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DarkStar50

Total Hockey Files Bankruptcy

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10 hours ago, dkmiller3356 said:

 

But Zack, doesn't True do exactly the same thing? High prices and rapid product cylces.  Its the manufacturers that are killing their own industry.  Some people on this thread wanna knock TH for expanding but that's idiocy!  It was one man.. ONE MAN with a vision who built a great chain.  Yeah, things got screwed up... it happens but this guy took risks and built something great.  Its the American dream for crying out loud.  The manufacturers though are the ones forcing product down the retailers throats with BS "incentives" and driving inventories through the rough.

High Prices from TRUE set the table?  There are a broad spectrum of prices from TRUE and they all offer a higher value than what the competition is kicking out at commensurate price points,  but nowhere in their buying  program do they stipulate growth to achieve a discount.  They only owe TRUE approximately 300k,  so before you start pointing  the finger at me perhaps a little more insight or knowledge of what has been going on in this industry for the last 5 years would help you. 

 

The fact is that when a certain mfg's buying program sets the table with 20% growth tiers every year for 5 years to attain a respectable discount it sets the tone for dealers to over eat.  This coupled with the fact that nobody in credit shut them off when they were past due 500k,  then 1 million,  then 2 million and on it goes until oh shit... they owe 20 million... How did that happen???  Was it really an accident?  An oversight?  Or reckless greed???

 

Sorry to disappoint you,  but this failure does not fall at the feet of myself or anybody at TRUE really.  

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10 hours ago, Buzz_LightBeer said:

 

No affiliation to TRUE, but as a retailer IMO they do it well. Two lines of sticks on alternating cycles. True, they do push the upper pricing limits but don't force retailers to buy them. Their second asd third tier sticks provide some of the best value and performance on the market for the average consumer. 

 

Where shops get into trouble is having to stock three lines of sticks, replaced within two years, and asinine "LE" models sprinkled in. 

Thank you for adding that.  The fact is that TRUE does not have rapid product cycles,  so just because somebody says it does not make it true.  They have 2 year life cycles on 2 stick lines.  

 

Things got crazy when others brought 3 families of product and rammed it in to every retailer.  Further compounded by LE product that was N E V E R truly Limited Edition.

 

When you don't  hit certain mfg's growth targets... They come back at you very aggressively.  They want that donut money.

 

But what would I know... ;)

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7 hours ago, chippa13 said:

Manufacturers are not enforcing MSRPs, they are enforcing MAPs (minimum advertised price). It was to protect the little guy who couldn't achieve the big discounts of some of the big boys who could have really decimated the market if they were allowed to advertise passing on those discounts to customers while the little guys would not be able to compete without losing their shirts.

The other reality is that many retailers / etailers are blatantly violating MAP.  The mfg's just stand by and do nothing-  They say they are powerless to stop it,  but in reality they don't care.  It's a bloodbath out there.

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6 hours ago, boo10 said:

The Hockey industry is being killed be the same thing that eventually kills every industry, the unrelenting drive to increase share price.  Continued growth with no ceiling is a unicorn that every CEO chases to the eventual death of the business.  Of course they walk away rich men, leaving devastation in their wake.

 

THIS.  Very well said.

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Thanks to those who called/emailed/texted me over the past couple of days.  I had been in Columbus, OH for the past two weeks training our employees down there - even ran into a few MSHers while in the store - and so my time was pretty limited.

 

Obviously, there is a human element to these cases, similar to what we've seen during manufacturer mergers and acquisitions.   Rest assured, I'm in good spirits and very optimistic that there will be a favorable outcome to this. 

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Just hearing about this. Goes to show you just never know. JR, you have to much to offer and are a great asset to the company. Your optimism and good spirits will serve you well. Having gone through this myself I got to see first hand how buyers are ALWAYS wanting to retain the real assets such as yourself.

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13 hours ago, Zac911 said:

 

Actually no TRUE was not.  What does the price of a stick have to do with this?  Curious what your thoughts are.

