Support your local dealer

[WPZ]

The internet is a wonderful thing. But it can be destructive, too.
Friday past I went over to the dealer I've been doing most of my business with for the last few years ever since I moved to this area. I was going to get some Golden Spectro for the December oil change routine.
When I walked in, there were barely half the bikes on the showroom floor as usual. I saw the parts manager and said, "Where are all the bikes?"
Then came the very bad news: this dealer, a four-line establishment in business for 38 years, is closing its doors for good next month.
The parts guy's sole comment: "The Internet."
For many, I know, getting up and traveling some distance to get your oil, chains, brake levers, and ignition points isn't always doable. But if you don't, if we don't, the dealer will be gone because nobody bought anything.
This one hits a bit harder because the Chicagoland area does not have many Kawasaki dealers, and I have a strong Kawasaki streak (even though we own several Hondas). I am also concerned about another dealer's health I've been friends with for a long time; they're fifty miles away now but I still go there when I can.
The dealer first mentioned, Willy World Cycles of Joliet, Illinois, is shuttering and it's hard not to be concerned.
So, if you can, please support your local dealer. You'll need him someday.

 

[670cc]

I understand your point of view and your suggestion has merit.

However, I’m of the opinion that it’s time to move on to a new way of doing business. I rarely purchase new vehicles, but when I do, I have to go to a dealer. Once that transaction is complete, with the exception of safety recalls, the vehicle and I never return to the dealer again. Everything I need can be obtained outside the local dealership. I would prefer even to buy the vehicle outside the dealership, like through some regional distribution centers direct from the manufacturer. The dealer just adds another layer of cost to the purchase.

For supplies, parts, and tires, I’d rather not drive somewhere and pay more. I’d rather pay less and have the items brought right to my front door.

 

[GregC]

While I’m sympathetic to the effect online sales have had on local small business, I’m also a believer in competition. Local business cannot compete on price with the online sellers anymore than they could compete with the local big box stores. But they can compete on quality and experience, and at least where I am the local dealers have largely decided to NOT do that. The posts on this thread of repeated shoddy or half-assed service at the dealers bears that out. If the local dealer treated my bike like it was his I’d happily pay more for parts so that over the long run my bike was the better for it.

Competing on price is easy but ultimately a losing game, even for online businesses (ask any that sell things that Amazon decided to move into).

Just my $.02


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[happy]

Dear WPZ, thank you for this post. You are not the first one who wrote such an appeal. Some years back on this forum, we have discussed this topic.
Many people think I am crazy for saying the same thing you did.
One day....call the internet to pick up your stalled moto on the road side.
Call the internet to diagnose an electrical problem.
Call the internet to recommend a suitable part for your bike.

Good post.

 

[Deleted member 1183]

I agree with WPZ to a point. I tend to purchase most things locally. If something goes wrong then it is so much easier to deal with a person locally rather than the Internet. However if I feel that a local dealer in products of any kind is seriously over charging then I will go elsewhere. I have no problem with costs and fees being a little higher than the internet anb fully accept that overheads have to be covered, but within reason.

 

[potter0o]

I like to support the local dealers but the pricing needs to be reasonable. After getting gouged one time I tend not to forget. For clothing I don't like to buy it online. I want to confirm the actual fit of the product on my person and buy that. For things that don't have a fit like tools and tires I tend to go on price. I remember going to a dealer looking for a tire balancer..."Why would you want that?" I thought it was self explanatory and was told to buy it online. Like any business some stores are great and some not so great. Try to support the ones you would like to keep around.

 

[670cc]

One day....call the internet to pick up your stalled moto on the road side.
Call the internet to diagnose an electrical problem.
Call the internet to recommend a suitable part for your bike.

For a stall which I cannot repair roadside, which has yet to happen. I’d call a roadside assistance network (AMA plan). The dealer is not involved.

I do go straight to the internet to help diagnose electrical problems and get parts recommendations. The last place that comes to my mind is the dealer. I guess I’ve been conditioned by the general lack of knowledge shown by dealers and the generally good knowledge gleaned from the internet.

