PING the az super go guy

ok sorry I can't remember your name... ;-(

this was an interesting comment about your store: Or is it your store?

" The store in Tucson is big - but unless you are (1) male (2) 20-30 years old and (3) have the
gaunt Lance Armstrong look, you are invisible to salespeople. Grrrr... They don't "get" that we are
the ones with the $$$
!!!"

I hope you were off that day. "We" being females.

Penny

> ok sorry I can't remember your name... ;-(
>
> this was an interesting comment about your store: Or is it your store?
>
> " The store in Tucson is big - but unless you are (1) male (2) 20-30 years
old
> and (3) have the gaunt Lance Armstrong look, you are invisible to salespeople. Grrrr... They don't
> "get" that we are the ones with the $$$
> !!!"
>
> I hope you were off that day. "We" being females.
>
>
>
> Penny

I would guess that is probably the case with most shops.
--
Slacker

Funny you should mention this right now but last Monday I was in the local Supergo shop here in the
Phoenix area and one of the salespeople that I recognized from past visits was getting royally
chewed out by one of the managers. I only overheard part of the scolding but in general he was
trying to explain to him that he needed to learn that the customer should be more than just a dollar
sign to him and he needed to learn to try to be more customer service oriented. Now I thought this
was kind of odd to hear coming from anyone at that type of store because I have always felt that
going there was more for $ savings and understanding the trade off would be almost no customer
service. Anyhow I was kind of glad to see that they or someone there considers customer service
important. Just a few of my thoughts. Rickb "

On Mon, 15 Sep 2003 07:39:51 -0700, Rick B <Rickbe@cox.net> penned:
> Funny you should mention this right now but last Monday I was in the local Supergo shop here in
> the Phoenix area and one of the salespeople that I recognized from past visits was getting royally
> chewed out by one of the managers. I only overheard part of the scolding but in general he was
> trying to explain to him that he needed to learn that the customer should be more than just a
> dollar sign to him and he needed to learn to try to be more customer service oriented. Now I
> thought this was kind of odd to hear coming from anyone at that type of store because I have
> always felt that going there was more for $ savings and understanding the trade off would be
> almost no customer service. Anyhow I was kind of glad to see that they or someone there considers
> customer service important. Just a few of my thoughts. Rickb "

Even bargain-oriented businesses usually need to rely on return customers ... and it seems to me
that a large portion of mountain-bikers are folks with disposal income who would rather be treated
well than save a buck or two. (That may just be the folks to whom I've been exposed, though.)

Actually, I do a "management study group" at work, which is basically a book club with free lunch. A
number of the books have pointed out that successful businesses never rely on a single competitive
edge -- because when someone else figures a way to beat you at your own game, you're hosed.

--
monique

My pointless ramblings: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/phorum/index.php?f=6

> ok sorry I can't remember your name... ;-(
>
> this was an interesting comment about your store: Or is it your store?
>
> " The store in Tucson is big - but unless you are (1) male (2) 20-30 years
old
> and (3) have the gaunt Lance Armstrong look, you are invisible to salespeople. Grrrr... They don't
> "get" that we are the ones with the $$$
> !!!"
>
> I hope you were off that day. "We" being females.

Hi Penny. That's actually not my store, they just bought out a store in Tucson and assimilated it
into the corporate structure. It's called Supergo, but I'm sure they're still struggling with the
changeover down there.

Basically what it comes down to is... some people love Supergo and come away with excellent customer
service and great prices, other people hate us for whatever reasons they have. I think we're a lot
like any small bike shop, really. Some people get overlooked because the store is so busy, but it
seems more likely you'd get offended because our sales people won't leave you alone.

Since Supergo was sold to Performance Bike, the "family owned" feel has been slipping a bit, since
new policies are directed a bit more toward the bottom line. That is, $$$. As long as I work there
I'll try to give the best customer service I can, but I hope you don't expect me to take
responsibility for my whole store, or worse, all of Supergo.

-John Morgan

> Funny you should mention this right now but last Monday I was in the local Supergo shop here in
> the Phoenix area and one of the salespeople that I recognized from past visits was getting royally
> chewed out by one of the managers. I only overheard part of the scolding but in general he was
> trying to explain to him that he needed to learn that the customer should
be
> more than just a dollar sign to him and he needed to learn to try to be
more
> customer service oriented. Now I thought this was kind of odd to hear coming from anyone at that
> type of store because I have always felt that going there was more for $ savings and understanding
> the trade off would
be
> almost no customer service. Anyhow I was kind of glad to see that they or someone there considers
> customer service important. Just a few of my thoughts. Rickb

Cool. I know who you're talking about. =) You're right, some of the salespeople at my store
really need replacing, since they really have no interest in the sport and could just as well be
selling used cars. They are just collecting a paycheck. However, there are some awesome employees
there, who love and promote the sport. It is these people you need to talk to if you expect good
customer service.

It's a two-way street, however. We might have a couple sales people with problems, but as a
"bargain" store, we attract the worst kind of customers too. If you don't believe me, just come in
when we have a sale.

