I really believe that "a rising tide raises all boats" or something like that. It was obviously an underserved portion of the marketplace if these guys can make a go of it.
The real truth in the article is this paragraph: "It?s no secret to anyone who has ever endured an encounter with a grease-stained, eye-rolling, heavily sighing bicycle shop employee that customer service in the industry has historically ranged from sullen to supercilious to overtly hateful. (?It?s one of the few retail industries where a condition for employment seems to be utter contempt for the customer,? said one industry executive.)"
I like to think that most shops have moved away from that business model but there are still a few around. Sad.
Cheers
Kevin MacAfee
St Paul