Trakhak

At the other extreme from the friendly bribe---the customers who try to pressure you, the bike shop employee, into letting them jump the service department cue for no reason other than that their time is more valuable than yours (or that of other customers). Used to drive me crazy during the busy season in a bike shop that I used to manage. And the busier you were, the surer they were that you'd give in.

I finally instituted a UPS-like policy of charging a flat $5 fee for next-day service. The pushy "gotta-have-it-tomorrow" customers suddenly weren't in a hurry after all, while the customers who genuinely needed to get the bike back fast were happy to pay a little extra.

If I worked in a shop now, I'd seriously consider offering some version of the Amazon Prime way of doing business---$100 a year (to pick an arbitrary number) and you'd get unlimited next-day service, free tuneups, discounts on purchases, and whatever other perks would make sense in sweetening the pot. It'd be a good way to ensure repeat traffic in the shop.

(Yes, Performance tried something like this and went out of business, but their version might have been a net plus for them---just not enough to keep them afloat.)

veganbikes

True, true. I ask a lot sometimes

fietsbob

Here in the summer, we have a repair queue, but being on a internationally popular touring route if a bike tourist needs a quick fix to continue the ride down the Coast,

We try to knock that out first, to send them on their way , again..

I-Like-To-Bike

Believe it or not the issue is not about your choice in restaurants nor your tipping habits for the hostess, maître d', and/or the sommelier at these fine establishments, nor your generosity with the gas station attendants in the Garden State, but rather, the statements made by several posters on this thread that they get or expect better/special service than other customers at an LBS because they treat/tip/bribe the employees with cookies, doughnuts and/or beer. You may find that a normal or standard business practice for an LBS, I don't.

EdwinHeadwind

My favorite local shop serves as the hub for my rather large cycling group. We ride with the shop guys, hang out after work, host charitable fundraisers there, etc. So yeah, I bring them a sixer every once in awhile, because that's what friends do. I feel bad for riders who don't have a shop like that, and instead have a relationship based entirely on a business transaction.

I-Like-To-Bike

Those policies sound reasonable as long as they are posted where all customers are made aware of this policy upfront.

indyfabz

I understand language can be challenging. Offering a gift as thanks is not a bribe, even if you ultimately receive something in return. A bribe is made for the purpose of influencing someone.

If I feel a gift is deserved, I will give one with no expectation of reciprocity and will continue to give when I feel it's deserved even if I receive no special treatment in return. That's called kindness and showing appreciation.

wolfchild

I don't buy beer or other beverages for the car dealership which services my vehicle, why would I buy one for an LBS mechanic ??...I have 6 different bike shops in my city and I don't have any special relationship with any of them. I only visit them if I need to buy parts.

windhchaser

i dont buy them anything for petes sakes me allowing them to make eye contact with me is a big big gift. if they do a extra good job i allow them to kiss my ring

Kedosto

Wow. So much fail in this thread.

My relationship with my LBS goes back over 30 years and three different locations. They have done me right in more ways than I could ever count (or pay). The pizza and coffee (and coffee gift cards) that I have given are tokens of my appreciation for the excellent service, advice, and consideration they have shown me for all these years. Over the shop's history, faces have changed, but the owner and two shop guys have stuck it out through thick and thin. They know my history, my bikes, my struggles and successes. They know my family, my friends, and my dogs. Those guys are like members of my family. In fact, I dated the owners youngest sister in high school some 40 years ago. This last Christmas I brought over a case of Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup for the crew. That stuff is DELICIOUS!

I have similar relationships all over town; barber, restaurants, auto shop, tailor, etc.. And that's the difference -- I build relationships with the people I intend to do business. I wonder how many of the guys who couldn't be bothered to do anything nice for their LBS are the same guys who gripe about not getting priority service? We reap what we sow. I guess some people just don't get it. The generosities I have extended in my business relationships have been repaid many, many times over.

Bringing it back on topic... IMO, whatever I've spent on gratuities for my LBS has been money well spent.


-Kedosto

Cuyuna

Life there in Mayberry sounds pretty sweet! For me...my LBS, my barber, and the guy at the donut shop all treat me professionally and with respect. In return, I treat them with respect, give them my business, pay them promptly, and tip if and when appropriate. Works entirely to my satisfaction, and theirs.



...

MoAlpha

What do you do for your neurologist? We especially like ultra-premium Irish whiskeys.

ddeand 

diphthong

op here...time to toss a monkey wrench into things. so i drop off a sixer of good craft beer approx twice a month and the store staff doesn't drink it all.
they keep some on hand and i've seen them offer it to preferred customers or those that are simply nice/appreciative. does that change your opinion(s)?

jefnvk

So, it is a fail because others don't treat business relationships like you? I have my friends who do all that you listed in your post, I don't really need friendship out of the places I do business. I can do business in a polite and respectful manner without having to be buddy-buddy with them. Heck, I can even remember them, they can remember me, and we can ask each other about recent biking adventures. At the end of the day, though, it is a transactional relationship. If I didn't need the services they provided, I wouldn't be there, regardless of how good of folks they were.

