Hi All

In my opinion it is not just one place. I for one like dealing with Mike at Ted's but can't say I've been real impressed with all of the help he has working. I have witnessed rudeness etc. and a smile " hi how are you doing" goes a long way at any store.

My wife fishes and is well known for catching a TON of Salmon on some of the local rivers. I metioned the post to her tonight when we were driving to the hockey game. She reminded me of her experience last fall at a tackle shop in Burlington or Sedro Wooley (not Holiday). She went fishing on the Skagit and some of the guys she knows up that way had mentioned one of the local stores. She needed new waders and wanted some Humpie spoons etc. She went in, picked out the spoons and started looking at the Waders. None of the help said hi to her, can I help you etc. They did have time to bull**** and screw around in the front of the store, look at her sorting through the waders etc but didn't offer to help. She walked out, leaving the spoons and not spending any $$$. She was hoping it was a store she could frequent and feel comfortable in. She won't be back. She also went to get a 2nd punch card last fall (she filled the 1st one with kings). Different store, again she was not impressed with the help. Felt she was kind of ignored because she was a lady. With 15+ years of customer service for a great company, she knows what good customer service is and in both cases, she didn't get it.

So, I bought her Waders at GI Joe's for XMas along with a Lamiglas Certified Pro. I also bought myself some new boots. I upgraded after the guy working in Sporting Goods saw me looking and asked if I had looked at the Korkers (great boot & CUSTOMER SERVICE). After showing me the boot etc, I was sold. I spent $400 +. Yes, price was a factor. It was not the main factor. If I had loyalty to a Tackle Shop like I have to other businesses in my area, GI Joe's would not of gotten our $$.

I'm making these comments in hope that some owners will realize that customer service is an issue. The market is changing with the NET and companies like GI Joe's moving in. If they don't watch out, more and more people will go elsewhere and our choices will shrink.

In closing I want to give you all 1 example of what good customer service can do. A few years ago Home Depot moved into Bothell. I'm sure a lot of you have been there. McClendon's is less than a mile away. I was worried they would be driven out of business by Home Depot's marketing advantage. The opposite has happened. McClendon's is doing great and all of my neighbors go to McClendon's 1st (like a lot of other people I'm sure). Not because they are cheaper or are bigger. It's because of the great customer service/help. Try walking around the store looking at stuff for 5 minutes and see how many times a worker says "can I help you find anything". If the store my wife went to had done that, GI Joe's would not have gotten all of my $400.

Thanks for letting me vent!