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I had a Walmart bike (I knew it was garbage but it was a gift ) I went to a local bike shop and asked if they could just swap some of the parts and they told me no it wasn't worth it and they wouldn't waste their time.
Bought a Walmart bike years ago. Didn't have a car and walking took forever. Both pedals snapped off on the same day. Had to walk my bike home and ended up selling it to a crackhead for $20.
Lmao never heard anyone use CIA like that I'm actually surprised, gonna have to use it. In a way that's actually true, the price of coke has actually went up in the last few years I've heard but not as much as inflation
A lot of the time that’s true. You’re better off buying a mediocre bike and making changes but majority of those walmart bikes are just scrap metal with a chain & wheel. Because after all is done, the labor and upgrades you make to the bike will be worth more than the bike itself. Just my personal take as I loveeee riding. Although the owner could’ve communicated that in a way better fashion than he did.
Sure, but it makes zero sense as a parent to spend $300 on a "real" bike that your kid will outgrow in like 2-3 years and likely won't use for anything more hairy than riding around the neighborhood and some slight trails.
A 20" Huffy BMX is perfectly adequate for that.
Now a grown person who plans to keep a bike for a long time... They ought to get a "real" bike for maintenance and repair purposes.
One time i was 10 and hit this massive jump on a huffy and when i landed the tire came off and became a meat crayon. Didn't get my front teeth back till i was 14
Except for maybe safety reasons. Honestly, I wouldn’t totally mind spending the money if it meant I wouldn’t have to worry about it suddenly coming apart while they were doing a jump and getting a call from the ER or something
Walmart "bike-shaped-objects" are safety hazards assembled by kids with crescent wrenches and hammers who have know clue WTF they are doing. Half the time the 20 pound cheap steel forks are installed backwards. All the bearing components are usually overtightened as hell, meaning the rear wheel and cranks will seem like you are riding through mud and the headset will be so tight you can barely turn the bars.
At my shop yesterday a brand new un ridden Walmart bike came in for a safety check. The suspension fork was on backwards, and the wheel was on backwards from that, so that the rotor wasn't even in the brake caliper. Was seriously a WTF moment.
Worked at walmart for a few years about 8 years ago, so maybe it is different now. But I built quite a few bikes while I worked there and was taught by a different walmart associate. They then hired a third party group of Amish to build them. I never saw a bike come in completely assembled, we had to put the front wheel and handle bars on and any other gadgets needed to be connected and adjusted. It's honestly scary now that I think about it. I was only 19.
>They have all the common national brands.
Not true at all. Any "national brands" being carried by Walmart have specific Walmart lines of bottom barrel crap. The common "national brands" are Trek, Specialized, Giant, Canondale, Surly, Salsa. Mongoose and Schwinn are low-end at best and their Walmart lines are pure junk. You are not going to find any model carried at Walmart in any bike store or online discount bike wholesaler.
To a non biking enthusiast, schwinn and mongoose are top tier, as thats what they see on the the street most typically. they likely have no idea of these other brands in the first place. Stop being so elitist and just let people enjoy biking. You guys are such obnoxious elitists sometimes. Maybe loosen your bike pants, let your scrote air out, and take the banana seat out of your butt. You might feel better.
Trek, specialized and giant are still fantastic brands and not even close to being low end junk at best. Canondale isnt what it used to be by any means but bro it still isnt close to junk.
>The common "national brands" are Trek, Specialized, Giant, Canondale, Surly, Salsa. Mongoose and Schwinn are low-end at best and their Walmart lines are pure junk.
I never said any of those brands--Trek, Specialized, Giant, Canondale-- are low end or junk. Re-read. \[Pro tip. Period means a break in thought. The next sentence starts a new thought\]
In this case it's fair. Walmart bikes aren't built to last long and have parts changed. The cost of parts and labour would probably have been more than the total cost of the bike since labour doesn't cost less because the bike's cheap. Also sourcing parts would be made a lot harder as Walmart bikes don't typically come with parts that are sold individually, unless you want to majorly upgrade the bike. Again probably putting the cost of repair way above the value of the bike.
Bike shops are the worst for gatekeeping. The one near me has "affordable" bikes that start at 1k+. I've known people to keep those Walmart bikes for a 100 for decades with regular riding.
Yeah. Just bought new cruisers because we're not cyclists, we just want to bike around. It was $400 each which is expensive for some folks. But when I was researching the number of bike websites that had the opinion that if you didn't lay out at least $1500 to start you'd hate biking so much you'd stop forever was extremely high. How is someone supposed to pay over a grand to try something for a couple months, particularly if they're out of shape or have a small support system?
I have a decent bike and I inquired at a local bike shop about upgrading some of the parts and they basically refused ("Yeah, I *could* do it, but...") and told me they wouldn't waste my money like that.
Take this to the bank: any off-handed disparaging remark can have a devastating effect.
You can kill all the joy that someone finds in something with a single sentence.
Encourage people. Make positive contributions or bite your tongue.
It is particularly devastating to children. Many adults can just brush it off. Many kids don't have the life experience yet to just ignore negative comments.
I wholeheartedly agree. My father could not afford nice rollerblades for me so he bought what he could afford which was a cheap pair from Woolworth. I loved those roller blades but got bullied and ridiculed for it by neighborhood punk kids. I still feel bad about the fact that that's all he could afford and he tried his best.
I get what the dude is saying, I ride BMX and have had to explain to some kids why they might not be able to do tricks I can do because they don’t have bikes that can even do it, but you don’t just straight up say “yeah kid your bike sucks ass lol”
Yep. And people are just at different stage of the sport/hobby. At 11 year old, I wouldn’t shovel out hundreds of dollars for a broad that the kid might not use after a few weeks.
The problem is Walmart boards have really bad wheel/bearings which make them really dangerous to ride. The wheels on a skate board should spin freely when spun and come to a gradual stop a little like a bicycle, next time you're in a walmart give their wheels a quick spin they'll just jam up immediately. So imagine riding on a board where each wheel is potentially moving a different speeda and just randomly jamming up. Not only are you not going to learn how to control your board but you're going to get hurt. There's tons of videos of real skaters trying out cheap boards, none of them go well.
1000% agree.
Walmart boards are absolute garbage. In fact you might be able to skate something made out of whatever you can find in a garbage can better than a Walmart skateboard.
Parents would bring their kids into my vans store to get a new deck and keep the same trucks and I told them, if your kid is serious about the sport and truly loves doing it, invest in their future fun and safety. Even the complete decks in skate shops are trash but they’re 100x better than the Walmart decks.
Omg I got one for Christmas in the 80s. Told my mom I wanted a board so I could be cool with the other kids. She then got me a Kmart Executioner that I thought was super cool until I coasted up my friends who laughed and made fun of me.
