blue192

A bike shop competes on the level of service customers receive. Word will get around in the city as to how good they are or bad and customers will spend or not spend hard earned money in the store. I know that I do not shop at mine because they are the cheapest, in fact my local shop is not the cheapest at all.

Seattle Forrest

Yep. If you pay full retail, or just have the opinion that other people should, you're a morally superior person, and very wise too.

jefnvk

Yeah, there is also the chain v independent thing. Although, last time I was in Performance Bike, the manager told me to make an offer on anything I wanted in the clearance bins. Wound up with one of those Thule air deflectors for my roof rack for $10. They wanted it gone, I wanted it, and a bargain was struck.

OK, lets take it a step further. Say I am looking at a certain class of bike. Say I really like the Trek, like the shop that sells the Trek, but a Specialized is also suitable and the manufacturer is clearing them out for $200 cheaper. Would it be acceptable to ask the Trek store if they could work on the price a bit, to get me in the range? Or, what if it is a model year old bike, once again perfectly suitable for my needs, that is sitting around unloved. Would it be acceptable to see if they'd let it go for cheaper, or should I just pay the same price for the new ones?

Why should a car be viewed as something to negotiate over, then? Or a house? Pay the sticker price and be happy the dealer is there for you. Or, we can realize that big ticket items are very often negotiated over.

Why would I want to pay a penny more for something than I have to? Why would you react in such a hostile manner to someone trying to haggle on price? It is fairly simple, either you want to move the product and have room to do so on price, or you don't. I never had any hostility towards people trying to score a deal on laptops when I sold them, simply explained that we couldn't deal on prices or toss in freebies.

As to the internet, I'd love to give the LBS every opportunity to compete for my business, but they are going to have to compete in some manner in which they make themselves the best option for me. If they don't want to, I'm more than happy to take my business elsewhere.

Odd statement to make, when you think I should be happy to pay more than I could elsewhere to help keep a shop afloat.

eja_ bottecchia

@mstateglfr,

You obviously like to argue about things that, in the long run, really don't matter much.

I am not going to indulge your passion for pointless arguing.

Have a great day, ride safely and continue to pay whatever price the LBS feels like charging. It is your dollar, not mine.

jefnvk

Not so much a pricepoint to me, rather the ability of being able to look at a situation and determining if they are willing to let it go cheaper than it is priced. A can of tuna or a tube? No way. My 2012 Mustang the week before the 2013 were set to arrive? Heck yeah, even cheaper than Ford's family and friends pricing. My fiancee's road bike, which was already deeply discounted being two years old? Wouldn't let it go any cheaper, but did sell it to us OTD instead of tax added. Even that aforementioned rack that I got an extra $20 off, because I knew it was a special order item that had already sat there for a year after the customer cancelled, and it may well have been years more before anyone else showed interest. Clothes at shops missing buttons? Bought quite a few shirts on discount that way.

The counter to that? If a shop is ordering a bike specific for me, I'm not haggling on price, because I know there is zero chance of it happening.

Seattle Forrest

... it's like you're trying to build a straw man ...

corrado33

Is there any situation where you wouldn't haggle say... out of morality? Would you haggle someone who lost their job and is selling their expensive bike for an already decent price, but you know they'd sell it to you for whatever you offered them? Or do you nickel and dime every purchase you can?

mstateglfr 

"Dented cans are half price. Microsoft went down 3 points."- Sonny




https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/pr...ket-17711.html
The supermarket business is a low-margin industry, with the average profit margin for supermarkets typically ranging from 1 to 2 percent.

jefnvk

My negotiating relies on exactly two things: how badly I want the item, and how much I am willing to pay to get it. I'm buying a product, not a story. If it is already a great price and something I really want, I'm probably not going to dick around and will jump on the offer for asking price, because if I wait I'm likely to lose it. If it is something I am buying that I don't particularly need, or it is something I want but priced higher than what I would willingly pay, I'll either negotiate it down or walk away.

