glass is organised for ya--Ill hold ya shoes
gee wizzz
glass is organised for ya--Ill hold ya shoes
To see a life newly created.To watch it grow and prosper. Isn't that the greatest gift a human being can be given?
Fair weather rider
Bikeshops these days are just a waste of space. They're just big fat pink elephants of little use, full of shifty dodging employees and bosses with halitosis, strange facial features and nervous tics.
All hell bent on fucking anyone and everyone over, just to pay the rental on their glitzy showrooms of shiny gleaming motorcycles that no bastard, unless they win fucking lotto, is going to buy anyway.
The sleazy cheesy salesmen types are there hovering like vultures, none of them know jack shit about motorbikes in the real world, all they've ever done is read the publicity blurb and glossy japanese brochures. Ask them any detailed or important questions and you'll have them stumped within 5 seconds. These dreamers wouldn't know what work was if it bit them on the nose.
The spare part departments are a sick joke, never anything in stock, go to buy a visor or an oil filter and the pimple-brains behind the counter will just creep off into an empty room out back, hidden from view, stand there for 30 seconds stroking their cufflinks, then come back and tell you they just sold the last one that very morning but they'll be able to order one in for you in two days time.
Go to swap some shims and they'll have every fucken rarely used size bar the ones that are really needed. Go to buy a tyre and all they'll have available is hard-line soft sticky crap that wears out in a fortnights riding at 400 bucks a pop.
It's only the snotty nosed sportbike riders that think they need that sticky crap on the road because they've all long ago been brainwashed into believing everything that the 'fast bike' and 'super speed sportbike' and all the rest of the fly-by-night bullshit hyped-up magazines in Whitcoulls at $18.95 a pop are telling them.
And the bikeshops love that and are on their hands and knees grovelling to the flashy Givi one piece leather goons like politicians licking the publics' rectums at election time.
Walk into any bikeshop during the day, all you'll see is pot bellied lard-arses sitting in front of computer screens making out that they're working at something. It's just bullshit.
That's all these bikeshop losers are doing, sitting at their desks scoffing cakes and cream buns at 10 o'clock, 12 o'clock and 3 o'clock and twiddling the day away scrolling on keyboards in some vain attempt to try and look busy.
Come the end of the day when people have knocked off work and are actually wanting to call in for parts/service, the bikeshop wankers have all shut shop and fucked off home.
Come saturday morning, there's fifty fucking customers queued up waiting whilst the only two available bikeshop pimpleheads are yapping on the phone or scrolling their fucking keyboards again.
Time all you bastards stopped your bloody whining and starting sorting your shit
The Wise
They prob want to go riding like everyone else,Originally Posted by wild_weston
If its a good day, the last place i would be on a Sunday is a bike shop, I would be out riding.
If I needed anything, I would have got it before the weekend.
Weekend for Riding, though only works if you work Monday to friday.
Why would you ride that long and that gnarly stuff if you don't have to, Its what we do, we love it.
Nathan Woods R.I.P.
The Wise
40hrs a week for me Mon to Friday, Life is too short to waste working long hours, if your young yeah go for it, at my age I just want to enjoy my life.
Couldn't handle working on a weekend, feel sorry for peps who have to work weekends, when you can see some would rather be riding like everyone else.
Why would you ride that long and that gnarly stuff if you don't have to, Its what we do, we love it.
Nathan Woods R.I.P.
Fully qualified Sifter.
Ixion says...
"So maybe what is happening is that what you are getting coming into the shop is only the people who CAN'T buy from the Internet. Either because they are illiterate, or because they have no idea what they want or need.
While the more clued up ones have said "Bugger buying locally, just too hard" and headed for the net. "
I believe it's you that thinks you're a 'demi god' Ixion. You're calling yourself a 'customer', and think I'm being rude to you. In actual fact, I'm telling you what a dickhead I think you personally are here, on this site. And why should I not be able to tell you what I think of you simply because I work in a bike shop? You openly stated here that people using bike shops are 'illiterate' or don't know what they want/need!!??
I beg to differ.
You then go on to say "The more clued up ones..." You're obviously putting yourself in there, and again, I beg to differ. You're a bitter sad sack, nothing more. And if you'd like to have a go about egos, it's your ego that wouldn't let you stay away even after your big "goodbye cruel world" load of bollocks message. Pity you weren't man enough to live by it.
Forum whore
No, his point is....
Maybe why bike shop workers think their customers are clueless idiots is because maybe they are only the majority of the ones that are coming into your shop.
