I spend the better part of my year, every year, visiting skateshops all over the midwest. Some of them are close friends that I've known for years, while others are shops that I'm walking in to for the very first time, while still others are shops that I "mystery shop", in order to better understand the realities of the challenges that the typical skateboard shop faces on a day to day basis, and how well they're equipped to handle those challenges.
In many ways, I am the biggest advocate that the independent skateshop will ever have. Does that mean that I love every independent skateshop that I walk in to...? Nope. In fact, there are quite a few shops that I'll never walk into ever again, because they sucked so hard. This essentially amounts to a skateshop losing the very best customer that they'll ever have. Which doesn't bode very well for what the rest of your less-than-advocate customers might be thinking about your skateshop.
Believe it or not, most customers will never tell you why they're not shopping at your skateshop. Most people are confrontationally adverse. Which is code for, "They're either too pansy...or, too polite... to complain very much". Instead, customers tend to simply (and quietly) vote with their feet, avoid the whole yelling match, follow the path of least resistance, and shop elsewhere. Like at the Zumiez down the street, or on their home computers. And if you think about it carefully for a minute, you might begin to see each and every one of those customers in a brand-new light. Instead of being some sort of "traitors" because they're supporting "the enemy"... they could also be construed as epic fails for your skateshop. Because you're the guy that failed to win them over, and get them shopping at your skateshop.
I, however, do not have that "confrontationally adverse" problem going on. I thrive on confrontation, actually. That makes me the guy that'll tell you, in no uncertain terms, when and where you screwed up. And how to fix it, so you don't screw it up again.
In the world of business, mistakes are costly. And certain ones... like, losing a loyal customer... cost a hell of a lot more to fix, then they do to simply avoid in the first place. So, that's the purpose of this article: To point out the common mistakes that many... maybe even,"most"... independent skateshops make. So that you can keep those happy customers happy, and run a more successful business.
The way I see it, if Everything Skateboarding can actually help independent skateshops avoid these common bummers... then we will have made a very significant, and very real contribution to the independent skateshop "cause" that we back up so hard around here.
With that said, let's get on with the five biggest blunders that'll turn me... as well as any sensible customer... off, every single time:
Answering The Phone Incorrectly
This one actually has the very real potential to lose a customer, long before you ever had one in the first place. By far, it's also the most common mistake that skateshops will ever make. It's worth saying again: I once "mystery called" over 300 skateshops in the midwest, and found that less than a dozen answered the phone correctly. That's not just unfortunate, it's disgusting. That's when I realized that skateshops can actually do far more damage to themselves than any Zumiez ever could.
Here's the right way to do it:
(Very enthusiastically, with a heap of friendliness)...
"Hello! This is Bud's Skate Shack, Bud speaking! How may I help you today...?!"
That's the right way. Every other way, therefore, is not the right way. So, don't do it any other way. Because you only have one chance to make a good first impression, and get that customer coming to your door. And if you screw it up, then you're probably pretty screwed.
Copping A Negative Vibe
The vibe of the shop will be the very first thing that I notice, when I walk into the door. Many people don't even understand that the vibes that they're putting out can be really, really uncomfortable for the people that have to be around them. And vibes are also frustratingly hard to fake. Even if you're working your ass off to be the friendliest dude in the world... if you're naturally a dick, then you're probably putting off "natural dick" vibes everywhere you go.
And, no joke: Some skate shop employees have to be, by far, the biggest natural dicks on the planet. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that skateboarding... and by association, most skaters... and, most teenagers... and while we're at it, we might as well fess up, and include most Americans in here, too... are "All About Me". Which is the opposite of what a service industry (like, running a skateboard shop) demands.
Exhibiting Overly Political Tendencies
You ever hear the cliche, "Opinions are like assholes? Everyone's got one, and they all stink like shit?" Well believe it or not, that applies to skateshop owners and employees, too. I'd go so far as to say that it applies especially to skateshop owners and employees. Skateshops and their employees should be absolutely non-political, at all times, every time. No exceptions.
