The Things LHS Do

[AIREAYE 248]

Im hoping to be one of those valued LHS employees come spring...wish me luck guys :P

[ponder 0]

Some LHSs employ tonnes of useless high school kids, those shops are terrible, and I'll never shop at them. These kids are normally spoiled hockey brats with little knowledge and terrible customer service. Other LHSs pay for older, knowledgeable employees who know how to treat a customer, those guys get my business.

Also, I find Sport Check to generally have very nice, helpful employees who will take their time with you when trying on skates and whatnot, but it's basically a crap shoot re: their knowledge. Some know what they're talking about, some do not, and anything like skate sharpening is definitely a crap shoot too. But if you know what you want the fact that their employees will be glad to help you out can be a nice change from the bratty/snooty employees at some (though not all) LHSs.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Customer walks in with figure skates. Purchased and sharpened. The problem? 2 lefts.

What do you even say to that?

[elevation 1]

^^Double Toeloop?

[chippa13 1844]

Customer walks in with figure skates. Purchased and sharpened. The problem? 2 lefts.

What do you even say to that?

The Mrs. has told me that I have 2 left feet for years.

[17D1998 1]

Customer walks in with figure skates. Purchased and sharpened. The problem? 2 lefts.

What do you even say to that?

You laugh?

[frankie56 0]

Customer walks in with figure skates. Purchased and sharpened. The problem? 2 lefts.

What do you even say to that?

Does your twin have the righties?

[wrangler 157]

Customer walks in with figure skates. Purchased and sharpened. The problem? 2 lefts.

What do you even say to that?

May I get a picture of your feet for Ripley's?

[elpresidente99 1]

Yesterday i took my skates from sharpening and noticed, one of them is mine and the other was the exact same skate only 1 size smaller. The LHS doesn't know who takes the wrong skates and until today i have no information who has it.

What should i do if i don't get my skate back.

Greetz

[interpathway 9]

Im hoping to be one of those valued LHS employees come spring...wish me luck guys :P

Push your nose to the grindstone harder than the skates you sharpen and you'll be valued.

[gerbe3:16 19]

Yesterday i took my skates from sharpening and noticed, one of them is mine and the other was the exact same skate only 1 size smaller. The LHS doesn't know who takes the wrong skates and until today i have no information who has it.

What should i do if i don't get my skate back.

Greetz

Oh man. That is not good.

Hope the person that has the other set of mismatched sizes figures it out sooner rather than later and will also return to the store and you can do a swap. I would think it would happen within the next week. Not sure how often you skate and where that leaves you... But you'd have every right IMO to ask them for a new set of equivalent skates if they can't find your other skate... at least until you get your other skate back.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

If you run out of final pass lubricant and decide to use oil-based stainless steel cleaner as a substitute, remove the skate from the jig and spray the blade.

Don't spray the blade while it is on the jig - I don't need the felt to be greasier than a Jheri Curl.

[Sputnik20 46]

I disagree with you, LHS makes money by making sales. Hiring bad staff just means cutting corners but doesn't mean you make more money. Having experienced staff is going to help close more deals.

In the end who wants to have poor service AND pay higher price? I think the problem is finding the right person for the job.

Lets disagree again. Online merchants like PH, HM, or TH just put things in a box and slap a label on them. They are bound by suppliers to sell high end product at MAP pricing, while lower end products they sell at a much smaller profit margin. A LHS relies on the lower/mid range product to make up the % that they lose on the high end products. Try paying rent, buy merchandise, and payroll on a 30-35% profit margin. Most LHS have one or two experienced full time employees (owner and partner, owner and manager) and the rest are $8.00-$10.00/hour kids to do the grunt work. A good manager/owner will be very picky about the kids they hire or keep. If the profit margin on hockey gear was like food or clothes 75%, then you might find more stores with full time highly experienced staff, but the small stores can't keep up with online retailers, and now big box hockey stores, they either have to hire less qualified people, price match, or close. My LHS will price match online stores. If you bring in a shopping cart, they will price match that. Of course they may choose not to do so, or if it's a close out skate, they tell you that you will have to pay extra for the baking and sharpening.

[Chadd 916]

Most LHS have one or two experienced full time employees (owner and partner, owner and manager) and the rest are $8.00-$10.00/hour kids to do the grunt work. A good manager/owner will be very picky about the kids they hire or keep.

Most customers claim to be experts and don't listen to staff anyway.

[pby 0]

I'm not entirely sure which part you're disagreeing with. Regardless of the profit margins, they have to make sales to generate revenue.

You said a good manager/owner will be very picky about the kids they hire, of course, but I guess there are bad managers out there who don't give a damn who they hire?

Lastly, how does a LHS stay profitable by price matching, they have less inventory and have a higher running cost than say your typical online retailer? Wouldn't that just end up with hiring less qualified people as well?

[raganblink 82]

The reason online retailers make their money is two things; A) buying gear at 8-15% off wholesale, which inturn means their profit margin on that 30% markup is actually closer to 45%. That's why they make bank off of things like vapor skates and sticks... They sell what they can instore but sell online aswell at full price and make a ton off of that. That's why they can afford the overhead (which is alot higher than your LHS) and pay a bunch of 17 year old high schoolers. B) they buy products that the hockey companies no longer want at a ridiculously cheap price, and sell those items at a profit as well, and then while they are there they buy other stuff. - Great example, the CCM U+ skate (08). It was a POS, it will fall apart on you in a couple months, thats the reason CCM pulled them after a year and allowed all dealers to send back that skate if they booked the same qty of the new reloadeds. So CCM took back all of those skates and sold them to HM for from what I've heard, 70 to 80 bucks. So they have it for 100 bucks, they make $, and get a reputation of being the place to get gear for 'cheap'. So then people will go back there again to get something without doing research and will sell something eventually that is at that 45% markup...

