# Performance Bikes sucks



## nashphyl (Jul 8, 2007)

I work for performance and i can tell you one thing: performance is to bikes as walmart is to the general store. They pay their employees nothing and undersell the competition by buying in massive bulk from Pacific Bicycles (the distributor of mongoose, schwinn, gt). At the store i work they even mark up the prices to employees trying to make pro-deals. In almost all cases i prefer independently owned bike stores to performance. I want to help out customers and get them what they want (whether it be from my store or somewhere else), but sometimes this effort is impeded by my managers' desires to meet corporate sales goals and investor interests. The store manager is a heartless "sales goal" minded machine. He is nice to customers and upsells them stuff they don't need. When he is interacting with employees he is a complete ass. Same with the assistant sales manager. The district manager is an ever bigger jerk and hangs up the phone on me if i don't give him the response he likes to hear. On top of all of this the store operates on a big lie. There are constantly sales. The fact that there are always sales undermines the entire point of the sale itself. If things in the store are always on sale, why have the sale at all? It is basically lying to customers. Performance looks good if you are only paying attention to prices. But those prices are at the expense of north american bicycle manufacturing and honesty. If possible, support your local bike shop. If you buy from performance, you are buying from a heartless corporate machine.


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## hanshananigan (May 15, 2006)

I expect an occasional post basing big retailers, but the *fact* that you are a current employee takes this post to a high level of weirdness.


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## 245044 (Jun 8, 2004)

I've found that sometime Performance Bikes has the best prices, sometimes not. I love the fact that they have alot of stuff on hand locally when most, if not all, LBS do not. I mainly use them for clothing and accessories.

Dude, it really sounds like you need to find another line of work. Retail is a tough business to work in. I absolutely hated it when I worked in it.

Good luck.


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## TrekJeff (Oct 12, 2006)

A bit disgruntled? :skep: Post office is hiring.


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## kattywhumpus (Dec 27, 2003)

most retail work sucks......find something different or get used to the abuse.


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## Guyechka (Jul 19, 2005)

If you are aware that spokes come in different lengths to fit wheels with different sized hub flanges, then you are doing a lot better than the employees at my local Performance.


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## nadinno78 (Mar 23, 2006)

*my performance beef*

Bought some wheels (forte titan road wheels) there and when I got home found out they were out of true. Partly my fault for not checking them out first. Mostly pick up small stuff. Would never buy a bike from there.


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## pedalwrench (Oct 9, 2005)

I think it depends on the store too.

The one in Boulder and Littleton are usually pretty cool. Seems like the employees actually give a hoot.

But the one in Denver on Colorado Blvd pisses me off.  

Still, I like the little guys better and try to support them. Salvagetti on Speer is what I would call the model bike shop.:thumbsup:


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## ArmySlowRdr (Dec 19, 2003)

I work for a non-profit. believe me even a non-profit is a business with a keen eye on the bottom line. management is the same all over. what matters is revenue and what's left on the balance sheet after expenses to either pay bigger salaries to management and execs and/or sink into growing the business. whatever technique works to make sales, keep expenses at bay, and keep employees as cheaply as possible is what must be done. just the way it is.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

I'll sell you crap you don't need. I'm sure that people could have gotten by, and I'm sure that in the long run some of the crap I sold was detrimental to the entire experience, but I'm not going to sit there and argue with people either. If they think they need or want something, then I'm going to sell it to them. Yes, business is all about sales, although how you conduct the sale obviously has a bearing on repeat business.


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## lidarman (Jan 12, 2004)

nashphyl said:


> I work for performance ....


I have great news for you. You won't have to worry about working there long. You will either quit (which sounds like you should) or get fired. The only people I recognize at the Boulder Performance are the Managers Steve and Rick, who apparently do well enough to keep finding fodder like you to handle the long lines that the register that never seem to move.


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## nashphyl (Jul 8, 2007)

After reading the posts, i realized you're right. performance bikes has a bottom line. Its employees are "fodder" and can be replaced as easily as the sprockets on the taiwanese schwinns they sell. Go ahead and buy from performance if you like. They are opening an additional 90 stores in the next four years so you'll have no choice anyway. Ill keep riding, the MTBR user 'lidarman' will still think he's cool knowing the managers on a first name basis and buy crap he doesnt need, and the southeast district manager (who doesnt ride bikes) will still be an obnoxious jerk and hang up the phone on his employees.


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## lidarman (Jan 12, 2004)

nashphyl said:


> After reading the posts, i realized you're right. performance bikes has a bottom line. Its employees are "fodder" and can be replaced as easily as the sprockets on the taiwanese schwinns they sell. Go ahead and buy from performance if you like. They are opening an additional 90 stores in the next four years so you'll have no choice anyway. Ill keep riding, the MTBR user 'lidarman' will still think he's cool knowing the managers on a first name basis and buy crap he doesnt need, and the southeast district manager (who doesnt ride bikes) will still be an obnoxious jerk and hang up the phone on his employees.


Gosh I have been named and called out. My signature is at the bottom so you can still call me Rich.

Buying crap I don't need?????? I buy "crap" I need actually.

I never mentioned my spending habits at performance at all! I know Steve from the local bike scene. He is a big advocate of racing and supporting trail work, advocacy,.....

I buy most of my good from Mountain High Cyclery. Yes, if you haven't heard, Larry! So you my friend are making huge assumptions and a fool of yourself in the process. I buy stuff from LBS here and Jenson and Pricepoint too if you really want to know my purchase behavior. I even buy from China, ya beotch.

Wait, why should I defend my purchases? If performance has stuff I need, I will go there.

You, nashphyl, need to get checked into some therapy if this means that much to you. And if you really work there, you should be resigning tomorrow.


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## JmZ (Jan 10, 2004)

*Welcome to Sales*



nashphyl said:


> I work for performance blah blah blah you are buying from a heartless corporate machine.


It isn't any different anywhere else. Sorry to burst that bubble, but you'll find the same stuff in all sorts of industries. It's Corp America and it feeds upon sales guys and gals for breakast to sell us all things that we don't need.

Find places you like, support them.

JmZ


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## Seltzer (Nov 1, 2006)

Isn't Performance the largest retail chain for bikes and parts? So, yes, to maximize the bottom line you do have to underpay your employees and sell items, no matter what. As a customer, for some reason I always got this kind of vibe from Performance, which is why I stopped shopping there recently. I just just hope Jenson and Price Point don't stoop to their level...


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## duke walker (Apr 10, 2005)

*prove that you work there*

jong


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## AzTracer (Feb 15, 2007)

i avoid that place like the plague unless i need them to price match something on the internet. In which case I'm in and out with my fat discount and product in hand the same day. I have yet to find anyone there who knows anything about bikes.


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## MTB_prodigy (Jun 16, 2007)

i broke my schwinn from pacific bicycles into half after perfectly landing the jump. I broke it in half near the front derailer, right under it. [email protected]@! pacific


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## timroz (Feb 25, 2007)

The Performance Bike Shop is the only bike shop in Fort Collins I will actually go inside. I usually get parts online but if I need small stuff - lube, tubes, etc. I go there because the employees don't ask me questions like "do you know that's a presta valve?". PLUS I bought a pair of Speedplay Frog Ti pedals on line, thrashed them for about a month, did a race up in Laramie with 'em and broke the spindle, and they took them back to the local store for full refund with no questions asked. The local hacks would never do that.


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## Melt (May 24, 2004)

bought a 06 giant faith 3 brand new on sale for $1400 then a $100 rebate in november 05 from san rafael performance. 
sometime in january the brakes started giving me trouble. Hayes so1es had known problems. So i took em down to peformance and they adjusted the levers. Worked for 1 ride. 
So i got pissed and went to my local bike shop. He bled em and they were fine for a few rides
March 06 i go down to TUSCON AZ (i lived in the san frangayco bayarea at the time) and had em go out. Called my bike shop back home, homie told me hayes had a recall, apparenatly the master cylinders go bad. So i called performance in tuscon, they werent willing to work with me at all even though the bike was supposedly under warrany. 
Ended up swapping the hfx9 from my superlight onto the giant so i could ride it the rest of the dh rides while i was there. 

