Shop Assistants in Cycle Shops

[fabregas485]

Bike shops have come in for a bit of a slagging here so, in defence of my LBS, I feel compelled to take the other side in this discussion. It seems to me that it is mostly the big chain stores (Halfords, Evans etc) that are coming in for a caning, not the small local operators. I use a local shop called "Striking Bikes" in Bristol Road, Gloucester, who does not deserve to be tarred with the same brush, and I have nothing but praise for Paul, the proprietor.

The first time I met him, I was walking along the side of a very quiet rural lane, miles from home and pushing a bike with a broken chain, feeling very sorry for myself. A van went past a junction behind me, and I heard it stop, reverse, and then go out of its way to come and help me. Pulling up in front of me, he leapt out cheerily, asked if I needed help, spotted the trouble, and had a chain splitter and new link out of his tool box in seconds. Not only did he immediately repair my chain at the roadside, but he handed me a babywipe to clean my hands and sped off refusing any payment for the assistance.

A year or so later, I identified the bike I wanted to buy on the internet, and went into Striking Bikes to check out anything else they might have. I ended up buying that same model from Paul, at the same price as the Internet, with a whole bunch of extras thrown in free and the bike fully set up correctly for me. He has since done a full wheel re-build for me (as he had done on my previous bike) and has proved himself to be a genius at that dying skill. His prices are always very reasonable.

Whilst I do often use internet sites to buy bike stuff, I now always make a point of having my bike serviced every year at Striking Bikes, and always buy some small item or other when I am there. The guy lives, eats and breathes cycIing, and he is always willing to give advice or swap anecdotes, based on years of racing and bike factory experience. Every year he donates his time to provide free roadside service at the BHF Cotswold Bike Ride. I believe it is important to keep people like Paul in business, serving the cycling community in the way they deserve. If anyone is looking to buy a Ridgeback or a Bianchi, Striking Bikes has a nice looking collection of them, and you'll have the best customer service possible.

I could not agree more. I knew someone who had a bike shop who was the nicest guy ever. If I had any sort of problem or query I could pop down to see him to ask how to get it do it and he would do it free of charge refusing payment left right and centre. In return I ended up buying a few bits here and there ( most of which I did not need in the end, but it keeps him in business). Sadly he had to sell up and move, but I have yet to have the confidence to try any other local bike shops after my last experience.

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

cor who would have thought it

Creative editing there, me thinks

 

[KneesUp]

I used to use Neil Walton in Didsbury. It's not there anymore sadly.

Ah - good old google - this company http://www.bikeshak.com/ was started by Neil in 1997 apparently, which would be about 4 years after I moved away.

 

[screenman]

Why did they move, was it because they were not making enough money?

 

[Donger]

I just think some of you are missing the bigger picture here. It's not cycle shops, per se. In my experience most big shop chains (whatever they sell) employ spotty teenagers with little or no product knowledge and poor inter-personal skills. You pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Take sports shops as an example. Just try going into any of the big chains of highstreet so-called "sports" shops and asking for:
(a) a badminton net
(b) high grip rubber for table tennis bats
(c) an ice hockey stick
(d) a rugby scrum cap and
(e) a look at their whole range of cycling shirts.
It is odds on that they won't have any of the above - definitely not more than 2 of them.
Unless you want jogging bottoms, hoodies or replica top 4 Premier Leage (or England) football shirts, they will look at you slack-jawed like you just asked for a left-handed snooker cue. I was so unimpressed last time I went in a "sports" shop, I apologised for mistaking them for a sports shop ... I hadn't realised I was in an "urban chavwear outlet" by mistake.
Support your proper local expert shops, whatever they sell, or these idiot chains will completely take over the high streets of every town in Britain.

 

[KneesUp]

Why did they move, was it because they were not making enough money?

Are you asking me? If so I don't know I'm afraid, I wasn't a personal friend of the owner, just a happy customer - and I hadn't lived in Manchester for 4 years when the shop moved. The shop was very small though, so perhaps it was just a move to a larger unit that meshed neatly with the change to a more internet-friendly name that was more saleable (Neil Walton doesn't seem to be involved any more, so my guess - and it is a guess- is that he sold the business and retired)

But, at the end of the day I was a school kid buying a few consumables and the odd component. He didn't used to consult me on business decisions

 

[JoeyB]

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.

