LBS...wah....

[mimitabby]

everyone does NOT want their bike ASAP. I dropped off a bike right before i went out of the country for two weeks.
Some of us can't GET to the bike shop until the next weekend. what a loser!

[elk]

now I know why no one is ever in there! But how do they stay in buisness?

Anyone else in Portland know what I'm talking about?

[Running Mommy]

Ok, so here is my beef with the BS industry as a whole...

At Interbike I sat through a seminar on the state of the Industry- Independant retailers were the target audience. To say the trend is flat would be an understatement. Actually it's trending down.

In order to reverse the downward spiral the mindset has GOT to change.
The speaker had some great idea's, and was IMPLORING everyone in the room to change tactics and step up to the plate.
He spoke about how unfriendly bike shops can be, from an asthetic point of view, to the attitude of the staff.
He made a point of saying that the bike shops are targeting the wrong customer. They need to be targeting women, and the casual cyclist. As THEY are going to be the consumer who will keep you in business. He stated the % of spending decisions that are made by women. I think it was like 80%. Thats HUGE.
He also talked about how intimidating it can be for a casual or newbie cyclist to walk through the door and see all the metal, and fancy looking parts that they have no idea what they are looking at.
Merchandising needs to be softened up, Instead of looking like a dark machine shop it needs to be pleasing to the eye. Think about when you walk into a shop that is well merchandized. Your drawn to the racks to see what they have because the store is so nice. It's a subconsious thing I think, but it's true. If the store is pleasing to the eye you will spend more time browsing.
AND the staff (owners on down) need to learn some people skills at the very least. Snippy replies, sarcasm, and an elitist attitude are NOT skills that one needs to work in a bike shop. I just don't understand how bike shops have gotten away from giving good service?? It amazes me sometimes that they even stay in business with some of the things I've seen/heard!

Sure it's also important to be able to satisfy the hardcore dude. But they are more prone to already know exactly what they want when they walk through the door, AND they just want to know a few key things- can you get the part/bike/wheel/ etc, How much will it cost me, how long will it take.
Answer those key ?'s to their satisfaction and you have the sale.

Sooo as I step off my soap box, I am pledging that Estrella Mountain Cyclery will be a pleasing place to shop, have a good selection, and most importantly will treat EVERYONE who walks through the door with the utmost respect.
I demand that our shop be the friendliest bike shop in town!

[Duck on Wheels]

Ok, so here is my beef with the BS industry as a whole...

At Interbike I sat through a seminar on the state of the Industry- Independant retailers were the target audience. To say the trend is flat would be an understatement. Actually it's trending down.

In order to reverse the downward spiral the mindset has GOT to change.
The speaker had some great idea's, and was IMPLORING everyone in the room to change tactics and step up to the plate.
He spoke about how unfriendly bike shops can be, from an asthetic point of view, to the attitude of the staff.
He made a point of saying that the bike shops are targeting the wrong customer. They need to be targeting women, and the casual cyclist. As THEY are going to be the consumer who will keep you in business. He stated the % of spending decisions that are made by women. I think it was like 80%. Thats HUGE.
He also talked about how intimidating it can be for a casual or newbie cyclist to walk through the door and see all the metal, and fancy looking parts that they have no idea what they are looking at.
Merchandising needs to be softened up, Instead of looking like a dark machine shop it needs to be pleasing to the eye. Think about when you walk into a shop that is well merchandized. Your drawn to the racks to see what they have because the store is so nice. It's a subconsious thing I think, but it's true. If the store is pleasing to the eye you will spend more time browsing.
AND the staff (owners on down) need to learn some people skills at the very least. Snippy replies, sarcasm, and an elitist attitude are NOT skills that one needs to work in a bike shop. I just don't understand how bike shops have gotten away from giving good service?? It amazes me sometimes that they even stay in business with some of the things I've seen/heard!

Sure it's also important to be able to satisfy the hardcore dude. But they are more prone to already know exactly what they want when they walk through the door, AND they just want to know a few key things- can you get the part/bike/wheel/ etc, How much will it cost me, how long will it take.
Answer those key ?'s to their satisfaction and you have the sale.

Sooo as I step off my soap box, I am pledging that Estrella Mountain Cyclery will be a pleasing place to shop, have a good selection, and most importantly will treat EVERYONE who walks through the door with the utmost respect.
I demand that our shop be the friendliest bike shop in town!

Dang! Now we all have to move to Arizona???

[SalsaMTB]

Ok, so here is my beef with the BS industry as a whole...

At Interbike I sat through a seminar on the state of the Industry- Independant retailers were the target audience. To say the trend is flat would be an understatement. Actually it's trending down.