 

http://blog.purehockey.com/true-xcore-9-hockey-stick-review/

 

The XCORE 9 hockey stick will be the top model for True and will be the first stick of any kind to be priced at $299.99. Yes, we said $299.99. It’s a bold move to make for a company who is essentially new to the market as a brand. We realize that price is bound to cause some serious sticker shock as this price is a substantial jump. That price tag certainly isn’t for everyone, but after hearing about the technology and taking it out on the ice for ourselves, we truly believe that the XCORE is worth the money for players in the market for top-level performance hockey sticks.

 

So... they weren't?

 

A lot of this thread was talking about how equipment prices are too high, so the price of the stick is pretty relevant here.

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17 hours ago, DarkStar50 said:

 

QFB - Quoted for Bullshit.

 

I would say sorry but I won't. Dig deep into the archives here on MSH and after my first Bauerworld experience in 2006 on Marco Island where I saw firsthand the attitude and business statement of HG, HM, TH, and PH in full force, I posted my thoughts on their ultimate business objectives. They didn't give a rat's ass about the hockey industry. They had no skin in the game and were just chasing $$. Bauer corporate was only too happy to get in bed with these players and feed their jones for big booking orders at deep discounts. As been stated before, the little guys didn't matter. They could never produce the $$ that these players could so why care about them. Year 4  at Bauerworld in an opening 7 AM statement to a room full of smaller but still big enough dealers, the following statement was made by the US Sales Manager: "The big are getting bigger and will stay that way." Well, thanks a lot and see you later, smaller guys. we don't need your $$ ## because they just don't add up to what HG, HM, TH, and PH are giving us. Slap in the face? Never felt harder. So now to see this industry as the big boys have eaten each other up is just what so many smaller guys that managed to hang on, see happen  is known as karma. That one man, with a vision? He didn't give a shit about the hockey industry. His vision wasn't to make the game better for you or me. His goal was to make $$. Along the way, he lost his focus and chased dreams that turned into nightmares. After almost 40 years in this industry, I have seen a lot but sympathy for this player is not part of the experience.

 

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If you could have built a multi million dollar business you would have.  Anyone would. 

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15 hours ago, Zac911 said:

High Prices from TRUE set the table?  There are a broad spectrum of prices from TRUE and they all offer a higher value than what the competition is kicking out at commensurate price points,  but nowhere in their buying  program do they stipulate growth to achieve a discount.  They only owe TRUE approximately 300k,  so before you start pointing  the finger at me perhaps a little more insight or knowledge of what has been going on in this industry for the last 5 years would help you. 

 

The fact is that when a certain mfg's buying program sets the table with 20% growth tiers every year for 5 years to attain a respectable discount it sets the tone for dealers to over eat.  This coupled with the fact that nobody in credit shut them off when they were past due 500k,  then 1 million,  then 2 million and on it goes until oh shit... they owe 20 million... How did that happen???  Was it really an accident?  An oversight?  Or reckless greed???

 

Sorry to disappoint you,  but this failure does not fall at the feet of myself or anybody at TRUE really.  

 

I didn't say TH's problems were True's fault nor did I make the point that True sets the table.  My comment was to point out that you were ripping manufacturers and you are one.  Some of your practices are just the same as the others, primary amongst them is short product cycle.  Maybe yours is 6 months longer but that is inconsequential.  Oh, and yeah, I do love your sicks... just saying....

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On July 8, 2016 at 3:45 PM, adam14 said:

Not to mention msrp's enforced by these manufacturers. From what I've seen working at the retail level, some of the mark ups on products are absolutely mind boggling. 

Compared to other industries, hockey markups are quite reasonable. Smart purchasing by smaller brick and mortars is the only way to survive and potentially thrive. Don't be fooled by big discounts from the big players, those come from dollar-cost average in effect as well as big closeout discounts directly from manufacturers

 

 

17 hours ago, Zac911 said:

The other reality is that many retailers / etailers are blatantly violating MAP.  The mfg's just stand by and do nothing-  They say they are powerless to stop it,  but in reality they don't care.  It's a bloodbath out there.

