The Bro Deal
By Rocky Thompson on May 24th, 2007A lot of people who work in the outdoor industry are obsessed with deals. I think it’s born of necessity—people who want to work in the industry love the outdoors, but low wages bar us from buying the super rad gear we sell to customers. You see it in the bike shop employee who puts a Kona Stinky Primo on top of his AMC Gremlin to drive to races or your river guide with a different sized Chaco on each foot. It’s the same reason I’ve never gotten into a kayak—way too much cash to get into that sport, and I’m already spread thin as it is (plus kayaking seems super lame).
Anyway, a post on BikeHugger today discusses the ethics of the Bro Deal. I’ve seen at least one bike shop go out of business for bad practices, which included hooking everyone and their brother up with employee-style discounts. My old boss Pete, who I used to argue with constantly about the place of mail order bike shops (this was pre-Internet bike shopping) and local bike shops, told me that the shop that gave all the Bro Deals was going to go out of business. He was right, of course, but unfortunately his shop went under, too.
I don’t think his shop went out of business because I gave 10% discounts to people who weren’t total douche bags. I think there’s room for a Bro Deal for loyal customers who don’t work in the industry, and there’s always room for Bro Deals for the guy who works at the skate shop or bar next door—you know those people will get you back.
What’s way worse than asking for a Bro Deal are all the acquaintances who make five times as much as me asking if I can buy gear for them with my employee discount. I feel sorry for my coworkers who are too nice to say, “I can’t because I’ll get fired. Or is that what you want? Me to loose my job so you can save $40 on a fleece, you awful jackass. Think about someone other than yourself for once in your life.â€
It’s always the richest dudes that are the cheapest bastards. Maybe that’s why their rich. It’s so funny the dudes that make loot are always trying to scam a deal, when they should just kick down. We only give bro deals to shop dudes at C3, no instructors or anything like that. If your not a broke ass shop kid, then you ain’t getting our shit on the hook up.
So, Rocky, can you hook me up, or what?
Bro Deal - Sha? - I always get the five finger discount, followed by the one finger wave. That’s why your buddies shop went out of business! Because I kept test driving bikes from different employees then riding away forever. To bad they set me up & I almost got locked up forever. The funniest part of it all is that I ended up having to stand outside the shop with a sign that said, ” I am a liar & a thief”. It would have been better if the sign said, ” I am also a kid & I am angry!”
The bro deal is one of the major problems with custom surfboards. Guys requesting bro deals from their shaper means he can’t get paid what he should. Shapers sometimes give bro deals to get direct customers, which undermines the local shop, which means the shop won’t carry local shapers boards.
Or how about when your talking to a custy and they ask how much you get the gear your selling them across the counter for. Thats like me going up the salesman, a total stranger by theway, at a Porsche dealership and saying,
“So among the 5 minutes I have been making you believe I really do own this suit, do you think you could hook me up with your employee discount on this $70,000 no-leather no-cd player carrera?”
Its funny because some people act homeless and malnutritioned when they are buying that $700 bibler tent for their Denali trip.
“Please sir, can I have some more?” -Oliver
Or how about when your talking to a custy and they ask how much you get the gear your selling them across the counter for. Thats like me going up the salesman, a total stranger by theway, at a Porsche dealership and saying,
“So among the 5 minutes I have been making you believe I really do own this suit, do you think you could hook me up with your employee discount on this $70,000 no-leather no-cd player carrera?”
Its funny because some people act homeless and malnutritioned when they are buying that $1700 Stumpjumper.
“Please sir, can I have some more?” -Oliver
In my many years of Ski Retail I gave exceptional customer service to obnoxious rich hustlers and d-bag instructors. It was called the performance tune. Loads of Dove or Ivory in the ski bases and extra sharp tips and tails.
So, the Ivory soap is a good thing, right?
Negatory. Ivory soap on the base + the sharp tip and tail will be…. sub-optimal. Yeah…
The recipient of such a tune will spend more time on their face than upright.
Wow! What’s with all the instructor hating? We get paid worse than the shop kids.
I won’t deny that it’s a fun job, but I didn’t even earn my rent when instructing full time.
You get paid worse because your an idiot. Your an adult baby sitter. It seems like you can ski for a couple weeks and get a job at any resort instructing. Then once that happens you develop some sense of nobility at your resort because you get to wear some crappy Spyder jacket leftover from the 80’s with your name tag on it.
Harsh. I’d like to see you pass the PSIA level III test- I know I sure can’t after about, oh, 20 years of skiing.
Sure there are BS instructors. But there are many who are experts, and many more who do it for the love of the sport. Pretty harsh to go ripping on my co-workers who take time off their real jobs because they like to go ski with kids.
Oh, and my instructor jacket was Karbon, and brand new.
What? Its not like they are going to Africa to help starving kids. They take time off from real jobs because it gives them something to talk about. I think most instructors take jobs as instructors because it makes them feel like they are such accomplished skiers they can teach others. Then you come into ski shops and mouth off about how much you know about skis and how your wax was not perfect on the bunny hill. Also, if you had a brand new Karbon jacket chances are you work for the doomed ASC. Good luck getting paid. In yo Face honkey
I heart In yo face.
Personally I love the Bro deal. It’s just a matter of balance. Every Bro must be balanced by like fifty full pull custys. Don’t sell the farm and pick your Bros carefully. Nothin feels better than a free beer or a comp meal. Well maybe thats not totally true but it still feels pretty good. Everyone else…. 10% for whining.
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Did you say kayaking was lame?
Okay. Sounds like yer scared. You prolly tele or something.
Wuss.
I’ve been getting the bro-deal at surf shops for a long, long time.
However, a bro deal means a discount on soft goods, clothing and free surf wax. Never on a surf board.
Heres the deal if you spend $$$$$ at a shop all the time and they hook you up with a discount (say 10%) that translates into you going back because they are now ‘hooking you up’. And thats good for both the shop and customer. If you have a friend who works for a shop that you constantly bug to get you deals, you need to kick that friend in the arse and tell them to get lost. If you want the deals go get yourself a job in the industry, don’t be a damn pain in other peoples arses.
The reverse Bro Deal happened to me. I spent $2,000 on a new bike frame and wheels at a local bike shop in the Sugarhouse area and about a week later a nipple on my wheel needed to be replaced. I walked in that shop with the wheel and the dumb holes charged me 6 cents for a nipple. Now thats customer service!
I know the feeling.
Those guys didn’t have clue #1 about service.
That’s the most expensive 6 cents that shop will ever make.
Didn’t you call them on it?