Need advice on a recent LBS purchase

[cherinyc]

Hi ladies -
I have been going to the same LBS that I bought my bike from - the guy is REALLY helpful. His shop has the best variety of women's gear (his wife is an avid cyclist, which I think helps) so I try to give him my business.
There have been a couple of instances lately though - where I feel his pricing has been a bit....off. And I am not sure what to think.
I am trully broke from buying all the stuff needed to cycle comfortably - and finally had to break down and buy a 2nd pair of shorts (due to commuting/riding frequency, etc). 2 days ago I picked out a pair (at 79.99 they were on the cheaper end of his assortment) and figured....well, it's an investment.
Today I was doing laundry - and looked at the tag to get drying instructions - and saw (under the Pearl Izumi tag) these shorts were from the Spring Season 2002 collection.
YIKES - not like there's anything wrong with them - but 80 bucks for a pair from 4 years ago?
Am I silly for feeling like they should've been marked down or something?
Should I say anything? or just let it go?
The other thing was when I had mentioned I wanted to try this stuff called "Brave Soldier" he jumped on it and ordered a case. When they came in - my bf went to pick it up, and he priced it $2 more than the MSR and about $6 more than Performance. It's not really the amt as much as the principal.
Any advice?

[snapdragen]

If it's a Mom and Pop LBS, he probably can't discount as much as Performance/Nashbar/Supergo. From what little I understand about running a bike store, it's not a huge moneymaker. It's a tough business; competing with the internet and chain stores has got to be difficult. If he is giving you good service, and advice, I'd stick with him. That doesn't mean you have to buy everything from him, but it's always good to have an LBS you can trust.

[KSH]

Well, it looks like if you want to support him, you are going to pay more for your items.

You are a very kind and generous person to think about supporting his business.

For me, I would love to support the LBS all the time... but when it comes down to it... my budget comes first.

If I can find it cheaper on the internet and the shipping cost doesn't make it more expensive than if I bought it at the shop... I go for the item off the internet.

Then again... last time I went to my LBS... ready to buy shorts and body glide... they didn't have the items... so I had to take my business elsewhere.

[WrensMom]

I would probably give him a pass on the shorts, and just figure that he doesn't move them that quickly, and let it go. The pricing of stuff over MSRP would bug me though. MSRP is already high! Actually, I had this problem with Title 9 Sports one time with a backpack--they had it priced over MSRP--I emailed them and asked their reasoning, and basically their response was "we do it because we can". Ticked me off, and I have refused to buy anything from them ever since. So, in dealing with your LBS guy, my approach would probably be to become familiar with customary prices of the items I am interested in, and give him the business if he is pretty much on par, but buy the things that he is out to lunch on elsewhere.

[xeney]

I think at this point, if I had a LBS that was good in other ways -- repairs, keeping basic essentials in stock, advice, supporting the local cycling community -- I'd probably go out of my way to buy more stuff from them, even at a moderate markup. (There are limits to my generosity.) I keep reading about these fabulous local bike shops, and they sound great, but they don't jibe with my own experience. At the two bike shops that are right in my neighborhood, I've been talked down to, overcharged over the quote they'd given my husband, lied to, laughed at, and ignored. It's actually worse than auto repair places, because those guys at least want your business enough to be smarmy; the bike shop guys are sometimes downright rude even if you're spending money. And both my husband and I have had no luck finding anyone at either shop who really knows how to fit a bike.

Last week I tried to buy a patch kit and levers, because ordering small stuff like that online is insane, and the shop nearest me didn't have any. What kind of a bike shop runs out of patch kits and levers?

So as much as I'd love to support those guys because they do support the local cycling community, I find myself buying most stuff online, at Performance, or at REI. The employees at Performance and REI are helpful even if I'm not riding a fixie. Maybe it's because they're working on commission, but sometimes I'd just like to get my bike repaired without being made to feel like an idiot.

When my husband had to file a claim with PayPal over a misrepresented bike he bought on eBay, he needed a bike mechanic to certify the damage, and the only one who would do it was the mechanic at REI. That guy was incredibly helpful; he wrote a very detailed report and uncovered proof that the bike had been wrecked, and he did it for free. I don't feel guilty about buying the occasional headlight from them, especially since the LBS probably doesn't have them in stock, anyway.

[Tuckervill]

I got a Title 9 catalog in the mail and they have a great selection of bras in my size...but nothing else in my size, which is annoying. I was considering buying a bra, but since the backpack story above, I think I'll keep looking--right here on TE!!

Kareen

[Bikingmomof3]

I do not have a decent bike store anywhere near me. I have several to choose from, which are very close to me or reasonably close to me. High prices, rude behaviour, refusal to carry anything for women, oh the list goes on. I did, thankfully from word of mouth, find an awesome bike store. The downside? It is quite a hike for me to routinely go to to pick up small items. So I do rely heavily on the internet. Oh I have asked every.single. bike store in my area as to why they carry bike clothing for men and small children (does a toddler really need a jersey???), but not women and their responses where all the same (even at the bike store I like) "Women's cycling clothing does not sell". So I rely heavily on the internet to buy all my clothing--well thus far I have only purchased clothing from TE and have not been disappointed onced or given incorrect advise and their patience is astounding.

Long story short-IF I had a decent shop near me I would indeed put up with some prices being higher. I would be thrilled to find a store that carried womens clothing so I could actually see things in person, feel the fabrics, and try items on. To be able to do that, I would indeed pay more.