(Legitimately) Curious to know who besides Lettermans is routinely guilty of this? I have a bigger problem with retailers and manufacturers who refuse to enforce launch date product. 

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41 minutes ago, Buzz_LightBeer said:

(Legitimately) Curious to know who besides Lettermans is routinely guilty of this? I have a bigger problem with retailers and manufacturers who refuse to enforce launch date product. 

I haven't seen them ever break MAP, granted I don't live in the TC though. There is a difference between having a lower price in-store and advertising that you have a lower price in-store. Plenty of stores do the former, the problem is when you do the latter. 

 

My biggest gripe with MAP violations has always been going to Monkey's, and occasionally TH or PH's  website and entering their coupon code on say a pair of 1S skates in a 9D - it somehow works. Definitely shouldn't but somehow it does. If you try it for every other size that they have and it doesn't work, but for that particular SKU it does. You can't tell me that it is a coincidence. A customer will come in and ask for me to match it...and well its either come close to 20-25% off or lose the sale. I call Bauer on it, they say it shouldn't be happening but they'll look into it. By the time they tell Monkey or TH or whoever to fix the problem, they've already sold the dozen excess pairs in that particular SKU that they wanted to get rid of anyways, so its no big deal "fixing" the issue. Its happened a couple of times on brand new product, and that's just for the customers who bring it to my attention, I'm sure there have been a lot others who never bothered to ask if I'd match or come close. Hats off to them though, if I was sitting on 30 pairs of 1S in a 9D and I had booked another 15 to come in next week, you bet your ass I'd take a $200 loss to sell 15 pairs in a couple of days. Clears up inventory space and gets that capital into their bank account asap. 

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2 hours ago, dkmiller3356 said:

 

If you could have built a multi million dollar business you would have.  Anyone would. 

 

I'd rather build and work at a million $ business year after year after 30 + years, then build a multi million dollar business that goes bankrupt in less than 10 years and leaves a lot of my employee staff without a job after that short a time. 

 

But that's just me.......

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7 hours ago, Hills said:

 

http://blog.purehockey.com/true-xcore-9-hockey-stick-review/

 

 

 

 

So... they weren't?

 

A lot of this thread was talking about how equipment prices are too high, so the price of the stick is pretty relevant here.

How much was the RBK O stick?  Blaming TRUE for this mess is laughable at best.  All this was set into motion 6 years ago.  Where was TRUE then?  

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For any store to stay in business in this days of e-commerce, they have to offer internet price match... if not, people just come to try stuff, then leave and buy on-line. The hockey stores should learn from the electronics store industry. The only the are left, ether the ones that have price match policy, or just the ones that sell cheap from the get go. Hockey Giant trying an unusual thing to stay competitive, they have Internet coupons. You go to the store and try stuff on, the go and order from their website and get 20% off coupon. They do not accept the Internet coupons in the store, probably for the impulsive buyers that have to have it right now, those pay full price. I think this scheme and/or price match can work for the hockey stores quite wonderfully: you get the sale you would have gotten, and you get to keep at least something from the sale you would have lost. In the end of the day, the one who moves more inventory at any margin, wins. TH just had nothing to compete against other internet/real stores. Once PureHockey, buys TH inventory for a penny on a dollar, hopefully they will pass the saving onto their end clients - you.

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5 hours ago, dkmiller3356 said:

 

I didn't say TH's problems were True's fault nor did I make the point that True sets the table.  My comment was to point out that you were ripping manufacturers and you are one.  Some of your practices are just the same as the others, primary amongst them is short product cycle.  Maybe yours is 6 months longer but that is inconsequential.  Oh, and yeah, I do love your sicks... just saying....

