I would like to hear what Tom thinks about this but hopefully everyone else will chime in as well.
If you were a Bike shop owner and you had someone come into your shop and say, “I have this printout of a bike online I could get. I realize you don’t carry this brand, however, could you offer me a bike of comparable value for the same price?”
And for non bike owners. How do you guys get X% off your bike purchases. Do you just ask for it bluntly or do you say something like " I am looking for a LBS I can be loyal to, giving me 15% this bike would go a long way to accomplishing this. "
Just to tell you, once I find a business who offer excellent customer service and good prices, I will remain loyal to them for quite some time.
might be asking a bit too much of an LBS…margins are pretty tight to begin with I think…loyalty is pretty hard to obtain in the first place and service is way more important to me than pricing (you can always buy online first…though most LBS hate when you do that a good one will overlook this if you keep coming to them for service and the odd essential…hopefully).
I think that the better approach for getting a discount on a bike is to bring in the advertised price that you have found online show it to the bike shop owner/manager and ask if he/she is willing to meet the price. Sometimes this will work, other times the LBS will come part of the way to the price and offer some extras like free tune ups etc.
Not a bike shop owner, but a customer at 5 different shops near my house. Of those, two offer discounts to members of the local tri club, one 10% and the other 15%. The 10% one, though a small shop, is making a very determined effort to carry tri stuff. Performance offers rebate coupons to members of “Team Performance” which are almost a discount but not quite. An online tri-specific shop in another state offers a 15% discount to members of my tri club, and I suspect to almost any tri club. The remaining two shops, while offering no discount, actually get most of my business. They are friendly, helpful, attentive to my needs, and go to the trouble to try to remember my name. Bottom line (for me) is that my business can be “bought” with discounts, but while that is one way, it’s not the best way.
I think that the better approach for getting a discount on a bike is to bring in the advertised price that you have found online show it to the bike shop owner/manager and ask if he/she is willing to meet the price. Sometimes this will work, other times the LBS will come part of the way to the price and offer some extras like free tune ups etc.
I thought about going that route as well. I jsut know they don’t carry the brand I will be showing them and I know they wouldn’t be able to match the price anyway. Essentially I know how much I can spend, however, I am hoping to get them to pay for the taxes (or give me a 15% discount). It’s the same either way. But I want to show them I am not just some yockul off the street. I will be loyal to them if they cut me this break.
In that case I woudl still bring in the spec with the price and tell them that you would like to do business with them if they can offer a comperable biek at a comperable price.
I am a salesman, and I don’t respond well to customers promising future business based on present discounts - once a price shopper always a price shopper. So the ‘Loyal Cuctomer’ bit does not get alot of play. However, when you are up front about the fact that you will be spending money on a bike right now (short term) and it is eiter going to be from him or the other guy, he is more likely to aggressively pursue your business. telling him that you would rather buy from him starts the relationship on a good note and lets him know that he could get creative with the deal. Also if he has a no discount policy, it gives him some place to go because now you are a ‘friend’ and not just some schmuk off the street trying to squeeze his profit down.
Went into my LBS last week to see what they had for cyclocross bikes. The only thing in stock is a Bianchi Axis, a nice bike to be sure. Problem is this is a cyclocross bike, and no cyclocross bike is worth $1299.00.
I ask the shop guy if they ever get any used ones in; he knows what I’m thinking. He looks around to make sure no one is looking and says, “Just buy one on eBay. There’s no way we’ll ever match that kind of price.”
Bottom line is that if you can get it online cheaper then do it. Haggling with your LBS is unlikely to get you very far.
Thanks. It is like Tom says, this is their business and their bread and butter, so I don’t want to saound like I am being an ass or anything. I just want to get the most for my money. I just don’t want it to sound like I am saying “gimme this or I am going elsewhere”. I wouldn’t respond well to that either.
M~
You may indeed be loyal if given the price break, but unless you’ve been around the shop for a while, how are they to know that you’re telling the truth? When I’ve gotten price breaks on bikes before, it’s because I was usually in the store buying smaller stuff every week, or having my old bike tuned up. They knew me, and wanted to keep me a happy, loyal customer.
The extra price you pay in the store gets you the service afterwards, something you don’t get online. Might be important to you if you don’t work on your own bike (though personally, I think everyone should!).
Agreed. This dude won’t know me from a hole in his head so why should he give me a discount. I can understand that. I am acutally going to a bike shop which is an hour away from where I live, and withthe price of gas it will likely cost me $40 just to go there and back to look around. Unfortunately, none of the bike shops around where I live are any good.
The next step for me is to learn how to fix everything myself. But I will save that for another thread.
IF your willing to spend $x why not just walk in and tell them you have shopped around, are looking to spend no more than X for a YY bike with II features, and ask what they got?
If they dont offer a product and service at a price you like vote with your feet and walk.
Yeah I think I will do something similar to that. I think I will go in look around and say to the dude, I am intereested in purchasing this bike you have, however, I can only do this if you are able to knock the price down 15% to make it competitve with what I have found online. I will also need to buy some pedals to go along with this bike which I would be happy to pay full price for…
What do you think?
Question, why are you traveling to a shop that is an hour away if they donot carry the bike tht you are looking for? do your local shops carry the brand and you just donot want to support them? Does this shop you are going to have a bike that you would like to buy, but you just want some leverage to push the price down?
Finally, if you live an hour away from this shop, it does not sound like you will be able to be a loyal customer. As you said if it costs $40 a trip, I don’t see you going there much to buy gels/apparel/tools etc.
Question, why are you traveling to a shop that is an hour away if they donot carry the bike tht you are looking for?
No. I am not looking for the exact bike I found on the internet. Just something close to it. After all the right bike for me is that one that fits.
do your local shops carry the brand and you just donot want to support them?
Nope, I just don’t have any faith in them anymore. I have given them the opportunity to do good jobs in the past and I have been sorely disapointed.
Does this shop you are going to have a bike that you would like to buy, but you just want some leverage to push the price down?
They have a wide selection of bikes which appeal to me. Other shops have one or two brands I would consider but this one has about 4 or 5.
Finally, if you live an hour away from this shop, it does not sound like you will be able to be a loyal customer. As you said if it costs $40 a trip, I don’t see you going there much to buy gels/apparel/tools etc.
Nope, like I have said, if a shop can show me they will be good to me, I will come back for everything. I have done it in the past. I use to frequent a bike shop 45 minutes away, however, they lost my business for various reasons. But I was fiercely loyal to them and talked them up at every opportunity.
