Date:         Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:19:24 -0400
Reply-To:     Tom Boldway <jboldway@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Tom Boldway <jboldway@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Retail/vendors
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Hi everybody. Let’s end the vendor thread. I was a vendor in bicycles – and
finally realized I had to leave retail when I started referring to my
customers as “the vermin customers.”
Sadly, most people have NO idea how hard it is to run a business or even a
clue at all about retail, business or capitalism. Markups? You mean you sell
it for more than you paid for it?
The customer is NOT always right. I told one fellow to never come back and
if he had any friends to tell them not to come either. You’d be amazed at
what people want “warrantied” – just thinking about retail and dealing with
vermin . . . err . . . I mean customers makes me apoplectic. A lot of it has
to do with your customer base – I was dealing with customers in the “Happy
Valley” (Amherst, MA area). Lots of ex hippies, hippie wannabees and general
malcontents. An example would be one baked trustafarian who droned on for
about an hour and  half while I worked and he was asking about different
derailleurs for his bike. When he finally wore himself and everybody else in
earshot out he said “well I can get that for 20% less from Bike Nashbar” and
left.  Imagine my surprise when he showed up a month or so later with the
same derailleur we were talking about – now in his hand and a mangled piece
of fecality. Why was he coming to my shop? To have it warrantied by us, or
so he thought . . . (that sizzling sound you now hear is my brain
overheating again).
Bicycle business on Cape Cod was a different story – loads of happy
customers, friendly people (which you would NOT expect in a tourist trap
area).
So, folks, let's cut the vendors some slack.