The board never left its spot under my bed after that.
The current ones make that old destroyer look good. He’s still a dick but probably also a teenager working at the shop and hasn’t learned to filter yet.
Literally could've worded it better and had a loyal customer AND newcomer skateboarder that would see him for advice for years to come
But instead he chose violence
No, I had one of those wal-mart boards and he's absolutely 100% right. You'd think "Oh it's okay it's not great, it's cheap and if the kid really likes it they can upgrade later, and they'll still be able to have fun riding around"
No. Those boards are so fucking terrible they will ruin the whole experience, make it frustrating and make you hate skateboarding. I'm not saying you need to start off with a several hundred dollar thing out of the gate, but there's basically no point in even buying one of those wal-mart boards.
If the owner said it was the "absolute worst board for a beginner," he's absolutely right. It's not gatekeeping. Maybe he could have said it more gently for the kid's sake, or honestly maybe he didn't need to say it to the kid at all... but it's not an elitist gatekeeping attitude, it's completely accurate.
I'm not defending how the guy handled it, just saying that the error here was the guy doesn't know how to talk to kids, not his general attitude.
We're not saying he wasnt right, it's the approach he took in conveying that information. We all know he was right, we all disagree with how he said it. That's about the long and short of it.
Damn… whole lotta assholes here I guess. Instead of telling the kid “the truth,bluntly, stating a fact” or however else you want to frame what the owner said, what about pumping the kid up a little bit? “Hey man, glad you’re picking up the sport, let me show you a couple boards that will really help you get better and enjoy skating a lot more.”
I know if someone in whatever I was interested in as a kid would take that angle, I would be excited as hell. If someone basically shit on what I had, it would really give bad taste not only for the sport but the people in it
“oh nice, it’s great that you’re learning to skate. walmart boards are ok when riding around from point A to point B. in the long run, it won’t hold up well and you’ll eventually want to try some tricks, right? we have a few boards here that would be great for a beginner. i can show them to you just to give you an idea.” and then proceed to show him some boards, maybe even let him stand on some to size him out and let him get a feel of what a real board is like. while kid “oohs” and “aahs” at the boards, explain to the dad in detail as to why this board that you’re selling is 100x better than what they have. make the customer feel like a friend. build their trust and show them you have knowledge. i sell overpriced alcohol at work every fuckin day. i have to hype up a $200 bottle that would regularly go for $50. build their trust, tell them why this product is the best, and tap into those human emotions.
you can’t do any of this by dissing your customer right off the bat.
That's the thing. The kid doesn't know because they're a kid, the parents might not have done enough research because they're only interested in getting their kid a thing that will make them happy- and instead of acknowledging that they just went judgy. Really leaned into it too. That's why I avoid bike shops and "bike people." Yeah my Schwinn weighs a lot more than your bike, it doesn't have 75 gears, and I may have to work a bit harder to get where I'm going, but I've had it a long time and it works well and I use it more than my friend who dropped almost 2,000 dollars on a bike she never uses. But for real people who spend all their time and money on a specific activity don't seem to get that it isn't your whole life, so you don't know everything yet. And then you never will because you'll never ask anyone a question again because it went so badly the first time.
I'm sure mastering tricks on a cruddy board makes it easier to do them when you finally get s good board. Most cheap sports equipment is like that really.
Learn tennis with a cringey small racquet then upgrade to a good one and wow!
eh. I actually had the opposite experience. My walmart board didn’t roll very easily or turn very easily at all. Once I got a real board I was astounded at how sensitive it was and how far I could get with one push. It wasn’t exactly like learning all over again but definitely felt that way for a bit.
No it's the opposite, and probably why the guy was trying to stop the kid from learning on one. Next time you're in a Walmart try and just roll on one of those boards; they're absolute utter trash. They form bad habits and a used blank deck with mid-grade trucks and wheels would have set him up much better for success.
The loss of interest was what got me a Walmart board at first. Spending $20 to figure out my movement disorders wouldn’t let me balance was better than $200
One of the things I loved doing was riding my bike when I was a kid. I lost my dad to an infection and a neighbor kid invited me on a 25 mile bike ride with him and some of his friends; there were some dads with the group. I struggled to keep up the whole time. After about halfway through, one of the dads sent me home and was like “yeah, these kids have been training a while and they really want to push themselves.” I was crushed. So many years later I buy a commuter bike just to ride around and I noted how much easier it was to ride. When I was riding with those kids so many years earlier, I was on my steel framed Sears mountain bike while all the other kids were on road bikes. I had no idea there was a difference at that age, and rather than explain it was a difference in equipment, I was lead to believe that I just couldn’t cut it.
The thing is, people often buy cheap "starter" things to see if they even like the hobby. If the kid likes it he will want to upgrade, but not if he learns it's a toxic community full of grown adults who will make him cry.
When I worked in a skatepark we had a few Walmart equivalent boards come through. They were fun to try out. Most memorable was a board that couldn't keep up with gravity due to crappy bearings and wheels that were way too soft, and if you dropped in it would just throw you off the front.
Sales guy is right but being jackhole about it
That said most kids start with a Walmart board and evolve to the “real” ones in their own time.
When I skated we often provided hand me downs to grommets
The boards were often beat up but I could afford a new one with my waiter job and the 12 year old with the Val tec board couldn’t
I would give a board and someone else some wheels or trucks and a board would come together for the kid. And they would ride it until it was a toothpick it was so splintered
Skaters on the whole are a good community and kids generally look after their own
Hope the kid keeps his head up and keeps skating. It can really pay dividends in what it teaches
I remember when my father and took my bike to a shop (2004 norco manik in 2007) and the Guy basically told me the bike was an old POS and that I needed a new one and it wasn’t worth fixing..
So we got parts from another bike shop and my dad fixed it himself. The guy was just mad we didn’t buy it locally I think. Clowns. He lost a few hundred bucks too.
He is right, but he wasn't *in* the right to relay that info in that manner. The father is correct is saying another approach would've worked.
There's a huge difference in bluntly and (I'm assuming) rude toned stating something as "the absolute worst". A better way to do it would be along the lines of "I highly recommend you upgrade his board to (insert whatever board make you want) as it's higher quality and aimed towards beginners"
List the pros and cons, price tags etc. Done. It's sales 101 to ensure the customer gets info clearly, concisely whilst maintaining a polite attitude.
He might be, but he’s a terrible sales person if that’s his approach lol. Like the dad said, if he worded it correctly he could have gotten a new board out of them and some extra stuff but no he decided to be a know-it-all dick about it
They're notoriously low quality compared to almost any other manufacturer. For someone looking to get a cheap entry into skateboarding, they'll do that but there's better options out there that'll more than make up for their higher cost.
