Liquid Tape works well. Can be had at HD or Lowes in electrical dept. in black or red.

My signature on a cable end is no marks at all (I'm not a pro wrench though, just an incredibly picky shadetree wrench). I use an end that just barely fits over the cable, and then crimp it so that there are no flat edges or marks, just the end is slightly ovalized. It looks almost as clean as a solder job if you use the deraileur ends on all the cables (yes they will fit brake cables if you are willing to find one that is drilled out enough to fit).

Well, you should try solder then. It is the classy and fussy way to go. The plus side is the cable can always be pulled without removing the cap. It is a more lengthy process, but it looks cool and is very functional. I used to do it on my personal rides, but have since sunk to my shop ways on my own bikes. Crimping a cable is way faster.

My method was to dip the end in flux and then melt some solder on it and quickly wipe it off. The strnds would be tight and all that showed was a bit of brightness where the solder showed through.

If I could find a decent and affordable solder pot, I would go that route. I need a soldering pot anyways for some circuit boards I want to build up in the near future.

One thing I am even pickier on is soldering, has to do with one of my past jobs being a SMD rework technician, so I'm pretty good with solder.

The ends was something I came up with that didn't require the chance of dripping solder on the carpet (apartment).

Sounds like you are heads above me in the solder department. My father forced me to learn the basics back when I was a kid, but I only do it when called upon to fix the plumbing or re-wire some electrical doo-dad that crimp connectors are not appropriate for.

Twist it back together if it has started fraying and put a dab of glue on the end, superglue would do fine. I keep a small supply of end crimps in my garage that my LBS gave me. Easy enough to put your own crimps on. It's also no problem to pull or cut them off if needed and has nothing to do with whether or not the cable should be re-used.

Al

The open end or the closed end?

The closed end but still be crimping cable and not the solid part of the cap.

Another view.
Not having a cable end is no big deal, the cable will unravel unitl it gets to the pinch bolt, but would take some time. A few days won't matter. Take it back and have them put them on.
But to me it shows a lack of attention to detail on the part of the LBS. It's the little things that make a difference, like cable end caps, tucking the end of the cable into a position where it doesn't stick out. Other things like greasy finger prints, excess grease around bearings, the headset name facing front and center, are signs of a good job, compared to one that is good enough.

+1

I couldn't agree more. Too much grease is always better than too little (okay, maybe not on rims or crank tapers ). The headset position is a sign that they actually looked at the headset, which is too often neglected. Capped cables will save you money and pricked fingers down the road.

One of the reasons I like to work on my own bikes is because I *know* that there will be enough "attention to detail", free of cost/time constraint. I might not be the fastest wheelbuilder this side of the Mississippi, and I might not own a torque wrench, but I'll work on my bike until it's DONE RIGHT. If the headset feels a little rough, I won't just get it adjusted "good enough"... I'll overhaul it. If the toe-in of the brakes isn't perfect, I'll adjust it. Etc!

No, you are right. The cable cap is not functionally a big deal. But as the rest of your post points out, it should be in the LBS. And it is in mine. But I would be lying if I tried to tell you it has never happened in my shop. It has. It and the other "small details" that sometimes we miss drive me whacko.