I'm going to regret this, but here goes. Bicycle shops are here to make a living, so we can buy **** we want and do stuff we want! We like doing that in a work environment that is stimulating and fun! But our margins aren't as large as you think. Yes the MARKUP seems high, but the profit has to cover cost of sales, stock holding, and any other overhead we have. Some shops have larger overheads than others! If I had a group of guys willing to come through in volume and buy from me, I would pass on a better deal. In fact many a group/club/mates have done this and done well out of us and in return they got great advice and pricing! Build the relationship, make it mutually beneficial and everyone wins! Loads of people phone me day in and out for free time on the phone while they do their online order………….this hurts because if you just asked me to do the deal and you would pay more (to cover my advice and overhead) we would do it. The problem is nobody asks like that, it's just "oh you want just give me a discount so i'll buy it online". If I can see the point in it, you will benefit
