For those that work in hockey shops

[Chadd 916]

Ok, I'm going to have my "clerks" rant here.

Do you guys have customers that come in and tell you about deals they got in other places (ebay, out of state, etc..) and expect you to be proud of them? I had a guy in here today bragging about getting a helmet at some feed store in Wisconsin for $25. Of course he said it was the same as the HC104 combo I had on display. Then he said it was the HC100, then the HC95. Do people like this expect you to be happy for them?

The we have my other favorite; the guy who buys something on ebay, then realizes it's the wrong size. We had one of them in yesterday, he bought some youth pants online (for $5 less than we charge) and brought them in and asked us to trade them in on the right size. WTF is up with these guys?

Feel free to post your own "favorite" customer type.

[mik3 1]

When I worked at a shop my favorite was the come in and try everything on guy. Especially the one who'd do it every other week. The "I saw it here for ____" guy is good too, especially when you know they're talking about some ebay price. "Yeah, well I saw a bauer 5000 helmet for 30 bucks"

[Eazy_b97 1]

I had a guy come in 2 saturdays ago and he thought the Rebellion blades on his Crew holder were the same as their crazy ass T'blade fake. He bought them from Liquidation World, had been skating on them without a sharpening and rusted to hell. It took me 45 minutes to clean up the rust, I had to cross grind and give them a first sharpening. He comes in and asks if we have "replacement steel for the Crew holders" I had to explain we do, but they don't need it.

I honestly don't have a problem if people buy things on-line or from another shop, as long as they go through you first. Our store can't get Grafs in, and someone who old wants Grafs, shouldn't be ashamed to bring them in. However, if they are regulars and haven't taken us up on an offer then flaunt their purchase infront of you (like you are saying) I definately have a problem.

[JR Boucicaut 3803]

Chadd - been there, done that. I believe there's a thread with a bunch of my stories. I'll try to find it.

[Chadd 916]

If I can't get it, I'm up front and tell them that I can't get it. Most of the ones I get aren't trying to rub it in, they just seem proud of the deal and want me to be happy for them.

[JR Boucicaut 3803]

Totally agree. I had one guy who came in and shopped us and went online and bought it all. It sucked because he got all of the sizes right...

[ponty 0]

I am thinking I am a favorite customer type. I am always greeted with a smile when I walk in.

They all say they wish I were a goalie. :)

I just feel bad for you guys when the soccer mom comes running in. Hell I am just a customer and they annoy the hell out of me.

[Jordan6969 0]

This little guy about in grade seven came in and wanted to get a shaft, a z bubble I think. I'd say he was about 115-125 and he was like yeah I think I need a 110 flex. And then an employee walks up to him and said " Yeah I'm like 200 pounds and I use a 110 flex.........so you should probly go with an intermediate." Then later when I saw him walking out he still took the 110 z bubble.

[A_Steeves12 0]

This little guy about in grade seven came in and wanted to get a shaft, a z bubble I think. I'd say he was about 115-125 and he was like yeah I think I need a 110 flex. And then an employee walks up to him and said " Yeah I'm like 200 pounds and I use a 110 flex.........so you should probly go with an intermediate." Then later when I saw him walking out he still took the 110 z bubble.

he'd would probably go out use it once and it would be way too stiff then the next day try to return it and say something like" i said i need a 85 flex you said i'd be good with this"

[UMWhockey 0]

the two things i hate the most, even though we make money on it, are the people who have sharp skates with nothing wrong with them and they bring them in to be sharpened. The other is the parents who think they know everything and don't listen when i tell them that their 12 year old shouldn't be playing with a cut down 110 flex synergy.

[Cavs019 710]

Or maybe the kid just likes super stiff sticks. You have to work with people's preferences, or at least in that case ask him if he has used the "proper" flex before and if he says he still prefers the 2x4 flex, so be it.

[Buzz_LightBeer 972]

My personal favorites:

"i need skates for my kid."

"is he/she here?"

"no"

"what size shoe is he?"

"well, he's 7 years old"

"i need a helmet for my kid"

"is he here?"

"no, but his head is about (holding up hands in a circle) this big around"

"hey, what do you think of (i.e.) Ballistik sticks?"

"i think theyre pieces of shit, why do you ask?"

"so you dont sell them here?"

"no, sorry."

"are they good?"

"if they were good, we would sell them"

"can you sharpen these, theyre brand new"

"who is it that sells you skates, but cant sharpen them?"

"Dunhams"

"'nuff said"

MY ALL TIME PET PEEVE!

"i need help finding a blade"

"sure, what curve do you like?"

"Coffey"

"would you like to try something good insted?"

"Coffey"

"hows your shot?"

