When would u not ask for discount In a bike shop?

Teh bike chain is my local. They give small discounts to regulars – I am not sure what the criteria is to get one. Prices are pretty good anyway.

I suppose my answer is, it just depends on how good value it feels and how right it feels. Frinstance Thebikechain’s prices are good and their service is good, so I’d feel a right dick trying to run their prices down. If I’m shopping at the Hub, it’s because I need it right now so bargaining would be daft. If I’m going to a shop to try stuff on then it’s only right to pay for that service too.

I did go aggressively after a discount for the Soul though… Partly because of the obvious pricefixing! Just phoned up shops and said “Look, there’s 20 shops that sell Souls for £470, give me a reason to buy it from you”. In the end I got a good price, the shop I went to still got a profit from a sale they wouldn’t have made otherwise, both happy.

Pedalon in Hampshire have a good system.

10-12% off the store price with their discount card. this brings the prices in line with their website.

We are British and can haggle, so just flash the little red card for instant guilt free discount.

At my LBS one assistant gives me 10% discount without me asking, the others don’t offer and I don’t ask. I don’t mind not getting the discount.

I had a dilemna recently with running shoes. I didn’t want to spend £80 on the shoes from the local shop as I could get last year for £50 online or by driving up the road (£10 or so in fuel), however I’d think nothing of spending £30 on beer in one night. This got me thinking, do I want to get the shoes cheap because I’m really that desperate for the £30? not really no, but I don’t think the shoes are worth £80 and don’t want to feel like I’ve been conned, even though its not possible to get the current model of shoes for less than £80.

There is a LBS not near me (Thats an Oxymoron) that don’t automatically offer me a discount despite or really engage with me despite spending a bit of money there on some key purchases. I think its because they get customers spending loads of money on really expensive kit so the bottom-feeders like me can be largely ignored.

On that basis I stick with my proper LBS for most ‘ad hoc’ purchases and the odd thing if they’re reasonable. I think there’s a bit of give and take on both sides but discounting to the point of them making only 1p profit takes the mickey, but then I do buy from the likes of Merlin / CRC as opposed to asking them to price match because I feel embarassed to put them in a situation I know they can’t fulifll…. here we come back to my running shoe dilemna!

Join a club!

Mrs julian gets a modest discount at certini/specialized enormo-store for being in local girl’s team Filthy Foxes, and I get a modest discount at Dartmoor cycles for being a member of Woodland Riders (Gawton/Chipshop).

Except for stw members discount and local cycling group discount at some shops I’ve never expected to pay less than ticket price.

LBS has given some free stuff like powerlinks, cateye brackets and assorted fasteners…..

cycleworld – do you offer up discounts on end of season bikes / kit? Surely that’s haggling as well? You need to clear space so you move stuff on cheaper than normal prices.

If I’m spending a lot then I’ll try and get the best price that I can – each party can walk away, it doesn’t have to get nasty. When my local actually had some decent staff, I would go in with a list and ask what they could do against Merlin or CRC. Some items they could get close to while others no where near. No problem paying a few quid more.

As for service – I expect good service from any shop that I go in but I shouldn’t have to pay extra for it. I will however, keep going back.

And if any one knows a decent shop near Macclesfield I’d be pleased to hear about it!!

While I’ll price match if I need to use an Evans, I’ve only ever asked once in a shop for a discount- it was a big ticket item, somebody else was paying and the discount was advertised- I still feel guilty about it.
I wouldn’t normally do it- I don’t think many standalone shop owners or staff are rolling in loot, and I’d rather not squeeze their margins when I’ve no need to.
Of course, if I was unemployed or a student I might feel a bit less sanctimonious. And I’ll take the discount if offered.

