The Things Customers Do

[Ngo_35 1]

You bought an easton synergy 300 not a stealth :)

I had the opposite happen, I find wood blades get very flimsy after 2-3 games and then there poo.

As for marrying Ti-girl, it sounds like the glass slipper story but with a skate.

LkptTiger:

The worse thing about people asking to change blades etc... is when they see a line of like 8 skates and still have the balls to ask for it right away. It's not like I keep the stuff behind the counter go help yourself!

[revision_88 0]

absolutely the worst. store closes at say 8:00pm. some tool comes strolling through the door who doesnt speak english but needs to buy gear head to toe including skates at like 7:50. of course he doesnt know what he wants and he feels the need to try every single peice of equipment on in the store. and its not like you can turn him away. i hate retail customers you are all the worst.

[chk hrd 164]

absolutely the worst. store closes at say 8:00pm. some tool comes strolling through the door who doesnt speak english but needs to buy gear head to toe including skates at like 7:50. of course he doesnt know what he wants and he feels the need to try every single peice of equipment on in the store. and its not like you can turn him away. i hate retail customers you are all the worst.

time for you to find another line of work

[brent 1]

absolutely the worst. store closes at say 8:00pm. some tool comes strolling through the door who doesnt speak english but needs to buy gear head to toe including skates at like 7:50. of course he doesnt know what he wants and he feels the need to try every single peice of equipment on in the store. and its not like you can turn him away. i hate retail customers you are all the worst.

time for you to find another line of work

He probably made this all up anyways. =)

[Chadd 916]

Talk about missing out on a chance to create a great relationship with a customer. At 8 you lock the door, flip the sign to "closed" and continue helping a guy get fitted. Don't say anything or make a big deal about it and the guy will notice and remember how you helped him out. Been there and done that more than a couple times.

[theWB 2]

I'll second Chadd on this one. Customers are always pumped if you stay open a little late for them. They will always call and say, "I'm 10 minutes away, could you guys wait for me?" even though we are about to close. Most, and I emphasize most, people are really appreciative and usually give us a little tip. With most customers, the little things matter.

Also, to the guy talking about little kids running around the store, you have to have a competition with your fellow employees to see who can trip them the most. Especially if they are running around with equipment on.

[revision_88 0]

not made up i used to work at a pro shop in santa ana and that would happen all the time. and i dont know what your talking about with a courtesy call to see if we can stay open.

[Chadd 916]

not made up i used to work at a pro shop in santa ana and that would happen all the time. and i dont know what your talking about with a courtesy call to see if we can stay open.

I used to stay open for those people all the time, even after being at the shop for 10+ hours and having a 45 minute drive home. It's just one of those things you do in the hockey business. I didn't have a problem chasing the "browsers" at closing by saying something like "Folks, we'll be closing up in five minutes. Let me know if you have any questions that you would like me to answer." That said, if a guy is looking to buy a bunch of new gear, you let him stay and try the stuff on.

[N!! 0]

I was going through those z-carbon woodies every three games or so and that was before they changed them. After they changed them I couldn't even get through a game. Last night I finally broke my other old R2 XN10. A douchebag from the other team collapsed on it and did everything he could to break it. It cracked but didn't split in two. Good thing I have a few more in the closet.

Somehow I have this image of Schroeder watching Lucy destroy his piano and bust of Beethoven, then calmly walking to two different closets for a new piano and new bust.

[Chadd 916]

I was going through those z-carbon woodies every three games or so and that was before they changed them. After they changed them I couldn't even get through a game. Last night I finally broke my other old R2 XN10. A douchebag from the other team collapsed on it and did everything he could to break it. It cracked but didn't split in two. Good thing I have a few more in the closet.

Somehow I have this image of Schroeder watching Lucy destroy his piano and bust of Beethoven, then calmly walking to two different closets for a new piano and new bust.

The two R2XN10 shafts that are taped up and have blades in them are now broken, I've now moved into the stock of six new ones in this pic. Of course those two that are now broken help up for close to three years.

[daca 0]

Love the image title.

[dalebert 8]

Okay I searched the thread and didn't see anything like this so here it goes.

Today at the shop we had a guy come into our shop and ask to see some composite blades. We showed him our stock and he's stops and says he's going to his car to get his shaft and his catalog from a website. When he comes back in he has the catalog and he is flipping through it, he goes oh this site has it for 20 dollars less, then he sits there for about 15 minutes figuring out shipping and tax and the whole time my boss/owner is getting agitated and finally tells the guy off and the guy turned around and goes wow i was going to buy the blade but now i'm not. He leaves kicks a couple of boxes on the way out, and about 30 seconds later he walks back in and says forgot my catalog we got the last laugh...it was in his back pocket the whole time.

