Another Local Bike Shop Forced to Close
12-14-18, 09:56 PM
#26
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Plano is just north of Dallas and I'm sure there are many other bike shops within a reasonable distance, at least if you're driving.
At least in a large metropolitan area like Dallas, there will remain brick and mortar dealers for the foreseeable future. For smaller communities the future for bike shops doesn't seem all that bright. I miss local small independent businesses; however, my personal spending habits (catalog and later internet shopping) didn't help them thrive.
As for the Plano store, they had a good run of 40+ years and it appears that they're closing on their own terms and not via bankruptcy. May the owners and employees find success in their future endeavors.
At least in a large metropolitan area like Dallas, there will remain brick and mortar dealers for the foreseeable future. For smaller communities the future for bike shops doesn't seem all that bright. I miss local small independent businesses; however, my personal spending habits (catalog and later internet shopping) didn't help them thrive.
As for the Plano store, they had a good run of 40+ years and it appears that they're closing on their own terms and not via bankruptcy. May the owners and employees find success in their future endeavors.
12-14-18, 10:27 PM
#27
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I own a very small business, and am involved in business for my day job. It's simply never a slam dunk that a business can abandon a failed business model and adopt a new one. Especially in the case of a "mom and pop" business, the owners have to be confident that they can manage the new business and succeed, otherwise they're just taking a blind risk. I've often read, "so-and-so failed because they didn't adapt." No, they failed because they failed. Trying to adapt comes with no assurance of success.
12-15-18, 06:18 AM
#28
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I would like to know what he means by ‘fulfillment center’
It was my impression that the overwhelming majority of cyclists purchasing items online know exactly what they want and are ordering right from their phone or computer. They are not driving or riding over to their LBS and asking them to order it.
I would think that the people who are ordering through the shop are people like me who love to ride but have no desire to maintain or build a bike.
I spend a fair amount of money at my LBS.
At least 2 tune-ups a year and a couple of tire changes.
Along with accessories. Some from stock and some they order for me.
Each time I am there we chat for awhile about bikes and life in general.
The shop owner in the article certainly seems to have been an asset to the local community for a long time and he can ofc do whatever he likes with his business but imo there is more to it than just what was stated in the article.
It was my impression that the overwhelming majority of cyclists purchasing items online know exactly what they want and are ordering right from their phone or computer. They are not driving or riding over to their LBS and asking them to order it.
I would think that the people who are ordering through the shop are people like me who love to ride but have no desire to maintain or build a bike.
I spend a fair amount of money at my LBS.
At least 2 tune-ups a year and a couple of tire changes.
Along with accessories. Some from stock and some they order for me.
Each time I am there we chat for awhile about bikes and life in general.
The shop owner in the article certainly seems to have been an asset to the local community for a long time and he can ofc do whatever he likes with his business but imo there is more to it than just what was stated in the article.
12-15-18, 08:15 AM
#29
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Whatever .... perhaps he was getting the standard, "Try it on at the shop, buy it for less online" customer, or perhaps he was referring to bike sales, not accessories ... instead of coming in and working with the shop owner to find the perfect bike, customers were coming in having chosen the bike and asking him to order it.
From what he says, and knowing the buying habits of some cyclists ... I'd say the latter fits best.
Either way, he wasn't having fun any more. And while there are always a few people using that "I spend a fair amount at my LBS" obviously it was not a sufficient amount .... and the was not a sufficient amount of you. (And what did a couple tuneups and a couple tire-swaps per year cost---max $400? How many $400 per year customers would he need to stay afloat and healthy? Obviously more than he was getting. How many people have bike shops "build" a bike? pretty much zero---people either buy a bike or build a bike. And maintenance really isn't very much---and a lot of shops offer free tune-ups as a sales incentive, so the one set of tires and new chain most riders need per two years .... ain't much.)
To address an earlier point about sales help not being skilled labor .... really? Maybe that was exactly the trend he is referring to.
I know a couple decades ago a bike salesman had to be "skilled," not in sales technique alone, but in everything about bikes. Joe the burger flipper couldn't pick up a bikes salesman job between fast-food gigs, because ten minutes of watching a training video wouldn't prepare someone to be able to rationally discuss everything from cruisers and kids' bikes for a family to road bikes for new riders to road bikes for serious roadies to MTBs or hardcore MTB riders .... all the various parts from the various manufacturers ... trying to match inventory with customer .... and being able to explain to a customer Why that particular bike was the one to get.
