LBS prices..........an interesting slant on it.

[Dave7]

I was in my LBS today and asked him a straight question about his prices.........telling him I wouldn't be offended in any way by his repy.
In a nut-shell I said to him......................
"I buy from you when possible so as to support my LBS. But as a couple of e.gs. I recently bought a bottle cage from you for £10.00 when I could have got the identical product from Decathlon for £6.99. I am now after an adjustable stem which you are selling for £24.00 but Decathlon will sell AND fit it for £17.00.
If I am after any product....are you willing to look at your prices and do your best??.
He was quite receptive to that but in return gave me 2 examples.
1)......Last week a guy was after 2 wheels in the £600.00 region. Wiggle are selling them for £40.00 LESS than my LBS can buy them for.........and thats without any profit for him
2) High5 powder.......LBS £28.00........Wiggle £18.00 delivered.

Most if not all LBSs buy from major stockists (middle men) and have to pay carriage on orders less than £200.00.
Wiggle can buy straight from the manufacturer (because of quantities). They are also Irish which "may" give them a financial advantage.
I have no gripe with the Wiggles/Chain Reactions of this world...........they were foward thinking and are reaping the reward.
But it does make you realise how out LBSs struggle.
BTW...........this thread is not judgemental of who does/doesn't support their LBS..........its just that I found it very interesting and enlightening.

 

[steve50]

I called at my LBS a couple of weeks ago for replacement forks for my project cycle, I was going to get suspension forks and was willing to pay a fair price (£50ish) for a decent set of forks. I inquired at the shop if he would sell me the forks i spotted hanging on his wall (2nd hand) he told me he would sell them to me but only if he fitted them himself incurring labour charges............his take on it was he can make more money than he could selling them to me...............................those forks are still hanging on his wall.
I then asked about fitting rigid forks to my bike and he was more than happy to sell me lightweight aluminium forks to fit myself?????? go figure............

 

[Dave7]

[QUOTE 3807554, member: 45"]Chain Reaction are Ireland. Wiggle used to be Southampton. Have they moved?[/QUOTE]
Well I may have those mixed up but it's the principle I am trying to get across

 

[w00hoo_kent]

Welcome to business. My dad was an Off Licence owner in the mid 80's. Tesco's were selling cans of coke cheaper than he could buy them from his wholesaler. He only kept the business going by focussing 50% of the shop on Home Brew because at the time the supermarkets didn't sell it. He then found out what a money maker Fish & Chip shops were, so sold the Offie and piled everything we had in to a Chippie. Still a lot of work, but an Off Licence works on 25% profit tops on most of what it sells and nothing on soft drinks, ciggies, sweets, crisps. All of which you still have to stock. A Take Away starts at 100% and then considers whether to add a bit.

It's why the LBS wants to keep selling labour, it's the equivalent of my old mans Home Brew section.

 

[jack smith]

Wow your local shops actually seem cheap, prices round here are usually double online prices, i was looking at wheels online 150 online a set 200 for just the front wheel in the local shop

 

[jhawk]

I was going to buy a Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyre from my "local" - it's actually 86KM away - bike shop. They would have charged me $70, and they'd have had to order it in.

Went online... Chain Reaction - $35.00, $10.00 shipping. I was astounded.

That said, I love the people at my LBS, they're a great bunch and I'm friends with a good portion of them, so I like to support them when possible. But I just couldn't justify spending $70 on ONE tyre, when I can buy two for $80 online.

 

[Milkfloat]

I assume that an LBS as we know it will become extinct. An LBS will become a workshop with just a few emergency parts in stock. Fancy ones may include a cafe and some custom bikes that it is tricky to find online.

 

[Markymark]

I've bought 4 bikes from my LBS and am about to buy some wheels. I buy some bits from them and other bits online.

Luckily I'm in a position where money is not critical and convenience wins. I also value their knowledge and expertise.

I think good LBS will survive, others will go. But this is true of many high street stores.

 

[G3CWI]

Not that interesting as a slant. I would have thought it was fairly obvious that they cant hope to compete on hardware. They will need to have a USP to survive.

I was going to suggest an online chippy but Just Eat already does that.

 

[Markymark]

I was going to suggest an online chippy but Just Eat already does that.

Not really, it's just a way of placing orders through reviewed existing takeaways (mostly).

 

[steve50]

Online prices are very hard to beat, my LBS wanted £12.50 each for some obscure brand slick tyres for my bike, I got a pair of schwalbe slick city tyres for £16 online, its a no brainer. As above the smaller LBS are going to disappear much the same as the town centre car parts shops did, i think its safe to say the internet is the way forward when it comes to saving money.

 

[Markymark]

Online prices are very hard to beat, my LBS wanted £12.50 each for some obscure brand slick tyres for my bike, I got a pair of schwalbe slick city tyres for £16 online, its a no brainer. As above the smaller LBS are going to disappear much the same as the town centre car parts shops did, i think its safe to say the internet is the way forward when it comes to saving money.

It depends. High streets that offer instant demand will thrive (food, beauty, services etc). Those that sell items with no shelf life that can sit in a warehouse and aren't needed urgently will find that internet businesses will push them.

 

[coffeejo]

I do the majority of my shopping at my LBS as I can think of any number of examples of times they've bent over backwards to help me out with a mechanical etc but not charged me for the time, or argued my case for me with manufacturers long after I would have given up. Hell, the manager even lets me know when he's found a new coffee stop or a descent I might enjoy. That side of things is far more valuable to me than savings online.

 

[steve50]

It depends. High streets that offer instant demand will thrive (food, beauty, services etc). Those that sell items with no shelf life that can sit in a warehouse and aren't needed urgently will find that internet businesses will push them.

exactly,thats what I meant.

 

[xxDarkRiderxx]

It is a crying shame that the LBS is more or less dead in the water. They are none in my local high street and that is in London. I have to travel a good few miles to Evans, but I am lucky that I got to know the mechanic there and he always sorts me out. I think even labour is on a short time frame. Why pay the cost replacing your chain cassette wheel etc when you can youtube how to do it.. ok so you need the right tools but the initial outlay is well worth it.

In the past I would have rather used to LBS but there are so few of them around I just order what I need looking for the best deal, and do most of the labour myself.