Have worked in a number of shops, well known big and high end brand dealers, some discounts were mental, proper price sh’@ing. Just to get the trade bought loads of stock (warehouse) and did big discounts to shift it quick, they were really agressive with reps and bike companies to secure good prices.
Having to price match on some prices (o.e forks off the web.) mean you make very little especially when you factor time for stripping and prepping them so they work properly out the box. 🙁

If I was spending a lot, eg. new bike, I might ask for a few freebees chucked in. Hargroves put some free shoes in when my mate bought a Rockhopper, that sort of thing.
Otherwise I don’t have the cheek to ask for a discount.

However, this year I will be avoiding paying 20% VAT as much as possible by only ever buying 2nd hand or sale items.

I had a conversation with the owner of my LBS who on first thoughts you’d think don’t make loads of money, but then when he goes on to tell me the winter tyres for his Q7 cost £900 I’m beginning to feel a little less sympathy for him.

Pieface, that’s got to be a big shop.

I haven’t worked in the bike industry for over 6 years now, so maybe things have changed, but I have a feeling not.

We used to buy in pretty much everything at 60-70% of RRP, so these days I always ask for a discount if I’m buying much more than a fivers worth.

As far as I’m concerned, any half decent shop should be able to give me 10-15% discount, even on inner tubes, and still make a profit, especially when I don’t have to use them as there are another 4 shops in town, plus the net.

And really, it’s the same with any ‘big’ purchase, surely. When I bought my surf kit, I had a leash and wax thrown in. When I bought £80 running shoes, they got me on the machine ‘for free’ to assess my running style. If I buy a kayak this year, I’ll be asking what the best price they can do, or what they can throw in to get my money.

If I was buying a Ford Ka or even a house I’d be asking for discount. Why would it be different when paying £2k for a bike when I could get it for £1500 at the end of the year?

I don’t ask for discount at Tesco or when buying mags from WHSmiths for obvious reasons. It would be too time consuming even if they were likely to say yes.

BTW, as I’ve mentioned before, there may not be much money in bike shops, but three of the local LBS owners manage to drive X5s, Porsches and Astons. They are making money somewhere – obviously not in inner tubes!

‘ makes note to increase all trade prices ‘ 😐

these wealthy lbs will either have other business interests or have very well financed shops…ie no debt..

there is very little kit that we now get with a 60-70% margin.most of it enthusiasts wont buy(cheap consumables) i can guarantee things have changed a lot in six years….

My two nearest LBS both offer discount to regular customers to keep them loyal which makes sense for both parties. I now buy pretty much everything through my LBS except stuff like tyres and tubes but never expect them to match internet prices because I value the service they give. As long as the LBS price is no more than 10-12% higher than internet it’s worth it.

Don’t understand why there is such a hang up about negotiating a discount. It’s not specific to bike stuff – I will haggle on pretty much anything over £100 or so. The higher the price the more I haggle

30% to 40% margin’s are fairly rare now unless your ordering alot of stock.

Captain, hagglings never been an issue on higher end stuff, although the London/Surrey shops people used to just stick their hands in their pocket without question, I used to sell top end Stumpjumpers in 10 mins regulary on saturdays to the affluent residents in the Weybridge area.

Said LBS also doesn’t open on a Sunday.

The strange thing is they don’t appear to have a massive turnover of things like clothes, but they seem to have a very well stocekd BMX and kiddy bikes section and the workshop is always busy with quality bikes, which is interesting given that their stock of ‘quality’ bikes is somewhat limited.

Must have other income.

it seems fairly apparent that service is not that important any more and that the price is…..very sad! 🙄

i dont understand the difference between shopping at a supermarket and another shop…do you guys haggle in butchers? record shops? fishmongers? hairdressers?

LoCo – Member
30% to 40% margin’s are fairly rare now unless your ordering alot of stock.

Do you want to give us an idea of margins on say inner tubes* and a complete bike from a main supplier?

LBS charging £5 for a tube is scandalous imo!

