Can anyone tell me why bike shops only open for half a day on Sunday?

[DEATH_INC.]

Happy customers! Now that would be novel.

How does it make you happy?, you're now still working while the bike shop is open!

[DEATH_INC.]

In an area with high density population and with a lot of products ( an accessory and tyre warehouse ) yes that can work but not everyone lives in Auckland or Wellington or Christchurch.

NOT true. I've worked in a mag/tyre/accessory shop and business still dies off after 12 on saturday. We gave up on late thursday nights because all it did was cost the boss dinner, and only run minimal staff after 1 (till 3 or 4 dependent on whether anyone comes in) on saturdays. This is in Manukau....

[DEATH_INC.]

i agree but being asked to pay of it before they will even order it, not my idea of service.

But you'll get shit off the net, PRE-PAID, before you see it or even know it exists?

[Kickaha]

NOT true. I've worked in a mag/tyre/accessory shop and business still dies off after 12 on saturday. We gave up on late thursday nights because all it did was cost the boss dinner, and only run minimal staff after 1 (till 3 or 4 dependent on whether anyone comes in) on saturdays. This is in Manukau....

It is no different in Christchurch in that same industry

[Number One]

I haven't read the thread..sorry can't be.

Anywho I would like to tender the notion that the only reason they have to open on Sundays for half a day is because bikers are useless pricks and can't seem to arrive at a bike shop during normal business hours.

There is a cluster of bikers who show up as the doors are shutting or are there waiting first thi ng in the morning expecting to be attended to, fawned over and generally entertained. Go for a fricken ride and book your shit in don't show up as the place closes expecting everyone to drop everything...mutha fuckers! As bad as bad scooter parking wankers!!!

ooooooo that feels better....as you were!

[merv]

How does it make you happy?, you're now still working while the bike shop is open!

Nah, us non-productive office workers don't stay late, especially on Friday's so our boss wouldn't do that to us. Most go off to drinky sessions because the bikes shops aren't open lol.

That's the rub on what we are talking about - different people doing different things need to be able to work and play at different times so each can deal with the other. If I was in the bike business and wanted to trade with another bike shop then it wouldn't matter, but we are in bikes for a hobby, the bike shop is in it for a job, so they need to catch us when we are available else they don't catch us.

[DEATH_INC.]

Nah, us non-productive office workers don't stay late, especially on Friday's so our boss wouldn't do that to us. Most go off to drinky sessions because the bikes shops aren't open lol.

And you'd give up your drinky session to go to a bikeshop????? Pass a Tui....

[merv]

And you'd give up your drinky session to go to a bikeshop????? Pass a Tui....

I don't drink much so wouldn't care and I'm not demanding Friday's again anyway, there aren't the milkbars around anymore, so how about opening until 7pm (I note someone else said that aint late enough - suits me though kids have left home) on other nights. Thursday does match late night at the malls (Queensgate in the Hutt is actually open until 9pm Thurs and Fri).

Someone also said add entertainment if they want to drag the punters in - bike shops should do whatever they can to extract the money from our accounts.

[Robert Taylor]

NOT true. I've worked in a mag/tyre/accessory shop and business still dies off after 12 on saturday. We gave up on late thursday nights because all it did was cost the boss dinner, and only run minimal staff after 1 (till 3 or 4 dependent on whether anyone comes in) on saturdays. This is in Manukau....

If that is the case then thats good, it is still then in most peoples psych that most of Saturday and Sunday are a day off. The 20th century ( and as Merv eluded ) prior to 1974 werent so bad.

[SS90]

hire weekend only staff



hire weekend only staff




hire weekend only staff



this is a vaild point, however if i cant get to the damn store, where dose that leave me? the internet. Why can't the shops figure out a way to compete with the internet (i.e., open longer hours, easy to get to, knowledgeable staff, good mechanics, good supply of accessories)

Ahem, and here we have the crux of the problem.

Much like when you go into Supercheap, and have some 18 year old student (male or female, it doesn't matter) who, since they only work weekends, have not only piss all/no experience, the simple fact that they only work 2 days a week, it will take YEARS for them to build up enough experience to be anything more than simply someone to operate the till.

