Women Mean Business
This week was the National Women’s Bicycling Forum held by the League of American Bicyclists. While I wasn’t able to make it to Washington, DC, I tried to follow as much as I could online. The theme was “Woman Mean Business” and there’s a pretty serious video presentation of just how much business.
But it doesn’t take statistics to tell us women there is some serious untapped market potential out there.
But beyond simple market potential, we’re a force to be reckoned with. And I reckon there’s going to be some change coming.
I don’t see what the problem with women is, when I was building bikes women were my best customers. But I have been told I act like I’m a good listener, so that might be the thing. Anyway, custom bike builder with about 50/50 male/female customer ratio, and I never turned away someone waving money at me.
i agree with that. In the bike shop it looks like a 50/50 ratio. In germany too.
I’m sorry you feel that way, but you don’t have to be so demeaning about it. How do you feel when somebody makes a gross generalization about women? Two wrongs??? Maybe you need to find a different shop.
I don’t see how this is being demeaning. Is it the words “sausage festival” that hurt your feelings? Because except for this very literal spelling out of a well-known concept, the situation depicted above is one many women have experienced to varying degrees. I don’t think it’s unkind or a “wrong” to simply illustrate the situation. I know I have personally encountered this in several shops in several cities. And many of those times the “blahblahblah obscure technical specs” conversation was between employees who were otherwise unoccupied. Yes, a person can always demand attention, but a customer shouldn’t have to beg to be seen as a customer.
This is a real situation and a real and significant element of bicycle culture in the US. It isn’t mean or antagonizing to point it out–even in a good-natured cartoon.
The humor of cartoon is often in it’s over-generalization. Unfortunately, I think there is way too much truth in this cartoon. Having watched the way my wife is treated, this cartoon hits it spot on!
Yes! And some of those ladies even want to buy spandex and lighter components.
My first bicycle as an adult was given to me by my boss (she found it in her garage and knew I had been saving up) so I took it to the only bike shop for 75 miles and got it fixed up. I told the dudes there that I had NO bicycle equipment, and I needed to BUY ALL THE GEAR with my newly freed-up bicycle savings.
They sold me a helmet and a patch kit. I asked if I should maybe have some more things, but received a non-committal answer and so I went home with my new-to-me bicycle and helmet and patch kit. A few months later my roadie BFF came out and we went for a ride. “Your tires seem a little mushy, how often do you pump them up?”
“…pump?”
So then part of her visit included going to the LBS and getting all of the things I would actually need to do on the road tire changes and repairs and pump up my tires and lube my chain, etc.
Preach it sister!
I like the small detail about the women’s section, tucked away in the back corner, with some nice wide saddles and a basket!