I’ve two LBSs that I use regularly. The larger of them advertises that they will price match, and as such I will use them for bigger items that I need to get sooner rather than later, as long as they have them in stock. If it’s a few quid more expensive than online that’s fine, but when I can save 30% off RRP for the sake of a day or two then I will wait. They’re a fairly big shop with a healthy trade and usually a long waiting list to get any work or servicing done (which speaks colume about their work, I’ve met people in there who’ve brought bikes over 100 miles for a service!), but they’re all good lads and they do look after regulars

At the smaller of the two, I never ask for discount, but gratefully accept any offered. Last week I had to query the bill when I had my drivetrain replaced, I thought it was far too low, but I was assured it was correct. It’s for that reason that I tend to use and recommend them

http://www.bicyclesmithy.co.uk/ for the win. Jon’s selling off shoes too, if anyone neds Lake winter boots in soze 44 you should get in touch with him…

It’s all well and good getting super cheap deals on internet stuff (o.e specifically) however if it goes wrong it’ll quite often end up being away quite a while and/or not having a warranty, thus costing the same or more than a genuine part.
A good lbs is worth it’s weight in gold for advise, coffe and that widget that you can’t get other than in a exspensive full assmembly.
Although I get trade on pretty much everything, I still go to my local shops for random saturday parts and coffee! 😀

“LBS charging £5 for a tube is scandalous imo!”
ha ha! best laff ive had in a while…..mine are £5.95!

Idle jon, haven’t bought tubes for years as have a large stock for dh, and run tubeless! Used to be about £1 plus vat several years ago, when bought in bulk. Bikes vary depending on brand and volumes purchased.
I won’t give specific prices/margins as I’ll get a beating. 😯

the innertube cost has nearly trebled from that price now…especially if its a branded tube like i sell…even if you buy in bulk

cycleworlduk – Member
it seems fairly apparent that service is not that important any more and that the price is…..very sad!

Most of the service that I’ve had from LBSs over the years has been astonishingly poor. That’s if the staff can be bothered to do more than grunt at me. If my wife goes into a shop, she will get very patronising service unless the bikeshop guy knows her, and knows that she got some bike knowledge.

The standard response to actually buying something in smaller LBSs seems to be something along these lines:

Me: I’m looking for a Shimano middle ring, 4 arm, 32t
Shop: We’ve got 5 arms, 34t, but no 4 arms, 32t. We can order it in, be here by next week.
Me: How about some Avid Elixir brake pads?
Shop: No call for them, but we can order them in. Be here next week.
Me: But I can order from any number of net companies and I’ll have them tomorrow.

cycle world, I though it would have done, hence the ‘several years ago’
the prices since I started in the industry 14 years ago have incresed alot.
Had a big shock when negotiating prices on a new frame for this year (trade) almost twice what I paid for Patriot 66 4 years ago 😯 .

I get a good discount (usually without asking) at my LBS for all sorts of reasons, but I wouldn’t go into a shop I don’t know and ask. Got given a good discount on a pair of shorts in Biketreks in October though as they were end of line, I suppose they would have gone on the sale rail imminently but it felt nice to be told at the till that X amount would be taken off them.

LoCo – Member
It’s all well and good getting super cheap deals on internet stuff (o.e specifically) however if it goes wrong it’ll quite often end up being away quite a while and/or not having a warranty, thus costing the same or more than a genuine part.

In 17 years of riding, I can’t remember the last time I needed warranty back up on anything large (only clothing). Any net dealer is going to offer the same warranty as a shop. It’s not an argument. (Oh and I used to run the warranty dept of the company I worked for, so I know roughly how many ‘genuine’ warranty problems there are.)

A good lbs is worth it’s weight in gold for advise, coffe and that widget that you can’t get other than in a exspensive full assmembly.

A good LBS has uses obviously, but I’m not going to pay double for my inner tubes, for instance (£2.98 in CRC!), just for the occasional cup of coffee. The real value of my LBS is in having a good mechanic who gives decent advice on the stranger repairs. And unfortunately these guys, the good mechanic who can rebuild wheels properly, services ANY forks and has a world of knowledge about attaching bits to touring frames, are few and far between.

cycleworlduk – Member
“LBS charging £5 for a tube is scandalous imo!”
ha ha! best laff ive had in a while…..mine are £5.95!

