Hey Pro Shops: Here's an Idea We Would All Love

Hey Pro Shops!

During the off season, when your shop slows down, how about this:

Build a tuning and work bench for your customers to rent by the hour. I bet tons of archers would happily pay $30 or more to tweak their equipment, cut their arrows, and just play around with their gear. Have a mandatory shop safety class with an exam that they'd have to take before they can rent the shop... and charge $ for that class. Then, have a reservation/sign up sheet. Customers pay up front for the reservation, with no refunds (this prevents no-shows).

Obviously it would be no kids allowed, and customers would have to sign a liability waiver.

I bet your customers would spend a lot more money on toys at your shop if they could come in and play.

Just an idea.

 

Basically create competition for themselves?? Not sure the shop owners would like that.

People would get the bug and try to open their own shop and that would hurt business.

Just a thought.

 

i'm not sure how much slow down there really is. The ones I go to do not have high numbers of staff normally, and they all deal in more than just archery. They have guns, and fishing also. Besides working on equipment that may have been damaged during the season or just normal maintenance of customers equipment, they are also going to trade shows. It is also when they do most of the planning with their partners and manufacturers of the products they sell. Getting training on the new lines.

Not to mention I would guess there is a liability issue also.

 

Or heres an idea... be customer friendly. Went to my local pro shop to get my arrows re-fletched... 10 arrows for $40.00. Ridiculous

 

$4 an arrow. I don't think that's too awful bad at all.

 

Too much liability involved.

 

I agree with Seth. I think you'd be teaching customers that they can just do things themselves.

 

For another $20 or so you could buy yourself a Bitzenburger and do your own fletching.

 

At the shop I work at, the known experienced guys come in and can use the equipment they just gotta pay the small fees for labor which we never charge more than a few bucks. We refletch arrows at $1 a pop.

But as stated before we have fishing hunting guns camping so it's usually pretty busy and doesn't slow down. We do get backed up in the couple months before season starts

Also a lot of reps for companies are coming through this time of year

 

Isn't that like wanting the Jiffy Lube to loan you their hoist so you can change your own oil?

 

Thats a rip off. You could buy a Jo Jan, glue and enough fletch for a dozen arrows at that price. I know you are paying for convenience but the most I have ever paid is $2 an arrow.