The Things Customers Do

[Pure Hockey 4]

We once had a store lose power during a storm, the guys closed the door and hung out, to see if the power would come back on since it was the middle of the day. Someone came to the door and knocked, we went out and explained that we had lost power blah blah blah...

Customer: I have a game in an hour, Can you just sharpen my skates?

Employee: Sir, we have no power that's why we had to close down

Customer: Come on I just need them sharpened it'll only take a few minutes

Employee: Sir we have no power, we can't sharpen skates.

Customer: Come on it's quick I have a game, just help me out.

Employee: The machine is electric it won't work without power

Customer: Whatever ( And left)

No matter what, we just couldn't get the guy to make the connection between having no power and it's effect on the skate sharpening machine. He was convinced we just didn't feel like helping him out. To this day still makes me laugh a bit

[goblue9280 33]

You mean to tell me you guys don't have a backup hand-crank grinding wheel?

[HockeySavants 5]

Common sense isn't common

[jimmy 194]

You mean to tell me you guys don't have a backup hand-crank grinding wheel?

I do. It's called a Sweet Stick! That'll be $5 please. Here's your sign.

[AIREAYE 248]

Someone came in looking to see if we could exchange sizing for a Warrior Krown helmet that did not fit his son which was part of a team deal. If it's a simple size exchange like a M to L we could do and the transaction was about to go through smoothly when I decided to do a quick once-over on the helmet.

The back dial was broken. The helmet could move freely and could not contract/expand.

A few more questions later and the guy revelead unceremoniously that he had taken a screwdriver to the side-plate (seen in JR's teardown thread) and tried to manually adjust it to move and broke the adjustment system as well.

We refused his exchange naturally and sent him to Warrior, but all in all, he was trying to scam his broken helmet (purchased elsewhere) onto us for a fresh one.

[jimmy 194]

We get that helmet trick all the time. Our policy is no swaps for stuff not bought at our store. Would you go to Sears and ask them to swap out a lawnmower you bought at Home Depot??? And a broken one at that? It boggles me how people try to scam LHS's.

Customer comes in, "My son won a pair of skates in a raffle" (umm, where haven't I heard this before), can you size him so I know what size to get him. Me: "Nope". Not even two days later, guy I play hockey with comes in, " I won this skate in a raffle...." Had the balls to want me to mold them for free. Sorry, can't do that, that'll be $50 please, and $20 for first sharpening. The gall of some people, why lie, why not just say they bought the skates online, how much to size, mold and sharpen?

[black hills tj 5]

We get that helmet trick all the time. Our policy is no swaps for stuff not bought at our store. Would you go to Sears and ask them to swap out a lawnmower you bought at Home Depot??? And a broken one at that? It boggles me how people try to scam LHS's.

Customer comes in, "My son won a pair of skates in a raffle" (umm, where haven't I heard this before), can you size him so I know what size to get him. Me: "Nope". Not even two days later, guy I play hockey with comes in, " I won this skate in a raffle...." Had the balls to want me to mold them for free. Sorry, can't do that, that'll be $50 please, and $20 for first sharpening. The gall of some people, why lie, why not just say they bought the skates online, how much to size, mold and sharpen?

20 bucks to sharpen?

[steelnation248 101]

We get that helmet trick all the time. Our policy is no swaps for stuff not bought at our store. Would you go to Sears and ask them to swap out a lawnmower you bought at Home Depot??? And a broken one at that? It boggles me how people try to scam LHS's.

Customer comes in, "My son won a pair of skates in a raffle" (umm, where haven't I heard this before), can you size him so I know what size to get him. Me: "Nope". Not even two days later, guy I play hockey with comes in, " I won this skate in a raffle...." Had the balls to want me to mold them for free. Sorry, can't do that, that'll be $50 please, and $20 for first sharpening. The gall of some people, why lie, why not just say they bought the skates online, how much to size, mold and sharpen?

