Help me with your opinion please on bike shops

[Quiff Wichard]

Hya guys- I have an interview tomorrow with a major motorbike clothing retaler in the UK.

I would appreciate some bullet point answers on your opinions as to what you want from a store as a customer... maybe in top five order..
like

honesty
product knowledge
not to be pestered
to be said hello to !

anything.. just to help with my preperation ..ta
any bad experiences or can u sing the praises of your local bike specific retail store??

cheers boys n girls I know u wont let me down

Dave

[timwilky]

Yes how about, decent good quality stock at the right price.

Why should I go into a store. try something on and then be able to order it on line 30% less.

[kwak zzr]

aftercare! my local bike shop HIGHWAYS in wolverhampton did me a good deal on my bike, BUT once they have your £cash£ thats it!!!!! ARE YOU BUYING ANOTHER BIKE IF NOT STOP WASTING MY TIME! flash 4 grand and were all nicey nicey again and they want to be your friend.
i'd like my local bike shop to be as friendly when you've got your bike as before you made your purchase.

[Quiff Wichard]

good points....

any more???

[Peter Henry]

Well young Quiff...The only real experience I have had with a U.K. bike clothing/accesory outlet was one with a sort of German sounding name via their branch in Belfast last year.
I looked at the web site and then spoke to a chappie calle Steve who was most helpfull.I told him what I was looking for and that I was in town for the weekend and might just be able to grab an hour to pop in.Nothing was too much trouble for him and he stuck some things away for me.
When I called in said shop he treated me like a long lost friend and again nothing was too much trouble.

I think being friendly but not pushy,helpfull without trying to lead the bull by the nose and showing an interest in the customer goes a long.long way.

Good luck mate! :thumbsup:

BTW it is a bike related shop your going to isnt it? I remember when I was 16 and sending loads of job applications away.The day arrived for my interview for an Apprentice Plumber.I had brushed up on stop *****, and ball valves etc. Imagine my degree of mortification when the first question asked of me was.

"Well Peter what appeal does the career of an Electrician have for you?! #-o

[Quiff Wichard]

ah well peter!!! maybe it best u werent an electrician! else u might not have landed in Marbella with a Ducati !


appreciating your input guys....

more please

[embee]

a couple of observations from recent visits to 2 branches of a certain well known bike clothing/accessory chain.

1 - let's call it Notchampton :wink:
I'm the only customer in. Shop guy is reading something on counter. Looks up, sees me, looks back at book.
10mins later after sorting through stock, I ask about waterproof jacket with ventilation "Don't do them, mate". (I am not his mate). I ask what this is (pointing to waterproof jacket with ventilation), "Don't know, mate" (I'm still not his mate).
Leave.

2 - let's call it Leckster :wink:
I'm the only customer in.
"Hello, how can I help?"
"Waterproof blah blah ventilation"
"I think some of these are, have a look through and I'll be back in a couple of minutes"

Get the picture? :lol:

[Quiff Wichard]

yeppers- so product knowledge is key- and honesty if they dont know-!!!

[Peter Henry]

Quiff...Come on relax! It is the same when we start any new job or apply for one.We want to impress with what we know. But that is all ball*cks as before you know it you will know the location of the different items etc.

Main thing they will be interested in is if you are half presentable and have a pleaseant demeanour.Being able to string a couple of sentences together might also help.

However having read the above,I realise that you possess none of those qualities so you are just gonna have to blag it! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Now get a cup of Horlicks and get yerself to bed and up bright and breezey in the morning. 8)

[Anonymous]

Yes how about, decent good quality stock at the right price.

Why should I go into a store. try something on and then be able to order it on line 30% less.

Be thankful people buy products from these stores so you have the convenience of being able to try the product in the first place. There's also the convenience of being able to take things back when they're faulty and usually get an exchange rather than wait weeks for a reply to your email regarding the fault, lost post, unneccessary return P&P charges and long delays.

If you need an example of such a company (not motorcycle related):

http://www.dabs.com

[WelshWop]

My experiance today...... I needed a new jacket as the hostipal took a pair of scissors to my old one. So i decide to pop down my local dealership. As I walk through the door I get a friendly wink and a smile from a shop guy. As im walking towards the accessories i get a "Hi, alright" and a smile from another shop guy. I get to the clothing part and am greeted by a shop lady with "Hello Mr Meglio" :shock: I ordered something from them months ago and she remembered me. I choose a jacket and she practicaly dresses me. She fits a pair of braces that i buy to my trousers and finds the right size jacket for me, all the while being very gentle with my dodgy shoulder.
The whole time she was dealing with me she was very friendly and chatty.

About an hour after being home i get a phone call from the her :? I had left my jumper there and she was calling to let me know it was safe and ready to pick up whenever I was ready.
To find my number she must of had to find a order i made with them six months earlier!

I know where ill be going again and again.

