Feasibility Report

Evaluation of the Best Way of Purchasing a Hockey Stick By Mike Carman

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To:

Dean Frederickson

From: Mike Carman Date: April 20th, 2009 Re:

BEST METHOD OF PURCHASING A HOCKEY STICK

On behalf of myself with help of several test subjects, I am pleased to submit to you the final report on the findings of the best method for purchasing a hockey stick. I conducted the research for this project through my Business and Technical writing class at the University of Minnesota and through interviews with three previous customers as well as some on site work that I conducted personally I have come to a conclusion about what the best method for buying a hockey stick is for you. It is in your best interest to make future stick purchases through a pro shop at a hockey arena. Although the price is a little higher at a pro shop over a sporting goods store or through shopping online, the pro shop specializes in hockey and only hockey products. Because of this their staff is extremely knowledgeable and helpful, not to mention they have a quality selection of all makes and models of sticks. However the main selling point for me that will aid you in your selection of sticks for your boys is that they have demo sticks for people to try out on the ice at their rink. This way your boys can try out the demo models of the sticks before you buy them, allowing you the satisfaction that you’re getting the right sticks for them. I hope that you are satisfied with what our report entails and that you will continue to use the information from it with all your stick purchasing decisions for years to come. If you have any questions feel free to contact me at the number or email below. 612-759-0987 [email protected]

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Table of Contents Chart of Findings from Interviews:...........................................................................4 Executive Summary................................................................................................5 Body....................................................................................................... .................6 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………..6 Definitions……………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………..6 Findings/Conclusions………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………..7 Appendix/Interviews……………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………..8-11

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Chart of Findings from Interviews: Criteria Quality of Staff Area to Test Out Sticks Models Available Flex Available Curves Available

1 month Warranty for broken sticks Average Cost

Sporting Goods Store

Online

Pro Shop

Average

n/a

Excellent

No

n/a

Yes

Bauer, Warrior, Easton, Nike

Bauer, Warrior, Easton, Rbk,

50,75,85,100,1 20 Modano, Sakic, Naslund, Shanahan No

50,65,75,85,95,10 0,120 Modano, St.Louis, Naslund, Sakic, Malkin, Crosby, Lidstrom Yes

Bauer, Warrior, Easton, Rbk, CCM, Nike 50,65,75,85,95,10 0,120 Modano, St. Louis, Naslund, Sakic, Gagne, Malkin, Lidstrom YES

$185

$170

$190

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Executive Summary Over the last month, Mike Carman has been interviewing previous customers who purchased hockey sticks from three different types of venues to evaluate and try to come to a conclusion about where the most effective place would be to purchase hockey sticks. The three venues were a hockey sporting goods store, an online store, and a pro shop at a hockey arena. In addition to the data being received from the three interviewees, Mr. Carman also picked out a store that fit each category and visited them himself to get the firsthand experience. The stores he visited were Westwood Sports (sporting goods store), Hockeygiant.com (online store), and Hat Trick hockey pro shop at Richfield Ice Arena. The findings from the interviews were very similar to what Mr.Carman found while conducting his own research. All three venues had similar stick models, stick flexes, and stick curves available with the online stores and pro shops having a slight edge in the stick curves. The online store lacked personal staff to aid in the selection of a stick and also lacked a place for the sticks to be tested out before they were purchased. The sporting goods store also lacked a place to test out sticks and was the only venue not to offer a one month warranty on all broken sticks. The average cost of the sticks for the sporting goods store, the online store, and the pro shop were $185, $175, and $190, respectively. Ultimately, with the information provided by the interviewees and Mr.Carman’s research, the decision was made the shopping for hockey sticks at a pro shop is the best option. Although the price is a little more on average than the other two venues, the pro shop’s selection and customer service are the best and they are the only place that offers people a chance to use demo sticks before they actually purchase them giving the pro shops the most complete buying experience.

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Body Introduction There are many different venues for people to go about purchasing equipment for sports and hockey is no exception. There are general sporting goods stores with a hockey section in them, online hockey sites with pages and pages of equipment, and there are specialty stores, mainly pro shops found at hockey arenas. One of the toughest items to shop for in my opinion ishockey sticks. There are so many models of sticks not mention selecting a curve and a flex- it can be a lot to handle. I listened to a hockey dad talk about how difficult it was for him to go shopping for his young sons when he barely knew what to look for, let alone know what his son’s really needed. He inspired this feasibility report that you’re reading. Over the last 3-4 weeks, I conducted three interviews with people I know have previous experience shopping for hockey sticks in all different venues and I interviewed each one of them about purchasing a stick from one of the venues. In addition to gaining insight from my interviewees, the other part of my research strategy was going to each separate venue and seeing for myself the pros and cons of each when buying a stick. I summarized my findings in the chart on page 4. I felt that doing interviews was the best way to get an open and honest opinion about the stick shopping experience for each venue. By conducting research on my own, it gave me a good chance to follow up on the information I received from the interviewees. This way I could back up the information in the report with complete confidence in my findings.

