- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Cross country mountain bikes
- Tubeless valves
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
forum
Halfords - how to get the best discounts
Read a few posts about People who like / hate Halfords! Well we (group of Sunday riders) find that over the years they do have some great deals.
So here's a couple of tricks our group (Sunday racers!) use at Halfords to get big discounts. Well I say tricks, but actually it's completely sensible and we are big customers of theirs (collectively). Also, my Cousin used to work for them, so we had help!
Go IN-STORE! Yes they have great discounts online, but the best approach is go to a store, get speaking to the cycle specialist and say to him "look I'd like to buy this XYZ bike / helmet ...." but I'm sure I've seen it 20% cheaper online, "Do YOU Know what your best discount offers are at the moment" Using this tactic, the Halfords employee (who usually has been informed about the special discounts) will often point you to "XYZ site coupon" or "ABC site CashBack offer."
There are often several offers running at the same time on popular products (Cashback, coupon, price-match), so the employee does the filtering for you. We Know this works because:
1. Between our main group of riders (30 of us), we've done this multiple times and had success. 2. Our own free newsletter that shares offers (created because it easier than monitoring a WhatsApp group with all of us! + multiple friends) has often been recommended to customers, when we've found some specific deals).
The other big benefit is that sometimes they'll tell you "well there's only 10% off a Trek at the moment using XYZ site, but there's 30% of GIANT bikes through ABC site / newsletter etc..." Small downside is that sometimes the discount is through a site or organisation you need membership to.
Also, we've tested this alot more in London and the Home Counties, as that's where most of our riders come from. Don't know how well it works elsewhere. Halfords btw, are also reasonably good at honouring a deal that has just run out (store specific, and you have to speak to manager, but can be worth it, if you honestly just missed it).
Hope that helps,
Steve
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
Latest Forum Topics
Latest Comments
- KDee 3 sec ago
Most phones now have a decent IP rating so I wouldn't worry about a little condensation. Your sweat won't get into it and I don't think there's a...
- wtjs 29 min 45 sec ago
At least in Gloucestershire they write the advice down But they still refuse to tell you what it was?
- wtjs 36 min 46 sec ago
they have a hard upper cut-off so they don't dazzle...
- wtjs 50 min 48 sec ago
not only have I reported them for a close pass, which the police are taking further......
- auldain 1 hour 17 min ago
Halve the £15.49, and maybe, just maybe, I might consider staying.
- Dunnoeither 2 hours 6 min ago
My custom titanium frame from Waltly was 1150€ including shipping and customs. I can't see how this is supposed to be a money-no-object dream....
- chrisonabike 2 hours 18 min ago
Oh, yeah... I'd forgotten the current attraction of the Farage Fringe - which is probably a big mistake. (The second mistake is giving them...
- Cycle Happy 2 hours 26 min ago
I've found the latest chilli tech rear light / camera combo to be excellent for the price. It is now £99, which I still think is good value, but I...
- chrisonabike 2 hours 29 min ago
If we kowtow to follow our partner in the Special Relationship we'll obviously realise that it would be betraying our great citizens if we let...
- hawkinspeter 2 hours 40 min ago
I don't agree with Aelisha about choosing Barton Hill due to it not being predominantly white. The area around Beaufort Rd is mainly white, I think...
Add new comment
18 comments
If I could make great coffee I'd open a bike cafe where I'd also service bikes if I could service bikes.
I'd help you with your business start-up and accounts if I knew anything about business strategy and accounting
I'd shop at your shop if I had any money and liked coffee!
A little off topic but LBS need to at least try and move with the time, one near me has just shut after 45 years trade. There is a community shop (where the owner now works) that are really good, put on courses, update and sell on old bikes, gets kids of the streets etc.
I went to the lbs a few times and any job was weeks, any time I wanted a bike he wanted to sell me a Claude Butler etc. Today, in the new place, I popped in and he was snowed under. Managed to find a couple of minutes to find me a couple of required bolts and a single speed gear out of the parts bin and sent me on my way to do the job (or it could be done by Wednesday). No charge but would you mind donating to the pot on the counter. Perfect.
I think it's telling that those bike shops which seem to be doing OK are the ones with limited/carefully selected stock* and mechanics with a decent turnover.
