I walk into my LBS...

[MMACH 5]

...and ask for a rigid MTB fork.

The first guy just stares at me, blankly. He then wanders over to the rack of suspension forks and says, "Not these?"
I said, "No, I want a rigid fork, without the suspension." The look on his face makes me think he's new there, so I add, "Would this be a shop item?"
He says, "Probably."

Now I'm at the shop counter and ask for a rigid MTB fork, 1 1/8", threadless, preferably cro-mo.

Shop dude: "We don't carry those. They're such a rare item. Nobody wants them, anymore."
Me: "Really? Because, from where I'm standing, I can see about half a dozen MTBs on your showroom floor with rigid forks."
Shop dude: "Yea, but when we sell one of those bikes, most people opt to upgrade to a suspension fork."
Me: "So, what do you do with the rigid forks you pull off?"
Shop dude: "We sell them."
Me: "Well, that's what I need then. Sell me one of those."
Shop dude: "Oh, we can't keep them around. People snatch them up as soon as we put them out."

[Yo Spiff]

Thanks for my morning chuckle.

[wmodavis]

Sooo... What's your problem? Can't you follow his logic?Logic what's that?

[Daspydyr]

What a hoot! Maybe you can take some puzzle and connect the dots books in and help them develop critical thinking skills.

Etailers sell a good variety of CF and other rigid forks. Maybe the LBS can learn that there is money in them there parts.

[Harry Stone]

That's pretty common in a lot of businesses. Knowing a lot about what you sell doesn't necessarily mean you know a lot about selling.

I feel your pain, I was at the local shop yesterday looking for an entry level mountain bike with a rigid fork. I might as well have been looking for a buggy whip. On the other hand they typically do a great job, I just always seem to come in looking for something no one else wants. My other request was more of the same. I wanted a touring wheel built with a dyno hub. The first guy I talked to thought I meant a bottle dyno. But we're in a rural area here and there are no commuters to speak of. The owner quickly set him straight. The owner of the shop has a pretty impressive breadth of knowledge about anything to do with cycling considering the area his shop is in.

[okane]

Shop dude: "Oh, we can't keep them around. People snatch them up as soon as we put them out."

I read somewhere Yogi Berra was supposedly quoted as saying, "Nobody goes there anymore.....it's too busy!"

[Doohickie]

Oh, while you're at it, can you pick up some cheese for me?

[unterhausen]

I think I've seen a lot of chain stores follow the same logic, something will sell out right away but then it doesn't sell because they don't have any. So the metrics are really bad and they discontinue the item.

[Skepsis]

That is really disheartening. Today there is still a decent market for rigid mtb forks, especially with 29ers and SS and such. I see rigid carbon 29er forks for sale at my local shop.