Shop Hours WTF

Price negotiation is a simple but basic business practice. I think about it this way, I am a professional shopper who can only deal with limited stores. I go to each supplier and start negotiating based on a set of circumstances. Basic supply chain mentality. This is my job and these practices flow into my personal life. When I get to the check out at the grocery store I ask for a discount if the soup can is dented, and what do you know there is a discount to be had. All I had to do was ask, and there is no harm in asking.

this. I have personally sold close to $10M in sw/hw/svc this fy, in a div of a company that does well over $100M sales a year. if a customer tells me he/she can get something at CDW for cheaper, i'm going to be meeting that price or getting or purchasing director to figure out why we can't.

i'm dealing with Rads and C level people, they know how to haggle, and usually get what they want. margin on goods is sooo much lower than sw/svc, why not cut them a deal on some stuff, when you are going to close a huge deal that is 100% margin?

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I dunno, seems like plenty think they're entitled…..don't act like you expect it and likely you will get one…..Wayne has pretty much nailed it bang on in this thread…..but then again, anyone who hasn't worked in a shop doesn't understand that nearly everyone who comes in thinks they deserve a deal on one thing or another, and it gets old, quick….

I dunno, seems like plenty think they're entitled…..don't act like you expect it and likely you will get one…..Wayne has pretty much nailed it bang on in this thread…..but then again, anyone who hasn't worked in a shop doesn't understand that nearly everyone who comes in thinks they deserve a deal on one thing or another, and it gets old, quick….

Oh and the only place that faces this nuisance of price negotiations is a bike shop, no one else could possibly understand how it "gets old, quick…" :rolleyes:

Can we please put a an end to this "good guy price" terminology? The shops
don't do a character test or criminal record check before they sell you something!

I understand the philosophy of shops rewarding volume buyers, my problem is for the larger shops how do they ever remember you? I bought 3 new bikes from one of the large NS shops over a 3 yr period (got decent deals on all of them, no issue there). But did that translate into me being "known" to the new sales kid when I walk in to buy some parts? Not really.

I should know better than to get involved in discussions like this on the interwebbe, they always go the same way……have fun kids

…and I am not really looking for a killer deal on anything, I just want to pay a fair price. Most shops have stuff sticker priced far above the actual fair price. Then everyone feels good when they get a deal off the sticker price. It makes value selection really hard when you don't know what the real price will be once your "bro" discount is applies (or not).

I should know better than to get involved in discussions like this on the interwebbe, they always go the same way……have fun kids

Oh and the only place to get involved in discussions is a internet, no place else could possibly understand how to "have fun kids…"

:P

Oh and the only place to get involved in discussions is a internet, no place else could possibly understand how to "have fun kids…"

:P

hahahah, yeah yeah, I know….this discussion, on the internet, ALWAYS goes the same way, its like a script, that gets followed to a T…..anyway, have to get ready for a bike ride now…

so you're gonna tell me that there is no differance if you buy one item or if you buy 5?

you're telling me they never send out promotional flyers with stuff they're trying to move?

Of course there is a difference. But you're discussing a whole different thing: Bulk pricing. If you come in to my shop and buy 5 MG-1s, I will certainly give you a better deal on each pedal than if you only bought 1.

you're totally right and the few shops i deal with offer both. this bring me back to the original post about the video and sock, had the shop been a little bit more polite in their refusal in the good guy price, i would have come back and possibly bought something else. I've always felt bad for bike shops that they have to deal with this….but such is life.

just so you guy know.
bank rates
cell rates
lordco
paint store
furniture stores
electronics stores
appliance shops
(the list goes on)
all the above offer a better price(if they can) ypu just if you ask. You don't need to yell,fight, cry, scream or anything else….you just need to ask.

unless of course you buy a Toyota, they have a fair pricing program and as far as i know, dont deal on pricing(funny enough i drive a toyota)

There are many places where it is more acceptable to bargain. When it comes down to a small, locally owned business, I feel differently. I bargain with the sales guy when I hit the Best Buy no problem, because they are in the business of blowing tons of stuff out while still making a margin. With bike stores, we serve a much smaller market and therefore can't afford to discount every sale under the assumption that we are going to double or triple sales in the short and long term.

This entire conversation is pretty much useless anyways, because the majority of a bike store's money is made from bikes and parts sales under $1000. These are the customers that make it possible for stores to cater to the demographic on this board and others (RM, Pb, Vital, etc), which represent a very small percentage of total sales. So thank your local commuter and weekend hybrid rider ;)

I walked into a popular North Shore bike shop a couple of years ago and saw an X.0 derailleur with a sticker price of $365.00. I just assumed that meant they didn't want my business and shopped somewhere else.

Last year I was going to drop $1000 on after market parts for my new dirt bike and I wanted to buy them asap from one spot. None of the local dealers had any of what I wanted so I went to gnarlyparts.ca, presented Dave with my wishlist and asked him if he would give me a bulk discount. In return I offered to spread the word about Gnarly parts to various online sites, plus display his company logos on my bike and truck as a thank you. Not to mention, continue to shop with him.

He gave me staff pricing and thanked me for the offer.

The other example I gave earlier was with Nuetec Tu-bliss moto tubeless kits. I told the guy I could easily sell those kits by word of mouth in return for a discount on product. He gave me 2 full kits and multiple spares for free.

There is always give and take. If you continually take you will be loathed pretty damn fast.

I'm a really crap customer for a bike shop. I don't buy many parts, I don't have any loyalty to a shop, I do my own service, know what I want when I do go in. That's why I typically go to OT; lowest prices and no 'bro' attitude.

I actually avoid a lot of the stores because I don't regularly shop there, and know that I'm not a 'bro'. I do prefer to give my sale to a local shop, rather than buy online, but I've found so many inconsistencies with service and parts availability locally, not to mention the huge mark-ups on Canadian distribution, that I'm finding it harder to step into a store for the few items I need.

I know that supporting local shops is a good thing since some support the trails, offer a community hub for riders etc, but if all I want is a single part and I can save myself $50 by buying it online, then what's my motivation for going in to a store?

I'm a really crap customer for a bike shop. I don't buy many parts, I don't have any loyalty to a shop, I do my own service, know what I want when I do go in. That's why I typically go to OT; lowest prices and no 'bro' attitude.

I actually avoid a lot of the stores because I don't regularly shop there, and know that I'm not a 'bro'. I do prefer to give my sale to a local shop, rather than buy online, but I've found so many inconsistencies with service and parts availability locally, not to mention the huge mark-ups on Canadian distribution, that I'm finding it harder to step into a store for the few items I need.

I know that supporting local shops is a good thing since some support the trails, offer a community hub for riders etc, but if all I want is a single part and I can save myself $50 by buying it online, then what's my motivation for going in to a store?

And this is a fair argument. Nothing wrong with that.

I find it weird when people combine that philosophy with the one of "why can't I get bro pricing when I come in every 2 months for a set of tires".