$130 to "set up" a new bow, yikes

[Beendare]

Del

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[dkime]

I wonder if the guys expecting their shop to work for free do that themselves?

I havent been in an archery pro shop in many years as I do my own tuning. when I used to stop in, it seems there were always guys there trying to get a freebie bow adjustment.

Somehow my buddy that owns that shop dances the fine line of customer service and getting paid for their time. I wouldn’t want that business….

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I believe this is exactly what folks are after^^^

Am I the only one who thinks that $130 is a deal for the amount of time a shop owner has invested in a customer? Would I pay it? No, because I own all my own equipment. But if someone (a stranger) approached me and asked me to set up their bow at my own personal shop it would start at $250 and we would go up from there.

It's not just the task you're paying for, whoever is doing the task has years, equipment, overhead, and a lot of bullsh*tting time (customer service) invested to earn your trust.

What is your time worth? I would say at $130 they probably had 2 hours total invested (again not just the task) 65$ an hour minus expenses is probably 40$ an hour. Depending on the state taxes that could only be 25$ an hour for the guy doing the work. My time is worth far more than that; is yours?

 

[S.Clancy]

Yea, I would never own an archery shop. The overhead you would need alone is ridiculous then having to deal with people complaining all the time, no thanks.

I understand it's a business, and when I started I was really lucky to have a shop with skilled techs that didn't break the bank. I stayed with that shop until I moved and then wasn't impressed with the quality of work to cost ratio of the shop in my new town, so I bought a press.
Best decision I've ever made.

 

[Laramie]

Not a fair comparison. A large, nation wide corp vs a small local shop.

Never been in one but, have ordered online with positive results.

Sure it is. Both have to remain profitable. One chooses to offer free customer service in the hopes they will retain all the sales from those customers. The other is trying to make his money on the service - likely because his sales are not high enough to remain profitable. It is simply a choice in business model.

I have no problem with a shop choosing to charge for services but they better pay attention to what their competition is doing. It is no different than a car dealership offering free oil changes with the purchase of a vehicle. If the car price is comparable, I'll buy from the one that offers service after the sale... and I'll go to them first the next time I am ready to purchase. I might even pay a bit more for the next car just to get the same service again.

I think the issue is created when guys open a shop in a smaller community. There just isn't enough new sales to cover overhead so owners have to make money somehow. Those instances are typically poor decisions to open the business there in the first place without evaluating the potential customer population.

 

[Marble]

As a business owner I respectgully disagree. I dont ever do work for free hoping that one day someone will buy something from me. I'm not willing to eat direct costs and indirect costs.

Whats even better is when you do something for free or reduced cost and that same person complains and wants you to warranty something they messed up. No good deed goes unpunished.

And this how they have done business primarily. They don't do stuff for free, but they also sort do for their client base. If you become a customer of theirs and build up a good relationship where you buy your bows from them, they do whatever they can to fix what they can in a timely manner. If you are not a customer of theirs, then you wait in line.

I'm not happy about paying retail prices for some of my bows, but I sure am happy to pay it when later I need a spur of the moment fix and they drop everything and get it done. The price is worth it and I ask them questions and I believe they give me honest no bullshit answers.

I understand the concept of getting a customer on the hook with great service, or taking the time to fix something minor for no charge. But that's a slippery slope and takes a lot of good instincts and business savy to understand if your work will pay off later or never.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[OR Archer]

Having worked/ran a pro shop and now owning my own tuning business I can tell you the profit margins for a shop are very small. You can’t just give stuff away including labor and expect to stay in business for long. So expecting a specialty shop not to charge for their services is just plain wrong.

 

[Rob5589]

Sure it is. Both have to remain profitable. One chooses to offer free customer service in the hopes they will retain all the sales from those customers. The other is trying to make his money on the service - likely because his sales are not high enough to remain profitable. It is simply a choice in business model.

I have no problem with a shop choosing to charge for services but they better pay attention to what their competition is doing. It is no different than a car dealership offering free oil changes with the purchase of a vehicle. If the car price is comparable, I'll buy from the one that offers service after the sale... and I'll go to them first the next time I am ready to purchase. I might even pay a bit more for the next car just to get the same service again.

I think the issue is created when guys open a shop in a smaller community. There just isn't enough new sales to cover overhead so owners have to make money somehow. Those instances are typically poor decisions to open the business there in the first place without evaluating the potential customer population.

The difference is a large corp can absorb the costs easier than an indy shop. Especially Scheels that sells a ton of product. When I was wrenching at an indy shop our margins were small so there was little to no "freebies," discounts, etc. When I worked at a dealership they offered various free services, 5 dollar oil changes, etc. The difference was 3-4 cars a day vs 30-40.

 

[Maverick1]

I'm reeling a bit from the sticker shock of what it cost to essentially move sights, rest, nose button, peep, from my old bow and put on a D loop. I realize they are providing a service, one that I'm happy to pay for, but could anyone help me understand how $130 is justified? I know that they square my rest/arrow to the bow, which is the main reason I bring it there, but what other things are done to a brand new bow to "set it up"?
Please help me understand so I don't have to feel like I got taken.

Thanks

Does that include new arrows?

 

[mfllood3800]

The shops are doing a critical service for you and should be paid based on hours and needs to tune it. But in the end, it's in your hands and needs to be adjusted to YOU. After initial set up/tune, it still needs to be shot out of your hands, including the 3rd axis of the sight. We all torque the bow uniquely. It all takes time and $$$. Money well spent after all the other $$$$ you spent on gear/tags/travel. Learning the set up process and getting the needed equipment would give you a new appreciation for their efforts and rates.

 

[cb122]

I added a new rest and bowstring pre-season this year. Also, bought and had a bundle of arrows cut. Probably paid $100 or more for the labor all together. Wasn't concerned with the labor price as I don't have the technical skills or equipment currently to do it myself. I consider it the price I pay for a hobby until I learn how to do stuff myself and appreciated their service. Now, a few months later, I've researched how to build a DIY arrow cutter so I will forego some of that labor expense in the future.

$130 wouldn't be concerning to me given what they did. However, I'm more focused on customer service when I go to a pro shop. You win me back based on your general willingness to be cordial, non arrogant, explain things, general friendliness, and helpfulness . You give me the time of day on questions small to large than you will have a customer for life. YMMV