 

Some mfg's offer poor margins unless you book their highest growth incentive.  Some mfg's do not use the same or similar tactics.  They set the table for you to overeat.  When you don't they come back at you for more.  These problems are also compounded when the mfg's choose to run red lights and ship select dealers despite being past due.

 

I had many dealers that were past due $500 and they got cut off.  These smaller dealers are their most profitable dealer-  They receive no extra POP or promotional items,  they receive the smallest discount and get the least amount of support.  Yet get cut off over $500.  Then you have the big dogs that receive all kinds of promotional materials,  additional POP,  the largest discounts,  special visits from CLM's,  Bauer Experience Tours and on and on.  They owe a couple million and someone in MGT makes the call to ship them.  Then a couple million turns into 5 million and someone in MGT makes the call to ship them.  Then they owe 10 million and someone makes the call to ship them.  Then they owe 15 million and someone in MGT makes the call to ship them. Then they owe 20 million and ... Oh geez... Maybe we have a problem here.  How is this mess not the MFG's fault?  If Bauer shuts them off,  then CCM follows suit,  but instead Bauer keeps kicking the can and CCM follows suit.  Reality is perhaps if there was some real courage and honesty in our business Bauer shuts them off much earlier instead of ignoring all warning signs and exacerbating the problem.

 

The 2 year product life cycle in hockey is widely accepted and is generally ok.  Mission used to have 1 year life cycles on product and as we all know that was not OK ( over 10  years ago ).  Easton had 1 year life cycles on their sticks and that didn't work.  Now many MFG's are at 18 month life cycles and with LE products mixed in,  so reality there's a new stick every 6 months between 3 families of sticks and LE's ( and these products are NOT limited edition-  You book them you receive them.  They will make as many as you like ).  

 

TRUE has 2 year life cycles on it's products.  They have done some one off stuff like the 4.5 for Pure;  however,  there was a purpose behind it-  The Claddagh Fund.  They will do some SMU stuff it the volume thresholds are met ( same as any mfg ),  but no real LE that's not really limited edition to speak of.

 

I have sold both programs,  so yes I believe I am qualified to speak out on this and the problems that it has created.  Guess which program I prefer selling ;) ?

 

Appreciate that you love the sticks.  Since jumping on board with my new team my job has become fun again.  With my old team there is so much dealer resentment out there you would spend most of your sales presentation diffusing bombs.  Dealers have been extremely receptive to the TRUE program which is no pressure and very easy to work with.  That's the kind of relationship we are looking to build.  One that is mutually beneficial,  built on trust and getting back to doing what we love most.

 

 

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35 minutes ago, JunkyardAthletic said:

DS50, you're coming off as a bitter, scorned ex-wife.  Further to that, you're beyond insulting to anyone who has tried to own or currently owns their own business. Wait, you wouldn't know about that, would you?

Bitter, scorned ex-wife or asshole as called at the end? Jeez, make up your mind.

Seems like you have a bone to pick with those who took a chance to start their own business and then take the next step to make it big. I have to imagine that you don't shop at Amazon, Walmart, Target, etc., and that there's some small independent gas station, not affiliated with any major brand, that you get your gas from. Did you build your own car as well? What about the toilet paper you wipe your ass with? Do you make that yourself?

God bless all the ones who started their own businesses, you included. "Seems like" is an assumption and not my view at all. For the record, I don't shop at Amazon because I don't support online businesses. I shop local. It just goes with my putting my money where my mouth is.

I don't have a dog in this fight and feel for all those who are affected either directly, as employees who've already been let go, or indirectly, as people like JR left holding the bag to answer questions they have no answers to. However, because opinions are like assholes; everyone has and is one, here's mine...

Your bone should be with Bauer, CCM,  or whichever hockey manufacturer/marketing company you want. They're the ones that helped create the system that exists! Don't be pissed at Michael or the others for wanting to have more than one store, try to be successful, to live the American dream.

