First Run Ski Shop

I had really nice service here after rebuffed by the competition across the street. On a busy Saturday of Presidents day they had lots of Demos for my wife to try and were always kind when she came in to swap out a pair (with a great location for demoing too). The store was rewarded as we purchased a new pair of skis (At a very good price given the weak snow this year)

I demoed skis and then purchased some at First Run. Everyone who helped me was great. Prices were reasonable — the 2016 skis I purchased were even on sale. Tom got my new skis set up for me, he’s very friendly and knowledgeable. I also saw they tune skis overnight for $ 30. They’re located right at the base, in the Village, making it easy to pop in for anything you might need. Highly recommend these guys!

Well I’m sorry to have to write this because I know business is hard up there this year. But customers have choices, and there’s no excuse for poor service. There are other ski shops very hungry for the business right now who are willing to go the extra mile.
I’ll preface this by saying, my family has been going to the First Run for as long as they’ve been open, since Stratton first opened really. While the prices have rarely been the reason to patronize First Run, the level of service has always been top notch and worth it.
But times are changing and the lack of snow and customers this year seems to have changed the overall level of service in the village, especially at the First Run. I get that screws need to be tightened, but not at the expense of customer service and a few bucks.
The story is short. Our ski school coach highly recommended we take the kids skis for a tune at First Run. He said if we brought several pairs in and spoke to Tom, we’d be treated well and be given a discount (if we used his name). So we did — 3 tunes plus binding work on 2 additional pair.
I spoke to the manager on duty at the time at the end of the day, mentioned the coach’s name, and he said they’d take care of us. I didn’t push for prices — my mistake. It was busy and I trusted them and wanted to get out of their way.
When I arrived to pick them up, the price was way high. I expressed that I had been told we’d get a discount etc. The manager Tom came out, guns blazing, as if I had inconvenienced him. No discounts — he has to pay $ 60/​hour for technicians ($ 120K/​yr, really?). «I’ll have a chat with that coach about discounts». Etc. Super aloof and rude, in my opinion. Granted, once I realized I had been duped, I became irritated (but not disrespectful). There wasn’t a single customer in the store.
As someone who has been coming to stratton for 45 years, and as a family pouring thousands into the mountain, ski school and local businesses each year, being treated with respect and honesty feels like a reasonable ask. Tom may not have known me personally, but I came in with a credible story, a decent amount of business, and his employee had guaranteed a level of service Tom did not choose to honor. The rude interchange was the icing on the cake. If he treated me this way, I’m sure he treats others this way as well.
Equipe across the street is a great shop and seems to value customers much more highly.

First rate ski shop. They sell equipment as well as tune equipment. On a recent trip to Stratton my wife and I were able to ski down to the shop and leave our skis for overnight tuning. They are open the same time that the lifts begin to run. You can pick up your equipment then catch one of the first chairs. They also sell a complete line of Swix wax and tuning equipment for those who are adventurous enough to do the job themselves.