do people begrudge other people earning a living these days?

[KDM]

The LBS I use I know is not the cheapest and most times I do not even ask the cost before, unless I suspect it will be a heavy price job. I don't ask the price because so far when the job has been done it is a great job at a fair price. He knows I know that, so I'm sure on occasion he does me a good price as a regular customer.

I've done the same with motorcycles and cars and generally it works quite well and have normally found the shonky ones show their true colours early on

 

[greencat]

Re: Re:

Perhaps LBS should simply price in expectation that some will haggle.

That would be even less fair! Argument is completely flawed and just leaves everyone thinking that they are being screwed over.

And frankly why reward people for being aggressive? No thanks. Better to work the other way and be kinder to the people who don't ask for discounts as they are the ones you really want to keep coming back.

How would they know they are being screwed over?

Presumably other business costs are priced in eg bad debts and passed onto all customers. I don't see how having a negotiable margin - which you can proactively offer to good customers and not all, or let yourself be haggled to for bad/middling ones - is unfair?

Do you also have an issue with nice negotiators? ie a zero tolerance of anyone asking for a discount.

I think I am beginning to see why some LBS are struggling now.

I guess my point is that some people go away happier if they feel they've had a haggle and felt they've got a bargain (especially if trying to justify the expense to the other half). Why not simply play them at their own game?

 

[dbmtb]

Double post delete

 

[dbmtb]

Problem is that is you can come down in price it gives the (correct) impression that you were charging too much in the first place. And that's a vicious circle.

We have the same scenario here in Denmark - where mass market chainstores are involved with discount schemes for consumer society members - and all it means is higher prices for everyone, to finance the discounts that the society members get given (this is across the board, not just with bikes).

You don't see people haggling in Waterstones, at McDonalds, at Mars and Spencers or at Tescos. Why are bike shops viewed differently?

 

[greencat]

You don't see people haggling in Waterstones, at McDonalds, at Mars and Spencers or at Tescos. Why are bike shops viewed differently?

Any expensive item is fair game I reckon. I've certainly haggled at PCWorld (and got discounts) in the past.

 

[dbmtb]

Re:

Which sort of proves my point. You haggled them down and for them to be able to do that and still make money, the price had to be artificially too high to begin with.

Problem with bike shops is that a lot of us are ordinary people with working class values (probably too socialist to be self-employed tbh) who set prices as fairly as possible and keep them as low as we can. (Much of the stuff I sell is 30% cheaper than in the chainstores). Yet people still think that any price tag we put on things could be lower, which is certainly not the case in my shop. I just like to treat everyone fairly instead of just the people who are bare-faced about it.

How many bike shop owners do you know who drive fancy motors and have luxury homes?

 

[mattr]

Re: Re:

How many bike shop owners do you know who drive fancy motors and have luxury homes?

several. Why?

 

[greencat]

Yep, I'm with Matt on this. Two out of the three bike shop owners I have known live very well indeed. The other I'm not sure about - but he certainly retired early.

 

[dbmtb]

Well it's fair to say that I know hundreds.... and it's very few that are raking it in.

 

[jonnyboy666]

Re:

@ greencat and mattr, sounds like you begrudge them having made a living.


which kind of proves my original point to be true.