Having been working in a bike shop in Winchester for many many years I can completely see what’s being said and have experienced it countless times.

I’d whole-heartedly agree with the consensus that:
– Acknowledge, out front that you’re more expensive than online but explain WHY
– Offer to price match wherever you can on a case-by-case basis.
– Offer small discounts on everything… We have signs all around promoting customers to ASK about discounts… we’re always happy to discuss and try our best to help out. Any bike shop can offer 10% as a minimum off stuff… it’s got to be worth it for some brand loyalty, surely?

Simple solution is to shop online. You avoid the ‘lets fleece you’ and the ‘eternal browsers’.

More time to drink espresso, ride and chat to other morons on forums 😆

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

I’m just the monkey, not the organ grinder…

The joys of retail. You just sort of get used to it after a while and ignor it

Al anythings better than being unemployed and losing your house, think yourself lucky you found a job and there are worse things than being a bike mechanic!

Oh I’m not complaining, I just don’t understand the behaviour.

cynic-al – Member

Quote:- 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

This thread is about customer actions. I am a customer so my view neither uninformed or speculative.Its based on dealing with staff like you who think the they are owed a living, your not, if the customer doesnt buy youve not done your job.

Man up and stop crying.

To be honest i really don’t get how some people can try in a shop and buy online. I’ll never have the gutts or the indecency to do that. Order online but assume your choice.
Al you’ll get use to it. Sometimes as said they may be carried on, or they might genuinely think it’s a good idea in the shop. But once back home it won’t work any more.

Nothing is sold till the money’s in the till, simple. Treat all customers with respect and remain honest with them. Give advice when you are asked and try not to smirk when they say something like “I’ve read in a forum/mag that……..” Some will buy, some won’t, some will buy it somewhere else and then bring it in for you to fit when they can’t do it themselves and some even bring something they ordered online that’s not quite right and ask you to swap it for the right size. There’s nothing quite so strange as folk sometimes.
I even sold a bike the other week full retail ! I felt like I had ripped the fella off. How things have changed.

“I even sold a bike the other week full retail ! I felt like I had ripped the fella off. How things have changed.”

Ah but what happens when he gets home and opens Google and sees he can get the same bike for 15% less? He says ‘bugger, I’ve just wasted a lot of hard earned cash, I wont use that shop again they are expensive!’ 😈

Well RPP is not ripping someone off. Is making a living. Once you’ve paid the importer, the VAT, the local taxes, the rent your staff. You won’t earn a lot on the sale.

“Well RPP is not ripping someone off. Is making a living. Once you’ve paid the importer, the VAT, the local taxes, the rent your staff. You won’t earn a lot on the sale.”

But if Joe Bloggs can get the same product cheaper else where then you havent made a sale at all and have no cash in the till. The competitor is obviously still making money selling it cheaper.

With a new bike comes two free after sales services, each bike is put together properly, BB faced when it needs it and greases added when companies don’t use enough/at all. If they can save 15% on RRP a 2012 bike with that additional service then they are welcome too it. Maybe I should call him up and refund him the difference.
We have a pub across the road and the publican wanted to buy a new bike and wanted a deal for cash, I asked him what sort of deal for cash I’d get that evening when I bought a round of drinks….. he said that it didn’t work that way….. hmmm. Everyone as a choice as I said in a previous post.

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.

All good points. For me the LBS is basically for when I need something in my hand that day enough to make a special trip into town, I need to try something for size, or (very rarely) I feel like treating myself to something and I’m browsing till I find something.

The trying stuff for size one is tricky though because while it’s one of the big advantages the LBS has over the web it’s hard to convert it into a sale and still turn a profit. Too many people will try stuff and then order online, and probably the only way to stop them doing that is to price match, which is difficult for bricks and mortar.

I am a customer so my view neither uninformed or speculative.Its based on dealing with staff like you who think the they are owed a living, your not, if the customer doesnt buy youve not done your job.

No, you don’t know me, nor how I work, you’ve said I can’t sell, how did you work that out?…on the basis of “just because?”

Uninformed speculation 🙄

The trying stuff for size one is tricky though because while it’s one of the big advantages the LBS has over the web it’s hard to convert it into a sale and still turn a profit. Too many people will try stuff and then order online, and probably the only way to stop them doing that is to price match, which is difficult for bricks and mortar.

I’m not sure if it’s that much of an advantage now that online retailers have got their act together with returns: I can order 2 sizes, they arrive at my place of work the next day, I try them on, then send back the one I don’t want using the (relatively) simple returns process.

The alternative is what? Phone around local shops to see who stocks the particular brand I want, and has that particular type of shorts in stock, in a variety of sizes – then try to drive there in my lunch break or at a weekend?

Saying that… I went to an LBS today in my lunchbreak. I bought 2m of cable outer, some ferrules, and some BB spacers. Yes, I could have bought them online infinately cheaper – but I wanted them for tonight for some spannering. And the chap in the shop was friendly, and offered me some advice about my build.

The key thing LBSs can do than online retailers can’t is fit components. Why don’t more shops off a free or discounted fitting service for new bits?