The only thing untrained salespeople are good for is punching up orders from customers who looked up bikes online and want one ordered ... which means the shop isn't moving inventory, and doesn't need (and cannot afford) skilled, knowledgeable, passionate salespeople.
Maybe.
The idea I got from the article is that he doesn't like the way the bike business is changing. Probably it is a combination of more people buying accessories online, buying parts online and asking the shop to install them, and coming to the shop expecting the shop to order a bike not in inventory, which all together add up to the guy not being able to afford his staff ... and firing the guys who know the most and have been there the longest hurts the most.
The details of the shop are in the article. You could actually send him an email and ask him about stuff.
From what he says, and knowing the buying habits of some cyclists ... I'd say the latter fits best.
Either way, he wasn't having fun any more. And while there are always a few people using that "I spend a fair amount at my LBS" obviously it was not a sufficient amount .... and the was not a sufficient amount of you. (And what did a couple tuneups and a couple tire-swaps per year cost---max $400? How many $400 per year customers would he need to stay afloat and healthy? Obviously more than he was getting. How many people have bike shops "build" a bike? pretty much zero---people either buy a bike or build a bike. And maintenance really isn't very much---and a lot of shops offer free tune-ups as a sales incentive, so the one set of tires and new chain most riders need per two years .... ain't much.)
To address an earlier point about sales help not being skilled labor .... really? Maybe that was exactly the trend he is referring to.
I know a couple decades ago a bike salesman had to be "skilled," not in sales technique alone, but in everything about bikes. Joe the burger flipper couldn't pick up a bikes salesman job between fast-food gigs, because ten minutes of watching a training video wouldn't prepare someone to be able to rationally discuss everything from cruisers and kids' bikes for a family to road bikes for new riders to road bikes for serious roadies to MTBs or hardcore MTB riders .... all the various parts from the various manufacturers ... trying to match inventory with customer .... and being able to explain to a customer Why that particular bike was the one to get.
The only thing untrained salespeople are good for is punching up orders from customers who looked up bikes online and want one ordered ... which means the shop isn't moving inventory, and doesn't need (and cannot afford) skilled, knowledgeable, passionate salespeople.
Maybe.
The idea I got from the article is that he doesn't like the way the bike business is changing. Probably it is a combination of more people buying accessories online, buying parts online and asking the shop to install them, and coming to the shop expecting the shop to order a bike not in inventory, which all together add up to the guy not being able to afford his staff ... and firing the guys who know the most and have been there the longest hurts the most.
The details of the shop are in the article. You could actually send him an email and ask him about stuff.
12-15-18, 01:50 PM
#30
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@radroad: Your post so offensive. Sorry us low life scum don't fit your narrow definition of skilled! Being a salesperson is not easy if you are doing a good job and know how to sell and how to be honest. My job is not just ringing out a sale at a register it is finding the right bike for my customer and taking them through a journey to find it and sometimes it can be quick and easy and that is great and sometimes it can take a lot of time. It is also knowing your product well and other products within the industry both new and old. Plus you have to deal with transactions that haven't gone right for one reason or another or customers who are just difficult for the sake of being difficult and try to turn them around and make them happy or find a tactful way to get them out without a scene. There is a big difference between a cashier and a true salesperson. I have customers who have followed me from several shops (or different locations) because they like what I do and respect me and we have developed a great relationship. I have one guy who went way out of his way to come visit me and have me work on his bike and get him the parts needed.
I went into a suit store near me to get a suit for a friends wedding, the salesperson there was extremely honest and really nice and said basically "hey we don't really have anything that will meet your needs here, here are some other shops that will" and I liked him so much I ended up buying a dress shirt which I wouldn't have done with a crappy salesperson. Doing the job and doing it well and connecting with your customers and having them connect with you and being completely honest without being a jerk or being just a negative downer is something I pride myself on and was happy to find there.
Also being a bike mechanic is not easy either, yes small things can be easy but diagnosing problems on a bike is sometimes a difficult task and with modern bikes and especially e-bikes it is a highly skilled job. However yes all those mechanics are also low life scum because they work on "toys". If you have ever been with a mechanic who has done it a long time and worked on many different bikes from many different eras you will appreciate their knowledge and skills much more.
Sure I am not someone who sits at a desk and punches things into a computer (though sometimes working on warranty claims and cleaning up work tickets feels like that) and yes I did not go to college (by choice) but I love what I do and am always trying to improve myself and my trade. So in the future please do not attack me and my fellow workers who work hard at this. What might just be a hobby for you is a life for me and a life I am very happy to have undertaken and is one I don't appreciate being attacked over. At my job I get to be around the things I love, most of these "skilled" folks don't and while they might make a bit more money than I, I get more joy from my job and generally get more time to do what I love.
