Happy Feet

Srsly. Can you imagine every person paying to have their bikes worked on in shop donating a six pack or case to the workers as gratitude for them just basically doing their jobs. They're probably doing off sales out the back door.

I feel no need to try to buy friendships with booze at the LBS.

GlennR

A nice bowl of cut up fruit is also a winner.

Depending on your personal relationship will determine if and how you tip... or not tip.

sloppy12

pizza and cookies also work.

Happy Feet

You are paying for them to fix your bike. Why do you feel the need to also bribe them with extras?
If they ride or hang out with you when you're not a paying customer then they are your friends. Otherwise...

No wonder places like LBS's struggle with customer service. People keep suggesting you need to do something other than pay the agreed upon price to get decent treatment.
Stores need to offer me decent service because it is way too easy to shop online which means they will only get a fraction of the money I spend on bikes. If they want to stay afloat, treat me well. Surprisingly, the same customer service model I employed when operating my own business.

GlennR

It's not a bribe, its a show of appreciation.

Are you bribing the waiter staff before they server you?

Do you bribe your car mechanic so he actually fixes the brake on your car?

Do you bribe your barber so he doesn't cut your throat when giving you a shave?

Do you see what i'm saying?

Happy Feet

Yes, but that is an established norm in society. Bring a case of beer into a LBS because they did their job still isn't (I think).

GlennR

Actually I said a 6 pack.

And you're tipping the mechanic, not the shop.

BTW... do you know what the average bike mechanic makes? I doubt you would do it for so little.

I'm sure you don't expect a Christmas bonus or a raise in January.. just because you did your job.

Reflector Guy

The bill at my local shop includes parts and labor as separate items, just like if I take my car into the dealer for service.

I might tip the technician if he goes above and beyond to take care of me. Like if he stays late to get my bike finished. Or if he sees me limping up with a flat tire and he takes care of me immediately. Or he throws in a freebie derailleur adjustment even though the repair order was just for replacement of the brake pads... Etc, etc.

Happy Feet

Raises and bonuses come from the owner, not the customer, usually for a years worth of effort, not one job. And I have no problem acknowledging exceptional service but balk at the notion of creating a norm of needing to do extra for decent service at an LBS.

You may have said a six pack, others said a case, someone suggested a whole pizza. Where does it stop? Every week or two there is a thread about the crappy service at someones LBS, usually because they operate under some old service model that suggests the customer should be beholding to the shop. In 2020, with the firmly established model of fast, efficient online sales that notion is a sure fire way to ensure most of the sales are syphined away from such shops.

GlennR

I guess at giving them a new Roll Royce.

A month ago I was on my way home from a 50 mile ride and still 10 miles from home. I suddenly knew I was going to need a bathroom and thought i could make it home... I couldn't. With the thought of crapping my bibs I remembered there was a house under construction and a porta-john. I pulled up and pointed to the porta-john and one of the workers waved OK. After he jokingly said "did you leave a dollar?". I replied I have no cash but will come back with a pizza.

Two days later I did come back with a pie... with toppings. They were quite surprised.

My wife taught me to live with a "thankful heart". They could of said no but they didn't. And a $12 pie made their day and i'm sure they told others and made them feel good.

It's called Pay it forward.

Like i said, bike mechanics barely make a living.

Happy Feet

I think to live with a thankful heart is a good thing but what you just described is a fine line between that and feeling you must compensate people for simply being decent. At that point decency becomes a financial transaction.
You just used a porta potty on a construction site. The construction crew did not need to do anything in order for that to happen. Why feel the need to reward them with a whole pizza for that? It's a nice gesture of course, but the flip side is an implied sense of doing something wrong when you don't.

