LBS pricing frustration.

[TheFungle]

Disclaimer: my wife and I used to run a business so have a fair understanding of the pressures etc.

Went into my LBS today to buy a pair of Continental 4 seasons, was expecting to pay a bit more than online but generally quite happy to as they are a good shop...and I'm a good customer!

£48.65 per tyre!

CRC are £30 with free delivery.

Now, I'm a believer in supporting local businesses but at that price differential it's very very difficult.

I'm not blaming the LBS as they are selling at RRP, is it the fault of the distributor or is it us as consumers?

[z4chris99]

physical retail shops are dead. they just can't compete on price.

[ecsrobin]

I've always found tyres to be more expensive on the high street.

[Disco You]

A quick google shows the RRP as being £42.95, so that's pretty cheeky!

[Marcellus]

If you get on with your LBS I would give them the option of getting closer....... I used to allow my LBS 15% over the best I could get on line.

[yellowjack]

Was this shop located in Farnham, by any chance? The new shop there had them at just under £50-a-pop when I looked the other day.

Much like you, I'm keen on supporting decent local businesses, and willing to pay a small premium to do so, but when I bought the 4Seasons I currently have fitted, I paid £28 each for them (and I thought that was a lot for cycle tyres ). I need a spare, as the one on the front (which was previously on the back) is close to worn out, but I'm not paying a £20 surcharge for the luxury of fetching them myself from the shop.

[littleandy0410]

My LBS had signs in their window this week exclaiming that they had a "SALE!" on.

I popped in, only to discover that their idea of a sale and mine are......opposite sides of RRP.

[LotusMartin]

I just ask them to get a bit closer to competitive pricing if I spot something that is obviously way out. Rather give them the option than just walk away.

[TheFungle]

LotusMartin said:

I just ask them to get a bit closer to competitive pricing if I spot something that is obviously way out. Rather give them the option than just walk away.

I'm fortunate that I normally get the 'good price' and in this case I actually asked what they could do them for, 10% was the best they could do which was still some way over my mental threshold of what I was happy to spend.

[Lighterfuel]

Used to get frustrated with my LBS too. I'd pop in to get stuff I needed 'now' knowing it would be more expensive, eg standard shimano 10 speed chain, only to find that that they had zero in stock. LBS offered to order one, great, but then I'd have to return to the shop after a week to pick it up. Er, if I wanted to wait for it I'd order online myself for much cheaper.

[MadDad]

I buy as much as I can from my LBS, but there are times when they can't get within 25% of an on-line price.

According to the LBS owner a lot of the heavily discounted stock sold online is grey imports, bought in bulk outside of the UK wholesale network - I bought a pair of Open Pave's from Planet-X a couple of months ago cheaper than he could buy them from the UK supplier.

Does beg the question if the pricing issue is further up the supply chain......

[Justin S]

In my LBS, went to get a couple of bits and there on the counter was a buy in sell out sheet. By the time they had put 100% on top of the buy in prices, that was basically where 'most' of the items were ready for selling. Between them and the manufacturers is an importer, he puts his margin on things too. I try to use my local shop, but somethings are just so much cheaper at Merlins, CR etc and I can wait a couple of days etc. I know shops have rent, staff and other overheads, but so do mail order shops, although they sell more baulk , so buy in at baulk, making a cost saving there.

[TheLemming]

Mine is pretty reasonable - you can get everything in store for less online however.
They are however always busy.

What they do offer is a chance to browse, check sizing in clothing, and a knowledgeable and generally great staff.

I will on principle buy from there if I've been in to look at something or try on - its the price paid for that service.

Last time I was in looking at mudguards, they tried three separate sets that would just not fit on my cx - including the one in was going to order - saving me a lot of time, effort and hassle.
They are there for advice and emergencies....

Quite honestly they aren't cheap, but they are worth it IMHO - Buckingham Bikes in Aylesbury is an alladins cave I can't escape from without buying something...

[markoc]

I like to try and use my LBS for more than just fettling the stuff I don't have tools for (pressing headset cups etc) as it feels rude to not actually buy anything - but they are always going to lose out on price to CRC/Wiggle etc

Even small stuff there is expensive - over Xmas I ordered some SS chainring bolts knowing that I could have them online and quicker for a third less, but figure a fiver or so extra is worth their goodwill. They've probably ordered it from CRC and are taking a chunk...

