[CyclingDiscounts]

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

 

Topic

[matthewn5]

beigemaster wrote:

Beecho wrote:

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!

[Vehlin]

dottigirl wrote:

alansmurphy wrote:

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.

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.

[beigemaster]

Beecho wrote:

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 

[Beecho]

If I could make great coffee

If I could make great coffee I’d open a bike cafe where I’d also service bikes if I could service bikes.

[dottigirl]

alansmurphy wrote:

alansmurphy wrote:

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.

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).

[alansmurphy]

A little off topic but LBS
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.

[armb]

ClubSmed wrote:

kevvjj wrote:

Woldsman wrote:

Sidestepping, for a moment, the effect this has on our LBSs…

Halfords IS my LBS.

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)

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.)

[ClubSmed]

StraelGuy wrote:

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.

[StraelGuy]

I know what you mean ClubSmed

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.

[davel]

ClubSmed wrote:

adverse

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.

 

[LastBoyScout]

dottigirl wrote:

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.

[dottigirl]

My local Evans have been

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.

[StraelGuy]

Halfords are often way

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.

[ClubSmed]

I think that there is a

kevvjj wrote:

Woldsman wrote:

Sidestepping, for a moment, the effect this has on our LBSs…

Halfords IS my LBS.

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)

[Anonymous]

You can have all sorts of fun

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 🙂
 

[Author]

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