Your first time in a Brick and Mortar is always special

What was your first experience in a B&M like? And did it affect how you viewed/purchased knives?

  • First time was digity-digity-dope

    Votes: 17 41.5%

  • First time was wickedy-wickedy-wack

    Votes: 5 12.2%

  • It completely opened my mind to new things

    Votes: 13 31.7%

  • Nah, same old, same old

    Votes: 13 31.7%
  • Total voters
    41
whitty said:
I will not vote on this but wanted to add some information. Owning a brick and mortar store is a love/hate relationship for me. We can break down our customers into 10 types. I tried to rate them worst to best!

1. The Dumbass. This customer walks in off the street and loves to tell you that XYZ knives are the greatest knives ever made, but we all know they are complete crap. They never shut up, and it is not uncommon that they inform us they used to be a Navy Seal. I am amazed by how many supposed ex Navy Seals live with in a 25 mile radius of our shop and love XYZ crap knives.

2. The slave driver. The customer that loves to come in and run your butt stupid. They want to touch every knife in the shop, but they almost never buy. You can watch them from our shop windows as they walk out to their car and start pulling up the knives they liked on their cell phones, just to see if they can get them cheaper. Just FYI our prices are the same in store as they are on line.

3. You owe me Joe! The customer that has bought 2-3 knives from you and thinks that you owe them the world because they are the only reason you are still in business. We get this line more than you would ever believe. I have personally been told by customers that have bought 1-2 knives from us that we owe them because they are the reason we can keep the lights on.

4. The know it all. The customer that thinks they know knives and wants to spend a ton of time telling you about everything they know. 75% of the time everything they tell you is inaccurate and they just want someone to listen to what a knife expert they are. Since no one they know cares about knives, they want to come in and share it with their captive retail seller audience. We have actually had a few of these guys that we have asked to leave and never come back. That sucks but when we look at it from a business point of view they have cost us enough time, and time is money.

5. Is that the best you can do? This guy comes in off the street and wants to know the best price we can give them on each knife. I have never understood this. We are not a pawn shop or a swap shop. Do folks walk in to a restaurant and ask the best price on the steak of the day?

6. The teach me customer. We love this customer. They want to learn and are interested in knives. They listen and sometimes leave empty handed, but they typically come back once they go home, research, and find out we are steering them in the right direction. 99% of the time these turn in to great long term customers.

7. That is the one! The customer that comes in and knows exactly what he wants but just wants to put it in hand to make sure. We are happy to see these customers. A lot of these customers develop over time from #6.

8. The wrong time customer. This does not happen often but sometimes a good potential customer walks in after we have just gotten our butts kicked with a customer that fits the description of #1 or #2 on this list. This customer does not get the time or effort they deserve. I wish I could say this never happens, but I would bet it happens once a month.

9. The regular. This is the guy that truly does keep the lights on. Sometimes they run us pretty hard around the shop, but they typically leave with a new knife in hand. They love knives and just want a chance to make sure they are 100% sure on the knife they have had their eyes on before pulling the trigger. This customer is typically knowledgeable and the overall experience on both sides is great. A true knife knut in our shop is always a good thing. It is not uncommon for us to learn new things from this customer.

10. The Unicorn. This is the customer that walks in the door, buys one or multiple high end knives, ask a few or no questions, pays cash, teaches us something new, and is out the door in less than an hour. We call this the unicorn because while we all claim to have had one in our presence, no one else saw it or could verify it.



I hope you guys enjoyed this. Especially the other dealers on here that have a retail store. This list is not absolute but true for 75% of our in store clients. I hope you will keep in mind that we are located in a small downtown retail space and we get a lot of non knife folks and total quack jobs that walk in the door. I am sure other retailers in higher end space do not deal with the same things we do but I am probably wrong in that assumption. If you have a smaller Mom and Pop retailer in your area that sells decent knives, please support them. While it is a very fun business and I love what we do, keep in mind that like any business, there are headaches. Of course if you are reading this on a knife forum so the chances are you are going to fall in to the last half of this list. If you happen to fall into #8 with us, or any other retailer, give them a second chance. Also make sure the owner knows you had a bad go the first time out. Chances are they will make it right on your next shopping experience!
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By George, I think you got it. I have worked in retail (Grocery) for 44 years. As far as I'm concerned there are 2 types of customers, 1: People who have worked in retail at some point, 2: People who have not. I much prefer number 1.
 
whitty said:
I will not vote on this but wanted to add some information. Owning a brick and mortar store is a love/hate relationship for me. We can break down our customers into 10 types. I tried to rate them worst to best!

