What, like nobody ever spent 10 minutes at work on a personal phone call, checking FB on their phone, taking a very large magazine to the toilet with them for hours ? Give and take people !

At a place I once worked, there are several people who went on a tea break in 1985, and still haven’t come back.

I think shutting Sunday is just bonkers,

Do you like working weekends? No. I thought not.

What, like nobody ever spent 10 minutes at work on a personal phone call, checking FB on their phone, taking a very large magazine to the toilet with them for hours ? Give and take people !

Yesterday I serviced 8 bikes. I get paid from 9.30 to 6.00. I’d finished my first easy job by just after 9.30 after arriving at about 9.10. I managed a 15 minute break but ate my sandwiches standing up working. I got cleaned up and left just after 6.10. I didn’t even look at my phone from a distance!
Is that the ‘give and take’ you’re thinking of?

Where is this crap shop ? I need to add it to the list of shops to avoid.

Seems there are a few people who don’t understand the connection between their job and customers feeling happy.

So did you actually knock on the door OP and tell them what you were there for?

If you did and they told you they can’t help, then that’s crap service and I can understand your frustration.

If you just stood outside, looking in the window expecting them to come out and ask you inside then you really only have yourself to blame.

Seems there are a few people who don’t understand the connection between their job and customers feeling happy.

And it seems there are a few people who think their happiness is the most important thing in the world, ever 😉

You were owed 5 mins then .gov.uk says 20 minute break in a working day

Do you pay your staff for all the time they work over what’s in their contract, or do you freeload off the extra ten minutes in the morning, ten minutes in the evening (80 hours, or over 2 working weeks a year) at a great benefit to your business?

No – we treat them like adults, and expect them to behave like adults to, as in

What, like nobody ever spent 10 minutes at work on a personal phone call, checking FB on their phone, taking a very large magazine to the toilet with them for hours ? Give and take people!

If a member of staff needs to leave early or come in late, or has a doctor’s appointment they need to go to during the working day – that’s absolutely fine. Should I deduct ten minutes’ pay each time? If they want to borrow a bike to go for a ride – that’s fine too. It’s not in their contract, but I don’t consider them to be “freeloading off” me. If a non-mechanical member of staff needs a hand fixing their bike, I won’t charge them for it. Again, neither party considers it to be freeloading.

If the ‘phone rings at half eight, and someone’s there to answer it, they’ll do it. If it’s busy and someone has to put their lunch to one side and help out, they’ll do it. I hope they don’t feel exploited. If they didn’t feel happy doing that, would it still be OK for them to make personal calls on our time/dime, borrow bikes for free, leave early or come in late when they needed to, etc?

Back to the OP, if a customer was outside wanting serving before we officially opened, I’d hope we could serve them. But there are lots of good reasons why it’s not always possible and I think it’s a bit harsh to judge the shop/staff for not being open before they say they are.

In the OP’s example if they really were mega busy, team meeting etc. all they had to do was open the door explain that and suggest a suitable time for him to could come back later. It’s all about being polite and managing expectations.

Our opening times are 9:30 to 5:30.
I dont think we have ever opened and closed at those times.

Though one of the lads did get in to the habit of being out the door and done at 5:30. When he was doing that we very nearly went bust.
Now we are open late and early every day/night.
We notice a lot of customers come in between six and half past.
had customers pick up race bikes at midnight when we were preparing them for an event. (They dropped them in last minute as always)

However, we dont open Sundays or Bank Holidays.
We advertise when we are closing and we get a massive rush the three weeks beforehand.

Personally I have been to bike shops on Sundays and Bank Holidays and everyone is just browsing because they are bored.
Our staff have families and ride with our customers so why have them at work away from the customers?

But customer is king as long as they are not an obnoxious t**t, then they can go to another shop. But then they will miss out on the coffe and cake and chocolates and biscuits, and pizza. (We are a bike shop btw) just the local pizza shop gives us free pizza some days at 5:30

They weren’t open til 10. It said so on the door. What did you expect? They may use this time to set the shop up for the day, get some repairs out the way, get some orders for parts done on the iPad. If I had my own business and it said “Hours- 10-5pm” I’d not work much outside them, certainly not half an hour, unless there was a real need for the customer to get their bike back- maybe if they had a race on Sunday and something broke at 4.30 on Saturday.

Outside of the retailshop world everyone is expected to turn up before their contracted hours and not leave on the dot.

Now I admit bikeshops don’t pay fantastic wages for the thousands they are expected to sell so there is some leeway.

OP- the shops opening hours are an issue with the owner not the staff.

Just an observation, but most of the “I work in a bike shop” types here seem to have little problem finding time to elighten us with their mutterings’n’musings, guess their shops aren’t that busy……….

This is a funny one. People expect bike shops to go the extra mile by opening early, doing a quick repair for free etc, we wouldn’t expect this from Tesco, Starbucks or any other shop.