I’m quite bad at doing this

I have an idea and usually before I’ve thought it all through and weighed up my options/costs I find myself in a bike shop chatting to them (usually 18bikes). I get all excited but have that niggle in the back of my mind that I do need to think about it. I go away, sleep on it and usually see sense.

I’d never go in to a bike shop, use their advice then buy online

Well to be honest i am trying to think people should pay a fiver refundable on purchase when in a LBS…

Online you don’t get the old microsoft paperclip following you around offering you advise, bothering you and suggesting ‘try it this way’.

‘Sir I noticed you trying to look at those shorts’

**** off. Click click and no patronising.

whats your bike shop al?

It’s an “average” Edinburgh shop, a bit of everything inlcuding repairs, hire and Bromptons.

CaptJon – Member
The key thing LBSs can do than online retailers can’t is fit components. Why don’t more shops off a free or discounted fitting service for new bits?

Would Sir like the shirts off of our backs?

As a retailer i have no problem with people seeking advice, I’m happy to give it, but when they know that other people are waiting to be served & the phone is ringing & they still insist on taking my time with no remorse it really gets my goat. I always tell shop staff to take calls etc if I can see they are alone even if I do intend to make a large purchase, I never think myself that important.

As an example I had a youngish lad in the other day asking for his car to be diagnosed, I politely told him that there would be a charge for diagnosis & it would be refunded against any work we carried out. He excepted & I asked if he intended to save money by doing the work himself or elsewhere & he honestly replied that he was. Car was plugged in & I spent an hour or so giving him pointers & trying a few different things for him, I aso got the mechanics involved so he effectively got about 2 hours work for £20, but thats what you get when your honest & not turning up ad hock claiming that you will be the worlds best customer if you can just do me a favour now, I hate muppets that think they can dangle a carrot.

Talking of which I was once standing in line at a bank when some bloke was trying to pay a bill that clearly said it was free to pay at a PO but banks would charge for & the guy was shouting about how he was just about to change his banks & if the bank would do this FOC then he would use them, a few of us just started laughing 7 he wondered of saying that the bank had just lost his £000000’s, ****!

I have to admit that I have once or twice (no more mind) gone into a modest sized chain named after a well known Scottish city to try on clothes (always with the intention of buying in the store as I do think it is quite dishonest of customers otherwise). However, having met with consistently indifferent customer service I went home and bought the stuff online. And by indifferent I mean staff who had to be begged for service – and no it wasn’t busy.

At the same store I did ask them to build up a bike for me which I thought I might buy but probably wouldn’t. Did I feel guilty – nope as I had bought two bikes from them in the space of two years.

Good customer service – after much procrastination (ie having asked questions, taken up Cy’s time, saying I did want one, work catching up, not actually placing the order for the best part of a week) I bought a bike from Cotic last week should be here on Friday.

The key thing LBSs can do than online retailers can’t is fit components. Why don’t more shops off a free or discounted fitting service for new bits?

Depends what else the staff would be doing I suppose. There are lots of things LBSs could do that the web can’t, but I expect doing them and still making enough profit is not as easy as it sounds.
So you’d probably have loads of customers if you had a free coffee machine, loads of videos, biscuits and magazines, sold everything at well below RRP and fitted everything for free, but you wouldn’t necessarily stay in business very long.
Obviously that’s an extreme and somewhere with the right demographic could maybe make that sort of thing work, but finding that middle ground between keeping customers sweet and actually making enough money from them to make it all worthwhile is probably tricky.

I must say I find this whole thread rather bizarre, surely retail is all about giving advice to customers knowing that you will not always get a sale. I just spent 3000 on a new bike at a bike shop. I went around maybe six shops carrying different brands, asking honestly for advice and people seemed happy to give in. It what world would you expect someone to walk in and drop 3k on a purchase without some serious thought. I didnt get any sort of negative vibe when talking to the guys, perhaps because shops were generally empty.

and finally, I assume you’ve never had to go shoe/clothes shopping with girlfriend or wife. Only six shops to buy a bike, it would take twice that to find the right pair of boots! 😉

I think we’ve already covered the fact that fashion has a massive mark-up compared to bikes.

It’s A difficult situation. I normally will only say something like that if some ridiculous price has web stated and I’m taken back a bit although most of the time I will be upfront and try strike a deal. I’m all for supporting my LBS’ whether that be Wiggle, hargroves or cycle surgery but won’t be taken for a ride. A couple of his isn’t going to kill me. Hargroves are getting more competitive online and they will also price match as will cycle surgery. My loyalty in shops is dependant on the individual’s working there. At one LBS there’s a really good salesman and one who is so useless its unbelievable. If after a product or advice he is useless and just can’t be bothered. I was buying a bike from them a few weeks ago, and every time i spoke to him on the phone he told me the bike hadnt been built yet – it had been sittinstorey he store for 4 days which is pretty poor when someone is spending £2k on a bike. Every time i deal with this guy I’ve told him not to worry and I’ve gone online and ordered something in a huff. If the other serves me I’m happy paying more than the cheapest online price or going against forum advice on a particular product as he’s a genuine trustworthy guy. Although mail order is a lot cheaper you can’t beat a good shop where you can just pop in say hello grab some bits and go but with the current state of the country we all have to look after our money. Shop owners need to look after their customers but equally we can’t take the piss as they are running a company