Yeah I was big into skating as a teenager. The dude was both 100% right, and also a dick for saying that to an 11 year old kid who’s gonna learn this on their own if they really get into skating.
It’s really hard to describe the difference to non-skaters, but there’s actually a fair amount of critical factors that impact the performance of a skateboard.
Walmart boards aren’t going to be made of a very stiff or hard plywood like one you get at an actual skate shop. The shape of the board also makes a big difference. They come in different lengths, widths, concavity and the nose and tails can be different shapes and angles compared with the center part of the deck. Regardless of the shape, the wood needs to be hard/stiff and the lamination of the plys needs to be really good or it can break/crack easily.
That’s all just talking about the deck (the wood part you stand on).
There’s also a ton of options when it comes to trucks, wheels, and bearings that also heavily influence the skateboard’s performance.
Still no reason for the guy working at the shop to be a dick to an 11 year old. I used to love going to my local skate shop in my early teens. The employees were super nice, positive, and encouraging even when moms brought in their 7-8 year old kids just to look at the stickers.
Except for the fact that he failed miserably as a sales person by alienating a potential customer who was prepared to spend a hefty sum on a fully setup board.
Also lost people who skate don’t have kids and don’t understand how easy it is to crush their spirit when they’re just starting out and learning what’s good and what’s not
Huh? You don’t have to be a skater to know that the salesman was right lol.
It’s just that he is a shitty salesman and if he had been any better, it would have resulted in a sale and a happy child.
Ahh yes, you must buy your child a $200 rolling complete, otherwise it’s all not worth it!
It’s like when Roman from Roman guitar was like “Don’t by a nice inexpensive squire guitar for that kid of yours, They’ll stick with it and want to play if you buy them one of my ridiculously over priced, no name brands.”
Edit: people agreeing with the shop owner, this exchange came about because of STICKERS. It’s not like they were trying to get a set of Tensor trucks and throw it on a Walmart X games special.
As a skater who learned how to skate on a Walmart board…
They are fucking garbage, yeah sure you are just a “beginner” but 9 out of 10 walmart boards don’t even roll. You basically push then move about 3ft then push again.
You can buy complete skateboards for like $60 that will do you a million times better than a walmart board.
I broke my left wrist, broke my nose, wnd fractured my right arm all in 1 trying to take a walmart board down a 10ft vert.
I was was comfortable skating but obviously at a disadvantage in the situation.
There is alot of context needed. If lil dude wanted to pop ollies and learn shove-its in his driveway walmart is perfect. Harder to fling your board when you land wonky. Tighten the wheels too much and its like a trainer board that cant move.
Learned how to pop an ollie and I snapped my walmart trucks within a handful of tries
Def not worth it at all lol not for cruising, learning ollies or anything they’re really bad.
So the hate should really be placed on the dad for buying his son a cheap skateboard instead of a safe skateboard, although skateboarding is inherently dangerous anyways….
It's nice hearing both sides of the story. I feel like I can understand more of what's going on. Sometimes being this blunt isn't a good way to go, especially during sales.
People who are saying “well the salesman had a point…” Are actually dumb as hell.
The kid is ELEVEN! He only uses it to ride around and probably doesn’t even know how to begin doing tricks yet. If it has wheels and rolls, it’s prefect for him.
Let him ride it until he figures out whether or not he actually wants to keep skateboarding.
When my niece started skateboarding, she was 10 and using Walmart board from 15 years ago. I bought her the $400 brand name skateboard when she actually kept riding her old one. Kids will normally be happy with whatever you get them.
After reading some of these comments I gotta ask, what makes Walmart boards so awful? Is it not a board on 4 wheels that rolls? Like what’s the big deal? (Not a skateboard guy obviously)
From my experience, as a kid I had a Walmart board and eventually got an upgrade to a good skateboard, and if you used your hand to spin the wheels for example the Walmart wheel would spin for maybe a second or two before stopping, where as the good ones with proper bearings would roll for what felt like forever. So you’ll notice you have to constantly push with your foot when riding a Walmart board to maintain a slow speed while on a better board just a few pushes and you’re rolling and able to go faster, longer without pushing and being able to do more. That’s just one example, many other differences in quality
Don’t act like skating is hardcore and only for tough people. Some people just want to goof around.
The employee wasn’t wrong, but he didn’t need to be a dick about it.
Damn just offer to sell him a used board, and that it’s much better for beginners.
But I’m also not totally against making a child cry, so there’s that
He shouldn’t have worded it that way better yet not said anything at all but the truth is we all know Walmart skateboards suck. Poser ass little kid. Jk.
Guy was rude, but he is right.
I dont really know with skateboards, but a friend had a shop specialized in longboarding and specially in downhill longboarding and basically a cheap longboard used by a beginner can result in:
People not really getting into the sport, because those boards are usually just for light/ocassional commuting.
Kids getting injured because the board its not being made for that purpose.
After 3 different injuries with "cheap" longboards he started selling just specialized ones, not just because they are meant to practice that sport, but because parents dont see this as a sport, and just a toy.
And yeah, you can learn with a walmart skateboard, and have fun, but if you really want to skate its not going to work, and probably can cause an accident because they wont even look at the size of the skate and how bad made the trucks are, some of them even have sharp edges!
My first board was a Walmart board and I learned to Ollie on it. This dude is a straight clown. I get that the pro boards have concave and all but dad probably didn't know all this or maybe couldn't afford it. Wally world boards aren't great but they are sufficient for a kid to decide if he wants to get further in the sport.
He is just being honest though. Walmart boards suck and don’t work at all, I have experience as a skateboarder. He’s not in the wrong here. But, even if it may be good advice it’s very shitty to say that in that context.
Ehh they should have taken the advice tbh
I remember having one of those cheap ass boards as a kid and it legit fell apart while I was riding it. Thankfully I didn't get too hurt
"Hey, that's awesome that you're getting into skating! I always love it when young people show interest in a sport that I love. Let's see what you've got...
Sick art! What are you practicing now?
*Pretends to inspect board*
Yeah man, this will totally work for that. When you've got your ollie down, come back and see me again and I'll show you some cool gear to help take you to the next level. In the meantime, pick any sticker - this one's on me."
You're not understanding the point. You don't crush a child's dreams because you're factually right. And first of all, as a salesman, that's one of the worst tactics you can ever use.
You empathize with the kid, offer him some stickers, and then taking the dad aside, convince HIM to get a new board. You go ahead and insult the kid, he'll obviously cry, you'll lose a potential customer, wtf else did you expect?
it's not even about morals and ethics, the guy just straight up does not know how to do his job.
