So I got a job at a ski shop...

Tall_Paul

Tall_Paul

Member
just wondering what I should expect because I'm guessing some of you guys on here work at your local shop....
 
Learn your gear.

Also it takes a while, but being able to gauge your customers interest level is important if your trying to make a sale. A seriously intense racer dude won't be keen on this season's K2 Revivals neither will a guy who is happy taking a few quiet runs and just having a good time want to buy Völkl GS skis. It may sounds obvious, but the job makes itself easy if you can figure this bit out.

Also be a genuinely nice dude - stupid questions do happen - if it's from a "gaper" let it slide. If it's a local or a regular they will probably laugh at themselves, but no matter what happens DO NOT BE A DICK. Return customers are always nicer and if your lucky you get some pretty cool stuff - I got a crate of beer and burgers bought for the whole shop cause I fitted a whole family every weekend for 3 months, prepped their daughters race skis and could remember them and their gear.

Sparknotes: Know your gear. Know your customers. Be a decent human being. (That applies to pretty much any shop based job ever)
 
All of the above.

Also, don't push your own personal agenda. Just because you have gear that works best for you doesn't mean it's going to be the best for someone else.

And please wear a belt
 
you're an idiot, as a boot fitter i wouldn't put anyone in a full tilt unless they ski park or have a problem putting boots on. anyone who buys full tilts gets them from the internet or doesn't get a boot fit anyway.
 
I work at one and it's great, on the slow days we watch netflix and play nerf basketball. There's usually a large supply of pizza and free ski wax. Good time good times.
 
images


check your meter.
 
Hot bitches trying on boots with no panties, pot gardens on the roof and freeky women, that is what ski shops are made of....
 
ur an idiot, you must be the worst boot fitter in ur shop. a proper fitter would sell a boot on the shape of the shell. Full tilts are just a re branded raichle, nothing about them makes them park specific. plus where the fuck do u work sport check? i work in one of the bigger shops in whistler and we have people coming in for them all the time.
 
i have a done a reasonable amount of boot fitting and have never gotten a complaint. close to everyone that I fit would return and tell me thank you for making the ski experience more enjoyable. you don't sell a boot based 100% on the shape of the shell. do you understand the importance of flex, canting, shell thickness, and even the buckles? you do realize that full tilt does market primarily to the park scene right?which means that they are park specific. also if someone comes into a ski shop and says they want a certain ski boot, it is more than likely that it isn't the correct boot unless they had been previously fit. i know how to fit a fucking boot, and in my personal experience the demographic for full tilt is much smaller compared to any other brand.
 
FT are not park specific ski boots. Okay they make just about every boot besides racing. All mountain, big mountain, park and what not. And if the boot fits you right and you ski park doesn't mean you have to get a park boot. Mike Riddle was wearing an Atomic RACE boot during half pipe comps.
 
Dont be afraid to not know the answer to something.

I hate when I go in a shop and ask a question and get the feeling that the person helping me is just feeding me bullshit because they dont know the real answer.
 
know your gear, and know your customers. theres no use telling a mother the stats about a pair of skis if she only cares about if the color matches her boots.
 
why am i arguing with people that buy everything online and wear full tilts anyhow? guess i should have seen this coming. not a fan of full tilt. the end.
 
because you're making broad generalizations and some pretty stupid accusations.

who the fuck are you to say that you wouldn't sell someone a full tilt boot unless they ski park or have a hard time using boots? I'm sure thats why seth morrison stocked a room with flexons when raichle went under and why he skis full tilts now. he probably doesn't understand how to put on a ski boot. or maybe they're the only boot that works for him the way he wants... and by the way, he charges 100 times harder than you, so to call FT a park specific boot is like calling you intelligent. both lies.
 
seriously. id love to know what shop. so i can tell no one to ever shop there. you might be the worst "bootfitter" i have heard of.
 
do you actually think that he rides a store bought boot?

he most definitely has a different tongue and probably a custom shell as well.
 