Expert advise?

I'm sorry sir, you will have to come back during the week.

[george formby]

Customer service works well - provided the customer realises and is happy about the fact that he has got to pay for it. Also, in order to provide 24/7 service you either need extreme dedication to the business - i.e. the proprietor doing it himself - or you need a business big enough to support significant staff rotation - i.e. employing more people than you really need to fill out the schedule.

Many Kiwis would be too tight to be wanting to pay the premium for such extra services.

I'm open 7 days, 8am til 10pm with a wee break in the middle. It really, really sucks. My turn over cannot support more than 35 hours wage cost so it is left to me to scrimp for those few bucks. I guess bike shops are in the same boat, it's lose/lose. Might as well be riding.

[Winston001]

This thread is becoming fucking hilarious. Can we get some string theory involved here also please?

Time for a random quote of the day:
[/I]

OK. Dark Matter doesn't exist. Instead time is slowing down in the 11 dimensions causing us to see the Universe expand more rapidly than it is.

So if we take a bit of car dealer and a bit of boat dealer as a comparison are they:

Open late weeknights?
Open Staurday afternoons?

I think Sunday opening is effectively a non starter.

I give you credit WW for being polite and reasoned, not skills we expect on KB.

The answer to your question in a nutshell is - money. As another poster has said, if opening longer hours were profitable, bike shops would do it. So would banks, property valuers, haberdashers, accountants etc. But they don't.

Motorcycles are a small niche industry. There is no percentage in being open to serve one customer an hour. The internet has further undermined this and other types of businesses. One bike shop owner told me recently of a customer he offered to help trying on some boots. The customer declined saying "I just wanted to check these out for size when I buy them on the net".......

Personally I find shops which stay open until 6:00pm very helpful to nip in and grab something after work. But I wouldn't expect any later.

Id hate to see the trade move further to Redshed mentality where you get ''service'' from a pimply low paid 16 year old with no product knowledge, that being almost as good as it gets.

Which has happened to Mitre 10 Mega. Knowledgeable hardware shops are almost gone except for our local gem - E Hayes and Sons. Old guys, whitworth bolts, Burt Munro's Indian plus about a dozen other bikes. My favourite shop in the world. http://www.ehayes.co.nz/

[Robert Taylor]

Ahem, and here we have the crux of the problem.

Much like when you go into Supercheap, and have some 18 year old student (male or female, it doesn't matter) who, since they only work weekends, have not only piss all/no experience, the simple fact that they only work 2 days a week, it will take YEARS for them to build up enough experience to be anything more than simply someone to operate the till.

Expert advise?

I'm sorry sir, you will have to come back during the week.

Knowledgable staff, good mechanics....how do you achieve that easily? There is a severe shortage of those two factors in the motorcycle industry, FACT.

[paulmac:Me]

Buy your bikes from tarde me, your parts from overseas and wonder why your local bike shop won't drop everything to grovel to you !! Buy your bike and gear locally and see if your service changes !!
I do 9 hours a day in a bike shop and every customer thinks I should kiss arse because of the comimssion !! Guess what ---- There is so little margin in bike sales that I don't get commission !!!! and 1 in 50 customers is actually looking to buy a bike !!
Ask motorbyklist on this site about my service !!!
You want warehouse style shopping but moan cause the ma and pa stores with the real service have shut down !!!

[george formby]

I haven't read the thread..sorry can't be.

Anywho I would like to tender the notion that the only reason they have to open on Sundays for half a day is because bikers are useless pricks and can't seem to arrive at a bike shop during normal business hours.

There is a cluster of bikers who show up as the doors are shutting or are there waiting first thi ng in the morning expecting to be attended to, fawned over and generally entertained. Go for a fricken ride and book your shit in don't show up as the place closes expecting everyone to drop everything...mutha fuckers! As bad as bad scooter parking wankers!!!

ooooooo that feels better....as you were!

Ahhhhh, the tell tale behaviour of the " slack jawed customer ". A common breed found in all areas of the retail & service jungle. Display an inability to relate the consumer premises & it's payed inhabitants to their own method of revenue accrual. Generally fail to engage on most human levels at first acquaintance.