Bike Shop Bullies

On April 11th 2008, I received a visit from the co-owner of one of the largest single store bike shops in the United States.  Within two weeks I received word from my suppliers that someone in the local area wasn't happy that we were selling the same products as them at our retail store.  In total, I believe three vendors were contacted.  One vendor has asked me to remove their products from my retail store so that stores in the area were happy.   We sell everything at MSRP and we represent the products well in the marketplace.  

Competition gives incentive for self improvement.  If two stores are selling the same product at the same price then the store that gives the best service will get the sale most of the time.  Not only does this benefit the store that does the best job, it   We strive to do this in our market place.  If I loose sales to a competitor I'm not going to go crying to someone that shouldn't be allowed to sell the same products as me.  I'm going to figure out why they're outselling me and the replicate what they're doing better.  

Consumers in Portland, Oregon, as well as the rest of the country, deserve the best service and selection possible.  They don't deserve to have their choices limited because one store views natural competition as unfair.