LBS and RRP

[John the Monkey]

Clothing is my usual purchase, most of which has to be bought online. Local shops don't always carry the brands I want and if they do, they rarely if ever have my size in store (choosing to carry sizes 8-14 mostly, no use to me )

That's something I'd not considered, although thinking back, the female cyclists I've spoken too have echoed that, as well as experiences of being ignored/patronised in shops with a more macho worldview of the sport.

 

[vickster]

I've not really had that, maybe around London there are many more female cyclists going into bike shops? Also, I'm not really a girly girl. I also tend to do some research and have a fairly clear idea of what questions I want to ask before going in

 

[snorri]

I've often directed far from home cycle tourists with a mechanical problem to my lbs, and likewise I have used distant lbs when on tour. You just can't get spare parts online when your delivery address is a tent.

 

[John the Monkey]

I've not really had that, maybe around London there are many more female cyclists going into bike shops? Also, I'm not really a girly girl. I also tend to do some research and have a fairly clear idea of what questions I want to ask before going in

Sadly, I can relate tales of people who are very good, committed cyclists (not that this should matter) that it's happened to (not in the shops I mention in my posts here, mind). I hope that it's becoming less common.

 

[ianrauk]

Did the OP ask if there was a chance of free goods if a bike was purchased? LBS usually give at least 10%, pedals, bottle cages etc

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Cut cut cut cut cut

In China every town has a Giant bike shop and in most there is more than one shop. They are not allowed to discount any of the official prices.

This is illegal in many countries and constitutes price fixing. In a free market you cannot ask your retailers to sell at RRP or above.

 

[vickster]

Specialized control their pricing very closely in the UK. That's why every retailer tends to offer no discount or the same discount at any given time. I had a conversation with a specialized retailer who said, yes of course they can alter their prices, but if they did so, they would cease to be a specialized retailer! I don't know if giant, trek etc do the same. You can't buy trek bikes online, you have to collect from a dealer so that's another way of price control

 

[JMAG]

True, but you are still less likely to be cutting the tags off an ill fitting garment bought from an LBS because you will have left the LBS with a correctly fitting garment. No?

Errr..no - I find trying things on in my own home, with no stress and no feeling of being hurried is much more condusive to getting a good fit - shoes being a prime example of this. I wear, I test, I think and then, and only then, do I cut tags off.

1. I agreed with your earlier post and I still agree with you about cutting tags off being a mistake.

2. I said one is LESS LIKELY to get an ill fitting garment from an LBS and I stand by that statement.

We all have different buying requirement or habits and I'm no stranger to online shopping in general, but how often do you order a pair of shoes online to find they are a good fit first time? What process do you go through? Do you order lots of pairs and return the ones that don't fit well even if it means returning them all or do you order one pair at a time and return them if they don't fit and order another pair? How many pairs on average do you try this way and how many deliveries and returns might you go through before finding a suitable pair? Finally, what timescale would this involve start to finish?

I don't use cycling shoes, but when I bought golf shoes I tried on a huge number of shoes due to my odd shaped feet. I was able to walk around the shop in the shoes I tried whilst looking at different things and practicing on their putting area. This was plenty of time to choose the right pair for me and done all in one visit.

My original point referred to someone who bought an undersized jacket and even if it doesn't apply to shoes in your case, surely it applies jackets and most other garments?

 

[cisamcgu]

I was only using shoes as an example - anyway, not to worry - everyone is different, and everyone will be happy - as long as they never cut off the tags

 

[e-rider]

Did the OP ask if there was a chance of free goods if a bike was purchased? LBS usually give at least 10%, pedals, bottle cages etc

I was after a 5-10% discount to make the online purchase less inviting, however, not only was that never going to happen but the attitude of the shop guy made sure I never go there again, and after I've told the story to a dozen or so club mates they might decide not to go there either - this is not the way to build a successful company. Anyway for me, it is actually easier (and now significantly cheaper) to buy online, which is what I'm going to do - the only thing that can go wrong is courier problems (which I've had before)!!!

 

[slowmotion]

I quite understand that high street shops need to charge more than an online warehouse. You pay for the convenience of wandering in if you need that experience. I also understand that you are not going to be given discount prices for components which need replacing during a service. That's fair enough. What irks me is paying top dollar and getting lousy workmanship. It's happened on all of the rare occasions when I've asked the LBSs to do some servicing. Never again. I'll make my own mistakes. They're cheaper.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Problem is most LBSs simply don't have the range of brands, stock, or sizes that are available online. My local ones are little more than single-brand boutiques - one Specialized, one Trek. No choice. Recently I was looking for a new helmet. I had to visit a ridiculous number of shops to try a variety - in the end I did buy from a LBS - with 10% off for club members, but generally the choice was abysmal. Same with shoes. As for bikes - I'm lucky if I can find a single example of a bike with the right sized frame (small, 48-50 or so) in any of the local shops, so I buy online.

 

[screenman]

...after discovering that my LBS supplies the brand I'm after, I inquired about buying the bike from them.

All they would do is sell at full RRP though. I told them I could get it significantly cheaper online (which is true) and they basically said bugger off and buy online then.

I wasn't expecting a full price match but I was hoping for 5-10% off in some attempt to compete with online sellers, and that would have been enough for me to buy locally.

This attitude (which I've seen so many times before from LBSs) doesn't win over many customers!

What margin would the shop have in the bike you were after?

 

[vickster]

How much cheaper is it online?

 

[jay clock]

The bit I struggle with is "we can order it in for you". I can do that from home, with better legal protection (distance selling regs) and without having to go back to the shop. Oh and cheaper.

In terms of bikes I bought a £300 hybrid and £2700 road bike from my LBS for £2700. Since the road bike was not available online at a discount effectively he was giving me £300 quid off the other one. And I could have a proper test ride