I went into a suit store near me to get a suit for a friends wedding, the salesperson there was extremely honest and really nice and said basically "hey we don't really have anything that will meet your needs here, here are some other shops that will" and I liked him so much I ended up buying a dress shirt which I wouldn't have done with a crappy salesperson. Doing the job and doing it well and connecting with your customers and having them connect with you and being completely honest without being a jerk or being just a negative downer is something I pride myself on and was happy to find there.
Also being a bike mechanic is not easy either, yes small things can be easy but diagnosing problems on a bike is sometimes a difficult task and with modern bikes and especially e-bikes it is a highly skilled job. However yes all those mechanics are also low life scum because they work on "toys". If you have ever been with a mechanic who has done it a long time and worked on many different bikes from many different eras you will appreciate their knowledge and skills much more.
Sure I am not someone who sits at a desk and punches things into a computer (though sometimes working on warranty claims and cleaning up work tickets feels like that) and yes I did not go to college (by choice) but I love what I do and am always trying to improve myself and my trade. So in the future please do not attack me and my fellow workers who work hard at this. What might just be a hobby for you is a life for me and a life I am very happy to have undertaken and is one I don't appreciate being attacked over. At my job I get to be around the things I love, most of these "skilled" folks don't and while they might make a bit more money than I, I get more joy from my job and generally get more time to do what I love.
12-15-18, 02:51 PM
#31
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12-15-18, 02:54 PM
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@radroad: Your post so offensive. Sorry us low life scum don't fit your narrow definition of skilled! Being a salesperson is not easy if you are doing a good job and know how to sell and how to be honest.
12-15-18, 05:11 PM
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Pro mechanics do far more difficult tasks than the ones you named, but I realize that you omitted them to achieve your rhetorical purpose. Your derision of the the skills needed to correctly and effectively perform the staggering array of repairs that come into a given bike shop reveals your inexperience as a professional mechanic. I'm sure you're a god in your own garage.
12-15-18, 05:42 PM
#34
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@radroad: No, you didn't have to say that. You in fact didn't need to say any of what you said.
You are in fact attacking me and all of my fellow bike industry and sales workers. You think because some of what we do seems easy to you that our entire job is unskilled and that anyone can do it! Than go for it, work at a bike shop full time and stay in the industry for a long time and try and do well. It isn't easy. To be bad or mediocre at sales is easy but to be truly good is not and it is quite insulting that you believe sales or wrenching are easy.
Exploit e-bikes for a sympathy vote? Are you high on drugs or just mentally challeneged? No sympathy vote just talking about a growing segment in an industry you seem to hate for no good reason. I know you believe that a bike you need to pedal must be a moped because ??? but it is in fact a bike and a bike that needs service and more specialized service then your little youtube video. Yes it can be learned just like anything in this world but that doesn't make it easy.
Bike shops are closing yes, but not because the services are performed easily but because companies like Amazon sells things very cheaply and smaller businesses cannot compete with a multi-billionaire. We are still doing plenty of service at all of our shops but since it is so easy you should do it for a living.
As @EdwinHeadwind pointed out you omitted a lot in your own post on purpose so no real need to go into it. You probably are the best mechanic in your own mind and maybe that is why you say what you have said? You cannot accept that there is stuff you cannot do and don't know and those who know it must be lower than you because you believe you know everything? It must be great knowing you are the best there ever was. I guess I will take my solace in the fact there is plenty I don't know and want to learn and that I don't need to attack someone's profession for no good reason.
Out of curiosity What exactly do you do for a living? It's too bad you are so miserable in your work life that you have to attack others for theirs. However maybe your job is just too hard for you?
You are in fact attacking me and all of my fellow bike industry and sales workers. You think because some of what we do seems easy to you that our entire job is unskilled and that anyone can do it! Than go for it, work at a bike shop full time and stay in the industry for a long time and try and do well. It isn't easy. To be bad or mediocre at sales is easy but to be truly good is not and it is quite insulting that you believe sales or wrenching are easy.
Exploit e-bikes for a sympathy vote? Are you high on drugs or just mentally challeneged? No sympathy vote just talking about a growing segment in an industry you seem to hate for no good reason. I know you believe that a bike you need to pedal must be a moped because ??? but it is in fact a bike and a bike that needs service and more specialized service then your little youtube video. Yes it can be learned just like anything in this world but that doesn't make it easy.