In order to reverse the downward spiral the mindset has GOT to change.
The speaker had some great idea's, and was IMPLORING everyone in the room to change tactics and step up to the plate.
He spoke about how unfriendly bike shops can be, from an asthetic point of view, to the attitude of the staff.
He made a point of saying that the bike shops are targeting the wrong customer. They need to be targeting women, and the casual cyclist. As THEY are going to be the consumer who will keep you in business. He stated the % of spending decisions that are made by women. I think it was like 80%. Thats HUGE.
He also talked about how intimidating it can be for a casual or newbie cyclist to walk through the door and see all the metal, and fancy looking parts that they have no idea what they are looking at.
Merchandising needs to be softened up, Instead of looking like a dark machine shop it needs to be pleasing to the eye. Think about when you walk into a shop that is well merchandized. Your drawn to the racks to see what they have because the store is so nice. It's a subconsious thing I think, but it's true. If the store is pleasing to the eye you will spend more time browsing.
AND the staff (owners on down) need to learn some people skills at the very least. Snippy replies, sarcasm, and an elitist attitude are NOT skills that one needs to work in a bike shop. I just don't understand how bike shops have gotten away from giving good service?? It amazes me sometimes that they even stay in business with some of the things I've seen/heard!

Sure it's also important to be able to satisfy the hardcore dude. But they are more prone to already know exactly what they want when they walk through the door, AND they just want to know a few key things- can you get the part/bike/wheel/ etc, How much will it cost me, how long will it take.
Answer those key ?'s to their satisfaction and you have the sale.

Sooo as I step off my soap box, I am pledging that Estrella Mountain Cyclery will be a pleasing place to shop, have a good selection, and most importantly will treat EVERYONE who walks through the door with the utmost respect.
I demand that our shop be the friendliest bike shop in town!

Hey, Dh and I attended the same seminar! We just opened our shop 1.5 years ago and the seminar was definitely interesting. It helped to confirm we were doing some things right (focusing on the customer, tons of group rides, active in the community etc) but also helped us to see the trends and help us generate new ideas for the store.

I do think that the seminar would be most beneficial for the type of shop that OP attended. I recall before we opened our shop, we visited many of the locals together and I told them I was shopping for a bike. I think only 1 shop actually talked to me, not my dh. It was a HUGE eye opened for my dh. Hopefully other shops will be able to take something away from the seminar.

For the OP, just because the guy was a bit grumpy doesn't mean the quality of work will be poor. There's no excuse for him talking unprofessionally to you, but hopefully (for your sake) it's the quality of the service, not the personality that keeps the shop running!

[Sheesh]

The reason we continue to frequent our shop of choice, versus any of the other shops in town, is because of the service we receive from the moment walk in the door. We've waited for what seemed like forever before even being acknowledged in empty shops, and then just walked out the door because nobody even looked up. The minute we walked into our now-favorite store, the owner looked up, acknowledged us and asked if he could help us find anything. The rest of the people in the shop are not nearly as helpful, but the owner tries to get them to be that way.

When I went in with my husband to talk to the owner about getting a cross bike, he called me behind the counter to show me some catalogs and some stuff on his computer. He talked directly to me, asking me what I wanted, and pretty much ignored my husband. It was great!

For these reasons, I will continue to give my hard-earned money to this guy, rather than any other shop.

And, from an outsider's perspective, I think every bike shop needs a coffee stand included (or a bar). It gives the guys some other way of spending their money, and an excuse to hang out and chat. If you're going to hang out and chat anyway, you may as well give me some money for a cup of coffee or a beer.

[Zen]

And, from an outsider's perspective, I think every bike shop needs a coffee stand included (or a bar). It gives the guys some other way of spending their money, and an excuse to hang out and chat.

Or an excuse to hang out and check out the guys

[Kalidurga]

I've read some similar articles, including one in the latest RBR netletter. Makes me very glad I found my two LBS's, even if they aren't really local (15-20 miles away). There are a lot of shops to choose from, five alone in the town where my favorite shops are located, and it was definitely the demeanor of the owner/managers that made me want to come back initially. I go to both of these shops because the guys there just plain enjoy talking about bikes, with anyone. When there's nothing I need but I'm in the area, I'll go in, ask a question about something, shoot the breeze for a bit about where we've each ridden lately, then walk out without buying anything, and they still greet me with a smile the next time I walk in the door! That is what makes me a loyal customer, and why I'll spend all of my bike $$'s at those two shops, rather than at closer locations or on-line.

Good to see that the industry is recognizing this.

[elk]

He was a lot nicer when I back to get my bike. Chatty and sweet. I also learned that after over 40years, he had sold the shop and it would change hands in a year.

He reversed my brakes...so my front brake is at my right hand and my shifter is now on the left...and they're kind of upside down...

This pissed me off; he told me it was alot better NOT to cross the wires and The shifting would be easier and I would get used to it.....Meantime, he was trying to get my old bar off my rack and was kind of flailing around in a way that made me just want my bike back and to get out of there.

OK...so the guy is European and I'm thinkning maybe it's a European thing and I did some internet research; found actually lots of sound support for this reversal...Including my current hero, King Retro Sheldon Brown...So ok, I'll try it.

But my brake levers are upside down!! An aesthetic concern.
I'll live with it for awhile and if it bugs me, I'll change it. I won't go back there though...

I have another question that I'll post seperately...