[jimmy 194]

Okay I searched the thread and didn't see anything like this so here it goes.

Today at the shop we had a guy come into our shop and ask to see some composite blades. We showed him our stock and he's stops and says he's going to his car to get his shaft and his catalog from a website. When he comes back in he has the catalog and he is flipping through it, he goes oh this site has it for 20 dollars less, then he sits there for about 15 minutes figuring out shipping and tax and the whole time my boss/owner is getting agitated and finally tells the guy off and the guy turned around and goes wow i was going to buy the blade but now i'm not. He leaves kicks a couple of boxes on the way out, and about 30 seconds later he walks back in and says forgot my catalog we got the last laugh...it was in his back pocket the whole time.

These kind of customers are idiots. When will they realize that LHS are not catalog stores. Please don't waste our time, just buy from the catalog store and leave us alone. Of course you dumb a$$, catalog or online stores are going to be cheaper, they have lower expenses. Take some economics and business 101 courses, and GTF out of my store. Oh yea, don't look or touch my equipment before you buy it elsewhere. Use the little picture in the catalog to make your decision you dumba$$. These kind of people are the lowest of lowlifes. They just don't get it. I have no problem telling them, "well, go buy it elsewhere".

[dalebert 8]

Yeah my boss asked him what he is going to do when all these mom and pop stores go out of business and you start to pay crazy prices for sharpenings because you have to send the skates out and wait a week or two for your equipment and can't get something last minute and that was what made him leave.

[LkptTiger 1]

Not really something that customers at our shop do, but more something that we employees have to deal with...every once in awhile I'll answer the phone and the conversation will go something like this:

Me: "Front Row Sports, this is Rob. How can I help you?"

Caller: "Uh, yeah, Airport Taxi?"

Me:: "No, sir, this is Front Row Sports. You have the wrong number."

Caller: "Oh, okay, sorry."

click

Ten seconds later the phone will ring again...exact same guy, exact same conversation. I give him our number, and I give him Airport Taxi Service's number (which are similar).

click

The phone rings a third time, five seconds after I hang-up.

Me: "Airport Taxi Cab Service, this is Rob. How can I help you?" (I don't disguise my voice or anything - you'd think that the caller would realize it's the same guy...you'd THINK...wouldn't you?)

Caller: "Yeah, I'd like to order a cab ride to the airport tomorrow morning."

Me: "Okay, I'll need your name, number, and your pick-up location and time, please."

Caller: *gives me his information - I whack at keys on the register keyboard to make it sound like I'm loading the information into a computer*

Me: "Okay, we have a pick-up for *time* at *location* to the Buffalo International Airport. One of our drivers will see you in the morning, sir. Thank you for calling Airport Taxi Service."

click

[tjl_48 0]

That is so funny. I would love to see his reaction when his taxi doesn't show up.

[LkptTiger 1]

I'd love to be there to see it, too. Oddly enough, we've never received any "morning after" phone calls from anyone complaining that their cab hasn't arrived. Not while I've been working there, anyways.

Our number is ***-*92*. Theirs is ***-*29*.

[bsopko91 1]

This is a pretty long post, not sure if anyone has mentioned anything along these lines but what about when people try to buy equipment for their kids without actually having them there to try things on?

1. A mom will come in asking if we have skates for her son. Answer is of course, is he a. here to try them on, and if not, b. what is the shoe size of your son, so that you can get something close and if it doesn't work out, you can return them. The answer i get most of the time is, oh he's 8 years old. THANKS! Did I ask for his age? Ok, sure, no problem, i'll go fetch a skate out of our 8 year old section!

2. Our store sells new and used skates, one time a customer came in, wanted to purchase a pair of used skates for his kid. We fit him up, got him a pair of Vapor 10's at the time, asking only $40 for them in near mint condition. He refused to pay. I told him how much they would cost new for the same pair, how you get the a sharpening and a pair of laces included, etc. He thought he shouldn't have to pay anything for a used pair of skates. And when i mention to him, its a business and we have to make a profit, his reply is..."well you're profit should be knowing that a kid was able to get a pair of skates!" Good f'ing lord! GET OUT OF OUR STORE!

Another good one I've come across was when a grandmother came in wanting to buy a wood stick for her grandson for xmas. She went through every single stick we had checking where the stick was made. We carried mostly Sherwood. She noticed they were either made in Canada, or for the Juniors, Ukraine. She refused to buy anything that wasn't MADE in the USA! and proceeded to give us a lecture on how we aren't supporting this country and tearing our own economy apart. First off, grandma, you're wrong on so many levels its not even worth getting in to, second, give me a break, because I care?

Another thing that happened recently and I know how everyone complains about hte online shopper...

