Golf Town

[Kilroy]

I went to Golf Town for the first time today. They do not advertise on OG, but I went to pick up some gift certificates they offered as prizes for the OttawaGolf Open for CHEO, so they were already in my good books.

I looked at shoes for 5 minutes before an employee asked if I'd like some help. I said I was lookin around, and he left me alone. 10 minutes later when I had 3 pairs of shoes I was trying on at the fitting bench, another fella came along and offered assistance. I then draged him around for 20 minutes looking for "Black leather, size 11 wide, with a good pad inside the heal, and a minimum 2 year waterproof warranty". Only when I was in the process of trying on shoes did he go and see what another customer wanted, always keeping an eye on me, and returning to offer something new. Just perfect service.

I bought a vey nice pair of Foot Joy - Dry Joys (just like my old ones after all) on sale from $229 to $149.

I'll be back. I shop too. BIG store, lots of goodies.

[Gopherhomes]

Same experience for me. Always can count on great service there. I spend money and I know I'm getting what I want when I go there and at a decent price. Nothing but smiles about Golf Town. I hope they open a Centre Town location :>

[Andru]

GT rocks. I own a condo in the store now. It saves me the drive.

[jonf]

WOW. Went today for the first time, and will be back. Two things i noticed right away, other that selection:
1 - I was actually served, despite being a teenager - i find many stores tend to neglect younger buyers
2 - I told the employee that i didn't need any help, and WASN"T repeatedly pestered by every other employee in the store...I was allowed to shop

[jeffc]

like the selection, service when I was there, but....I received a coupon for a free swing analysis. I called to book the appointment, and they couldn't reach the pro at the time to book it so I left a message. I never heard back from them. Not so impressed by that.

[VanDen...]

Has anyone been blessed with the opportunity to deal with any of the females at Golftown....good service....GREAT LOOKS. Man, are they hot. I love golf, but now i love shopping for golf even more. I love girls...therefore, i love golf town. YUMMY!

[Steelhead]

I bought clubs the other day and the staff helped me find something that was right for me instead of finding something that is good for them. Excellent service and friendly staff!!

[LongHitta]

Has anyone been blessed with the opportunity to deal with any of the females at Golftown....good service....GREAT LOOKS. Man, are they hot. I love golf, but now i love shopping for golf even more. I love girls...therefore, i love golf town. YUMMY!

take a walk through Golftown in Scarborough.....talk about YUUUUUUMMMY!!

[h22a4_bb6]

i can add to this as well ... i recently got a pair of shoes there and the sales guy helped me without rushing and made sure i was a happy camper and it was already closing time ... i asked him if he makes commission and he said 'no' ... so all that good service even though it was closing time was because he's a good person, not because he's trying to make commission off of me ... thumbs up for their service ... worth the LONG ***** drive out to kanata

[LongHitta]

i can add to this as well ... i recently got a pair of shoes there and the sales guy helped me without rushing and made sure i was a happy camper and it was already closing time ... i asked him if he makes commission and he said 'no' ... so all that good service even though it was closing time was because he's a good person, not because he's trying to make commission off of me ... thumbs up for their service ... worth the LONG ***** drive out to kanata

That's strange, I asked one of the guys about a month ago, and he said they do take commission, I didn't ask for details, I was just curious having worked in the sporting goods retail business, and wondering why the service was good. If they don't use a commission system there, more power to them! Its a terrible system, depending on hows its structured. Too much competition between salesman and stealing customers. Just hire friendly ppl and you'll get friendly service, its not difficult.

[h22a4_bb6]

unless that guy lied to me?? ... anyhow, that guy still gets my thumbs up for the service and product knowledge ... the guy knew all the features out of the 5-ish pairs of shoes i was looking at ...

[Weazl]

I must agree with the above mentioned comments. I was looing at some clubs way out of my price range, just browsing and dreaming, and no salesman ever bothered me. Once I looked like I had a question or needed assistance a knowledgeable, and really nice guy came to help, let me demo the clubs in the back, and helped fit me for my swing!

WOW Kudos to Golftown, commission or not. I ended up only buying some tees and a hat this time around.

[Tiger Junior]

Chuck Brown Golf For Life

[ros_bif]

That's strange, I asked one of the guys about a month ago, and he said they do take commission, I didn't ask for details, I was just curious having worked in the sporting goods retail business, and wondering why the service was good. If they don't use a commission system there, more power to them! Its a terrible system, depending on hows its structured. Too much competition between salesman and stealing customers. Just hire friendly ppl and you'll get friendly service, its not difficult.

Just to clear things up, my friend works at Golf Town and had told em that there was no commission

[Andru]

Just to clear things up, my friend works at Golf Town and had told em that there was no commission

I believe that I was looking at a set of irons and the associate passed me on to someone who knew more about the product. That doesn't sound like commission.

