WHAT DO YA STICK YA HOOFS INTO????
yeah snowdragon - google for feedback. Since you guys are in the SoHe, there’s plenty of feedback out there already. I just had a quick look online and there’s loads of ‘how to fit snowboard boots’ articles out there. If you’re savvy enough to buy online then you should know what to look for in a boot.
I think this site gives loads of good advice too.
That’s pretty much how I got my last pair snowdragon!!!!!
Although they bought out about 6 different pairs all the same size out to me to sample, I was the one that tried em on and did the walk and so on!!!!!
Got the pair that fit me best and had the right “feel”!!!!! Didn’t get em heat moulded/blown out etc etc!!!!! And also gotta note that I had my heart set on a pair of 32 Lashed, but they no longer had my size to even try on!!!!!
They (Cherri Pow) gave me a few $$$ off and right from the start never mentioned anythin about a $50 boot fittin Fee!!!!!
And because of that, next pair will be either from One Track Mind or Cherri Pow wholly based on that experience!!!!!
And I’m sorry to say it snownut, but cause you guys wanna $50 Fee before I even sit down is, and always will be a major deterrent for me to even look at STM!!!!!
so, if you pay $50 for say, an hour of bootfitting, you are essentially paying that shop clerk $50/hour! Pretty good wage, eh?
so, if you pay $50 for say, an hour of bootfitting, you are essentially paying that shop clerk $50/hour! Pretty good wage, eh?
So…........... ya wanna try on some boots???? 
Yes, there are certified boot fitters. The certification in Oz is granted by the organizations Masterfit U, Sidas & Conform’able among others. The training sessions are very extensive and cost a bloody fortune!!! Mizu, there’s way more to it than having the guy in the store try a bunch of different boots on you.
Gamblor - saying that the $50 (which, for god’s sake, is refundable) goes straight to the clerk’s wage is just ridiculous!
You guys seem like you just want something for nothing. You want the boot fitter to be an expert, give all his/her time to EVERY customer who walks in the door unconditionally, offer full guarantees of fit and comfort, have a huge range of boots at clearance prices, throw in some bonus goodies etc.
Since when did retail become a public service?
If you don’t want to shop at stores that do the fitting fee thing then that’s up to you. Clearly the stores that charge that fee only want to dedicate their time to people who ARE willing to pay that fee, and that is up to them.
Deanobruce….these brands can NOT be shipped outside the US by any site. It violates the dealer agreements they have with their retailers. Any online store shipping these brands to Oz should not be.
well the sites when i bought my stuff from only had about half of those brands on their exclusion list. whether your right or they are? i dont know and i dont really care to be honest. it may have hcanged in the last 2-3 months?
Dont get me wrong i dont blame the retailers for the prices they charge over here, its the suppliers that bend them over. and in regards to walking in, trying stuff on then buying online, all the stuff i have bought online i havent tried on at all. But when i need new boots, unless i find some on sale here i will buy them online. BUT in saying that, im not going to get a bootfitter to fit me up, i will walk in. ask to try on a pair of boots and do it myself, walk around etc. i dont need some person to tell me what fits me best, i know what fits me. I will buy another product whilst im there so im not totally wasting the stores time, or buy the missus something.
Call me what you will (an arsehole for wasting ppls time,raping the local industry) but im not spending more than i have to when it comes to anything.
Lots of interesting points here. As for the original purpose of the thread, I’m currently in a pair of DC somethings that I can’t remember, they are black with yellow camo sort of thing on em. Bought em from Ballistyx in Melbourne last year, must have been before the boot fitting charge came in as there was no mention of it at the time. They had all the previous seasons stuff on a big sale and from memory the boots were about $400 retail but I picked em up for $200.
Prior to that I picked up a new board and bindings from RPS in Elwood, similar circumstances, was towards the end of the season and they did a good deal. Only thing I have bought online so far was a pair of Burton pants that came from an Australian online store at significant discount to what was in the shops.
Having said that now that I am more comfortable with the sport and my knowledge base has improved a lot I’m more comfortable buying product online and wouldn’t hesitate to get a board, bindings, outwear goggles etc online. About the only thing I would struggle to buy sight unseen would be boots, they are important enough to me to want to get a good fit so my time on the hill is as pleasurable as possible.
I think a big factor these days for all of the retail industry is that thanks to the internet the general public is far more educated due to the ease of access to information. I cannot remember the last time I bought anything that I had not researched online first. Almost to the point where it was embarrassing for the sales staff who were trying to serve me, some “sales professionals” are a real discredit to themselves and their employers when it comes to product knowledge.
The ability to access pricing internationally is another piece of information that consumers find and then feel ripped off when they walk into their local store and find the same product 30 to sometimes 100% more expensive than overseas. Most people myself included don’t like to spend more than they have to and the perception is that buying locally is a bit of a rip off.
I think that soon enough there will be some huge changes to the retail industry in both bricks and mortar and online businesses. Our dollar is better than the US and has been for some time but the price of goods from the US remains unchanged. I doubt that even importers who hedge their buying price will have a term of much longer than 6months so they should be passing that saving on but I bet they won’t.