Definitions Models- the companies that make the sticks (ex. Bauer) Flex- how much the stick bends when you put pressure on it to shoot; smaller/younger players need a lower flex (ex. 50, 65, 75) in order to get good power on their shots whereas the bigger stronger players need higher flex (ex. 85, 95, 100, 120) Curve- the curves of hockey sticks are named after professional players (ex. Sakic curve is named after Joe Sakic) and they vary by each player’s name as well if the blade curves to the right or the left-depending on which way you shoot as a player you’ll need a right or left handed curve 6

Findings The three guys I interviewed were Derek, Artie, and Jeff, all of whom have lots of experience shopping for sticks. After the interviews concluded and I had a chance to go check out the three types of stores, I compiled all the info into a chart. The guys provided a lot of good information for me, but it turns out that me deciding to go check up on things myself afterwards allowed me to get complete compilations of models, flexes, curves and a general average price between the sticks. It was difficult for them to recall all those little details on all the sticks there so I had no problem going in and checking up on those things. I think they all agreed that good sales help makes a big difference in their shopping experience; like Jeff said he wishes that he had someone there to help him when he was shopping online and even though Artie didn’t need it he also said that the help at Westwood was not that great. Then in Derek’s case he was willing to spend a little extra just because of the helpful service he received from the staff which. That combined with being able to test out the stick before buying it really made the pro shop seem like the right place to shop for a hockey stick. For the most part the selection was all pretty much the same and nothing appeared to jump out at any of the guys in terms of lack of selection with the curves, flexes, or models of sticks, but once again Derek in the pro shop noted that they had a great selection and variety of sticks.

Conclusions After the interviewees’ testimonies it seems pretty clear that the place to shop for hockey sticks is at a pro shop at a hockey arena. The service is better, especially considering they specialize in hockey so they are very knowledgeable, and the selection is as good if not better than either of the other two options. The sticks are a little more on average, but they do have the 1 month replacement warranty which makes buyers feel a little more comfortable spending a little more. Finally the biggest selling point with the pro shop is that they offer a place to test out models of the sticks before you purchase them which really appeals to customers and especially to people who are taking their young hockey players stick shopping . I recommend that as a buyer, if you are looking for the total package when purchasing a hockey stick, look no further than a pro shop next time you’re at the hockey arena.

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Appendix Interview subject 1 – Artie

1. When was the last time you purchased a hockey stick? – One month ago a. Where or from what site did you purchase it? –Westwood Sports in Apple Valley b. What led you to purchasing from this place?– It’s by my parent’s house and I was home for the weekend. I grew up going there all the time so I have sense of loyalty there and I’m comfortable shopping there.

2. Did you feel that all your needs were met during your purchasing experience?– For the most part yes, I knew what I was looking for when I went in there so I didn’t really need much help although I don’t think the staff has ever really gone out of their way to help me in the past either. They’re always around but they don’t really do anything unless someone approaches them. a. Was the staff helpful? – Not to me no but like I said I wasn’t really looking for any help. b. Were you able to test out the stick before purchasing it? – No , I wish I had been able to though because I was looking for a new curve and I had to guess which one I would like and it turns out I didn’t like it at all so that was frustrating.

3. What types of stick models were available? – Bauer, Warrior, Easton, Nike a. Flex? - 50,75,85,100,120 b. Curve? - Modano, Sakic, Naslund, Shanahan

4. With sticks breaking more frequently now, did the service you used offer a 1 month warranty on broken sticks? No they did not a. (If not) is this something you would ask for next time? Yes I would, it’s disappointing they don’t offer that as a service as most places do. b. What are your feelings on the 1 month warranty? – It’s very valuable to me because often times I break sticks within a month so it’s nice to have them replaced for free.