When i got home my lbs got the new parts and put it on and hayes took care of all of it and i didnt pay nothing. Pretty awesome for an lbs i didnt even buy the bike from.

So UCK performance.


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## dfioc (Jul 24, 2006)

Wow. A retail sales outlet focused on sales. Imagine that.

You either need a new line of work or a serious dose of the real world. Most know what to expect when walking into a Performance location; I certainly do. Great sales, little to no customer service.


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## hanshananigan (May 15, 2006)

I frequent the Performance in Chapel Hill/ Carborro NC, though I certainly shop other places as well. I see many of the same faces of employees month after month, and the wrenches have been very helpful and no one's been pushy or given me BS.


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## 245044 (Jun 8, 2004)

Agreed. The Cary, NC store is pretty much the same way.


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## StormShadow (Apr 8, 2004)

I don't have any problem with Performance. Why would I pay a premium for customer service when all I am buying is tubes or a jersey?

Also, *every* store has their tools. (pun intended)


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## bingemtbr (Apr 1, 2004)

*Performance sucks.*

cut and pasted from another board...http://www.bicyclegroup.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5398

the highlights for those who don't wanna click el linko, the author is yours truly:

Here's what happened, last week I was traveling and remembered I needed some GU's for my cycling trip in July. So I've got some down time, I surf a few sites and find what I wanted at Performance. Basically about 3 doz Honey Stingers, 2 doz Cliff bars, and some chamois butter. I knew the LBS didn't have it and didn't want to bother them with a rush order. So I even paid the extra $20 DHL shipping so I'd have it in a day or two. Thereby negating any savings (LBS vs mail order) but I'd have what I wanted in the variety of flavors I wanted. No big deal. So I order. The Performance site won't let me log onto to the account I have with them, I try the "forgotten password" and it tells me there some kind of programming error, then I try to process the order on their site as a guest, it looks like its going through then tells me my credit card is declined. ?!?! I assume I incorrectly entered one of the card's numbers and go back to try again. BTW, the card I was using does NOT have a limit. Its a Platinum card and I use it for over $xx,xxx worth of stuff--mostly work related--a year. So, I think big deal go back and check the numbers, but the site doesn't let you access/edit your cc info. Now what? Call Performance...on hold for about 14, 15, 16 minutes then the line is answered by a rather RUDE southern woman who I can only imagine looks as ugly and foul as she sounds. She insists that I give her the confirmation number, I tell her I didn't get one because the transaction hasn't processed/completed. She then tells me NOT TO CALL HER back for at least 6 hours because that's as long as it takes for the order to hit from the web site. Okay...so I hesitantly hang up and write myself a note to call later that evening. I've spent 30+ minutes in this transaction so far on a $100-ish order.

I call back, on hold about 8 mins, go thru telling the story, they look me up in their computer...Okay, turns out for whatever reason the website's order DID NOT process. Then the Performance (*****) rude operator asks me if I have an account. I reply that I do b/c I get e-mails every other day for them but I don't remember my password. She tells me that I infact have 3 accounts and SHE IS mad at me for having three. I tell her, I don't know why there are three but I just want to purchase the stuff. She gets more frustrated, get this, because she can't deduct/reason how someone could be called both "Lucas" and "Luke" (my first name). I tell her, its like Michael being called Mike or Matthew being a Matt. I kid you not, I actually had this conversation. I tell her what I want, but she says she can't look up products by name and she'll need the SKU number. I get them to her but because I'm on the internet looking for these off of HER site it takes a moment for each item/flavor combo. She actually gets more annoyed. I finally complete the transaction and get a confirmation number. She tells me the order won't go out that day (its evening by now) but it would go out the following day. Fine.

Two days later, I'm returning from my trip (this is Friday now). In the back of my mind I'm thinking there's this chance the Performance order will have already arrive or it'll come the next day. I don't need it but its always fun to have packages waiting for you at home. Nothing at home though. The wife comes home from work, checks the home phone and says there was a message from Performance and that my order (from 2 days ago) is on hold. WTF?!? I got the confirmation number, the card processed, the operator would've told me if something were backordered or out of stock. I mean I'm ordering energy bars and GU's. So I call...talked to 2 rude, *****y, pre-menstral operators before I'm transferred to customer (dis)service. I go through the same "why do you have 3 accounts with us" and "Luke is the same as Lucas" conversations with this *****. After some 10 min's she finds the order, she has me confirm my name (for a fourth or fifth time) and my billing address and then tells me the reason the order is on hold is because they did not have the correct billing zip code. Are you ****ing kidding me? You have 3 identical accounts for me, all with the same billing info, zipcodes, and I've processed this order with you two times already (once online and once over the phone) and now you tell me it won't go thru because the zipcode field is left blank??? YOU STUPID ****ING *******S.

I canceled the order. I will never ever do business with them ever again and will go out of my way to bad mouth them and make certain that no one I am remotely familiar with ever purchases anything from them again. I have patience for a lot of things. But when you are calling someone and handing them money and begging them to take your money repeatedly, and they **** it up, well then...they can go to hell.


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## nashphyl (Jul 8, 2007)

duke walker said:


> jong


Prove i work there....
Well, all performance stores have restricted internet access so employees can only go to performance.com and nashbar.com. Therefore, if you want a really sweet deal at performance all you need to do is make up a price and photoshop a webpage to get whatever price you want and print it off. Performance will have to pricematch whatever you bring in. It is their policy. They cannot verify the piece of paper you give them because the internet access is limited to their own websites. Ca ching$$$$.

Btw, Rich (or should i say DICK), you're an idiot. Of course this would mean a lot because i spend over thirty hours in that place a week. Tell me where YOU work. You seem to be doing well for yourself with your ellsworth and all that **** you buy (o im sorry, "need"). Your picture in your profile is real impressive (as in not at all). Later.


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## CactusJoe (Aug 10, 2005)

The business of business is to attract and retain customers. This is because customers have money. Money is what businesses need to stay in business and pay back their investors. I don't know why this is always such a shock for some people. There are even a billion rules in the US that regulate how businesses can do business, yet they still survive and thrive.

You want to bag on a business? Go work for one of the following:

-Time share sales
-Mattress sales
-"Work from home" opportunities
-"Mystery Shopper" opportunities
-Amway
-Any multi-level marketing distributor

However, it sounds to me like you just don't like the idea of -working- for someone else, so why don't you go start your own bike shop? You gotta play the game well first and master the rules before you can even think about changing the rules.


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## lidarman (Jan 12, 2004)

nashphyl said:


> Btw, Rich (or should i say DICK), you're an idiot. Of course this would mean a lot because i spend over thirty hours in that place a week. Tell me where YOU work. You seem to be doing well for yourself with your ellsworth and all that **** you buy (o im sorry, "need"). Your picture in your profile is real impressive (as in not at all). Later.


Wow, you are so passionate about your moronic thoughts, you could almost be another one of Pete's accounts.

Thanks for the ongoing laughs and trolling. It's making my Monday a day of smiles.

PS: would you like to know where I work so you can stalk me? From the PM you sent, I get a feeling that you are growing some obsession with me.


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## JIMBOLAYA (Jun 13, 2007)

I agree, Performace does suck.
At our local shop, one of the employees didn't know what a bottom bracket was.
How can you sell when you don't know what you are selling?
No employee training.
Poor service.


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## skunkty14 (Jan 7, 2005)

nashphyl said:


> I'm an idiot.


Fixed



nashphyl said:


> Of course this would mean a lot because i spend over thirty hours in that place a week. Tell me where YOU work. You seem to be doing well for yourself with your ellsworth and all that **** you buy (o im sorry, "need").


Seriously, if you hate it that much then leave. If you really need the job, suck it up. Everyone has had a job they don't love or even hate at some point. And not to try to swing some big balls around, but 30hrs a week is nothing IMO. Maybe if you have another 40hr job, maybe that's something. School doesn't count, plenty of people (myself included) do better than 30 a week while going to school full time. Though plenty of points for taking a dig at a guy who makes more than you. Maybe he doesn't. Or maybe he works really hard to make more than you. You don't know I'm willing to bet.