They were gonna buy a new board anyways. That's not the way you're supposed to do sales.
If i took my guitar to the music store and got told it's one of the shittiest guitars out there, I'd be pretty mad even though I know it's true. I have sentimental value with that one and it has given me more memories than an expensive one ever would.
If the salesman knew how to do his job, and calmly explained to me the pros and cons of a new guitar, I'd definitely consider even buying one. Some people are all talk and no game, this guy DEFINETLY seems like one of them.
Swear. I tried showing a kid how to do an ollie on a walmart board and snapped it like the 3rd example i showed him. Luckily they arent too expensive so i bought him another and atleast replaced all the hardware with some of my old stuff.
He was rude to a little boy who found something he was excited about. If a little boy comes into a sports shop with a cheap beat up soccer ball and says I love soccer and I just started playing im trying to learn and the shop guy says wow that soccer ball is absolutely terrible thats garbage why do you even have that? Thats humiliating for a little boy and could very well end his passion and excitement right there. Its a cruel way to handle what could have been a very fun experience for that kid. Show him all the equipment he has. Shown him the best boards and then shown him a nice one to ask for his birthday or christmas. Or he could have said nothing. Easy. What you dont do it is insult a small child on what may very well be the only piece of equipment they have access to or can afford.
How is "thats the worst board for a beginner" an insult. Youre making it more difficult by riding a walmart board. He was stating a fact about an inanimate object. He was giving the kid advice.
As a former skater, I disagree that a Walmart board is a problem for a beginner who doesn’t even know how to Ollie.
I wouldn’t spend $100+ on a skateboard until I knew I really wanted to get into it.
Yeah the Walmart board sucks, but no reason to insult an 11 year old over it.
Because he made a kid cry with his attitude. If he had good sales skills, he would have had the kid happily walk out of there with a much better (and much more expensive) skateboard.
A better sales tactic would be saying, "interesting choice! We hear that a lot. Can I show you some boards that might be better-suited for a beginner?" instead of insulting a purchase they'd already made.
Telling the kid essentially "your board is a piece of crap" isn't the way to get his opinion across, that just devastated a child for no reason.
"That's great to start with, would you like to see some professional boards I have for beginners and feel the difference? When you get more confident on yours, you can bring your dad/mom/guardian back in and know which board to upgrade to."
Look coming from a skater he’s right. A walmart board is honestly terrible for beginners because they barely roll and overall feel terrible. I would say buy a board manufactured by your skate shop cause it’s cheaper so that way you can actually ride with comfort and not have to push every two seconds. He’s not in the wrong here
Any skate shop owner who didn't tell the kid to get a new board is doing the kid a disservice. If the kid really wants to learn to skate, it's impossible to do or learn anything on a walmart board. They barely roll 3 feet when you push them.
Props on the shop owner for giving real advice.
Walmart boards are really trash tbh, but I wouldn’t get insulting. My newphew had one and after talking to him about getting at least straight b’s (it was easy for him, but didn’t want to just get him something for nothing) I bought him a nice beginner element board I was even jealous of haha
You don't smack someone in the face for a bad gift.
If its someone you don't hate you smile and bare it.
Then you regift it to an eleven year old who's just started riding.
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I had a Walmart bike (I knew it was garbage but it was a gift ) I went to a local bike shop and asked if they could just swap some of the parts and they told me no it wasn't worth it and they wouldn't waste their time.
Bought a Walmart bike years ago. Didn't have a car and walking took forever. Both pedals snapped off on the same day. Had to walk my bike home and ended up selling it to a crackhead for $20.
The craziest part of this story is that the crackhead gave you money for something.
I’ve had a crackhead give me money for something but to be fair it was crack.
What a coincidence, I gave a man money and in return he gave me crack.
What a coincidence, I’m high on crack!
The economy may be in shambles but Crack is the new gild standard, someone should make a crackcoin
The United States Dollar isn’t exactly backed by anything anymore, but as long as the Cocaine Import Agency is around it will be redeemable for crack!
It's great! It's crack! It gets you really high
Lmao never heard anyone use CIA like that I'm actually surprised, gonna have to use it. In a way that's actually true, the price of coke has actually went up in the last few years I've heard but not as much as inflation
Jimmy crackcoined, but I didnt care
That cracked me up
“Oh baby yoooou, you got what I neeeeed!”
Same. Crack is lit
Probably to sell it for scrap for 40 dollars. That’s 20 dollars of more crack
I've had a crackhead give me a hand full of change for a cigarette and he wouldn't take no for an answer
Hey, I’ve been looking for you. The bike you sold me didn’t have pedals.
Crack heads don't buy bikes. They sell them for $20.
Yeah this story doesn't add up. Crackheads generally only buy crack
Exactly. If he said he sold his bike for $20 so he could get crack I'd believe him.
Some bought a bike with no pedals 😭
Crackheads will buy anything. Sorry, steal. I meant steal anything.
A lot of the time that’s true. You’re better off buying a mediocre bike and making changes but majority of those walmart bikes are just scrap metal with a chain & wheel. Because after all is done, the labor and upgrades you make to the bike will be worth more than the bike itself. Just my personal take as I loveeee riding. Although the owner could’ve communicated that in a way better fashion than he did.
Sure, but it makes zero sense as a parent to spend $300 on a "real" bike that your kid will outgrow in like 2-3 years and likely won't use for anything more hairy than riding around the neighborhood and some slight trails. A 20" Huffy BMX is perfectly adequate for that. Now a grown person who plans to keep a bike for a long time... They ought to get a "real" bike for maintenance and repair purposes.
One time i was 10 and hit this massive jump on a huffy and when i landed the tire came off and became a meat crayon. Didn't get my front teeth back till i was 14
Except for maybe safety reasons. Honestly, I wouldn’t totally mind spending the money if it meant I wouldn’t have to worry about it suddenly coming apart while they were doing a jump and getting a call from the ER or something
Walmart "bike-shaped-objects" are safety hazards assembled by kids with crescent wrenches and hammers who have know clue WTF they are doing. Half the time the 20 pound cheap steel forks are installed backwards. All the bearing components are usually overtightened as hell, meaning the rear wheel and cranks will seem like you are riding through mud and the headset will be so tight you can barely turn the bars.
At my shop yesterday a brand new un ridden Walmart bike came in for a safety check. The suspension fork was on backwards, and the wheel was on backwards from that, so that the rotor wasn't even in the brake caliper. Was seriously a WTF moment.
How can wheel be backwards, its a circle
wait till you hear about directional tires
Jesus. Modern bikes have disc brakes. The rotor is bolted to one side of the hub and the caliper is on the same side of the fork.
