The Things Customers Do

[cptjeff 0]

There was one thing no one mentioned. A KID BROKE THE STICK. I know that being in retail can leave you pretty "amazed" at how stupid some people can be, but it was just a kid. Dealing with children is like dealing with retarded animals (I know I worked in day care Center) atleast my dog sits when I tell him to. Either way, when a kid makes a mistake, you need to cut him a break and hope that the parents are responsible enough to punish them.

The situation could have been handled better on both sides, but to deface the stick and punish the parents because of a CHILDS MISTAKE is wrong in my opinion.

You break it, you buy it still applies. kid or not, that's a $250 stick. At 13 you have enough judgment to understand the concept of property. If it's not yours, don't break it. If you break it, you have to accept responsibility.

If the 'kid' wasn't responsible enough to be screwing around with stuff in the shop, the parents should have had better control over him.

The stick was broken. Under the shop rules the customer has to buy it or their parents do. All that is proper. Staff puts a note on the stick for Easton that it's not valid for warranty so they can't claim that it was broken through normal use and lie to cheat easton out of a stick.

It's called personal responsibility. Your screwup, your mess to deal with. Accept it and move on, and ground your kid for a month and take it out of his allowance.

Just becuase it was a kid does not mean the shop should just laugh it off and take the loss. If a kid breaks a crystal jar in a china shop, would you expect the owner to just laugh it off? What if a 3 year old picks up a nail and gouges the crap out of a new car on the lot? Mommy and Daddy will be paying every single time. Why should this be the exception? Because the shop employee did something to protect against fraud?

[The Mafia Line 0]

i never said the parents don't have to pay.

[raygunpk 0]

Pshh a 13 year old set up a flame fest on MSH, but a 6 year old sent the whole nation in disarray for a few hours.

[sinkhole84 0]

Pshh a 13 year old set up a flame fest on MSH, but a 6 year old sent the whole nation in disarray for a few hours.

Damn Kids.

[87vert 0]

Pshh a 13 year old set up a flame fest on MSH, but a 6 year old sent the whole nation in disarray for a few hours.

????

[DarkStar50 679]

Pshh a 13 year old set up a flame fest on MSH, but a 6 year old sent the whole nation in disarray for a few hours.

????

Open up USA Today online and you will understand.

I used to go fly fishing a lot. It has been over 10 years since I have bought a new carbon graphite fly rod. They are easily over $500 for top end quality. There is no way I walk into a fly shop and start waving these wands around without talking to a salesman in the shop about what I am holding and looking at. For the guy who hasn't played in ten years, first thing I usually find from guys like that in my shop is before they start picking up sticks and flexing them, they stop and ask me what happened to sticks in the last 10 years and what is a flex and what am I looking at. A little respect for the shop's inventory and product goes a long way towards building a relationship with the customer and sales guy on the floor.

[DEATHTRON 19]

I understand where Drew is coming from with his actions. This is the Dr. PepperStarCenter afterall.

Zach

[Zamboni 6]

Kids on the team I coach are turning 13 this year, its an interesting age. Amazing that every time one player arrives at the rink with a new stick how all the other boys want to lean on it hard as part of the examination process. :o I have educated the players that OPS are not designed to hold the flex, my guys have stopped seeing how far they can bend teamates new twigs-thankfully before 1 snapped in the room.

Wonder how many junior sticks that snap in first few games were caused by another kid or parent rifting on the stick in a store.

[shotty 7]

It's not available to businesses.

no. but its available to CEO who then distributes up to 20 supplementary cards to his team. and if they all spend a whopping $12,500 per year on their card, suddenly mr. ceo has reached his godly spending minimum of 1/4 mil

just because it doesnt have a company name on it doesnt mean its not being run through a company's books. and this is how most people use the centurion card... save jay-z

[bantamseadogs13 0]

Unfortunately, kids will be kids. They see all this new gear coming that all the pros use and just HAVE to hold it in their hands. And of course, flexing them to a kid is THE way of finding out if it is a good stick or not. Why? Who knows. It's just cool, I guess.

Would it make any sense for shops to take the high level sticks and lock them up in a rack? Even if it is only a bar going across them that will not allow the stick to removed until it is unlocked? If you go to Walmart electronics all the PS3 and X-Boxes and games are locked up and cannot be touched except when the associate unlocks it. At least that way the sticks would be watched by the associates that can stand there with the kids and/or parents and remind them not to flex the crap out of them. You know the song, "signs, signs, every where there's signs"? Sometimes they mean nothing, especially if kids are not being watched. Flex it for a second and put it back quick before someone sees me. It would be a small investment made to protect a larger one in the prices of the sticks, wouldn't it?