You could just leave. And get another retail job selling wiggets. That will suck just as bad. Then maybe you could find a wigget forum to complain in. Quite original is you ask me.

/thread


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## jvp108 (Nov 22, 2005)

I've been to plenty of bike shops on the east coast, and prob. 7 performance stores. I spend most of my money at Performance because while they may not know anything about bikes, I do- so I know what I'm looking for. And in 3 out of 4 shops i've been to there is always some smart azz bitter employee ready to give you an attitude. 

So as an informed consumer, I choose the lesser of two evils- idiot but freindly performance employees over know-it-all if you're not riding a $5K Intense from my shop you're sh!t bike shop wrench.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Sounds like....*

... your manager and district managers have sold their souls. Heck, they are just running a store for profit. Business guys. It would probably make no difference to them if they were selling insurance, cars, or televisions. No big shock there.

If you really feel that way and continue to work there, so did you. You are what they call in the 12 step world, and enabler. You know there is a problem, yet you continue to be a part of that problem.

One of the local Performance Bike stores in my area actually hired a 65-ish year old guy who had a stroke or something. Poor guy, one of his arms is all atrophied and curled up under his armpit, he walks with a serious limp and he knows nothing at all about bikes. I'm not bagging on him. He's just an honest guy trying to work a retail job. OTOH, he looks like he has never thrown a leg over a bicycle in his life. Point is, he is there to be part of the machine that is Performance. That's what Performance is, a money machine. He's obviously not there because he loves bikes.... and that is fine.

I still go in there for energy bars and drinks, and LunarLite innertubes.... sometimes other stuff. Mostly stuff my LBS doesn't stock at a reasonable price.... 'but we can order it'.

Yeah, they stock mediocre bikes, but that is really all the general masses needs to pedal around. Those of us that have more reifned tastes shop elsewhere for bikes.

And Liderman is not an idiot. By his posts, he's one sharp guy. You should listen.


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## TomYoung2424 (Jun 26, 2007)

nashphyl said:


> 1. I work for performance and i can tell you one thing: performance is to bikes as walmart is to the general store.
> 2. They pay their employees nothing and undersell the competition by buying in massive bulk from Pacific Bicycles (the distributor of mongoose, schwinn, gt).
> 3. At the store i work they even mark up the prices to employees trying to make pro-deals.
> 4.In almost all cases i prefer independently owned bike stores to performance.
> ...


1. Agreed. Do you shop at Wal Mart out of convience? Most people shop at Perfromance for the same convience. What other bike shops are open at 8pm?

2. Nobody has ever or will ever get rich working in a bike shop. It is a sad truth, you work there for the love of cycling and the people you work with.

3.I never had this occur at any of the bike shops I worked in, Performance being one of them.

4. I perfer the LBS to PBS but if the LBS is going to charge $6 for a tube and I can get 5 tubes for $10 guess where I'm going to go. I'm not made of money.

5. Performance is a FOR PROFIT establishment.

6. I will agree that one of the store managers that I worked for at PBS fell into this catagory. Once again, it is a FOR PROFIT business and I could see why she was doing what she was doing but her execution of the plan was poor at best.

7. What they are doing is called a "business plan". Why is having a weekly sale any different than Best Buy or your grogery store which (at least here) sends a sales flyer on Wednesdays and Sundays.

8. It is a free market economy, shop as you please. Honesty?

It is a free country, find a different job


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## CactusJoe (Aug 10, 2005)

If a Walmart-like bike shop even exists, it means we're moving toward a world where I can ride around the corner to the local Performance at 3am and pick up an XT-level derailler for 2 bucks. Not so bad. It's not like WalMart has stifled innovation. If I want to find a $400 soup ladle or other high-performance housewares I'm sure I can find them. Even better, because of Walmart, I don't live in a world where I'm forced to believe I need a $400 soup ladle. Or a $600 set of steak knives. If all I care about is riding and getting the job done, and Performance can help me do that less expensively, why is that bad?


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## nashphyl (Jul 8, 2007)

Ok so my boss sucks and the district manager sucks. With cheap prices comes the whole system of efficiency (low wages, crappy bosses, pacific cycles, etc.) If you need stuff, go and buy from them if they are cheap. I shouldnt really say you shouldnt buy all your stuff from them. Im poor and unlike Rich, I can empathize with people who need cheap stuff fast without having to special order through a LBS. Just realize the system behind performance and, when possible, diversify your options when buying. Performance already bought our supergo and nashbar. A private equity firm just bought Performance itself and plans to operate 165 stores by 2012. Cheap prices will abound, to be sure, but I wonder what will be lost. The bike profession will consist of short lived, underpaid Mcjobs. The already heavily outsourced bike industry will become further removed from the users of the products (which also contributes to the global emissions problem), as performance, with its monopoly on the market, will demand cheaper prices with higher return ratios (look how they already stopped carrying rocky mtn bikes). The only good i can see is that maybe this new arrangement will get more people riding, which is definitely good. I always wished cycling would become more accessible. It is difficult situation. Whether to get stuff cheap and support an unsavory business model or to get the stuff you need cheap, go ride and supress any moral misgivings. I am sorry for making simple judgements. It is your call.


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## borregokid (Feb 18, 2004)

Nice post and nice thread. If you want to stay in the retail industry take a look at Costco and if you want to stay with bikes go to REI. Both stores offer nice career paths and pay employees fairly decent wages over time in comparison to their competitors. 
 I am pretty disappointed at the crappy bikes that Performance is selling but they arent the only ones. It wasnt that long ago that they sold Giant so who knows if they cant get another major brand. The local bike shops that sell Giant and Specialized are probably happy that Performance is selling on the low end. It appears that Performance has changed its marketing a little in the past year with selling more bikes from the stores and more gear online.


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## TrekJeff (Oct 12, 2006)

The purpose I have for Performance, Cambria, BlueSky, AlfredE, Ebike ect is merly price matching at Jenson. If Jenson price matched Uero companies I'd throw in Chain reaction. So let there prices drop, as far as employee relations, I've been in sales and no matter how many times somone in sales sings the song of "If it weren't for us...." nothing ever changes in the masses. It's nice to know there are companies as mentioned above, REI, that take care of thier emplyess. But for me and most of my purchases being online...I get my info/customer service right here on these forums. If I have specific questions aboutf compatability, durability and product review, I can get the answer to my question 99% of the time right online. Sure I have a couple LBS's that are great for info, local rides ect, but I mainly use them for quick fixes like tubes. For any bulk, large purchases, I'm a tax free online purchaser. With that said, Jenson will be recieving another $800 order from me this week with over a $200 price match savings ranging from Cambria, Performance and EBikes.com


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## lidarman (Jan 12, 2004)

nashphyl said:


> Ok so my boss sucks and the district manager sucks. With cheap prices comes the whole system of efficiency (low wages, crappy bosses, pacific cycles, etc.) If you need stuff, go and buy from them if they are cheap. I shouldnt really say you shouldnt buy all your stuff from them. Im poor and unlike Rich, I can empathize with people who need cheap stuff fast without having to special order through a LBS. Just realize the system behind performance and, when possible, diversify your options when buying. Performance already bought our supergo and nashbar. A private equity firm just bought Performance itself and plans to operate 165 stores by 2012. Cheap prices will abound, to be sure, but I wonder what will be lost. The bike profession will consist of short lived, underpaid Mcjobs. The already heavily outsourced bike industry will become further removed from the users of the products (which also contributes to the global emissions problem), as performance, with its monopoly on the market, will demand cheaper prices with higher return ratios (look how they already stopped carrying rocky mtn bikes). The only good i can see is that maybe this new arrangement will get more people riding, which is definitely good. I always wished cycling would become more accessible. It is difficult situation. Whether to get stuff cheap and support an unsavory business model or to get the stuff you need cheap, go ride and supress any moral misgivings. I am sorry for making simple judgements. It is your call.


I think this post needs to be in the whine thread. This is a goodie.

