The Pro's Closet at it again

[peanutgallery]

From my armchair, "they" are still buying skis like the road to salvation is paved with them. Bikes....not so much

In a roundabout way, I think you just described in detail, the management team at TPC and their decision making process over the last 30 months

Originally Posted by Clean39T

Recession's hit different at different levels. I'm guessing the average TPC client is middle-income, looking for a deal below MSRP - and a lot of their growth was driven by a lack of inventory at traditional outlets and free money during the pandemic showing up in people's pockets (whether that's PPP grifters or just not spending it on vacations or commuting, all the same). Now that most are ignoring the pandemic and are back to doing what they do, and HELOC's and cash-out refi's aren't keeping folks swimming in leveraged cash, it's a different ballgame. Add in lay-offs elsewhere for the millennial demographic that buys a lot of bikes and stonks/crypto nose-diving, there's got to be just less cash changing hands for consumer baubles. The crappy thing for TPC is that there's about to be tidal wave of folks looking to offload their pandemic purchases on the cheap to make rent or buy xmas gifts - and without another influx of cash it's going to be cheap to pick those bikes up for pennies on the dollar to make a nice resale margin to the folks that are still employed. That's my armchair take. Which is inevitably wrong. And who cares anyway? It's their business, not ours - and unless their management is here posting under an alias, we have zero idea what is actually going on with the company, their strategy, etc. That press release could be a corporate MadLib for any company in these times.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Old School

If buddies at The Pros Closet aren't struggling, why not keep staff on?

That would only help young struggling families.

Pay them to work to INCREASE the positive outlook for the business. Clean the bikes chains, post test rides on youtube, engage social media on more forums. Paint the building. Clean the bathrooms extra well. Reorganize the break room.

To just fire them when the outlook is less sunny than you anticipated, seems like a very Trumpian move. ("You're Fired!").

Or has capitalism crept into Boulder, in a Trojan Horse named "Venture Capital"?

How many laid off were from 'struggling young families'? I don't know either but most I know there are single, young people who don't have 'families'. Getting laid off isn't going to drive them anywhere but to their next job.

Oh please...It's OCTOBER. The unemployment rate in Colorado is 3.4%. There are help wanted signs EVERYWHERE. I can see you have never owned a business. 'Capitalism' is alive and well, even in Boulder. I guess if a 'favored' business like say, REI announced layoffs, the PL hive would be all, 'smart guys, wish them well', but it's The Pro's Closet so gotta be sinister, those nasty people, making those young families live outta their car in a Walmart parking lot..

'Trumpian move'...not sure you want go there Mr School...

How about "adapting to a changing market"?

Can't be..it's The Pro's Closet, with lots of that nasty, dirty VC $...and those guys, they take pictures of the poor laid off people, as they walk, head down, to their van, which they now gotta live in, with mom and the 3 kids(two crying). And post them in the executive lounge...then they all laugh and scratch, as they drink expensive IPAs from a local craft beer place.

Yeegads....

[old fat man]

Wowzer. Old spud, super defensive of the pros closet!

The layoffs suck for those impacted whether single or family members. And it's likely a sign that their business model is slowing down. I've made multiple attempts to sell them stuff recently and their offers were laughably bad. I had sold to them in previous years for fair offers.

Like most leisure consumer markets, the cycling world is retracting back towards normality in terms of pricing, spending, and employment numbers. Now, if only the essential markets (food, fuel, housing, education) would reset to pre-pamdemic prices, the socioeconomic gap might retract too.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by old fat man

Wowzer. Old spud, super defensive of the pros closet!

The layoffs suck for those impacted whether single or family members. And it's likely a sign that their business model is slowing down. I've made multiple attempts to sell them stuff recently and their offers were laughably bad. I had sold to them in previous years for fair offers.

Like most leisure consumer markets, the cycling world is retracting back towards normality in terms of pricing, spending, and employment numbers. Now, if only the essential markets (food, fuel, housing, education) would reset to pre-pamdemic prices, the socioeconomic gap might retract too.

I get tired of using the same companies as punching bags when the people throwing the punches either have some personal beef with them or just don't like the big, successful big guys. I know a lot of those guys and they aren't a bunch of sinister people looking for ways to screw the 'little guy'. And 'Venture Capital' isn't a 4 letter word.

Rapha
TPC
Campagnolo
Silca
Others

Now sram, slam away..cuz I admit it, I DO have a personal beef with at least 2 people 'there'....

And ya want nasty business practices?...Quality Bike Parts....

[AngryScientist]

Inside scoop I heard : TPC caught wind that Clean39T was cutting back a little this off season, so they had to lay off their entire "big bikes to PDX" department.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

Inside scoop I heard : TPC caught wind that Clean39T was cutting back a little this off season, so they had to lay off their entire "big bikes to PDX" department.

My God, the Dukes are going to corner the entire big-bikes market!

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Oh please...It's OCTOBER. The unemployment rate in Colorado is 3.4%. There are help wanted signs EVERYWHERE.

Yep, the people laid off by TPC likely won't be out of work for long. In fact, FedEx has a huge hub across the street from TPC, and they're hiring.

[Lgibjones]

It doesn’t seem like they’re appearing as prominently as they used to in internet search. This coupled with the renewed eBay presence makes me think they’ve reduced their advertising budget. This opens some room for small shops to appear in search results.

[BobbyJones]

I mentioned this in another thread: eBay is the least expensive, hyper targeted “advertising” a retailer can buy.

Originally Posted by Lgibjones

It doesn’t seem like they’re appearing as prominently as they used to in internet search. This coupled with the renewed eBay presence makes me think they’ve reduced their advertising budget. This opens some room for small shops to appear in search results.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by Lgibjones

It doesn’t seem like they’re appearing as prominently as they used to in internet search. This coupled with the renewed eBay presence makes me think they’ve reduced their advertising budget. This opens some room for small shops to appear in search results.

I don't know about that, I just did a search (Google) on my work computer (that I don't go to TPC on very often) for "used road bike" and it was the very first result and had "Ad" next to it (which I assume means a paid ad?).. in fact they appear twice more on the first search page (not "Ad" results)

[raygunner]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

My God, the Dukes are going to corner the entire big-bikes market!

This is the funniest thing I’ve ever read on this forum.

[zetroc]

Turn those machines back on!

[robt57]

Originally Posted by raygunner

This is the funniest thing I’ve ever read on this forum.

I am still chuckling..

I read newest post first, so you gotta read the funny ones backwards. They become a reverse joke back to the punch line. As it did this time.

But I hope Cleans new digs don't have a 4 car garage for both his and TPC big bike inventory/ramifications..

[4151zero]

Originally Posted by raygunner

This is the funniest thing I’ve ever read on this forum.

It's only better if you hear Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy conversing it aloud.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by robt57

But I hope Cleans new digs don't have a 4 car garage for both his and TPC big bike inventory/ramifications..

Two car. And I think the cleaner-half wants to use part of it.. so things will be a bit tight. It does have a lot of overhead storage though. I think I'll manage.

My priorities for 2023 though are: Fit > Fitness > Function > Form.

Anything new that I get has to be because the first one isn't working on what I already have.