"sucks, but i love Coffey"

"may i suggest...?"

"Coffey"

[Karly14 21]

heres an example of the daily life of a sport chek employee: today this 45 year old man and his 10-12 year old son come in looking at elbow pads, i ask them if they need help, theyre nice about it and are say no no, dont worry we'll call you if we need you. 30 minutes later i realize theyre still there, he(old guy) calls me over and hes like hey these elbow pads (bauer 1000 or something) are marked down on the price tag from 49.99 to 24.99, im like ok, sure, so i take them and look at the price tag. in red marker on the tag this is what it says in huge messy writing: 24.99, HALF PRICE, SIZES LARGE AND MEDIUM (him and his son both needed a pair). We sticker gun all our markdowns so obviously it wasnt the staff. Being the classy individual that he was, i could see the outline of a sharpie in his supertight jeans. I say I cant give him that price, because anybody could have wrote that on the tag, and it wasnt our staff, so he freaks at me, so i say theres no chance anyone who works here would do this. so he asks me if im accusing him, i say no, youre a grown man with your young son present, no one would do that. then he storms off and is like well guess what then, "you just lost a sale buddy".......

[mik3 1]

wow, I guess that's a retard's version of sticker changing.

It would have been better if he wrote "Free if you bring your kid in today"

[Karly14 21]

"i also once had a some 30 year old guy throw(to hurt) a pair of 1052 skates at me because we didnt have his size on the day they were advertised"

haha, ya people are nuts when it comes to get deals. I also once had a some 30 year old guy throw(to hurt) a pair of 1052 skates at me because we didnt have his size on the day they were advertised

[MNdgame 0]

the two things i hate the most, even though we make money on it, are the people who have sharp skates with nothing wrong with them and they bring them in to be sharpened. The other is the parents who think they know everything and don't listen when i tell them that their 12 year old shouldn't be playing with a cut down 110 flex synergy.

A lot of people just get there skates sharpened after almost every skate because they like them brand new...

[iceholes 0]

wow.. makes me afraid to shop...

I also dont have a problem bringing my skates back after 1 game and saying" can you fix these please, something bad happened last sharpening"

[UMWhockey 0]

i can understand if the last person to sharpen then did a crapy job, then yea i will fix them no problem, but some of the ones i get don't even look like they have been skated on and i know the kids and they are the kind that if they fall it must have been the skates and they need to get mommy and daddy to get them sharpened for them..... just bothers me that's all.... i go about 2 weeks at a time between sharpenings. Which works out to be about 12 times on the ice

[CaseyJones_86 0]

I always try a bunch of stuff on, then I go buy the same stuff online, thus wasting they're time and probably patience. haha

[prenny207 1]

back in high school, my brother and i worked in a hockey shop... and our favorite was when people would be looking at equipment on the wall. now, we would keep one of each product there... ie. left shin guards, left gloves, left skates, im sure you all know the picture. well, these customers would ask... is this the price for both or just this one. we wanted to say... well, today, we are running a sale on the other piece of the pair....YES ITS FOR BOTH!!!!!

[JGraz15 53]

I worked at a shop in college and the owner's name is Joe. Random customers would be checking out and right before you tell them the total, they say, 'Oh, I know Joe'

Friggin' classic, I would say, so do I, full price.

We had an "I know Joe" count sheet going.

[Chadd 916]

I had a woman call and complain that we ordered the wrong item for her husband. Of course the other guy she talked to must have screwed up when telling me the item to order. I had to bite my tongue and not tell her that I'm the one she talked to.

[vdubbin 0]

i love the guys who come in and try to talk about the mark ups on all the equipment that is in a shop. how they think prices are too high and that we should cut prices some. where the hell do people get off?

[JR Boucicaut 3803]

No, the best one by far is the one I hear at least three times a week.

"My son plays hockey here, do we get a discount?"

I usually counter that one with "You eat, are you entitled to a discount at a restaurant?"

[joshy207 15]

I love the guys who bring their skates in and say "I got a bad sharpening here." I tell them I'd be happy to look at their skates and see what's wrong, and I'll ask them when they got their skates done and how many times they skated on them... I usually get "I was in about a week ago" and "I can't turn/stop, something's wrong with them, I think it was a bad sharpening". So I ask them, "well, were they bad right from the beginning? And if so, why didn't you bring them back right away?" "No, they were fine for a while, but now they're all messed up" and as I look at them, I can see where they've lost their entire edge. I have to explain to these people that 1, there's no way a sharpened skate would look like this, you stepped on something or hit something and lost your edge, and 2, if it was a bad sharpening (which it was not) you would have noticed immediately. So I sharpen their skates and collect the $4... Idiots.