hey lelobysfoot,
100% mark up!! bluntly, you talking SH*TE!
You obviousley don't work in the trade, or if you do you don't see the acounts or you don't understand how accounts and vat work! i'm gonna tell you how much we make! sorry but this crap annoys me i don't judge you on your profit or wages so it bugs me when people begrudge the bike trade making a (poor) living!
hope pro2 front hub is £27 + vat =£31.72 and it retails for £50 inc VAT so the mark up is £18.27, that's MARK UP, NOT PROFIT!
the profit is probably more like £3! after wages, electricity, postage, etc
the reason why some of the bigger mail order places offer deals on wheels is because they get better margins on the rims because of bulk buying and usually use cheap spokes and a machine to build them, so knocking out loads of wheels an hour. mass production, they can afford to make less because they turn over so many. usually not very well built either.
hope themselves try and keep the playing field level by not doing dicount to anybody unless it's a massive stock in for, say winter lights but you have to commit to buying a load of it, that way when they get enquiries they send them to the guy who committed to the stock in by investing.
there is nothing wrong with doing a deal for a customer but it shouldn't be expected, maybe asked for but not expected, and good customers would probably get an odd freebie or a bit of free help above and beyond what is normal or discount where fair or appropriate but at the owner or managers discretion.
i know you weren't trying to offend the shop staff on here, and you could well be one yourself but you shouldnt comment when you "don't understand"
Also, with respect, why should any customer know how much the shop makes? it's none of their business, i don't know how much my customers make and i wouldn't dream of asking, why? Because it's a bloody rude question, you go ask someone you don't know how much they have in the bank and they'll tell you to F*ck off!
rant over.