Bike shops are closing yes, but not because the services are performed easily but because companies like Amazon sells things very cheaply and smaller businesses cannot compete with a multi-billionaire. We are still doing plenty of service at all of our shops but since it is so easy you should do it for a living.
As @EdwinHeadwind pointed out you omitted a lot in your own post on purpose so no real need to go into it. You probably are the best mechanic in your own mind and maybe that is why you say what you have said? You cannot accept that there is stuff you cannot do and don't know and those who know it must be lower than you because you believe you know everything? It must be great knowing you are the best there ever was. I guess I will take my solace in the fact there is plenty I don't know and want to learn and that I don't need to attack someone's profession for no good reason.
Out of curiosity What exactly do you do for a living? It's too bad you are so miserable in your work life that you have to attack others for theirs. However maybe your job is just too hard for you?
12-15-18, 06:52 PM
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@radroad
Leave this thread and do not post further here. Thanks so much!
Leave this thread and do not post further here. Thanks so much!
__________________
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12-16-18, 10:25 AM
#37
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@radroad: Your post so offensive. Sorry us low life scum don't fit your narrow definition of skilled! Being a salesperson is not easy if you are doing a good job and know how to sell and how to be honest. My job is not just ringing out a sale at a register it is finding the right bike for my customer and taking them through a journey to find it and sometimes it can be quick and easy and that is great and sometimes it can take a lot of time. It is also knowing your product well and other products within the industry both new and old. Plus you have to deal with transactions that haven't gone right for one reason or another or customers who are just difficult for the sake of being difficult and try to turn them around and make them happy or find a tactful way to get them out without a scene. There is a big difference between a cashier and a true salesperson. I have customers who have followed me from several shops (or different locations) because they like what I do and respect me and we have developed a great relationship. I have one guy who went way out of his way to come visit me and have me work on his bike and get him the parts needed.
This is a great post -good for you!
Best regards and Happy Holidays
I went into a suit store near me to get a suit for a friends wedding, the salesperson there was extremely honest and really nice and said basically "hey we don't really have anything that will meet your needs here, here are some other shops that will" and I liked him so much I ended up buying a dress shirt which I wouldn't have done with a crappy salesperson. Doing the job and doing it well and connecting with your customers and having them connect with you and being completely honest without being a jerk or being just a negative downer is something I pride myself on and was happy to find there.
Also being a bike mechanic is not easy either, yes small things can be easy but diagnosing problems on a bike is sometimes a difficult task and with modern bikes and especially e-bikes it is a highly skilled job. However yes all those mechanics are also low life scum because they work on "toys". If you have ever been with a mechanic who has done it a long time and worked on many different bikes from many different eras you will appreciate their knowledge and skills much more.
Sure I am not someone who sits at a desk and punches things into a computer (though sometimes working on warranty claims and cleaning up work tickets feels like that) and yes I did not go to college (by choice) but I love what I do and am always trying to improve myself and my trade. So in the future please do not attack me and my fellow workers who work hard at this. What might just be a hobby for you is a life for me and a life I am very happy to have undertaken and is one I don't appreciate being attacked over. At my job I get to be around the things I love, most of these "skilled" folks don't and while they might make a bit more money than I, I get more joy from my job and generally get more time to do what I love.
This is a great post -good for you!
Best regards and Happy Holidays
I went into a suit store near me to get a suit for a friends wedding, the salesperson there was extremely honest and really nice and said basically "hey we don't really have anything that will meet your needs here, here are some other shops that will" and I liked him so much I ended up buying a dress shirt which I wouldn't have done with a crappy salesperson. Doing the job and doing it well and connecting with your customers and having them connect with you and being completely honest without being a jerk or being just a negative downer is something I pride myself on and was happy to find there.
Also being a bike mechanic is not easy either, yes small things can be easy but diagnosing problems on a bike is sometimes a difficult task and with modern bikes and especially e-bikes it is a highly skilled job. However yes all those mechanics are also low life scum because they work on "toys". If you have ever been with a mechanic who has done it a long time and worked on many different bikes from many different eras you will appreciate their knowledge and skills much more.
Sure I am not someone who sits at a desk and punches things into a computer (though sometimes working on warranty claims and cleaning up work tickets feels like that) and yes I did not go to college (by choice) but I love what I do and am always trying to improve myself and my trade. So in the future please do not attack me and my fellow workers who work hard at this. What might just be a hobby for you is a life for me and a life I am very happy to have undertaken and is one I don't appreciate being attacked over. At my job I get to be around the things I love, most of these "skilled" folks don't and while they might make a bit more money than I, I get more joy from my job and generally get more time to do what I love.