As above. Under £3 at CRC.

I get all my kit second hand, it’s far too expensive off the shelf these days.

Just seen this on another forum (sorry if it’s been done):
http://antichainreaction.com/%5B/url%5D

Haven’t had a chance to read it properly yet, but it seems a bit whiny so far.

I’ve never asked for discounts from an LBS (I should admit now that I worked part-time in one as a student years ago). If you’re using it for convenience then you should expect to pay for it. Fair enough if you stock up on tubes 10 at a time online, but if you need one now and have no other option then £5 really isn’t the end of the world.

As a regular at my previous LBS (I’ve since moved to a place with no LBS, and definitely miss it), they were more than happy to round down prices occasionally, or throw in a small freebie even. They knew they couldn’t compete on bigger stuff, but with a good stock and knowledgable staff they’ve stuck around despite several other stores (including an Alpine Bikes and a halfords Bikehut) opening nearby in the last decade. They even expanded their premises a few years ago.

In 17 years of riding, I can’t remember the last time I needed warranty back up on anything large

My tiagra shifters have been replaced twice under warranty. Another big thanks to Jon @ bicycle smithy for sorting that out

I expect, and always get a discount from my LBS, however, I don’t have an lbs where I have not spent less then 5k.

Edit: I do ask him sometimes for less of a discount so he doesn’t go bust.

On the otherhand, if I go to a new LBS I won’t expect a discount, however I will ask if they could give me one. I don’t always want free fitting either.

I generally don’t bother as my expensive stuff is bought on-line. At Evans if I’ll save £10+ I’ll ask them to price-match. Most LBS near me are pretty sterile places (although granted given I don’t shop at them much I don’t expect to be greeted as a familiar face). My old LBS (before I moved) was great though, proper family run affair, tea always on hand etc., last time I bought a bike from them I specifically asked for no discount (although they ended up putting XTR pedals on it anyway!).

I do feel sorry for LBS owners getting a shafting from on-line sales but that’s a free market economy for you. I don’t think we’ll ever get to the stage there won’t be any LBS and we’ll be shafted when we need mechanical help, but I can imagine the number of the will drop and more chains/franchises will appear.

the mags dont help by telling everyone to use the local shop to check prices and then recommending products be bought online…interesting where the mags would be without the revenue from the big companies placing massive ads

it will be a sorry place when a lot of bike shops have gone to the wall and most stuff has to be bought thru a puter….

idlejohn,i agree,i mystery shop the shops in scotland(or get the gf or mates to do it) and the service generally is awful..btu theyres some good eggs still left….

I think that service still plays a big role, I dont ask for a discount for anything under 40 quid really, shorts brake pads etc etc

I would however always haggle on a expensive frame or full bike when you are spending thousands

the service side of things for me is more about being friendly polite rather than free stuff

but sadly no lbs anywhere near me its evans or dayles or alpine which i consider all to be chains

Only if I’d been a regular for along time. Reference the cycle scheme I was given 10% discount and I’d ever been in the store a few times before and not for a few years. Cheers to The Bike Place.

OK, a question to bike shop owners.

A lot of people have limited money and need to pay the lowest price they can.

Would you rather someone ask for a discount/price match, and give you the chance to get their money, albeit slightly less than you would like, or just buy elsewhere if it is cheaper?

If I’m spending more than £50 then I might see if there is anything they would do for cash, don’t expect them to price match & don’t ask for any more discount than I’m offered. I sincerely doubt that I’m offered any discounts that would be crippling to them.
Reasonably small shop & I’ve seen the owner ragging around in an A.C.Cobra replica in the past, so even if things have turned turtle now he looks like he’s been making a decent living in the past.