Again, congratulations for thinking I'm mad at Michael or anyone trying to live the American dream. Completely wrong and ridiculous. Why would I be mad at someone trying to live the American dream? I have been at it since I was born!

The “attitude” you witnessed at Marco Island was accepted by the companies that run the industry! And it wasn't only Bauer that jumped at the chance to get in bed with them, it was CCM, Easton, etc. And you'll find that the comments I make later on in this post pre-date your 2006 claim, and it was ALL of the companies!

Of course, it takes two to tango. As I said Bauer and as you said, all the others were only too happy to get in bed together. That was obvious ever since Ocean Hockey Supply, Great Skate and catalogs were the norm long before the internet.

And if you think this sort of thing is only happening in hockey, you're wrong! I know of a company outside of hockey, who 6 years ago, took the position of really examining the “80/20” business rule. They were determined to make that over a 5 year period 90/10 or greater, because the smaller dealers carried many different brands and didn't support them the way they wanted. You don't think that Bauer, CCM, Easton, and others don't have that same thought in mind? The small LHS is a pain in their ass. They complain about everything and buy nothing.

It's happening in other businesses?!! Are you kidding me? Really ? Yes, that is my internet sarcasm font. As for those small PIA LHS, buying groups are helping them get decent discounts without max booking orders. The vendors know that and cannot ignore the buying power of buying groups. Hey, they pay their bills on time.

But DS50, one doesn't accomplish something like that by not having taken chances and having worked for the man all their life. I'm not saying that working for the man is a bad thing; I certainly did it for the majority of my life. HOWEVER, some people, myself included, decide, for whatever reason (in my case not getting paid because the companies were either being sold or going out of business and the new owner wasn't taking on that “debt”), that they want to be the man, their own boss, and want to be the one who has their future in their own hands, and there's nothing wrong with that. Some succeed, some fail.

All true on that.

It's not karma to a guy like Michael. It's karma to the nearly $14 million owed to Bauer, $7+ million to CCM, etc. Everyone says Michael Benoit failed. I guess you could say the same for the banks and the US auto manufacturers, all of whom you and I helped bail out a few years back, yet they're looked at in today's world as being successful.  Michael Benoit in some way, will be back, you can bet on it.  It might not be in hockey, but he'll come back and make something out of nothing once again.

I wish him well.

As far as my "bullshit" post that you quoted, don't tell me that my post that my post is bullshit when you don't know fuck all about any of those guys and how they started. And I'd say sorry about my tone, but I won't. You DON'T know the story of HockeyMonkey and HockeyGiant.  NOBODY on MSH knows the story the way I do (unless the soon to be mentioned are members here), having been a sales rep back when both companies were started BY THE SAME PERSON, Chris Malki. He's the guy who is still out there wreaking havoc with HockeyTron! Yup, the manufacturers are still trying to put him out of business and they can't seem to find a way to do it.

And call HockeyTron whatever you want. Call his business a piece of shit, call it a farce, call it that all he does is copy other companies designs, whatever. The fact of the matter is that Chris ONCE AGAIN has succeeded, has a very loyal following, and doesn't appear to be leaving the marketplace any time soon. And no OptimusReim, this is not your time to chime in.

I've known Chris Malki (no need for me to defend him or his honor since we no longer have any type of business or personal relationship/friendship) since he had one small store here in SoCal, then two, then sold both in order to buy Hawk Hockey with his brother-in-law John Naaman. 

Hawk Hockey was a 2500sf store that had so much product, they hung product from the low ceilings, and then FINALLY needed to rent a unit 7 doors down in order to “warehouse” whatever didn't fit on the ceiling or the floor.  It was in that unit that HockeyMonkey was formed as the online buying craze was just starting. You see, they had a greater vision in that the Internet was going to change the way things were bought and sold, much like Amazon, eBay, PayPal, and many others.

Well, not long after the business between them started, John and Chris split with John buying out Chris. Malki then went on to start HockeyGiant.  

