Um, GO AWAY!






I'm joking

You are quite right to feel upset with the situation. A smaller shop is probably not going to be competitive in the price department with the chains or outfits like performance/nashbar. Then they really need to be excellent at how they treat their customers and have a good service department. Otherwise, why shop there?

I want my dollars to help stay in my community but I am, (and I'm guessing you too like most of us), not independently wealthy. I can't and won't pay 50% higher for things and then get so-so treatment from the store. Last week I went to a local shop to look for some winter booties (shoe covers) and despite there being 3 employees in the store, not the one helped or even acknolwedged my presence. I half-wondered if I could have walked out of the store with the booties and they not even notice. That's how oblivious they were!

I've noticed some of the local shops here really do have a mom & pop operation. Others though, like the Trek stores, seem to be run by people with a lot more money - at least in this town where I've met the owners of all the Trek stores.