It prolly won't make you feel bad when I say I worked for $4/hr for a crappy chain lumber company (with sales tactics much like performance) outside in the heat for 10-12 hr days carrying 94 lb bags of cement for hours at a time, and only overtime after working 40 hrs a week, which luckly when I was in college, I got about 60hrs a week, enough to pay the rent. Luckly, it put me into shape and motivated me to finish my education to allow me to buy my expensive crap! Hopefully your cushy airconditioned sales floor has better conditions than that.

I didn't complain, I sucked it up and savored the lessons I learned.

I know I sound like your grandpa to you...but oh well. Here I am with my stupidly expensive bike posting in this thread, looking forward to my 20 miles of riding tomorrow.

But really, Your rant is not well crafted. It's silly actually. We have had many discussions about LBS and chains before your arrival....it's a common topic on MTBR. You are simply another bum passing through shouting his loud mouth on his way to forgottonland. Good luck on your journey.


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## dfioc (Jul 24, 2006)

lidarman said:


> I think this post needs to be in the whine thread. This is a goodie.
> 
> It prolly won't make you feel bad when I say I worked for $4/hr for a crappy chain lumber company (with sales tactics much like performance) outside in the heat for 10-12 hr days carrying 94 lb bags of cement for hours at a time, and only overtime after working 40 hrs a week, which luckly when I was in college, I got about 60hrs a week, enough to pay the rent. Luckly, it put me into shape and motivated me to finish my education to allow me to buy my expensive crap! Hopefully your cushy airconditioned sales floor has better conditions than that.
> 
> ...


I was getting all set up to write something very much like this, but you beat me to it. Well done.

I know OP really doesn't mean to come across like it, but the sense of entitlement over a sense of entitlement that seems to pervade a lot lately is astounding.

Limited internet access at work? Excuse me, but where are you entitled to internet access at work? If you don't like your job pal, get another one. It's called a free country.

And your moralizations about profit and global emissions are boring....


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## HTR4EVR (Jun 15, 2007)

If you really want a sucking store go to Air Bomb or Beyond...


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## BlurredVision (Jul 1, 2007)

A real salesman does not sell anything someone doesn't need...EVER! You see, if you don't need it and buy it, it's your own fault. A real salesman will CREATE a NEED that you didn't even know you had! Most of us don't buy based on need anyway, we buy what we want and usually on impulse. How many people are riding CF bikes because hell, they're just easier to load on the bike rack and they can afford them? (Im not one of em) Theres not many unnecessary bike parts you can sell unless you sell a childs bike to a college kid "just in case". Businesses are in business for profit, even non profits have to make a profit because theres a fine line between non profit and a LOSS we no one can afford. That reminds me, is athieism a non prophet organization?


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## btadlock (Oct 3, 2005)

*I have been a Performance customer for over 20yrs.*

I have no idea how much money I have spent via catalog, online and in store, but I have purchased 2 bikes for myself and 2 bikes for my kids there. I have not found a LBS that can compete with the prices for parts, supplies and clothing.
I got a killer deal on my 05 NRS, purchased in Jan of 06 for $800.00, as well as the previous Giant, which I got for between $50-70 cheaper than I could find elsewhere.
I have also had service work done at the Littleton Co store, and the guys were very helpful.
Business is what business is, I shop there cause it allows me to keep my MTB costs undercontrol
And, the team performance membership is like a built in bike savings account.


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## JIMBOLAYA (Jun 13, 2007)

I feel lucky that I live in an area that has enough competition that shops try to win our business. My LBS gives me free tune ups for life, a 15% discount on anything that I buy, quick service, and no attitude. They also know their stuff and give me a well rounded opinions on options (like going tubeless). Sometimes they even tell me that I might get a better price at performance or online (after all, they can't carry everything). I couldn't ask for more.


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## anthonys (Jan 22, 2004)

timroz said:


> I go there because the employees don't ask me questions like "do you know that's a presta valve?".


You'd ask people if they were sure they had the right valve type too, if you had a constant stream of folks coming back griping because you "sold" them the wrong thing. It is one of those little things that happens for a reason. Sort of like offering someone a bag with their purchase. We do this even though exactly half the people get all bent out of shape that we would dare offer them a bag and despoil the environment, whilst the other half gets all kinds of bunched up if you don't offer them a bag so they can sneak their purchases into the house unbeknownst to the CFO. The guys and girls behind the counter aren't trying to be evil here, they aren't consciously trying to insult you. They are just cranking through their day.


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## nitzer (Apr 27, 2005)

nashphyl said:


> I work for performance and i can tell you one thing: performance is to bikes as walmart is to the general store. They pay their employees nothing and undersell the competition by buying in massive bulk from Pacific Bicycles (the distributor of mongoose, schwinn, gt). At the store i work they even mark up the prices to employees trying to make pro-deals. In almost all cases i prefer independently owned bike stores to performance. I want to help out customers and get them what they want (whether it be from my store or somewhere else), but sometimes this effort is impeded by my managers' desires to meet corporate sales goals and investor interests. The store manager is a heartless "sales goal" minded machine. He is nice to customers and upsells them stuff they don't need. When he is interacting with employees he is a complete ass. Same with the assistant sales manager. The district manager is an ever bigger jerk and hangs up the phone on me if i don't give him the response he likes to hear. On top of all of this the store operates on a big lie. There are constantly sales. The fact that there are always sales undermines the entire point of the sale itself. If things in the store are always on sale, why have the sale at all? It is basically lying to customers. Performance looks good if you are only paying attention to prices. But those prices are at the expense of north american bicycle manufacturing and honesty. If possible, support your local bike shop. If you buy from performance, you are buying from a heartless corporate machine.


I work at one too, it sucks the balls....


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## M_S (Nov 18, 2007)

nashphyl said:


> Prove i work there....
> Well, all performance stores have restricted internet access so employees can only go to performance.com and nashbar.com. Therefore, if you want a really sweet deal at performance all you need to do is make up a price and photoshop a webpage to get whatever price you want and print it off. Performance will have to pricematch whatever you bring in. It is their policy. They cannot verify the piece of paper you give them because the internet access is limited to their own websites. Ca ching$$$$.


Incorrect. The computers in our store can access any site on the net.



> Btw, Rich (or should i say DICK), you're an idiot. Of course this would mean a lot because i spend over thirty hours in that place a week. Tell me where YOU work. You seem to be doing well for yourself with your ellsworth and all that **** you buy (o im sorry, "need"). Your picture in your profile is real impressive (as in not at all). Later.


I work at a Performance location as well. It's a bike shop. I have spent lots of times in bike shops, and the employees at Performance are just as enthusiastic (and knowledgeable) about cycling as at any other shop I have spent any time in (or worked in). There are corporate issues, yes, mainly in the dictation of what is stocked on the floor. However, the mechanics are professionals. One is an ex-pro downhill racer.

Of course Performance is sale oriented! It's a business. All shops, except certain co-ops, are sale oriented. Duh. Capitalism.

I have no profound loyalty to the company. I took the job because it was a summer job at a bike shop. I would have just as happily taken one at any of a multitude of other shops in the city.

My guess is that you are not an employee, but merely a disgruntled customer. Or maybe you worked there and got fired (likely). The fact that you created an account on this forum merely to post this makes you unequivocally a troll. Go away.

EDIT: Old thread, didn't realize that.

Nice bump Nitzer.


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## BumpityBump (Mar 9, 2008)

Waaaahhh!!! My job sucks. Waaaahhhhh!!!

What whiners. If you don't like it, get another job.

Would you like fries with that??


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## VailMaintenance (May 14, 2008)

Out for profits...you gotta be kidding me- Im takin my business to wal-mart- They know how to treat folks- 
Really simple- If you dont like it leave it...there are plenty of places you can go to make crappy money- What makes you think the bike industry would be any different than anything else- Performance is just like Wal-mart...we already knew that


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## iheartbicycles (Mar 14, 2008)

pimpbot said:


> ... your manager and district managers have sold their souls. Heck, they are just running a store for profit. Business guys. It would probably make no difference to them if they were selling insurance, cars, or televisions. No big shock there.
> 
> If you really feel that way and continue to work there, so did you. You are what they call in the 12 step world, and enabler. You know there is a problem, yet you continue to be a part of that problem.
> 
> ...


