Thanks for reading the newsletter. I hope this helps you have a productive week.

Character

Well, it finally happened. We had a customer absolutely melt down over a discount. It was truly a rich way to start the day. The customer was the first one into the shop and he wanted a small bike as a gift for a grand child. Perfect, we had what he wanted. When I started wheeling the bike up front he starts with the “let’s make a deal” routine. Now, don’t get me wrong about this, I am in no way against asking for a discount, but in this situation with a small margin bike and an obviously cranky customer I knew this was not going to end well. I mentioned we could cut off a few points if he paid cash. He rolled into a hairsplitting routine about how much credit card fees actually are and then he said it, the mighty words that cemented it for me, “I have a business and I know what the fees are! Give me 10% off.” Boom! We’re in the presence of genius, a true classic, one that knows it all and will bend to nobody until he gets his way. Was he having a bad day? Clearly he was and we had to deal with it quickly without losing the sale.
At this point I was totally calm, the owner was calm and explaining to Mr. Business how things work at the shop. He was getting more and more irritated since he wasn’t getting his way. I thought to myself that I should negotiate the price of cookies at the grocery store next to the shop at lunch time. Sure, why not?
As I was typing the transaction into computer Mr. Business was still harping about his business and the fact that the bike was a gift and we lost a sale on a $6,000 e-bike he was going to buy. So, we agreed to 5% cut off the price. Lo and behold when I went to create the discount I could not select 5%. I had to go to 10%. The owner said do it. I mentioned to him that he was getting 10% off and he chuffed and paid and grumbled out the door. Will he come back? Doubt it. Will we miss him? Not one bit.

Confessional

The bike shop is a unique place. People come in just to talk and sometimes it’s not even about bikes. Personal events, job changes and such. Our customers are our friends. We share stories from our rides, and what’s going on at home even if its not so good news. The level of knowledge that is shared never ceases and that’s what makes the bike shop so much more than just bikes. We learn about people and their personal experience. I was struggling to come up with any other business that has this level of openness to people’s lives and I cannot think of one. We’ve had customers get injured lately doing things not related to bicycle riding and that’s not a positive in any sense rather it highlights that life is fleeting and it’s not fair and you will fall down and get hurt sometimes. When this happens we heal and get back on the bike and carry on. The recovery from injury shines a light on the personalities as they recover and you really get to know the person, not just the cyclist. That is, in essence, the best part of the shop, getting to know the people. Even the crabby ones that need just need a hug.

Thanks for reading. Have a great week and go for a bike ride.

Peace,
Paul