1. The Dumbass. This customer walks in off the street and loves to tell you that XYZ knives are the greatest knives ever made, but we all know they are complete crap. They never shut up, and it is not uncommon that they inform us they used to be a Navy Seal. I am amazed by how many supposed ex Navy Seals live with in a 25 mile radius of our shop and love XYZ crap knives.

2. The slave driver. The customer that loves to come in and run your butt stupid. They want to touch every knife in the shop, but they almost never buy. You can watch them from our shop windows as they walk out to their car and start pulling up the knives they liked on their cell phones, just to see if they can get them cheaper. Just FYI our prices are the same in store as they are on line.

3. You owe me Joe! The customer that has bought 2-3 knives from you and thinks that you owe them the world because they are the only reason you are still in business. We get this line more than you would ever believe. I have personally been told by customers that have bought 1-2 knives from us that we owe them because they are the reason we can keep the lights on.

4. The know it all. The customer that thinks they know knives and wants to spend a ton of time telling you about everything they know. 75% of the time everything they tell you is inaccurate and they just want someone to listen to what a knife expert they are. Since no one they know cares about knives, they want to come in and share it with their captive retail seller audience. We have actually had a few of these guys that we have asked to leave and never come back. That sucks but when we look at it from a business point of view they have cost us enough time, and time is money.

5. Is that the best you can do? This guy comes in off the street and wants to know the best price we can give them on each knife. I have never understood this. We are not a pawn shop or a swap shop. Do folks walk in to a restaurant and ask the best price on the steak of the day?

6. The teach me customer. We love this customer. They want to learn and are interested in knives. They listen and sometimes leave empty handed, but they typically come back once they go home, research, and find out we are steering them in the right direction. 99% of the time these turn in to great long term customers.

7. That is the one! The customer that comes in and knows exactly what he wants but just wants to put it in hand to make sure. We are happy to see these customers. A lot of these customers develop over time from #6.

8. The wrong time customer. This does not happen often but sometimes a good potential customer walks in after we have just gotten our butts kicked with a customer that fits the description of #1 or #2 on this list. This customer does not get the time or effort they deserve. I wish I could say this never happens, but I would bet it happens once a month.

9. The regular. This is the guy that truly does keep the lights on. Sometimes they run us pretty hard around the shop, but they typically leave with a new knife in hand. They love knives and just want a chance to make sure they are 100% sure on the knife they have had their eyes on before pulling the trigger. This customer is typically knowledgeable and the overall experience on both sides is great. A true knife knut in our shop is always a good thing. It is not uncommon for us to learn new things from this customer.

10. The Unicorn. This is the customer that walks in the door, buys one or multiple high end knives, ask a few or no questions, pays cash, teaches us something new, and is out the door in less than an hour. We call this the unicorn because while we all claim to have had one in our presence, no one else saw it or could verify it.



I hope you guys enjoyed this. Especially the other dealers on here that have a retail store. This list is not absolute but true for 75% of our in store clients. I hope you will keep in mind that we are located in a small downtown retail space and we get a lot of non knife folks and total quack jobs that walk in the door. I am sure other retailers in higher end space do not deal with the same things we do but I am probably wrong in that assumption. If you have a smaller Mom and Pop retailer in your area that sells decent knives, please support them. While it is a very fun business and I love what we do, keep in mind that like any business, there are headaches. Of course if you are reading this on a knife forum so the chances are you are going to fall in to the last half of this list. If you happen to fall into #8 with us, or any other retailer, give them a second chance. Also make sure the owner knows you had a bad go the first time out. Chances are they will make it right on your next shopping experience!
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What a wonderful insight on what goes on behind the counter, thanks for sharing
 
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sabre cat said:
I was thinking of taking an afternoon off and driving down there. Is it a complete waste of my time because of the staff?
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Oops, forgot to hit reply.

