DarkStar50

Big difference between working in the office at the rink and working in the Pro Shop at the rink!

The next hockey dad that asks me to jump the line for his kid's skates to get sharpened ahead of the 4 pair who already dropped their skates off for "while you wait/asap" gets shot. I need a reasonable reply for this annoying request. What have you got?

Custom glove for Americans team based on NYR colorway Single layer pro palm, pro lock thumb "http://s154.photobuc...urrent=nyr1.jpg" http://s154.photobuc...urrent=nyr2.jpg

The quality of the skate sharpening has nothing to do with the age of the sharpener or what his hourly wage is. The quality of the skate sharpening has everything to do with being taught correctly, paying attention to detail, caring about your work as it is a reflection of the shop, and not having to be worried about being rushed through the sharpening by someone who has never done it.

Typical Sunday in the Pro Shop with games in all four rinks. The two out-of-town dads drop their kids' skates off for sharpenings. I tell the first dad about 10 minutes to wait, and then the 2nd dad about 20 minutes. Dad #2 "Really?" "Yes, well your buddy just got here ahead of you." They both leave the skates. 5 minutes later, Dad #2 comes back with the usual question, "Ready, yet?" "Uh no." "What's taking so long?" "Well, blame it on your buddy(and I'm kidding when I say this but of course this flies over his head), but we're still doing his skates first." He didn't like the answer, couldn't find the humor I guess and things went downhill from there. I later was in the lobby and heard him telling the teams' hockey moms about how bad things are in "that" pro shop, as if they could care less. I turned to him and said, "Yes and I'm that idiot you're talking about and you're skates are ready now." There was more blah-blah-blah from him but it really didn't matter to me. Of course, when he was picking up his skates, he checked the edges ever so carefully and then talked to our sharpener, a 21 year old with 3+ years sharpening who happens to be Korean......"well, what about this knick here in the blade?" Our guy politely explained that the knick would come out over time and it wasn't the best idea to start taking off a ton of steel on one blade just to get it out. Finally he understood we know what we are doing.

Not.

^ Correct, that is a custom option with Eagle. I have done it a number of times for customers. You have to be exact on the length you want. There are no returns on custom Eagle gloves.

The dealer probably did not have the updated Bauer custom spec form which has LS3 steel on it as option.

This is an observation based on a lot of years in this industry and in retail. It has nothing to do with anyone here since only a few of you have ever been in my shop. It never fails that the people who really could use a discount in the shop never ask and the people who ask for a discount really don't need one. I had a guy ask for a discount on $12 youth elbow pads once and I had a customer ask for a discount before I saw and they handed me their Amex black card. As for the issue of "if I pay cash, how about we skip the tax?" I politely tell the customer that conversation is between you and our governor in the state capital. Otherwise, I might say, "I'm sorry, we don't charge tax, we just collect it."

I have been asked for a discount so many times that I had to find a standard answer. When someone asks for a discount I say "I really wish I could but all the transactions on the sales register are monitored by the accounting department. We(using we takes the pressure off of saying I) are not allowed to offer discounts, I'm really sorry." It is short, it is sweet, it answers the request without being offensive.

The only exception I make for a personal check is if I know them personally or their kid plays on the travel team in the building. Otherwise, sorry, no personal checks accepted.

I thought we were the only "bad guys" who did that! When customers call we tell them the time we close and that we stop sharpening 30 minutes before closing. We usually are taking care of the next day sharpenings in that last 30 minutes anyway. The beer league guys never ever figure it out though. +1 on both those comments.

Then as they continue to get more pissed off when you smile at them, they say, "What, do you think this is funny?" (Usually because it's something like a broken OPS they think should be replaced immediately by you even though when you sold it to them you carefully explained the 30 day warranty direct return as you handed them two sales receipts, one with the sticker and the other to keep for their records). Of course, just keep smiling and keep your mouth shut. By now, they usually have captured an audience in the shop and look like a complete a**hole. The joys of retail and dealing with the customer.

when people are beyond rude, I find that smiling back at them really upsets them.....because then they really don't know what you're thinking........

We have had teen-age girls work in the shop who never played hockey or skated but were excellent at sales. Once they were trained they had plenty of product knowledge to do a head-to-toe fitting, including skates.

Kindly ask them to get her kid under control or she will have to take him out of the store and leave!! There comes a point in retail situations when enough is simply enough. It is not fair to the other customers that you are trying to help in a normal professional manner.

The hardest friends to lose are the ones you played hockey with. I've lost a few guys I skated with, too. Just a deep special bond among us. Sorry for your pain right now.........

Women will always drive you crazy. Movin' on is the best advice you'll get.

NP, we already state that on the sign. The fitting fee is credited towards your purchase if you decide to come back and buy the skates from the shop.

That is correct. The fitting fee is only for skates. After the kid's dad left, the kid was still hanging out with his buddy(who I know from another rink travel team). I asked the kid where his dad just bought the gloves. The kid was about 13 years old. He hemmed and hawed. I nicely said, c'mon, I know you know, don't act like you don't. He couldn't even give me the name of the pro shop of the rink his dad ordered them from. I told the kid it was ok, I wasn't going to kill him, just relax.

kid spent an hour trying on gloves in the shop during a tourney today. His dad just came in, got on the phone, and ordered the gloves while standing in the shop. WTF....

I had a little girl come in the Pro Shop at the rink yesterday and ask, Do you have ice? I suggested she ask the snack bar.

So now you have spent all that time for nothing. Put up the fitting fee sign and then you can help the customers ready to spend money.

Yea, getting a hold of those C+ could become a case of supply and command. Love the avatar.........

well, they are no longer available in the catalog..........