Happy Hoidays
12-16-18, 12:00 PM
#38
Senior Member
I have owned a small painting business for 30 years. High end residential painting. A lot of hand holding and catering to the whims of my clients. Very personalized service. 30 years ago I had a house, with mortgage, raised two boys, always had a bit of money in reserve. Now I am job to job. Paycheck to paycheck. Often the money in my wallet is all I have. Lost the house in the mortgage debacle, rent an old shack of a house and have a 20 year old beater car that I work out of. But DJ is in the White House making america great again. "The economy is booming".
12-16-18, 12:09 PM
#39
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This shop was started by earlier generations as a 'total concept' Schwinn store in the 1960s when Plano was a small agricultural community. Add five decades and Plano has become the most affluent American city with a population of more than a quarter million. The shop is where I saw my first $10,000 floor stock inventory bike a few years ago.
They owned the land and the buildings - yes, buildings plural. It's downtown. It's two blocks from a light rail station. It's just over a mile from the tallest building in the county. It's one address number from the freeway. Property all around has sold out and existing structures torn down as the area is 'reimagined' and 'repurposed'.
I suspect the 'forced to close' aspect mostly involved a real estate developer offering them a deal they couldn't refuse.
In other news, I saw a new bike shop open for business just the other day:
They owned the land and the buildings - yes, buildings plural. It's downtown. It's two blocks from a light rail station. It's just over a mile from the tallest building in the county. It's one address number from the freeway. Property all around has sold out and existing structures torn down as the area is 'reimagined' and 'repurposed'.
I suspect the 'forced to close' aspect mostly involved a real estate developer offering them a deal they couldn't refuse.
In other news, I saw a new bike shop open for business just the other day:
Last edited by tcs; 12-16-18 at 01:57 PM.
12-16-18, 12:26 PM
#40
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But in Plano (pop. ~287,000) , this shop and Performance are closing. To my knowledge that leaves REI, a couple of triathlon specialty shops, and a couple of mobile repair services.
12-16-18, 12:54 PM
#41
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As @tcs mentioned, the store could well have a couple million dollars tied up in real estate. Plenty for a frugal person in their 50's to retire early.
However, many companies also seem to end up upside-down. Perhaps covering some winter payroll and inventory with loans, then just not getting it paid off in the spring, and repeating the next year with more loans.
Keep in mind that Amazon is not a homogeneous company, but rather made up of many small companies, much like E-Bay. In the past some college students would even re-sell their books on Amazon.
Companies like Niagara used to advertise heavily on Amazon. They had their own websites, but could get additional sales traffic on Amazon.
In fact, perhaps what Amazon does is levels the playing field so the little guys can compete next to the big guys. The fulfillment centers are somewhat like a glorified consignment system.
I occasionally buy stuff online from REI. I usually check pick up locally, then in a week or so go to the store and pick up my order, perhaps also do some shopping in the store.
A bike shop could do something similar. Put all the inventory online (which helps electronic window shopping). Add inventory with say 3-day in store pickup for stuff acquired from a local wholesale company, thus actually selling more than they have in stock.
However, many companies also seem to end up upside-down. Perhaps covering some winter payroll and inventory with loans, then just not getting it paid off in the spring, and repeating the next year with more loans.
Bike shops are closing yes, but not because the services are performed easily but because companies like Amazon sells things very cheaply and smaller businesses cannot compete with a multi-billionaire. We are still doing plenty of service at all of our shops but since it is so easy you should do it for a living.
Companies like Niagara used to advertise heavily on Amazon. They had their own websites, but could get additional sales traffic on Amazon.
In fact, perhaps what Amazon does is levels the playing field so the little guys can compete next to the big guys. The fulfillment centers are somewhat like a glorified consignment system.
I occasionally buy stuff online from REI. I usually check pick up locally, then in a week or so go to the store and pick up my order, perhaps also do some shopping in the store.
A bike shop could do something similar. Put all the inventory online (which helps electronic window shopping). Add inventory with say 3-day in store pickup for stuff acquired from a local wholesale company, thus actually selling more than they have in stock.
12-16-18, 01:38 PM
#42
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Whatever .... perhaps he was getting the standard, "Try it on at the shop, buy it for less online" customer, or perhaps he was referring to bike sales, not accessories ... instead of coming in and working with the shop owner to find the perfect bike, customers were coming in having chosen the bike and asking him to order it.