[Dante]

I think i'll be going there too - i've not got a dodgy shoulder though so she can dress me as roughly as she likes ;)

[Dirty Baz]

2 ends of the spectrum.....

back in 2003 when I first bought my helmet I went to J&S for a look, after a friendly greating the guy spent the next 20 minutes with me showing me the entire stock, letting me try on most of the brands they had, he even showed me how to do up the double D strap! :oops: and threw in a little visor cleaning spray for free!

then in 2004 I needed some summer gloves, went into HG. After browsing for 10 minutes and being totally ignored (store was empty!), I said could I try on the A* SP2 gloves please (they were £59). the guy behind the counter blurts out "nah, they're crap mate, here, try on these HG ones, much better!". He then proceeds to hand me a pair of HG gloves and while they were nice, the price tag read a whopping £90! :shock: Why, when I ask to look at a £60 pair, try to make me buy a £90 pair!! After telling him that I couldn't afford them, he shrugged and threw the A* gloves down on the counter and walked away! :shock: :lol: . Disgusted, I almost walked out, but liking the gloves I decided just to buy them. He then has the cheek to ask if I want some little rubber wiper blade with them, only a fiver! I nearly stuck them up his ****! Won't be shopping there again!

I'd say it's all about a friendly welcome, spending time with the customer (after all, alot of people will be new bikers with no product knowledge) and not trying to push a sell.

Good luck, I'd love to work in a bikeshop!

[muddycoffee]

When you talk to someone in a shop about buying riding gear, you need someone who has empathy for you. You need them to tell you that it fits and it's safe for you and your size with the protection.

They need to be a biker themselves, and they need to be riding regularly so they can say things like, I use these ones, they still look new after 2 years. You need to be able to try clothing on while sitting on your bike or one the same size.

[Akula]

A good way to think about is, how would you expect to treated?

Courteously- Definetly (dont call people m8 )

Product Knowledge - Comes with experience although obviously you need to know a bit initially.

Smart appearance - Definetly

Helpful - Definetly

And last but not least something which is my bug bear walking into shops, DO NOT jump on people, wait till they show an intrest in something approach ask if they need any help to give you a shout. Their are bound to be more. Ohhh and one more thing RELAX, they are expecting you to be nervous.

GOOD LUCK :thumbsup:

Martin

[Quiff Wichard]

cheers boys n girls...

back now!
all seemed to go well...

appreciate your input was very useful...

will keep you informed...

[svpilot]

... I get to the clothing part and am greeted by a shop lady with "Hello Mr Meglio" :shock: I ordered something from them months ago and she remembered me. I choose a jacket and she practicaly dresses me. She fits a pair of braces that i buy to my trousers and finds the right size jacket for me, all the while being very gentle with my dodgy shoulder.
The whole time she was dealing with me she was very friendly and chatty.

About an hour after being home i get a phone call from the her :?
I know where ill be going again and again.

I reckon you've pulled! :lol:

[iprideaux]

You must know about what you sell and what you've got in stock. I'm regularly ****ed off by the salesman knowing less about what he's selling than I do, I don't just mean bike stuff, but anything that I try to buy, especially anything technical.

First contact when a customer walks in should be kept to a simple "hello", don't pounce on them.

Equally, don't ignore them, when they've had some time to wander round, ask if you can help them. Don't hide behind the counter. Think Captain Peacock.

One more thing, at your interview, tell them that you did tis small survey, they'll be impressed that you've done some homework.

Good luck.

[jenni]

I Love HG at Bradford, I went in for a helmet and the only "girlie question" they asked was if I was rider or pillion.

Then he spend about 30 mins helping me choose a £100 helmet and i told them i was going for my test...

The next week i went back in and the first thing they said was "hiya jen, how did the test go...."

Really helpful and did not get talked down to once, even offered to help me fit my r+g's

HOWEVER- Dealers are another matter, they ignore me- probably because i'm a girl and don't look interested in anything i asked.

1 dealer smirked when i said I would need the SV lowered and said it was dangerous and pointed me towards the cruiser section :x .....have not been there since

[northwind]

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That's it, basically.

[muddycoffee]

i told them i was going for my test...

..and the first thing they said was "hiya jen, how did the test go...."

Did you pass? and how did it go?
HOWEVER- Dealers are another matter, they ignore me- probably because i'm a girl and don't look interested in anything i asked.

1 dealer smirked when i said I would need the SV lowered and said it was dangerous and pointed me towards the cruiser section :x .....have not been there since The guy probably hasn't ridden anything over a 125

Most of the people on this SV forum are not the chosen ones, because SVs are only cheap bikes and I have never worn attractive one piece leathers etc..
Therefore it is easy to see what the decent dealers are because they treat you like an equal.

[Quiff Wichard]

cheers cheers cheers..

I printed it off and showed the chap I had done my own survey- he was impressed..(which was the idea)!!..in fact it was the whole idea. I did want to know what you all thought but I have been a retailer and in the public service industry for over 20 years and its always nice to know what folk want- especially something as niche as biker gear...

thanks for your comments one and all......very enlightening.

[jenni]

Did you pass? and how did it go?



Yep :D

Picking the SV up on Saturday :twisted:

[Anonymous]

good luck with the job dave

well done on passing and good luck picking up bike jen

:D