I’ve noticed a thing common to most retail shops that are not clothing-based.

Bicycle shops attract employees who are really into bicycles. Computer stores pick up folks who are really into computers. Book stores, comic book stores, record stores… you get it.

None of these types of shops select for "people skills." Insider knowledge is valued, the ability to have a conversation and not make a customer feel like shit is not. It's so bad that archetypes like Comic Book Guy from _The Simpsons_ and the bestselling novel & movie _High Fidelity_ got written and became cultural archetypes.

All of which is a long-winded way to say: bicycle shop employees can be incredible, intolerable jerks.

I'm not sure why clothes seem to be an exception… perhaps because the merchandise is curated by buyers, so rather than hiring experts, they can hire exclusively based on people skills? Or maybe clothes just attract people with more empathy, I'm not sure.

Anyway, when you find a bicycle shop that isn't staffed by troglodytes: make friends. Be loyal. Spend.

The worst people are the ones who work at auto wrecking yards. You can go in and tell them you're here to spend money, and buy parts, and do the fucking work yourself, and they'll still treat you like shit. Like you interrupted the show they were watching and they had to stop and reach for the phone... You can't even call them up on the phone and get a "Hello?" You just get a pissed-off "What do you want?"

I finally found a yard with cool people in it, and interesting cars. But pretty much all the local yards in my area are gone now, and the only one left is the Pick-n-Pull chain...

This is very accurate, and two other types of people working in bike stores are endurance athletes and hipster fixed gear types both of which often give off airs of superiority. I try to spend money at my local shop but as a casual road cyclist I often can’t get the time of day from these types.

it doesn't work everywhere, tho.

Check out how Walmart failed in Germany, for exemple. Among others, management forced the employees to be welcoming to customers, but the Germans found it creepy.

Personaly, I'm more the German kind. I've avoided grocery stores and businesses where the manager is overly talkative and gives discounts for no reason.

IMO, to have a great shop, just have the parts the poeple need, so that they don't come for nothing. Then, have a website to let customers check out your stock, the prices, and choose parts from home. Not only it's reassuring to them, but it's also quicker to you when they know what they want. And know how to fix bikes, as much as possible on the spot.

It's hard to disappoint a customer in a shop. Actually, they'll often be happy and truely appreciate the place. Running this kind of business is mostly about getting them back. When they need something, they'll go to the place they consider the most appropriate. Even if they also like other shops.

I don't want a pushy salesperson and discounts - I just want to be treated without hostility when I walk in the door. I don't want to work to get someone's attention to attempt to buy a $550 bike from them. I don't want a rude answer when I ask what's wrong with my bike, or how long it'll take to fix.

There's a middleground here, and the problem is that at least where I am in the US, most bike shops are actively hostile to anyone who walks in the door - or maybe it's because I'm not wearing a full kit.