Cycleops
Legendary Member
- Location
- Accra, Ghana
It's true, from my time working in retail you wonder how some of them manage to get from one day to another. One of my favorites was "You have to give me my money back, it's the the law!".
Shop Assistants in Cycle Shops
- Thread starter sazzaa
- Start date
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vernon
Harder than Ronnie Pickering
- Location
- Meanwood, Leeds
Especially when they have only asked for some change and offered a fiver.
KneesUp
Guru
Bicycle shops have changed a lot since I last frequented them. The local independent one I used to use in Manchester was run by the man that owned it, and was a treasure trove of bits and bikes - and smelled of inner tubes and grease. I loved it in there. Some of my mates used to wear his jerseys in races in exchange for a good discount and use of the workshop out of hours. It was brilliant in there.
Fast forward to last week. I wanted some grease, and I ride past one of the national chains on the way home, so I called in. The shop is clean. Too clean. You don't feel like you can touch the bikes. And all the bits are packaged in boxes and plastic things. I'm sure at the bike shop of my youth you could have bought a single ball bearing if you'd wanted. In fact he would probably have given you one - but either way it would have come from the little drawers in the workshop and been given to you in a paper bag. Now ball bearing come pre-packed in a box with grease. Anyway, back to the grease I wanted. Of course no sooner had I stopped moving than an assistant came over. I said I wanted grease because I'd had a spot of bother getting the pedals of the OHs bike and wanted to grease them before I put them back on. I was shown "assembly lubricant" at £15. I bought some silicone grease for £3.
Fortunately there is a local independent near me that is almost as good as the one in my youth. It's just a shame it closes before I finish work in the week otherwise I could avoid the chain ones altogether.
I live near an Evans, an Edinburgh Bicylce Co-Op and Giant store. None of them have bike parts on display - a dérailleur can be a work of art - I remember the Shimano cabinet at that bike shop of my youth, and me looking at all the stuff that looked so much better than the stuff I had, which led to me getting a 105 rear dérailleur and a 600 chainset with the wages from my Saturday job (with a little help from the discount my mates got of course
Then it was 'buy a bike and if you want, you can upgrade it with these bits later' now it's 'buy a bike, and then buy another bike, and another, and another'
I'm old, aren't I?
Fast forward to last week. I wanted some grease, and I ride past one of the national chains on the way home, so I called in. The shop is clean. Too clean. You don't feel like you can touch the bikes. And all the bits are packaged in boxes and plastic things. I'm sure at the bike shop of my youth you could have bought a single ball bearing if you'd wanted. In fact he would probably have given you one - but either way it would have come from the little drawers in the workshop and been given to you in a paper bag. Now ball bearing come pre-packed in a box with grease. Anyway, back to the grease I wanted. Of course no sooner had I stopped moving than an assistant came over. I said I wanted grease because I'd had a spot of bother getting the pedals of the OHs bike and wanted to grease them before I put them back on. I was shown "assembly lubricant" at £15. I bought some silicone grease for £3.
Fortunately there is a local independent near me that is almost as good as the one in my youth. It's just a shame it closes before I finish work in the week otherwise I could avoid the chain ones altogether.
I live near an Evans, an Edinburgh Bicylce Co-Op and Giant store. None of them have bike parts on display - a dérailleur can be a work of art - I remember the Shimano cabinet at that bike shop of my youth, and me looking at all the stuff that looked so much better than the stuff I had, which led to me getting a 105 rear dérailleur and a 600 chainset with the wages from my Saturday job (with a little help from the discount my mates got of course
Then it was 'buy a bike and if you want, you can upgrade it with these bits later' now it's 'buy a bike, and then buy another bike, and another, and another'
I'm old, aren't I?
DiddlyDodds
Random Resident
- Location
- Littleborough
I bought something the other week for £9.10, so instead of getting a pocket of change i handed £10.10 over to the assistant, to which she gave me back the 10p as "it confused her when people do that" so i did end up with 90p change instead of a pound coin.
JasonHolder
on youtube. learning to be a gent
That's quite funny.
I usually try to find older guys who look fit to have a chat with about what I want.
Usually turns into them going the whole 9 yards. Ask for a longer stem, turns into them fitting it for you, changing steerer spacers and getting you to take it for a spin before you've even paid.
Bike shops in Southampton are probably the best I've been to. Especially helpful.
I usually try to find older guys who look fit to have a chat with about what I want.
Usually turns into them going the whole 9 yards. Ask for a longer stem, turns into them fitting it for you, changing steerer spacers and getting you to take it for a spin before you've even paid.
Bike shops in Southampton are probably the best I've been to. Especially helpful.
KneesUp
Guru
They should invent a special sort of calculator for use in shops. It could print out a list of the things you bought in case you need to bring any of them back, and tell the shop staff how much change to give you.
No idea what you'd call such a device though.
DiddlyDodds
Random Resident
- Location
- Littleborough
ScotiaLass
Guru
- Location
- Middle Earth
I like my LBS.
Owned by the same chap all these years (bought my first 'big' bike there).
Inside it has changed very little - still has a wooden counter and drawers and cubby holes full of springs and ball bearings and...well just about anything you could ask for!
The 3 staff are brilliant, know exactly what they are talking about and 2 of them ride into work.
There's a handy bike rack outside, but you are welcome to roll your bike into the shop, where they keep a small stand for any little jobs, which they are happy to do on the spot.
Brilliant!
Owned by the same chap all these years (bought my first 'big' bike there).