Saying all that, if that is a customers expectation and it is not met, people will vote with their feet and the shop will close down.

The Customer pays your wages – happiness is a wage.

Its quite simple.

We run a successful business because non of the staff need to be reminded of that fact.

Just an observation, but most of the “I work in a bike shop” types here seem to have little problem finding time to elighten us with their mutterings’n’musings, guess their shops aren’t that busy……….

Whereas all the people who don’t work in bike shops are far too busy to post on the forum. Oh, hang on a sec…

With a thread titled “Do bike shops want repeat business?” I don’t think it’s surprising that shop owners, and people who work in shops, might chip in with an opinion.

(To answer the OP’s question – and I think I speak for most shops in this – yes, we do very much value repeat business).

To answer the OP’s question – and I think I speak for most shops in this – yes, we do very much value repeat business

Yep.

I had coffee in a bikeshop on Monday. The coffee was warm- not cold enough to mention but it went down fairly quickly.

Chappy came across and said ‘be honest, it wasn’t hot enough was it’?

He brought over a steaming hot cup and a stamped up card for another the next time I come.

Guess what, I’ll be going back- he knows customer service that bloke 🙂

I wasn’t talking about you personally Peterpoddy, on that day, it was more of a global observation. You will at least feel guilt free when you do need some Me Time on working hours, probably for some help getting that last nail in your cross.

If the shop regularly has requests from people to collect bikes on a sunday or at 0900, well kill me, but maybe the owner should adjust the hours ? I guess it depends if they are running a business or a hobby.

The same applies to butchers, bakers, cafes etc. You need to be there when it suits your customers or you will have less, pretty simple, and that might suit you as bencooper says.

When I get out of the pub at 11:30pm the LBS should be open to service my biking needs, the alternative is just to go home and order from Wiggle etc and have it delivered to my door 😀

This is a funny one. People expect bike shops to go the extra mile by opening early, doing a quick repair for free etc, we wouldn’t expect this from Tesco, Starbucks or any other shop.

No. What we expect is a small independant bike shop to offer something ‘more’ than the chain or online stores everyone insists are the death nail for their type of shop, be that flexible opening, great enthusiasm, helpful attitude etc, but a proportion of shops seem to have little interest in doing anything other than the bare minimum for customers (or potential customers).

Its obvious many shops do see this and there are often threads on here promoting certain shops who did a job well or went the extra mile to help a customer. These shops will no doubt get more or new custom due to their attitude (i know i always seek to visit good shops when in new areas), the others will get bad reviews and might lose some custom.

hooli – Member
Saying all that, if that is a customers expectation and it is not met, people will vote with their feet and the shop will close down.

A shop that will service bikes quickly (empty workshop) and give discounts may not stay in business.

we get lunch breaks too, though, the term mental busy, is how we refer to every day these days.

Tesco’s (****) sell you something that you need to survive..

Bikeshops sell you a hobby item..

You can survive without one ^

A group of 4 of us asked a shop to stay open for us to buy snowboard kit

We said we would be spending around $6k between us. We had exceptional service

We spent around $7k in 30 minutes and received a free board bag each plus a substantial % reduction.

There are reasons for an owner to stop open for you. I don’t think the OPs was one of them

Agree with Hooli. You don’t expect John Lewis to open early just because you got there before they open do you and I would say their customer service is near the top.
There has to be a set time otherwise how would you actually know when they open?

Do you just expect this of small businesses, business with less than N shops (no chains), business with less than N people?

The customer expectation is wrong here not the customer service. If you expect shops to do that and they don’t then don’t shop there but don’t expect others to join you as they understand the boundaries of opening times….

Tesco’s (****) sell you something that you need to survive..

I am not sure how that is relevant as I’m pretty sure most us could just about survive if Tesco opened 30 minutes later 🙄

My LBS is one of the goods ones: competitively priced for a lot of things, discounts for regulars, open all-day Saturday, late opening 3 days a week, free events with goodie-bags, beer, BBQs, etc. They have a good reputation far outside just us locals and it’s well-deserved. I don’t envy the owner the hours he has to keep, but he loves what he does and, more importantly in the end, it’s his livelihood. He still gets abuse (at least they will quite often say it to his face) about not being open or available at such-and-such a time, or for not being able to magically make a product appear that the distributors just can’t deliver. You just can’t win everything.

you mean you don’t have your LBS owners mobile number?

I think there was a thread on here a while back about being asked to do unpaid overtime/work through lunch etc. A vast majority thought it was a very awful thing and should be stopped, people should only work their contracted hours. Unless of course they work in the bike trade or need to work around the most important person in the world. I reckon Obama could get the shop open early though…

Just maybe I have this wrong, but…..Isn’t the LBS a business run by the folk who own it ?

