Support your local Tack shop

B

Bazzer

New User
Joined
5 November 2009
Messages
3
Visit site
ALSO POSTED IN STABLE YARD

Come on guys...I hear so much of people having bad experiences of buying online...Isnt it about time we all supported our local tackshops?

Most nowadays are only too happy to help..If they havent got it in stock they try their hardest to help find it and order in for you...Often coming up with other ideas or suggestions.

We are happy to wait days for stuff to come in from websites never knowing whether its on its way or not... can't we wait a few days for our local shop to order something in if they haven't got it in stock?

Pricewise most shops are as keen as the online retailers plus if it breaks, doesnt fit or whatever you just take it back and they'll exchange it!!! No more expensive return postage, queues in the Post Office etc.

Please dont just use your local shop for finding out a size...i.e body protector, hat etc then go online and see if you can save yourself a few pennies....How many of us have ordered online and found something doesn't fit?

LOCAL SHOPS NEED YOUR SUPPORT NOW...Many have allready closed...once they're gone they're gone!

Dont forget where the Websites started...They were once a small local shop and the majority have long since forgotten about their local customers!!

Please don't just buy the small items locally buy the bigger items and don't forget a small shop can not and never will carry the product range an online retailer can offer...HOW MUCH STOCK DO THEY ACTUALLY HAVE INSTOCK? I doubt as much as some local shops.

Yes local shops may not be able to compete as well on price ...but think of their overheads...Rent, Business rates, Electric, staff, insurance...propably 2 or 3 times the online retailer working from a warehouse.

BECOME A LOYAL CUSTOMER OF YOUR LOCAL SHOP AND I'M SURE THEY WILL BEND OVER BACKWARDS FOR YOU!
 
So online retailers aren't too happy to help? And won't bend over backwards for customers? That's a sweeping generalisation IMO!

Appreciate your point, but being an online retailer is no less work than running a 'local' shop. Harder, in some senses. Not everyone is dissatisfied shopping online!

Personally would rather spend my free weekend time with the horses & shop online in the evenings, when local shops aren't open.

Two sides to every argument
wink.gif
 
Down here in West Cornwall both local tack shops are not alot of use unless you are a pony rider or like pruple.
As for blokes stuff, forget it, all you hear is "we can possibly get it in" and wait weeks or months.
I have given up and get most of my stuff on line.
I would love a decent tack shop doiwn here, but Equestrian Stop closed some years ago and Country Rider seems to have gonbe quiet.
 
I appreciate your point... BUT when they charge an extra £25 for a hat that many recommended online retailers sell, is it any wonder people are going elsewhere? Incidentally I bought the hat from the tack shop as I wanted to try it on, but I see why people wouldn't.
 
I do suport one of my local ( 30 minutes away) tack shops but the other is over priced and staff are rude to the point that last time I went into the shop I voted with my feet and left all the things I ws going to get one the counter as the two members of staff were more intrested in talking about the men they had been out with the night before. After 10 minutes and a few excuse me's I walked out and will not go back.
 
My localist one has the hours right it is open till 6 and later one evening is also open all weekend. Some of the others arent

I pften want to look at stuff before buying but find that no one tack shop has what I want as they all stock their own brands. Also the trouble with ordering things in specially off stock often makes it harder to send it back.
 
I am lucky to have one of the best local tack shops In south devon, Newton Abbot, to be exact, if they haven't got it in stock then it soon will be, Yes it is a little bit more expencive, but quality always is, and the staff are always polite and helpfull. In the past few years amongst other things I have purchased 2 saddles from them, and I have to say nice things about them because I love my account, just hope to get it to zero some time this centuary. Love you Mr Coombes
grin.gif
 
Before I moved house, our local tack shop was a Saturday afternoon source of horsy gossip and information. You met people you hadn't seen for a while and caught up. Puppies were brought into be shown off. If your own puppy wee-ed on the floor it wasn't a national crisis. If you bought a rug or jodhpurs or whatever, you could take them home to try on and if they didn't fit, you took it back and swapped it or ordered the right size. Or you could struggle to try them on in the back room with the racing on the portable telly (the jodhphurs, obviously - I think even there you couldn't have squeezed the horse in). Ok, it wasn't instant, but the horse isn't going to die for want of a few days. There was a Christmas raffle with loads of prizes and lots of Christmas stocking fillers. There was no room to move in the shop but that's because it was always full. The notice board was a treasure trove of what was going on. Why was a certain someone selling that horse? Is that livery yard short of customers that it has to advertise - wonder why, it's been popular? Glorious speculation. I don't have anything like that now and I do miss it. I didn't find the prices anything out of the ordinary either and in fact got one of my best rugs ever for about £25.00. I will not buy on line as I like to see and feel what I'm getting. But then it suits a lot of people, so each to their own, I suppose. I wouldn't like to be left with on line as the only option though.
 