Inside it has changed very little - still has a wooden counter and drawers and cubby holes full of springs and ball bearings and...well just about anything you could ask for!
The 3 staff are brilliant, know exactly what they are talking about and 2 of them ride into work.
There's a handy bike rack outside, but you are welcome to roll your bike into the shop, where they keep a small stand for any little jobs, which they are happy to do on the spot.
Brilliant!
MontyVeda
a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
- Location
- Lancaster... the little city.
there was a guy in my local tesco who couldn't work that out ... "Sorry I've already rung in £X" was his excuse. I've tried explaining the simple arithmetic required to cope with the extra 10p, 5p, or finding a £5 pound note instead of the £20 note I've just handed over... but he claimed the till wouldn't balance... after that i just started winding him up by always offering the small change a little bit too late, "I've rung it in now." was the best his tiny mind could come up with.
Yes, I am slightly evil.
Hip Priest
Veteran
You do get some snobby, aloof buggers in cycle shops, but guitar shops are much, much worse. There's a bike shop in Gateshead which I've heard some horror stories about, but I've never visited. And as the stories are all second hand, I'm not going to name the shop.
KneesUp
Guru
Any shop that is a general retailer selling specialist products is going to struggle with staff giving advice. I remember being in Dixons (Currys, for younger readers) once and there being a customer asking if she could buy a roll of film (ask your grandparents) and if they could put it in her camera for her.
The shop assistant, stood in front of a large Kodak display (ask your grandparents about Kodak, too) stacked full of film, what with it being a Dixons by the sea, in summer, simply replied that they didn't have any.
The shop assistant, stood in front of a large Kodak display (ask your grandparents about Kodak, too) stacked full of film, what with it being a Dixons by the sea, in summer, simply replied that they didn't have any.
Saluki
World class procrastinator
- Location
- ...Norwich over the water.
My Dad had a bike shop, it was a fishing shop too so mixed with the smell of grease and stuff was the smell of the sawdust that the maggots wriggled about it. The smell of my youth.
He had a proper counter with a glass front and bits and bobs in there on one side there were ledgers, floats etc, the other there were deuralliers, a fan of spokes, stems and other bikey type things. There were lots of little drawers with stuff in too, it was a right aladdin's cave of bike stuff. He insisted that the customer was always right, even when he was a pratt. Always smile, always be polite and if the customer is asking for the wrong thing to get his bike in and show us the broken part. We sort little fixes there and then, often for free which inspired a lot of customer loyalty. We didn't sell expensive brands, we sold Raleigh and Puch mostly.
I still like bike shops like that, the big ones with their shiney bikes and no 'proper' smell just inspire mistrust in me. Especially if I can't have a test ride. No test ride, no sale is how I like to operate.
It's not just bike shops where rudeness exists. I had a right pushy mare in John Lewis' the other week. I went in for a Henry vacuum cleaner and she told me that I didn't want one and pointed at some Bosch job that I could barely lift. I told her that I would rather have a Henry and would come back later. Then she kept trying to take me to the till with the ticket to buy it then and collect it later. She was really quite agressive. I am a reasonably polite person but I had to be a bit abrupt to get away from her. A horrible experience. We bought the Henry from Tesco.
He had a proper counter with a glass front and bits and bobs in there on one side there were ledgers, floats etc, the other there were deuralliers, a fan of spokes, stems and other bikey type things. There were lots of little drawers with stuff in too, it was a right aladdin's cave of bike stuff. He insisted that the customer was always right, even when he was a pratt. Always smile, always be polite and if the customer is asking for the wrong thing to get his bike in and show us the broken part. We sort little fixes there and then, often for free which inspired a lot of customer loyalty. We didn't sell expensive brands, we sold Raleigh and Puch mostly.
I still like bike shops like that, the big ones with their shiney bikes and no 'proper' smell just inspire mistrust in me. Especially if I can't have a test ride. No test ride, no sale is how I like to operate.
It's not just bike shops where rudeness exists. I had a right pushy mare in John Lewis' the other week. I went in for a Henry vacuum cleaner and she told me that I didn't want one and pointed at some Bosch job that I could barely lift. I told her that I would rather have a Henry and would come back later. Then she kept trying to take me to the till with the ticket to buy it then and collect it later. She was really quite agressive. I am a reasonably polite person but I had to be a bit abrupt to get away from her. A horrible experience. We bought the Henry from Tesco.
KneesUp
Guru
Sounds amazing. It was only recently I realised that Shimano make fishing reels and stuff too
Small shops are almost always better.
I was looking at, and thinking of buying, a Defy L in All Terrain Cycles.
Me - Can I sit on it?
Git - Yes. I'll get a medium.
Me - Can I try the L?
Git - I think the medium is the right size for you. (Moves for the medium)
Me - I'l try the large first thanks.
Git - How tall are you, what's your inside leg?
Me - Take the large out please.
Git removes large as if it was a complicated, time consuming and unnecessary task and I sit on it.
Git - Put your hands on the hoods.
I am already instinctively reaching down for the brakes as I have small hands.
Git - No, t.h.e.s.e. are hoods.
Me - Can I sit on it?
Git - Yes. I'll get a medium.
Me - Can I try the L?
Git - I think the medium is the right size for you. (Moves for the medium)
Me - I'l try the large first thanks.
Git - How tall are you, what's your inside leg?
Me - Take the large out please.
Git removes large as if it was a complicated, time consuming and unnecessary task and I sit on it.
Git - Put your hands on the hoods.
I am already instinctively reaching down for the brakes as I have small hands.
Git - No, t.h.e.s.e. are hoods.