Peformance Walnut Creek does indeed suck donkey balls. The invalid you mention really doesn't know a damn thing about bikes. Neither do the rest of their employees.

I used to work at this store back in 1995. When I first started it was chock full of enthusiasts - but we all bailed quickly.

Gary Snook - the owner and founder is not the kind of guy you'd ever want to ride or have a beer with.

Their corporate philosophy is bludgeoned into employees. It's basically this:

"Mom and pop shops are dying"

"Peformance chain stores are the future"

"Commoditize everything"

It took a 12 step program of sorts to re-learn why LBS' exist and why they're important.

Service, experience, excellence.

Performance can never offer this.

They can sell commodities cheap - but when you need it done right, go to your LBS.


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## BigDweeb (Dec 2, 2005)

Scary story about the precious snowflakes coming out of schools right now.

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_v...nel=/sections/60minutes/videoplayer3415.shtml

I feel old. Kids these days...


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## verve825 (Mar 16, 2005)

Melt said:


> (i lived in the san frangayco bayarea at the time)
> So UCK performance.


If you're brakes had really gone out, at least the rest of us would have to suffer through one less excruciatingly asinine homophobe on this planet.


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## MTP (Mar 31, 2004)

Note to nashphyl: get an education, get a better job, save money, open your own bike shop. Then your underpaid employees can call you names, complaint about your management style and piss and moan on the internet. 

Get a life.


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## G_Blanco (Feb 26, 2007)

Many people would agree that I have one of the best jobs you could have and guess what, a lot of times it sucks ass!


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## dragonhead08 (Mar 19, 2007)

BumpityBump said:


> Waaaahhh!!! My job sucks. Waaaahhhhh!!!
> 
> What whiners. If you don't like it, get another job.
> 
> Would you like fries with that??


Dont you mean cheese?

I actually really liked the Berkeley store. The mechanic there was totally cool. But the new one that opened in Dublin has an a hole for a mechanic. I brought my bike in for a free tune up (performance membership) and instead of saying anything he turned some counter standee around that had scrawled on it in sharpie "no repairs". I asked him if that meant they dont honor the lifetime tuneup policy. Wouldnt say a word and just kept pointing at the sign. I finally had to ask him if he was capable of speaking or if he was a mute? Probaly not a good idea now that they have my bike. I guess I'll just eat the cost and take it down to livermore cyclery after he screws it up.


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## HotBlack (Feb 9, 2008)

That's retail. And that's the bike industry at the retail level. And it gets plenty worse, kiddo.

The point of a menial job like that, if you're not getting anything else out of it, is to motivate yourself into pursuing bigger and better things, so you won't have to work one like that ever again.

But, man, it gets a lot worse...


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## iheartbicycles (Mar 14, 2008)

HotBlack said:


> That's retail. And that's the bike industry at the retail level. And it gets plenty worse, kiddo.
> 
> The point of a menial job like that, if you're not getting anything else out of it, is to motivate yourself into pursuing bigger and better things, so you won't have to work one like that ever again.
> 
> But, man, it gets a lot worse...


I doubt too many people that have worked both at Perfomance and in real bikes shops would agree with you.

I've worked in both - and there's definitely a difference.

At Perfomance I barely made enough to eat. Jeff Levitz the district manager made a point of my diet one time "all you ever eat is bagels" - cuz I can't afford anything else you Fcuk!

After working at Perfomance I went and worked at a LBS. I ended up making more than double at the LBS, had full medical benefits, got regular bonuses and had the pleasure of working with people that were in it for the love of cycling.

Performance really is the McDonalds of the bike world.


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## OnyRS (Dec 17, 2007)

The way I see it, buying non-important and cheap items at Performance is what allows me to have enough money left over to buy the important quality stuff and pay for quality service at the LBS.


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## commutergrl (Sep 3, 2007)

*nash*

I hear you. Not all retail is the same! It sounds like PB corporate structure promotes really bad (only dollar focused) management. A much better management style is customer service oriented and what survey after survey says is that people return to those stores more often, listen better to the advice of those sales people even when they're recommending a more spendy part if their advice has been proven correct before, and basically that style of management makes more money in the long run. I know that once I find a store that I respect, I return time after time, and am extremely loyal. And I recommend them all over the place. If a store burns me, I spread that too. It's only fair.

Now that you've got some experience under your belt, you can probably get a job at a bike shop and get appreciated for your integrity.

I've heard similar horror storys from PB employees before. The guy I was talking to was hired as a mechanic. His experience was that he'd read a book on fixing bikes. During his time there, he fixed countless bikes that were brought back b/c the veteran mechanic had installed the wrong part, installed it wrong, etc.

Don't let a bad manager ruin you.

c


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## cocheese (Jan 12, 2004)

I bought into their rider's club thing. When I went to cash in my points, it would never work. It never let me log into the system and the people on the phone were of no help whatsoever. They sent me any email the other day saying that they had charged my card for another year of "membership". Yeah, a membership of people getting flamboozled by corporate America! I told them to cancel my membership and to give me my money back. They said they would, but I'm surely going to check my CC statement this month.


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## DrNickels (Jan 7, 2008)

> Scary story about the precious snowflakes coming out of schools right now.
> 
> http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_vi...ayer3415.shtml
> 
> I feel old. Kids these days...


Wow, I was born in 1982 so I fall into this age generation, but goddamn I have to say that life is nothing like my childhood, my life now, or my future life.

I've had a job (at one point had 3 jobs while going to college) since I was 10 years old. I used to mow lawns, shovel snow, paint houses, do yard work, etc. for money growing up. In the summers I picked tomatoes and bailed hay on local farms. I used to work in 105 degree heat with high humidity in southeast Ohio. Mom and dad never bought me expensive clothes or coddled me. Hell I can remember when I was in high school if I wanted clothes, I dug into my own pocket and bought them. The way my generation is being portrayed just sickens my f$%%# stomach! I can't believe there are kids out there like this, but I have seen them. I teach a few undergraduate courses as part of my graduate assistantship for med school and I can't believe how some kids act. I have had a parent e-mail me before and demand that little Jimmy get extra credit. I looked up little Jimmy's name in my grade book. Why was he getting a C in the class instead of an A? He skipped class for a week and told me flat out he and some friends wanted to go to north carolina to go scuba diving......Mom still thought he deserved his A.

As for people changing jobs, I can understand that. I know I have worked hard for my education and put my time in, and I will not settle (at least not for long!) at a job I hate. I worked a shitty lab job for a year before going back to graduate school and let me know you if I had to work 70 hours every week again with no medical benefits to speak of, a manager who knew nothing, did nothing, and took credit for all of my hard work, I'd probably take my AR-15 and clean house in the office.

My parents both barely finished high school. My mother worked for 25 years as a billing clerk for a hospital. My father worked for a power plant and was treated like ****. I will never do that! The problem with why kids are going home after college is this. 20 years ago a high school education was all you needed to get a job that payed well enough for you to live and raise a family on and sometimes you didn't even need a high school diploma to get that job! (My uncle worked 30 years for the railroad and barely finished 7th grade!). The problem now is a high school diploma is nothing, a bachelor's degree is the new high school diploma, and the masters or doctorate degree is the new bachelor's. I am waiting for us to introduce the doctor doctor doctor or master doctorate degree. Every employer wants experience and treats every employee with disrespect and hatred. I know it isn't this way everywhere, but our boss actually referred to me and another co-workers as his educated niggs! Yes! it's true and nothing was ever done to him! I can remember him yelling at us all the time and cussing us out! No one ever got a good job, or a thank you.

I don't know, it is a different generation, but I think the reason we are seeing it and hating it, is deep down, we are jealous that these kids have it all, want more, and they will get more, while the rest of us keep plugging along hoping something we deserve comes down the pipe.


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## long1773 (Mar 3, 2004)

*Be the change you want to see in the world*

Reading this thread reminds me how much I hate stores like Performance and Walmart. So much so, I just went and cancelled my membership with Performance. I figure even if things like tubes and Gu are a lot more expensive at my local bike shop, I can afford to pay a little more for them. I'd rather live in a town with a bike shop I can walk/ride to, even if it means a pay a little more in the long run.

