Originally Posted by
noglider
I met a bike wholesaler a year ago. He says that in the good bike shops, the permanent workers make more money than they used to, way back when I was in the business. He figures the manager might make $50,000 or $60,000. That's a low living wage around here, but it is a living wage. Median household income in my town is about $80,000.
You mean "big" bike shops? I'm a "good" bike shop and I've never seen anything remotely close to those figures. There's no way to generate that kind of pay at a 4% net margin unless you are moving a crapload of stuff. Not even if you are the owner.
NightShift: figure about a dollar per minute is fair. That is based on the assumption that the mechanic knows what he is doing and is expeditious about it.
Some of you are looking at it the wrong way. Bike shops don't, for the most part, gouge. Rather discounters discount.