Quote Originally Posted by ridebikeme View Post
His thoughts are if I don't charge for something(even if it's only a couple of dollars) then I am giving the perception to customers that my time, knowledge and tools are not worth anything. So, although some of you may disagree with this, it's something to think about. When was the last time that you went to your car mechanic/vet or any other professional and they did something for free? The bottom line is that each minute that your business is open, it should generate money ... whether it's the repair that you are working on, the bike that you are selling etc... Your time and knowledge are valuable. The cycling industry is a hard enough to survive in, and perhaps by not charging we are adding to that downward spiral??
My dad owned his own auto repair shop for about 20 years. Not the same as a bike shop, but I think there are similarities. For the easy/quick jobs...if the customer was already having something else done that they were paying for, he wouldn't charge. If they weren't having anything else done, but were a good customer, he wouldn't charge. If it was someone he didn't know, or they came in a *lot* with the would-be freebie stuff, he would charge. My current auto mechanic is the same way (at least with me).

RunningMommy...I know $10 probably sounds extravagant to you because it's something that literally takes you seconds. But think about what it means to the typical customer...it saves one of us from having to buy a tool (and we may not know what to buy, or where to buy it), from having to figure out how to use said tool, and frees us from the fear of possibly screwing something up and having to replace it (you're taking on the liability for us). I think it's possible to charge something to the customer and still provide them something of value, while giving yourself a benefit as well.

Now if I came in there with 20 seatposts (don't ask me why I would, just for the sake of argument ), charging $10 each might be extravagant. But you could charge me $20-$30, make me happy, and still make yourself some money, too.