The Things Customers Do

[chippa13 1844]

Sad but true, unfortunately, which is why the Mrs. and I do most of our savings with coupons and box stores. We'll kill the little guy grocers and hardware guys but damned if they'll take my lhs.

[shooter27 116]

I understand how important it is to support your local hockey store, but i would gladly save that 5 dollars... 5 dollars is enough for a perfectly good meal. I see nothing wrong with that. I only bought my recent pair of skates online because they didn't stock the ones i wanted at my LHS. I would have otherwise. But you shouldnt't fault people for trying to save a little dough here and there. Just my two cents!

No argument wiht trying to save a buck, but if you save $20 by buying the skates online, you still need to have them baked and sharpened. Most places I know of will charge you at least $45 for a baking and first sharpening, sometimes more, on skates that are bought outside the store, but do that stuff for free for skates bough from them - and imo $45 is a completely reasonable price for those services. So you saved your $20, but after having them baked and sharpened you actually spent $25 more than you would have if you had bought the skates at the store. The point is that you have to take into account those ancillary costs when determining whether or not you actually saved money, which many people do not.

[cptjeff 0]

I work at a rink, and we charge $30 for baking and $15 for the first sharpening if you didn't buy the skates from us. If you bought them from us, it's all free.

We consider it an incentive to buy skates from us because we fit you, take the time to figure out what you need, etc.

I understand if you can find a pair of skates online for $100 or $200 less than in the stores, but it always makes me chuckle to see people who bought a pair online that was $50 cheaper than in the store, only to have to turn around and pay $45 to get them baked and sharpened.

So if I buy skates at another shop and don't have them sharpened (maybe the wait was too long or the guy who does it was out or just plain sucks) your shop will charge me $15?

Incentive...sounds more like a requirement if you ask me.

What if I already know what I need and I don't have them baked or sharpened, do I $45 bucks off?

If you buy them at the same store, baking and sharpening are free. If you don't, expect to pay money for those services.

How is that hard to grasp?

[AdamCV 0]

I agree, I recently purchased a pair online as neither store in my area had my size in the One95's. When they arrive later this week I am planning on taking them into have them baked and contoured. I would never expect that service to be free and am fine with paying the extra since it meant I was able to get the skates I wanted.

I think people just see the bottom line price on the skates and forget about the extras

[VakarLajos 5]

$15 shipping + $20 baking + $10 sharpening = $45.

If you can save more than that buying online, then it makes sense. If the price difference on a pair of skates was $5 then really you might have just lost $40.

My shop also charges $2 to cut a stick that is not purchased from us. Why? Well, we have the saw and we're doing the work. It's a service. You're paying for it.

I have very good customers who will occasionally buy online if their saving a ridiculous amount or if we just can't get them the product. I know they do their best to buy with us and it's means a lot. I might not charge them for the baking and/or extra for the sharpening because I know they've come to us first.

[DarkStar50 679]

A customer's lucky day: I brought down an X:50 skate for fitting just now. Opened the box, tissue paper never touched, viola!, pulled out an X:60! The skates fit and I'm selling them for the X:50 price since they are in my inventory as such. "Such a deal!!"

[LivHockey84 0]

wow...thats lucky.

[stick9 881]

If you buy them at the same store, baking and sharpening are free. If you don't, expect to pay money for those services.

How is that hard to grasp?

Quick story. A buddy of mine bought some skis from shop A. He brought them to shop B to have the bindings adjusted and the edges done (shop B close to home and trusted we their techs). The owner of shop B wouldn't do it and told him to bring the stuff back to shop A. Neither me or my buddy purchased anything from shop B again. Shop B lost thousands of dollars in business over $50 in tech work.

So it's not that I don't understand it, it's I don't think it makes very much business sense. I didn't buy the skates there, so what. I'm in your shop now looking to do business. If you're gonna turn me away or charge me triple, I'll probably never shop there again. So not only did you lose out on the skate purchase, you're gonna lose out on the stick purchase, the glove purchase, monthly sharpens, ect.. ect..

Imagine if auto dealers did this with repairs and service, you'd be looking at a $100 oil change. Hey if you bought the car from them it would have been free.

When it comes to baking I understand the charge. It's time consuming and it's part of the fitting process.

[Chadd 916]

If you buy them at the same store, baking and sharpening are free. If you don't, expect to pay money for those services.

How is that hard to grasp?

Quick story. A buddy of mine bought some skis from shop A. He brought them to shop B to have the bindings adjusted and the edges done (shop B close to home and trusted we their techs). The owner of shop B wouldn't do it and told him to bring the stuff back to shop A. Neither me or my buddy purchased anything from shop B again. Shop B lost thousands of dollars in business over $50 in tech work.