-John Morgan

"John Morgan" <jhnmorgan@NOSPAMcox.net> wrote in message news:WMm9b.54820$cj1.2650@fed1read06...
> > ok sorry I can't remember your name... ;-(
> >
> > this was an interesting comment about your store: Or is it your store?
> >
> > " The store in Tucson is big - but unless you are (1) male (2) 20-30 years
> old
> > and (3) have the gaunt Lance Armstrong look, you are invisible to salespeople. Grrrr... They
> > don't "get" that we are the ones with the $$$
> > !!!"
> >
> > I hope you were off that day. "We" being females.
>
> Hi Penny. That's actually not my store, they just bought out a store in Tucson and assimilated it
> into the corporate structure. It's called Supergo, but I'm sure they're still struggling with the
> changeover down there.

The store in Tucson was a Full Cycle, and they had pretty good costomer service. Not Great but OK.
It seems to me like most of the helpful staff is still there. Another Full Cycle is now a
Performance store.
>
> Basically what it comes down to is... some people love Supergo and come
away
> with excellent customer service and great prices, other people hate us for whatever reasons
> they have.

Most people I know like Supergo and Performance OK, but they realize that costomer service is on the
low end. We shop there for the prices that a HUGE store with a huge inventory can offer. Supergo has
a the big time buying power to do complete factory buyouts. Then they can cut prices on that item in
order to move it My bike is a prime example. Supergo bought out all the remaining 2002 Kokopelli's
from Yeti. I bought from a small shop in Colorado who admited that they could not compete with
Supergo pricewise, so they just wanted to move their remaining stock. Because they were a small
shop, they did alot of upgrades that Supergo would not do (Avid disks, mavic rims, XT shifters,
levers and cassette) all at a reasonable price. Some people hate Supergo simply because its size has
driven alot of small LBS's out of buisness.

I think we're a lot like any small bike shop,
> really. Some people get overlooked because the store is so busy, but it seems more likely you'd
> get offended because our sales people won't leave you alone.

??? I cant agree with that

> Since Supergo was sold to Performance Bike, the "family owned" feel has
been
> slipping a bit, since new policies are directed a bit more toward the
bottom
> line.

I cant really say I ever felt the "Family Owned " feeling about Supergo. However, I bought alot of
stuff from them due to their prices.

That is, $$$. As long as I work there I'll try to give the best
> customer service I can, but I hope you don't expect me to take responsibility for my whole store,
> or worse, all of Supergo.

Fair enough Todd Brown
>
> -John Morgan

John Morgan scrawled in bright red lipstick: I hope you don't
> expect me to take responsibility for my whole store, or worse, all of Supergo.
>
> -John Morgan

Of course I expect you to assume full responsibility!! NO, ,I just pasted that from another forum
just as an FYI. Not that you have any control... we know that was your day off. ;-)

1¢

John I didn't know you worked there I will ask to meet you next time I'm in.

"John Morgan" <jhnmorgan@NOSPAMcox.net> wrote in message news:WMm9b.54820$cj1.2650@fed1read06...
> > ok sorry I can't remember your name... ;-(
> >
> > this was an interesting comment about your store: Or is it your store?
> >
> > " The store in Tucson is big - but unless you are (1) male (2) 20-30 years
> old
> > and (3) have the gaunt Lance Armstrong look, you are invisible to salespeople. Grrrr... They
> > don't "get" that we are the ones with the $$$
> > !!!"
> >
> > I hope you were off that day. "We" being females.
>
> Hi Penny. That's actually not my store, they just bought out a store in Tucson and assimilated it
> into the corporate structure. It's called Supergo, but I'm sure they're still struggling with the
> changeover down there.
>
> Basically what it comes down to is... some people love Supergo and come
away
> with excellent customer service and great prices, other people hate us for whatever reasons they
> have. I think we're a lot like any small bike shop, really. Some people get overlooked because the
> store is so busy, but it seems more likely you'd get offended because our sales people won't leave
> you alone.
>
> Since Supergo was sold to Performance Bike, the "family owned" feel has
been
> slipping a bit, since new policies are directed a bit more toward the
bottom
> line. That is, $$$. As long as I work there I'll try to give the best customer service I can, but
> I hope you don't expect me to take responsibility for my whole store, or worse, all of Supergo.
>
> -John Morgan

"Penny S" <pennysinvalid@cetinvalid.com> wrote in message news:vmaccp3pr5vu5b@corp.supernews.com...
| " The store in Tucson is big - but unless you are (1) male (2) 20-30 years
old
| and (3) have the gaunt Lance Armstrong look, you are invisible to salespeople. Grrrr... They don't
| "get" that we are the ones with the $$$
| !!!"

I'm not sure if any of you live in southern California, but if you do there is an excellent bike
shop that is worth the drive called Orange Cycle in ...well...Orange, CA. It's a large LBS the size
of supergo, but what stands out is their customer service. It's family-owned and run. I recently
purchased a Specialized Expedition Elite (along with some better mods) for a "cruising" bike and got
a great deal on it ($260). Sure it's my cheapest and lowest grade bike I own (or ever will), but as
long as I have owned it they have always freely adjusted, modified, fixed, etc anything on it for
me, even my fiancée's Lotus road bike (talk about ancient =P).

