skate dilema

[iceholes 0]

I have always been a believer..major purchases from my LHS, smaller..search for best price...

My old teammate calls me from half way across the countrty, and tells me he has a Shop near him that set him up with some RBK 8k's as he is paying back a favor. He can get me them for 1/2 the price of my LHS...(they are asking $389 at the LHS)

I like the skate and couldnt imagine having my LHS (whom are friends) sharpen them week after week, knowing I bought them elsewhere.

I think I am answering my own question here...but would you buy the 8ks from somewhere besides your LHS whom you have a relationship with to save that kind of $$$?

thx

[wickedwrister 0]

I like the skate and couldnt imagine having  my LHS (whom are friends) sharpen them week after week, knowing I bought them elsewhere.

A deal is a deal. I think you would find that if they are your friends they would say, "wow, great find. we could not do them for that price". OR just lie and say you got them as a gift :P

[prenny207 1]

well iceholes, as somebody that used to work in a LHS, and now as somebody that supplies them... i can give you direct thoughts of the LHS. you are their lifeline. you are what keeps them in business. i hear everyday from different dealers about loyal customers that all of a sudden show up with skates from online, or another dealer, and i can tell you, they aren't happy. if you are so loyal, why didnt you come to me. if its a matter of price, ask, they may be able to help you out. maybe not in your case, but definetly in others.

how long have you been going there, have they taken care of you in the past. have they ever cut you a deal, or helped you out of a jam. now you may be able to get a pair for half price... then add freight: though not much, its extra. then figure you will need them fit possibly.. that just cost you now. plus sharpening! are you really saving that much. then risk the chance that if your LHS has helped you out in the past... don't expect that anymore.

i hate to sound like a dick... but if you don't support your LHS, you eventually will find you won't have a LHS to go to anymore. you are not the only person that has thought of going to where the "deal" is. and the more people that do that, the less reason your LHS has of keeping his door open.

Support them and they will Support you.

hope you take this to heart... and make the choice you are most comfortable with!

[Cage 0]

I don't know what a pair of skates cost a LHS, or how it all works. At half price, isn't the friends local LHS taking a loss as well? If so then it's not hurting your LHS alone, but both LHS.

Personally, I wouldn't call in a favor due to my friend and not me, but that is just me. They may need that favor themself and I may not be able to help them when they actually needed to cash it in.

If your having a dilema about going elsewhere, it may not be the right decision for you personally. If you already forsee yourself feeling badly everytime you go to get your skates sharpened, it would appear not to be the right decision for you. Let's say you feel badly about getting it them sharpened. You'll probably feel bad to just walk into the place. Next thing you know your buying a stick online. Then pads. Before long you've found somewhere else to go for sharpening. All this just to avoid going into that LHS because you feel badly for buying skates elsewhere.

[jimmy 194]

The way I look at it is a deal is a deal. It doesn't bother me as a LHS owner if someone gets a deal. What does bother me is when they buy from a competitor without giving me a chance to meet or match price. Or worse, when they lie and say, my wife bought me these, or grandma bought them, etc. Just tell me and be honest. Still, in either case, all bets are off for the freebees I give my loyal customers. For skates it's free sharpening, molding, repairs, rivits, eyelets, blade tightening, straightening, etc. I have customers who never buy anything from me but only come here for sharpening. I appreciate that business, but if they need their Tuuk tightened, That'll be $10 please. Or when the sales reps give me a good deal on something, I always save those for the valued customers.

prenny207 summarized it right though, we LHS can only stay in business as long as people support us. As more buy on ebay, and from the websites that operate out of garages or low cost warehouses, us high-rent, high expense LHSs will fade away.

Personally I don't think the online places are that cheap, except for closeouts. I can match or beat every price they have. Especially when you figure in their "handling fees and shipping".

BTW, the markup on the 8k does not allow for 1/2 price markdowns. Their "orig" price must have been sky high. Curious what the 1/2 price, price is?

[iceholes 0]

I am not sure what my friend is paying for the skates personally...he owes me coin and is doing me a favor getting my delivered price at $200... He is buying them from A LHS who he has a relationship with through his sons team (he lives 10 states over).

I called my LHS and told him the price I was paying and asked his thoughts.

I just bought my sons skates through my LHS last week as well, so its not like I shop anywhere else for skates. He said it was a good deal on a good boot and he understands why I would entertain the thought of doing it. I mentioned the fact I would never think of buying something like skates elsewhere and wanted to at least give the courtesy of asking his opinion before I did it. Who else would call and say "I am going somewhere else...would you mind?" I told him he still will be sharpening them and I dont want hard feelings if I bought them..He said no problem, he understands(genuine or not...not sure) I bring him plenty of business so I support him all the way otherwise. I play on ice with him a few times a week and am at the shop at least once...

Even if he charged me to bake and do the initial sharp.. I would still save $190

Is that enough? not sure, but at a time when I wasnt even shopping skates, maybe it is...

oh yeah...If I got free sharpenings all along, or disnt have to pay $45 for new runners...I would never ever look elsewhere...