From what he says, and knowing the buying habits of some cyclists ... I'd say the latter fits best.
Either way, he wasn't having fun any more. And while there are always a few people using that "I spend a fair amount at my LBS" obviously it was not a sufficient amount .... and the was not a sufficient amount of you. (And what did a couple tuneups and a couple tire-swaps per year cost---max $400? How many $400 per year customers would he need to stay afloat and healthy? Obviously more than he was getting. How many people have bike shops "build" a bike? pretty much zero---people either buy a bike or build a bike. And maintenance really isn't very much---and a lot of shops offer free tune-ups as a sales incentive, so the one set of tires and new chain most riders need per two years .... ain't much.)
To address an earlier point about sales help not being skilled labor .... really? Maybe that was exactly the trend he is referring to.
I know a couple decades ago a bike salesman had to be "skilled," not in sales technique alone, but in everything about bikes. Joe the burger flipper couldn't pick up a bikes salesman job between fast-food gigs, because ten minutes of watching a training video wouldn't prepare someone to be able to rationally discuss everything from cruisers and kids' bikes for a family to road bikes for new riders to road bikes for serious roadies to MTBs or hardcore MTB riders .... all the various parts from the various manufacturers ... trying to match inventory with customer .... and being able to explain to a customer Why that particular bike was the one to get.
The only thing untrained salespeople are good for is punching up orders from customers who looked up bikes online and want one ordered ... which means the shop isn't moving inventory, and doesn't need (and cannot afford) skilled, knowledgeable, passionate salespeople.
Maybe.
The idea I got from the article is that he doesn't like the way the bike business is changing. Probably it is a combination of more people buying accessories online, buying parts online and asking the shop to install them, and coming to the shop expecting the shop to order a bike not in inventory, which all together add up to the guy not being able to afford his staff ... and firing the guys who know the most and have been there the longest hurts the most.
The details of the shop are in the article. You could actually send him an email and ask him about stuff.
From what he says, and knowing the buying habits of some cyclists ... I'd say the latter fits best.
Either way, he wasn't having fun any more. And while there are always a few people using that "I spend a fair amount at my LBS" obviously it was not a sufficient amount .... and the was not a sufficient amount of you. (And what did a couple tuneups and a couple tire-swaps per year cost---max $400? How many $400 per year customers would he need to stay afloat and healthy? Obviously more than he was getting. How many people have bike shops "build" a bike? pretty much zero---people either buy a bike or build a bike. And maintenance really isn't very much---and a lot of shops offer free tune-ups as a sales incentive, so the one set of tires and new chain most riders need per two years .... ain't much.)
To address an earlier point about sales help not being skilled labor .... really? Maybe that was exactly the trend he is referring to.
I know a couple decades ago a bike salesman had to be "skilled," not in sales technique alone, but in everything about bikes. Joe the burger flipper couldn't pick up a bikes salesman job between fast-food gigs, because ten minutes of watching a training video wouldn't prepare someone to be able to rationally discuss everything from cruisers and kids' bikes for a family to road bikes for new riders to road bikes for serious roadies to MTBs or hardcore MTB riders .... all the various parts from the various manufacturers ... trying to match inventory with customer .... and being able to explain to a customer Why that particular bike was the one to get.
The only thing untrained salespeople are good for is punching up orders from customers who looked up bikes online and want one ordered ... which means the shop isn't moving inventory, and doesn't need (and cannot afford) skilled, knowledgeable, passionate salespeople.
Maybe.
The idea I got from the article is that he doesn't like the way the bike business is changing. Probably it is a combination of more people buying accessories online, buying parts online and asking the shop to install them, and coming to the shop expecting the shop to order a bike not in inventory, which all together add up to the guy not being able to afford his staff ... and firing the guys who know the most and have been there the longest hurts the most.
The details of the shop are in the article. You could actually send him an email and ask him about stuff.
2 tuneups, multiple tires/changes, and accessories each year is a large amount annually and any shop would be thriving if all of their clients spent what I spend.
I have also purchased a bike from my LBS.
My outlay is not the issue as you incorrectly suggested.
It is a lack of enough similar customers or something else entirely.
12-16-18, 03:35 PM
#43
Clark W. Griswold
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Thanks a bunch!!!! : ) Happy Holidays to you as well and too all those who work in the bike industry and other service/retail industries and heck even a nice Happy Holidays to Radroad because even those who are on the wrong path need a light at the end of the tunnel!
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