I'm working one day a week on the sales floor this summer at the Bicycle Village store in Boulder. We had a huge Back-to-School tent sale last weekend. Six-figure sales in four days.
It was like fish in a barrel out there in the tent. We were closing 80-90% of shoppers. People just can’t resist a good deal.
Plus, Boulder is such a snarl of University of Colorado students and parents that the drive to U Bikes to comparison-shop takes a half-hour to get 20 blocks downtown. Way less on a bike, of course.
Our top sellers were these: Fuji Odessa mountain bike, $189, Specialized Globe commuter, $299. Bianchi Torino hybrid, $379. All great values. Only the BV buyer could tell you what model years they were.
Folks don’t ask a lot of questions when they’re in a hurry and they don’t know much about bikes. Plus, they still have to brave the mobs across Pearl St. at Target for towels and toiletries.
Not to imply that the buyers were all students. There were plenty of townsfolk in search of a good deal. Probably why Saturday sales were virtually double the year before.
I closed off my 11-bike Saturday with a 75-year-old couple who hadn’t ridden bikes in decades. I spotted the woman on her test ride like she was a five-year-old losing her training wheels. What a thrill! More new riders!
