Good Evans

Well Christmas Eve actually, but to call it that would make it seem just a little out of date. What follows however is an example of a retailer restoring your faith in humanity as well as the commercial sector.

6pm, the night before Christmas and you are on your expensive road bike intent on getting to a point some five or six miles away across London.

You stray across the inevitable piece of rogue glass that somehow manages to embed itself in both tyres almost immediately. That sinking feeling is apparent and seconds later you’re pushing, rather than riding, your two-wheeled pride and joy.

Then you spot a branch of Evans, the private-equity owned cycle shop that always looks a little expensive, but where the staff seem to know what they’re doing. Except that it’s Christmas Eve and it’s 6pm. The store is closed and two men are standing outside drinking cava from disposable plastic cups. You ask whether the store’s open, knowing the answer.

Then magically, they unlock the door and usher you inside, offering you a swig of mock-champagne while you’re at it. Fantastic.

But there’s more. Instead of issuing you with two new inner tubes, they upend the machine, remove the wheels and head into the back-of-shop repair area. A few minutes later your bike is roadworthy and they’re done the brakes too.

You express gratitude and ask how much. “Forget it,” comes the reply, “The tills are closed, Happy Christmas.”

It doesn’t matter what your view on the season of excess, this is that kind of rare occurrence that you will tell all your friends and acquaintances about and which will ensure that if anything ever, ever goes wrong with your bike, Evans will be the first port of call.

It’s simple really, generosity of spirit and a Christmas Eve redeemed. This is called real service and it may have gone against all of the corporate guidelines about what should, or shouldn’t be done in a store that has ceased trading for the day, but it will not be forgotten.

And in case you’re wondering, the shop in question was the Camden branch of Evans where one of the two young men who came to your correspondent’s rescue still had to make his way to the Isle of Wight to join his family that evening.

Service doesn’t get better and deserves to be celebrated.