Barneyballbags
Old School Grand Master
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I'm all for local bike shops, and I would quite happily pay a little bit extra for parts in order to have a more friendly, local service.
However, some LBS', like the ones mentioned above, just seem to have given up on the whole 'customer experience'. It's all well and good when you're a large national chain (ie. Evans) where you have thousands of customers and a nice big profit margin, but when you're a local shop, servicing local people, then it pays to offer a bit more of a personal experience and get to know customers, rather than just treating them as walking £ signs. Customers would then create repeat business and would more than happily come back time and time again. Even in this recession, price isn't everything.
When I used to live in Mid Wales, my local bike shop was the Elan Cyclery (Clive Powell's) in Rhayader. Clive was a bit more expensive than online shops, and he didn't carry as much kit (obviously), but what he didn't have he could order, and what he charged extra in price (not by much, it has to be said), he made up for in service. As far as I'm concerned, that's how a local bike shop should be.
However, some LBS', like the ones mentioned above, just seem to have given up on the whole 'customer experience'. It's all well and good when you're a large national chain (ie. Evans) where you have thousands of customers and a nice big profit margin, but when you're a local shop, servicing local people, then it pays to offer a bit more of a personal experience and get to know customers, rather than just treating them as walking £ signs. Customers would then create repeat business and would more than happily come back time and time again. Even in this recession, price isn't everything.
When I used to live in Mid Wales, my local bike shop was the Elan Cyclery (Clive Powell's) in Rhayader. Clive was a bit more expensive than online shops, and he didn't carry as much kit (obviously), but what he didn't have he could order, and what he charged extra in price (not by much, it has to be said), he made up for in service. As far as I'm concerned, that's how a local bike shop should be.