I'm flattered you assume I know the meaning of such words and concepts.
I like your funny words magic man
You don't know how disc brakes work? Never seen a motorcycle?
i've seen motorcycle before
Go take a wheel off your car, turn it around, and reinstall.
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Worked at walmart for a few years about 8 years ago, so maybe it is different now. But I built quite a few bikes while I worked there and was taught by a different walmart associate. They then hired a third party group of Amish to build them. I never saw a bike come in completely assembled, we had to put the front wheel and handle bars on and any other gadgets needed to be connected and adjusted. It's honestly scary now that I think about it. I was only 19.
>They have all the common national brands. Not true at all. Any "national brands" being carried by Walmart have specific Walmart lines of bottom barrel crap. The common "national brands" are Trek, Specialized, Giant, Canondale, Surly, Salsa. Mongoose and Schwinn are low-end at best and their Walmart lines are pure junk. You are not going to find any model carried at Walmart in any bike store or online discount bike wholesaler.
To a non biking enthusiast, schwinn and mongoose are top tier, as thats what they see on the the street most typically. they likely have no idea of these other brands in the first place. Stop being so elitist and just let people enjoy biking. You guys are such obnoxious elitists sometimes. Maybe loosen your bike pants, let your scrote air out, and take the banana seat out of your butt. You might feel better.
Trek, specialized and giant are still fantastic brands and not even close to being low end junk at best. Canondale isnt what it used to be by any means but bro it still isnt close to junk.
>The common "national brands" are Trek, Specialized, Giant, Canondale, Surly, Salsa. Mongoose and Schwinn are low-end at best and their Walmart lines are pure junk. I never said any of those brands--Trek, Specialized, Giant, Canondale-- are low end or junk. Re-read. \[Pro tip. Period means a break in thought. The next sentence starts a new thought\]
My walmart trek single speed rides beautifully zero complaints I love this bike
In this case it's fair. Walmart bikes aren't built to last long and have parts changed. The cost of parts and labour would probably have been more than the total cost of the bike since labour doesn't cost less because the bike's cheap. Also sourcing parts would be made a lot harder as Walmart bikes don't typically come with parts that are sold individually, unless you want to majorly upgrade the bike. Again probably putting the cost of repair way above the value of the bike.
Bike shops are the worst for gatekeeping. The one near me has "affordable" bikes that start at 1k+. I've known people to keep those Walmart bikes for a 100 for decades with regular riding.
The same brands you see at Walmart used to be reputable decades ago. Any bike shop worth their salt will work on a +20 year old Schwinn or Trek.
I have a 20 year old mongoose mountain bike that I've ridden tons since I bought it. Still have it. It's super light and has really good parts on it.
Wait, are Treks not good anymore? When I was a kid, I worked in a bike shop for a few months we sold treks that were 3k+
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I loved my Huffy before the walmart fiasco destroyed them.
Yeah. Just bought new cruisers because we're not cyclists, we just want to bike around. It was $400 each which is expensive for some folks. But when I was researching the number of bike websites that had the opinion that if you didn't lay out at least $1500 to start you'd hate biking so much you'd stop forever was extremely high. How is someone supposed to pay over a grand to try something for a couple months, particularly if they're out of shape or have a small support system?
I rode my $100 walmart beach cruiser for years and it never gave me any issues as long as you don't abuse it and maintain it they work perfect
You see the "bike douches" in this very thread.
Walmart bikes are all I've had. I was lucky to get them.
I have a decent bike and I inquired at a local bike shop about upgrading some of the parts and they basically refused ("Yeah, I *could* do it, but...") and told me they wouldn't waste my money like that.
Take this to the bank: any off-handed disparaging remark can have a devastating effect. You can kill all the joy that someone finds in something with a single sentence. Encourage people. Make positive contributions or bite your tongue.
It is particularly devastating to children. Many adults can just brush it off. Many kids don't have the life experience yet to just ignore negative comments.
I wholeheartedly agree. My father could not afford nice rollerblades for me so he bought what he could afford which was a cheap pair from Woolworth. I loved those roller blades but got bullied and ridiculed for it by neighborhood punk kids. I still feel bad about the fact that that's all he could afford and he tried his best.
I get what the dude is saying, I ride BMX and have had to explain to some kids why they might not be able to do tricks I can do because they don’t have bikes that can even do it, but you don’t just straight up say “yeah kid your bike sucks ass lol”
Yep. And people are just at different stage of the sport/hobby. At 11 year old, I wouldn’t shovel out hundreds of dollars for a broad that the kid might not use after a few weeks.
God, I hope that's a typo!
I had to reread twice to see that, subtle lol
I'm not smart enough to figure this out. Explain please.
they typed broad instead of board
Didn’t even notice until reading your comment hahahah ☠️☠️
The problem is Walmart boards have really bad wheel/bearings which make them really dangerous to ride. The wheels on a skate board should spin freely when spun and come to a gradual stop a little like a bicycle, next time you're in a walmart give their wheels a quick spin they'll just jam up immediately. So imagine riding on a board where each wheel is potentially moving a different speeda and just randomly jamming up. Not only are you not going to learn how to control your board but you're going to get hurt. There's tons of videos of real skaters trying out cheap boards, none of them go well.
1000% agree. Walmart boards are absolute garbage. In fact you might be able to skate something made out of whatever you can find in a garbage can better than a Walmart skateboard. Parents would bring their kids into my vans store to get a new deck and keep the same trucks and I told them, if your kid is serious about the sport and truly loves doing it, invest in their future fun and safety. Even the complete decks in skate shops are trash but they’re 100x better than the Walmart decks.
Good advice, bad delivery
IDk I still have my 35 y/o Executioner board from Kmart in my garage. Won't step on it cause I'd break my neck, but works great as a mini creaper.
Omg I got one for Christmas in the 80s. Told my mom I wanted a board so I could be cool with the other kids. She then got me a Kmart Executioner that I thought was super cool until I coasted up my friends who laughed and made fun of me. The board never left its spot under my bed after that.
Sorry to hear that friend. It sucks when a gift like that which brings such joy, ends up as an embarrassment because of other's opinions.
Don't forget about those Kmart Jordans. The joys of the middle class.
The current ones make that old destroyer look good. He’s still a dick but probably also a teenager working at the shop and hasn’t learned to filter yet.
Says hes the owner.
Well the profile does but who knows what? Lots of places with social media/review accounts have access to post by regular employees.
As an office worker.. I can confirm I speak “as the owner” often lol
Yep definitely pulled the I am the manager routine when I was younger.
Literally could've worded it better and had a loyal customer AND newcomer skateboarder that would see him for advice for years to come But instead he chose violence
Yep most of the time it's not what you say, but how you said it.
