The Things Customers Do

[dsjunior1388 81]

Now, I'd never use a wheeled bag, but I don't hate them. What's the difference in wheeling your bag 5 blocks and carrying it on a bus for 5 blocks? I guess the real men carry their bags but skip the bus eh Vakar? (Still resentful of both Brodeurs beating Hank this week).

Once a normal bag is empty of the skates and equipment it can be rolled, scrunched, or folded and stowed out of the way in a locker room. The wheeled bags have a metal or hard plastic frame that makes sure they cannot be moved out of the way. They pretty much take up a ton of space no matter what.

Plus guys with wheeled bags run their bags through a gauntlet in the locker rooms, banging into other bags, running over toes and knocking down sticks, plus catching and dragging socks and jerseys and making everyone else get out of the way. If you do have a wheel bag, at least carry it out of the room first.

[anko 3]

I'm not sure wheeled hockey bags had been created 15 years ago when I was growing up. No one seemed to have an issue carrying their stuff, goalies included. Equipment has only gotten lighter. This is a two minute walk to/from a car we're talking about, not a marathon. Regardless, I can move a lot better with a bag on my shoulder than I can with one dragging behind me.

[Drewhunz 3]

Watch Idiocracy. It will explain where we are going as a people.

[ndlancer95 0]

Watch Idiocracy. It will explain where we are going as a people.

But it's got electrolytes

[AIREAYE 248]

So today, I went to Sportchek to get my skates sharpened. Yes Sportchek was closest to where i live ok? Anyways, I ask a kid for 9/16" and the guy looks at me funny and apparently doesnt know about the 9/16th. So he tells this to the sharpener and the sharpener gives us both looks that suggests we're idiots or something...and he says the 9/16th wont make a difference. Well, I told him I tried 1/2 and 5/8 and want to try 9/16ths...perhaps he's just lazy to change the setting on the machine?

[Krev 86]

Or he has no idea what 9/16th is, making him an idiot.

Sportchek... why man? Make the extra drive for a better sharpening elsewhere.

[AIREAYE 248]

1. Because its $4 and

2. Because its so close

But prob not goin there again lol, its the LHS Source for Sports ($6 and VERY far away), Hockey Experts or Pro Hockey Life next time i think...

Edited January 16, 2010 by AIREAYE

[Rustyhole 1]

1. Because its $4 and

2. Because its so close

But prob not goin there again lol, its the LHS Source for Sports ($6 and VERY far away), Hockey Experts or Pro Hockey Life next time i think...

got mine done at SC once... and never again. EVER!

[Heg3 0]

i was backed up about 13 pair today and the counter was full so this guy comes into the repair/sharpening room puts his skates next too me on the sharpener and says and i quote "can you buzz these wheels up right quick for me chief, junior has a game in 15 minutes" at this point i am very very angry because

A. you came into the back room

B. you used a term like "Buzz these wheels","Chief"

C. you jumped in front of 13 pair of skates

so i politely tell the man of the store policy of a first come first serve basis and i will get to his skates as soon as i can, he gets very angry and tells me how big and important "Junior's" game was and i shouldn't put myself in the situation to ruin "Juniors" career, at this point i am flat out pissed off so i being polite as i can ask him to take his skates and to get them in line, he proceeds to throw a little cussing hissy fit and storms out slamming the door causing my Ryan Miller signed Winter Classic picture to fall off the wall and the frame to break, now i am pissed i stop sharpening the skates i was on walk out of the room and tell him to leave and never come back to which he swears again at me and tells me that he was looking to outfit his son with all new equipment and that he was going to ruin my store by telling everyone and i mean everyone how bad the customer service is and he is going to make the store's name MUD in the AAA hockey organization as if it was some sort of cult....

sorry i needed to vent i am still heated about 12 hrs later

[DarkStar50 679]

When it's backed up for sharpening on the weekends and I get that same idiot you got, I like to mention that getting your skates sharpened is like buying coffee at Dunkin Donuts or Tim Horton's, get on the line!

[jeffw 1]

Wow, weak. I'm sure everyone in the AAA org. already knows the guy is a tool....

[AdamCV 0]

Some people, if Juniors game was that important he would have checked the edges in the days leading up to the game not 15 minutes before it started. But gotta throw the blame somewhere because he and junior both were too lazy to take care of sharpening them before that.

Have at least one of those parents on every team, normally those are the ones that end up sitting by themselves. What an ignorant person. Did he even mention that he had broke your picture?

[raganblink 82]

Also... 99% of people use two sets of skates if there career is that important. Apparently his son's career isn't important enough to carry extra sharpened steel or another set of wheels. What if he broke his steel? He'd be screwed. Idiot parent is an idiot. Sucks about the picture though... atleast it isn't totally broke. But telling him never to come back... smart. Im pretty sure no one would want this guy's business if this is how he acts.

[VakarLajos 5]

When it's backed up for sharpening on the weekends and I get that same idiot you got, I like to mention that getting your skates sharpened is like buying coffee at Dunkin Donuts or Tim Horton's, get on the line!

