DylanFH

Ha ha ja look like i said in another thread, if you want the proper service, ask for a specialist, they the guys with the different badges on, not just names, or the H.O.D. of that department or the manager. If its on the weekend most of the other staff are unfortunately flexi staff and dont have the product knowledge like our permanents have. But yeah i can understand your frustration. nothing worse than asking for help and the person helping you knows less than you. absolute abortion.

I respect that the guys on here know alot more about cycling than what the guys in my store know. like i said it takes years of experience, not sitting learning in a class room. And i can take all the hits, its what im here for. im just trying to do the best i can with what i have. it will take time but my store will be a respected store. We arent a specialist shop, but my guys get by, and yes more aimed at the newbies, fair enough, but we are getting there, Fourways crossing specific and we only getting better. thanks for all the comments.

Yeah but remember we have 33 stores in our chain, 18 outdoor warehouse and 2 Cape Storm, i only have influence on one store. And thats the store i will concentrate on and make a success. Our staff are constantly going to training and doing product knowledge but Staff turnover in a company like ours is high. Its reality, people now days are un reliable. Come and go as they please, therefore its hard to have someone there that knows everything, all the time. the best thing to do is when you go into any one of our stores is ask for a specialist in that specific department, or look for the guys wearing, cycling, footwear, garmin etc badges. they are specialists and have gone on extensive training on those specific areas. alternatively ask a manager or for an H.O.D. thats the best advice i can give. but we are really trying and its not always up to us at store level, but we do everything we can.

Well our services, so i hear, are going to be considerably cheaper than all our competitors. look we not going to come and steel the show, we still have a lot to work on and you can do all the training you want, but it comes down to experience. Thats another reason im taking the guys out riding, so they can pick up difficulties in the field and wrk through them. its the only way to learn. Our mechanic has been with us 3 years now so he does know quite abit, but never as much as someone who has been riding for 3 years. well we starting at fourways, we giving it a trial run and then will build at our next 5 biggest stores and take it from there. i been working through the night for the last two weeks to get the shop ready, tonight i move my bikes and accessories accross. 88 square metres of just accessories. we are going to have a huge variety of footwear, gloves, hydration packs, helmets, tools, tubes etc. so give us a chance and come have a look once its done. I can promise its different to all the sportsmans you have ever been in.

Look we are a big store, and normally no one cares about where they get there customers from. At least im going the extra mile. i take the guys out every thursday cos thats the only time alocated to me. they try diferent gloves, helmets, clothing, to get a feal for it. they can give information on a personal experience and not just what they been given on black and white. I think its a good start.

Oh and yes we do competiteive shopping as much as we can. obviously this does not come into effect when another store is running a promotion. We are trying our best to be the best. Our prices are not bad considering, and our service is improving. Well at least I know this at our fourways store. our new store will have Merida and Trek and our normal names such as Mongoose and Schwinn, we have a whole range of good bikes now. Example, the Merida big nine Carbon, its R30k, but full carbon, XT components accross the board. its a really good bike at a decent price. our specialist mechanic has just come back from training at the Merida and omnico factory, he can strip a bike down completely, including bearings and all the nitty grittys. This will be another added value to our team. 5 of our cycling departments team members ride with me every thursday, so that they can get a feel for what we go through out in the bush miles away from anything. they know the importance of breaks and gears being perfect, tyre pressure, comfort. Its something small but hopefully it gives you the customers a better experience in store when the staff know what you talking about. Hope to see you guys in my store soon.

Cool thanks. Read through them all now. A lot of work to do.

Yeah this is all true, we are currently expanding our store and moving the entire shop around. We realise cycling is i think at the moment the biggest growing sport? But when you pop in ask one of our sales assistants to help you out and they will galdly do it, other wise ask for myself, Dylan, by name. Thanks

Hey guys, I want to find out what you think of Sportsmans warehouse service, specifically with regards to the cycling department, what prices are like and what you would like to see improve. This is also more valued at the fourways crossing store. And just a heads up we have a 700 square metre cycling specific shop opening soon in our fourways branch, it will include Merida and Trek with a fully qualified mechanic and more accessories than what you can think of. Watch this space!!!