They seem to have a decent selection, but I was disappointed with the experience. Keep in mind that it's an absolutely tiny storefront, so you'll walk in and have about 80 square feet of space to stand, surrounded by the counter and knives on 3 sides, which makes the experience a little awkward. They'll let you handle stuff but, at least with the guy I interacted with, he seemed to be trying to dupe me like he probably does with SF tourists rather than just talk with me about the products. I imagine a lot of tourists in that area don't know any better and don't know that people don't pay MSRP for knives.

If it's the only knife store you have access to, then go, but I hope you have other things to do that afternoon in SF because my bet is that you won't be in the shop for long.
 
I say nah because all I know of nearby, ie without a travel to another city, are really gun stores with good knife selections.
 
The closest big knife store near me is just outside of Lancaster Pa. Huge impressive selection, really cool store layout, full retail and every price tag is face down so you have to ask about every knife. Never bought there just for that reason, have never been back
 
I found a B and M in my area and visited them this afternoon. He has a nice selection of Benchmade and ZT and a decent selection of Spyderco, mostly more expensive folders.

I wanted to see the ZT0609 and 0393 and he had both in stock. I really, really like the 0609. It fits my hand and the quality is great. It does not flip like an 0450 but it was a brand new knife. The 0393 was too heavy and large for me. But it's a beautiful piece.

I may have sprung for the 0609 right then and there but he was not willing to budge from the MAP price. I don't know his cost but when he told me the prices are fixed and he can't deviate, I was done. This is 2018 and that kind of attitude doesn't work anymore.
 
My first knife shop experience was as a kid (probably very early '80s). There used to be a chain that had stores in all the local malls here. I'd had a couple of pocket knives by then and found knives mildly interesting, but walking into one of these shops for the first time was awesome. I swear I heard a chorus of angels singing and that I was momentarily surrounded by a warm, comforting glow. :D After that I used to frequent them every time I went to a mall and drool over all the sweet cutlery I couldn't afford (or my mom wouldn't let me have). Most knife shops pretty well died out about a decade ago in my area, but my favorite LGS changed hands a few years back and the new owners started carrying an impressive variety of knives at prices not too horribly above those online. Mora, BM, Microtech, Mcusta, Spyderco, even CRK, so life is good again. :thumbsup:
 
As a both an online retailer and a Brick and Mortar I feel the need to respond to the above post regarding MAP pricing. If you were to come into my store you would find the same experience. I sell everything at MAP. It is fair and it provides a consistent retail experience both online and in store. People think that because some of these knives are expensive that as knife retailers we are making bank on each knife. Not the case at all. Margins are thin in the knife industry and it can be a volume game.

So often I hear of people complaining that they have no place to go see and look at knives and then in the next thread they complain about MAP pricing and dealers not willing to give them something at a better deal. A knife store can't stay in business by giving you a "DEAL". If you come into the store and you see a Zero Tolerance and really like it, and it is at MAP why would you not buy it? It is the same price as every online retailer and you had the opportunity to touch and feel it first. You supported the guy who was willing to spend time with you and show you the knife.

Look...I get it. Everyone likes to save money. But seriously, there would probably be more knife stores if MAP had started sooner in the industry. MAP is what allows me to stock all of the high end brands and offer them at a price that is fair. If MAP did not exist I would probably closeout my inventory, close the store and my website and go do something else. There would be one less store to go to.

You can't have it both ways......
 
I agree with you, Aaron. And I don't mind paying a bit more at a local place. I couldn't afford the knives back then because I was a kid with no income (except a meager amount of chore money).:D My comment about the prices at the LGS was in contrast to the old mall chain shops who charged full MSRP for everything, other than the very rare sale, right up until they went out of business. That's what evertually drove me away from them, once online shopping became a thing. :thumbsup:

edit: Just realized your reply was to the post above mine. I thought it was in response to my post.
 
Northwest Knives said:
As a both an online retailer and a Brick and Mortar I feel the need to respond to the above post regarding MAP pricing. If you were to come into my store you would find the same experience. I sell everything at MAP. It is fair and it provides a consistent retail experience both online and in store. People think that because some of these knives are expensive that as knife retailers we are making bank on each knife. Not the case at all. Margins are thin in the knife industry and it can be a volume game.