HockeyGiant was started in roughly a 3000sf industrial complex space (really bad location) where there were 4 employees to start. They struggled mightily when they opened, it wasn't just like they put up the HockeyGiant.com website and sales started pouring in. Everyone answered phones, they took turns in helping walk-ins that happened to find them, they helped in shipping, they even loaded the UPS trailer!

What I saw with my own two eyes was a very well educated guy (he's a licensed Engineer) put everything on the line to make his business work. Call it stupid, call it what you will, he sold his house, moved his family into a small (and rather shitty IMO) 2 bedroom apartment, and took every last penny to start and to continue to fund HockeyGiant. He was the last one to get paid and only took just enough home for his family to just get by.

Fortunately for Chris, his gambles paid off, and his business grew.  With that, he created jobs, moved his business into a building twice the size, and his business continued to grow, and then he expanded his space again. Much of that growth came with his negotiating skills in getting product from the companies, not only buying closeouts or negotiating a larger discount because of the volume he was buying, but, extended payment terms. He never put a gun to their heads, THE COMPANIES SIGNED ON; they bought into it!

And what happened when HockeyGiant had difficulties in paying their bills? The companies allowed them to renegotiate their payment terms so that they could BUY MORE PRODUCT FROM THEM! 

This happened for years on end, and the terms got renegotiated and extended even more when Chris brought partners into HockeyGiant! I still recall one year at the hockey industry's credit meetings how their then CFO basically told the credit council that they shouldn't expect payment on time and that's just how it was going to be. One would think such a bold statement would have a response of “fuck you, yes you are going to pay on time if you want product”, but the companies all bought into it.

I can't say much about John Naaman and HockeyMonkey other than the fact that his business model seems to be working just fine. John certainly took a chance from the start when he bought out Malki and has not only survived, but done very well. 

They've (Monkey) expanded their offering outside of hockey to include baseball/softball, lacrosse, apparel, have 8 retail stores (1 of which is goalie specific) in 3 countries, and I'm sure that John would tell you that he's made mistakes and that he'd do many things differently. However, he's a survivor in the hockey/sporting goods business and is living the American dream having come here from abroad. 

I specifically recall something John told me back in 1999, which was “I'm not in business to trade money for money.” From the start, he believed (and I'm sure he still does) that profit margin was everything and that large team orders (250pcs) making 25-30 margin still didn't cut it!

Thanks for the history lesson, Professor.

With that, I think we all can agree that the Internet changed the hockey business, just as its changed many other businesses/industries. Chadd's been bitching about it on here for years, and many people complain that the LHS are going away and the big box/majors stores are taking over. The US-based big box/major stores started their lives as LHS. However, many of the LHS remaining, are either complacent with their position or just want to be the “lazy” American that assigns their failure to it being someone else's fault, like the big box/majors.

After all my time in this business, one thing I know for sure is that I will never know it all. Never said I did and never will. My philosophy at retail changes every day, every week, every month, every year because if anyone thinks what worked once is going to work forever, they are foolish. My product mix now is completely different than it was 2 years ago. It will be completely different in another 2 years. I would rather sell $200 skates that check out and turn inventory that sit on a size run of $900 skates to look like the shop is something it is not. The big box can tie up their inventory $$ with that price point. I learned long ago who my customers are and just how many of them there are. My eyes are open all the time.

