Don’t forget
Don’t forget Riverside Kayak Connection in Wyondotte Michigan. They are really good people.
WSF I’m in SE Michigan Washtenaw County
About 13 miles from Ann Arbor. I feel very lucky to be within so many places to paddle in Washtenaw, Livingston and Jackson counties. K’zoo are is great also and I do want to get on the Grand sometime next year with the G.R.E.A.T paddlers.
We are talking to each other again…
Who is path53 and why has he not responded again. No profile and throws out a topic and runs…
DUH!
You concern is noted, …
… but snobs like me don’t take well to others telling us what we should and should not say.
If I commented on something you posted as you did mine - I’m betting you would not really be impressed or motivated to muzzle or medicate yourself as you suggest I do.
The original post degrades these boards and people who dedicate their efforts to bringing paddle sports to others. It deserved nothing less than a reply matching it’s condescending and ignorant tone.
I can always count on the nicey-nices here to sugar coat things for those unable to take if full strength.
If people post asking for advice or info - and I can help - I do. If they want to sling crap - I’ll turn on the fan. Excuse the splatter.
OK - how about 1/2 a valium
Regardless of the troll potential of the original poster, I can see where he is going with this. I for one went shopping too. There is a kayak/canoe shop about an hour away from me. Nice people if you look like you have tons of cash and wear all the appropriate clothing. Don’t show up in a beat up pickup, jeans and a t-shirt. They will ignore you.
Dicks sporting goods (Yes Elyria, Ohio) didn’t have a sales person in the department on 3 different visits, and knowbody had a clue (plus their selection was terrible.)
The best knowledge I have received is from this site. I’m a newbie and know it. I’ve not yet been out with anyone else who owns a kayak. Everything I’ve learned has come from here.
Not everybody has a good shop in the neighborhood. Some come of like snobs - Oh well!!
They ignore you?
They ignore you after you’ve approaching them with questions or a request for assistance?
Or, do they “ignore” you because you’re lurking around in your scruffy clothes muttering to yourself about your displeasure that they’re not approaching you? L
You people kill me. If you spent half as much time talking to people as you do making assumptions about them - or about what they might think about you - and trying to prove these negative views to yourselves - you’d have much smoother interactions.
Don’t even talk to me about lack of knowledge in a big box store like Dick’s. What else would you expect? It’s a cash and carry environment with near minimum wage stockers and cashiers - and customer service people that have zero training in any of the 20,000 products - which are selected at corporate level, appear at the dock, and are stocked according to a plan-o-gram that also emanated for corporate HQ. If you already know what you want and they have it - fine. If not, you’re in the wrong place.
On-line research is key. The day I walk into any shop to looking for a specific piece of gear, and someone knows more about it than I do, it means I showed up the same day as the product rep! If I don’t already know exactly what I’m looking for - or want opinions on it and other options - point me to the gear snob.
I don’t get gear snobs - -
I get gear idiots - - like the fancy gear store that tells me I don’t really need a paddle float, pump and whistle. (Who needs to roll etc. Get a SOT and don’t worry)
What I have learned on this site has taught me more than any store I’ve been too.
PS - -I’m not gettin cranky with you. I’ve read and learned much from your posts. I just haven’t had much luck shopping.
What makes a store pushing SOTs…
… and little else “fancy”. I’m not getting it.
Most shops run by real paddlers that have good knowledge/skills/experience I’ve been to always seem to be a bit rough around the edges. Rather plain/crude/rustic in terms of setup and “ambiance”. Often a bit crowded or cluttered. Feels like home…
Troll
Yup
Great way to start an argument though if that was the goal.