You know, ordinary, real people who need to make a crust, feed themselves, have time with their families, need to do DIY , fix the car, go see their friends and when all that’s done, maybe find time to go riding, perhaps with their mates .

They set their stall out , advertise which days and at what time they are open. The rest is down to their customers to decide if they are worthy of repeat business ( after all, the word customer derives from custom, i.e , something which is customary, in other words you are a regular patron.

The bike shop which gets a lot of my bigger purchases, isn’t actually all that local, or the one owned and run by my mates, ( they didn’t have a shop when I began using the first one).

The reason that I have probably spent £7000 with them over the past 8 years, is that from the very first time I went in, which was to see if they had a suitable jacket, as I’d left mine at home and needed one, was that they were really helpful.

Since then I have bought two bikes, wheels, forks , other clothing , lights and all manner of stuff.

Back on Track bikes at Malvern, by the way, they close on Thursdays and Sundays.
Honest, fair and helpful. When they are open. As they advertise.

You don’t expect John Lewis to open early just because you got there before they open do you and I would say their customer service is near the top.

If necessary then in some cases John Lewis will stay open past closing hours to do a sale.

Just maybe I have this wrong, but…..Isn’t the LBS a business run by the folk who own it ?

Unless you are a masochist, you will employ some staff and not be there every waking hour. Most reasonable size LBS’s will employ people who are paid very little for the hours they are there.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/working-for-free-at-work

4 recent experiences of novice friends:

1) Their teenage daughter’s bike (low-mid range mtb) goes in for work, diagnosed with seized brakes, “but they don’t sell them any more so we can’t get spares. You’ll need a new set. That’ll be £350.” 😯

2) Colleague snaps chain on a recently serviced ~£400 mtb. Goes into the shop that serviced it for a new (9spd) chain. Is (only offered and) sold a PC991 with a £45 price tag.

3) 5’6 and 5’10 friends buy Btwins from Decathlon. sold a 54cm and a 57cm respectively. Oddly me doing bike fits to try make them comfortable has involved slamming seats forward and fitting shorter stems. 🙄

cycling seems to be booming despite the efforts of some people in the trade…

1) Their teenage daughter’s bike (low-mid range mtb) goes in for work, diagnosed with seized brakes, “but they don’t sell them any more so we can’t get spares. You’ll need a new set. That’ll be £350.”1) Their teenage daughter’s bike (low-mid range mtb) goes in for work, diagnosed with seized brakes, “but they don’t sell them any more so we can’t get spares. You’ll need a new set. That’ll be £350.”

Giant MPH? Does sound expensive, did they ask for cheaper?

2) Colleague snaps chain on a recently serviced ~£400 mtb. Goes into the shop that serviced it for a new (9spd) chain. Is (only offered and) sold a PC991 with a £45 price tag.

As above.

3) 5’6 and 5’10 friends buy Btwins from Decathlon. sold a 54cm and a 57cm respectively. Oddly me doing bike fits to try make them comfortable has involved slamming seats forward and fitting shorter stems

Those sizes sound about right – you fitted them, are they too big? Not uncommon to swap/slam a stem & play with saddle.

1) and 2) Presumably that sort of scamming actually works on some more naive customers, but I’m sure most must realise what is going on when they are presented with prices like that, and never darken the door of the shop again.

Just reminds me why I won’t go near most bike shops. Have had at least 3 who can’t even get a set of gears to index properly. Brakes incorrectly fitted. Have had salesmen lie straight to my face. At least 2 shops who couldn’t be arsed even discussing what I wanted despite over £1k to spend. And been told that the only track pump they sell was £70 and they’d have to order that in with a minimum of 2 weeks wait!!

Luckily there are a few decent shops out there if you search around.

Giant MPH? Does sound expensive

you mean when I can get XTs for 99 quid?

did they ask for cheaper

no, they bought a whole new bike, probably what the shop was after 🙄 and sadly before I had found out and been able to give some more balanced advice.

did they ask for cheaper?

no, because

and 2) Presumably that sort of scamming actually works on some more naive customers, but I’m sure most must realise what is going on when they are presented with prices like that, and never darken the door of the shop again

sadly naive consumers sometimes think that professionals will try to serve their needs without exploiting them, and that they are being offered a suitable product at a reasonable price. As a shop guy you can no doubt argue “well they paid it so they thought it was reasonable”, but so do pensioners who pay pay thousands to have their drives tarmacced and we lock people up for that.

Those sizes sound about right

Really?! Or does “about” mean “within a few inches?

Not uncommon to swap/slam a stem & play with saddle.

of course its not, but making a 57cm frame fit a 5’10 rider isn’t fine tuning a fit. The 54 would have fitted the 5’10” rider (as you would expect).

Cynic-al you may well work in the trade but pick your battles, you’re trying to defend the indefensible in these cases. Not all bike shops are crap or rip off merchants, but I sometimes despair.