PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

I see a lot of posts on the forums where archers complain about the way they are 'treated' by shops. While I know there are people who run or own shops that don't pass 'personality' tests, sometimes there is a root cause to how they act/react.

Just this past week I had several 'customers' really tick me off. One instance was where the customer, who I'd done several 'favors' for, promised to buy a bow from me. Since he stopped by the shop on my day off and we were closed (I'm open 6 days a week), he wound up driving to another State to purchase a bow that day. Then he brought it to me to get it set up. I lost the bow sale but got the set-up fee. The sad part is that the 2 hour set-up, tuning, instruction fee would have been free if I had sold him the bow.

In another incident, the customer came in looking for information on a product, which he claimed he had been given. When we got back to another part of the store, he mentioned that he didn't get the instructions when he "bought" the product. How should anyone feel when they have proof that they're getting lied to??

Also, about 2-3 times this week (and this happens almost every week) customers told me that they'd been everywhere (usually the Marts and mass merchant stores) and couldn't find what we had in stock. I have to hold my tongue anymore because I used to thank them for considering us last.[&o]:( Many times they also find that our prices are competitive and, in some cases, lower than those 'big' boys.

When you get these kinds of situations popping up many times a week, it's no wonder some Dealers get an 'attitude'. I'm not saying it's right for them to have an 'attitude', but look at what the Dealers may have to cope with on a weekly basis.

Keep in mind that attitude problems should be considered less problematic than incompetence problems. There is no excuse for an incompetent PRO Shop.;)

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

I totally agree with you, people should treat and do on to others as they feel they should be treated themselves. I have a good repore with my local pro I support his shop even if I can get something cheaper some place else. But on the other hand (don't hold this against me because I don't own a pro shop so I am just giving my opinion) it is a business and unlike say Walmart or a large company like that they can afford to loose a few customers where I know my local pro shop can't. So putting up with crap from customers is somthing that is just there. Its just terrible that you have to put up with people like that when you are actually tring to help more than anything.

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

That's why that ice cold beer is waiting for you after you close up shop:D

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

Yup.......That would tick me off also.........

Fortunatly most of my customers are very loyal and want the shop to succeed........many go out of there way to pass the word............

But there are always those that will do what your customer did....................

I had a guy shoot bows for two days in my shop...I spent over two hours with him as he picked my brain...........He wanted the Parker pheonix 34. he came back two weeks later with his bass-pro bought parker package[:@]...he saved 19 dollars on it:eek::eek:..then asked me to go over the bow to make sure Parker set it up right, they didn't and I had to retune and adjust it and helped him sight it in......After shooting a bit and loving his bow he said goodbye.....I called him to the desk and explained that he owed me X amount of $ for range time and setup fee.............He was actually SHOCKED because I was a PARKER dealer and he didn't think I should charge to set up a Parker bow...........................LOL................. ..


Gotta love retail........:D:D

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

First, before I begin, let me say that I ALWAYS check with my pro shop before looking anywhere else. Sometimes he may not have something I want in stock, but he can get it, and usually cheaper than at the "Marts". I would rather support my pro shop any day of the week, and twice on sunday. But, it is a competitive market, and sometimes people are just trying to get the best deal they can, and keep the most in their pocket. Word of mouth is the proshop's best friend, and even though you do have to deal with stupidity, what is a bad attitude going to gain? I understand that you lost a bow sale, but, you DID gain set-up fee. Was this dumb on the part of the customer? IMO, yes, but, is a set-up fee better or worse than no sale at all?

Speaking of incompetent bow shops, we have one of those here as well. This place just wants to make a sale, and they don't care how. I have seen people with a bow that they just can't handle, because it is set up wrong, to long ATA, you know the list better than I do. That infuriates me, because it has left a negative impression of archery in the eyes of that person. I am fortunate enough to have another shop in the area, and I trust this guy with anything. He is great! I get good deals, good equipment, he is honest, and won't sell me something I can't afford just because he wants to make a buck. And because of this, I have sent numerous customers his way, and have detered people from the other shop.

I guess what I am saying is this. I support you proshop guys 100%. I think the major chains have taken the personality out of archery, and are doing us an injustice. Keep in mind that you are in the customer service field, and you are going to get the stupidest people doing the most stupid things imaginable, but, if you get them to come back, and bring a friend, you have done your job.

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

I bought my first bow last fall from a friend of mine. I took it to a local pro shop before I bought it, I wanted to make sure it would fit me properly. The person at the shop spent at least 2 hours with me setting the bow up and also helping me get started. I now do all my shopping at this shop even if it means spending a few more dollars. I am also thinking of buying a new bow. I know where I'll buy if I do.

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

I completely agree with you guys, but I have been on both sides. I have had guys at pro-shops treat me like an idiot and try to push products on me that I don't want! Heck, I had one guy at a pro-shop screw up my string and set-up my drop-away the wrong way (this caused the launcher arm to hit my riser and chip the paint) and this bow was just hours old!

