MSC Owners, hit up the bicycle shops and manufacturers

This is a huge untapped market and there are lots of potential new clients for you: bicycle shop chains like Performance Bicycle, manufacturers like Trek, and local bike shops. Sales and service is year round and MSing programs would help these places improve customer service and operations, and make more $. An MSing program could evaluate both bicycle service (tune ups, adjustments, and repairs) and sales. A typical customer (and MSing scenario) now would be a cyclist looking for winter gear/accessories and having a tune up, repair or other service performed.

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I would love if they would have these types of shops. I did one at my local place where they wanted you to call, email and then show up at the place and perform the shop, buy an item and all for $20. I ended up getting a bell and paid way too much for it, but I wanted it.

Shopping the South Jersey Shore

I've done bicycle shops in my area several times. No purchase necessary and it paid well.

I think this is a seasonal thing, too, depending on the weather of an area. In the summer here, there are hundreds of businesses that aren't open year round and actually don't really care that much about customer service, they got a product and the people in town have a need. Right now, there are 2 bike shops open and neither is a chain. I don't think we have any chain bike shops within 100 miles.

Shopping the South Jersey Shore

Average age of mystery shoppers is over 60. That sounds like a scheduling nightmare.

Bicycle seats are a pita.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

@SoCalMama wrote:

Average age of mystery shoppers is over 60. That sounds like a scheduling nightmare.

Agreed.
After attending multiple MS conferences, only about 10% of the folks I’ve seen in real life could realistically portray an avid cyclist.
Sadly, the vast majority are 60+, Caucasian, and would stand out like the proverbial sore thumb at Trek or REI.

Reallty?? That's an interesting tidbit and I did not think was the case. Color me enlightened.

@SoCalMama wrote:

Average age of mystery shoppers is over 60. That sounds like a scheduling nightmare.

Shopping the South Jersey Shore

In the little University town where I live, lots of older looking people run, walk, jog, bike, hike, ski, swim, work out, participate in Senior Olympics, and are generally physically active. We might be above average in that one factoid.

I am the outlier. After several surgeries and admonishments from surgeons, [you don't want another surgery or heaven forbid a replacement or three, do you?????] I work out at home in various gentle ways.

I agree with the idea of multiple types of bicycle shops! There are all kinds of cyclists, and some of them are unconscious. I would love shops that evaluate: the lessons in cyclist safety and awareness; designated bike routes which are evaluated for all kinds of hazard and safety issues (some of which involve traffic control devices); and build-a-seat workshops. Yes. That. I would ride if there were a comfy seat for my.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao-Tzu

At least for some months out of the year. It's hard to ride a bike in the snow.

@Jenny Cassada wrote:

Reallty?? That's an interesting tidbit and I did not think was the case. Color me enlightened.

@SoCalMama wrote:

Average age of mystery shoppers is over 60. That sounds like a scheduling nightmare.

I'm sure a scheduler can chime in, but if you had been to a conference, you'd agree.

I never asked how old my shoppers were. I was not scheduling through one of the larger platforms. There's a reason that the compliance shops pay so well and hang out on the boards for so long.

Cycling is a year-round activity, even in colder regions. In major cities, the streets are salted and plowed, and there are bike lanes. People buy bicycles and accessories and have their bicycles serviced year round. Many use bicycles to commute in addition to riding for recreation. Cyclists come in all ages. People buy bicycles as holiday and birthday gifts for others. Some of the comments here are uninformed. An MSC owner who could snag Trek (or any other major bicycle manufacturer) as a client and have shoppers report on how their bicycles and accessories are being sold in various bike shops would have landed a major account. Bike shops themselves are also a major source of potential new clients. There would be a major benefit to their retail operations and service departments being shopped.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/2019 06:11AM by MSF.

Do you have a source for that statistic, or is it anecdotal? There are actually lots of shops that have an age limit (e.g., restaurant and bar alcohol compliance shops). Shoppers represent the age range of actual customers, who are not all senior citizens. Younger shoppers who are long away from retirement may not have or want to devote time and money for MSC conferences (which might be why you don't see many at them).

@SoCalMama wrote:

Average age of mystery shoppers is over 60. That sounds like a scheduling nightmare.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/2019 06:14AM by MSF.

Do you know how many people don't live in major cities where the streets are salted and plowed and have bike lanes? I live on a 5 mile island and can be lucky sometimes to get a car out in bad weather. I ride a bike every day unless it's physically impossible (50 mph wind like the other day, I had to walk) and snow that won't get cleared for days. I don't even live in a crazy winter area, but I live in a seasonal (summer) town and clearing the 2 miles on this island that do have a bike lane is not the priority AT ALL. I ride my bike to work, to do everything on this island as besides the bus, it is my main route of transportation. I don't think that makes me uninformed.

Besides that, most MSC aren't on this board looking for ideas from shoppers on new clients.

@MSF wrote:

Cycling is a year-round activity, even in colder regions. In major cities, the streets are salted and plowed, and there are bike lanes. People buy bicycles and accessories and have their bicycles serviced year round. Many use bicycles to commute in addition to riding for recreation. Cyclists come in all ages. People buy bicycles as holiday and birthday gifts for others. Some of the comments here are uninformed. An MSC owner who could snag Trek (or any other major bicycle manufacturer) as a client and have shoppers report on how their bicycles and accessories are being sold in various bike shops would have landed a major account. Bike shops themselves are also a major source of potential new clients. There would be a major benefit to their retail operations and service departments being shopped.

Shopping the South Jersey Shore

@Jenny Cassada: My post is directed at MSC owners. There are plenty of them on here. Smart ones will read this post and quietly go seek new clients in this space, as well as pursue clients in other untapped markets. Others will continue to compete for the same restaurant, retail, gas station, etc. clients. The bicycle industry operates year-round, and people buy bicycle products and services year-round. This may not be so in your town, but it is in many others. You know what? Vineyards aren't shopped where I live--because there are none. There are plenty on the west coast and elsewhere though, and some of them are shopped.

I find it interesting that you know what most MSC owners are doing and SoCalMoma knows the average age of shoppers.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2019 03:21AM by MSF.

I have no idea what vineyards being shopped have to do with anything in this post. I originally agreed with you that it would be a good idea, but reasoned why it is not necessarily feasible and then you had the reaction that you had. When you said that we are uninformed, I of course took offense, because I am informed. I am a cyclist and for you to be so dismissive is just rude and unfair. Second, the lack of actual MSCs commenting on posts where things would be incredibly easy to fix with one post leads me to believe that there aren't too many MSC on here, especially not looking to shoppers to give them a "lead" on a new shop.

Get off your high horse.

Shopping the South Jersey Shore

Oh please. You obviously felt that you made uninformed comments, because I never singled you out and said that.

I made the comment about vineyards to illustrate that locations can be shopped at any time. Perhaps the bicycle shop in Nantucket closes for fall and winter, but the shops in NYC and lots of other places do not.

I will say that you are not as familiar with this site as you think, because there are lots of MSC owners and employees on here. It would be unwise of them not to be.

Have a good ride.

@Jenny Cassada wrote:

Get off your high horse.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2019 11:40PM by MSF.

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MSC Owners, hit up the bicycle shops and manufacturers

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