You should know up front that we own a tri store in Canada. That being said, I am wondering what you feel makes a good tri store? I have noticed many posts regarding tri stores and I would like to get a feel on how triathletes judge what a good tri store (not a bike store that dabbles in tri and not a run store that carries tri clothes) is. I am looking for all perspectives from the newbie to the elite (and all points in between).
Knowledgeable and friendly staff. Nothing worse then going into a shop where the person you are talking to has no clue or spends the whole time looking down his/her nose at you.
Staying on the Canadian spirit. I think the Running Room approach of making the customer a participant is a winning marketing formula. (they are not alone in this one, look at RunTex in Austin for an USA example)
I would love to have a local triathlon store that has both free and paying options for clinics, group runs and rides. Well organized and at the same time with pacers and volunteer leaders. Moreover today you can have " web guest speakers" from the product vendors and the pro community at a very low if any cost.
Social networks is the way to go to make a store GREAT and not just another store, true for the web true for the real world…is all about people!
P.