You can basically sit around the store and just chat with the employees about anything related to
bikes (this is where I got most of my "wrench" information). This is highly contrasted to supergo.
I'm a musician and find that supergo is harder to get help (for more than 5 seconds) than Guitar
Center without first saying that you want to spend alot of $$$. Try going up to a supergo employee
and asking about the best fork sus PSI levels are for certain terrain types.

Back to Orange Cycle. Take your bike in sometime and be impressed.

Side note: I wanted to know if anyone has every had this problem before. I was riding behind a
stranger (not partner) pansy road biker on a close trail near me. The entire time I'm drafting (yes,
I'm an ass), he's passing gas. And not like "toot" "toot", I mean full throttle machine gun farts
for like 10 minutes.

> Center without first saying that you want to spend alot of $$$. Try going
up
> to a supergo employee and asking about the best fork sus PSI levels are
for
> certain terrain types.

Ok don't take this as me defending Supergo or anything, but how can you expect to walk into any bike
shop and ask a salesman "I have FORK X, what are the best PSI levels for TERRAIN TYPES A, B, and C?"

Please.

I can understand if you asked them what an average PSI setting might be, but there are too many
variables involved to tell you specifics like that. That's why you need to RTFM and experiment with
trial and error for the fork you have. Hey, do you have the number to Orange Cycle? I think I'll
give them a call and ask that question and see what response I get.

-John Morgan

> > I think we're a lot like any small bike shop, really. Some people get overlooked because the
> > store is so busy, but it seems more likely you'd get offended because our sales people won't
leave
> > you alone.
>
> ??? I cant agree with that

I can't come up with any other explaination why 75% of the people I approach on the sales floor tell
me they don't need any help when I ask them. I hear "No, I'm just looking" a hundred times a day.
The truth is, our store tends to attract a lot of the wrong type of customer... who really don't
want customer service. All they want is to find what they are looking for at the cheapest possible
price. Sorry if you've had another experience... I've never been to any other Supergo but my own.

-John Morgan

"Greg P." <no@spam.sam> wrote in message
news:gUw9b.5519$BS5.5145@newsread4.n....earthlink.net...

> Side note: I wanted to know if anyone has every had this problem before. I was riding behind a
> stranger (not partner) pansy road biker on a close
trail
> near me. The entire time I'm drafting (yes, I'm an ass), he's passing gas. And not like "toot"
> "toot", I mean full throttle machine gun farts for
like
> 10 minutes.

Next time pass the gas-passer.

Bill "I'd use it as incentive" S.

"John Morgan" <jhnmorgan@NOSPAMcox.net> wrote in message news:Hdx9b.55018$cj1.27718@fed1read06...
| Ok don't take this as me defending Supergo or anything, but how can you expect to walk into any
| bike shop and ask a salesman "I have FORK X, what are the best PSI levels for TERRAIN TYPES A,
| B, and C?"

You are correct. I used a ****ty, exaggerated example, but I'm sure that the intention was
not lost?! =(

I'm just whining as I had a bad experience at supergo recently. The floor pumps were housed inside
some display setup (that was impossible to get past). I took me like 15 minutes to find a guy to ask
"Can you please retrieve any one of those pumps that is presto-Schrader compliant?". He just keeps
walking and points to the pumps. I try to reach over to grab the damn things and knock down half the
computers on a rack. I lift the stupid display and drop a fox fork shock on display near it, getting
angry glances from all the workers. It took me another 10 minutes to find an employee that actually
stopped (for a full 3 seconds!!!) that told someone behind a counter to get the pump for me. That
person took forever, etc, etc, etc.

BUT, when I was looking at the new $3000+ mtb's at the rear I had people there on my like flies on
****. I had barely touched a tread's nipple when I had a guy asking "What size would you like?" and
a (nicer) lady asking me "what is my price range?".

Yes, I understand the might dollar rules the service expectations, but they could be a bit more
helpful. As most here do, I just rely mostly on LBS's for products that I am not entirely familiar
with (or just want the added service) regardless of the price increase.

Oh, as for your comment on me reading the manual for the shock adjustments, my bike did not come
with one as it was fitted with it (as a custom mod) a couple of years prior to my purchase. Yes, the
dealer should have retained the damn manual, but I also could not find a version for download at the
manufacturer's site either =(

John Morgan <jhnmorgan@NOSPAMcox.net> wrote in message news:8lx9b.55019$cj1.26253@fed1read06...
> > > I think we're a lot like any small bike shop, really. Some people get overlooked because the
> > > store is so busy, but
it
> > > seems more likely you'd get offended because our sales people won't
> leave
> > > you alone.
> >
> > ??? I cant agree with that
>
> I can't come up with any other explaination why 75% of the people I
approach
> on the sales floor tell me they don't need any help when I ask them. I
hear
> "No, I'm just looking" a hundred times a day.

I'd likely be one of those - I find it intensely irritating to be patronised that way. If I would
like the help of a member of the shop's staff, then I have a mind, a voice and a will, and am
perfectly capable of speaking up and asking for said help myself.

Shaun aRe