As far as working in bike retail goes, it sucks. I've worked in bike shops on and off for most of my life, literally starting in elementary school. I had an opportunity to buy a decently successful bike shop a few years back from a good friend but turned it down because I hated the retail sales part of it so badly. In my experience one of the best ways to make money in the bike industry is through repairs. My friends shop made almost all his profit on repairs. Stores like Performance and Nashbar made it impossible to make money on sales. One day when I was working for him, I compared our wholesale prices to the prices in a Performance and Nashbar catalog. Their catalog prices for components were as cheap as our wholesale prices. Try competing with that and making money.

If you hate working there so much and want to stay in the bike industry, you might look at setting up a repair business of sorts. I know a number of college kids who set up 'mobile' repair services and made good money at it. Another option is something I did when I was a kid. We set up contracts with stores like Kmart to assemble their bikes for them. It's sort of like selling your sole to the devil but it paid good money and meant people who were buying bikes from Kmart were at least getting safe bikes with the fork facing the right direction.

Performance sucks, but every time we shop there we feed into the system. I'm not rich (in fact right now I'm in grad school going into severe debt because of the weak dollar and poor exchange rate) but I figure I can pay $6 or so for a tube. I might just have to eat out one less day a week.


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## Da Dook (Oct 6, 2007)

DrNickels said:


> I don't know, it is a different generation, but I think the reason we are seeing it and hating it, is deep down, we are jealous that these kids have it all, want more, and they will get more, while the rest of us keep plugging along hoping something we deserve comes down the pipe.


I'm the same age as you but this pretty much sums it up. Living in a college town a new set shows up every year with benz's, beamers, and monster trucks and I can't help but think sometimes as I work 50 hour weeks, why not me? Not saying the OP is one of these kids. He's just plugging away too.


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## Razorfish (May 9, 2008)

Pretty much the only reason to work at a place like that is to make sure your backpack is full at the and of the work day.


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## jet9n8 (May 1, 2008)

Yep...Performance is a last resort option for me always. They are good for mail order parts and that is it. The physical store itself is much like our Sportmart. They carry every type of accessory, but it pretty much all is low end.

I overheard the mechanics laughing in the shop because they admittedly had no idea how to do the shock overhaul that they were "attempting" to pull off. Pretty scary.:eekster: I guess that consumer/customer had to learn the hard way...


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## JeffNC (Feb 11, 2008)

Performance / Walmart stores are going to become less attractive in the not to distant future.
Gas *will* hit $6. to $8 per gallon. this will increase the *real* cost per mile of driving your car, which is well over $1.00 per mile and will hit $2.00per mile with in the next 6 to 12 months.
(It was $.56 per mile in 2004) (I also expect shipping prices to double) Now if the big box store is 8 miles away your real cost round trip will be $32.00 You may be able to walk or ride a bike to the local hardware, grocery, or LBS. So how much are you going to save at the big box store?? The credit card company will be collecting sales tax on your on-line purchases ! (along with our 20% VAT if we have a "national health insurance" program) I know your saying "It'll never happen", well I'll bet you would have said "never" to the idea of paying by the pound for air travel too, well guess what... it's here. It's time to take a hard look at the "real" cost of shopping at Performance and Walmart. Even if they are close by, taking the bike back 3 times to get it right may end up costing more then just having it done right the first time at the LBS
BTW if you drive a car or truck that gets 20 mpg and you drive 5 miles out of your way to save $.05/ gallon and purchase 15 gallons of gas, you just lost $.65 based just on the gas you used to get there. Do you think It's time to change the way we think.?


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## bigpedaler (Jan 29, 2007)

The fate of Performance is in the hands of the people who want to buy things...period.

As with W-M, and pretty much any other retailer, working for them has a lot of suck! moments. Some last for months....

Personally, I check the Perf. website only to see if they have a deal I want to take advantage of...90% of my business is with pricepoint, anyway. The last time I bought something from Perf. was 2001. They've had nothing I couldn't get for less elsewhere.

If they went away, I wouldn't be all that moved....


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## IntheBush (May 31, 2008)

nashphyl said:


> I work for performance and i can tell you one thing: performance is to bikes as walmart is to the general store. They pay their employees nothing and undersell the competition by buying in massive bulk from Pacific Bicycles (the distributor of mongoose, schwinn, gt). At the store i work they even mark up the prices to employees trying to make pro-deals. In almost all cases i prefer independently owned bike stores to performance. I want to help out customers and get them what they want (whether it be from my store or somewhere else), but sometimes this effort is impeded by my managers' desires to meet corporate sales goals and investor interests. The store manager is a heartless "sales goal" minded machine. He is nice to customers and upsells them stuff they don't need. When he is interacting with employees he is a complete ass. Same with the assistant sales manager. The district manager is an ever bigger jerk and hangs up the phone on me if i don't give him the response he likes to hear. On top of all of this the store operates on a big lie. There are constantly sales. The fact that there are always sales undermines the entire point of the sale itself. If things in the store are always on sale, why have the sale at all? It is basically lying to customers. Performance looks good if you are only paying attention to prices. But those prices are at the expense of north american bicycle manufacturing and honesty. If possible, support your local bike shop. If you buy from performance, you are buying from a heartless corporate machine.


Welcome to America..

Have you considered becoming a contestant on 'American idol', or buying a lottery ticket or something?

How about voting for the Democrats?


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## mjsca07 (Dec 30, 2005)

*Let it die...*

Does anyone see that this thread originated almost a year ago? The only posts the OP has are the ones in this thread. Pretty sure we can all let this thread die now.


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## winchboy (May 2, 2006)

I shop at Rerformance, never had a problem. I have seen them turn around and pull a replacement wheel off the rack when spokes repeatedly snapped on my buddies wheel. (Mavic wheel with a poorly machined hub) They replaced a bike stand I bought straight out when the clamping device began to fail,. the counter folks are reasonably knowledgable, although there is a high turn over. Bought 2 bikes from them and am completly satisfied. I dont bring a bike dack to any shop except for suspension component rebuilds or if I have a wheel built to my specs.. Those go to a high end shop in town, pricey but real professional mechanics. Keeping 9 bicycles in shape I drop a few bucks at Pereformance so I may get better than average treatment, being a member also helps. I like Performance Bikes and most of the folks behind the counter.


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## BFinlay (Jan 12, 2004)

ive had good luck with the performance by me. good service, a few seem to know their stuff, a few dont, but those that dont are willing to double check.

only issue ive really had was when i needed to do a return one day and the only person working who could do it was in the bathroom for a few minutes. so i had to wait. bad timing on my part. cant blame them for that one.


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## Flo Rida (Jul 5, 2008)

I bought some clipless pedals and shoes from Performancebike.com mid June because they had the best prices. Unfortuantely, after I ordered I was notified that both items were backordered (no indication on the website). Finally got the shoes and they were the wrong size, so I had to send them back. Got the pedals eventually but now I'm still waiting on the shoes again. I probably won't order anything from their online store again, unless the price is just that good and I first confirm the item is in stock and the sizing chart is accurate.


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## salimoneus (Oct 12, 2004)

nashphyl said:


> I work for performance and i can tell you one thing: performance is to bikes as walmart is to the general store. They pay their employees nothing and undersell the competition by buying in massive bulk from Pacific Bicycles (the distributor of mongoose, schwinn, gt). At the store i work they even mark up the prices to employees trying to make pro-deals. In almost all cases i prefer independently owned bike stores to performance. I want to help out customers and get them what they want (whether it be from my store or somewhere else), but sometimes this effort is impeded by my managers' desires to meet corporate sales goals and investor interests. The store manager is a heartless "sales goal" minded machine. He is nice to customers and upsells them stuff they don't need. When he is interacting with employees he is a complete ass. Same with the assistant sales manager. The district manager is an ever bigger jerk and hangs up the phone on me if i don't give him the response he likes to hear. On top of all of this the store operates on a big lie. There are constantly sales. The fact that there are always sales undermines the entire point of the sale itself. If things in the store are always on sale, why have the sale at all? It is basically lying to customers. Performance looks good if you are only paying attention to prices. But those prices are at the expense of north american bicycle manufacturing and honesty. If possible, support your local bike shop. If you buy from performance, you are buying from a heartless corporate machine.


tell us something we don't already know. about the only thing i would buy there is a tube.