 

[GregC]

For most problems I come HERE first [emoji16]


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[WPZ]

Yes, I understand the various perspectives. Mine, I admit, is colored by having been a self-employed small remodeling contractor (or working for one) my whole life.
Dealers have greater overhead and so it's nigh impossible to make the same price as an internet storefront. So there's no real comparison there.
On the other hand, I won't mount and balance tires on a bike that can exceed 60, nor do I care to rivet the chain of a 150mph sportbike. These are things I take to dealers. There's the basis of my thinking: I need a dealer I can get to.
I also much prefer to establish contact and relationships with vendors, not just in the motorcycle field, because when there's trouble, and someday there always is, having a relationship built up is pure gold.
Plus, being able to talk to a live person whom you know and respect is of high value too. I learned my trade that way and I do prefer in person instruction and interchange.
So while I agree pricing in and of itself is an issue, there's a tradeoff somewhere in the middle.

 

[gpd211]

Yes, I understand the various perspectives. Mine, I admit, is colored by having been a self-employed small remodeling contractor (or working for one) my whole life.
Dealers have greater overhead and so it's nigh impossible to make the same price as an internet storefront. So there's no real comparison there.
On the other hand, I won't mount and balance tires on a bike that can exceed 60, nor do I care to rivet the chain of a 150mph sportbike. These are things I take to dealers. There's the basis of my thinking: I need a dealer I can get to.
I also much prefer to establish contact and relationships with vendors, not just in the motorcycle field, because when there's trouble, and someday there always is, having a relationship built up is pure gold.
Plus, being able to talk to a live person whom you know and respect is of high value too. I learned my trade that way and I do prefer in person instruction and interchange.
So while I agree pricing in and of itself is an issue, there's a tradeoff somewhere in the middle.

I mount my own tires on the nc (That is barely capable of 100 mph) of course I also mount tires on my cbr1000rr that is capable of 100 mph in 3rd gear. As for the chain if you have a proper chain tool there is no reason you can't stake a rivet as well as any dealer out there.

My bikes never see a dealer after purchase for anything. I've bought several bikes atvs and sxs from the same dealer and they know they will not get any labor from me (excluding warranty work). This is why I continue to buy Honda. The reliability is there. Some other brands not so much

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[Madison Sully]

Same thing happening to scooter dealers all around. It's true, either support your local dealer or they may go out of business. Same goes for any retail establishment.

I tend to do things myself, to the point of buying a tool even if I expect it to get rare usage in most cases. Chain tool for my rather new-to-me NC700 being a case in point. I just may never use it again. But it paid for itself the first time I used it. So if I use it again, money's in my pocket.

The thing that sticks in my mind at the end of the day: I can either pay for my steak dinner, or someone else's.

 

[eastbayandy]

by buying my tires online and having a local repair shop put them on it saved me $170 over my local Honda dealer . just saying.

 

[Madison Sully]

by buying my tires online and having a local repair shop put them on it saved me $170 over my local Honda dealer . just saying.

Buy some levers and a balance kit and save the rest. Not for everyone sure, but over time I've changed ~20 tires on my various rides. It just depends on how many tires you plan on going through over the years. I use a Marc Parnes balance kit, and add RideOn. I figure the RideOn is free since I do all my own work.

 

[670cc]

I submit that Willy World Cycles of Joliet, Illinois is closing of their own choice. They chose not to adapt to their customer’s needs. Having a brick and mortar shop with the high the overhead costs of stocking parts, employees standing ready to serve a dwindling number of walk-in customers, and perhaps paying floor plan interest on slow moving motorcycle inventory is apparently not a winning formula in today’s market. Willy World instead could have morphed into an internet business themselves. Many of the present on-line parts retailers are also motorcycle dealers. Or, perhaps they could have morphed into a new concept, multi brand service center with some yet unseen marketing and business model. Whatever, it’s not up to the customer to save their business if the business hasn’t adapted to changes in the market.

 

[GregC]

We have a very high end guitar store here and I spoke with the owner about how they survived (given that the demand for $3k plus guitars is somewhat limited locally). He said they are looking for folks to come to the store within about an hour’s drive and they sell online. They really know their stuff as well. To me, that’s how a local business competes. It’s not 1975 anymore.