5. Were you satisfied with the prices offered on sticks at the store? – Yes their prices are comparative to what I’ve seen at other places. 8

a. What were some of the prices on the major stick models (Bauer, Easton, Warrior, Rbk) – I’m not really sure off the top of my head…the Easton I bought was $180 I think, I’m not sure about the rest. b. How much did you pay for your stick? - $180

6. After purchasing your stick were you satisfied with the performance once you began using it? Yes a. What do you wish you could have done differently when you were shopping for the stick? b. Do you feel like the store accommodated this need of yours? c. What would you like to see done differently at this store? – I think the store should def have a shooting area where people can try out new sticks as that would be very helpful with people trying out new curves and things like that….also I never really thought about it because I don’t need it much but the customer service could def improve.

Interview Subject 2 – Jeff

7. When was the last time you purchased a hockey stick? – a couple months ago either online or at a sporting goods store (for the sake of the report we went with the online one). c. Where or from what site did you purchase it? – hockeygiant.com d. What led you to purchasing from this place? – my dad used to buy sticks and equipment for me from here since they always had sales

8. Did you feel that all your needs were met during your purchasing experience?– not really because it was difficult to order a stick from just looking at it one and I hadn’t bought a new stick in a while so I didn’t know much about the newer models I was looking at c. Was the staff helpful? – n/a d. Were you able to test out the stick before purchasing it? – n/a

9. What types of stick models were available? - Bauer, Warrior, Easton, Rbk, c. Flex? - 50,65,75,85,95,100,120 d. Curve? - Modano, St.Louis, Naslund, Sakic, Malkin, Crosby, Lidstrom

10.With sticks breaking more frequently now, did the service you used offer a 1 month warranty on broken sticks? -Yes c. (If not) is this something you would ask for next time? 9

d. What are your feelings on the 1 month warranty? – It doesn’t really affect me much since I don’t play on a regular basis and even when I did my sticks usually broke after the 1 month warranty anyways.

11.Were you satisfied with the prices offered on sticks at the store? – Yes they had sales on a lot of their sticks so it was nice not to pay what I would have paid at a local sporting goods store. c. What were some of the prices on the major stick models (Bauer, Easton, Warrior, Rbk) – I couldn’t tell ya (like I said it paid off for me to do follow up research) d. How much did you pay for your stick? - $175

12.After purchasing your stick were you satisfied with the performance once you began using it? – Yes it is still going strong right now so I’m hoping it continues to last for a while d. What do you wish you could have done differently when you were shopping for the stick? e. Do you feel like the store accommodated this need of yours? f. What would you like to see done differently at this store? – Despite the fact that I got a good deal, it took me a long time to find a stick I thought I would like…luckily it was a good choice but it would have been nice to be in an actual store where the staff probably could have helped me find the same stick in half the time.

Interview Subject 3 – Derek

13.When was the last time you purchased a hockey stick? – Last weekend e. Where or from what site did you purchase it? – I bought it at the pro shop by the rink next to my parents house in Richfield f. What led you to purchasing from this place? – I was watching my little cousin play and I realized I needed a new stick to play in men’s league with

14.Did you feel that all your needs were met during your purchasing experience?– Yes the staff was very helpful when I was looking at all the sticks…they had a large variety so it was tough to decided which one I wanted. Also they had demo sticks that I could take out on the ice after my cousin’s game to shoot with a few times to see which one I like that best. e. Was the staff helpful? – Yes they were very knowledgeable and helpful….couldn’t have asked for better service f. Were you able to test out the stick before purchasing it? 10

15.What types of stick models were available? - Bauer, Warrior, Easton, Rbk, CCM, Nike e. Flex? -50,65,75,85,95,100,120 f. Curve? - Modano, St. Louis, Naslund, Sakic, Gagne, Malkin, Lidstrom

16.With sticks breaking more frequently now, did the service you used offer a 1 month warranty on broken sticks? - Yes e. (If not) is this something you would ask for next time? f. What are your feelings on the 1 month warranty? – I’m a big fan of it, I’ve always broke sticks after a couple week’s use so having that has been a lifesaver for my wallet

17.Were you satisfied with the prices offered on sticks at the store? – They were a little pricy from what I’d seen at regular sporting goods stores but with the staff being so helpful I was willing to pay a little more. e. What were some of the prices on the major stick models (Bauer, Easton, Warrior, Rbk)- I don’t remember, my Easton was one of the cheaper ones I know that f. How much did you pay for your stick? $185

18.After purchasing your stick were you satisfied with the performance once you began using it? –Yes the staff did a good job recommending sticks for me to try out and I definitely picked the right one with their help and being able to test it out g. What do you wish you could have done differently when you were shopping for the stick? h. Do you feel like the store accommodated this need of yours? i. What would you like to see done differently at this store? – Honestly I Don’t really have any complaints…the price was a little high but not that bad everything else was great

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