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

if i go to a bike shop other than my lbs (i get trade tere) i would never ask for discount. i need/want something, thats why i am there

I never use to until I learnt that the managed cycle to work schemes charge bike shops 10% for the deal.

Seems to me that this means there is 10% built into RRP prices to allow for this.

Seems to me that this means there is 10% built into RRP prices to allow for this.

tell me you aren't serious?

"discounting seems endemic"

and has been for years, so just about everyone gets 10%, not a new conversation, it was going on when I managed a bike shop in the late 80's 😯
Mind you, if the margins were not able to offer that kind of discount in the first place, would anyone give it??
The wholesalers also give good discounts if you spend enough, but most owner operated shops will fail to hit any of the levels required..

So, just look on the bright side - sometimes you sell something for 10% more than you expected 😉

Nope 10% isnt built in to the margins... (which are going down from some companies) this is why the owners of cycles heme are almost retired!....that was a genius idea. Big turnover almost all profit..

Absolutely. I have no retail experiance, but if a managed scheme takes 10% of the price just for a bit of admin, why should a punter not try to get the same removed when they pay up front.

Two different prices depending on the customer ...... that can't be equitable either.

This is why Cycle Scheme are pains in the arse!!! They are literally just an admin company!

We get a few customers from a nearby lbs because he doesnt offer any discounts...I'm hoping it's not just that but that maybe he's a bit grumpy.I think he's probably got the right idea...

Don't disagree, I was flaberghasted (if that is how you spell it) when I learnt how they work. My boss managed our own scheme - not rocket science.

However, it just adds to the impression of those of us not in the trade that the margin is there to be tampered with.

[Edit] - Talking about complete bikes with accessories, not bits and bobs.

I don't ask for discount in either of my lbs' - i do more often than not get it anyway but i don't ask for it nor do i expect it. I will if using a shop such as evans ask them to price match as i see a chain like that as fair game for affording that discount.

Were I to be spending hundreds of pounds on multiple items I might ask if they had any promo gear they could chuck in....never asked for a discount.

I would only *maybe* ask for something off or, more likely, thrown into the deal if I was buying a bike or shedloads of kit (like hundreds of pounds worth over several items). When I surfed a lot and bought boards and stuff you'd always ask for a block of wax even though it only cost a quid! Became a bit of an in-joke amongst my friends - "Did you get a block o' wax?".

If I'm buying a pair of shorts or a tyre or bars or whatever then I pay the price on the label.

I think regarding the prices, the bike shop takes the 10% hit, they don't advertise everything at 10% above otherwise they wouldn't get the 'ordinary punter' off the street

I did the same when I bought my last board! I wanted wax and a leash!

I dont go out my way to ask for it. sometimes they have stuff on their website cheaper than in the shop so i ask for that to price match. I tend to find the more that I spend in my LBS, the more i get in discount. Guess they know that i'll keep spending my money with them.

I do sometimes ask for a price match off the web. Generally they do it, or match as close as possible.

I go to a bike shop were the prices are so reasonable to ask for a discount would cause the shop to go bankrupt 😆

It's interesting what folk say...the big Internet boys don't help.I had a guy at the weekend checking my prices against Crc on his phone. I said"do you want to go for it?" he said " nah I'll buy it online" I was just pricing it up..." we were the same price...very odd!

I get discount in LBS as a matter of course, but I would certainly ask in other shops if I bought multiple items or something expensive. At the end of the day it's a financial transaction, the price offered on the tag isn't set in stone. I think the Brits are generally too proper to ask.

i never have and never would ask for discount in a bike shop.

I get discount at my lbs but that's because I'm a very regular customer and now a friend (go out for curries, drinks etc)

I wouldn't ask for one, nor do I expect one.

" too proper to ask" come do a week with me and I'll prove u wrong

no matter how cheap it is online, no matter how long you lean it up against the computer. the computer dont fit it for free 🙂

TBH bike stuff is way overpriced anyway for what it is, mostly, so people trying to get a good deal is to be expected. XT level stuff is almost at the same sort of prices XTR was only a couple of years ago, before all the prices suddenly rocketed.

Bike shops used to be grotty little places packed to the rafters with all sorts of things. Now, they're all bright shiny showrooms with mega-exotic machines on plinths, and a bunch of mediocre at best clothing selling for designer boutique prices. All part of the supersexy leezure industry, whose bubble, it appears, has burst.

Cheap bargains for me. I don't buy owt unless it's on sale. If I don't get a good deal one place, there's loads more where I can. Even if they're abroad. That's Capitalism for yer...

Serious question for those in the trade then, not trolling .... What differentiates between buying a new bike, buying a new car or buying a new motorbike? You would never pay RRP in the latter two cases.

It seems a strange northern European habit of selected haggling - 99.9% of people would not do it in M&S and yet 99.9% of people would do it in a car dealers. Are bike shops somewhere in the middle?

I wouldn't ask for 'discount' but if a shop offers to price match then I'll take them up on that.