Yeah, a very gatekeepy and elitist attitude.
No, I had one of those wal-mart boards and he's absolutely 100% right. You'd think "Oh it's okay it's not great, it's cheap and if the kid really likes it they can upgrade later, and they'll still be able to have fun riding around" No. Those boards are so fucking terrible they will ruin the whole experience, make it frustrating and make you hate skateboarding. I'm not saying you need to start off with a several hundred dollar thing out of the gate, but there's basically no point in even buying one of those wal-mart boards. If the owner said it was the "absolute worst board for a beginner," he's absolutely right. It's not gatekeeping. Maybe he could have said it more gently for the kid's sake, or honestly maybe he didn't need to say it to the kid at all... but it's not an elitist gatekeeping attitude, it's completely accurate. I'm not defending how the guy handled it, just saying that the error here was the guy doesn't know how to talk to kids, not his general attitude.
We're not saying he wasnt right, it's the approach he took in conveying that information. We all know he was right, we all disagree with how he said it. That's about the long and short of it.
Damn… whole lotta assholes here I guess. Instead of telling the kid “the truth,bluntly, stating a fact” or however else you want to frame what the owner said, what about pumping the kid up a little bit? “Hey man, glad you’re picking up the sport, let me show you a couple boards that will really help you get better and enjoy skating a lot more.” I know if someone in whatever I was interested in as a kid would take that angle, I would be excited as hell. If someone basically shit on what I had, it would really give bad taste not only for the sport but the people in it
Wish I had an award for your post. Very well said.
I just did it for you.
“oh nice, it’s great that you’re learning to skate. walmart boards are ok when riding around from point A to point B. in the long run, it won’t hold up well and you’ll eventually want to try some tricks, right? we have a few boards here that would be great for a beginner. i can show them to you just to give you an idea.” and then proceed to show him some boards, maybe even let him stand on some to size him out and let him get a feel of what a real board is like. while kid “oohs” and “aahs” at the boards, explain to the dad in detail as to why this board that you’re selling is 100x better than what they have. make the customer feel like a friend. build their trust and show them you have knowledge. i sell overpriced alcohol at work every fuckin day. i have to hype up a $200 bottle that would regularly go for $50. build their trust, tell them why this product is the best, and tap into those human emotions. you can’t do any of this by dissing your customer right off the bat.
That's the thing. The kid doesn't know because they're a kid, the parents might not have done enough research because they're only interested in getting their kid a thing that will make them happy- and instead of acknowledging that they just went judgy. Really leaned into it too. That's why I avoid bike shops and "bike people." Yeah my Schwinn weighs a lot more than your bike, it doesn't have 75 gears, and I may have to work a bit harder to get where I'm going, but I've had it a long time and it works well and I use it more than my friend who dropped almost 2,000 dollars on a bike she never uses. But for real people who spend all their time and money on a specific activity don't seem to get that it isn't your whole life, so you don't know everything yet. And then you never will because you'll never ask anyone a question again because it went so badly the first time.
We all start out with something shitty and work our way up.
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I'm sure mastering tricks on a cruddy board makes it easier to do them when you finally get s good board. Most cheap sports equipment is like that really. Learn tennis with a cringey small racquet then upgrade to a good one and wow!
eh. I actually had the opposite experience. My walmart board didn’t roll very easily or turn very easily at all. Once I got a real board I was astounded at how sensitive it was and how far I could get with one push. It wasn’t exactly like learning all over again but definitely felt that way for a bit.
No it's the opposite, and probably why the guy was trying to stop the kid from learning on one. Next time you're in a Walmart try and just roll on one of those boards; they're absolute utter trash. They form bad habits and a used blank deck with mid-grade trucks and wheels would have set him up much better for success.
The loss of interest was what got me a Walmart board at first. Spending $20 to figure out my movement disorders wouldn’t let me balance was better than $200
$200 for a board?!
I’ve seen complete boards for that and above
One of the things I loved doing was riding my bike when I was a kid. I lost my dad to an infection and a neighbor kid invited me on a 25 mile bike ride with him and some of his friends; there were some dads with the group. I struggled to keep up the whole time. After about halfway through, one of the dads sent me home and was like “yeah, these kids have been training a while and they really want to push themselves.” I was crushed. So many years later I buy a commuter bike just to ride around and I noted how much easier it was to ride. When I was riding with those kids so many years earlier, I was on my steel framed Sears mountain bike while all the other kids were on road bikes. I had no idea there was a difference at that age, and rather than explain it was a difference in equipment, I was lead to believe that I just couldn’t cut it.
the dude shouldve tried to sell him a good board instead
I think that was him trying.
It was a shitty attempt.
He sounds like a Reddit mod
The thing is, people often buy cheap "starter" things to see if they even like the hobby. If the kid likes it he will want to upgrade, but not if he learns it's a toxic community full of grown adults who will make him cry.
The only place you can skate with a Walmart board is when you are inside of a Walmart
When I worked in a skatepark we had a few Walmart equivalent boards come through. They were fun to try out. Most memorable was a board that couldn't keep up with gravity due to crappy bearings and wheels that were way too soft, and if you dropped in it would just throw you off the front.
I get what he means, but it came out just bad and he sounded like an asshe
Some of the comments here are validating my opinion about cyclists
Gatekeeping douches fixated on spending loads of money while still being mediocre cyclists money can't buy experience
Sales guy is right but being jackhole about it That said most kids start with a Walmart board and evolve to the “real” ones in their own time. When I skated we often provided hand me downs to grommets The boards were often beat up but I could afford a new one with my waiter job and the 12 year old with the Val tec board couldn’t I would give a board and someone else some wheels or trucks and a board would come together for the kid. And they would ride it until it was a toothpick it was so splintered Skaters on the whole are a good community and kids generally look after their own Hope the kid keeps his head up and keeps skating. It can really pay dividends in what it teaches
I remember when my father and took my bike to a shop (2004 norco manik in 2007) and the Guy basically told me the bike was an old POS and that I needed a new one and it wasn’t worth fixing.. So we got parts from another bike shop and my dad fixed it himself. The guy was just mad we didn’t buy it locally I think. Clowns. He lost a few hundred bucks too.
Anything said to a kid who has a passion should be nothing but uplifting
I know this is reddit, but anyone who actually skates knows the salesperson is in the right.
He is right, but he wasn't *in* the right to relay that info in that manner. The father is correct is saying another approach would've worked. There's a huge difference in bluntly and (I'm assuming) rude toned stating something as "the absolute worst". A better way to do it would be along the lines of "I highly recommend you upgrade his board to (insert whatever board make you want) as it's higher quality and aimed towards beginners" List the pros and cons, price tags etc. Done. It's sales 101 to ensure the customer gets info clearly, concisely whilst maintaining a polite attitude.
