So 1 Hr 5 Mins and 15 miles of fuel (£4) later I went on line,.
These shops will have to compete with online prices or eventually go out of business. If they decrease the prices,they will still make a profit,but just not as much.
Hold out for bigger profits and they will end up closed with no profit
Your first point was that the LBS was shut. Most of them are on Sundays. Which seems reasonable. I like my bike shops to be run by people who get to ride bikes now and again. I agree that it would have been nice if the big shops had them in stock, but a phone call to check would have saved you the trip, and as a couple of people have pointed out, it's hardly an urgent short-notice item, and there are various kinds of tape that would do either temporarily or as a permanent alternative. Why is this in Beginners, anyway?What's Sunday got to do with it?
Your first point was that the LBS was shut. Most of them are on Sundays. Which seems reasonable. I like my bike shops to be run by people who get to ride bikes now and again. I agree that it would have been nice if the big shops had them in stock, but a phone call to check would have saved you the trip, and as a couple of people have pointed out, it's hardly an urgent short-notice item, and there are various kinds of tape that would do either temporarily or as a permanent alternative. Why is this in Beginners, anyway?
Cannot see your logic in this. My 2 local LBSs both have specific major brands, which makes it easier to showroom (Trek, Bontrager, Endura, Specialized etc) as they are commodity items and more easily compared than if they stocked a rare esoteric brand that is harder to find elsewhereIt is very difficult to 'showroom' in many LBSs as they seem to be tied to specific brands, and they just do not have the range or stock that can be offered online. .
Yes - the alternatives would be other online retailers.When online retailers have closed high street shop do you think they will ultimately keep the prices low once their are no other alternatives?
Yes - the alternatives would be other online retailers.
If enough people agree with you, then the independent shops will survive.Supermarket chains between them fix the prices given to suppliers such as farmers and control the price of our weekly shop. Yes you have a choice between the big players but the small retailer is no longer compeditive.
Any section of the retail enviroment could go the same way imho and be controlled by the large players... Im all for supporting the small retailer who offers service and quality, rather than stack it high, sell it cheap and ignore quality.
My LBS focsus on those self same brands which is all well and good if you're buying from the industry's volume shifters. Personally speaking I'd rather have a wider choice of products and not be 'forced' into buying the same as everyone else solely because the LBS holds stock from popular brands they know they can sell. Granted that's a sound business decision on their part, and one any shop owner has to make but really does limit choice.Cannot see your logic in this. My 2 local LBSs both have specific major brands, which makes it easier to showroom (Trek, Bontrager, Endura, Specialized etc) as they are commodity items and more easily compared than if they stocked a rare esoteric brand that is harder to find elsewhere