A friend of mine once had a guy who offered him $20 to push his skates to the front. His response. "If you can beat the $25 this other guy gave me to do his first, then sure."

Quick way to make $30.

Personally, I don't do it. I really don't care. Everybody has a game. You're not that effin special. These are usually the same guys that want discounts for breathing correctly.

[raganblink 82]

But, I mean, these parent's are living out their dream's thru their kids, and their kid is going to go pro dammit. He's so legit and certain to become a professional, that he has never been scouted, just his teammates. But they're really there for my son... the third line left wing who is a top10 leading scorer...for the team. Also, I've been buying him 200 dollar senior sticks for him since he was 7. He's gotta get used to that big blade sometime, right? So that's why junior's skates (notice he called him junior? That's so the dad can get his name into the NHL...even if there is Jr. after it) are so god damn important they need to move ahead of all ya'lls unimportant skates, and put junior's ahead of them. ;) :P

[VakarLajos 5]

But, I mean, these parent's are living out their dream's thru their kids, and their kid is going to go pro dammit. He's so legit and certain to become a professional, that he has never been scouted, just his teammates. But they're really there for my son... the third line left wing who is a top10 leading scorer...for the team. Also, I've been buying him 200 dollar senior sticks for him since he was 7. He's gotta get used to that big blade sometime, right? So that's why junior's skates (notice he called him junior? That's so the dad can get his name into the NHL...even if there is Jr. after it) are so god damn important they need to move ahead of all ya'lls unimportant skates, and put junior's ahead of them. ;) :P

i would argue he's probably so much better than the rest of them that he doesn't even need edges to dominate the game.

[Sed27 0]

i was backed up about 13 pair today and the counter was full so this guy comes into the repair/sharpening room puts his skates next too me on the sharpener and says and i quote "can you buzz these wheels up right quick for me chief, junior has a game in 15 minutes" at this point i am very very angry because

A. you came into the back room

B. you used a term like "Buzz these wheels","Chief"

C. you jumped in front of 13 pair of skates

so i politely tell the man of the store policy of a first come first serve basis and i will get to his skates as soon as i can, he gets very angry and tells me how big and important "Junior's" game was and i shouldn't put myself in the situation to ruin "Juniors" career, at this point i am flat out pissed off so i being polite as i can ask him to take his skates and to get them in line, he proceeds to throw a little cussing hissy fit and storms out slamming the door causing my Ryan Miller signed Winter Classic picture to fall off the wall and the frame to break, now i am pissed i stop sharpening the skates i was on walk out of the room and tell him to leave and never come back to which he swears again at me and tells me that he was looking to outfit his son with all new equipment and that he was going to ruin my store by telling everyone and i mean everyone how bad the customer service is and he is going to make the store's name MUD in the AAA hockey organization as if it was some sort of cult....

sorry i needed to vent i am still heated about 12 hrs later

It's good to hear that most of the sharpeners on here don't condone line jumping. I've experienced it first hand and its not too fun to watch your skates get cycled back to the end as each subsequent rep player shows up....

The problem is some shops and employees allow que jumping and as a result it fosters a sense of entitlement for certain players and their parents.

Edited January 17, 2010 by Sed27

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

Now, what I have done in past situations is this -

Let's say you get inundated by skates from a team who is about to go on the ice. And everyone's there waiting - let's say I have 6 pair. 3 of them are 1/2", two are 5/8" and one is 3/8", but the order in which they were received were 1/2, 5/8, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, and 1/2. I will tell the customers that doing the hollows in order rather than in order of skates dropped off will make it easier/quicker for all parties involved. I really haven't had any problems with that approach because it takes longer to set up the machine. I'd go ahead and dress both wheels beforehand at different hollows then redress one to get that last hollow.

Most people will understand that you're trying to make their experience as quick as possible. As for the parent who gets pissed when you tell them that you won't bump them ahead, just say "Now, if I do that, how would you feel if you had dropped your skates off first and I bumped someone's skates ahead of you without asking you first?"

[RadioGaGa 162]

Now, what I have done in past situations is this -

Let's say you get inundated by skates from a team who is about to go on the ice. And everyone's there waiting - let's say I have 6 pair. 3 of them are 1/2", two are 5/8" and one is 3/8", but the order in which they were received were 1/2, 5/8, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, and 1/2. I will tell the customers that doing the hollows in order rather than in order of skates dropped off will make it easier/quicker for all parties involved. I really haven't had any problems with that approach because it takes longer to set up the machine. I'd go ahead and dress both wheels beforehand at different hollows then redress one to get that last hollow.

Most people will understand that you're trying to make their experience as quick as possible. As for the parent who gets pissed when you tell them that you won't bump them ahead, just say "Now, if I do that, how would you feel if you had dropped your skates off first and I bumped someone's skates ahead of you without asking you first?"

Yeah...but you've got that shank hanging in your shop....not a fair comparison to how everyone else deals with line jumpers and pushy parents *L*

I was waiting at the window for mine...woman comes up to the window: "are my sons skates done?" Guy behind the counter asks what skates they were. She doesn't know...looks around...points at a pair on the back counter. "Those ones". Guy goes..."they are next in line". She says "You said they be done in about half an hour...that was at XX time...it's XX now" about 5 mins +/-

"They are next ma'am" ...She huffs, and looks at her watch.

