quid less having wasted the time of the shop when in reality they had no real intention of buying it there.

If you want to moan about your job feel free but don't expect a sympathy, if you want to improve your business calling your customers idiots isn't likely to achieve much. The challenge of adapting to the web is faced by loads of people in loads of industries some get on with and succeed some moan and thankfully go bust.