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## Roswell52 (Mar 25, 2008)

Get a new job.


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## lucero (Nov 21, 2006)

I'm definitely part of that generation, but I've spent the last 3 summers doing 40+ hour weeks moving boxes/building bikes/etc for not much over minimum wage. By the time I get a better job, I'll be grateful for it.


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## rearviewmirror (Jun 14, 2006)

M_S said:


> Incorrect. The computers in our store can access any site on the net.
> 
> I work at a Performance location as well. It's a bike shop. I have spent lots of times in bike shops, and the employees at Performance are just as enthusiastic (and knowledgeable) about cycling as at any other shop I have spent any time in (or worked in). There are corporate issues, yes, mainly in the dictation of what is stocked on the floor. However, the mechanics are professionals. One is an ex-pro downhill racer.
> 
> ...


Well said.. < 10 posts calling out a big bike shop. Definite loser.


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## mfc1984 (Jun 25, 2009)

*What a bunch of maroons*

(to paraphrase Bugs Bunny). Prices goods, quality of mechanics and customers is poor. Agree with the majority of the prior posts that it might be worth shopping there to buy components but go elsewhere if you need repairs.


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## hoonks (May 9, 2009)

I've got to say, my experience at PB was pretty good. Back when I was first getting into biking, I was still just learning how to work on bikes. The mechanic at PB adjusted the brakes on my bike for free (I didn't buy it from them) and he also installed a set of pedals on it free as well. Their prices were pretty good, and most of the salespeople were cool. I would definitely go back if I needed to pick something up.


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## nachomc (Apr 26, 2006)

mfc1984 said:


> (to paraphrase Bugs Bunny). Prices goods, quality of mechanics and customers is poor. Agree with the majority of the prior posts that it might be worth shopping there to buy components but go elsewhere if you need repairs.


hey, cool, way to bump a two year old thread with your first post


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## acctnut (Dec 1, 2008)

Agreed, Performance bike sucks.


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## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

I want my 5 minutes back., Or at least post count credit.


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## chas_martel (May 14, 2006)

I dunno, I bought an XT 770 crank-set from Performance for $179.95.

They also internet price match on anything and everything
I purchase. For example; recently I purchased a Nevegal and a SB8 from them and
they price matched, saving me a tremendous amount on the purchase. Also, I got the
tires right there on the spot. No shipping, no waiting. Yeah, I paid sales tax but so what.

They also, faced my BB for free when I bought the crank-set.

I kinda like the place.


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## rabidchicken (Apr 16, 2009)

Heartless corporate machine?

Explain to me how a corporation is evil and please hold the granola.


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## tomsmoto (Oct 6, 2007)

i love performance! the employees never bs me because they dont care if i buy anything or not. i can return anything, without question, for any reason. its cheap.. they'll price match ANYTHING, even unreasonably priced things.. but mostly, they dont go after me like lbs vultures just trying to make a sale.


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## Kona0197 (Oct 19, 2004)

> They pay their employees nothing and undersell the competition by buying in massive bulk from Pacific Bicycles (the distributor of mongoose, schwinn, gt)


And Cannondale...


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## Dirt Bringer (May 10, 2006)

My local performance is really good actually. Ive been around for a long time, and know when someone is trying to sell me something I dont need, or when something is overpriced. That never happens at the local one. Not only that I get really good deals from them from time to time, and their mechanics are actually very good (arguably better than some local lbs's). I stick to my mechanic at the lbs (hes good) but the local performance is nothing like what your said. Maybe its regional.


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## Broccoli (Jun 11, 2008)

TomYoung2424 said:


> 1. Agreed. Do you shop at Wal Mart out of convience? Most people shop at Perfromance for the same convience. What other bike shops are open at 8pm?


Every damn web site in existence.

That said, I do ride in Performance's house brand shorts. Very cheap and quite well made.


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## tomsmoto (Oct 6, 2007)

performance matches online shops.. if they have it in stock, id rather save on shipping and have it in my hands that day..


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## Broccoli (Jun 11, 2008)

tomsmoto said:


> performance matches online shops.. if they have it in stock, id rather save on shipping and have it in my hands that day..


I would rather save on 9.25% CA sales tax and plan in advance with web sites that offer free shipping. And they do not match EBay and foreign deals.


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## tomsmoto (Oct 6, 2007)

they will at mine.. maybe they're not supposed to, but the employees just dont give a damn :lol: 

the 10-20% you receive back from the membership is kinda cool too.


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## robbyracer (Apr 9, 2009)

I'm late to this party but what the hell. 

Do your self a favor and quit (b!tching and the job) Nobody really gives a sh!t and there are 50 people lined up behind you to work there As for the management wanting to turn a profit yeah that's kinda what businesses do. If you don't like it go join the Peace Corps.


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## Skinner29er (Apr 12, 2009)

I visited Performance in 1995 or 96..the Walnut Creek store. I had a bad experience as a customer. I didnt go back.
I dont begrudge their business philosophy. They just need to make sure they execute it correctly. If they dont treat the customer right we wont be back.
I found another store, got treated right, and never went back to performance. No whining, no complaining...just went somewhere else.
Nothing personal.


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## tomsmoto (Oct 6, 2007)

performance isnt that store.. its not the place you go and ask for help, or ask for tips on riding or maintenance, its not even the place you go to ask for comparisons between two parts they sell.. its the kinda place you walk in, grab what you need, pay 1/2 the price of the lbs and walk out. 

its like the home depot of bikes :lol:


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## nachomc (Apr 26, 2006)

Curmy said:


> That said, I do ride in Performance's house brand shorts. Very cheap and quite well made.


I like their shorts too. Great pricing. Quality seems good too. I've only recently started using their shorts, so need more time, but initial impression is good.


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## Marcus75 (Jul 29, 2003)

*What's wrong with Walmart?*

Like Walmart they provide the cheap stuff to the masses. I don't go there anymore ever since they bought out Supergo stores.


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## Marcus75 (Jul 29, 2003)

*Yeah!*



robbyracer said:


> I'm late to this party but what the hell.
> 
> Do your self a favor and quit (b!tching and the job) Nobody really gives a sh!t and there are 50 people lined up behind you to work there As for the management wanting to turn a profit yeah that's kinda what businesses do. If you don't like it go join the Peace Corps.


That's capitalism! Go France!


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## FruitaGuy (Jun 11, 2009)

I _used_ to work for Performance and I can tell you one thing....I enjoyed it. Years ago I was the service manager at the Boulder store FOR STEVE AND RICK and found that both of them tried their best to answer customers questions to the best of their ability. Both of them treated me with respect, and I in turn, treated them with respect as well. They sell a wide variety of bikes, parts and accessories from a large variety of manufacturers, and if they don't have it, they can order it for you.....or, as I have done many times, STEVE OR RICK may be able to point you in the right direction with one of the other shops in town. My ability to be professional, courteous and flexible also allowed me to easily form relationships with other shop owners/managers in town. That made me a respected member of the bicycle community in Boulder for many years. It also makes it far more pleasurable now, years later, for me to visit all those places long after I left there.


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## LarryFahn (Jul 19, 2005)

nashphyl said:


> 3. At the store i work they even mark up the prices to employees trying to make pro-deals.






TomYoung2424 said:


> 3.I never had this occur at any of the bike shops I worked in, Performance being one of them.


This is our Shi33iest bike shop around. They mark up items like this and then have "sales" in the local newspaper that say "Mention this ad and get 10% off!" Fahn


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## tomsmoto (Oct 6, 2007)

but their fake marked up sales still price items competitively against online shops.. and still just kills the lbs.


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## dcc1234 (Nov 5, 2008)

*The Never-Ending Performance Thread*

Had my local performance shop install a new sus fork on my old steel frame ht.

Few weeks later, headset felt loose- so I went back to the store and they replaced the headset- they said it was rusted-- (why they didn't see that when they installed the new fork I do not know).

The front end /headset of this brand new sus MARZOCHI fork still felt loose so I went back to the store.

