Pale Rider
Legendary Member
I bought some new shoes today and had very different experiences from two retailers.
First up was Evans at the MetroCentre, Gateshead.
I arrived in good time and was probably the only customer in the shop.
There was some eye contact from the staff, but no one spoke.
I made my way to the shoe display and tried on a couple in my size.
Inevitably, there were some models of interest on show not in my size.
I waited for someone to amble over, but no one did.
No point in sitting there for ever, so I left the shop.
Very poor effort from Evans.
No doubt they get a lot of browsers and time wasters, but a middle-aged bloke trying on shoes might just be interested in buying a pair.
Perhaps they thought I had come in out of the rain.
Next stop was Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op in the aptly named - if not spelled - Byker area of Newcastle.
I passed three staff members on my way to Shoe Corner, each of whom spoke.
The assistant who served me answered the few questions I had, and gave me a couple of pairs of shoes to try on.
As this fascinating process was unfolding, we had an amiable chat about cycling.
It's hardly rocket science, is it?
Happily for me, the second pair met with my approval and were on budget at £60.
It's not the first time I've been under-whelmed by the staff at Evans, and it's not the first time I have been given good service by Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op.
One can only speak as one finds, so I will be interested to hear the experiences of others.
And in a bid to post the dullest pic on the forum, here's the shoes I bought:
First up was Evans at the MetroCentre, Gateshead.
I arrived in good time and was probably the only customer in the shop.
There was some eye contact from the staff, but no one spoke.
I made my way to the shoe display and tried on a couple in my size.
Inevitably, there were some models of interest on show not in my size.
I waited for someone to amble over, but no one did.
No point in sitting there for ever, so I left the shop.
Very poor effort from Evans.
No doubt they get a lot of browsers and time wasters, but a middle-aged bloke trying on shoes might just be interested in buying a pair.
Perhaps they thought I had come in out of the rain.
Next stop was Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op in the aptly named - if not spelled - Byker area of Newcastle.
I passed three staff members on my way to Shoe Corner, each of whom spoke.
The assistant who served me answered the few questions I had, and gave me a couple of pairs of shoes to try on.
As this fascinating process was unfolding, we had an amiable chat about cycling.
It's hardly rocket science, is it?
Happily for me, the second pair met with my approval and were on budget at £60.
It's not the first time I've been under-whelmed by the staff at Evans, and it's not the first time I have been given good service by Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op.
One can only speak as one finds, so I will be interested to hear the experiences of others.
And in a bid to post the dullest pic on the forum, here's the shoes I bought:
