Good thread Guys, gotta support the local shop wherever possible so long as they do provide a service, accept you might have to pay a bit more.
Just realised I need a new leash and heading to the beach for Christmas, last time in town the local didn't have one. Didn't want to risk not being ale to get out on the Sup
Went on the Creatures site who had a link to support your local surf shop by passing on a percentage of the purchase (didn't say h
ow much though)
Win win
Select to expand quoteHoppo3228 said..
begin rant/
The whole online thing has really affected what I work in as a rep - the Bicycle trade - to such an extent that i've had over 30 shops on my run in Vic close in the last 24 months.
Unfortunately when you can buy (for eg.) Shimano product from an online retailer in the UK , shipped, for less than the store in Oz pays for it wholesale - in the end what hope does the local bike shop have...and this is before Amazon comes in...
We also have a real greed problem here in Oz, everybody wants to earn $80+ an hour, but pay 20c in the dollar for things - you can't have it both ways and expect things to work out, especially for our future. This country is on the fast track to being a complete **** hole.
I'll tell a few quick stories from my experience working in retail...
I used to work in a bike shop that sold Pinarello's. We had a bike on special for $8k down from $10k as we needed to move it on. In comes a cashed up tradie, offers me $5k for the bike...I say no... he says "my daughter works in fashion retail, I know you guys are making over 100% margin on this bike" etc... I said to him he's dreaming and I even pulled out the wholesalers invoice for this bike to show him. Firstly he didn't believe me, until I showed him the bikes serial # on the invoice matching the frame... The bike cost us $7300+ gst, freight and building it. So in effect we were losing money on it- forgetting the fact we offered a free proper bike fit and 12 months free servicing. He said to me, " how do you blokes make any money?" I said " not with pricks like you walking in (with a wink) ". I then asked him what he did - he's a plumber... I then asked what's his callout fee ( without blinking he said $240 plus $150 and hour...). I said do you discount that? He said deadpan 'no'
Then this same guy then says he's picking up his bike that we serviced. Standard service is $80 + parts. We then explained to him that as his bike was extremely filthy we had to spend 45mins cleaning it before we could service it and it added $40 to the cost of the service. He went mental saying there's no way cleaning a bike should cost $40. I said "so is your time worth more than ours?..."
Another guy came in, wanted a pair of Sidi shoes, The ones he wanted didn't fit his foot shape so I spent an hour selling him the right ones, Then when I ask would he like me to put them through, he asks if I can put the details on a card. I roll my eyes to myself, and do it. Then the following morning I get an email from him saying my service was the best he has ever experienced, and if we match the price online from the UK he'll buy them from me. We were already offering them for $100 off RRP, which was within $20 of the online price (on a $450 shoe). At the bottom of his email his job description was very high up the food chain at BHP Billiton, at least on $300k P.A., and he was complaining over $20! give me a break.
Another customer came into the store, and wanted a bottle cage, but said it's this price online and can we match it. I replied with, 'do you have kids?', he replies 'what does that have to do with anything', I reply 'everything'. ok, how old are they... 12 and 14... do they ride bikes?... yes and my older son wants to be a bike mechanic...I say if you keep buying all of your stuff online the only job he'll be getting is working at Macca's along with the other 500 kids at his school applying for the 5 jobs offered... He replies, 'i've never really thought about it that way" Bought the cage and off he went.
Lastly, Another guy came in wanting something, I can't remember... but he wanted a discount - I said when you take your mrs out for dinner, on a nice date, do you ask the restaurant for a discount or when you go shopping at coles? he says, oh but that's different, I say 'how is it any different?"
I just cannot believe just how ignorant the majority of shoppers/people are to what is going on around them.
I could go on about this forever.
end rant/
Best reply ever
Stumbled upon this today, that may be relevant. Bargain shoppers value the shop owner/vendors as less than human.
news.ubc.ca/2017/12/20/discounting-humanity-bargain-hunters-see-customer-service-workers-as-less-human/
Select to expand quotecolas said..
Stumbled upon this today, that may be relevant. Bargain shoppers value the shop owner/vendors as less than human.
news.ubc.ca/2017/12/20/discounting-humanity-bargain-hunters-see-customer-service-workers-as-less-human/
I 100 % agree. It's because it's a one dimensional interaction. Voice or online . Face to face it's a lot harder to lose your temper and you also have the empathy factor in a face to face situation. Also when I worked in banking I remember the difference in dealing with customers face to face versus via a call centre . More anger and arrogance over the phone . More "you're just a number "
Thanks Piros,
for this post it has stuckin my mind,
I have ordered some fins and legy's though our local surf shop to pickup when we get home in 2 weeks.
Also looking forward to exploring the shop itself , been away too long .
my local shop is stopping selling SUP as they need to make space for electric skateboards. Selling far more of these than paddles boards....The other year they stopped selling the higher end boards as selling more starter cheap boards. My local shop is not supporting me, but they are staying in business, selling the latest 'toys' rather than surf clothes, so have to love em, even if I'll be sticking to push powered skateboards.