A lady wanted to order mission fuel 90 pants, we charge, as everyone does 59.95usd. she started getting angry and asked for our price to be lowered. I being the manager came out and asked what the problem was. She claimed she saw them cheaper online. I told her thats not possible, Mission has MAP, explained to her what it was, etc. she said, hockey monkey has them for 35.00, again, NO lady, thats not right, thats below cost! And if you really saw them for that price, buy them, but we aren't going to accomodate you. All i can tell you is taht you weren't looking at the correct pant. She continued to complain until she left. Two days later she came back and ordered it from us! Some people are just ridiculous

[sogaduch 0]

Not really something that customers at our shop do, but more something that we employees have to deal with...every once in awhile I'll answer the phone and the conversation will go something like this:

Me: "Front Row Sports, this is Rob. How can I help you?"

Caller: "Uh, yeah, Airport Taxi?"

Me:: "No, sir, this is Front Row Sports. You have the wrong number."

Caller: "Oh, okay, sorry."

click

Ten seconds later the phone will ring again...exact same guy, exact same conversation. I give him our number, and I give him Airport Taxi Service's number (which are similar).

click

The phone rings a third time, five seconds after I hang-up.

Me: "Airport Taxi Cab Service, this is Rob. How can I help you?" (I don't disguise my voice or anything - you'd think that the caller would realize it's the same guy...you'd THINK...wouldn't you?)

Caller: "Yeah, I'd like to order a cab ride to the airport tomorrow morning."

Me: "Okay, I'll need your name, number, and your pick-up location and time, please."

Caller: *gives me his information - I whack at keys on the register keyboard to make it sound like I'm loading the information into a computer*

Me: "Okay, we have a pick-up for *time* at *location* to the Buffalo International Airport. One of our drivers will see you in the morning, sir. Thank you for calling Airport Taxi Service."

click

That is amazing wow that takes alot of skill to do that without laughing

[hgdaigle 0]

Not really something that customers at our shop do, but more something that we employees have to deal with...every once in awhile I'll answer the phone and the conversation will go something like this:

Me: "Front Row Sports, this is Rob. How can I help you?"

Caller: "Uh, yeah, Airport Taxi?"

Me:: "No, sir, this is Front Row Sports. You have the wrong number."

Caller: "Oh, okay, sorry."

click

Ten seconds later the phone will ring again...exact same guy, exact same conversation. I give him our number, and I give him Airport Taxi Service's number (which are similar).

click

The phone rings a third time, five seconds after I hang-up.

Me: "Airport Taxi Cab Service, this is Rob. How can I help you?" (I don't disguise my voice or anything - you'd think that the caller would realize it's the same guy...you'd THINK...wouldn't you?)

Caller: "Yeah, I'd like to order a cab ride to the airport tomorrow morning."

Me: "Okay, I'll need your name, number, and your pick-up location and time, please."

Caller: *gives me his information - I whack at keys on the register keyboard to make it sound like I'm loading the information into a computer*

Me: "Okay, we have a pick-up for *time* at *location* to the Buffalo International Airport. One of our drivers will see you in the morning, sir. Thank you for calling Airport Taxi Service."

click

That is amazing wow that takes alot of skill to do that without laughing

Hahahaha I agree, that's priceless. But what a moron the caller is

[Chadd 916]

2. Our store sells new and used skates, one time a customer came in, wanted to purchase a pair of used skates for his kid. We fit him up, got him a pair of Vapor 10's at the time, asking only $40 for them in near mint condition. He refused to pay. I told him how much they would cost new for the same pair, how you get the a sharpening and a pair of laces included, etc. He thought he shouldn't have to pay anything for a used pair of skates. And when i mention to him, its a business and we have to make a profit, his reply is..."well you're profit should be knowing that a kid was able to get a pair of skates!" Good f'ing lord! GET OUT OF OUR STORE!

I've always thought that the used hockey gear business couldn't possibly be profitable enough to put up with all of the complaints.

[roscoe6 1]

Talk about missing out on a chance to create a great relationship with a customer. At 8 you lock the door, flip the sign to "closed" and continue helping a guy get fitted. Don't say anything or make a big deal about it and the guy will notice and remember how you helped him out. Been there and done that more than a couple times.

You seem like a classy guy Chadd.

[bsopko91 1]

2. Our store sells new and used skates, one time a customer came in, wanted to purchase a pair of used skates for his kid. We fit him up, got him a pair of Vapor 10's at the time, asking only $40 for them in near mint condition. He refused to pay. I told him how much they would cost new for the same pair, how you get the a sharpening and a pair of laces included, etc. He thought he shouldn't have to pay anything for a used pair of skates. And when i mention to him, its a business and we have to make a profit, his reply is..."well you're profit should be knowing that a kid was able to get a pair of skates!" Good f'ing lord! GET OUT OF OUR STORE!