Wait staff excluded (we could do a whole thread on how owners expect customers to pay their wages), I reserve tipping for times when someone goes above and beyond in their service. Something extra for something extra. That may sound hard azzed but along with it is my base expectation for people to treat others well as a default, as I do with others. If anything, tipping mechanics could lead to staff choosing favorites, and conversely seeing others as not as favoured, which is the premise of this thread. If the owner expected staff to treat all customers well one might expect this to be rewarded with brand loyalty by more customers. That's how it works with me. I support shops that treat me well. In these times when so much business goes online, that is my tip, along with word of mouth recommendations, which translates into a lot of dollars in repeat business.

Unfortunately, many shops still labour under some old system where they feel the customer should feel beholding to them. This is particularly true in shops that foster a sort of casual Brosky vibe where some are in the clique and others are not or where the owner sets themselves up as the font of all expert knowledge. In this way, online stores are actually providing better customer service as all customers are considered equal and the tip you give is a good review of their service or product.

GlennR

You can't take it with you.

trooper2899

Wally-world and similar outlets (especially holiday season) provides a lot of LBS work, I'm not a snob but I have a friend who's a Bike wizard shop owner and he tells me he has caught more than one (sometimes two at a time) in his shop inquiring about some of the simplest repair techniques and after quizzing them learned they were referred to him by cheap bike outlets for assembly and repair advice.

trooper2899

agree 100 %

Happy Feet

That is very true. If we are talking about being generally generous and doing nice things for people I am all for that. But, in the context of this thread, I am addressing the sentiment that cyclists should be offering food or drink to staff to ensure some sort of service that should be a standard regardless.

For example: one may want to give a waiter a large tip, to make their day as it were, but that doesn't mean large tips should become the norm to ensure proper service. The mechanic fixed the bike as was paid for - that shouldn't require an additional tip on top of the service fee.

I suspect we are looking at this from two different angles though, which is fine, as it expands the discussion.

GlennR

Let me remind you abut the original context of this thread.

"Yesterday a guy (customer) was complaining to the owner of a LBS about lengthy turn around time for repairs because of, "too many cheap bikes coming into the shop".
This shop does sell high end brands and models, but there was a noticeable row of out of place department looking bikes in need of repair.

I own both high and low quality bikes but do my own wrenching, so I never gave thought to this first world problem.
Does this guy have a point, or is he stuck up because he rolled in with an expensive bike and was told 2 weeks for repairs?"

Tipping is optional. I'm sure a very small percentage of people tip the bike mechanics.

For example if you bring your bike in for adjusting the derailleur and then notice one wheel is slightly out of true and adjust a few spokes without charging you. Or you walk in with a flat and the mechanic stops what he/she is working on and fixes it for you while you wait.

Happy Feet

Uh... the context of the thread was about some "snob" who felt he was entitled to better service because of the high priced bike he owned.

You have tried to dress your tipping up as some sort of kind hearted generosity but you made your position quite clear in post 29.

Tipping is just a way you use bribery to advance yourself to the front of the line. Nothing "altruisitic" about it.

Now, you may think there's nothing wrong with that but if I'm the customer you jumped ahead of because you gave the mechanic a wobbly pop or two I might be a little miffed.

And if I'm the shop owner who had a customer tell me they were taking their business elsewhere because the mechanic was accepting bribes to allow cue jumping I would also be miffed.

As a customer, or an owner, I would expect employees to treat all customers fairly as standard procedure - because allowing snobs to otherwise use tips as a means to create an unofficial two tiered business model might appear elitist to others and might ultimately be penny wise and pound foolish.

GlennR

The "tip" comes after, because if it came before it would be a bribe.

The LBS decides the order they get to each job. Yes, if I just needed a minor adjustment then I don't feel bad about jumping ahead of you when you're having a set of wheels built.

I've seen people come in for a flat tire and they "jump" since its a 5 minute fix and not a bike overhaul.

Luckily I do most of my own work and the last time I had a bile in the shop was to get the pressed in bottom bracket replaced.

texaspandj

Happy feet your last 2 or 3 post are filled with logic and common sense...and wasted on some.