Walmart of Bikes

The scene is Christmas morning at the Green household and my three girls are tearing wildly into their stocking while I watch and hold my own stocking in my hands. As they finish I am given the cue to reach into mine and I find one of the best gifts I will get this year - a brand new bottom bracket tool from Park Tool. How could this simple present from my lovely wife spark a Christmas morning rant? I will explain.

After the kids were done and the presents were all opened, my wife explained to me that she now understood why I never spoke to a person at some bike shops. Being a loving wife she wished to purchase this Park Tool for me based on the list of things I "needed" that I had scribed for her early in the month. As is my usual routine I listed brand, part number, places to buy and what I thought the cost should be. Since no one really understands my obsession this poses the best opportunity for me to get a bike related gift, and I am sure most bike nerds reading this can relate.

As it turns out my wife was at the mall in Kenwood - we do have three girls, so mall trips are a very important piece of her life. She knew that Performance Bike was right down the street and maybe, just maybe, she could get another errand scratched off her list. She fought the traffic on Montgomery Road during the Christmas season and headed into their retail outlet, list in hand with brands and part numbers.

She had no idea what "Park Tool BBT-9 Bottom Bracket Tool" meant on the list that I supplied, so she asked a helper on the floor if they could show her where she might find this item. The salesman showed her to the tool section and explained that they didn't carry that model, but that another one would work.

Not being a bike nerd my wife thanked the salesman and explained that she wasn't going off the list that was provided, she knew I was somewhat particular and while the other item suggested may do the trick, she had no way of confirming that with me without consultation. The salesman kicked it into gear.

"I am sure this one will do the trick and your husband probably doesn't understand what he wants." That may not be an exact quote, it was a few weeks ago, but it is the general idea. The salesman was throwing away any opportunity to attract repeat business or build any sort of relationship over a simple tool - a tool that at high MSRP is $24.99, and in the Performance online catalog is $19.99.

My wife was mad. Not only did she feel insulted, but felt the salesman was insulting to me as well. I may not know everything about cycling and bike repair, but I have been riding and working on bikes since I was 5 years old. For those unaware, that gives me 35 years of experience. She told me very bluntly that she really didn't plan to return to that store and couldn't understand their attitude.

She is a non-cyclist and has these feelings.

This is where bike retail has migrated. The smaller, knowledgeable shops struggle, the behemoth's prosper with their own brands that they make an extra $0.67 on versus a name brand. A few miles from Performance was Jim's Bike Shop, a fully knowledgeable shop that would have provided a better experience.

On this day Performance earned their reputation as the Walmart of bikes - or at least the high pressure used car salesmen of bikes.