They're really decieving with the way they market things... "original price" 750 for x60s, that's BS, no one had them that high stateside, but people see those "savings" and then again think that they are so cheap for gear and get a great deal on it.

End rant.

[elpresidente99 1]

hello!

i havent't got back my skate, now i made an ultimatum to the shop if the second skate appears until the end of this week i want a new skate. I have a x60 so maybe i wait till the new apx come out an try them and pay a little bit for it. The problem is maybe my skate appears in one month i'm sure the shop only give me the skate back without any refund.

I hope there will be a solution without arguing over lawyers or anything else.

Greetz

[theflash0000 0]

hello!

i havent't got back my skate, now i made an ultimatum to the shop if the second skate appears until the end of this week i want a new skate. I have a x60 so maybe i wait till the new apx come out an try them and pay a little bit for it. The problem is maybe my skate appears in one month i'm sure the shop only give me the skate back without any refund.

I hope there will be a solution without arguing over lawyers or anything else.

Greetz

Take it from a lawyer, it will definitely not be worth the cost to hire one to deal with this problem.

You should ask the shop to notify all employees to check every pair of X60s they see to make sure the sizes match and to call you if they spot your missing skate. I'm sure the other person who now also has a mismatched pair will want theirs back, too.

Giving them until the end of the week may not be realistic because I don't think most players get a sharpening every week. If you're in the mood to be more reasonable ( :) ), maybe you could give them 30 days.

Also remember that at best your remedy is the fair market value of your X60s in the condition they were in at the time you dropped them off. So you could search eBay for a used pair or at least research an average price and ask for that. Good luck.

[dsjunior1388 81]

hello!

i havent't got back my skate, now i made an ultimatum to the shop if the second skate appears until the end of this week i want a new skate. I have a x60 so maybe i wait till the new apx come out an try them and pay a little bit for it. The problem is maybe my skate appears in one month i'm sure the shop only give me the skate back without any refund.

I hope there will be a solution without arguing over lawyers or anything else.

Greetz

This is one of my biggest concerns since three quarters of the HS team is wearing X:40s and none of them will write their uni number and preferred hollow on the holder like the CMU club team does. Also they're all stupid. At least three times I've had a kid come in, drop off his skates along with 8 of his teammates, then come pick them up 8 minutes later, unsharpenned without me noticing because I'm in the other room sharpening. So far none of them have come back to bitch about the sharpening, at least not to me.

If theyre not smart enough to check if the skates have been sharpenned, how can I expect them to be smart enough to not grab the wrong skates?

[interpathway 9]

This is one of my biggest concerns since three quarters of the HS team is wearing X:40s and none of them will write their uni number and preferred hollow on the holder like the CMU club team does. Also they're all stupid. At least three times I've had a kid come in, drop off his skates along with 8 of his teammates, then come pick them up 8 minutes later, unsharpenned without me noticing because I'm in the other room sharpening. So far none of them have come back to bitch about the sharpening, at least not to me.

If theyre not smart enough to check if the skates have been sharpenned, how can I expect them to be smart enough to not grab the wrong skates?

Another reason why customer's hands should not reach behind the shop's counter-top... where I strongly hope you keep all skates dropped off for sharpenings.

[dsjunior1388 81]

Another reason why customer's hands should not reach behind the shop's counter-top... where I strongly hope you keep all skates dropped off for sharpenings.

We have almost no room behind the counter, we have a small shelf rack standing next to the counter that we work from. Toes in, not done, toes out, done. Unless you think the pro shop can do 8 skates in 8 minutes, in which case you paid me $5 for nothing.

[DolomaticDangles 13]

Also remember that at best your remedy is the fair market value of your X60s in the condition they were in at the time you dropped them off. So you could search eBay for a used pair or at least research an average price and ask for that. Good luck.

I would just ask for a new pair of skates. Let's say the market value is $300. He still has to go through the trouble to find a pair used in similar condition, or spend more money to get a new pair. He shouldn't have to pay anything when it wasn't even his fault

[wrangler 157]

I would just ask for a new pair of skates. Let's say the market value is $300. He still has to go through the trouble to find a pair used in similar condition, or spend more money to get a new pair. He shouldn't have to pay anything when it wasn't even his fault

You can always ask, but flash was stating the law. Money is generally considered an adequate remedy in a case like this. If you want to bring in the hassle you'd have to go through, and try to get money for that, you can, but I don't expect you'll have much luck, if you spend the money to go to court.

It would be academically interesting to raise the question of an addition to value, due to the skates having been baked to fit, and broken in.

[DolomaticDangles 13]

You can always ask, but flash was stating the law. Money is generally considered an adequate remedy in a case like this. If you want to bring in the hassle you'd have to go through, and try to get money for that, you can, but I don't expect you'll have much luck, if you spend the money to go to court.

It would be academically interesting to raise the question of an addition to value, due to the skates having been baked to fit, and broken in.

Yeah, I was thinking about that. Also the fact that if he didnt (or doesnt) have another pair of skates to wear until they find his, he'd be screwed

[chippa13 1844]

Pretty tough to add pain and suffering/emotional distress into the settlement for a lost skate.