Shop Assistants in Cycle Shops

[oldroadman]

Away from bike shops, I was in Manchester and went into the Apple shop as I was looking to get a new laptop. The staff spent as much time as I needed going through the advantages versus PC, all the while looking for a sales opportunity without pushing too hard. They were clearly well trained and knew the product, even comfortable calling in help when something went beyond their experience. Result will be when I change, guess what?
The product isn't cheap either!

 

[Globalti]

Shops could increase their sales by 50% if they had properly trained staff. Really.

 

[EltonFrog]

Shops could increase their sales by 50% if they had properly trained staff. Really.

When I was a younger man, I worked in retail, a DIY shop, one of chain of 180 stores before all the big DIY superstores came into being. After a a qualifying period on the shop floor my salary was enhanced by commission. The difference it made to my sales was extraordinary, they tripled, the store I worked in was consistently the top performing store in the group. I have spoken to people who work in retail now and all of them have told me that they don't get commission or bonuses. I wonder if this is the case in all shops?

I would have thought that the way to motivate folk, increase sales, and provide good customer service would be to reward staff cash in the pocket. Everyone wins.

 

[EltonFrog]

Everyone apart from the customer who ends up with the item that earned the salesperson the best commission rather than the item best suited.

Ahh yes; this did happen I must confess, that from time to time there were special promotions on certain products which got more attention than others, but on the whole its was and still is a sound idea, motivate staff and everyone wins. I believe Julian Richer of Richer Sounds has got it about right. http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/ne...-mans-staff-say-love-working-himWhats-secret/

 

[MontyVeda]

Maybe, but having some idea about the items they are "trying to take your money" for is always helpful.
Whatever the shop sells!

My local corner shop is full of weird and wonderful vegetables from the East... I've no idea what they are so i asked the owner, Ali about some of them "What do you do with this?" I asked. "You cook it and eat it" he replied, rolling his eyes.
A friend bought a pack of halal sausages and for some reason asked "How do I cook them?", Ali told him to take the skins off first... he did and they all fell apart in the pan. Ask a stupid question and you get a stupid answer.
Another time i went in, grabbed a bunch of coriander and took it to the counter. Ali said "You don't want that." ... "Why not?" I asked. ... "Because it's parsley... you want coriander." he told me, rolling his eyes, and he was right!

 

[Archeress]

I use a local shop called "Striking Bikes" in Bristol Road, Gloucester

As I live in Bradley Stoke, I can get there easily so shall probably pop in sometime soon. Thanks for the recommendation.

Hugs
Archeress x

 

[Leaway2]

I'll never shop in the Evan's store in Gateshead again, worst shop staff I've ever encountered, I'll order online from Evan's as their online service is damn good .. If I need to buy in shop, I go to Edinburgh Co-op cycles in Newcastle, the staff in there are really helpful

I'll have to try the new CycleSurgery shop that has opened in Gateshead sometime soon

Same for me here in Manc. Evans is closer but he staff in EBC are much more friendly, so I go there.

 

[Leaway2]

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.

They need to get some decent racks outside. I am not leaving my stead in those wheel benders.

 

[KneesUp]

They need to get some decent racks outside. I am not leaving my stead in those wheel benders.

I shall pass on your feedback to a company I've never dealt with that was established 17 years ago by a very helpful and friendly man who owned a bike-shop I last visited in 1996

 

[Bryony]

As I've put in another thread my LBS (SP Cycles in Briadstairs) is brilliant and to show them how much I appreciate their great service I made them a cake! They don't talk down to you if you ask lots of questions, we quite often pop in for little things and generally get given them for free, my OH even got given a tool for free(can't remember what tool) because it was making his shelf look untidy!!!! (The price label was £9.99) really can't fault them they always have time for you no matter how busy they are.

And also cycles uk in Canterbury have been great in the few occasions I've been in there I'd seen some bar tape and bottle cages on a bike on display in another shop and tried to find them on line with no luck, I noticed they had the same bike on display with the same tape and cages so asked if they were available separately. He said no for some reason you can't buy them seperately (he'd been asked before and had phoned the manufacturer to find out) Any way I said thank you and continued window shopping and a few mins later he came back and said I just checked the website and you can now buy them seperately so I ordered them and picked them up the following week. I also bought a helmet from them and they were very thorough in making sure it fitted properly, they gave me lots of confidence.

 

[EltonFrog]

I visited a bike shop in Goring today, the chap in their was very helpful and attentive to my needs, although he did try to contradict me by telling me that Topeak do not sell a mudguard for a 29" MTB, I suggested he checked, and he found that I was in fact correct, but his supplier/distributor were not yet stocking them yet. Anyway, he was helpful, I bought my stuff, and he loaned me an alan key so I could fit my mudguard. So well done them at Mountain Mania in Goring http://www.mountainmaniacycles.co.uk/bike-shops/

 

[MikeonaBike]

What annoys me, and its not just cycle shops, is going in and then ignored while preference is given to people calling in by phone. If I have taken the trouble to go into a shop, I expect to be served ahead of people on the phone. Grrrrr

 

[theclaud]

They should be trained so that they have the knowledge which can translate into better service for the customer. The skills they gain can also be used to secure a better paid job in the store or elsewhere.

I want to be a lady in a flower shop stead of selling at the corner of Tottenham Court Road. But they won't take me unless I can talk more genteel.

 

[srw]

I want to be a lady in a flower shop stead of selling at the corner of Tottenham Court Road. But they won't take me unless I can talk more genteel.

Wouldn't it be luvverly?

 

[oldroadman]

I want to be a lady in a flower shop stead of selling at the corner of Tottenham Court Road. But they won't take me unless I can talk more genteel.

Professor Higgins will sort you out