In fact I asked my local large chain to price match CRC at the weekend for 2 powerlinks. Which sounds really tight until you realise they'd just rung them up on their computer system and then announced to me that the price was £29.98 😯

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/sram/powerlock-chain-connector-ec008055 (I know that's the 10spd version but they've taken the 9-spd off I assume for maintenance)

[Although to be even handed, it was quickly realised it was an error; the bar code for a single comes up as the price for 4 and although CRC offer 3 packs for £3.99 the manager couldn't be arsed to faff about with it so gave me the two I wanted F.O.C]

why not ask for a discount, don't get me wrong if i'm buying a single product then no, but if i'm buying quiet a bit then definitely.

I work for a distributor in another line of business and the shops do just the same to us!!

I do understand where your coming from with regards to the e-tailers box shifting, with no service, at low low margins.

If I'm buying a few items from a mtb specialist with a reasonable total (£100+), I'll usually ask if they give a discount to local trailbuilders (I have a SingletrAction membership and dig locally). If it's one low value item, I won't bother. I think part of the problem is that MTB parts do appear to be expensive, so people perceive the LBS has a high mark up.
My local LBS, I never bother, but generally don't spend much, it's one of those old skool lbs, where everything is quite cheap and they only sell kids bikes, the odd cheap mtb and lower end road bikes, their prices are cheap as it is (ie they quoted me £25 for a wheel build, it was £50+ at local MTB specialists)
A pet hate is the LBS which has cheap prices online, but full price in the shop. I sort of understand why they are doing it, but it only enforces my determination to get a discount there.

I stopped using one lbs as it always seemed they made their prices up on the spot which were often higher than RRP. Having questioned why they were trying to charge more than RRP they got shirty.

Got a couple of good shops locally though - Bike Sport in Darlington and Red Ape in Bishop Auckland. Sometimes they discount, sometimes not but both have fitted parts I've bought for nothing so that balances out for me.

Having worked in car sales the similarities are stark... I would say bike shops are in the same boat. I get every type of customers asking for discounts...( and I made more wages selling cars!)

I never understand why anyone would buy any big ticket item without trying to get a discount.

Surely the shop wants to extract as much as they can from me, and I want to give as little as I can. We'll doubtless meet in the middle somewhere... or if I still think the price is too high i'll find somewhere that'll sell it for a price I'm happy with. That's the same whether it's a telly or a bike or a car we're talking about.

I don't owe anyone a living, bike shops included...

yes whatever I buy i haggle in merlin as they dont need to post 😉
sometimes they discount but never by much as I assume the margins are tight. Get little bits for free from scrap /returns bin.tbh I haggel everywhere except the supermarket as the worst that happens is they refuse. Amasing how low you can drive peole down sometimes got 25 % of a carpet recently...his view was he would "upgrade" the underlay for no extra charge.
Lived in middle east for a bit there is no such think as cheek in haggling IME.
Occasionally get told to buy it or not and am never offended by any reply tbh

I always ask for a deal when spending thousands on a new bike, as i do when spending thousands on a new car. Never ask for any other discounts, ie accessories and so on.

I have had to ask Evans to price match their own website before - if I hadn't been on the ball I would have paid £40 more for a pair of shoes (except I wouldn't have bought them if they hadn't been on sale) and there was something else with a similair discrepency.

Thank goodness for smartphones so you can point out the pricing difference.

Does service count for nothing then? Does no-one want any help/or be looked after with loads free advice??

I don't ask for discount if it's only a tube or something. But bigger items always. I don't say give me 10% of or something, but " whats the best price you can do this for " It's up to the retailer them, but I'm certainly not offended if they can't or wont budge on price. But if they don't there's always the chance I might go elswhere.

Depends on the quality of service tbh. I've got a bike on order from The Bike Chain (no hurry Mark as I'm not riding for a while!!), but I was actually referred by them to a competitor when I found they couldn't stock my original choice. I actually prefer the one I'm getting now, but their desire to please the customer is such that I'm now completely sold on the place.

In terms of discounts, I'd only ever ask for what is published and offered, anything else is pushing it in my mind.

Hey. I will be chasing tomorrow for it. Had loads of other cubes come through so it must be delayed for some reason. Will call you round about luncheon.

Have never asked for a discount. If I think the price is right for the bit I want, then I buy. If not I'll shop around. It's not like we are short of choice.

When I do go to my LBS, I get loads of free (invaluable!) advice and they will occasionally ring me up a discount if I've bought a few things. This is a nice gesture and makes me feel valued.

We've all got to make a living.

The thing for me is I don't want to be haggling, or to be wondering if I should be. I just want a price on an item so I can decide if I want it, pretty much like a supermarket. I don't want an lbs to be making me coffee or pretending to be my mate, I'm just happy if they are polite and have some knowledge about what they are selling. I'll pay a bit more for some bits at an lbs without too much worry, but given what I've just said it's no surprise I get most of my kit on line.

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.

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):
[url= http://antichainreaction.com/ ]http://antichainreaction.com/[/url]

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.