Bringing Bikes into Retail Stores

Sometimes I am making a quick stop at a small store and don't want to spend the time locking up my bike outside. I have a U-lock and two cables, and sometimes it takes longer to lock/unlock my bike than I am spending in the store itself! For bike shops, I don't have a problem bringing my bike in; I feel like this is expected there. My question is more regarding other stores (e.g. stopping in Half Acre to pick up a couple of beers). What are everyone's thoughts on this? 

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Permalink Reply by David P. on April 26, 2012 at 2:36pm

I've walked my bike into the North Avenue Home Depot, my neighborhood (Avondale) Walgreen's, a few other CVS and Walgreen's stores, Urban Orchard in Andersonville, the liquor store at Foster and Clark, the hardware store by the Congress Theater, Franks and Dawgs, the boulangerie on Logan Square, and a bunch of other places that I can't remember. I can only think of a couple of times when I was asked to leave it outside, and none when I was given dirty looks, so my judgement seems to have been pretty good so far.

David

Permalink Reply by dav on April 26, 2012 at 11:50pm

I asked if it was okay and the staff at the Starbucks I visit on my way to work are fine with me bringing my bike inside.  Ask the store staff permission.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 27, 2012 at 12:21am

You must be talking about Sportif on Lawrence.   Roll a bike in there not to be worked on by them and you'll get barked at.  Then again just walk in there and you'll get barked at too -so what's the difference?

h' said:

My impression is actually that bike shops are the most irritated by people bringing their bikes inside, usually because there's no good place for them.  I vaguely recall a few that had a sign on the door that bikes could only be brought in if for service (won't try to name them because I'm not 100% sure.)

Permalink Reply by Minh on April 27, 2012 at 1:45am

I usually ask if I can bring it in unless it's a bicycle shop.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on April 27, 2012 at 2:17am

It depends on the bike shop.  Rapid, both north and south, do not care because we have the space for it but other shops, ones that have space issues, do not.  Element Multi Sportis one that comes to mind and it is because they are PACKED into a space to small for them.

h' said:

My impression is actually that bike shops are the most irritated by people bringing their bikes inside, usually because there's no good place for them.  I vaguely recall a few that had a sign on the door that bikes could only be brought in if for service (won't try to name them because I'm not 100% sure.)

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 27, 2012 at 2:33am

+1  

Some shops are really crowded with very little floor space to spare.  Smart Bike Parts on Armitage is one of those smaller spaces that is pretty iffy sometimes to bring a bike into -and it is often just packed-full of folks this time of year (because they are a good shop, naturally.)  If everyone brought their bikes inside people would be standing and rolling their bikes on top of each other almost.  At other times I'm sure it is fine when you are the only one in there.  It's a judgement call.    

I also wonder about theft issues as well. I wonder how often someone wheels in a junk bike to a busy bike shop, wheels it around a little bit, sly swaps the junk bike with a high-end one on the floor and non-nonchalantly wheels it right out.  It could happen -and it's got to be in the back of some of the minds  of owners, managers, and employees of shops.    Shoplifting is a bad enough problem in this city, but losing an entire high-end bike must really be hard on the bottom line of a business like a bike shop that already has low margins.  

Bikes in a shop add to crowding, and crowding adds cover to shoplifters.  Most bike shops are not going to yell at you for bringing a bike in (how can they?) but it has to be one of those situations where it adds a level of stressfullness to the situation of keeping an eye on the shop while making it that much harder to attend to the customer's needs and questions while they are distracted by such. 

I'm sure this also goes for any other type of retail shop too.  

notoriousDUG said:

It depends on the bike shop.  Rapid, both north and south, do not care because we have the space for it but other shops, ones that have space issues, do not.  Element Multi Sportis one that comes to mind and it is because they are PACKED into a space to small for them.

h' said:

My impression is actually that bike shops are the most irritated by people bringing their bikes inside, usually because there's no good place for them.  I vaguely recall a few that had a sign on the door that bikes could only be brought in if for service (won't try to name them because I'm not 100% sure.)

Permalink Reply by Justin B Newman on April 27, 2012 at 3:33am

I've thought about this a bit, and with the exception of the bike shop, when there for service, I leave the bike locked up outside. Why? I don't expect to take my car inside a business that's not an auto mechanic. Ultimately, I feel like it's appropriate to leave my transportation "curbside."

-jbn

Permalink Reply by Tim S on April 27, 2012 at 5:49am

I have brought my bike into plenty of shops and never been given any grief. Don't get me wrong it is not a habit, but I have done it. After a long ride where, I don't have my lock with me, I may want to pop in a store for a quick purchase so I don't need to walk down the street after dropping off my bike. 

Not that big of a deal IMO.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 27, 2012 at 6:53am

Always.   Trying to finally get a complete set of Derailleurs this year without cheating.   I'm not so sure if it will be possible in November but I'll continue to give it a good hard go for not missing a single mass this year.

h' said:


I thought I'd made an effort to avoid communicating that bike shops might not be completely justified in such a policy, but I guess there's nothing much else to argue about today.

You massing tonight?

Permalink Reply by Jeff Blumenthal on April 27, 2012 at 10:56am

Don't take it on the escalator at Macy's. Field's would let you do it, but not these New York guys.

Permalink Reply by Greg Valent on April 27, 2012 at 11:21am

Only tried it once, brought into Home Depot at Addison and Kimball as I was just hitting the returns cashier. Hardly even in the store. Once in awhile I see a bike inside Tony's on Elston. Just inside the door near the carts. Have never seen anyone walking around with one though. I prefer to lock outside. If no place to lock, I don't really need to go in. BTW, the HD at Addison and Kimball really does have a bike rack. It's by the flagpole behind all of the garden plants and stuff.

Permalink Reply by Bob Kastigar on April 27, 2012 at 3:02pm

Too many of these stores have the wheel-bender type of bike racks outside.

Me, I use a cable lock on the garbage cans at Jewel, which is notorious for the wheel-benders

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