So it's not that I don't understand it, it's I don't think it makes very much business sense. I didn't buy the skates there, so what. I'm in your shop now looking to do business. If you're gonna turn me away or charge me triple, I'll probably never shop there again. So not only did you lose out on the skate purchase, you're gonna lose out on the stick purchase, the glove purchase, monthly sharpens, ect.. ect..

Imagine if auto dealers did this with repairs and service, you'd be looking at a $100 oil change. Hey if you bought the car from them it would have been free.

When it comes to baking I understand the charge. It's time consuming and it's part of the fitting process.

There is a Ford dealer near my in-laws that does things like that. If you don't buy there, they will gladly schedule your appointment for an oil change. Unfortunately, you will not get an appointment for at least 6-10 months.

[chippa13 1844]

See, that is the stuff I don't get from the last two anectdotes. Sure, someone didn't buy from you but they're willing to give you the money for services. Why not gladly take someone's money to put on bindings or schedule a convenient oil change. True, this customer didn't buy from your shop this time but they may next time.

[Chadd 916]

See, that is the stuff I don't get from the last two anectdotes. Sure, someone didn't buy from you but they're willing to give you the money for services. Why not gladly take someone's money to put on bindings or schedule a convenient oil change. True, this customer didn't buy from your shop this time but they may next time.

On some of the mid-low end skates, I would make more money off of the people that bought online than I made off of the people that bought from me. I did have a kid that came in every week to ten days with a new Easton typhoon from the shop around the corner that he wanted me to cut. He broke them constantly but wouldn't buy anything else and the other shop wouldn't cut the stick for him. He didn't understand why I charged him for removing the plug and cutting the stick but I didn't charge the people that bought sticks from me.

[chippa13 1844]

Just tell him it is included in the stick price.

[bostonjuniorblackhawks 1]

when I buy online, it's from my lhs's website most of the time.

[cptjeff 0]

If you buy them at the same store, baking and sharpening are free. If you don't, expect to pay money for those services.

How is that hard to grasp?

Quick story. A buddy of mine bought some skis from shop A. He brought them to shop B to have the bindings adjusted and the edges done (shop B close to home and trusted we their techs). The owner of shop B wouldn't do it and told him to bring the stuff back to shop A. Neither me or my buddy purchased anything from shop B again. Shop B lost thousands of dollars in business over $50 in tech work.

So it's not that I don't understand it, it's I don't think it makes very much business sense. I didn't buy the skates there, so what. I'm in your shop now looking to do business. If you're gonna turn me away or charge me triple, I'll probably never shop there again. So not only did you lose out on the skate purchase, you're gonna lose out on the stick purchase, the glove purchase, monthly sharpens, ect.. ect..

Imagine if auto dealers did this with repairs and service, you'd be looking at a $100 oil change. Hey if you bought the car from them it would have been free.

When it comes to baking I understand the charge. It's time consuming and it's part of the fitting process.

So the shop should donate services to you, somebody who bought elsewhere due to marginally lower prices already even if they knew any service they got would be crappy, just in the hope that you MIGHT return and spend money at their shop in the future. Which you wouldn't. You demonstrated that when you bought elsewhere for a buck or two less on a thousand dollar piece of equipment. Why in hell would they cater to you?

[KingPest19 0]

If you buy them at the same store, baking and sharpening are free. If you don't, expect to pay money for those services.

How is that hard to grasp?

Quick story. A buddy of mine bought some skis from shop A. He brought them to shop B to have the bindings adjusted and the edges done (shop B close to home and trusted we their techs). The owner of shop B wouldn't do it and told him to bring the stuff back to shop A. Neither me or my buddy purchased anything from shop B again. Shop B lost thousands of dollars in business over $50 in tech work.

So it's not that I don't understand it, it's I don't think it makes very much business sense. I didn't buy the skates there, so what. I'm in your shop now looking to do business. If you're gonna turn me away or charge me triple, I'll probably never shop there again. So not only did you lose out on the skate purchase, you're gonna lose out on the stick purchase, the glove purchase, monthly sharpens, ect.. ect..

Imagine if auto dealers did this with repairs and service, you'd be looking at a $100 oil change. Hey if you bought the car from them it would have been free.

When it comes to baking I understand the charge. It's time consuming and it's part of the fitting process.

So the shop should donate services to you, somebody who bought elsewhere due to marginally lower prices already even if they knew any service they got would be crappy, just in the hope that you MIGHT return and spend money at their shop in the future. Which you wouldn't. You demonstrated that when you bought elsewhere for a buck or two less on a thousand dollar piece of equipment. Why in hell would they cater to you?

