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DarkStar50

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Posts posted by DarkStar50


  1. I think after devoting 30+ years in this business of selling skates, I know whether or not my shop is losing business selling skates. We are not losing business. We are actually more efficient now as we can help the people who are ready to buy skates, equipment, sticks, tape, or just sharpen skates rather than spend 30 minutes to an hour on a tire kicker that spends zero dollars. If you want information for free, go to a library. The experienced skate fitter has knowledge that is worth money in his ability to fit you properly. But then after all the small shops are gone because of this threatening $20 fitting fee, the customers can spend the rest of their time hoping that those skates from the Internet fit correctly, are comfortable, come with straight not bowed blades, and can be sharpened correctly at the little old saw shop down on the corner.


  2. If we do not have the proper size in stock, we do not charge a fitting fee. Just the thought of parting with $20 has kept the tire kickers away. The tire kickers just want to get sized for high end skates. The people just getting started in hockey with their first pair of skates are in the ready to purchase mode. The fitting fee is not aimed at them and usually never even mentioned. Once again, experience in selling skates at retail gives me an idea with first impressions with a customer if they are ready to purchase or not. The fitting fee is not a hard rule. It just acts as a deterrent for the showroom shoppers. They want to treat it like a game of getting one over on the pro shop so we have just leveled the playing field a bit. Every situation is different and the smart salesman adjusts accordingly.


  3. Fitting fee will stop that, pardon me, bullshit every time. Just putting the sign up as a deterrent is enough to stop the tire kickers. Customers that are ready to buy skates are ready to buy skates. Just mentioning you have a $20 fitting fee is enough to stop the showroom shoppers. They are so cheap they won't even part with $20. Raganblink, try a fitting fee sign for one month and if it hurts your skate sales take it down. I'll bet it won't. People who are not going to buy from you already have their mind made up before they walk in to the shop that they are not purchasing skates at your shop. Stop wasting 30 minutes of valuable time where you could be helping people ready to spend money in your shop.


  4. "learn how in a week or so". Haha. Sorry but there is an old saying in the shop for customers like that: I have already forgotten what you have yet to learn. And yes the experience that JR and I have is worth something because we took the time to gain it. If the customer is not willing to understand that then he really has a lot to learn. Try asking your car mechanic to fix your engine for free.

    BTW, any experienced custom skate fitter will tell you he is still learning something with every fitting because every fitting is unique. The fitter that thinks he knows it all knows nothing.


  5. This is one of my favorite threads. It is amazing how many times the train runs off the tracks when guys try to get "fitted" for custom skates. One of the first questions the skater should ask the fitter is for how many years and how many times have they done custom skate fittings for. The guy taking the measurements and info should ask a lot of questions but so should the buyer.


  6. Well this takes balls: Our Pro Shop is inside the rink with all glass windows and doors. I just came back from checking out the end of a game when I saw an 8" x 11" print out on the front door of the Pro Shop. It was a print out of a page from Hockey Giant for an RBK 10K wheel bag. The person that posted the sign had ordered the bag from HG, received the wrong color, and put a "For Sale" sign on the front door to try and unload the bag!! I'm tempted to call them and make them an offer they can't refuse.


  7. Busy holiday week for public session. The "Meat Wagon" aka EMS truck, has been at the rink everyday, sometimes twice. Of course, 90% of the parents don't think to bring any kind of helmet along for their kid. Over heard the other day from 2 moms thinking about buying a Bauer combo for $65, "buy it and just return it after you're done." I let her know that I heard her and it wasn't allowed. The old "Board of Health won't let you return a used helmet" froze in her tracks physically and mentally. Stupid is as stupid does.


  8. 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.


  9. 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.


  10. 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."

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