[Closed] Well it was worth an ask.. Price match question to LBS!

I get really frustrated at businesses that think they are owed income and [s]make no real effort to earn their business[/s] don't slash any potential profit, just for me, and just because I've seen it cheaper at some faceless online outlet

Bike shops are not charities, FFS. They aren't owed income, they earn that income, that's why the good ones are thriving.

So what's your theory about why they wouldn't drop the price at all?

If cash flow isn't a problem then's it best to wait till you get the most for it. No need to rush everything out the door cheap unless you really have too.

Their sales history may show that this particular bike works well for them and if the OP isn't going to pay full price someone else will.

As long as they were not rude. No one can blame them for not wanting to cut there margin

Shep.. The sales history proves this kind of bike doesn't shift though as it has sat in the shop since July.

This is the first time I will have purchased a bike on a "faceless Internet outlet". I always try to use the local shops for purchases but £300+ is alot of money to overpay for the same product elsewhere.

have you bought the on that's online yet then?

Not as of yet mate..

Get it done and ride it. Snow's a coming. 😀

Oh no.. I'm not riding in anything less than 18 degrees, clear blue skies and no wind. Don't want to wear out the components..

I have a "better weather" bike 😳

However in spring it's doing a Paris-Roubaix (maybe) and a Liege-Bastogne-Liege (definitely) so it'll just be a bike after that as I predict crap weather.

Pricing, my guess is if it was in the shop in the summer they paid full trade price. Online stock is probably just a list in a giant warehouse, rather than a bike ready to go, maybe not in the hands of the online shop until you order... And this online stock is probably now at a discounted trade price. So if the real world shop price matched they could sell at a loss.

You are not really asking for £350off, you are asking for 115% of the profit..... Working to lose money.. For example.( I made up the numbers.)

Online stock is probably just a list in a giant warehouse, rather than a bike ready to go, maybe not in the hands of the online shop until you order...

If the B&M retailer paid for the bike when they received it (or soon after), so there is cash tied up in it, and the online retailer isn't paying the distributor for it until the customer places the order, then the B&M business model for this kind of bike is pretty much broken, isn't it?

I think online-only retailers will have the same issue as the B&M ones in that they will have to hold SOME stock. However I know when I bought my Mondraker, they had the box shipped from the importer to them and then back down to me as they probably didn't want to hold stock of every type and size and spec of Mondraker.

A lot of end of year bargains are probably the importer shifting stock so there's always a problem with people who paid for their stock ahead of time choosing to sell at a loss or zero profit to compete or holding on in the hope someone will buy anyway.

I visited my LBS with a shifter problem recently. Now my LBS (which is also an on-line retailer) has just call up and quoted me £219 for a pair of Tiagra shifters. Now I know for a fact that they sell them on-line for £189 and that I can buy them from other UK-based on-line sellers at ~£140. You can get them for less than that on e-bay if you're willing to take a chance on a supplier in Tai Wan or wherever. When I pointed this out to my LBS they just said they 'couldn't do anything for me'! Seems like they don't want the business and mostly get away with huge mark-ups.

get away with huge mark-ups

That old classic huh

well isn't it true?

Has a vested interest not to offer any discount. If someone else had picked up the phone, the owner for example, discount may well have been offered.

consider point well and truly missed, I thought you meant a deliberate decision by shop owner.

How did the bike shop know the OP would become a regular loyal customer?

They didn't, but if they don't treat someone who calls up and is therefore obviously local as a [i]potential[/i] (highlighted as you appear to have missed it last time) future loyal customer, they are missing an opportunity. "come in, lets see what we can do" would have got OP in the door, maybe knocked a few % off or throw in some kit (bigger markup-less real loss to the shop) and possibly started a long and fruitful relationship with a local rider. The OP is after an "entry level" road bike which screams future upgrades and sales. See comment in my earlier post about Epic getting £6K return business from someone prepared to drive >100 miles.

I don't expect LBSs to be fawning doormats but the indifference that the OP was met with isn't going to help businesses struggling with internet competition.

