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Tales from behind the counter.
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Ooh countershop staff...do keep this thread going.
Ive not read it all, but which town/area are you?!?
I spent many years in retail as a student....oooh the stories i could tell.
Someone trying to return something they said they had bought in our shop....when I pointed out a price ticket on the item of a competitor's store they left raterh quickly!
I intend to keep it going Nick.
I've had "customers" who are a little cleverer than yours. They had removed the price tickets and then presented their unwanted "gifts" on the counter for a refund. I pointed out that the items on the counter bore no relation to the items on the receipt.
I'm sorry Madam, I don't sell tennis rackets.
No sorry, none at all.
Yes, I'm sure I haven't got any in the stock room
No, sorry, no tennis balls either.
One or two people have asked me where my shop is but I shan't be revealing any info I'm afraid.
This is interesting and thanks for being honest.
In a way this is unsatisfactory for me. It's become accepted lore that you need running shoes fitted properly but it seems to me that in the shops the staff are taught to look for specific things, without really knowing why.
It's great for stopping people buying tennis trainers for running in, but how much does it really reduce injury risk?
Is there a case to be made, for example, that people with good 'natural pronation' are likely to be given shoes that reduce this natural pronation because the running shop employee can't tell the difference between that and harmful pronation. Then as a result are given shoes that actually increase injury risk. Is it even possible to tell the difference with the tools at their disposal?
I don't know the answers myself but it is an interesting topic.
Good points again Moraghan. The tools at my disposal are literally a treadmill, a laptop and a video camera. How the findings are interpreted is always a bone of contention. Ask several different people and they will see several different things. I've been on bio-mechanics courses but what I've learnt merely scratches the surface. Some runners seem to think that pronation is a bad thing. Obviously this is not true as pronation is a natural occurence. Over pronation can (and does) cause problems to some runners but with others it causes no problems at all.
Of course there is the forefoot versus heelstrike argument.
The base training argument.
The pose argument.
The list is endless.
What I will say is that running is something that you shouldn't really have to think about too much. As that well known brand say "Just Do It".
Hey, what about the price of that bodyglide?
FWIW I usually use the local running shop to get me fitted out in a new pair of trainers. Having run in them for a couple of months and having gotten on well with them, I often then buy one or two more pairs online at a lower cost.
One thing that annoys me as a customer is other customers who knock something off of a shelf, look down at it and then walk off. Equally as annoying are those who walk down an aisle where something is on the floor and they leave it there. I know you are a customer but surely it doesn't take a second to lift it up. I always do as I'd not want to take something off of the shelf to buy and find it covered in dirt or footprints.
My nearest running shop is an hours drive but is more than worth it. The workers are mostly seen running in the races at weekends and often chat about the local running scene as they help you out.
Runner - that made my eyes hurt!
Yours sounds like a better operation. All I am able to do is report on my experiences in this country.
Ordering shoes in is all very well but it means a repeat trip and for me that's a roundtrip of 60 miles each time (and that's to shops I currently find unsatisfactory). I understand the problems with regards to sizes but it seems I was spoilt by my experience in the USA where they always had a very deep stock of every shoe.
You can't fully tell by running up and down outside - my only point was it's better than only being able to try it on a treadmill.
I think both you and countershopstaff could both tell us what county you reside in - that won't break any rules and might tell me whether a special trip is worthwhile in the future.
like i said our customers orders are only 4%,which i know compares well to the USA.
We will also deliver the shoe ourselves if it's within 15 miles of the shop,if not we post
Where do you live! 60 miles from a running shop!lol
as for telling you where my shop is,sorry no chance-1-we dont need the extra trade(last 2 years best ever)
-2-it will cause problems,this happened to a friend of mine.
-3-i did'nt get into running retail for the money more the lifestyle,"find a job you love,and never have to work again".even with the odd crap customer!
Please don't just leave the unwanted items on the floor. Have the decency to hang them on the hooks provided or if you are feeling really energetic pass them back to me.
Thank you.
Top tip. As most running shops offer club discount, if you are trying to claim the discount for a club that you are not a member of, at least do some research so that you actually know the name of the club.
Please understand that childrens shoes are fitted by foot size and not age. It is very difficult for me to accurately advise you as to whether the footwear will be the correct size if you forget to actually bring your child with you.
I used to work in a shop. All year we would return stolen cards to card companies and get £50 for the abuse we took from the thieving B'stards who tried to use them. Our generous owner would then use to use this money to fund our christmas party!
I also used to get customers asking for items we didn't stock them demand to know where they could get said item. How do I know where you can buy womens bras or kids clothes? I'm a single bloke with no kids!
Minimum wage then countershop...with small % of commission?
...when doing gait analysis, and the person in question is a lady....do yo umake her stay on the treadie a bit longer than necessary if she is 'blessed' and things are jiggling around?!?
I worked in a climbing shop as a kid.
I had a customer who, on a pair of half-price sale boots, spent 30 minutes following me round the shop as I was dealing with other customers, trying to haggle with me to knock £2 off the price. In the end I took them off him and said 'at this price they'll be sold before the end of the day anyway. Do you want them or not?'
He didn't buy them and I sold them an hour later to someone else.
Grr.
I worked in a small camping shop and for some reason people though I worked on commission!
If only, when the minimum wage was started I got a massive pay rise and tight fisted boss was far from happy
Also alot of people say the british don't haggle, but never a day went by without me being asked "what's your best price?" or "do you give discounts?"
Number one thing my staff say annoys them,customers who answer their mobiles while serving them.
What annoys you the customer about running shops(we really want to know,it's not a one way street
)