So often I hear of people complaining that they have no place to go see and look at knives and then in the next thread they complain about MAP pricing and dealers not willing to give them something at a better deal. A knife store can't stay in business by giving you a "DEAL". If you come into the store and you see a Zero Tolerance and really like it, and it is at MAP why would you not buy it? It is the same price as every online retailer and you had the opportunity to touch and feel it first. You supported the guy who was willing to spend time with you and show you the knife.

Look...I get it. Everyone likes to save money. But seriously, there would probably be more knife stores if MAP had started sooner in the industry. MAP is what allows me to stock all of the high end brands and offer them at a price that is fair. If MAP did not exist I would probably closeout my inventory, close the store and my website and go do something else. There would be one less store to go to.

You can't have it both ways......
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Maybe I’m confused about what MAP pricing is. If MAP pricing on the 0609 is the standard price we see on the internet, his price is higher by about 20%.
 
MAP is "Minimum Advertised Price". (I know that you know that). If you were to go to my website, bladehq, USA Made Blade or any of the other legit sites out there then you would see the same price everywhere. That is the MAP on the item. We all essentially sell at MAP. If the dealer was 20% above MAP then you would be right that in 2018 trying to sell significantly above MAP just doesn't work with the level of price transparency out there.

I know that for us here everything is at MAP and is the same price as our website and the other sites out there. Fair and level playing field and it allows my in store customers to get the same pricing as online. The only difference here is that when I get hard to find or hard to get stuff into the store I hold it for a week so that my local guys get first shot. Then it goes online.
 
MSchott said:
Maybe I’m confused about what MAP pricing is. If MAP pricing on the 0609 is the standard price we see on the internet, his price is higher by about 20%.
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MAP stands for Minimum Advertised Price and it the lowest(minimum) price that a retailer can list a given product for. MAP is typically a percentage below MSRP, Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price, and retailers are free to charge anything equal to or greater than MAP. The purpose of this is to give all authorized retailers a level playing field.
 
Thank you both. I have no issue with MAP and would gladly pay that from a B and M. Unfortunately that’s not where he was and he was unwilling to go lower than his marked price. Is he unaware of authorized internet sellers or does he not care?
 
Fun read here.
My first experience with a brick and mortar dedicated to knives was SMKW. I was amazed at the size of the place and thats a bout it. They carry a ton of junk and I lost interest quickly.

Second was my local knife shop called River Blade Knife and Fly. The store owner is a great guy, cant say enough good about brandon. He carries mainly BM, ZT, boker, select spydies and micro tech. A great selection around here.
He’s also very knowledgeable on his invetory, and doesnt mind spending time talking with the customers.

The only other brick and mortar i frequent is Usa Made blade. It’s two hours away from me but well worth the drive. @whitty is a great guy and its just fun to hang out with the fellas.

I also love the fact that it’s wall to wall usa made goodness from: koenig, to hinderer, to crk, to zt etc etc.

Whitty knows his stuff and is slso very transparent. You ask him his opinion on knife x vs. knife y you’ll get an honest answer. He wont blow smoke to make a smell. I personally appriciate that.

Makers love him, his customer base loves him and the knife community is a better place because we have him.

Lastly the life advice you get from ronnie is priceless when you go:D
 
I live near Pittsburgh, PA (Go Steelers!) and unfortunately, there are no brick and mortar knife stores near me. Have one local sporting goods store that sells only Bench Mades but nothing else to speak of. If anyone lives near this area please feel free to let me know if you have heard of anywhere else you can walk in and handle knives?
 
Northwest Knives said:
Shameless plug here....

If you are in the Boise / Meridian Idaho area stop in and see us. Brick & Mortar. We carry Benchmade, Zero Tolerance, Microtech, Emerson, Chris Reeve, Hinderer, Arno Bernard, Spyderco, Medford, Southern Grind, Bark River, Victorinox, Tops, Spartan, boker, Kershaw and more.

Stop on by anytime.
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I have peeked through your window a time or two...my days off are the same as yours unfortunately.
 
My first experience was a B&M chain in the Mall, early eighties. My friends had to drag me out of there.

I remember seeing a Bowie made by a company that I had never heard of before. The company was called Cold Steel and the Bowie was the Trailmaster, with stag handles. I couldn’t stop looking at it.
The asking price was $105.
I thought, “wow, I can’t imagine paying $105 for a knife, but if I had the money I would buy it right now”

I never did get that Bowie but it started my search for a better knife.
 
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