NMU Alpine Boarder Posted November 3, 2010 Report Share Posted November 3, 2010 For the past year, I've been working at a Dick's Sporting Goods here in the Chicago area... It's not what I want to do with my life, but given the economy, I've been able to make it work... They quickly noticed I knew a good amount about skis and snowboards, so I was given some latitude in working in that department... My experience was mostly on the sales floor however since we had the department lead running the shop, and another 2+ year veteran of the store covering whatever our lead couldn't... My "shop" experience was hand waxing some skis and mostly mounting snowboard bindings for customers as they bought their gear... About a month ago I was asked to go through our Ski/Board Tech training... Attended a great clinic on the how and why, but still lack the actual experience of working on other's gear... Fast forward to today.... I was informed that our lead's last day would be a few days from now and that I would, in all likely hood, be running our shop this winter... I kinda had an inkling that this was coming since our lead had been having problems with our new store manager since the manager started back in June... Still kinda shocking to see it actually happen... So here I am, basically being handed the keys to the shop... Kinda scares the crap out of me, lol... I've learned a ton from you great folks here at BOL and from various other people... Got a ton of experience from working on my own gear as well... It just kinda hits home when you are the guy that someone comes to when they can't fix it themselves, lol... If I messed up on my own gear, it was my own damn fault... Now the margin for error is gone... I know that we're located on Chicago's south side, 2 hours from the nearest "real" ski area, and that 90% of my work will be mounting snowboards and system skis... It's just that other 10% of work that bothers me... Guess I'm just gonna have to go track down some 1980's style 200cm skis and start mounting/remounting bindings and play around on the stone/base grinders, lol... Oh well... Should be an educational and hopefully fun winter :flamethro:flamethro Any tips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted November 3, 2010 Report Share Posted November 3, 2010 Suggestions: Don't pretend. Need help, ask for it , find it. Confide in your other employees. Allowing yourself to make mistakes allows them to make mistakes and know you will back them up. Building a repor that will last and pay big dividends. Seek out a mentor, sources may be closer than you think. Reps, others in the store, other shops. Reps can be a huge asset. Many are veterans of the industry. It is a win/win just remember they are there to sell first of all. Look for local clinics and anything and everything, even if the clinic may seem to be a stretch, you might meet others that can help you in your quest for knowledge. Books, some super good stuff out there. Find one of the older shops in town, work for free or trade out some time with a journeyman tuner/tech. Could be worth gold down the road. Not to mention you will have a source of info to call when it gets dicey. Nothing like being thrown into the fire to motivate a person to learn. Use that, just keep your attitude positive when things turn to shzt. It is a sign of leadership to SERVE those you direct. I.E. don't be an azz and treat the shop guys well and they will walk through fire for you. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMK Posted November 3, 2010 Report Share Posted November 3, 2010 and good luck. You will do fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeho730 Posted November 3, 2010 Report Share Posted November 3, 2010 Good luck! You'll be fine unless some of your subordinates start fighting with each other.... That'll be the test of your leadership skill... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skatha Posted November 5, 2010 Report Share Posted November 5, 2010 You'll be fine-just remember your resources....a very wise biology professor told me "it's better to know where to look stuff up than to try and memorize everything" The most important thing is to remember that your customers, who may be very wrong about everything, are trusting you to ensure a good experience. Be patient with them and learn how to re-direct gently if need be.... I remember taking the skis in to get a wax-I used to do my own board, but it's easier to have the skis done-and the guy ahead of me brought in a pair that were extremely rusty. From edges to bindings....he was expecting a no-problem tune job. I really felt sorry for the shop dudes then.... This was, of course, in Houston, where people have more money to ski than ski sense... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMU Alpine Boarder Posted November 8, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2010 Thanks for the kind words from everyone... It's going to be..... interesting to say the least... Had a simple wax/sharpen on 2 boards this weekend and it took almost as much time to track down the needed tools and stones as it did to do the actual work... I'm definitely going to have to get in there this week and take inventory and organize everything... I'm also having fun trying to get certified to work on ski bindings... No one seems to have the authorization/shop codes that I need to enter on the Rossi/Marker/Salomon website to get certified without paying for it... All in all, despite being a little rough around the edges, things seem to be coming into place... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncermak Posted November 9, 2010 Report Share Posted November 9, 2010 email sent... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carvedog Posted November 9, 2010 Report Share Posted November 9, 2010 the ones from Racewerks are fairly tool centric but it seems like they are doing some good stuff. http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ski+tuning you can search more specific problems and as always - take it with a grain of salt being the interwebz and all, but there is some good stuff there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted November 9, 2010 Report Share Posted November 9, 2010 "it's better to know where to look stuff up than to try and memorize everything"Words to live by! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMU Alpine Boarder Posted December 27, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2010 Ran into my 1st major problem today... Just curious what I could have done differently... I was given a pair of Line 181 skis w/ Marker Griffin bindings... Kid got new, bigger boots, so he wanted a re-mount done... Kid dropped off the skis on Thursday night and needed them by tomorrow AM to fly out west somewhere... Quicker than normal turnaround, but doable... So I go and get everything ready to go... Pull off one of the toe pieces and see that there is a set of plugged holes... My first thought is that this is gonna be the 3rd time the ski is going to be drilled, so I better call the customer to make sure he wants me to do the re-mount... (I am under the understanding that a ski can only be drilled 3 times) I call the customer up and explain the situation... The customer has no idea that there are plugs in his skis... He bought them new and only had them mounted once... I explained that you could only drill a ski 3 times, so I asked if he wanted me to proceed... At this point, I realized I wasn't sure what I could do if he told me not to proceed... Thankfully I was told to just mount the bindings since he was leaving tomorrow... Looking back on this deal, there are several things that could have sent me down a path I would rather not tread... - Since I pulled the toe piece off, how could I have replaced it without damaging the ski if the customer didn't want the full remount? Could I have just placed 2 inserts into the 2 holes that the toe piece screwed into? The screws for the track were not touched, so that was ok... I simply couldn't have just rescrewed the hardware back into the ski, correct? - It appears that the other shop just plain effed up the drilling/spacing for the toe pieces... Both skis had plugs about 6-7 mm short of where the final placement ended up being... There was only 1 set of heel pieve holes however.. After careful placement, I was able to get 3mm clearence between the old/new screw holes for the toe pieces... Problem is that there are now 12 holes on the frontside of the ski... I assume that this is it for mounting these skis now? There is no way to mount bindings and have the boot mid-sole anywhere near the ski mid-sole... - Say something like this happens where you do misdrill something... I would always tell it to a customer, but what can you really do if they are pissed? Is there any alternative to just plugging the holes? - These were freestyle skis, so they were a truly centered mount originally... I was able to mount these just behind center, close to the more traditional mounting placement... If I run into a similar problem on a traditional ski, can I mount the bindings toward the center? Is a center mount something that is only desirable for freestyle? All in all, today was definitely a learning experience... Everyone seemed to come out of this happy, but I can see how this could have blown up really quick... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoltan Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 I wouldn't have re-mounted the binding for him. I don't ski or know skis, but if the limit is three, then don't go beyond three. You've opened Dick's and yourself to liability if the ski now breaks and the kid is injured, especially since you called them, told them the limit is usually three, and then mounted it anyway. I know you're just trying to help them out, but unfortunately in today's society you need to CYA first. When I worked in the bike shop, there were plenty of repairs I refused because it would have been unsafe and could have made the shop liable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carvedog Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 I wouldn't have re-mounted the binding for him. I don't ski or know skis, but if the limit is three, then don't go beyond three. You've opened Dick's and yourself to liability if the ski now breaks and the kid is injured, especially since you called them, told them the limit is usually three, and then mounted it anyway.I know you're just trying to help them out, but unfortunately in today's society you need to CYA first. When I worked in the bike shop, there were plenty of repairs I refused because it would have been unsafe and could have made the shop liable. Zoltan I understand your cya attitude but your reading comprehension=fail. The third time was with the redrilling that our young ski tuner performed. That is why he called the