The ones who've shut near here are all those who had massives of bikes, clothes, shoes and older-style parts which'd sell better online. And who won't look at your bike for two weeks.
*things that a bike shop can fit for those customers with limited time/patience. I.e. mudguards, bar tape, tyres, pannier rack, drivetrain components, smaller items of clothing to get them home if the weather's bad (overshoes, liner gloves).
These limited stock ones are half the problem in my view. My local bike shop is pretty terrible. They've got next to no stock, I went looking for some new lights and they stocked about 3 models, all cateye. Ended up going to Evans as they had a reasonable variety in stock.
Bascially if you don't have something in stock I'm not buying from you. Wiggle will have it at my door tomorrow, if LBS orders it in I've got to go back into town to get it. The one major advantage a bricks and mortar shop has over the likes of Wiggle is that you can have that thing you want today.
I know what you mean ClubSmed but if your nearest Halfrauds is 1/2 a mile away and the nearest mom and pop store is two miles away then technically Halfrauds is your LBS.
The nearest shop to me is a large Morrisons Supermarket and it is on a corner, I still would not refer to it as my local corner shop though as it is not what the term means although it is technically correct.
My local Evans have been pretty good at pricematching. That's where I head for most essentials now. Great if you know what you need and they have it.
My local Evans - Reading - is hopeless for having anything in stock.
Usually goes along the lines of check website for what I want, find item and size, check store stock - invariably comes up as collect after 3pm the day after tomorrow.
Ok, I realise that they can't stock the whole range, but in most cases it's bread and butter stuff and not completely obscure. You'd sort of expect a chain of that size to stock brake oil, the most common bleeding kits and a selection of bottom brackets!
Surprisingly, I got what I wanted from the local Decathlon on that occasion and I wouldn't have previously thought of them - very reasonable price, too.
Halfords are often way cheaper online than instore. I just ask them to price match their own web price which they're happy to do and then knock 10% off with my British Cycling card.
I think that there is a slight difference between a Local Bike Shop (LBS) and a nationwide chain that happens to be the nearest bike shop to you. I'm not adverse to nationwide chains, and indeed use them a lot, but I believe that the term LBS refers to independent shops (though I am happy to be corrected if mistaken)
woooowoooooo: spread em for the Grammar Police!
'averse' is what you were looking for, sunshine. As you were...
Evenin' All.
I think it's more significant that Halfords is a chain of shops that mostly sells motoring stuff, and sells bikes as a sideline, rather than being a dedicated bike shop (or chain of shops).
But sometimes a local Halfords will have knowledgeable bike specialists in, and a bike section comparable to a small independent bike shop. (And Wikipedia tells me they started selling cycling goods in 1902.)
You can have all sorts of fun stacking discounts if you're clever about it. When I bought my CX bike, if I remember rightly it went like this:
RRP: £999
On sale at the time, so £899 - ordered for click'n'collect using a Quidco referral link (see below)
On arrival at the shop, present BC membership card: 10% off the £899 leaving £809.10
Paid for with vouchers bought through a work discount scheme at 10% off face value; cost to me 728.19.
Paid for the vouchers using a cashback credit card (3% iirc): effective cost £706.34
Quidco cashback was 5% of the 'order' price (i.e. £899*0.05 = £44.95) leaving actual cost to me = £661.39.
Seems a bit cheeky, but didn't actually contravene any of the terms of any of the discounts, so why not
Go in store? Halfords RARELY have anything I need from the online shop in store - it needs to be ordered in. However, Halfords will price match on anything if you can show them the current competitor price AND you get 10% further if you are Cycling UK or British Cycling member. Last year I managed a saving of over £60 on a Garmin Edge 810 this way.
Sidestepping, for a moment, the effect this has on our LBSs I bought a turbo using click and collect because I didn't want some delivery driver to leave the thing in my porch and clear off. Since then CTC/CyclingUK have entered in to a deal that provides their members with 10% discount on 'cycling related products'. British Cycling types enjoy 10% off anything in the shop. Whether I as a CTC member could have got a further 10% off the click and collect price I do not know.
The Halfords web site price matches some stuff for sale on Wiggle, Chain Reaction Cycles etc. and staff will sometimes check the in-store ticket price against the Halfords online price unprompted to give you the best deal.
Halfords IS my LBS.