Now, when I say "political", I don't necessarily mean left versus right, liberal vs.conservative, or Obama versus some stupid Republican jackass somewhere. What I'm talking about here, are much more mundane things that actually affect skateboarders.
Example: Let's say that you think that freestyle is "gay". That's a pretty common opinion these days, by the way. Wrong, but still... common nevertheless. So, let's roll with that jackass opinion for a sec.
Now, let's say that some skater waltzes into your store, and tells you he's looking for freestyle stuff. What's the correct thing to do here? Tell him how rad freestyle is! Then, impress him with your encyclopedia-like knowledge of all things "freestyle".
Incorrect answers might include: "Pfft...! That shit's not 'real skateboarding'...!" Or, "Fuck dude, seriously...?! Didn't you get the 'gay' memo on that pussy pastime...?!" Or, "Sorry dude, the dildo shop is a few doors down". Which are the sorts of things that I hear out of skate shops all the time.
Our new series of PSA's will address things that we, here at Everything Skateboarding, feel like all skaters... regardless of age, experience, gender, or discipline... deserve out of our industry. It kinda sucks that we have to point out the obvious in this manner, doesn't it...?
Being "Scene Ignorant"
Ask any skater on the planet what the biggest perk of an independent skateshop is, and they'll almost always tell you that it's not "having a convenient place to go and buy skateboard stuff".
What they will say, is "It's a great place to meet other skaters, and figure out what's going on, locally". Because you can buy a skateboard almost anywhere these days. But only the very best skateshops know what's up, and what's happening in their skateboarding community.
Really, if you think about it... and, if you take those honest answers literally (which I do, because it is the customer speaking)... the skateshop's "core competency" is really being inner-scene media, and a reliable heads-up hub. Buying the skateboard while you're there, is merely what subsidizes your personal information and networking portal. I'm just as dumb as anyone else when it comes to this: I'll impulse-buy all kinds of stuff [that I don't even need] while I'm chewing the fat with skateshop employees, way too often. If you don't believe me, ask my small army of ex-girlfriends. They'll tell ya, fer sure.
If you don't know where your local skatepark is, or where the dozen-closest in the area are, or who the hot locals happen to be, or where the backyard ramps are, or where that empty pool is, or when and where the next skateboard events are in the region... then you're just totally useless to most of your customers. At that point, you're not only clueless. You've also ceded a major reason why your skateshop has significance to most skateboarders, to the competition.
Failing The "Product Knowledge" Test
If I can't get shops on any of the previous four, then this one will nail 'em almost every time. "What's a wedge pad for...? What are spacers, and what do they do...? What does 50D calibrate to on the 'A' scale? How high does the 'A' scale really go...? What does ABEC stand for, and what does it really measure? What's the difference between an RTX, and an RTS? What's an offset truck, vs. an offset wheel?" These are just a few of my go-to questions that nobody can ever seem to answer correctly.
Some of those were, admittedly, pretty tough. Fine: I'm a jerk. But...! A far easier question might come up when I see some new, small company's board on your wall... and I ask you, "Hey, where's this company from?" That one should totally be fair game. Since it is, after all, a company that's already represented on your wall in the first place. And the same thing applies to everything in your display cases, or anything that might be hanging from your rafters. If you're selling it, then you need to be the expert on it. If I know more about it than you do, then you're not doing your job.
There's a pretty famous "business rule" called the "80-20 rule". It's used all the time for all kinds of statistics, but I'd propose that it can be used like this: 80% of your customers will shop elsewhere, because of 20% of your failings. That means that many "problems" that skate shops wrangle their hands over, really aren't that big of a deal. Bad location...? Trust me, I know highly successful shops that are almost impossible to find. Not enough parking...? I'm a skater, man. I could just skate there from the car, dude. Too far away? I've literally traveled hours from my house, to go check out a cool new skateshop somewhere. Store's too small? Size doesn't matter, broman. And on and on it goes.
But, if you keep goofing up those top five above? Then you might as well go ahead, give it up, and declare bankruptcy today. Because skaters deserve better than that. And skateshops like the ones that I described above truly do deserve to die.