Those with a clue have found other alternatives and will only go into a bike shop on the rare occasion as a last resort when all else fails. (their previous experiences with NZ bike shops has driven them to this)
There may be a very large customer base that you rarely see set foot in your shop.
Hence why your view and attitude.
Come warm yourself by the fire
Will let you know when I get a whole day off........its been 5 weeks straight now. Have been told Sat is a 'mabey'.......god I hope so.
So friggen tired. And it makes it worse when everything seems "quiet".
Reactor Online. Sensors Online. Weapons Online. All Systems Nominal.
Fully qualified Sifter.
I neither think that..or agree with it. We have hundreds of well clued up customers. The other thing neither you nor Ixion know about me and how I work is this...my customers have contact details for me 24/7, and I'm happy to help whenever I can. I also do things for customers outside of normal shop hours, in my own time for no charge. That's why I'm still here even after 23 years.
Forum whore
An interesting development from
I happened to mention this non event to Mrs IxionNow, I just bought a retro helmet. The salesman made no effort to sell me goggles! Surely a no brainer. Or a scarf, or neck warmer (" Open face can be chilly , Sir. We have a very nice line of quality wool scarves, that would really set off the helmet"). Might have sold me one, my old one is pretty tatty.
When I got home last night, from seeing a man about a dog, Mrs Ixion says "You are always so hard to buy gifts for, so when you said about needing a new scarf, I thought I could get you one for our anniversary. So I did".
What, apart from being a charming example of uxorial devotion, does this have to do with the pricing of seafood, you think?
Well, Mrs I did not go to a bike shop. Mrs I regards bike shops as dens of iniquity, along with brothels and opium dens, having a nebulous but sinister connection with Sodom, or Gomorrah. Or both. Instead she went to her favourite shop where they sell very expensive stuff for chicks, and stuff that chicks buy for men.And :
1. The shop was open on Sunday !
2. The scarf cost over $100. Believe it, this is the shop that sells $1000 handbags (yes, the number of naughts is correct
3. In Mrs I's words " I did not know what sort of scarves motorcyclists wear, but I asked the lady in the shop , and she knew exactly what I needed. She says they sell lots of them to motorcyclists and sports car drivers"
4. The helpful lady also told Mrs I that there were cheap scarves available on the Internet and from cheap shops . But 'these are fakes and poor quality' . The lady also showed her a cheaper scarf (about $70), but helpfully advised that it was 'not as good' as the $100+ model. Mrs I is very grateful for this advice
5. The helpful lady also sold her a small, but expensive, packet of special washing powder, which is apparently essential for washing the scarf. Mrs I was very pleased to hear that she could obtain further supplies of said powder from the shop.
6. The helpful lady also suggested that Mrs I find out if I were interested in a matching beanie hat, because if I was , she could provide one at a 'special price' as a set.
7. Mrs I also brought back a brochure provided by the helpful lady for their upcoming promotion. I suspect the helpful lady will be getting further sales
8. Mrs Ixion also bought a brooch. Because the helpful lady commented how well it matched her dress !
9. The lady also asked for an email address , so that so could advise Mrs I of future bargains. So Mrs I provided mine
10. The lady was (presumably) disappointed to hear that Mrs I did not 'go on the back of the motorbike', and did not know any other ladies with husbands who rode motorbikes. She asked.
What a saleswoman! Not only was the shop open at hours that suited the customer. She also hit every sales button - upsold, cross sold, on sold, onsold, provided a basis for repeat visits (more washing powder) , and thus more selling opportunities, neutered Internet opposition, and updated her prospects list. Not to mention asking for leads!
I checked Trademe,and found apparently identical scarves (OK, can't check quality on the net) for $30. I pointed this out to Mrs I who was not impressed. "That's no good. I need to see them before I buy them. And if they are so cheap they must be poor quality, how do you know if they are any good? Those will be the cheap fakes the lady warned me about". So much for the internet.
Now, Mrs I is [B] not [\B] gullible, or an 'easy mark'. But she had a requirement, and went to a vendor she trusts. Who did a VERY good sales job, simply by providing the customer with what she wanted, when she wanted it. Mrs I is very happy with her purchase, and with the (excellent) service she received. The likelihood of her buying off the net if future in preference to the trusted helpful lady is zero. Despite the fact that the helpful lady knew nothing at all about motorcycling. I reckon the shop cleared well over $100 margin from that small transaction, plus future business. Which could have gone to a bike shop. And they sell "lots" of them apparently.
I suggest that if motorcycle shops had that standard of customer service and sales(wo)manship , we would hear very little complaint about the internet or poor proitability.