The mechanics refused to look at the bike- telling me to take it up with MARZOCHI (sp) or some other BS. :madmax:

After several trips to the store, one of the mechanics reluctantly agreed to look at the bike and he adjusted the headset. Bike is fine now. 

I wrote performance and told them about the sh%**% service from their mechanics-- got no response. :nono:

In the mechanics defense, I suppose they are overworked and underpaid-- but still, I will never use them for mechanical work again. And I will learn how to adjust my own headset!


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## sxotty (Nov 4, 2005)

Wow you just learned the real lesson. The LBS here is awful employees are stuck up and don't really know that much either. When I moved here and went to LBS to ask about trails they were arrogant and rude. Luckily there are other shops, but even the Trek store and performance stores I have been to were better than that LBS. It is like a legend that LBS is magically awesome and has better service. Not to mention how knowledgeable or well paid the staff is.


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## Broccoli (Jun 11, 2008)

dcc1234 said:


> And I will learn how to adjust my own headset!


That's the key. Takes a minute and you do not need to go anywhere.


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## Evil Patrick (Sep 13, 2004)

sxotty said:


> Wow you just learned the real lesson. The LBS here is awful employees are stuck up and don't really know that much either. When I moved here and went to LBS to ask about trails they were arrogant and rude. Luckily there are other shops, but even the Trek store and performance stores I have been to were better than that LBS. It is like a legend that LBS is magically awesome and has better service. Not to mention how knowledgeable or well paid the staff is.




LBS == Local Bike Shop

If there are other shops in the area, then those are Local Bike Shops too.

Yes, even the local Trek store and the local Performance store is a Local Bike Shop (aka LBS).


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Agreed...*



tomsmoto said:


> performance isnt that store.. its not the place you go and ask for help, or ask for tips on riding or maintenance, its not even the place you go to ask for comparisons between two parts they sell.. its the kinda place you walk in, grab what you need, pay 1/2 the price of the lbs and walk out.
> 
> its like the home depot of bikes :lol:


It's the shop where you point and pay.

That said, the Berkeley Performance was helpful in getting me the correct width square taper BB. 113mm was dead on for my bike. They also price matched Cambria at $20 for a UN54.

I went in asking for a 110mm, and the wrench actually bothered to ask my application. I told him, regular mountain triple, Sugino Impel cranks, and he knew off the top of his head what I needed. That has never happened before.

I've gone into Performance bike before, and the wrench didn't even know what Shimano LX was.

But hey, that was a fluke. I would generally never put much weight on their advice. I've seen them spew entirely too much BS over the years.

Pretty much chains, chainlube, and tubes from them. They have a pretty good assortment of nutrition, bags, and panniers.


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## laxman2001 (Jun 1, 2009)

sxotty said:


> Wow you just learned the real lesson. The LBS here is awful employees are stuck up and don't really know that much either. When I moved here and went to LBS to ask about trails they were arrogant and rude. Luckily there are other shops, but even the Trek store and performance stores I have been to were better than that LBS. It is like a legend that LBS is magically awesome and has better service. Not to mention how knowledgeable or well paid the staff is.


well I'm sorry yours isn't very good. Have one of mine. But, what do you expect? Every single store to be absolutely perfect? There are always a few bad places.


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## acctnut (Dec 1, 2008)

One reason I don' t shop at performance is b/c their cost accountants decide to stick the stores in strip malls on the busiest roads around. Makes business sense and they make money off the car rack nature poseur crowd, but it sucks to ride your bike to these stores. Around Palo Alto, we have something like 20 bike shops and a couple of them are actually a great destination ride. Bicycle Outfitter is one of them, with a location on one of th best cycling roads around here. I'll happily spend a little more to avoid driving and dealing with silicon valley north pole equiped yosemite bike path explorers powered by a carpet licker subaru crowd. These folks kind of devalue the sport and are just marketing suckers anyway. I'd rather go into a cool shop and pick up a $4 tube, then be entertained by checking out a $3000 set of wheels and some $130 tires. At performance you may get a $3.49 tube and be entertained by some google dikk yelling at a salesperson over a comfort bike giving him saddle sores or a 900lb non cyclist customer discussing exercise techniques with a 900lb non cyclist performance manager.


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## Broccoli (Jun 11, 2008)

acctnut said:


> Around Palo Alto, we have something like 20 bike shops and a couple of them are actually a great destination ride.


All bike stores around Palo Alto suck and blow at the same time. They never have anything in stock except for overpriced road bikes for all the Woodside posers. There is not even a good MTB wheesetl to ogle anywhere.


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## acctnut (Dec 1, 2008)

That's probably because there is about 7 total acres of mountain biking around Palo Alto, the majority being fire road. This wasn't always the case before the google d-kheads f--ed up the bay area, riding out of control on their performance bought bike or tearing apart gnarly dirt paths on the x-treme dirt bike chassis. A road ride up page mill down alpine to the coast will stamp the fact that this is a good place to road ride and that's what the shops have. There used to be a place called wheelsmith in palo alto, that built OK mtb wheels. If you want good wheels buy some boutique hubs + rims and go at it. Stock wheels are ..... stock and best bought at walmart or performance, as they stock 'em.


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## Broccoli (Jun 11, 2008)

acctnut said:


> That's probably because there is about 7 total acres of mountain biking around Palo Alto, the majority being fire road.


Huh? Yesterday evening I went up the old Alpine to Monte Bello and rode around for couple hours with more then half not on a fire road. Even Arastradero where my wife likes to ride is more the 7 acres. Frigging horses usurp much of land, but it is not too bad. At least peninsula is a bit better then marin or east bay

Road riding popularity is all about taking it easy, looking flashy and riding in groups. I guess it is what's popular.

Shops around still suck. Easier to order a wheeset from England, and part from fleebay.


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## sxotty (Nov 4, 2005)

Evil Patrick said:


> LBS == Local Bike Shop
> 
> If there are other shops in the area, then those are Local Bike Shops too.
> 
> Yes, even the local Trek store and the local Performance store is a Local Bike Shop (aka LBS).


Semantics.

Most would say the that local implies not a chain store. That kills off trek/perf. The other question is how close.

My point is being a LBS doesn't magically make employees competent, well treated, or polite.


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## laxman2001 (Jun 1, 2009)

sxotty said:


> Semantics.
> 
> Most would say the that local implies not a chain store. That kills off trek/perf. The other question is how close.
> 
> My point is being a LBS doesn't magically make employees competent, well treated, or polite.


Agreed, but usually more likely. A store as small as the average LBS usually provides service high enough that it can still compete and survive despite having more efficient competitors. (I.E. more knowledgeable employees, better repairs, and a good fitting). That matters; while not all LBS's are good, the percentage that are is far higher than many other types of stores.


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## precar (Apr 27, 2004)

I always feel a bit guilty shopping there, because I'm all for the small-business local LBS. But considering my own pocketbook is (perpetually) strapped, where else will I find the kind of sales Performance is always having? Where else will I find a carbon handlebar for $25?

I don't go to them for repairs and service though. They're more expensive, first of all, and they always seem too busy, which is good but it means they might rush through the job. I think it's a good balance between buying cheap and spreading my business between big-box and local.


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

> Where else will I find a carbon handlebar for $25?


Leaving the back door of a Chinese or Taiwanese carbon parts factory?


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## precar (Apr 27, 2004)

*I agree*



laxman2001 said:


> Agreed, but usually more likely. A store as small as the average LBS usually provides service high enough that it can still compete and survive despite having more efficient competitors. (I.E. more knowledgeable employees, better repairs, and a good fitting). That matters; while not all LBS's are good, the percentage that are is far higher than many other types of stores.


I agree, that's a very important distinction to make. I've been to local shops where the service hasn't been that great, and prices are higher than Performance to boot. So local doesn't automatically mean good. I guess if you're lucky enough to have a knowledgeable LBS, stick with it.


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## Rock River (Sep 26, 2008)

Is every Walmart or McDonalds the exact same?
Do we still eat there or shop there?
Do we expect gourmet food or top of the line items when we do?

Lots of bike store choices in my area & Performance has been great 90% of the time.
That's about the same as always getting that 1 bad mcnugget !


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