Obnoxious cycle shop owners.

[matthat]

When i was a kid i used to use a little old shop in Tiptree called Furni Plus! The best bike shop in the world i reckon!! As a kid i really didn't understand the business economics of the world which is probably why its now closed down and also due to the fact that the owner would now be 75!! Proper greasy old building with tubs and pots of bits everywhere!! Aladdin's cave!!

 

[Deleted member 20519]

My local LBS is pretty good, when looking for my last bike I asked him if he could get close to deals I'd seen online he tried but couldn't get near, so I didn't buy from him but because he tried and was helpful i have bought nearly everything else I have bought for the bike from him, he always gives me a small discount. If the service is right then I dont mind paying a little extra for it.

 

[nickyboy]

kind of place that would ask you for your PIN number

 

[Kestevan]

My LBS owner (V cycles in Brighouse) is definately a "character"..... he's a bit like marmite.

Does do a good job though, and he's actually a nice bloke when you get past the rudeness, sarcasm and apparant disdain for customers

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I'm very happy with my 'LBS'
Sadly I don't ride as much as I did, so don't go as often now.

I bought my last bike from there, Gary 'sized' me up by eye, & to his credit/experience, it's a superb fit, and feels just right.
I also bought my Dyna-Tech from ther back in 1994, Gary fettled the wheels, and they're still fine to this day (having only been tried once about 10 years ago)
He's also built cross-wheels for me in the past, and those have survived horribly rough/stoney courses.


Gary bought the shop from the previous owner, when he retired (Gary had worked there for years prior)

The shop? http://kendellcycles.co.uk/

 

[Crankarm]

There are some real tossers who work in bike shops though aren't there. There is one at Grafham Cycles which spoils it as pretty much all the others are ok. He's just got a real attitude. It's not as if he owns the place either, he's just an employee amongst many.

 

[avalon]

Part of the problem is that a lot of the people who work in cycle shops are not cyclist or people people, or they are "real cyclists''/ pro wannabes and anyone who is not "one of them'' is not worthy of their respect.

 

[Kies]

...so you have to adapt to the trading environment or go extinct.

This is the reality ... Adapt or go out of business. Every item has a mark up .... Sometimes it's worth selling a lost leader for that return business.
A smile and friendly manner goes a long long way

 

[mickle]

Every item has a mark up .... Sometimes it's worth selling a lost leader for that return business.

No. It's not. Nor is it legal.

 

[ianrauk]

There are some real tossers who work in bike shops though aren't there. There is one at Grafham Cycles which spoils it as pretty much all the others are ok. He's just got a real attitude. It's not as if he owns the place either, he's just an employee amongst many.

If customers think the guy has a poor attitude then surely the owner/management must too.

 

[avalon]

This is the reality ... Adapt or go out of business. Every item has a mark up .... Sometimes it's worth selling a lost leader for that return business.
A smile and friendly manner goes a long long way

I know, as someone who has worked in the cycle industry and as a customer that if you can't supply the goods the customer will go elsewhere, and elsewhere these days can be anywhere in the world. When I left school I worked as a bicycle mechanic for the biggest bike shop in town. I also had a Freewheel mail order catalogue and a lot of the parts that they had on sale I couldn't get from my boss who would want to sell me an alternative that I didn't want. So, I went to the competition where I didn't get a staff discount but I got what I wanted.
The point is, that if, as a dealer you can't always make a profit or buy at trade prices then sometimes it makes sense to sell at cost price or even at a loss to ensure future business from the customer, and the chances are, that if you are selling an expensive quality part at a good price, with a smile, the customer will come back again and again.

 

[Boris Bajic]

Logically, a shop not offering what customers wanted or needed would fold.

I do feel that some of the 'obnoxious' people in some posts here were just having a bad day or perhaps the customer wasn't aware that he came across as an Internet-fed know-all whose pound was going elsewhere whatever the answer.

There is also the aspect that with the wonderful but unlikely and unpredictable blossoming of road cycling from a minority sport to the new golf, a new breed of customer has arrived: Fed by endless road tests of Gucci stuff, wanting only the best and prepared to pay for that 'boutique' service. If this is happening (and one suspects it is in places) then it will shift things in the retail trade.

I suspect that most keen cyclists enjoy what I enjoy: A wonderful LBS who manages to increase our expectations to absurd levels with one excellent piece of service and then bring us down to reality with the occasional invoice that is 4% more than the Scot in us all thought it ought to be.

If my LBS went out of business, I'd almost feel the need for a wake.

 

[youngoldbloke]

I've given up on most of them locally as they have become little more than brand boutiques - all Specialized, or Trek/Bontrager - the choice that the traditional LBS gave has all but disappeared.

 

[User16625]

I know, as someone who has worked in the cycle industry and as a customer that if you can't supply the goods the customer will go elsewhere, and elsewhere these days can be anywhere in the world. When I left school I worked as a bicycle mechanic for the biggest bike shop in town. I also had a Freewheel mail order catalogue and a lot of the parts that they had on sale I couldn't get from my boss who would want to sell me an alternative that I didn't want. So, I went to the competition where I didn't get a staff discount but I got what I wanted.
The point is, that if, as a dealer you can't always make a profit or buy at trade prices then sometimes it makes sense to sell at cost price or even at a loss to ensure future business from the customer, and the chances are, that if you are selling an expensive quality part at a good price, with a smile, the customer will come back again and again.

YEAH!! Unlike halfords the useless ****s. Why is it that some places sell downright rubbish and provide terrible service yet they not out of business? Just goes to show it doesnt matter how crap your service is so long as theres enough numpties out there that dont know any better.

 

[nickyboy]

YEAH!! Unlike halfords the useless ****s. Why is it that some places sell downright rubbish and provide terrible service yet they not out of business? Just goes to show it doesnt matter how crap your service is so long as theres enough numpties out there that dont know any better.

Halfords are the number 1 bike retailer in the UK and have been for some years. They must be doing something right, so let's take a look at it.

Their target market is not cyclechat posters. Let them go to the specialist LBS. Their market is parents buying bikes for their kids AND people who feel entirely uncomfortable with the idea of setting foot in a LBS. There are loads of these people.

So why don't they want to set foot in a LBS? Well part of it is down to the whole "retail experience". They want something like going to Tesco. Nice layout, good lighting, reasonable (in their view) range of product, no personal relationship with the staff. No grumpy old guy who used to race 30 years ago looking down his nose at them. LBS are just too intimidating for someone who just wants to buy a bike.

Sure, maybe they would be ultimately better off going to a LBS to buy their bike but the problem is the LBS, not Halfords