Just a thought.

[hamstercaster 2]

It's just a matter of respect for the LHS and the potential customer who may buy that stick that's been overflexed and maybe stuck with a stick that will break on his first shift. Although it may end up being replaced, it's still a hassle and he'll have to wait a couple of weeks before he gets his new stick. Like, I don't think or at least I hope that there isn't anyone who will grab a helmet and bang it against the wall to see how strong and durable it would be or how many shots it takes before cracking. Also, would you borrow a buck and play catch to yourself using a goalie glove and leave puck marks all over the glove? Trying out gloves is one thing but ruining store inventory by doing things that will compromise the durability of the equipment is just retarded

[JR Boucicaut 3760]

Ugh, I know that smell.

[hamstercaster 2]

I had a guy tell me: You play sockless in your skates... as he was about to sharpen my skates.. I said yeah. He said, I can tell from the smell lol...

Now I have changed skates since and play with socks and air out the insoles. He seems to appreciate that lol

[JR Boucicaut 3760]

Now imagine being in FL, and that guy leaving his funky skates in his trunk for a week. Gets so hot you can squeeze the quarters together.

[DarkStar50 679]

We refuse to apply #'s or letters to a jersey that is not washed clean.

[hamstercaster 2]

Now imagine being in FL, and that guy leaving his funky skates in his trunk for a week. Gets so hot you can squeeze the quarters together.

We have a few guys at my stick and puck who do that with their entire gear during summer months. They play a game and shove their bag in the trunk and leave it in till the next game and all summer long. You have to wonder how they can endure the stench on themselves when it almost makes us all puke when ever one of them "breezes" by us on the ice.

[JR Boucicaut 3760]

Same here, but I always get that one guy trying to slip one through.

[IniNew 51]

I know when we got our numbers/logos done the dude actually sent back a guys jersey saying he wouldn't do it because of the smell. I laughed at the guy, and we still give him hell in the locker room every week.

[raygunpk 0]

So you guys don't allow flexing at all? Even just a tiny bit to test? I'm not talking going all the way full force, but just a tiny flick with the wrists.

[VakarLajos 5]

No. It's really all or nothing. For every person that knows how to test a stick there's 50 people who don't.

[JoeyJ0506 191]

Unfortunately, kids will be kids. They see all this new gear coming that all the pros use and just HAVE to hold it in their hands. And of course, flexing them to a kid is THE way of finding out if it is a good stick or not. Why? Who knows. It's just cool, I guess.

Would it make any sense for shops to take the high level sticks and lock them up in a rack? Even if it is only a bar going across them that will not allow the stick to removed until it is unlocked? If you go to Walmart electronics all the PS3 and X-Boxes and games are locked up and cannot be touched except when the associate unlocks it. At least that way the sticks would be watched by the associates that can stand there with the kids and/or parents and remind them not to flex the crap out of them. You know the song, "signs, signs, every where there's signs"? Sometimes they mean nothing, especially if kids are not being watched. Flex it for a second and put it back quick before someone sees me. It would be a small investment made to protect a larger one in the prices of the sticks, wouldn't it?

Just a thought.

I don't know a baseball specific shop that doesn't padlock the high-end aluminum, graphite, and composite bats to the rack

[Buzz_LightBeer 963]

-edit-

Edited October 22, 2009 by Buzz_LightBeer

[Buzz_LightBeer 963]

I have seen what a 13 year olds "test flex" looks like, I'm on Drews side on this one. Make them buy it, yes. Make an example of them, no. If anything, copy down the serial number and give Easton a heads up. Ball is then in eastons court. I'm thinking they would replace it regardless in order to get another S19 in another impressionable kids hands.

Moving on, a personal favorite in my arsenal:

Guy walks in with a box fresh from FedEx;

"Can you bake my skates?"

-"Why? You mean HockeyGiant didn't ship them hot?"-

[chippa13 1844]

What is so horrible about a guy asking for skates to be baked? Simply do it for him for a reasonable price, offer good service while doing it for him and then you've just increased your customer base by 1.

[WSjo22 1]

What is so horrible about a guy asking for skates to be baked? Simply do it for him for a reasonable price, offer good service while doing it for him and then you've just increased your customer base by 1.

Exactly, I understand the reason why lhs employees are steamed in situations like this but why don't you try to give the shopper a reason to return to your store instead of making them think they made the right decision by buying online...... Sometimes you just gotta bite your tongue and do what's best to get future sales for your store