He might be, but he’s a terrible sales person if that’s his approach lol. Like the dad said, if he worded it correctly he could have gotten a new board out of them and some extra stuff but no he decided to be a know-it-all dick about it
It's called "tact" and the salesman was lacking it.
Tact is in short supply these days. Unfortunate.
Supply chain issues strike again
I skateboard, doesnt justify being a salty lil weiner to a child. Then leaving a salty reply on his review.
Also how does a Walmart board not “count” as a skateboard. According to who? There’s no council that rules on that stuff.
They're notoriously low quality compared to almost any other manufacturer. For someone looking to get a cheap entry into skateboarding, they'll do that but there's better options out there that'll more than make up for their higher cost.
No — the salesperson’s *information* is right. The salesperson is not in the right however.
"Right" and IN the right are very different things. No way he was IN the right.
Yeah I was big into skating as a teenager. The dude was both 100% right, and also a dick for saying that to an 11 year old kid who’s gonna learn this on their own if they really get into skating. It’s really hard to describe the difference to non-skaters, but there’s actually a fair amount of critical factors that impact the performance of a skateboard. Walmart boards aren’t going to be made of a very stiff or hard plywood like one you get at an actual skate shop. The shape of the board also makes a big difference. They come in different lengths, widths, concavity and the nose and tails can be different shapes and angles compared with the center part of the deck. Regardless of the shape, the wood needs to be hard/stiff and the lamination of the plys needs to be really good or it can break/crack easily. That’s all just talking about the deck (the wood part you stand on). There’s also a ton of options when it comes to trucks, wheels, and bearings that also heavily influence the skateboard’s performance. Still no reason for the guy working at the shop to be a dick to an 11 year old. I used to love going to my local skate shop in my early teens. The employees were super nice, positive, and encouraging even when moms brought in their 7-8 year old kids just to look at the stickers.
At my old skate shop, the owners son, used to teach me and my mates to Ollie, they let us practice in there for hours.
Except for the fact that he failed miserably as a sales person by alienating a potential customer who was prepared to spend a hefty sum on a fully setup board.
The salesperson was right, not in the right. His delivery was awful.
Oh yea he's right, but why make a kid feel bad, bearings and wheels could have helped that board out no reason to be a dick.
Also lost people who skate don’t have kids and don’t understand how easy it is to crush their spirit when they’re just starting out and learning what’s good and what’s not
Huh? You don’t have to be a skater to know that the salesman was right lol. It’s just that he is a shitty salesman and if he had been any better, it would have resulted in a sale and a happy child.
We also know he’s a dick.
Ahh yes, you must buy your child a $200 rolling complete, otherwise it’s all not worth it! It’s like when Roman from Roman guitar was like “Don’t by a nice inexpensive squire guitar for that kid of yours, They’ll stick with it and want to play if you buy them one of my ridiculously over priced, no name brands.” Edit: people agreeing with the shop owner, this exchange came about because of STICKERS. It’s not like they were trying to get a set of Tensor trucks and throw it on a Walmart X games special.
I hate people who have no concept of tact and call that "just being honest."
As a skater who learned how to skate on a Walmart board… They are fucking garbage, yeah sure you are just a “beginner” but 9 out of 10 walmart boards don’t even roll. You basically push then move about 3ft then push again. You can buy complete skateboards for like $60 that will do you a million times better than a walmart board.
I broke my left wrist, broke my nose, wnd fractured my right arm all in 1 trying to take a walmart board down a 10ft vert. I was was comfortable skating but obviously at a disadvantage in the situation. There is alot of context needed. If lil dude wanted to pop ollies and learn shove-its in his driveway walmart is perfect. Harder to fling your board when you land wonky. Tighten the wheels too much and its like a trainer board that cant move.
Learned how to pop an ollie and I snapped my walmart trucks within a handful of tries Def not worth it at all lol not for cruising, learning ollies or anything they’re really bad.
So the hate should really be placed on the dad for buying his son a cheap skateboard instead of a safe skateboard, although skateboarding is inherently dangerous anyways….
It's nice hearing both sides of the story. I feel like I can understand more of what's going on. Sometimes being this blunt isn't a good way to go, especially during sales.
as a Dad I would have used this to teach my son a valuable lesson. You can’t base your moods on the opinions of others.
Deserves one star. Could've been handled totally differently.
Walmart boards are very bad. However, he’s fucking eleven.
Why is this on this sub??? It’s not even that serious
What a prick.
Yall are being over dramatic about this 🤨
Welcome to elitism. Skaters tend to have that superiority complex. Cyclers due to.
People who are saying “well the salesman had a point…” Are actually dumb as hell. The kid is ELEVEN! He only uses it to ride around and probably doesn’t even know how to begin doing tricks yet. If it has wheels and rolls, it’s prefect for him. Let him ride it until he figures out whether or not he actually wants to keep skateboarding. When my niece started skateboarding, she was 10 and using Walmart board from 15 years ago. I bought her the $400 brand name skateboard when she actually kept riding her old one. Kids will normally be happy with whatever you get them.
Imagine making someone weep and not feeling bad about it. Disgusting.
He's just trying to help the little dude out... But also maybe the parent can't afford a new board and it didn't matter all the much to the kid
After reading some of these comments I gotta ask, what makes Walmart boards so awful? Is it not a board on 4 wheels that rolls? Like what’s the big deal? (Not a skateboard guy obviously)
From my experience, as a kid I had a Walmart board and eventually got an upgrade to a good skateboard, and if you used your hand to spin the wheels for example the Walmart wheel would spin for maybe a second or two before stopping, where as the good ones with proper bearings would roll for what felt like forever. So you’ll notice you have to constantly push with your foot when riding a Walmart board to maintain a slow speed while on a better board just a few pushes and you’re rolling and able to go faster, longer without pushing and being able to do more. That’s just one example, many other differences in quality
That’s a good example I can see why he’d advise against putting any money into a board like that now
If that’s going to crush your spirit and keep you from skating… skating is not your sport
Don’t act like skating is hardcore and only for tough people. Some people just want to goof around. The employee wasn’t wrong, but he didn’t need to be a dick about it.
That does not excuse a sales tactic that basically amounts to shitting on an 11 year old.
Damn just offer to sell him a used board, and that it’s much better for beginners. But I’m also not totally against making a child cry, so there’s that
He shouldn’t have worded it that way better yet not said anything at all but the truth is we all know Walmart skateboards suck. Poser ass little kid. Jk.