I wanted to smack her...and I don't even work there...I can only imagine dealing with that shit EVERY SINGLE DAY!

[Ahriman 1]

let's say I have 6 pair. 3 of them are 1/2", two are 5/8" and one is 3/8", but the order in which they were received were 1/2, 5/8, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, and 1/2.

In my old shop I can promise you that there would be 6 pairs of skates walking out with 1/2 sharpening. Then again, I wouldn't spend money there for any reason if I could avoid it.

[dsjunior1388 81]

Took my little brothers to the Saginaw Spirit Barrie Colts game, and enjoyed a great game, especially Alex Pietrangelo, who dominated the ice at all times.

Enjoyed the show even better, as we were seated next to a blowhard who was trying HARD to remind the people he was with that he played hockey and knew the game (he didn't.) Me and my little brothers were chuckling at most of his comments and antics (making a big point of letting everyone know he wanted a T-shirt from the cannon and whining when it wasn't in our section.)

But he brought the house down with this story, told after a player broke a stick. "Yeah, they break from time to time. I went through a few last year. Ended up buying five sticks, nice chump of change. One of them though, I had to resell cuz I got a lefty and I'm a righty. I looked all over the store for my curve in the new stick (didn't say the brand or model) and finally found it. Snapped it up quick, got it home and had it all taped up before I realized it was the wrong hand."

[Skoda10 14]

I looked all over the store for my curve in the new stick (didn't say the brand or model) and finally found it. Snapped it up quick, got it home and had it all taped up before I realized it was the wrong hand."

Hey come on, I've gone into the LHS grabbed a blade that was the brand and the curve I wanted, paid, started driving home, and had to go back because it was a lefty.

Those people at games do drive me nuts, spewing out crap that isn't right to their friends. It was refreshing yesterday at the Avs game someone behind us was actually knowledgeable and was telling his friend half way near decent info about the game.

[dtaggs19 0]

Today a kid pretending to be a monkey climbed up our martial arts bag rack then played with our memorabilia jerseys hanging from the ceiling while jumping around on treadmill boxes that were stacked up behind the display ones. As as asked him to come down he jumped from the boxes onto our display treadmills. jumped right onto the plastic cover plate covering the motor and electronics. You can imagine what happened. he completely demolished the plastic. 3 other employees came running in thinking someone got hurt. The stupid mother letting her kid play around in our store then tried to explaint o me that it was already broken. (as her other daughter tried to explain to her that her brother actually broke it and we all saw it happen.) She told me it was already broken. I told her i watched her son break it and to keep control of him in the store as our store is plastered with signs and pylons trying to keep children off machines for safety reasons. She was reluctant to apologize for her stupid sons actions. although her 7 year old daughter was nice enough to apologize for her brother breaking thing. Were now taking a loss on the treadmill as it was already on sale since it was last years model and the company doesn't make the model anymore. All i wanted was the mother to explain to her son what he did wrong and her to apologize to me. Yet she is too ignorant. Her daughter must have learned her manners from her friends parents as her own mother clearly didnt distill any type of right in wrong in her son. Bottom line. dont take your kids out with you if you cant control them. I wasnt going to tell her to pay for the machine or anything like that. yah accidents happen, but at least acknowledge it and apologize. Now the kid doesn't know that he did anything wrong.

Thanks for letting me vent.

[Ahriman 1]

this is why god invented the double slap.

[TBLfan 25]

Today a kid pretending to be a monkey climbed up our martial arts bag rack then played with our memorabilia jerseys hanging from the ceiling while jumping around on treadmill boxes that were stacked up behind the display ones. As as asked him to come down he jumped from the boxes onto our display treadmills. jumped right onto the plastic cover plate covering the motor and electronics. You can imagine what happened. he completely demolished the plastic. 3 other employees came running in thinking someone got hurt. The stupid mother letting her kid play around in our store then tried to explaint o me that it was already broken. (as her other daughter tried to explain to her that her brother actually broke it and we all saw it happen.) She told me it was already broken. I told her i watched her son break it and to keep control of him in the store as our store is plastered with signs and pylons trying to keep children off machines for safety reasons. She was reluctant to apologize for her stupid sons actions. although her 7 year old daughter was nice enough to apologize for her brother breaking thing. Were now taking a loss on the treadmill as it was already on sale since it was last years model and the company doesn't make the model anymore. All i wanted was the mother to explain to her son what he did wrong and her to apologize to me. Yet she is too ignorant. Her daughter must have learned her manners from her friends parents as her own mother clearly didnt distill any type of right in wrong in her son. Bottom line. dont take your kids out with you if you cant control them. I wasnt going to tell her to pay for the machine or anything like that. yah accidents happen, but at least acknowledge it and apologize. Now the kid doesn't know that he did anything wrong.

Thanks for letting me vent.

This is why when I worked on commission, some of the salespeople would charge the customer if their kid broke something in the store. The store didn't have the "Break it, buy it" policy but we saw it as an *sshole tax.