Sorry for the rant, but a recent trip to a local retailer got me thinking - maybe sometimes, just sometimes, the local stores fold because of bad customer service, and not just being undercut by big on-line retailers. I try to support local merchants as much as possible, but sometimes I'd rather deal with a faceless computer screen and UPS.

I was at one of my local retailers to buy $20-30 worth of tying materials. I ended up having the following conversation with the shop employee/owner. (Conversation condensed to its essence).

Shop employee asks "where are you fishing?"
Me: "Well, I am going for steelhead on River XX."
Employee: "Cool. What's your setup?"
Me: "XX lenght XX weight rod."
Emp. "What line? What reel?"
Me: "XYZ and ABC."
Emp. "Well, that's really the wrong set up for that river. Where did you get the rod - I bet it was a 'show special.'" (he says with a patronizing tone as if only an idiot would buy a rod at a show.)

Emp. then proceeds to pull out 3 very very nice high-end rods, $500+ each. "Here feel this." Me: "Well, yes, this is sure nice in the hand." Emp: "Try it with this super sweet reel." (Puts on $500+ reel.) Me: "Well, that sure is sweet. But I'm not spending that kind of coin." Emp: "What do you do for a living?" Me: "XYZ." Emp, laughing "Oh, you can afford This."

Seriously!!! They basically made fun my gear, and impliedly suggested that I was an idiot for using that gear on that river. And then tried to up-sell me a kit in excess of $1,000, again with the suggestion that I would be an idiot to fish River XX with anything else. Seriously, that's how that treat new customers off the street (I am not a regular there.)

Like I said, some retailers, even local ones, do not deserve our support. Needless to say, I will not spend a cent in that store. Not that I'm a big spender, but a sale is a sale, especially in a recession. After all, rods, reels and lines to need to be replaced once on a while.

Oh, and once I got home, I bought the tying stuff I was looking for on-line. Probably cost a little more with shipping, but the on-line shopping basket did not patronize me!

Sorry for the rant. But maybe some retailers will hear the lesson!

Dave