I think the general consensus among savvy snowsports consumers is that buying retail in Australia is a rip off, why would you pay double for something here that can be had much cheaper online? I am not saying that this is the fault of your local store, the US manufacturers set a wholesale price for Australia that IMO is way too high. I mean seriously, $970AUD RRP for a board the retails for $560USD? I hear all the arguments about size of the market etc but generally speaking the price of the goods is set at only what the company expects the consumer will pay. It is being shown more and more that the consumer, given the chance will buy at a cheaper price online, maybe the manufacturers should start listening to their retailers and helping them out.
Mizu, there’s way more to it than having the guy in the store try a bunch of different boots on you.
I wasn’t tryin to trivialize the boot fitters job pow, I was just asking, what do they do that’s anythin different up until the stage of Moulding etc????
Since when did retail become a public service?
Not a Public Service, a Customer Service!!!!! Many Retailers seem to forget this very simple point these days!!!!!
I don’t care if I have to pay twice that of an oppositions store, if I get the right advice and it’s friendly and they assist ya when ya do run into a problem!!!! Oh and all in a timely manner!!!!!
If a Business treats me like I am gonna rip them off as soon as I enter the door, then I will walk straight back out!!!!
Because they have not treated me as a Customer, but treated me as a Waste Of Their Time!!!!!
I think the boot-fitting fee may even drive people to shops with no fees.
I think the boot-fitting fee may even drive people to shops with no fees.
Has done for me!!!!
Honestly, it’s an ongoing battle for retailers. Managers often have meetings with distributors, fighting to no end to get prices down for their customers as much as possible. Think about how many brands they have to battle with, sometimes just to get the RRP down $40 or $50. The retailers are not to blame! The retailers are caught in the middle; they have to battle with distributors (who battle with the USA), and then they have to do whatever they can to keep customers happy. Yes, keeping customers happy is customer service. However the online/overseas market makes keeping their businesses alive an absolute struggle.
The boot fitting fee was brought in as an absolute last measure. How are they meant to give good customer service without supporting the overseas/online market? All the scenarios you guys mentioned are valid and I completely understand your frustration. But what about the person who walks into the store to try on a full range of boots, to extract information, to get a full service, only to then use what the store gave them to make an online purchase (knowing very well this was their plan the entire time). The store has then supported the customer’s decision to take their business overseas. That’s not fair to the store! That was the only scenario the fee was meant to counter-act. Trust me, the managers/owners never wanted to charge anyone for boot fitting. I hate the idea of a boot fitting fee. But it was an act of desperation. Snow retailers in Australia do it tough, keep that in mind.
All your points are valid. I completely understand the frustration. It’s really a tough situation. Has it been addressed correctly by stores/distributors? From reading all your responses, no it hasn’t. The policy needs reviewing and a consistent approach at the very least. What’s the solution? How can the stores continue to give excellent customer service without supporting the sector of the market that’s killing their business?
powrider1 - “You want the boot fitter to be an expert, give all his/her time to EVERY customer who walks in the door unconditionally” well, it is their job to serve the customer, that is why they chose to work in the store and the retail/customer service industry.
I may have set this topic off on the wrong direction having said I bought my boots online after trying them on in store, but I did exactly what deanobruce said, I walked in, picked up the boot, asked for my size and tried them on myself while the store person helped someone else.
Seriously after finding $380 boots for $63, I would be crazy to not buy the cheaper option! Especially when Im saving for a wedding and o/s trip!
Rider, I think a big part of the problem is the big companies wielding a stick with the retailers, from what I understand they are held to ransom with prices to a certain extent with the threat of not being supplied with the product should they not comply. Is it true that some manufacturers set out the periods of time which retailers have to sell at full price till before they can discount, eg: must be full price till towards the end of season like 1 Sept after which time they can give 30% and then January they can go to 40-50%?
Now I don’t know what sort of legal issues may be lurking in that greyish area if it’s true but it reeks of collusion and price fixing.
No Body can tell a Retailer to sell their goods at any set price!!!!! Not even the Wholesaler/Supplier!!!!!
That’s why they have a RRP!!!! Recommended Retail Price!!!!! Or SRP, Suggested Retail Price!!!!!
It is against the law to dictate prices!!!!!
I think that if the retailers banded together and told the Wholesaler/Supplier that orders were not going to be fulfilled until something is done about it, then I am sure that things would start to change!!!!!
don’t know about australia but burton has a no discounts before a certain date policy, and then a max of 30% off for gear up to 3 years old. This is for online shops. Brick & mortar can do whatever they like at the cash register.
It’s all about keeping the brand image. If consumers know they can get everything at 50% off at the end of January, then they will just wait. Brands like Burton will get the image of a ‘cheap’ brand rather than a quality brand that way.
but this doesn’t have anything to do with the ripoff aussie wholesale prices.
one thing though, I’ve heard that aussie ski resorts are the most expensive in the world. I think keeping gear prices high is in line with the thinking that snowsports are an ‘elite’ pastime for the well off in australia. That could be why they keep wholesale prices so high