Get yer Chainreaction while you can

[barry2017]

When a retail shop sells items at less than other shops can sell them, it's eventually bad news for the customer.

My lbs closed last month.

 

[Rod_Saetan]

Re: Re:

I recently bought a stock of Valvert 26" 1.75/1.95 inner tubes from Planet-X for £2 each. Interesting their blurb says this:

"Limit of 10 per customer. Because we want all of our loyal customers to benefit from our great inner tube prices we have limited these to a maximum of ten per customer. Shame on all you bike shops that have been bulk buying them to resell at a profit."

2 points.

1) A (mainly) on-line retailer with 20 million pounds annual turnover moaning about small local bike shops, which generally have a turnover in the region of 100 times smaller than that, trying to scratch together some profit after the large on-line retailers have screwed the pooch on Shimano and many other brands is pathetic.

2) If you are a small LBS that's buying inner tubes for £2 or more each you need to find some new suppliers, they are regularly available for far less.

I don't really want to add anything else as I'l just get annoyed!

 

[Silvergoat]

Re: Re:

I recently bought a stock of Valvert 26" 1.75/1.95 inner tubes from Planet-X for £2 each. Interesting their blurb says this:

"Limit of 10 per customer. Because we want all of our loyal customers to benefit from our great inner tube prices we have limited these to a maximum of ten per customer. Shame on all you bike shops that have been bulk buying them to resell at a profit."

2 points.

1) A (mainly) on-line retailer with 20 million pounds annual turnover moaning about small local bike shops, which generally have a turnover in the region of 100 times smaller than that, trying to scratch together some profit after the large on-line retailers have screwed the pooch on Shimano and many other brands is pathetic.

2) If you are a small LBS that's buying inner tubes for £2 or more each you need to find some new suppliers, they are regularly available for far less.

I don't really want to add anything else as I'l just get annoyed!

Good points and I can appreciate why. I know that my small and very friendly independent LBS would be equally annoyed. He can't compete with selling bike bits. His core business is now reduced to servicing/building bikes and diversifying into running a cafe inside and being a hub for group rides and the community. On Sunday's, he has a coffee and cakes stall in the local farmers market.

I've also recently learned that a couple of blocks away, a high end roadies boutique shop called 'Le Peleton' has ceased trading.