If I were a bike shop owner, I'd hire that lady, for whatever it took, and set up a special section for chicks' fashionwear. With the helpful lady running it. Then go see a security company about a heavy duty armoured car to carry the profits to the bank.
How many bike shops let a customer walk out with a new helmet, without also selling a bottle of visor cleaner? Or new boots without selling socks and boot polish. And a special brush ?
How many bike shops make it their business to build a relationship where the customer has complete trust in them ? It used to be thus : when I was young no-one would have dreamed of doubting the authority of Bill White , or Len Perry. Let alone Mr Weston-Webb (he alone was always "Mr")
Quite simply, if bike shops want to stay in business they have to lift their game to the standards of the helpful lady .
Forum whore
You mean to say that she doesn't regard foraging through a large clutter of miss-mash in some gloomy dusty corner of a bike shop while the "salesman" has a half-hour long conversation with one of their distributor's travelling reps a pleasant retail experience...???
Surely you jest!
Forum whore
I have accompanied Mrs I on occasion to the shop in question. Like others which she patronises, it is very pleasant. Well laid out, attractive. The salespersons are friendly and attentive without being pushy. Never out of the way when wanted , never in the way when not wanted. I think they set a high standard. I do not think Mrs I would be bothered with a shop that did not.
Hardcore Biker
Farken hell I don't get some of you guys!!! Do you want to be massaged and given a warm bath and a cup of cocoa or something when you go to a shop?
Are you truly that soft and precious that the guys in the bike shop must "up sell" and bash the shit out of you with throw away American one liners straight from sales school???
Personally i like to walk in say g'day to the bloke who sold you the bike,have a look around then leave.If i want something I will ask.Its a pleasure to talk to guys who know bikes, there are some sales guys out there who have been around for years and years and the reason for that is because they are good at what they do and are pleasant to deal with .I suggest some of you would be the first to bleat if these type of guys packed up and pissed off,as you can't replace experience.
Quite frikken simple really. i don't want nor expect "do you want fries with that?" I know where to go for that.
If you need something for your bike do it when the shop is open....simple.If you can't organize that then you probably shouldn't be riding a motorcycle because that requires some forward thinking and personal accountability.I don't work in the bike industry and my working hours are always on call but i know that if i want or need something for my bike i will sort it so it works for me.
If you are basing your bleating on your overseas experiences then maybe you should go back there???
Easy Biker
That's more the way to talk Pete. You could have really milked this thread by telling us just how great WMCC is and how guys as experienced as yourself do go out of your way to help and that if only Ixion was in Wellington you could offer him a much better customer service than he is used to (instead of saying what you said earlier). Just open a bit later on the odd evening and I might be happier too, but then your job is to convince me that I need to come in to buy something.
I reckon there is a lot of truth in what Ixion says and he is but trying to help you guys (the shops that is) understand how to drag more money out of our pockets. Its a few years ago now but Whitetrash did a good job when he sold my Mrs a bike from your shop in 2004 and made sure she left the joint with riding trou, jacket and boots that all fitted well, plus a Ventura rack and bags for the bike. It was only a Suzuki (lol) all the same but that boy did a good job at the time.
However, there has never been any follow up after that. We've bought two more bikes since, not Suzukis and not from your shop, but only the Honda dealer has bothered keeping in touch by email or mailouts. Interestingly I hear from Honda cars probably 3 or 4 times a year, plus Honda NZ sends its magazine out so Honda does pretty good in my eyes and we have a Toyota too and Rutherford & Bond keep in touch.
Why is it so hard for bike shops when email is basically free?
Cheers
Merv
Fully qualified Sifter.
So even if bike shops were open on Sundays...they still would've missed out on the sale right? Because Mrs 'I' hates them? I rest my case.
Fully qualified Sifter.
Fair questions Merv.
I've not mentioned what WMCC can and will do for people, as the opinions expressed by me were/are mine, and WMCC should not come into it. But I've said it so many times before that WMCC are the most professional shop I've yet worked for in my 23 years. But we have 23 staff working 6 days a week, and trying to sort either skeleton staff or a second set of workers to do Sundays simply isn't financially feasable, no matter what people think.
Ixion isn't trying to help the bike industry. He's got the knives out for it and thinks he's the pied piper. He has all of the ideas that he'd like to see implemented, but no experience in the industry at all. He'd still put the boot into it if Sundays were staffed by students etc.
When WT was with us, we were running under a different computer system there, and I'm guessing if you haven't been back since we won't have you on file with the new system. If you'd ever like to PM me your email address, I'd love to add you to our data base and keep you in touch with things.
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