Retail versus eBay

[branners]

I thought that I might share a recent retail experience with the forum.
My rebuilt BCR just got back on the road and, knowing that I needed some bits and pieces, a while ago, I started looking for, a textile jacket (I have leather already), a tank bag and a bike cover. A large [Japanese] dealer near me had a wide range and good rep, so in I went (in my car).
I knew what I wanted to look at, had a look to ensure they had the brand of jacket and bag in stock and went over the the accessories counter. I stood at the counter, behind which were a guy around 40 and a sales assistant (girl). They were talking about a new dirt bike and tyres. They were about 4 feet from where I was standing. It was lunchtime and I was the only customer in the accessories dept.
They kept talking to each other and, after about 20 seconds, I thought, "this is great" so I started to count to myself. The further I got, the madder I got and, when I got to ONE HUNDRED, I spun around and left. For two minutes, I was virtually in their faces, but would they ask if they could help? Noooooo.
So, to eBay. I got the jacket and the tankbag, I spent less that half the money I had budgeted for (including USPS air to Australia) and the cover is on the way. All questions were answered promptly, payment was a snack and everything arrived well-packed and in exactly the condition as expected.
I read in the bike press that retailers are feeling the pinch from the internet and eBay, but they are all wondering what they can do about it. People, the five words you are missing are, "can I help you, mate". Instead, four of the five I have for you are, "stick it in your..."

[John Lyon]

Drop a note to the owner of the shop and I bet you won't see them next time.

[on2wheels52]

Maybe you're not seeing the whole picture. Perhaps they thought you'd never leave so they could resume their office tryst.
Jim

[repoe3]

its like that everytime i stop in at the local japanese extravagana dealer (they had aprilia...dropped them-they still have ducati, how i dont know). but they stock ONLY typical boy racer, ATV, or watercraft stuff. the only reason i go there is the occasional jug of fluids or misc. stuff. i have NO sympathy for the retail side of the moto-world. there are honest shops out there. but when the big ones hire knuckleheads that could care less (knowing they are the only business in town as well) the online world gets my dough.

repoe3

[Firebolter]

Thank god for online e-merce. After living in Kauai for 18 years and not having choices, online was a savior. Now I go to online first and shops second. I have bought my last 4 bikes online and either went and picked them up or had them drop shipped to BWI.

As long as I can shop from my desk and save time and gas driving around, then I am all about the online gig. I know the shop owners have to stay in biz and need support, but it's my money and the more I save on one thing, the more I have for another.

[ckcarr]

ebay and on-line shopping is a blessing and a curse!

In small towns its great, otherwise I'd have to drive 100 miles one way just to look. In the old days you were at the mercy of the retail plus 10% shop owner who would never take any returns back.

On the other hand, why just Saturday night I blew $100 on stuff I didn't really need....

[bradzdotcom]

two good things about on-line shopping:
1. i build websites and the more stuff i sell, the more coin i make.
2. i really like having my purchased parts "catered". i find. i buy. someone brings it to me. can't beat that.

ps: hey firebolter: i was in kauai too, during/after hurricane iniki. lived in hanalei heights above the buffalo farm. and you?

[AndrewA]

I hate it when I'm the only person standing in line and the counter clerk asks "can I help whoever is next?" I always look around to see if maybe a hoard of people have come in behind me.

Rudeness I can tolerate. Dumbassness is inexcusable.

[bradzdotcom]

yea, but from the other side of the counter, the people at mcdonald's must go nuts when someone stands in line for 10 minutes, then when they get to the FRONT, they finally look up at that menu billboard and go "hmmm....what do i want....let's see...."

[Moki]

I live on Oahu. On-line shopping for bike parts or other items are still way cheaper than buying retail in Honolulu, shipping included. We pay extra for shipping, being many more miles away, but still cheaper than retail stores. And yes, most of the clerks are rude here, even in the Aloha State.

Like BradZ said, the best part of it is having items delivered to your door step. It's like X'mas, everytime. As for eBay, I've had great experience buying bikes, bike parts and helmets from the site. Most of the people are still honest in this world.

[Firebolter]

ps: hey firebolter: i was in kauai too, during/after hurricane iniki. lived in hanalei heights above the buffalo farm. and you?

Yep, I was there. Lived in Lawai, worked out at Barking Sands. South Shore guy. That was a surreal time. 150mph wind is some bad stuff!

[ErricZ]

Originally posted by bradzdotcom
yea, but from the other side of the counter, the people at mcdonald's must go nuts when someone stands in line for 10 minutes, then when they get to the FRONT, they finally look up at that menu billboard and go "hmmm....what do i want....let's see...."

In a coffeeshop in Amsterdam, you would be summarily passed over without a second thought and the person who is next would be helped.

[bradzdotcom]

fire~i'll probably get crucified for this, but i thought the whole hurricane was actually pretty cool. having ridden at 150+, it's been fun to blow past things going that fast.

then to experience the reverse (150+ wind blowing past YOU), it seemed like payback...but cool from a spectator point of view.
i doubt i'll ever see a poolside lounge chair ever go that fast again.
the whole thing looked like an "earth dyno": take a little island, spin it up to 150 mph+ and see what still sticks (wasn't much that "stuck", as you know).

erric~
i like the attitude of the amsterdam coffee houses.
apparently my local ducati/aprilla/husky dealer has adopted the same attitude: if you don't walk in the door knowing exactly what you want, they automatically ignore you.

jeff williams and steve carlton strolled in there one day just to "look around at bikes n' stuff".
they were officially shunned, demoted, scoffed at and quickly put into the "you don't exist" category.

ducati dealers. ferrari showrooms. amsterdam coffee houses.
all the same place.