Wow. Thats an expensive baking and first sharpening. I think it's like $25-$30 total for both everywhere around here.

[chippa13 1844]

I don't think the customer was being an idiot and thought you were telling him the price in Pesos or Yen, its an expression when the price is much higher than expectation, I've used it before myself. Also, I wouldn't drop 175 bucks on a generic brand stick when I can get a proven brand for a little more.

My standard response is; "American???"

Wow. Thats an expensive baking and first sharpening. I think it's like $25-$30 total for both everywhere around here.

They do the bake and then CCM fit machine. Worth every penny if you ask me.

[jimmy 194]

Wow. Thats an expensive baking and first sharpening. I think it's like $25-$30 total for both everywhere around here.

It's actually free for skates purchased at our store. The fist sharpening is not like a regular sharpening, if done correctly, it takes about 4 times the amounts of time, machine dressing and stone usage as a regular sharpening so we charge 4 times regular price if someone comes in off the street with skates with unsharpened steel. We always tell them that the place they bought their skates should have done it for free and that they should go back to them and have them do it, but they usually don't. We use to charge $25 for molding, but when the local chain raised their price to $50 and they don't even have a FIT machine, we had to raise ours to meet the demand because no one was going there anymore. We are in businees to make money, not to provide cheap service for their online purchase. It actually has proved to be a nice money maker, especially since the customers who think they are saving buying online, in the end paying more than if they just purchased them locally. We also tell them they can do it themselves at home if they don't want to pay. They usually pay. As a side, our molding include any punching or stretching and multiple repeats if necessary, it's a full fitting service.

Edited July 25, 2012 by jimmy

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Would you go to Sears and ask them to swap out a lawnmower you bought at Home Depot??? And a broken one at that?

Yes. Happens all the time. I remember wayyyyy back when I worked in a walmart autoshop we had somebody who wanted ALL FOUR of his tires replaced via warranty. They were a brand we don't even sell. After having the guy bitch for 20 minutes about how "the customer is always right", I had a manager tell me to just replace them. *facepalm*

We use to charge $25 for molding, but when the local chain raised their price to $50 and they don't even have a FIT machine, we had to raise ours to meet the demand because no one was going there anymore.

What is a FIT machine? I've had skates heat moulded many times and have never heard of it.

And yes, when I buy skates online I *know* im going to get raped on bake/sharpen. Only did it once, when I found a pair of RBK 11K Pro Returns for $199 on eBay in my size. Even after the bake/sharpen I was still WELL ahead, so it was worth it. But I agree, it's funny to see people doing the math in their head, and coming to the conclusion that it would have been cheaper to buy local :D

Edited July 25, 2012 by OptimusReim

[raganblink 82]

I just had a call from someone looking for a pair of One95 in 8D. Good luck finding that, bud.

And over the weekend I was more or less bitched at by a customer who came in looking for clearance skates, and was upset at our clearance selection. He didn't seem to understand why we didn't have certain models & sizes in stock... I don't know what hes really expecting. Why would it be in a shops best interest to keep in stock skates that are clearance or going to be clearance? I know there are certain models & things that it wouldn't hurt having full-stock until they are clearanced out, that way you maximize your profits on people still wanting to buy that item (for instance, if we had a good selection of TotalONE sticks still in stock, we could still sell a ton), but why would we hold on to skates (or whatever) from 2009? [He was looking for x40 & x50 stuff]

[chippa13 1844]

What is a FIT machine? I've had skates heat moulded many times and have never heard of it.

The FIT machine was/is made by CCM. After your skates come out of the skate oven, you put them on and then your feet go into the FIT machine. The machine has air bladders which fill up and put pressure all around your foot, molding the skate to your foot.

[alekgrongstad 0]

Kids pulling gloves off the wall and then leaving them in the wrong order, or on the floor, along with the occasional "lost glove" scenario when one glove is just missing for awhile... drives me up a wall.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

The FIT machine was/is made by CCM. After your skates come out of the skate oven, you put them on and then your feet go into the FIT machine. The machine has air bladders which fill up and put pressure all around your foot, molding the skate to your foot.