I have also had guys that were geniunely great guys (Big John) that will go to any extent to treat the customer as best as they can! After the owner of the shop he worked at closed it down, he tracked me down to tune a bow that I bought there and to tune my buddies for free (my buddy didn't even get his bow there).

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

Len, I know what you are saying. It seems when the little guy starts out he is more personable with his floor traffic. As the business grows, the time to talk and take time with the customer is limited. Often you must hire part time help to do what you once did on you own. It's when the shop gets big that the problems start. Expansion, new products with promises that don't pan out and those 15% of the customers that are just plain jerks. The owner starts to get hard core about things that used to be fun. Prices go up to pay for the expansions and new product lines and some buyers will move on. You have to step back and reevaluate where you want to be. A small shop or go big and have to compete with the rest of the big guys. I like the small mom and pop shops. It's like going to a friend's house or hunting camp when you go to the little guy. Sometimes the regular customer will buy somewhere else, but he always seems to come back to the shop with the service to back the products he sells.

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

Buck Magnet- Thanks for the plug. I have worked at several shops, and know well what Len speaks of. As manager of 2 shops I have had to play middle man in disputes in which no-one wins. Thankfully there are customers that genuinely appreciate what the PRO's try to do and convey to them. Lets face the facts, no PRO shop owner or tech worker is in it to get rich. We get "rich" when we see grins on customer faces after fixing some vexing problem.

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

The way i look at it ,,"be patient",,in you worst case ever senarios be gald they are there,because there are alot of things you don't know that they can get you out of and fix correctly in a pinch and then giving you a substanial break in the long run.

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

theres a shop in auburn i wont say names but i go in there and hes snappy i called about a league hes like we shoot at 40 yards!! soo hes sol and now i go to one in camilus

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

I agree with you Len. Some people deserve to be treated "bad", I wouldn't let them screw you, ask them to leave. I don't go to a archery shop for many reasons. 1. I have to drive 45 minutes to get to one. 2. His prices are 20% higher than mail order 3. I get it faster through mail order than he does (He keeps almost no stock) 4. His technical help is about as useful as an owners manual. 5. I bought my bow there and he charges me 10 bucks an hour to shoot[:'(]. 6. When I ask him to order something, he ask me why I want that, I shoot this... If I ask for your opinion you give it, if not don't make smart comments about how "dumb" I am for wanting it. I don't knock going to a shop, I just don't have a good one to go too. If you were around here I would go to you.;) You know what you are about, and that is part of your price.

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

Fell'in any better today, Len.

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

Dang, ewolf, the fella sold you a bow, he didn't adopt you! ;) But it'd flat tick me off if I had to face the Inquisition every time I wanted to order something. That 'this is what I shoot and you should do the same' attitude a lot of places have.... That'll keep me from coming back.

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

There's alway's 2 side's of the story.
For instance I like to support my bowshop ,but they make it hard when you go there to buy a bow and they sell you a bow that's a year old and charge you the same money that the newer model is .When I ask them to get me a accessory that they don't have in the shop ,it take's them month's not week's to get it ,or they forget to order it .I know these guy's are very busy and are only human ,but these type of thing's have happened severel time's to me from the same shop .If they want my money then they should treat me accordingly.
I ordered new pin's for my Spott Hogg last October ,they told me that they would order them and that they would be in in a couple week's ,So that's not a big deal 2 week's is O.K. ,but I had to ask 6 time's and alway's got the run around .I called Spott Hogg and they told me that there hadn't been an order for these pin's placed from this destributor that supplies my shop .I asked the shop again and the very next week guess what show's up ? Yep! my pin's ,it's now May and I just recieved my pin's .8 Monh's for a set of pin's. The same thing happened to me with a set of insert's for a set of arrow's that I had sitting here ,I ordered them last Sept and I still haven't recieved them,I've only asked about 20 time's and they keep telling me that they ordered them ,but haven't arrived . I finally found them at Bass Pro last week .
I totally understand where your coming from Len ,I'm just saying That some shop's are also very neglagent and don't deserve our business sometime's .I can't wait month's for my accessories ,I need them quicker than that .

nubo

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

I think a lot of times, guys expect a shop to give them "special" treatment just because they bought a bow there. Now, dont get me wrong, I expect to treated well when I put down 700.00 for a bow, but I don't expect the shop owner to try to bend the rules to make me happy by lying to a rep or whatever just to get something fixed that was my fault. Too many guys expect a shop to do whatever is possible to fix something. I don't own a shop, but I do realize what's at stake if you call a bow manufacturer and tell them some lie to get something fixed. Not good business.

The problem is, guys don't want to hear it. If a shop tells them that its going to cost such and such an amount to repair something, they get pissed off saying the shop is at fault. They give the shop an attitude, and I think its fair for the shop owner to have an attitude with them as well.

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

buying a bow or no bow 10 bucks and hr is alot to shoot for an hr
and me personaly if you dont like me or give me atitude i dont care dont tryand be nice when you need something

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

FYI, we charge $6/hr for a heated/air conditioned/well lighted range.

