On 8/1/2020 2:48 PM, Sepp Ruf wrote:

snip

Because SMS, the pathetically cheap Walmart + China shopper, and his "smart"
constituents, assume that an LBS can survive on selling a few, somewhat
exotic, axle nuts a year, preferably stocked, to lazy cagers who smugly feel
as if they are "supporting their LBS" by their grandiose spare nut purchases?

Wow, you're really a piece of work.

It's _because_ I know that most LBSes can't be bothered to sell esoteric
parts and accessories that I have no problem ordering them Yellow Jersey
or from eBay sellers (there was one eBay seller, Aaron's Bicycle Repair,
which specializes in internal hub repair, that also sold that particular
nut for way more than Andrew charged). I think that it's great that a
brick and mortar store also has a robust online business, it's a great
way for them to survive.

By the same token, an LBS that doesn't stock things like axle nuts which
have been used on a LOT of bicycles, really can't complain about a
customer getting into the habit of assuming that the shop has little
interest in anything than selling current-model bicycles, clothing, and
whatever the highest margin accessories are.

We had a local store that was a Trek Tied Shop. It was really annoying
to go in there to buy accessories because almost everything they sold
was one of Trek's brands and these were rarely the best product in that
category. If I wanted a Blackburn rack they insisted that the Trek rack
was better. If I wanted a Cateye light, they insisted that the Trek
light was better. If I wanted Schwalbe tires then they insisted
Bontrager was better. It was like listening to a car salesman. I ordered
a replacement wheel there once, and it came from QBP and they didn't
even look at it prior to handing it to me. When I asked if they had
checked it to see if it was true they looked annoyed but they took it
back to the shop to true it. That store closed about three years ago.

I doubt if any LBS is upset about people ordering items that most LBSes
would not be interested in stocking because they sell in such low
volumes and have so many different variations.

Tom is probably now heading off to Ace Hardware where he will be in
shock that they have no 10.5mm/26TPI nuts.

For complete bicycles of course I buy them from an LBS. Looking back at
my bicycle-purchasing history since being out on my own, 15 bicycles
purchased from LBS or store with full service bicycle department, 3
direct from the manufacturer.

Disclaimer: in college, around 1975, I did purchase a 3 speed Columbia
bicycle from Woolco (Woolworth's) department store.