Wal-Mart Introduces Full Service Bicycle Department
On November 7th, Wal-Mart entered the world of full service bicycle stores when it opened its new Highland Village store just north of Dallas. The entire store was revamped with a fresh new design. Fixtures are lower, aisles are easier to navigate, and there are no more crates of product in the middle of each main “drive” aisle. The look is very clean and enticing. On top of the major changes in design, Wal-Mart included a true full service bike shop in place of a serve yourself bike department.
Wal-Mart says, “The department will employ professionally trained bike mechanics to provide quality service, maintenance and repair.” No new brands have been added to the store, but higher quality bikes are definitely part of the assortment. Mongoose and Schwinn continue to be the main brands offered, and Wal-Mart says that they will offer a wide range of quality bikes. The store manager, Brad Cullum, said,:
Our wide variety of bikes will include something for everyone, from a child getting his or her first bicycle to the serious cyclist looking to upgrade. We’ll have youth bikes, road bikes, cruiser bikes, adult trikes, tandem bikes, electric bikes and an expanded assortment of comfort and hybrid bikes. We’re especially delighted to feature Schwinn Women’s Inspired bikes, which are ergonomically designed for the female rider, and the new style of Electric Bikes from Currie.
The neighborhoods in the area of the new Highland Village store are connected via a system of biking and walking trails, so Wal-Mart worked with the city to included bike routes to the store. There is even an area out in front of the store to take a pit stop. The park like rest area for cyclists includes a gazebo, air hose, and water fountain. Wheter a Wal-Mart fan or not, you have to applaud the effort to make it easier to go to the store in a more eco-friendly way.
15 Responses to “Wal-Mart Introduces Full Service Bicycle Department”
1 Levi 6 December 2007 @ 3:28 pm
You know, I never thought I would see the day…
I just hope it puts more people on bikes and leads to a bike-friendly society.
2 Gary 12 December 2007 @ 10:03 pm
please stop selling the deterrent to bicycling and i will be very happy.
There are two entirely separate bicycle industries; bicycles intended for real use are sold primarily in bicycle shops, and also, to some extent, in sporting goods stores. Bicycles sold through this side of the industry are well made and sturdy, and are sold fully assembled, tested and guaranteed.
A parallel business uses department stores and discount stores for distribution. They concentrate on a much lower price segment, and sell a drastically inferior product. The bicycles sold in department stores are made as cheaply as possible, from the poorest materials avaialable. The average department store bicycle is ridden about 75 miles in its lifespan from showroom floor to landfill. The manufacturers know this, and build them accordingly. Department store bicycles are most commonly sold in a partially disassembled and un-adjusted condition.
“SB”
3 admin 12 December 2007 @ 11:01 pm
I am not sure that I entirely understand your point. Who is selling the deterrent to bicycling? Walmart? What is the deterrent you speak of?
4 bikesforothers 13 December 2007 @ 6:34 am
I hope this will dramatically improve the condition of bikes sold in department stores. I recently evaluated a girl’s bike at a department store and found three crucial things wrong, including not nearly enough air in both tires. When I finally found the person who worked that department, he unapologetically replied they did not have an air pump! I will wait to see how they address their current philosophy, “One size fits all.”
5 John Conroy 13 December 2007 @ 7:32 am
SB — That’s an amazing statistic about department store bikes — a lifetime of 75 miles. I’d like to cite it in the future. Can you tell me where it comes from? Many thanks.
John
6 Miker 13 December 2007 @ 8:31 am
Gary,
I’m not sure you’ve taken a close look to compare the low end models from bicycle shops to the models at department stores. From working in a bike shop and later having done work on lots of department store bikes for kids in my neighborhood (not full time, more as a favor since they had no local shop to help them), i would say the initial quality is in the same ballpark.
the more significant difference is lack of competant service to the bikes. wal mart isn’t competing with bike shops for bikes or service. what person who may barely be able to swing the cost of a $120 bike is going to pay $40-60 each year for a tune up? in the same thought, are you going to take your bike to walmart to save $20 on a tune up?
in my experience, the most crucial steps are a good build, then a good tune up after a few weeks of riding. once a bike gets this, it can usually go for quite a while without service other than wear parts. if people have an accessable place to get small tweaks taken care of, their bikes will last longer, and they’ll probably ride more.
for every bike shop bike commuter i see here, i see 4 or more people riding department store bikes to work, or to the store. don’t forget about the bike riders who decide on less expensive bikes that take care of their needs practically as well as a really sweet bike shop bike. i’ve always used a cheap or old bike i found in the garbage (maybe with 75 miles on it) fixed up as a commuter just for the sake of not worrying about it being stolen or trashed.
Mike
7 Nate 13 December 2007 @ 9:52 am
It seems clear that Wal-mart is not really interested in providing any particular type of service let alone any particular type of service well as a business, but instead is simply interested in having complete control of an entire market. Wal-mart is in the business of power, or power as business.
8 John 13 December 2007 @ 2:05 pm
Department store bicycles are a rip off. It is no wonder many people are turned off by the thought of using a bicycle as a legit form of transport due to department store bikes. The bikes sold at department stores are heavy, poorly made, poorly assembled, and inefficient. Typically they are not even built properly and the cost of repair is usually more expensive than the bicycle itself. I’m guessing these Wal-Mart Bicycle service centers are only going to give people a poor first impression of cycling.
9 sne free 13 December 2007 @ 2:42 pm
haha, it’s going to be hundreds of thousands of people being told that it’s better to buy another “next” or “mongoose” bike because fixing the derailleur or rusted chain would be worth more than the bike itself.
does anyone honestly believe that this could be a good thing? The further decimation of small bike shops? “but at least they’ll sell cheap and nice bikes now!”
bullsh*t. nothing good can come of this. Walmart is about continually selling unsustainability.
10 Evan 13 December 2007 @ 3:15 pm
sne free
LOL Gotta love that new “buzz word” sustainability. Im surprised I didnt see “carbon footprint” either…..geez, go back to the commune.
11 Zed 13 December 2007 @ 7:41 pm
Why tune a department bike, when you can just buy a new bike for a few more dollars?
12 Nathan 14 December 2007 @ 9:40 am
Tune a “department store bike” because throwing it away is a waste of the energy and resources that went into making it. As my grandpa says: Take care of [your bike] and it’ll take care of you.
The question is: why do repairs cost more than a brand new bike? Why are repair shops unwilling to repair a piece-of-shit bike?
I asked a guy in a ‘real’ bike shop to overhaul a hub. He said, “Yes,” then he tried to talk me out of it. “The hub is going to cost as much as whole new wheel,” he reasoned. “This one’s still useable. I don’t want to waste it,” I countered. After hearing and understanding my feelings he agreed to do it, then tried again to talk me out of it. I was 2000 miles from home - and my tools - I was running out of time. This went on for an hour before I left with the same hub and bent axle.
Our society is accoustomed to throwing things away before they’re used up. It’s tragic and it’s a reality that it wastes energy and resources. “Reduce reuse recycle.” “Sustainability.” “Carbon footprint.” “Commune.” “Can’t we all get a long.” “Whatever.”
Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?
More importantly: Why am I posting on this message board?
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