MYSTERY SHOPPER | LONDON SPONSORED BY
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Action Bikes, Westminster
PERHAPS THE smaller fish of the crowd, it did take a few moments to be seen in Action Bikes. From the word go, however, the staffer who met me was firing on all cylinders. Though, confessing to selling mostly Pashley Poppys to my quoted brief, he touted a neighbouring Trek as a better thought out solution to a lady’s needs. As the only store of the day to specifically focus on why a bike was suited to the female form, the assistant covered off the obvious comfort features such as posture and a wider saddle, yet furthered his pitch with good knowledge on shorter reach brake levers, among other things. I was impressed by the detailed knowledge the assistant
had of Trek’s investment in women’s bikes, all while selling the model very well on a personal level. Plus points here covered discussion on a lower frame weight and the height of the partner I’m set to surprise on Christmas day. It was, of course, mentioned that a proper sizing up is best, perhaps a deterrent to me buying online. Action Bikes seemed to go above and beyond the
obvious, involving me with a good mix of well thought out questions post-brief.
Specialized, Covent Garden
FRESH TO the Covent Garden area is a Specialized Concept Store of which there are just a few in the UK. Mystery Shopper entered during a quiet spell where staff were chatting among themselves, though one broke away as I began to browse.
The helper took time to listen to my brief, though
didn’t arrive at a conclusion immediately, oddly showing me a high-slung top-tube hybrid before settling on a low step over build a hundred pounds or so underneath my quoted budget.
Though concise with most answers to my questions,
the conversation, I felt, was driven forwards by the customer. The only real point to differentiate this experience from others was the mention of warranty details, which is always reassuring to hear, however brief, for the first-time buyer. Weight and posture, important to the enjoyment of
cycling for females, was touched on briefly, though wasn’t pinned to any model in particular, which might have firmed things up a little when discussing the low- step over bike.
BIKEBIZ.COM
Cycles UK, Harrods
NOT BY any means Cycles UK’s fault, but Harrods is a nightmare to navigate for the first timer – very little relevant signage meant it took far too long to track down the bike store’s tucked away corner. Arriving at not the best time, I had to browse for five to ten minutes while staff attended to a broken monitor. When seen, the assistant took a very relaxed approach to selling, opting for a computerised guided tour instead of tutoring this ‘newbie’ through shop floor stock that could have satisfied the brief. Recommending a Specialized women’s bike, Mystery Shopper took the chance to mention the Covent Garden concept store, to which the assistant quickly advised could be price matched by Cycles UK. Plus points of the virtual bike tour included the questioning of size constraints of our living space, particularly relevant to the young Londoner. A folding bike was recommended giving Mystery Shopper’s constraints. On the flipside, a potential ‘package’ on bike, helmet and accessories was scuppered as the assistant became frustrated with the loading speed of his computer.
Summary
YOU MAY have noticed the lack of independent store visits in this excursion to our capital city – that, perhaps sadly, reflects the terrain in the centre of town nowadays – chain stores dominate any district with financial clout. It was refreshing to find that, largely, staff were
well informed and seemed to be in trained up, or cyclists themselves. These are stores with an intense level of footfall and many times Mystery Shopper was seem immediately following another customer's departure and if I'm honest, that's not often the case elsewhere in the country. Good form all round.
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