I've always thought that the used hockey gear business couldn't possibly be profitable enough to put up with all of the complaints.

The complaints really aren't bad. We have a shop in Bergen County, NJ, and its amazing, even with all the money in the area, people are still incredibly cheap and seriously love saving some money here and there for used skates. I mean obviously there's a considerable markup for the used. We give store credit back for the used equipment, but we're not obligated to take everything we're handed. Best time of year for the skates is really december through early march for pond skating and such. I honestly hate having to deal with the used end of things, but surprisingly, it works and sells...

[forbs02 20]

Talk about missing out on a chance to create a great relationship with a customer. At 8 you lock the door, flip the sign to "closed" and continue helping a guy get fitted. Don't say anything or make a big deal about it and the guy will notice and remember how you helped him out. Been there and done that more than a couple times.

I have had that backfire me back more often than not. I've had a few good customers who would say thank you and become repeat customers, but I've also had a lot who have a sense of entitlement. I would stay open late and they would complain because we didn't have the exact product they wanted, the wrong color, "we're just looking"... or they would spend an hour trying to decide which pair of $45 (new) skates they wanted to buy. "What are the benefits of the Impact 50 skates over the 92 tacks?, my bantam is on the ice everyday and I want them to last him." Heaven forbid you try to talk them into an appropriate skate though... "You are just trying to get more money out of me! These bottom end skates will be fine, give me two sizes up from what you put him in so he has room to grow." Sorry for the rant, I just found retail extremely frustrating. You try your hardest to put people into the product that is best for them (ex. not putting your 14 yr old bantam in rec. hockey skates) and they bite your head off. They always would come back two weeks later yelling again because we sold them an inappropriate skate and now jr has a broken foot from taking a puck. I could go on and on.

There are great customers out there. You build a rapport with them and it's awesome. I had a lot of customers who would call ahead to make sure I was there so I could sharpen their skates, but on the other hand I had the jackasses who in front of their daughters would ask a male associate to sharpen their skates because "girls don't know how to sharpen".

Respectfulness is a two-way street, you treat the customers with respect and hope they will give you the same. If they don't, you just have to nod and smile and hope that karma comes back to bite them.

[Chadd 916]

Talk about missing out on a chance to create a great relationship with a customer. At 8 you lock the door, flip the sign to "closed" and continue helping a guy get fitted. Don't say anything or make a big deal about it and the guy will notice and remember how you helped him out. Been there and done that more than a couple times.

I have had that backfire me back more often than not. I've had a few good customers who would say thank you and become repeat customers, but I've also had a lot who have a sense of entitlement. I would stay open late and they would complain because we didn't have the exact product they wanted, the wrong color, "we're just looking"... or they would spend an hour trying to decide which pair of $45 (new) skates they wanted to buy. "What are the benefits of the Impact 50 skates over the 92 tacks?, my bantam is on the ice everyday and I want them to last him." Heaven forbid you try to talk them into an appropriate skate though... "You are just trying to get more money out of me! These bottom end skates will be fine, give me two sizes up from what you put him in so he has room to grow." Sorry for the rant, I just found retail extremely frustrating. You try your hardest to put people into the product that is best for them (ex. not putting your 14 yr old bantam in rec. hockey skates) and they bite your head off. They always would come back two weeks later yelling again because we sold them an inappropriate skate and now jr has a broken foot from taking a puck. I could go on and on.

There are great customers out there. You build a rapport with them and it's awesome. I had a lot of customers who would call ahead to make sure I was there so I could sharpen their skates, but on the other hand I had the jackasses who in front of their daughters would ask a male associate to sharpen their skates because "girls don't know how to sharpen".

Respectfulness is a two-way street, you treat the customers with respect and hope they will give you the same. If they don't, you just have to nod and smile and hope that karma comes back to bite them.

I've never had anyone complain when I've said told them it was time to go. Usually something like, "sorry, but I'd like to see my wife before she falls asleep" or " I have a game tonight at another rink and I can't stick around tonight."

The ones who treat you like shit should still get polite, friendly service but there's no reason to go the extra mile for them. You don't owe them and they don't owe you. That said, you make the effort as often as possible with new customers, they may surprise you from time to time.

I used to get these young Amish guys coming in after spending all day in the field and stinking to high heaven. I was always friendly and polite and the sharpenings turned into sticks and the sticks turned into skates and before you know it these guys are dropping hundreds of dollars a week in the shop, all cash. We all judge people when we see them, the key is not to let those initial impressions impact how you treat customers.