Charging for skate sizing

[fawn111 0]

on the fence with this.....

I support local business.... if I am charged $20 to get fitted then I expect the person that is fitting me to have excellent knowledge of every brand they carry and help me find the fit that is right for my foot.... IF this is not even close to the case, and I am getting "sold" something then you will lose customers... pure and simple...

If you got the staff to do this and the selection is good enough then I would definitely pay the $20 and be happy to receive a good service. In fact, if I knew that that $20 was getting me a better fit, with a better qualified salesman then I would be EAGER to pay because I knew that I am getting great service.

I think that you could make exceptions where the salesperson has the ability to wave the fee if they just can't find something that is right and the person is honest and a judgment call can be made.

Whenever I go into a shop for skates, or for that matter anything that requires a close dialogue with a salesperson I try to to do this on off hours where I know I will have the full attention of the person and that they are not in between working with three or four people. There are bad attitudes where people just feel like they are doing you the biggest favor by letting them serve you.... bu this also works the other way... a customer should never feel like the salesperson is doing them a favor by walking into their shop and trying to spend money with them.

[Hockeydog 8]

I support local business.... if I am charged $20 to get fitted then I expect the person that is fitting me to have excellent knowledge of every brand they carry and help me find the fit that is right for my foot.... IF this is not even close to the case, and I am getting "sold" something then you will lose customers... pure and simple...

I do agree. If a shop is going to charge for a fitting then there has to be some recourse for the paying customer if the info provided was bad. But that opens another can of worms. If LHS charges to fit, then the customer buys online the LHS can hardly take the skate back. All they could do is provide a refund if the customer can prove the info was wrong.

[FLoons 0]

Given the way skates fit, I always buy from the LHS. Skates require more expertise in fitting, even for those people who know exactly what they want. My recently purchased Rbk 9ks were a half size smaller then the CCM vectors I was replacing. I don't want to pay for shipping, pay to return if it isn't right. I want to try them on, lean in them for a while. Once baking them, letting my feet feeeel the fit. After sharpening (5-10$), baking (often 20$) and most importantly shipping (unless its free), the savings online become marginal except for closeout skates, which many LHSs will start dropping their price to clear inventory as well. Other equipment I do purchase online if the cost including shipping is cheaper because it requires less expertise to fit then skates.

I think his option of asking a customer "if you want our skate fitting expertise, we charge $20 which is applied towards the purchase of the skate. We do this to limit people who have no intension of buying from us. If we don't have your size, we'll refund your money or we'll order the size for you" is reasonable. "If you would like to try on various skates to find the right fit for you to order online, feel free to help yourself."

My local LHS does offer free sharpening for the life of the skate if you purchase your skate there. They put a sticker on the bottom to mark skates purchased on site.

A nicely made sign outlining the "hidden costs" in buying skates online and comparing to the larger online retailers can be helpful, pointing out the savings is marginal, and you don't get the expertise of someone helping you find the right skate for you.

[][ncognito 0]

Given the way skates fit, I always buy from the LHS. Skates require more expertise in fitting, even for those people who know exactly what they want. My recently purchased Rbk 9ks were a half size smaller then the CCM vectors I was replacing. I don't want to pay for shipping, pay to return if it isn't right. I want to try them on, lean in them for a while. Once baking them, letting my feet feeeel the fit. After sharpening (5-10$), baking (often 20$) and most importantly shipping (unless its free), the savings online become marginal except for closeout skates, which many LHSs will start dropping their price to clear inventory as well. Other equipment I do purchase online if the cost including shipping is cheaper because it requires less expertise to fit then skates.

I think his option of asking a customer "if you want our skate fitting expertise, we charge $20 which is applied towards the purchase of the skate. We do this to limit people who have no intension of buying from us. If we don't have your size, we'll refund your money or we'll order the size for you" is reasonable. "If you would like to try on various skates to find the right fit for you to order online, feel free to help yourself."

My local LHS does offer free sharpening for the life of the skate if you purchase your skate there. They put a sticker on the bottom to mark skates purchased on site.

A nicely made sign outlining the "hidden costs" in buying skates online and comparing to the larger online retailers can be helpful, pointing out the savings is marginal, and you don't get the expertise of someone helping you find the right skate for you.

This is a wise post.