As far as the hockey manufacturer/marketing companies that run the industry...HATE THEM. Hate them for telling shop owners and buyers “you want to compete with these 'big guys', you have to book A, B and C in order to get this discount, and if you want to make more money, book more product. Either adapt to the NEW way of doing business or die.” And as we've seen, many on both sides have died, and some have come back. Buzz_Lightbeer made a great statement above...”Smart purchasing by smaller brick and mortars is the only way to survive and potentially thrive.”
I said the same thing earlier in this thread. I don't need top of the line shoulder pads for $150 and elbow pads for $120 at retail. Again that is just knowing who your customers really are and what inventory turns.
How many stores still believe they have to book the top of the line skate, and size runs of it in order to “compete”? I believe (and have seen first hand) that many LHS don't know what they are in their own marketplace.
Why stock a skate you can't sell? yes, that is stupid.
On the retail side, does anyone recall that Pure “died” back in the early part (02-03ish if my memory serves). In the last year they “bought” HockeyGiant and are now the ones on track to “save” Total.  I wonder, DS50, were you this vocal and upset back in the days of the Boston Hockey (wasn't the dog named Spot?), Great Skate, South Windsor, Royal Sports catalogs?
Sure was, the reason catalogs were popular was because it was before the internet. 1980/1990.
On the negative side of the manufacturers, Bauer. We've seen and heard of the trouble there and many believe their problems are far from over (i.e. nice little class action lawsuit by a member here).

All the shop owners/buyers bitch about Bauer's OTM stores, bitch about the programs, bitch about the declining nature of the products, yet, they still support them. Why? Because Bauer's been able to position themselves as the #1 brand on TV/in the NHL, which is Bauer's largest marketing expenditure. They OWN the skate+stick+glove market (CCM can claim otherwise, but when you BUY the minor leagues and teams recall players that HAVE to use your product, that shit doesn't count), and it's helping sell their “shitty” product (not my words but that of end users and store owners/buyers) at retail. I know, this isn't your store...

My Bauer bookings are peanuts now. I learned long ago the strategy of booking to qualify and then chase product during the season. One of the best ways to survive in this business, the sporting goods business, not just the hockey business.

To help Bauer stay at the top, CCM can't capitalize because they find a way to fuck up something every year. They're the ONLY company in a prime position to make a dent in the Bauer machine, yet they just can't seem to get the job done! Case and point, look at the jersey category. THEY'VE OWNED (owns, owns) IT for how many years?!?! Bauer's been out of it since, come on DS50, help me here, since mid-90s? CCM/Reebok had a hard time delivering for how many years now? Bauer buys Inaria, makes a comeback after nearly 20 years out of the category, IMO, comes to market with a shittier “similar” jersey (it certainly isn't the original Inaria “gamewear” jersey), and they've taken how much share away from CCM because they've delivered?

For the record, the Bauer team business has not been smooth sailing. Also, their closeout list of jerseys and socks is deep enough to outfit three Canadian provinces with uniforms for years to come. They cannot give it away. About 1995-96 Bauer stopped with the replica team jersey category.

And don't you think for one second that these manufacturers, ESPECIALLY PSG (Bauer) aren't going to start selling direct via the Internet (fuck their retail stores).  They have shareholders, both public and private they they have to answer to and are required to GROW SALES.  How else do you think they're going to do it?  Are you then going to finally take your complaint to them? Do you forget that Reebok was selling direct via Reebok.com back in 2004-05 only to have the big box/majors stores tell them to take it down?

Bauer is already selling direct with apparel on Amazon. Of course they will go direct soon enough. That was easy to see years ago. As for complaining to Bauer, I do it with my booking order $$, refusing to buy BS LE sticks and skates, and less OPS from them. They have jumped the shark with rolling out 3 stick lines plus LE lines 6 months later. I let go of that nonsense years ago.

All you suckers out there running LHS and not charging a fitting fee on skates, I've been pushing this since 2000 and always got met with "they won't buy the skate from us if there's a fitting fee."  Guess what?  My answer still hasn't changed; they weren't buying the skate from you to begin with! 

We started the fitting fee years ago and have no regrets. For a whopping $20, online shoppers won't even spend that in my shop for a true fitting. It's better than wasting 30-45 minutes on a busy Saturday/Sunday with the internet skate shoppers when I have a store full of customers with open wallets ready to make a purchase. I tell them go to PH, get fitted for the top end skate, and I'll order it for you. Reverse business application.