I dont see it as them wanting the shop to cater for them. Its more the fact that the shop owner wouldnt even do the work. It could have been a brand that shop didnt carry and couldnt get, it could be a variety of reasons why he went to another shop to get his product. In the end I cant blame the guy for not going back and spending money at shop B for the simple fact they refused to do the work, even though it seems this guy had no problem paying for it. To me thats the equivalent of me going into my LHS and them refusing to sharpen my skates because I didnt buy them there.

[VakarLajos 5]

Unless the guy had been in there previously and used my shop as a fitting room and been a complete dishonest jerk about it, then I don't see a reason to refuse to service the items.

[Chadd 916]

Unless the guy had been in there previously and used my shop as a fitting room and been a complete dishonest jerk about it, then I don't see a reason to refuse to service the items.

The only time I ever refused a customer is when some jackass wanted 1/4" hollow on his skates. There was no way I was going to take the blame when he broke his ankles.

[VakarLajos 5]

Unless the guy had been in there previously and used my shop as a fitting room and been a complete dishonest jerk about it, then I don't see a reason to refuse to service the items.

The only time I ever refused a customer is when some jackass wanted 1/4" hollow on his skates. There was no way I was going to take the blame when he broke his ankles.

I've done skates at 1/4". If it was a walk-in I showed them what that entailed. Wrote a disclaimer on the receipt.

I know a few guys who skate regularly on 1/4".....Don't ask me how, but they swear by it.

Edited January 13, 2010 by VakarLajos

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

I used to have a guy who wanted 1/4" all of the time. Slowly but surely, I would move up to 5/16" and then to 3/8" and he wouldn't notice. LOL

[VakarLajos 5]

One of them is the goalie for the team I work for. I've gone lower but he prefers 1/4".

[AIREAYE 248]

Just a quick question, is there a hollow between 1/2 and 5/8? 9/16, is that widely available?

[VakarLajos 5]

9/16" is between 1/2" and 5/8". Anybody should be able to do it for you.

[cptjeff 0]

If you buy them at the same store, baking and sharpening are free. If you don't, expect to pay money for those services.

How is that hard to grasp?

Quick story. A buddy of mine bought some skis from shop A. He brought them to shop B to have the bindings adjusted and the edges done (shop B close to home and trusted we their techs). The owner of shop B wouldn't do it and told him to bring the stuff back to shop A. Neither me or my buddy purchased anything from shop B again. Shop B lost thousands of dollars in business over $50 in tech work.

So it's not that I don't understand it, it's I don't think it makes very much business sense. I didn't buy the skates there, so what. I'm in your shop now looking to do business. If you're gonna turn me away or charge me triple, I'll probably never shop there again. So not only did you lose out on the skate purchase, you're gonna lose out on the stick purchase, the glove purchase, monthly sharpens, ect.. ect..

Imagine if auto dealers did this with repairs and service, you'd be looking at a $100 oil change. Hey if you bought the car from them it would have been free.

When it comes to baking I understand the charge. It's time consuming and it's part of the fitting process.

So the shop should donate services to you, somebody who bought elsewhere due to marginally lower prices already even if they knew any service they got would be crappy, just in the hope that you MIGHT return and spend money at their shop in the future. Which you wouldn't. You demonstrated that when you bought elsewhere for a buck or two less on a thousand dollar piece of equipment. Why in hell would they cater to you?

I dont see it as them wanting the shop to cater for them. Its more the fact that the shop owner wouldnt even do the work. It could have been a brand that shop didnt carry and couldnt get, it could be a variety of reasons why he went to another shop to get his product. In the end I cant blame the guy for not going back and spending money at shop B for the simple fact they refused to do the work, even though it seems this guy had no problem paying for it. To me thats the equivalent of me going into my LHS and them refusing to sharpen my skates because I didnt buy them there.

If he was willing to pay for it, then the manager of shop B probably has a problem. But I really, really doubt that he walked in and was willing to actually pay full price for the service.

I'm also not sure he realizes that a lot of dealerships do do that with oil changes- you pay $30 for any change, but if you buy the car at a specific dealership they may give you free changes for however many years.

Edited January 13, 2010 by cptjeff

[Law Goalie 147]

One of them is the goalie for the team I work for. I've gone lower but he prefers 1/4".

That's becoming surprisingly common. Playing out of the butterfly in general, and backside movements in particular, have forced goalie to go deep or to become incredibly precise about their edgework. Fleury's 3/4" is a real rarity.

Just a few years ago, I got raised eyebrows asking for 1/2" on goalie skates.

That said, I got the same old, "You want what?" act when I had FBV 100/50 put on a couple of weeks ago. Oh well.

[VakarLajos 5]

Yeah definitely seeing more goalies go deeper. I thought Fleury was at 1".

Last year both my goalies were at 5/16" and they got called up to Elmira and their EQM did them at 1/2" after specifically requesting 5/16" and having it on their cowlings. They came back a just a little pissed.