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Tackle shops


Pangolin

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I've two local tackle shops. One has three guys serving, all under the age of 22, who only ever pole-fish (something I don't do as I prefer rod/line). Their general advice when enquiring on specific products is to offer the most expensive, as "It's the best on the market at the moment".

The other place, which is around the same size ie; two shops into one, is run by three older fellas who have experience of various types of fishing, offer what I believe to be genuine advice, and when not too busy offer you a mug of tea (free!). So, no guesses which one I prefer!

Terry

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There are two shops in Felixstowe.

The first one is a Leeda/redwolf/abu outlet and mainly caters for sea anglers.

The shop is small, not very well lit has very little worth while tackle at expensive prices and the owners don't know much about angling.

For a while it was the only shop here and does not stock maggots or casters in the winter so I had to travel to Ipswich.

 

Two years ago a new shop opened in a part of Felixstowe called Walton.

I was one of their first customers and I have built up a very good relationship with the owner (he was pegged next to me in the 1st match of the winter league and we chatted non stop for 5 hours!).

When he first opened I drumed up new customers for him and was rewarded with a quite a few quids worth of freebies.

The owner has listened to myself and other anglers as to what to makes, baits, tackle etc to stock.

He caters for coarse, sea and carp anglers which suits me down to the ground.

Within a month of starting he had 100+ regular customers.

In the spring of this year he has had to move to new bigger premises due to the amount of stock he has and the amount of customers.

The stock he has are the items you need, not just shelves filled with the same thing over and over in every different make.

If you want something different he will get it.

Last year he got me some sensas sticky mag.

He had not stocked it before and sold the lot in a week.

He has a free coffee machine and encourages anglers to stay for a chat. General coarse anglers chat with carp and sea anglers, some even take up other areas of the sport due to this.

His Father who helps him out lives almost opposite me, I have lost count of the amount of times he has delivered bait and items on a Friday night due to me being stuck at work.

 

Thats service.

 

PS I also get interest free credit if required and 10% off tackle.

RUDD

 

Different floats for different folks!

 

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RUDD, That sort of customer service only exists in the 1950s, are you sure your telling the truth?

 

im highly suspicious of anything that vaugly resembles good customer service as this is almost extinct. I decided to order some floats over the net the other day, they were posted to me loose in a normal envelope, broken.

 

I have about 4 tackle shops at my disposal. 1 Stinks to high heaven but has a variable pricing structure, the other is in the middle of beruit (dont park outside for more than 2 mins) and the other is ok-ish, if your in with the in crowd.

 

Is good customer service restricted to the bloke who lives accross the road from RUDD or do other shining examples exist (preferably around Leicester)?

A bird in the bush is worth two in the hand

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Hi John Ellison bet I can guess which shop you are talking about, not been in there since the old man died, him who runs it now is as you say a "Noddy" and a pain in the wotsit always use to give me grief when I went in so stopped going altogether, pity the other one has shut down as well, got on well with the owner of that one .

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John Ellison:

I stopped using one shop because the bloke that runs it, does not, or has ever fished.

I've fished all my life from being 12. I first used that shop when this blokes wife's grandfather started the business. Her father then continued with it and was a very nice bloke, who you could talk to. When he died, she took it over with her husband.

The bloke's a Noddy!

When I asked how old are these maggots, he said fresh this morning. When I do my first run off of casters, what do I get? Blackfly! Blackfly if there are any present in a batch ALWAYS are the last to turn. He's tipped the back end of last weeks batch in with the new. When you tackle him about it, he denies it.

Time after time I've tripped him up with my vast experience versus his none and prefer to use the shop 2 miles out of town where all the proper anglers go. It would be a goldmine but for him.

Fred would turn in his grave if he knew how is shop had gone downhill.
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Carp & match free, and one which sells landing nets other than the kiddies size or those great bloody triangular things.

 

Oh! and one that doesn't say 'all hooks are wide gape in those sizes', mate.

 

I take it you are referring to old Fred Alexander, Tyke.

Bought my first pint of maggots from old Fred. That was about 1953-4 when he had his shop at the bottom of Lower Kirkgate. He asked did I want them wet or dry, soon found out what 'wet' maggots were. God he was a grumpy old so 'n so.

Many years later I finished up living just round the corner from him, 397 Milnthorpe Lane. Paid 35 bob a week for that house, no bath and shared an outside toilet with next door. The wife would never use it, had to take her down to toilets at the bottom of Kirkgate just before the Calder bridge...happy days

 

Called in the shop a few weeks ago, I assume then that was the granddaughter, got the immpesion she didn't have much idea. Neither did the guys at the shop in Outwood. Said they had just taken it over. They were the ones with (or without) wide gape hooks.

 

[ 19. September 2004, 10:13 PM: Message edited by: wearyone ]

Tight Lines,

 

Wearyone

 

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I have four local tackle shops but use one exclusively except when they dont have casters when I use one other. I started fishing again this year and went to one shop, Gerrys and met up with a member of staff as I was looking at Shakey seatboxes. I got chatting to him and told him I was starting out again and half an hour later I left with a load of good starter gear and a bag of freebies as well as where to fish in the local area. Since than I have got back into my match fishing and have probably spent about 2 grand in there. Everytime I have had good service, a few quid knocked off and something thrown in. I have been invited to fish with the lads from the shop and and do so weekly fishing matches with then and for them. I have made some great friends through the sho pand have introduced half a dozen new customers as a result.

One of the other shops is closer to me and I went in about 5 times when i was starting out but never got a friendly word or any advise from the staff in there, their bit is crap and I only used to keep going to get casters as the main shop I used did not have them. The final straw came when my girlfriend bought 6 pints of casters from there on my behalf as I was working away and needed them for the following day. She told me they had looked her up and down and had struggled to bother to serve her. The casters were crap and I got 3 and a half pints of floaters when I cleaned tham.

Good service and manners costs nothing but has resulted in me sticking in one place and enjoying our sport far more and get good advice as well.

Find a good friendly shop and stick with it.

Gary

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Good advice Garry.Have sadly found more bad than good but must admit to being lucky with my "new" local shop - Ashford Tacklke,always good friendly service and I very rarely spend much there due to having tons of gear allready.Never to much trouble to order something a bit unusual for me.

And thats my "non indicative opinion"!

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