DarkStar50

I'm usually looking through the glass sharpening skates when that nonsense starts. I walk out and nicely ask them please don't flex the sticks. Coming from an "older guy" they tend to stop quickly. It is pretty ridiculous when Mom or Dad is right there. As for some things I posted before in this thread: today right when we opened at noon a hockey mom walked in with the Jofa 365 helmet combo bought at Modells with the mask falling off. I just started laughing to myself. When will they ever learn? Now although my stories may sound like I'm a Scrooge in the shop, I am actually totally the opposite. I love my job and getting players into hockey with the right equipment. I will treat the customer like a king as long as I know I'm not getting dicked around. I spent an hour yesterday with a 65 year old retired NYPD cop who bought a new pair of 692 Tacks. We had a great time bs'ing together and he got skates that fit. I told him everything he needed to know plus stuff he would probably forget just to make breaking in the new skates easier. It was a fun sale. This thread is interesting because guys who run the LHS see a totally different side of the biz than the customers. We see it day after day so we can laugh about it. There will always be customers who are truly friends and others who are truly a pain in the ass. For those in the latter category, we know who you are because you make sure we know who you are.

After 28 years in this business, no the customer is not always right. He just thinks he is.

Grocery stores make mere pennies on most of their products, so what's your point? Customer service only counts when someone is going to net the store over $50 or something? Think how many items are for sale in a grocery store against how many items are for sale in the LHS. Probably about 1000 to 1. Now do the math for those pennies the grocery store makes as markup and profit against the LHS and I'm sorry, but your point is a bit silly. In my shop we help customers whether its a roll of tape or Vapor XXX skates. However, when you are in a rink pro shop and you see the same guys all the time flexing sticks you know they don't even have $100 in their pocket to spend anyway on a OPS. Those are the guys we ask to not flex the sticks. Other nutty customers: the guy who brings in his 5 year old helmet full of rust on the mask and wants me to take it off and put on a new one. "Sorry but we don't touch your helmet for insurance liability issues." Of course, the rookie hockey moms with half the screws missing on the helmet you sold them 2 weeks ago is also a classic:"This helmet is falling apart." "The helmet is like the oil in your car's engine. You have to maintain it or it won't work." That always gets a weird look. Hey, its your kids noggin and the brain surgeon and Emergency Room visit is way more expensive then a screw driver. and this one will never stop happening:"That OPS you sold me broke." "OK, welcome to the club. Do you have the receipt?" "No, don't you have a record of my sale on file?" "Not exactly, that is what the receipt is for and we told you that the OPS has a 30 day warranty so don't lose the receipt." "But for $200 it should last longer than 2 weeks." "We never said how long it would last." Before OPS, the wood stick that broke on the "first shot" was also a repeat offender. Of course, the red paint on the shaft from where Dumbo smashed the woodie on the crossbar would usually seal the deal that Dumbo was full of it. Treat the shop guys nicely and you will get it paid back double. Act like an idiot and then be prepared to be treated like one.

At my old shop Kevin was the manager. He had his golden retreiver in the shop all the time. The dog's name was Molson. This was a long, long time ago.

Ever have someone steal a cup out of a compression short or mesh short? I have. I know its your nuts but show me some balls and spend the cash.

that is just ridiculous that they yelled at you for touching something. we like it when customers look around while we sharpen skates becuase its an oppurtuinity to sell something. the only time i have yelled at someone in my store was when i sharpened their skates at 1/2'' like they requested and they complained about how it LOOKED like there wasnt going to be enough bite. i said that he should skate on them becasue 1/2'' is the same every where and if thats what he is used to then it will feel the same, if he feels there isnt enough bite i will re do it for free. the guy throws a temper tantrum and blatently makes a mess on his way to the cash register, he picks up sevral ops and places them in the wrong spot, he took skates off out wall and put them on the ground knocked gloves off the wall. when he met me at the cash register i kindly asked him to clean up his un necessary mess and he lost it and walked out without paying for the skate sharpening. i wonder if hes gonna come back if there isnt enough bite..... Wow! I would really call someone like that out and no way I let him trash my shop. Sorry to say that scene would be ugly in my shop because he would have more than one person to deal with. Besides my crew, jeez, I think my customers would join in to bitch slap a guy like that.

AKA "I want him to have some growing room in them." Our answer is we sell skates to fit, not to grow in to. Besides, if they are too big and you have blisters: 1. you can't skate in them and 2. you'll be pissed at us for selling you skates that don't fit! As the Boston Red Sox said "Cowboy Up!"

I am right outside NYC. We have lots of Russian figure skating coaches in our building so all the Russian moms/dads want their little Tatiana to be coached by Vladimir the Russian figure skating coach from Mother Russia, so I hear Russian all the time in my shop. I learned a Russian word as well, Zoftra. It means "tomorrow" because they always want it now, so I say "Zoftra" and they flip out! And they whisper all the time, like I understand Russian!!

Yeah, but its a shame to go through life acting like an idiot. We tend to remember customers like that.......

kind of like when somebody's 6 year old kid picks up the $150 Easton OPS to knock around the store and you have to nicely ask him to put it back now because its cute but its $150!!!!!!! and I don't think you want to shell out the bucks. Besides, Daddy is clueless and has no idea a stick could sell for $150.

You're too smart to flex the OPS, too smart to bother us when we are sharpening skates, way too smart to ask for a discount, and you don't speak a foreign language, right? Although, with all the Russian we hear, sometimes English is a foreign language!

Short list 1. the OPS flexing is ridiculous. I put up a sign to say "don't do it. The flexing may damage the stick you decide to buy." Then I ask them if they can read English. 2. Interupting the skate sharpener on the wheel. I ignore them or give them the short version. Let me bother you while you are driving your car. 3. Strangers asking for a discount. Today I had to go to my dark side and used the comeback after a guy in a $200 jacket asked me for a discount on a $30 visor, "You know, I was just going to ask you if you wanted pay more but since you don't we'll just agree to pay this price." He gave me a $50 bill. 4. Customers who speak a foreign language but insist on whispering it in front of me! Hey, I don't understand a word you say no matter if you scream it! There are more but I will take a break..........

Interesting idea.........