As to the second point, that is exactly what some folks are saying about it being a bribe. If I walked in five minutes before close as a tourer who needed a new derailleur and and the eyelet rethreaded, and someone stuck around for an extra hour to get me on my way, that's a thank you six pack worthy. If I expect to jump to the front of the line because I'm bringing in a pack of beer a month and hanging out, that is indeed a form of bribery, you are influencing their decisions with your actions and gifts. IMO, it is a poor way to run a business, and if I encounter it as someone new to that shop it generally tells me to look elsewhere if I don't want to deal with a pay-to-play environment.

Yep. If you intend to give it to them as a gift of thanks, it seems like it is failing because its not something they consume. Maybe ask them if there is something else they prefer? A nice bag of coffee, perhaps?

Cuyuna

I wouldn't even ask. I'd just change my bi-monthly gift to a pat on the back and a hearty "thanks". Better yet...give them a good review of Yelp or Google instead. Sounds like they'd appreciate that more than the beer.

Nachoman

My mechanic likes big, bold red wines and very oaky, buttery chardonnays.
While I do tip him regularly with wine, he just as often will give me a bottle of wine when I pick up my bike.

cat0020

Do you really want drunken mechanics working on your bike?

OBoile

I'm still amazed that people feel inclined to tip at a retail store at all.

Ironfish653

I think it depends on the bike shop staff, and your relationship to the shop. Do you see a bike shop as primarily retail, or as a service? They're a little of both, and it kind of depends on the individual shop, and the individual customer.

There are some shops that are strictly retail, and some that encourage the social aspect of cycling. Do they host rides that you regularly attend? Do they encourage riders to 'hang out' and 'talk bikes'? Not every shop is the same.
Are you a 'regular' frequent customer? Do you get most of your parts/ accessories there? Do they regularly service your bikes?
For me, the answers are pretty much all NO. I might drop in to whichever one is closest to me if I need something easy like a tube, cables, or quick-link, but I do my own work, and spec my own parts.

If I had a shop that I was a regular enough at that I commissioned them to do a custom build for me like @indyfabz then I might be inclined to bring by coffee and donuts on a Saturday, or a couple of sixer's on a Friday afternoon.
I had a shop like that once upon a time, but not any more.

EdwinHeadwind

They aren't selling it. You don't need a license to give it away.

NomarsGirl

Are your LBS mechanics too young to buy their own beer?

big chainring 

Doobage was always a mechanics go to buzz producer. Building and repairing bikes with a bit of a blaze on makes the day go by quicker. Spend a lot of time looking for tools though.

spelger

Not to be a jerk or anything buy why do people feel they need to be tipped just for doing their jobs? waiting tables...i get that. working on my bike/car/painting my house? i'm already paying for a job well done. that should be enough.

just today i read a headline about airlines wanting their stewards to be tipped. can't wait to read that story.

https://www.wfla.com/national/this-a...nts/1696079318

Kedosto

Sometimes it's difficult for me to determine when a response is hostile or not, I'm assuming your response is not hostile. And to be clear, I'm not looking for an internet slap fight. The "fail" I'm citing is directed at anyone who has missed one of life's most important rules; "it's not what you know, it's who you know." And you don't know anyone if the depth of your relationship is nothing more than a transaction dressed up with a nod or an exchange of pleasantries. Suggesting that an effort to move beyond the transaction is somehow "bribery" is to completely miss the point. No one is talking about a "jump to the front of the line," or "pay-to-play." It's about building relationships one can rely upon -- the kind of relationship money can't buy.

Most people don't realize that the lives they lead are mostly routine, but they're surrounded by strangers they see over and over again. Think about that; over and over again. Moving beyond the transaction builds friendships, communities and yes, sometimes, great deals. Consider this - the next time you need something, want to buy a product or service or whatever, imagine if you could start by saying "I have a friend in the (fill in the blank) business, let me give him a call." Imagine if you could say that about a lot of the things in your life. If you say "I don't really need friendship out of the places I do business," I would argue that you do. You'd be better for it for all the reasons money can't buy. In fact, I would argue that the best business transactions begin when you move beyond the purchase price -- when you move from customer to friend. Friends get leads. Friends get deals. Friends get the insider information. Friends do favors for each other. That's the way friendship works. And when you have a friend in the business... it's who you know.

I don't want to bore anyone with a bunch of my personal experiences, but I will say that my painter friend saved me enough money on a project last year that I could have bought a brand new, top level bike. And that's not even considering the discount I would have most assuredly received from my LBS. There was no bribery. I did not cut in line ahead of anyone. I did, however, give him and his crew big bags of Meyer lemons to take home as our tree was overloaded. The lemons opened a contact with a crew member whose wife makes amazing tamales, so now we have an excellent tamale hookup. It's funny how these things work out.

Peace.


-Kedosto