Originally Posted by
Frreed
....... I am increasingly tired of going into the LBS and finding employees who have no clue about the product they carry and more than a few who don't even ride bikes.........
.......... For those of us who are serious about cycling, we walk into a shop with some idea about what we want and what we need. I would hope that employees at the LBS would be able to fill in the blanks. I'm just not finding that.
So if your son (or daughter) comes to you and says he is considering a career in bicycle retail sales..... would you encourage that?
Retail isn't generally a highly paid profession so don't expect the most professional and motivated sales force. And, bicycle shops seem to have a employment draw that is even outside of the normal retail attraction. It isn't unusual to learn that the LBS mechanic was a fairly decent racer at one time. Or.... that the kid helping on the sales floor isn't a cyclist.... but a relative of the shops owner.
Sure most bicycle shops are small businesses (less than 500 employees). But most are just tiny shops, with a mostly part-time staff. The service you get on Tuesday may be nothing like the attention you receive on Friday. I don't know if the LBS shopping experience is unique to cycling. I find the [old] lawnmower shops to be a similar experience.
My expectations of my LBS isn't the same as what I expect from the stores out-at-the-mall. The LBS is.... what it is.