Where in the original post does the OP mention to the shop he is local when he is enquiring about the price? It is only after he is given the price he says [i]"Oh well I said, I was trying to support my local bike shop, i was going to come in and pay for it today, but I'll take my money else where.."[/i] and (for all we know) simply puts the phone down. The LBS should have tried harder, agreed. But the OP probably could have worked the situation slightly differently too and got a different outcome.

To the OP - if the shop couldn't have matched the price, what could they have done to secure the sale?

[quote=thebikechain ]

get away with huge mark-ups

Interestingly my LBS also refuse to price-match in shop compared to online but only on certain items. Frames, wheels, forks, drivetrain they match. Gloves etc you have to order online. That said they charge postage so I guess for low price items they factor the postage into their margin on the items.

Of course, they are going online only but in quite possibly the oddest way ever. You order online and then they will either post or you can collect from their shop. Which is closed. So you can collect it every second Thursday around noon. 😯

I did mention I was local and therefore able to come in and pay for it that day. They could have at least made an effort to persuade me to come in.. I worked in sales for 6 years so know how to get a customer through the door.

Something like "well that's is a good price as you say, I doubt we can match it, but why don't you come in later today and I'll speak to the manager in the meantime and see what we can do. I'm sure we can sort something out, do you need pedals, shoes, helmet, cycle computer.. Clothing etc?"

I would have said "yeah I'm after some pedals, shoes, cycle computer and some new winter gloves"

"Well then 1981miked, I'm confident we can sort you out a great deal, I'll see you this afternoon"

Something like that would have got me in the door at least, but all I got was "well the boss won't take anything more off it as he is confident it will sell at that price"

And have you bought the bike yet?

And have you bought the bike yet?

he does not need to rush now! he might of parted with his cash if the lbs was a little more persuasive but not.....

so now the way i see it he can wait to order his bike until after christmas and might be able to find it even cheaper.

as he said he wont be riding it in the winter anyway (or most of the summer if its only for sunny days)

No not yet.. Busy trying to buy a house today. Far easier than a bike IMO.

Sunny and wind free and clear skies and it must be at least 18 degrees.. ; )

Nah seriously.. I may hold off until next week and see what happens nearer the big day.

Plus been in touch with Leslie bikes as recommended by a few on here and he has offered me a good deal on a bike, hoping to go through this weekend for a look.

Now my LBS (which is also an on-line retailer) has just call up and quoted me £219 for a pair of Tiagra shifters. Now I know for a fact that they sell them on-line for £189

I always stick up for shops trying to make as much money as they can, they are not a charity and are there to make money after all. BUT it really pisses me off when you can buy the product cheaper from the shops website especially when its all stored in the same place.

atlaz - Member
thebikechain »
get away with huge mark-ups

That old classic huh

Interestingly my LBS also refuse to price-match in shop compared to online but only on certain items. Frames, wheels, forks, drivetrain they match. Gloves etc you have to order online. That said they charge postage so I guess for low price items they factor the postage into their margin on the items.

Of course, they are going online only but in quite possibly the oddest way ever. You order online and then they will either post or you can collect from their shop. Which is closed. So you can collect it every second Thursday around noon.

Its not that I think we should always expect shops to match on-line prices (they do have real overheads - staff, buildings etc), but I do expect them to at least offer the customer something of an incentive to buy from them where they are obviously far from being competitive.

No not yet.. Busy trying to buy a house today. Far easier than a bike IMO.

If you think a LBS is out to get you, wait till you meet the Estate Agents!

Only thing to do with estate agents is ignore them. They have a clear vested interest and I found that if you just remember all they want is money, life gets less stressful. If they give you the opportunity, negotiate directly with the owners rather than going via the agents at all times. We went around for a drink and spent 2 hours discussing the price and how we could make it work for everyone. Very reasonable experience, everyone got a fair deal and the estate agent had nothing to do with it.

I would go for the better frame

Define "better": Weight? Stiffness? Crashproofness? Smoothness?