custy to say "with this mount that I do, you will be done mounting this pair of skis". As I read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoltan Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 That's what I get for reading at 5am. :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykcuz Posted December 29, 2010 Report Share Posted December 29, 2010 Know your store policy foremost. If you ever did open them up to liability you would be on thin ice or gone. Be known as the guy that always gets it done, but don't be a push over. Always be honest with your employees, and NEVER gossip with or about them. That will make them comfortable to be honest with you when they mess up, so you have the accurate info to handle a situation. Remember you work at Dick's so there is no embarrassment in saying, "Let me check on this first." especially if it's the difference in replacing a $1000 setup because you were inexperienced on a random $100 tuneup. I take the Dr's oath here...Do no harm. Always act as if it was your own equipment. And when you do screw up admit it(ski not tuned up to the right angle, or forgotten) and tell the customer What your are able to do to make the situation right. say to them i want to make this right for you, this is what i'm able to do for you. Make sure your employees have a sincere smile, there's nothing worse than an employee who looks like they hate their job. And if you strike up a friendly convo when you have time..where are you skiing how long? followed by a small compliment, you will find that people who could do their own work will keep coming over the years to give you the business.(It's all about relationships) Again some will try to get something for nothing, so know the situation, and don't be a pushover. These are some basics of why people prefer small business' to corporations, most are only at dick's because it's convenient, and cheaper because of the economics of high volume stores. If you offer the small ski shop charm and knowledge(built over time) you will do great. Best of Luck, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinecure Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 - Since I pulled the toe piece off, how could I have replaced it without damaging the ski if the customer didn't want the full remount? Could I have just placed 2 inserts into the 2 holes that the toe piece screwed into? The screws for the track were not touched, so that was ok... I simply couldn't have just rescrewed the hardware back into the ski, correct? Put glue in the holes and re-screw. If his bsl had only grown a tiny amount, this would probably be the route you'd have to take anyway. In order to get enough separation between holes, you'd probably just re-mount the heel back a 5-10mm. Boot center would not be very far off the mount line in this situation. - It appears that the other shop just plain effed up the drilling/spacing for the toe pieces... Both skis had plugs about 6-7 mm short of where the final placement ended up being... There was only 1 set of heel pieve holes however.. After careful placement, I was able to get 3mm clearence between the old/new screw holes for the toe pieces... Problem is that there are now 12 holes on the frontside of the ski... I assume that this is it for mounting these skis now? There is no way to mount bindings and have the boot mid-sole anywhere near the ski mid-sole...Sounds like they drilled the toe holes for traditional mount and then realized they f'd up. Didn't tell customer because they knew the binder would cover the mistake holes. Totally bogus move.- Say something like this happens where you do misdrill something... I would always tell it to a customer, but what can you really do if they are pissed? Is there any alternative to just plugging the holes?If you mis-drill for the mount, first offer should be to comp them the cost of the mount (assuming you can re-drill in the right place). I'd also tune and wax the skis for free. If skis are new, plus since most people never re-mount, that will probably satisfy them. If they're really pissed, IMO you owe them a new pair of skis (especially if you sold them the whole kit). Measure twice, drill once. - These were freestyle skis, so they were a truly centered mount originally... I was able to mount these just behind center, close to the more traditional mounting placement... If I run into a similar problem on a traditional ski, can I mount the bindings toward the center? Is a center mount something that is only desirable for freestyle?Center mount is a freestyle only deal. It f'ing sucks for free-riding on most everything else IMO. My son has ridden skis both ways and hates the center mount. He rides switch a lot, but doesn't do a ton of park stuff. Don't mount centered unless that's specifically what the customer wants. They'll also want really stupid looking short poles (like 30"). If you sell tall tee's, I'd push them toward a shirt that matches the color of their stubby poles. ;-)The customer should never go back to the shop that f'd things up without telling him originally. Oh, and in this case, if he really wants versatility and the option to ski two different positions, he could switch to the Schizo version of the binder - it moves fore and aft a cm or two. FYI, you can get a ton more info on this topic on the TGR forum than you will here. Lots of people there do lots of re-mounts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.