Ooh which ones in Southampton?

 

[ayceejay]

My local bike shop is owned by a winker and his staff are useless. I only go there in an emergency. I had an emergency the other day and needed a Sram gear cable, the boss wasn't there and his assistant didn't know what Sram was!
The man in question is a 'know all'. I imagine you know the type, although I am twenty years older than him there is nothing I can tell him. He tried to sell me a bike that was evidently too small so I took my $2,500 elsewhere and is fond of saying "you don't want that you want this" - winker.
When I lived in England Tony Mills on Boxhill would know what size bike you needed just by looking at you, one of the boys would brew a cup of tea we would have a natter and I would walk out of there with £100 worth of gear under my arm - now that is the way to run a bike shop.

 

[screenman]

Whilst a shop cannot afford to give poor service, it also cannot afford to give free service. I doubt many shops cost less than £50 per hour to open, that is margin not turnover.

 

[adamhearn]

Went to the LBS (3rd or 4th time I've been in), queued whilst others were being attended to before asking for some crank bolts with hex heads. I was met with a "I don't know if we sell those, you'll have to wait for". They did and I bought them but I don't think I'll ever bother going back as I'm mostly left feeling that I'm an annoyance rather than a customer.

Sadly my not-so LBS where I bought my road bike is so much better but is too far a journey for such small ticket items. I should have just ordered a set online.

 

[fabregas485]

Talking of which, I went into Maplin a few weeks again to buy a small switch for a project I was doing. The switch had no values on it, such as the current I could pass though it safety. I went to the counter and asked if they had the datasheets for all of the components they stocked and the first thing I got back was 'A datasheet? Sorry sir, I do not know of any datasheets. Do they have another name?'. At this point I explained what I was looking for, and another member came up and told me 'And what exactly is the point of knowing any of that useless information'. At this point I thanked the guy behind the counter for attempting to help me, and I ended up ordering the part I needed online for cheaper with the datasheet I required.

 

[simon the viking]

Now I'm sure on here everyone treats sales staff with respect and therefore obviously should get the same back..... but as a retail manager of 20 years experience I can assure you all this not always the case.......

I work in car spares and often when I ask for a reg to get vehicle details.... I sometimes get told "I don't want to give it to you, because you don't need it (they probably don't know it)................I can tell you everything you need to know..."
"Okay what year is it?"
"Errrr. 2002 or could be 2004
"Engine size?"
"1200 or is it a 1500?"
"Engine code then?"
"eeerrrrrr......."
At this point I often snap......"Look mate if you want the right parts get me your bloody reg"

I even sometimes get something like its a Vauxhall Fiesta..... to which I reply is it a Vauxhall Corsa or a Ford Fiesta?

If someone is polite and gives me the information I require to do my job well they will get excellent customer service..... If they are rude or are generally an obnoxious person then they may not (it also helps if they have had a bath/shower and washed their clothes within last 3 days............. this is not always the case I can assure you.....)

By the way some people still think that serving staff in general (Shop, bar and restaurant) are the lowest form of life and can be spoken to as such...... Honestly people still exist who think like this.......

But as I said I'm sure no one on here is like that

We normally try to forget the last annoying customer and concentrate on the next but sometimes its not that easy.......................

 

[sazzaa]

I try to be nice to shop and restaurant workers, because let's be honest, they're doing a dull job for a pittance. On the days I'm feeling unsociable then I just avoid eye contact and try to shop without any hassle. And shops are one of the few places where I won't tell people to "do one" because they are in an awful job having to deal with awful customers, no point in me adding to it.

 

[mickle]

You want better shop staff now? And all along I thought you all wanted low prices. Make up your farking minds.

 

[screenman]

My wife is a Podiatrist, she often gets customers in who have not washed any part of their body let alone feet for weeks, some are even proud of the fact. She is far nicer than I could be.