You can bet that Bauer is devising/buying an app/system for people to measure their own feet and get fitted as close as possible for a shelf skate, that will take 5 pics of your foot and tell you what the best fit for you is. This app/system exists today, right now!

Skate business is a shambles anyway. Skates last longer and nobody replaces skates unless they grow out of them. We sharpen skates that are still 3 generations back. My own NXGs are 5 years old and wearing fine. Why replace them? 

I guess after all that long-winded text, people need to stay in the passenger lane unless they want to do something to help their own cause.  Don't assign blame to the Benoit's, Malki's, and Naaman's of the business, look at the enablers have shaped the business into what it currently is, those being the manufacturers.  

And your wrong about that “one man with a vision that didn't care about the hockey industry”. It wasn't Michael's job to care about the hockey industry. It was his job, first and foremost, to worry about his business, and yes, to make money for his business the way many other businesses do day in and day out. Michael started with one small store, ONE. And he built it up into many other stores, and created many jobs, and expanded the business even more as it got more successful. Unfortunately, for whatever reason(s) that we don't know and aren't privy to, things with his business changed. I wouldn't say that he lost focus, but something changed, went wrong, whatever you want to call it. And it happens to many people out there, in their personal lives at home, working a 9-5 job “for the man”, or owning your own business. It happens...divorce, foreclosures, personal bankruptcy, and much more.

I'm sorry for whatever happened to Michael. But shit does happen. The bigger they are the harder they fall.
We live in a world of “what have you done for me lately”, and a whole bunch of people with opinions and who wish poor on others. I guess it's only appropriate to have some asshole who never took a chance in wanting more, in wanting to achieve the American dream to run his own business, to, at the end of the day, call it karma.

Again, thanks for calling me an asshole. Way to keep it classy.

 

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40 minutes ago, Neo5370 said:

Gonna need some popcorn over here.

I hate it when 2 people I like have disagreements.  Funny thing is I think both of them are very much on the same page.  Somewhere it got twisted and it went sideways.

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15 hours ago, Kgbeast said:

For any store to stay in business in this days of e-commerce, they have to offer internet price match... if not, people just come to try stuff, then leave and buy on-line. The hockey stores should learn from the electronics store industry. The only the are left, ether the ones that have price match policy, or just the ones that sell cheap from the get go. Hockey Giant trying an unusual thing to stay competitive, they have Internet coupons. You go to the store and try stuff on, the go and order from their website and get 20% off coupon. They do not accept the Internet coupons in the store, probably for the impulsive buyers that have to have it right now, those pay full price. I think this scheme and/or price match can work for the hockey stores quite wonderfully: you get the sale you would have gotten, and you get to keep at least something from the sale you would have lost. In the end of the day, the one who moves more inventory at any margin, wins. TH just had nothing to compete against other internet/real stores. Once PureHockey, buys TH inventory for a penny on a dollar, hopefully they will pass the saving onto their end clients - you.

 

As a Giant employee, I can personally say this is wrong. We'll match any discount provided on our website, as long as it applies to said items.

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14 hours ago, Zac911 said:

I hate it when 2 people I like have disagreements.  Funny thing is I think both of them are very much on the same page.  Somewhere it got twisted and it went sideways.

All arguing aside, good points by both in fact but the one thing that stood out was the Slapshot reference. Still laughing at that.

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38 minutes ago, All Flash said:

All arguing aside, good points by both in fact but the one thing that stood out was the Slapshot reference. Still laughing at that.

Funny you mention Slapshot.  We are getting old.  I was working at a rink yesterday and one of the shop staff was around 20 something... Had no idea who Hanrahan was.  A part of me died inside.

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3 hours ago, EBondo said:

 

As a Giant employee, I can personally say this is wrong. We'll match any discount provided on our website, as long as it applies to said items.

Sorry about that. I said what I said from the encounter with a Giant employee over the Giants chat service. He said online coupons are applicable only to online purchases. If you are right then the other guy was wrong. I will check this next time I need to buy something. Thanks

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