Am I a mug?

[Disco You]

MadDad said:

According to the LBS owner a lot of the heavily discounted stock sold online is grey imports, bought in bulk outside of the UK wholesale network - I bought a pair of Open Pave's from Planet-X a couple of months ago cheaper than he could buy them from the UK supplier.

Does beg the question if the pricing issue is further up the supply chain......

I think that "a lot" is a bit far. There is probably some, but I doubt that anything on Wiggle, for example, is a grey import. Maybe some of the planetx/ribble stuff is, but I doubt if it is a large proportion of it. They can get things cheaper than an LBS because their buying power is so much greater.

[Bobley]

Planet X publically announced a couple of months back that they'd done a deal directly with Shimano and thats how they manage to sell their pro carbon ultegra bike so cheaply. So they're not exactly grey imports, more like parallel imports.

[donfisher]

markoc said:

Even small stuff there is expensive - over Xmas I ordered some SS chainring bolts knowing that I could have them online and quicker for a third less, but figure a fiver or so extra is worth their goodwill. They've probably ordered it from CRC and are taking a chunk...

Am I a mug?

If I’m doing some work on my bike and there’s some small component that discover I’m missing while the bike is in bits I’m happy to get fleeced by a bike shop if it gets the job completed that day. That’s one of the reasons bike shops should be there for.

IMHO most of the LBSs near me (two independent, one chain) could do with getting rid of the tat they stock the shelves with, seatstay stands, cr4p helmets for kids, 4 boxes of bells, those daft orange lollypop reflectors etc etc and make more room for storing bikes to be repaired during weekday working hours. I know it’s the mark up on accessories that they make money on but all of them have lost out on business due to their inability to hold onto my bike overnight. I’d happily pay for their mark up on the parts they fit but I want them to a) make sure they get exactly the right part and b) fit it and make it available for collection at a reasonably convenient time. It’s not that I want them open 24 hrs. I just want to be able to drop it off on a Saturday and then pick it up the following Saturday.

[okgo]

z4chris99 said:

physical retail shops are dead. they just can't compete on price.

I tend to agree, unless the shop is huge, sigma more recently have been very competitive with the online only places, and the prices are same online as in store, Planet X and Ribble the same I think...

I like my LBS as they're good pair, I've paid them in ice cream before, and they're always playing some dirty dubstep/minimal tech music when I go in there

[Fastpedeller]

donfisher said:

If I’m doing some work on my bike and there’s some small component that discover I’m missing while the bike is in bits I’m happy to get fleeced by a bike shop if it gets the job completed that day. That’s one of the reasons bike shops should be there for.

IMHO most of the LBSs near me (two independent, one chain) could do with getting rid of the tat they stock the shelves with, seatstay stands, cr4p helmets for kids, 4 boxes of bells, those daft orange lollypop reflectors etc etc and make more room for storing bikes to be repaired during weekday working hours. I know it’s the mark up on accessories that they make money on but all of them have lost out on business due to their inability to hold onto my bike overnight. I’d happily pay for their mark up on the parts they fit but I want them to a) make sure they get exactly the right part and b) fit it and make it available for collection at a reasonably convenient time. It’s not that I want them open 24 hrs. I just want to be able to drop it off on a Saturday and then pick it up the following Saturday.

I think fleeced may be a poor expression to use. Unless they are able to buy bankrupt stock then they make very little on any accessories (orange lollipops included) - Money is in repairs TBH. Years ago (when in the trade) I had a discussion with a wholesaler concerning his price for Campag hubs (which was 10% higher than Dave Lloyd was selling them mail order. Wholesaler came up with the 'grey import' crap - I just asked him straight " Are you saying Mr Lloyd's hubs are illegal, fake or anything different to yours?" to which he had to say "No" I told him in future I had to buy from Mr Lloyd then!
It's unfortunate, but that's how it is in many industries - In my present business I can buy everything cheaper online than from 'trade' suppliers - so I do that.

[Josh Smith]

I imagine the LBS find it very diffiuclt against the likes of crc, wiggle etc.

Last year I was in one of my LBS and the owner who has about three stores got chatting and said that they often buy from crc.

The main reason behind this is the cost of postage and minimum order values and quantities from their own suppliers.