I support my local tack shop- I went in today after a frazzling day at work to chill out looking at tack and she made me a cup of tea and gave me a biccy!
grin.gif


I do buy most of my stuff from there but there are somethings I just can't get from there as this tack shop tends to stock end of lines, seconds, closeouts, etc. Side saddle stuff is notoriously hard to come by so most of that is sourced online.
 
Excellent post and I totally agree. As Rolls said, the only good shops here are gone, I used to work at Equestrian Stop, and you won't find anywhere better. The shops here now are terrible. Country Rider went bust.

Theses shops closed due to the choosing instore then buying online.
 
We have a wonderful local tack shop, they even have a news letter which describes themselves as such (always reminds me of Royston Vasey
tongue.gif
) I managed to spend 3 hours there one afternoon and bought a tub of suplement! I ndo sometimes buy things online, particularly brands which the local shop doesn't stock. I also bought a lovely second hand saddle from them, sold my old mares saddle through the shop and they never even took a commission! They just let people run an unofficial swap shop
smile.gif
Also if I forget my purse, or have no change they let me run up a tab, how good is that?
 
I try to support mine, but they never seem to have what I want in stock, and when they have tried ordering something it in, it never turns up, or takes weeks (a lot to do the equestrian wholesalers and manufacturers not supporting their network of retail outlets).

I just can't be doing with this!
 
I'm another in favour of supporting your local Tack Shop (and any other local businesses for that matter). It may be that I am slightly biased as I actually own a tack shop but I thought I would put my two pennies worth in. Yes competition is fierce with online shops taking a large slice of the market, keeping prices competitive harder due to often paying retail rental prices and not just a warehouse, encouraging people to come and have a look instead of using their usual outlet etc etc but I believe in good quality customer service, if I dont have it I will do my upmost to get it for you and will also make you a cuppa!! I've tried to stock a good range of goods at reasonable prices and have monthly star buys, gift vouchers available etc. I'm building a website tho just to keep up with current trend in online shopping and have an ebay shop. Please don't judge all tack shops the same, there are some out there that believe in good old fashioned come in and try, take away on appro etc etc. And if any of you are ever in Guernsey please feel free to pop in for a chat and a cuppa or if I can help anyone in anyway just pm me!
grin.gif


Debbie
 
I am in favour of supporting the local tack shop - but sometimes they don't help themselves. As above the best are those that make themselves the 'centre' of horsey goosip and activity. Thre is a brilliant one near here which can always recommend a local person for clipping/training/grooming/child minding, know what horses/horseboxes are for sale locally, support the local shows, always give lots of advice (even if its why a product isn't the best for you) and will match catalogue prices.

The worst are like the nearest one to me which the first notice in the shop is 'please don't ask for a discount, offence will be taken', has inflated prices is dark and gloomy and the girls are so busy bitching about previous customers they rarely notice the ones they have.

I guess what I am saying is if the tack shop owners put in the extra effort it seems they can really have a thriving business as they add that something 'extra' a catalogue never can.
 
[ QUOTE ]
(a lot to do the equestrian wholesalers and manufacturers not supporting their network of retail outlet

[/ QUOTE ]

This is so true, I know several top manufactures who will deliver from the internet within a couple of days but mess the tack shop around for weeks.

Have a thought - do you really need it now? I try to buy all I can from our local tack shop and love them dearly.
 
I do when I can BUT if I want to buy clippers and I go in and am fairly brusquely told "well we don't stock them, we can get them but it'll be several days before we put an order in and the price will be £235" then I'm left feeling not very well treated given that I went home, got online to check a price, phoned a company and with a 15% discount voucher I'd been sent taken off and postage added on the whole bill came to £163.65 with the product delivered in two days.

I'd have been happy to pay even the RRP to the tack shop but to be charged extra for the attitude and to have to wait, sorry but no. I am aware that it was one particular sales person and that most of the others would have told me I'd have been better off buying online and I'll keep trying to buy things there.
 
Really interested in this post as I'm looking to open one in my area where I feel there is a definite shortage of decent tack shops. Seems to me the issues are about customer service, range of stock and opening hours.
Any other thoughts would be welcome, not meaning to hijack!
grin.gif
 
I'm planning to go to my closest one tomorrow. Need to get a few bits and pieces and would like to see if I can get them around the same price as online but without waiting for postage. I'm really all for supporting local businesses, but at the same time, do tend to see what the online price is to see if I can get a better deal. I think this is just the way with shopping now and people trying to save money if they can.
 
we have a few with in a reasonable distance the furthest away one is a small chain with a few shops over southern scotland but i find it very expensive to cluttered and the staff were very rude and most unwilling to break up there conversation to help you!!! getting feed from the warehouse was a major issue it could take up to half an hour to find someone to give the receipt to!!!
there is one 5 mins from my house which also sells alot online which i sometimes use for feed and the prices are reasonable but again the staff are to busy chatting on there mobiles about the weekend plans to care!!!
the best shop is further away privately run and smaller but the staff could not be more helpful and friendly so in my experiance the smaller privately run tack shops are much better and more helpful and i would rather pay slightly more to help local businesses and good customer service!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top