[cobrAA 0]

I don't think you should feel so bad about doing this...and you did call him and he is your friend...he wont kill you!

I'm always looking for deal(i'm a 15 yr who earn is money hardly)if a shop in the other cities offer me better price(if it only 10 buck...i wouldn't bother lol) i will go for it...

Why would they shop sharpen my skate? If they start boy-cotting people,after 2 year they would close the store!

Come on 200$ is a big save!

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

I agree with Jimmy.

Online stores kill the smaller ones on closeouts, not on current year skates.

Just don't be a dick about it. I remember there was a guy in Orlando busting my balls because our XXs were at $419 and he picked up a pair for $299. I just sharpened them and let him believe that he scored a deal - I didn't have the heart to tell him what the hole in his skate tongue meant.

[asdfa 0]

I agree with Jimmy.

Online stores kill the smaller ones on closeouts, not on current year skates.

Just don't be a dick about it. I remember there was a guy in Orlando busting my balls because our XXs were at $419 and he picked up a pair for $299. I just sharpened them and let him believe that he scored a deal - I didn't have the heart to tell him what the hole in his skate tongue meant.

what does a hole in a tongue mean?

do LHS's have a hard time with big chain stores? (dicks sporting goods, sport chek, national sports etc) i'd like to support my lhs, but i just don't have enough money to buy the things i want from them, so i've gotten a lot of my stuff from closeout centres/ big sales etc. i still go to my LHS for skates/helmet (the important stuff where knowledge is important)

[Chadd 916]

If someone can get something for the same price I pay for it, I have no problems with them taking the deal. I'm usually curious about the deal though. I do have problems with the NHL and minor league teams who back door a lot of the product at below dealer cost.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

I agree with Jimmy.

Online stores kill the smaller ones on closeouts, not on current year skates. 

Just don't be a dick about it.  I remember there was a guy in Orlando busting my balls because our XXs were at $419 and he picked up a pair for $299.  I just sharpened them and let him believe that he scored a deal - I didn't have the heart to tell him what the hole in his skate tongue meant.

what does a hole in a tongue mean?

do LHS's have a hard time with big chain stores? (dicks sporting goods, sport chek, national sports etc) i'd like to support my lhs, but i just don't have enough money to buy the things i want from them, so i've gotten a lot of my stuff from closeout centres/ big sales etc. i still go to my LHS for skates/helmet (the important stuff where knowledge is important)

Factory seconds.

As far as your question goes, not in the US. Box stores tend to carry lower-end products and SMUs.

My situation is a tad bit different - I'm probably in the toughest market in the US - yes, in CA you have Giant and Monkey, but now that many stores in between. Here you have 4-5 big stores within 10 mi of each other...

[jimmy 194]

I am not sure what my friend is paying for the skates personally...he owes me coin and is doing me a favor getting my delivered price at $200

That's a good price, as long as they are not seconds or have a hidden problem, you're getting a good deal. I can tell you, I pay a lot more than that wholesale and I sell a LOT of CCM/RBK gear and get a good discount wholesale price but nothing near as low as that. I doubt the store that's selling them is getting a much lower wholesale price than me, so something is fishy, or they just don't mind loosing money on that particular pair.

If one of my good customers called me and told me they were getting a good deal that they could not pass up, I would not be mad at all. A deal is a deal, as long as they didn't come into my store and have me size them or try on my stuff so they could seal their "good deal" elsewhere, I really don't care. I still treat them fair, they just don't get the same "perks" if they bought them from me.

[Jim A 4]

whenever I had gotten one of my "deals" through a vendor, etc..I always made sure to bring some beer/lunch to the LHS for the guys..

in addition..if I get something and don't use it..don't need it, I'll toss it to them..ie. just picked up Pro Tacks for $50..didn't need th holder/runner so gave it back to them..keep the good karma going

[jimmy 194]

To tell you the truth, I am going to feel bad coming into my proshop with new skates asking to bake them. But at the same time they do not supply them and I am still getting them from a mom/pop shop.

Either way I am probably going to say they were a gift from someone.

Sorry if this didn't add much on the original question.

Don't use the gift lie for skates, NO ONE gets skates as gifts! No gift giver knows skate size of recipient. Us LHS's can see right through the lie. Just tell the truth. And don't complain when you have to pay for heat molding, sharpening, etc. All will be fine.

[jimmy 194]

To tell you the truth, I am going to feel bad coming into my proshop with new skates asking to bake them.  But at the same time they do not supply them and I am still getting them from a mom/pop shop.

Either way I am probably going to say they were a gift from someone.

Sorry if this didn't add much on the original question.

Don't use the gift lie for skates, NO ONE gets skates as gifts! No gift giver knows skate size of recipient. Us LHS's can see right through the lie. Just tell the truth. And don't complain when you have to pay for heat molding, sharpening, etc. All will be fine.

lol, True. That is a bad lie. I won't complain, of course and will have the shipper sharpen before hand.

In fact, I will probably buy a 45 buck blade or something when I am there just to leave on good terms.

Maybe I shouldn't care so much!

you're a good man! It's nice to see you are concerned, most don't GAF.