If a person who had lost their job was selling a bike out of necessity well under fair market value, would you willfully give them more money? Would you buy a foreclosed home, knowing you were getting a great deal only because a family lost their home?

eja_ bottecchia

I told you before and, at the risk of being repetitious, I will state it again: I love people who pay full price, they make it easier for me to negotiate the prices that I want. So please keep putting extra money in the hands of LBS owners.

BTW, take a look at the bikes that I have listed on my stable. Does it seem like I am hurting for money?

The thing about the Internet is how people like you make snap judgment, with absolutely no hard evidence to back up those judgments, and then go off half cocked blathering about people that you have never met.

IF it makes you happy to pay full retail, by all means, go ahead and do so. It's your money.

If it makes me happy to negotiate, then that's none of your business. What do you care?

Now, IF you want to pay for my next Colnago, please let me know. I want to get a new Concept, Campy SR electronic shifting and Campy carbon wheels. Give me the money, and I will pay full retail price, no questions asked!

But until that time, stop making inferences that you can't back up.

kickstart

It's funny, I've never made a major purchase (for me) at a bike shop where they didn't offer some sort of discount, or tangible freebies without my asking.
My LBS always rounds down the total as I pay cash.

mstateglfr 

How so? I am asking a genuine question. I have no plan to use the responses to prove people wrong or anything like that.
Its an interesting curiosity to me- at what price point are people no longer comfortable/interesting in haggling at a retail store.

There is no strawman here- its just curiousity. What to pay is a spectrum. Some live rigidly on one end where they never negotiate, not even on used items. Others live wildly at the other end where they are constantly asking for a lower price on anything and everything. Most live somewhere between those points.

Sy Reene

Though, similar to cars, one should be able to negotiate a price relative to perhaps another bike brand and model that one is considering. eg. better Toyota RAV4 price at another dealership than the CRV that matches up at the Honda dealership. Wouldn't an LBS consider negotiating to make a sale vs. a competing LBS that sells a different but comparable brand/model that's on offer for less?

Also, everyone says the margins are low to begin with, but then why is it when it gets late in the model year and they have inventory, there's willingness and ability to knock eg. 30% off the price? Or simply sales. The OP brought up RA cycles.. just arbitrarily went thru their Cervelo listings and you'll see a lot of bikes they're willing to let go at large percentages under MSRP. https://www.racycles.com/road/cervelo

blue192

Oh boy I fear that this thread might just become a free for all...

Seattle Forrest

I'll give you my best shot at a genuine answer, then.

Every time I make a face-to-face purchase, I have to make a choice whether to haggle or not.

You seem to think that choice is made on a single criteria: what does the item cost? So, I should always haggle if I'm buying a set of wheels, but never if I'm buying an inner tube. The truth is that's not how I decide whether to haggle or not.

I had some work done on my bike today, and just picked it up 20 minutes ago. I'm paying cash today, which is unusual for me. The work and parts came to about $150, and the change was about $1 less than a ($6) tube of Nuun electrolyte replacement tabs cost. I told the guy I like those, and if they'll lower the price slightly I'll buy one with everything else. They did. It wasn't that I really wanted that dollar, I didn't have any use for loose bills and change, and didn't want to make a second trip when I run out of the Nuun I already have.

At a coffee shop I frequent, the barista asked me to buy a box of tea one day. Said I would be helping her a great deal if I bought it right then. I told her I'd pay for it then if they'd hold it so I could come back at a more convenient time. They agreed. That isn't normal haggling, and I didn't even plan to buy any tea, but it's still negotiating to get extra value from a purchase. (I didn't want to carry a box of tea bags for the rest of my ride.)

KD5NRH

Threw in, or just threw it at you to get you to leave?

JReade

Po-tay-to
Po-tah-to

jefnvk

Nah, this has remained fairly civil for these forums. Just some good back and forth!