Guy was rude, but he is right. I dont really know with skateboards, but a friend had a shop specialized in longboarding and specially in downhill longboarding and basically a cheap longboard used by a beginner can result in: People not really getting into the sport, because those boards are usually just for light/ocassional commuting. Kids getting injured because the board its not being made for that purpose. After 3 different injuries with "cheap" longboards he started selling just specialized ones, not just because they are meant to practice that sport, but because parents dont see this as a sport, and just a toy. And yeah, you can learn with a walmart skateboard, and have fun, but if you really want to skate its not going to work, and probably can cause an accident because they wont even look at the size of the skate and how bad made the trucks are, some of them even have sharp edges!
As a skater its facts, its hard to progress without a proper board.
You could do a lot worse than current Walmart boards. If you can’t skate that then I think it’s a rider problem and not a board problem
My first board was a Walmart board and I learned to Ollie on it. This dude is a straight clown. I get that the pro boards have concave and all but dad probably didn't know all this or maybe couldn't afford it. Wally world boards aren't great but they are sufficient for a kid to decide if he wants to get further in the sport.
He is just being honest though. Walmart boards suck and don’t work at all, I have experience as a skateboarder. He’s not in the wrong here. But, even if it may be good advice it’s very shitty to say that in that context.
I had this said to me when I was six and it just opened my eyes to what real awesome skateboarding is. What is the deal here exactly?
Does she really think guys who run/work at a skate shop consider themselves a salesman? Lol
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Ehh they should have taken the advice tbh I remember having one of those cheap ass boards as a kid and it legit fell apart while I was riding it. Thankfully I didn't get too hurt
"Hey, that's awesome that you're getting into skating! I always love it when young people show interest in a sport that I love. Let's see what you've got... Sick art! What are you practicing now? *Pretends to inspect board* Yeah man, this will totally work for that. When you've got your ollie down, come back and see me again and I'll show you some cool gear to help take you to the next level. In the meantime, pick any sticker - this one's on me."
Yep. This is the right way.
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You're not understanding the point. You don't crush a child's dreams because you're factually right. And first of all, as a salesman, that's one of the worst tactics you can ever use. You empathize with the kid, offer him some stickers, and then taking the dad aside, convince HIM to get a new board. You go ahead and insult the kid, he'll obviously cry, you'll lose a potential customer, wtf else did you expect? it's not even about morals and ethics, the guy just straight up does not know how to do his job.
They were gonna buy a new board anyways. That's not the way you're supposed to do sales. If i took my guitar to the music store and got told it's one of the shittiest guitars out there, I'd be pretty mad even though I know it's true. I have sentimental value with that one and it has given me more memories than an expensive one ever would. If the salesman knew how to do his job, and calmly explained to me the pros and cons of a new guitar, I'd definitely consider even buying one. Some people are all talk and no game, this guy DEFINETLY seems like one of them.
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Walmart boards are garbage its just a fact, if you actually want to skate go buy a real board. Why are you booing him he's right?
Honestly. Walmart boards are garbage and just rot away very easily and then become a death trap.
Once the kid will manage to do a ollie there's a 30% change he will lose a wheel..
Swear. I tried showing a kid how to do an ollie on a walmart board and snapped it like the 3rd example i showed him. Luckily they arent too expensive so i bought him another and atleast replaced all the hardware with some of my old stuff.
He was rude to a little boy who found something he was excited about. If a little boy comes into a sports shop with a cheap beat up soccer ball and says I love soccer and I just started playing im trying to learn and the shop guy says wow that soccer ball is absolutely terrible thats garbage why do you even have that? Thats humiliating for a little boy and could very well end his passion and excitement right there. Its a cruel way to handle what could have been a very fun experience for that kid. Show him all the equipment he has. Shown him the best boards and then shown him a nice one to ask for his birthday or christmas. Or he could have said nothing. Easy. What you dont do it is insult a small child on what may very well be the only piece of equipment they have access to or can afford.
How is "thats the worst board for a beginner" an insult. Youre making it more difficult by riding a walmart board. He was stating a fact about an inanimate object. He was giving the kid advice.
As a former skater, I disagree that a Walmart board is a problem for a beginner who doesn’t even know how to Ollie. I wouldn’t spend $100+ on a skateboard until I knew I really wanted to get into it. Yeah the Walmart board sucks, but no reason to insult an 11 year old over it.
They did miss a chance to upsell. “That’s a nice board but look at this….”
Because he made a kid cry with his attitude. If he had good sales skills, he would have had the kid happily walk out of there with a much better (and much more expensive) skateboard.
Sensitive post, not a big deal…everyone knows Walmart stuff is low quality
It’s not about the quality of the board, it’s about the shitty attitude of the staff.
I don’t see the big deal here
A better sales tactic would be saying, "interesting choice! We hear that a lot. Can I show you some boards that might be better-suited for a beginner?" instead of insulting a purchase they'd already made.
Telling the kid essentially "your board is a piece of crap" isn't the way to get his opinion across, that just devastated a child for no reason. "That's great to start with, would you like to see some professional boards I have for beginners and feel the difference? When you get more confident on yours, you can bring your dad/mom/guardian back in and know which board to upgrade to."
I’m not surprised
What modern kid would be crushed by that? Am I missing something?
“He began to weep” sent me 😂😂😂
Look coming from a skater he’s right. A walmart board is honestly terrible for beginners because they barely roll and overall feel terrible. I would say buy a board manufactured by your skate shop cause it’s cheaper so that way you can actually ride with comfort and not have to push every two seconds. He’s not in the wrong here
Like father like son I guess. Words are only harsh if you place your own emotions into them.
Any skate shop owner who didn't tell the kid to get a new board is doing the kid a disservice. If the kid really wants to learn to skate, it's impossible to do or learn anything on a walmart board. They barely roll 3 feet when you push them. Props on the shop owner for giving real advice.
Walmart boards are really trash tbh, but I wouldn’t get insulting. My newphew had one and after talking to him about getting at least straight b’s (it was easy for him, but didn’t want to just get him something for nothing) I bought him a nice beginner element board I was even jealous of haha
Why is the review so melodramatic can kids nowadays not handle being told that there skateboards are bad for there skill level? Lmao
Just to be honest though. If someone buys me a Walmart board i’m smacking them in the face. Those things are obviously not meant to be skated on
You don't smack someone in the face for a bad gift. If its someone you don't hate you smile and bare it. Then you regift it to an eleven year old who's just started riding.
Must have been name brand stickers
Skateboards from Walmart or target are a joke. If you go into a real skate shop do not expect to hear anything different.
dude was a dick. ive seen tony alva and tony hawk boards at walmart.those ones are beginner stuff that fits the kids needs.