[guyinottawa]

i asked a sales guy for his card after a long demo and he said no worries - we don't work on commissions here...

[golfmania]

If I ever want to drive 30 minutes, spend $5 in gas, and find a product that is equal or higher in price than I normally pay, I'll certainly buy at Golftown every day.

[gwil]

I purchased some golf shoes back in May and the sole started to come off. Being as organized as I am I had no receipt. Brent at Golf Town looked me up in the system and replaced the shoes on the spot. That is what I consider to be excellent customer service - no hassle.

As for the prices - you should shop around no matter what you are buying - it is a big store and they cannot possibly have everything priced the cheapest

I shop at Chuck Brown as well and so far have had nothing but good experiences at both stores.

[kewarken]

i asked a sales guy for his card after a long demo and he said no worries - we don't work on commissions here...

Little off-topic here but what's the problem with commission? I prefer my salespeople to have some incentive to help me. In general (not always) I've found commissioned salespeople far more willing to help out and be knowledgeable about their product. Besides, non-commissioned sales is a myth in most of these places. Almost all of them have some sort of bonus system related to sales even if they don't have a direct commission. And heaven help you if you try to walk out of certain un-named electronics shops without buying the extended warranty. There is some SERIOUS pressure on salespeople to push those things.

Either way, many salepeople working for commission have a strong desire to please you so that you'll come back (and bring your friends). It isn't always just about pushing a sale.

cheers,

Kris

[jvincent]

The general problem with commissioned sales has been that the commission on some products is more than others. The end result is that if salesperson makes more money selling a product that may not be best for you they are not necessarily going to steer you away from it.

[jeffc]

as long as it doesn't get out of hand. Being a sales person myself, I wouldn't have it any other way and if I ran a company, I would want to incent my people as well. I would however, ensure they were properly trained on both customer service as well as the products. All too often I go to a business where I see a bunch of staff talking amongst themselves and paying no attention to me, or that have little clue about what they are selling. I usually walk out.

[golfmania]

The general problem with commissioned sales has been that the commission on some products is more than others. The end result is that if salesperson makes more money selling a product that may not be best for you they are not necessarily going to steer you away from it.

The second problem, salesman leap over each other for the kill, and never leave you alone, like at Future shop.

[mr shank]

Chuck Brown Golf For Life

For the life of Chuck Brown's that is. Which, IMO, is quickly coming to an end.

High prices & poor service = no business

[wantobegolfer]

I have to agree 110% with the above "jvincent".

[Sakuraba]

I always try to shop at the pro shop at my home club. I believe in supporting my club. I'm not saying I'll pay more that the item in question would cost at GT, but usually if I ask the pro, he'll match the GT price (or beat it). Just MHO.

[Andru]

I always try to shop at the pro shop at my home club. I believe in supporting my club. I'm not saying I'll pay more that the item in question would cost at GT, but usually if I ask the pro, he'll match the GT price (or beat it). Just MHO.

I 'll buy from anywhere that has what I'm looking for. GT just always has what I'm looking for.

[freddy]

I bought some stuff there and the cutie behind the front desk asked if I would like to register my name into the system. Initially I said no, but she went on saying the info is private and should I lose my receipt, they could print another one. Well lucky me because I had to return one of my purchases and I lost the original receipt. Believe me, I've lost receipts before and what a hassle. Good on them for going the extra yard.

[BC MIST]

While the salesman do not get commissions, it is my understanding that some manufacturers give incentives to the sales staff for selling a certain amount of their products. Sell 30 dozens Brand X balls and a round at The Marshes is yours, or something like that.

From a friend of mine who works there, these incentives do not cause any of the sales staff to aggressively push a particular product, but are rather incidental.

The Kanata store is exceeding its sales goals each week as it is, so there is no real need to push anything, as the store, its huge inventory and the service, is selling itself.

This friend works in the club area and attempts to put people into clubs that suit their level and frequency of playing, rather than trying to sell them the latest and most expensive tools of the trade. Customers like and respect this and knowing that they are not going to be ripped off, are much more likely to come back.

It is still unfortunate that GT will ultimately cause the demise of the smaller retailers, but that's business.

[jeffc]

was in GT yesterday, having a look around. Within a minute, I had 2 people come up to me and ask me if I needed help, same in the shoe and bag area. Things have definitely improved in the past few months. Wondering if someone from there was reading these forums.....

[BC MIST]

was in GT yesterday, having a look around. Within a minute, I had 2 people come up to me and ask me if I needed help, same in the shoe and bag area. Things have definitely improved in the past few months. Wondering if someone from there was reading these forums.....

Maybe, maybe not, but someone who particiaptes in this forum has discussed the service issue with more than one GolfTown employee. They are very much aware of how the public perceives them, and there have been discussions as to how to improve not only the service, but all other aspects of the operation, as well.

I also know that if the right person over there is made aware of a problem, that it is dealt with expeditiously.