Bmach

You won't get anything if you don't ask, so ask them. Bike shop came down $200 on my Synaspe and another shop took off $90 when I bought a light weight wind jacket and a KK Road machine. If I did not ask I would not have received the lower pricing.

Slightspeed

I've only bought 2 bikes from shops. Both were year end leftovers, and I made out pretty well. I got a $899 Allez for $399 in 2002 because Performance was getting out of Specialized. I got a left over 2007 Specialized Roubaix Elite with a list of $2200 for $1500 out the door as a year end closeout from a small mom and pop shop. If you shop around deals are out there. Also several local shops give our bike club 10% discouts on parts and bikes.Happy $hopping!

Maelochs

Seems to me there is a stigma associated with the word "haggling." And maybe, if any of us have "haggled," it hasn't been particularly civil.

On the other hand, if I Make an Offer .... hey, I am "offering" something. If it is not something you want, no stress. if, thereafter you offer me something else ... and so further.

I bought a bike a Looong time ago ... I didn't get much of a test ride .... I rode it a very short time and brought it back and said I wanted to upgrade to a different brand with a slightly larger frame. I pointed out that the bike I would be upgrading to cost more ... and the bike I had taken home was still in as-new condition. I basically just took the test ride the shop should have let me take in the first place.

Then I pointed out that the larger frame had too short a seat post---if they had addressed that the first time, I might have bought it and saved everybody the headache. We made the deal ... I got the bike I wanted and they swapped the seat post with one from the parts bin. I paid list for the new bike I Rode the Crap out of it and loved it deeply.

I'd say everybody got a deal.

I could have gotten stuck with a bike which was just small enough that I would always have been a little unhappy ... just a minuscule amount too small, but even after a longer stem and setback seatpost and everything else i could have done it would always have been that tiny amount too small.

Instead, I got a bike which was perfect, which I rode off the lot and didn't stop riding until a semi rolled over it years later.

How outrageous was that? I asked a shop to do a straight trade for a used bike!

Or ... I offered a shop a some extra cash for a more expensive (and probably more profitable) bike. Smart? Outrageous? Obnoxious? I didn't hold a gun to anyone's head.

fietsbob

Load up on accessories at point of purchase when you buy the bike. there it is normal to discount those items,
typically about 10%.

Military service..active duty, discounts.. ( Burger king gives discounts for military vets ..]





maybe next car purchase they will give you better discounts.





Have you run a business with a payroll Employee benefits and expenses to cover from sales?

Da Reef

Both very valid. OP should also consider what he has done or is willing to do for the shop. Participate in group/charity rides sponsored by the shop, recommend the shop to people or otherwise try to drive business, buy parts/clothing/nutrition from the shop instead of online, etc. There is a big difference between someone just buying a bike and a great customer.

I really like my shop (the store itself) and the people who run it. I want them to be around for a long time.

speshelite

There's no single right answer for bike shops across the board. Some higher volume shops in large cities routinely offer a minimum 10% discount on even the latest models. Some small shops in small towns won't even disount on bikes that have been on the showroom floor 3 or 4 seasons.

I remember Grant Petersen was strongly opposed to the concept of asking for discounts at bike shops but in the era of bike chains and superstores, it's basically a free for all.

I don't like visiting bike shops very much. There is just too much arrogance and weirdness in bike staff for me to tolerate. If I absolutely have to, I'll go, but otherwise try to do my own work. Generally I find I'm no worse than the average bike mechanic employed by shops.

Darth_Firebolt

When people start badgering me about price, I remind them of the year of free tune ups, the free bike fit, and the 10% discount on accessories at the time of purchase they get from our shop​. If they continue to badger, I start taking those items off the table as the price gets lower. "Sure, I'll do 20% off, but you're only going to get one free basic tune up and no free fit." I'm more willing to politely haggle if people bring cash. Absolutely no haggling for AmEx card users. I'm not going to discount a bike for you and then lose even more money in swipe fees just for you to get flight miles or whatever.