Machka 

That was the last thing they did to me because I never went in that shop again.

Prior to that, various ones of us individually noticed something ... odd ... about that shop. I thought it had to be just my imagination, but I did a few little experiments and it sure didn't seem imaginary to me. Then later, in a conversation with several other cyclists, we got to discussing shops and their good and bad points, and what I thought might be just my imagination turned out to be something several others had noticed too, and had done experiments on as well.

The shop staff blatently ignored the female customers.

The first time I noticed it, I was standing at the counter wanting to ask a question about something in the shop. I waited and waited, and while I was waiting, a man walked up and stood in line behind me. Moments later one of the staff came to the counter, looked directly over my head at the man, and said, "Can I help you sir?" The man said, "But I think she was here first", and it was like I emerged from a cloaking device and suddenly appeared there in front of the counter!! The staff guy looked really surprised to see me there, and then didn't seem at all enthusiastic about answering my question.

Other times, I'd walk into the shop, and wander all over the shop looking at everything, and not a person would approach me. Then a male friend would walk in and stand beside me, and we'd be swamped with sales people trying to help us, but all talking to him.

The other cyclists I talked to told very similar stories. Their husbands or boyfriends would drop them off at the door, then go around the corner to park the car. They would wander all over the store, and even try to attract the attention of a sales person to help them, but no one seemed at all interested in even acknowledging them. Then their husbands or boyfriends would come in, and all of a sudden they had a crowds of staff around.

My current LBS is owned by a female cyclist ... it's quite a different atmosphere!!