I agree completely about trying skates on in person. Trying equipment on at the store is obviously the best way to know you're getting the best fit. I just bought a new pair of skates recently (roller, but still skates). I knew Mission sizing was different from standard skate sizing. However I ended up buying a pair of Mission skates a half size smaller than I would've online because the fit was much better for me. Of course for other equipment it may be less necessary to try on because the fit doesn't need to be as precise. I also did all the sizing myself as I didn't need help in knowing what skates fit me better. I think in most cases this is the standard as well.

Having a sign outlining the fitting cost and the stipulations behind it would definitely be a great idea if the policy is implemented. I think a lot of poster are missing the point that he's not planning on charging 20 dollars to everyone who wants to try on skates. If a customer wants to browse around a fit him or herself he didn't have a problem with that. But if the customer wants personal attention in fitting and plans to just use the information to buy online later on, I can see why he'd want to get something out of the deal.

The other point I wanted to bring up is the LHS prices seem to match very closely to the online merchants nowadays. At least around me they do. The skates I bought (at the Perani's in Sterling Heights, MI) were the same price in store as they were on hockey monkey. I always do a lot of research online before I decide on what equipment I might want to buy. I know the prices and the details. As mentioned, aside from closeouts, when you include shipping, wait time, uncertainties around the exact product you'll be getting, there's not a real big difference between ordering online and going to a store.

[GrafPro55 0]

Given the way skates fit, I always buy from the LHS. Skates require more expertise in fitting, even for those people who know exactly what they want. My recently purchased Rbk 9ks were a half size smaller then the CCM vectors I was replacing. I don't want to pay for shipping, pay to return if it isn't right. I want to try them on, lean in them for a while. Once baking them, letting my feet feeeel the fit. After sharpening (5-10$), baking (often 20$) and most importantly shipping (unless its free), the savings online become marginal except for closeout skates, which many LHSs will start dropping their price to clear inventory as well. Other equipment I do purchase online if the cost including shipping is cheaper because it requires less expertise to fit then skates.

I think his option of asking a customer "if you want our skate fitting expertise, we charge $20 which is applied towards the purchase of the skate. We do this to limit people who have no intension of buying from us. If we don't have your size, we'll refund your money or we'll order the size for you" is reasonable. "If you would like to try on various skates to find the right fit for you to order online, feel free to help yourself."

My local LHS does offer free sharpening for the life of the skate if you purchase your skate there. They put a sticker on the bottom to mark skates purchased on site.

A nicely made sign outlining the "hidden costs" in buying skates online and comparing to the larger online retailers can be helpful, pointing out the savings is marginal, and you don't get the expertise of someone helping you find the right skate for you.

This is a wise post.

I agree completely about trying skates on in person. Trying equipment on at the store is obviously the best way to know you're getting the best fit. I just bought a new pair of skates recently (roller, but still skates). I knew Mission sizing was different from standard skate sizing. However I ended up buying a pair of Mission skates a half size smaller than I would've online because the fit was much better for me. Of course for other equipment it may be less necessary to try on because the fit doesn't need to be as precise. I also did all the sizing myself as I didn't need help in knowing what skates fit me better. I think in most cases this is the standard as well.

Having a sign outlining the fitting cost and the stipulations behind it would definitely be a great idea if the policy is implemented. I think a lot of poster are missing the point that he's not planning on charging 20 dollars to everyone who wants to try on skates. If a customer wants to browse around a fit him or herself he didn't have a problem with that. But if the customer wants personal attention in fitting and plans to just use the information to buy online later on, I can see why he'd want to get something out of the deal.

The other point I wanted to bring up is the LHS prices seem to match very closely to the online merchants nowadays. At least around me they do. The skates I bought (at the Perani's in Sterling Heights, MI) were the same price in store as they were on hockey monkey. I always do a lot of research online before I decide on what equipment I might want to buy. I know the prices and the details. As mentioned, aside from closeouts, when you include shipping, wait time, uncertainties around the exact product you'll be getting, there's not a real big difference between ordering online and going to a store.

Yet when someone on here says "I have size 10 shoes, can someone tell me what size One 75 or S15 I need?", 10 people take a shot at fitting him.

[Chadd 916]

Yet when someone on here says "I have size 10 shoes, can someone tell me what size One 75 or S15 I need?", 10 people take a shot at fitting him.

I'm sure you've noticed that it's rarely the people that do it for a living offering advice.

[GrafPro55 0]

Yet when someone on here says "I have size 10 shoes, can someone tell me what size One 75 or S15 I need?", 10 people take a shot at fitting him.

I'm sure you've noticed that it's rarely the people that do it for a living offering advice.

Oh yeah, I understand that. I just think it's funny. The only response should be "you have to get fitted in a store by a professional".