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[happy]

I don't mean to beat up a dead horse again.
Having the right mindset, both local shops and shoppers, will set the right tone for our children.
Many jobs are already outsourced overseas and many merchandise can be bought through a faceless interface.
If this situation continues without any upgrade on the shoppers and shops side, (many of) our children are doomed.

Yes update the competitive pricing locally. Yes shop more locally if possible. Improve customer experience. Leave some room for the local guys.

I hope we don't just buy things based of best (lowest) price.


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[Olythom]

Wow. I just finished writing a long, emotional, 12 paragraph response to this thread and deleted the whole thing. Here is my less-emotional version.

670.... Your arguments regarding commerce and retail make perfect sense, but.... Take a walk into the internet to try on a pair of boots or gloves. If you trust the reviews and sizing charts on the web, you will not be satisfied. I suppose you can get even with the seller by giving a one-star review. That'll fix him!

As a small retailer, it always amuses me when a person buys something over the internet and then walks into my store to ask me and my guys to make it work...... and even gets irate with us because the thing doesn't work or because no one can make out the translated instructions. Yes, the products on my shelves may cost a few bucks more than the internet-direct-from-china crap that sorta looks the same but I can guarantee that mine will work or I will replace it on the spot. Quality used to be important. Now, price drives the world.

Don't even get me started on consumer demands for lower and lower prices right alongside worker demands for higher and higher wages - How can that work? Who is John Gault?

Regardless of your views on politics, finances, commerce, sociology, or any other 'ology', I believe it will be a bad thing to see the local businesses disappear - but disappear they will. As a kid, I used to love to walk into the local bike shop, motorcycle shop, hobby shop, or even the local farm store. I even enjoyed hanging around the local gas station (which was also the local car repair shop). All of those places were educational. Hanging out in places like that established in me a basic hands-on understanding of mechanics, physics, electronics, chemistry, and who knows what else. Talking to the grown-ups in those shops taught me interpersonal skills. I suppose it's just another example of how our youth will be nothing more than screen-watchers.

The new way of the world seems to be based on having a screen attached to the internet - Play sports online, shop online, date online, build cities online, get your version of reality online. It is not the same and it is not better.

And losing a motorcycle shop that has 38 years of history and experience is a bad thing.
>T

 

[670cc]

670.... Your arguments regarding commerce and retail make perfect sense, but.... Take a walk into the internet to try on a pair of boots or gloves. If you trust the reviews and sizing charts on the web, you will not be satisfied. I suppose you can get even with the seller by giving a one-star review. That'll fix him!

Speaking of reviews and sizing charts, I can only relate to my personal experience. In recent times I’ve bought three pairs of motorcycle boots on-line from three different sellers. These three all fit perfect and I kept them. The sizing charts in conjunction with the reviews from other buyers allowed for accurate size choices. Another (fourth) boot pair I tried from one of those sellers did not fit my foot shape (boot too narrow) and they were happily taken back for a full refund. The liberal refund/exchange policies offered by many on-line retailers alleviates problems with sizing, fit, or quality issues. Some smaller local retailers only offer store credit for returns, which is a red flag for me.

I would never involve my local motorcycle shop for trying items on, fitting or performance issues with my competing on-line purchases. That would be unethical, and frankly more trouble driving over there than it would be worth.

The prospect of receiving a bad review keeps most on-line sellers honest and accomodating. Leaving a one star review is very rarely necessary since the seller wants to make things right to avoid the one star review.

 

[GregC]

FWIW- I buy all manner of clothes online. If it doesn’t fit or I don’t like the fit, I ship it back (I use online stores with free shipping each way and proven easy returns). Takes less of my time than going store to store. I’m with 670cc also, I won’t use a local store just to try something and then order it online.

There was a good article over the holiday that said the brick and mortar stores that were doing better were those that had adapted their business model to include online sales in addition to their normal business.


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[DirtFlier]

Buying model specific parts for your bike typically takes two trips to a dealer: 1) have them order the part, and 2) to come back when they have the part. I do use my local Honda dealer for oil & chemicals.