That actually sounds like a really good idea. Wish more places had that.

Kids pulling gloves off the wall and then leaving them in the wrong order, or on the floor, along with the occasional "lost glove" scenario when one glove is just missing for awhile... drives me up a wall.

To be fair, some stores (especially big ones like hockeygiant/hockeymonkey) put so many pairs of gloves on one uh..."arm" (?) that it becomes extremely difficult to put them back correctly. Like you let go of them gently hoping they dont fall...

I could see how it would be irritating to have to keep putting them back in that "please dont fall" state ;)

Edited July 25, 2012 by OptimusReim

[raganblink 82]

With the glove wall - its not freaking hard. You found it one way, how hard is it to put it back exactly how you found it? But kids are lazy and don't put any effort towards putting anything back correctly. If there ever comes a day where zero gloves are messed up at the end of the day, I'll need to invest in lottery tickets, because something is working out for me.

[dsjunior1388 81]

With the glove wall - its not freaking hard. You found it one way, how hard is it to put it back exactly how you found it? But kids are lazy and don't put any effort towards putting anything back correctly. If there ever comes a day where zero gloves are messed up at the end of the day, I'll need to invest in lottery tickets, because something is working out for me.

Ugh, that'll happen when pigs fly. I had one customer pick up gloves, try them on, look at me, look at the wall, look at the gloves, look back at me, then drop the gloves on the floor and walk out.

[OceanicSix 0]

I love reading this thread. Never worked in a hockey store but it brings back some funny/painful memories of working in a golf shop.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

With the glove wall - its not freaking hard. You found it one way, how hard is it to put it back exactly how you found it? But kids are lazy and don't put any effort towards putting anything back correctly. If there ever comes a day where zero gloves are messed up at the end of the day, I'll need to invest in lottery tickets, because something is working out for me.

All I meant is that sometimes, in some stores, it IS hard to put them back. I'll make at attempt, but after they fall down for the 3rd time, screw it, they're going on another hook. Though I guess I understand where you're coming from - kids wouldn't even bother trying.

Ugh, that'll happen when pigs fly. I had one customer pick up gloves, try them on, look at me, look at the wall, look at the gloves, look back at me, then drop the gloves on the floor and walk out.

See now that's just plain douchey.

Edited July 25, 2012 by OptimusReim

[raganblink 82]

That experience isn't that uncommon - there are plenty of adults who never learned manners and just drop stuff like their 6. My shop after a team deal (college or HS kids) looks worse then it does after a peewee team because atleast the peewee parents are with them to put stuff away.

[jimmy 194]

If you think we have it tough, Imagine how it would be working in a Walmart?

[Chadd 916]

If you think we have it tough, Imagine how it would be working in a Walmart?

but there you have front row tickets to a freakshow on a near-daily basis.

[dsjunior1388 81]

If you think we have it tough, Imagine how it would be working in a Walmart?

That was my job before I got hired at the rink.

All I meant is that sometimes, in some stores, it IS hard to put them back. I'll make at attempt, but after they fall down for the 3rd time, screw it, they're going on another hook. Though I guess I understand where you're coming from - kids wouldn't even bother trying.

See now that's just plain douchey.

Apparently, he had been in about a week before, and when he put them back on the wall, my coworker said "Dude, you can see how they're put up, just put them like you found them." I guess he got his revenge...

[hockeymass 11]

If you think we have it tough, Imagine how it would be working in a Walmart?

I used to work at a clothing outlet store. Hell on earth. At least Walmarts have cleanup crews.

[donkers 31]

When I was 14 I worked at a pro shop for a month and I hated when guys would come in and grab pants from one end and put them back at the opposite end. I ORGANIZED THE WHOLE RACK BY COLOR AND SIZE YOU ASSHOLES.