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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 pic

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.

olyjohn 6y ago
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...
porknubbins 6y ago
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.

olyjohn 6y ago

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...

porknubbins 6y ago

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.