Fortunately next local shop is only 30-40 mins drive and they are wonderful.
I might know that shop you are talking about. I think the reason they sell electric skateboards is because they prefer them to SUP. Don't live in Perth but I have bought a SUP from what could be this store and I wont be going back in a hurry. They weren't interested in me and it showed. The owner was fixing a skateboard and had his head down making sure he couldn't be seen.
Many small stores suffer from long hours stuck in the shop waiting for someone to give them money. In retail these days that is not enough. I have had extensive retail experience owning stores (not surf related) and the shop experience needs to improve. Don't blame the economy. Look at yourself and see what you can do better. I have recently been in the UK and the customer experience there I found dismal. I went to surf shop and after 10 minutes looking around left without a nod from the owner. The store was not busy.
As a final note, I don't buy anything online as I prefer to go in an form a relationship.
Not sure same shop as every time I have been in they have been more than happy to chat and explain stuff. Guess they just cannot compete when selling SUP's against the bigger shops in town, as they are primarily a kite shop. Everyone has a off day so may you got that day.
Good thread.
Speaking from the U.K. we've been experiencing the same scenario as you guys. In the bike world the likes of Wiggle and Chain Reaction have killed a lot of bikes shops off.. I don't know the figures but there are plenty of bike shops that have closed down, or those that are still open literally bending over backwards to please some very arrogant customers.
Back to the water sports industry it's not quite the same, yes online is big but we have some very good local shops that offer the typical Brands in the wind/kite and SUP industry.. but they all have similar Brands and deals so no one shop undercuts the other by very much. I can't say what the margins are because I don't know, but shops must have at least 2-3 staff and an outlet and buy the gear and stock it then discount it at the end of the season.
Which brings me onto a point..
RRP and Discounts:
I understand the latest model comments and RRP, but if it doesn't sell it gets discounted at the end of the season.. Why not sell it at the Discounted price from the outset?
I have a couple of mates who wait until it's time for the discounts to kick in then buy new boards then.. invariably it's still the latest model and one they've had thier eye on all year .. but now it's discounted 30-35% it's worth them waiting.. and they've never been dissapointed with not being able to get hold of the Board because there is always stock, or another local shop has one at the discounted rate.. So the guy gets the Board at a discount and has only had to wait say 3-4months before the discounts start filtering through... I find that very odd.
I use my local shops for all sorts of gear, but my boards I buy from my mate who brings them into the county. He's an outlet for Sunova and I like the boards and he makes a few quid out of them, but nowhere near enough to make much of a living out of it.. and I think that's sad because he busts a gut helping and advising folks..
I am not a fan of the mass brands, I've seen them rip off the windsurfing industry to the point of destruction... in some ways I'm kinda glad they're failing and in contraction because the pricing models and continuous rebrand cycle they're on is pathetic. The yearly "we've got new colours, tweeked the rail by .5mm which makes the board come alive, and last years Board is **** so buy this one.. oh we've put the price up 10% because we feel like it too" What a crock, no wonder we have disowned these major brands and gone into buying boards made by passionate smaller businesses.
Can we compare costs? Here we'd typically pay ?1700 thereabouts for a windsurfing Board, SUPs can be had for less but big brands still charge ?1400-1500.. smaller Chinese made but local branded can be had for ?1000 and I'm honestly dumbfounded as to why we don't buy more of the local branded stuff, just because it's got a major brand name on it means nothing more than massive overheads and marketing bollox..
Sunova have been typically ?1300 thereabouts but they've just put up the price, but I don't mind paying for that because I reckon Bert and Tino do more for the actual surfing side and quality than just about anyone.. and having the passion from my mate means I get the best Board and support..
Its tough, no doubt.
I likewise value the personal shopping repore.
working remote desert where your supply network is via email is frustrating and impersonal.
We personally try to support local Alice business first,so they can stay open, then from home locals so they will be there when we go home, before online.
Coming from a non-surf start into Sup surfing my new surfer wife's local surf shop was a social hub of shared info and learning. Shattered when it closed . Supportive to our new local surf shop, even happy to do postage for away trip supplies.
Select to expand quoteSunnyBouy said..
So the guy gets the Board at a discount and has only had to wait say 3-4months before the discounts start filtering through... I find that very odd.
That's what killed the Windsurfing shop.
Having stock in each shop is very inefficient, as there is a lot of "waste", each shop cannot anticipate how many of each model they will sell, so they will have to make big rebates at the end of the season. And the brand killed them by obsoleting forcibly last year gear by changing a lot the graphics and marketing the new year models as vastly superior, although often they didn't change anything.
I guess if a shop wants to survive, brands have to come up with a more efficient way to do business. My Windsurfing shop survived because it tried to have as few stock gear as possible, but for this the distributor needs to help them by having some way to quickly and cheaply send gear "on demand". And discounted gear was discounted at the distributor end, the shop ordered discounted item on-the-fly, with less hit on their margin. But I guess it is easier in a densely populated country such as France, rather than OZ...