[JonyRR]

BZDC:
I once was with a lady who had a perfectly nice Nissan 300ZX; she liked my 911, and called me up one Saturday morning;
"I want a Porsche, let's go look at 'em'.
So we did.
the dealership in my home city did the 'ignore' thing as we drove in in her Z. (total idiots, as she was wearing a gen-u-ine rolex and a 9!!! carat solitare diamond)
went to a couple of other dealers.
the last dealer we went to, right off the bat, the royalty treatment. She drove a 911 and a boxter, and ended up buying a new boxter. cash. on the spot, (actually, on her Visa card...the black one, the one with a 6-figure limit. I've only seen one. hers).
It don' pay to ignore folks, ya never know if they're serious....

[branners]

Glad to know I am not the only one to have unfortunate retail experiences.
I like the true tale of the guy who took his wife into the Benz showroom. It was a Monday in summer, he wore a T, shorts and sandals and his wife was in a summer dress. After kicking tyres for a spell, they asked the salesman what was the price of the new MB convertible (for her).
"Sir, I don't think you can afford it."
"I did not ask you if I could afford it, I asked how much it cost."
"More than you can pay, sir."
With that, the guy swore some and headed for the door. The salesman smiled smugly.
"And ma'am, what is it that your husband does?"
She grinned.
"He plays on the PGA Tour. No; as of yesterday, he WINS on the PGA Tour."

[bradzdotcom]

now you've got me giggling.
i've bought a total of four motorcycles from retail dealers.
three of them (the suzuki TM400 (gawd, don't ask) the BMW and the not-here-yet motard bike were all purchased with the following in common:

shorts
t-shirt
ponytail
barefoot
and a check in my pocket for the full amount before bike delivery.

(last year i did all my look-at/walk-throughs on my current home, and signed endless "docs" the same way).

i have a friend worth too-many millions. you'd never know.
except for the lack of ponytail and the addition of sandals outside the home, he's pretty much the same.

'cept his pocket change/weekly play allowance is disturbingly close to my annual gross.

okay, so i admit, i'm at the 99-cent store and feel like a king and he's at the Bugatti dealership ordering a custom you-know-what.
but dangit the concept is the same.

ya just never know.


ps: have you met my friend windbreaker bob?

[jweicht]

Originally posted by AndrewA
Dumbassness is inexcusable.

I'll bet this is a close cousin to Dumbassidity. I have a hard time telling them apart.

[Sideshow_S]

Boy, it's really too bad you guys don't have better shop dealings. Two shops I tend to give my business are always helpful. The internet can't change your tires. When you're a good paying customer, you can get it done free at the place you buy your tires from. Even with the internet prices, I can beat most sales with both of these shops.

Sure gear is cheaper online, but I'd rather support people who can change out the rubber when it's needed.

Granted, aside from Motosports Factory and Madison Motorsports, there's also Engelhardt's in Madison, WI. That place is the typical squid shop with some of the ****tiest customer service I've had to deal with, or deal with hearing about.

[1100s nut]

I with sideshow, I have had great experiences with many bmw dealers both cars & bikes. 3 new bikes in the last 6 years at 3 diferent dealers. All were great. Alot of parts and accs the same thing. Plus I end bull $hiting with the help. In defence of the high end retail, they get more want-to-be rich people in their stores than you would ever believe. One other thing if you have a boat load of money, you don`t shop for things, they come to you, you call them, tell them what item you are interested in and they will be at your door.
I tried ebay, I killed alot time and did not get anything. Thank god I don`t have to bid on stuff that I buy. I do use the internet sometimes but I call and place order. Fast food service, forget It. I don`t expect good service from someone making $6 per hour, in fact I would not provide good service at that price.
Lane
Lane

[Moybin]

Customer service is coming back! Too bad too many managers running things now were trained by WWII era types who couldn't run an ant farm. Yeah, I'm going to get flamed for this, but it's my standing opinion. Managers from the 1960's couldn't fail, there wasn't any worldwide competition. And they "cloned" their own attitude in their successors. None of those attitudes or ideas had a dammed thing to do with the success of their companies. My sister, who has suffered from severe autism her entire life could have run a Fortune 500 company back then. So without Darwinian selection removing moron managers due to failure, their moronic methods got passed on to the boot kissers through promotion. The naysayers were all fired or passed over.

"Can't tolerate dumbassedness" or something like that. Well... if I could stow away on an UFO and get off this rock I'd agree with that statement, but Americans as a nation are currently some of the "dumbassedness" batstids on the planet. All this technology and we can't even keep a couple of feet of water out of New Orleans? Sheet, the Dutch had that figured out twenty years ago.

And though I've never been back to the old country, I've got cousins and friends over there and rather think that the Dutch are some of the best educated and tolerant people on the planet, and if they snub you, you deserve to be snubbed.

Move or get out of the way. Large boulders in the flow of life will be removed by dynamite.