It seems like attitude is a major issue and stems from personality conflicts as well as expectations. I think I see a lot more aggravation towards archery shops than towards Marts, mass merchants, and catalog sales. Is it because the shop is smaller and many want to become more personal with it?

I just had a guy on another forum tell me that I had "the personality of a small soapdish". I told him that he was probably right on that assessment because I can be a real 'bear' under certain circumstances. I asked him not to let personality conflicts override workmanship and offered a public apology for however I acted. I doubt that he'll accept my apology, but it was offered in good faith.

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

Your probably correct Len,I guess there's a little more agrivation to getting satisfction from a mart store and alot of people just don't feel like it's worth the problem . As for a small shop such as your's, these guy's know that they're getting right to the source, and not having to go through severel people to get thier point across. I do agree as well that people trust in their shop's in a personal level for the accessories that they purchase ,knowing that if anyone has the proper answer's it will be the proshop. Sure they may pay lesser for some accessories from the mart ,but they also take the responsability of purchasing something that the mart store has no idea about ,so if it isn't what they expected ,then they know that they made the soul decision on purchasing it on their own, without help from the staff .
As for the soap dish thing ,well I guess he buy's from the mart store LOL

nubo

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

Anytime you work retail, you get all kinds of folks. I've had people ask for the phone #'s of competitors or ask if the can get the same item cheaper at another store. I just try to remember that if someone is rude or stupid in general, they're not just that way when they're in my store. Working retail has given me an appreciation of how to treat people that I keep in mind when I'm asking someone else for help.

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

nodog:

Yea, I'm feeling better today.:D I just see so many archery shops getting bashed on various forums that I thought it might be good to let people know what might cause some ot the attitude problems.;)

ukbuck:

First, welcome to the forums.

Based on what you posted, there's no doubt that you work in retail.:D

I've had them call me while I've got 6 customers standing in front of me. They want to 'pump' me for information and I haven't got any idea of who I'm talking to. I tell them that they'll have to come into the shop to talk to me because I've got customers in the shop waiting for service. I can't tell you how many times I've had them hang up. I can't ignore customers in the shop for an unknown on the phone.[:@]

I've also had them ask me directly if they can get something cheaper on the web or from another store. I politely tell them that they probably can and leave it at that.

After I spent half an hour or more working with one customer to find the right stabilizer, he was going to drive to Lancaster to get it to save $5. His wife talked him out of it, fortunately.

I could go on and on but people here will think I'm making this crap up. NOT!:)

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

I've run my own business for twenty years and I've learned that problamatic customers are the nature of the game. All businesses have them. We've got to handle it with grace or go the way of the pasenger pigeon. I know how tempting it is to tell them how we feel, but to do so, serves no purpose. They are guaranteed not to come back if we do. It might make us feel good to display an "attitude", but it won't make us money. We're not in business to feel good. We're in business to make money.

Remember, the customer is always right - at least in their minds. A happy customer will tell a few people how nice your shop is. An unhappy one will go out of their way to tell 20 or 30 how terrible it is. It pays big dividends to be sure you have as few unhappy customers as possible.

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

I have personal experience with this. I did some work for a very difficult woman and was able to complete the work and meet all of her demands even though it cost me considerably. I have because of this received well over $100,000 worth of business from people she knows. You never know who you are talking too.

Dealing with the public:

Never complain about them and always be sympathetic about their troubles to everyone and I mean everyone and people will seek you out. I don't even talk negatively about customers to people who are close to me. I've learned that the hard way.

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

Man, this is so true. I own a flooring/carpet cleaning business and I had a customer that was a real PITA. She made us replace part of a hard wood floor b.c of a VERY MINOR scratch on one of the planks and she was very ugly about it. I bit my tongue and did it and lost money. She has since sent me 4 referrals that will be worth over $40, 000 in revenue when it is all said and done. And I'm sure their will be more to come. Sometimes the hardest customers to please will sing your praise the highest if you cater to them. The old saying is true, "TAKE GOOD CARE OF THE CUSTOMER, OR SOMEONE ELSE WILL!", no matter how painful it is at times. It has worked for me.

RE: PRO Shop attitudes - justified or not?
 

Quote:

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ORIGINAL: Straightarrow

Remember, the customer is always right - at least in their minds. A happy customer will tell a few people how nice your shop is. An unhappy one will go out of their way to tell 20 or 30 how terrible it is. It pays big dividends to be sure you have as few unhappy customers as possible.

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Quote:

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ORIGINAL: Nodog

Never complain about them and always be sympathetic about their troubles to everyone and I mean everyone and people will seek you out. I don't even talk negatively about customers to people who are close to me. I've learned that the hard way.

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Both are very good lessons to learn. The problem is that most learn it the hard way. As I said, I made many mistakes when I first started this retail business. It is a lot different from my engineering profession.

Another problem is that you can't correct most of those mistakes. I've had some customers come back, after getting an 'attitude', due to wanting to get some of my expertise or just wanting to give my shop another chance. It worked out better this time for both of us.

The old adage 'Live and Learn' is definitely appropriate in every profession and life in general.:)