do you wear full tilts? i have worked at multiple shops. for you to judge my boot fitting skills for the simple fact that i don't prefer full tilt boots is absurd. i have tried multiple boots, (including full tilt) and i will continue to voice my opinion when someone simply states that full tilt is the only brand anyone should ski. i am not arguing specifically with you, I am just disappointed in the newschoolers community for not giving other brand recognition (other than salomon SPK's) if you don't think my accusations are right I don't know what else to say. i would actually love to run you through what ski boot you should be in, and I guarantee I will be right in the sense that you give me an accurate description of your skier type, weight, what you ski on, where you ski, what your foot looks like (instep, calf, previous injuries, arch, width/last, toe issues), and size of foot. pm and i will give you a boot fitting (through the internet) and you can determine my skills. also to the other guy, i don't think you can really compare many people to morrison in the first place? i am not saying full tilt is a park company, i am saying that they are primarily aiming towards the park/freestyle genre of skiing.
 
You are basically ruling out an entire brand of boot through a broad generalization. I dont ride Full Tilts, I have a boot that Ive already found that fits my foot quite well. But to say they are a park based company is incredibly wrong, considering the best big mountain rider in the world arguably rides and backs their boots. They make a vast range of boots, just like every other major boot manufacturer on the market.

The kid wasnt saying Full Tilts were the only brand anyone should ski, its been a Newschoolers joke for years.
 
the fact that you just offered to boot fit through the internet proves you're a moron.

nobody is saying that full tilts are the only boot anyone should ski.

please stop talking.

 
You make extremely broad generalizations, and simply rule out a brand of boot because you don't like them. Therefor I hope I NEVER get fitted for a boot by you.
 
This for sure.

Someone else above also mentioned to be genuine too which is great advice. If you need help in the beginning (and you will), dont be afraid to say "I'm not sure about that, let me grab someone who can help us out". That kind of service goes a long way with customers. Speaking from experience, i walk away from salespeople when i start to smell the bullshit.

Also, my shop didn't care if its new hires sold anything for the first while so long as they spent their time shadowing experienced salespeople. See if your shop is cool with that and if so, follow everyone from the best sales person to the asshole and pick up as much as you can, it will help you define the whole process of getting info from them to help them find what suits their style, fitting/sizing them up, and closing a sale. All key.

PS. Start selling/fitting with kids too...easiest way to break the ice ;)
 
agreed too mutch hype on ft the make nice boots but there over priced and 90% of the people buy them cus there FULL TILTS!!!!!!!!!!! and TOM WALISH rides em i used to be a trend whore and i owned the hot douger from two seasons back and it was the shitest boot ever. i would recomend tring on some other boots

 
All my shit on my tilts are broken and no shop carries enough parts to fix them . I think theres a issue . That being say , no shin bang but everything else no thanks il'l buy salo or tec next. That being said , busted ass tilts anyone? anyone?
 
learn the gear you're selling. first just get the ability level of all the boots down, so it's just a matter of trying a couple on until they find one that's comfortable with no heel lift and no pressure points. eventually, through experience and asking those with experience, you'll get an idea of the shapes of the different boots so that when you look at a foot, you'll have a pretty good idea what boot to put on it.

as for fts, if your shop carries them, don't hesitate to sell them, but not to everyone. if you see a huge ham foot, chances are they won't want a hot dogger, but if someone's got a narrow foot, doesn't hurt to suggest them. they've got just about the best liner going in boots, easy to put on and they're light as all hell. but you've got to be careful. tons of kids come in looking for some todd wallnutz boots, and their feet simply don't fit. sell what they need, not what they want.
 
this.
But unless it's saturday afternoon skip the drugs and alcohol while working. You don't want to make your shop a shit show unless it's a big box store like sports authority.
 
Haha, I actually have a poster of him doing a Mute off a park jump in his flexons, on the wall of the shop at my house.

But to the OP ... I really appreciate it when the person is knowledgeable, but also shares that knowledge with me. I feel like I know a lot about skiing and equipment, but there's always something I can learn. I got new boots last month, and the guy fitting me explained everything as he went along and discussed all questions I had. I learned a few things from that, and feel more comfortable with the boots now.

I'll buy my next skis and next boots from that guy. He built some customer loyalty, just by communicating and being helpful.
 
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