FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why isn’t your gear in more shops?
Believe us, we’re working on it. We are a small company and we want to be sure that with every step forward we take we establish some good footing before we take the next step (if you follow that climbing analogy I just came up with). The simple fact of the matter is that we need to be sure that we’re able to take good care of each shop account that we open. That means keeping up on inventory, shop support, sales trips, etc. We just want to be sure we can take care of the old before we bring on the new.
We’re also fairly picky about which shops we work with. We don’t want to put our brand in two shops right down the street from one another. We also don’t want to put our stuff in a shop that just doesn't line up with our style. We’ve been working hard to establish our brand since 2004, and toward the end of this year we’ll start making a big push to open some more shop accounts.
I want a shop near my house to carry your brand. What should I do?
Sweet. We’re stoked you like us enough to bring us home with you! The best way you can go about getting your favorite shop to carry our brand is simply to tell them about us. Don’t be pushy. Don’t be annoying.
Just try something like “Hey, have you guys heard about Northwest Riders? It’s a tiny, yet awesome clothing company that makes some ok t-shirts. Really? You haven’t heard of them? Well that’s a shame, because they are my favorite company and my friends and I would buy a lot of their stuff from you if you carried their brand. I’ve heard that the company is run by ruggedly handsome mountain-men who have a hybrid DNA comprised of Viking, centaur, and wood nymph.”
Seriously though, just wear our shirts or hats, spread the word, tell shops about our brand and website, and be patient. Soon every man, woman, and child will know the name Northwest Riders. And that, friends, will be a glorious day indeed.
Are you hiring?
Unfortunately, not at the moment. They say good things come to those who wait, and our first paycheck as owners of the company came 6 years after we went into business. It’s going to be awhile before we can add to the team. Not to put pressure on you, but the more you and your friends spread the word about our company, the more clothing we sell, and the sooner the need to expand our little enterprise becomes a reality. Keep checking back, we’re growing pretty quickly so you never know when that dream job of yours will be available.
How do I get sponsored?
That’s actually an easy one. Just click on the link to the application page for whichever sport you're interested in (from the 'TEAM' page, read the directions carefully, and fill out the application. The applications can just be copied and pasted into an email. Once it's done...email it to us. While we are always accepting applications, that does not necessarily mean we have space on our team. We try our best to get back to you as quickly as possible, but please be patient.
I just bought one of your tasty garments, when will my order get here?
Soon junior, soon. We typically ship everything on the next business day from when the order was made. We do reserve the right to not work 7 days a week, so if we get a sudden urge to go surfing or head up to the mountain for the day, we’ll ship your order as soon as we get back to the office. The overwhelming majority of orders should arrive within 2-5 business days from when the order was placed.
Why don’t you make hoodies/ beanies/ boardshorts/ jackets/ snuggies?
This one’s going to take some patience on your part. We actually have some pretty sweet designs for all of those types of garments (except maybe snuggies), but first thing’s first: you have to buy the items we have in stock (unless you think they suck...but if that’s the case you have to tell us). We re-invest the vast majority of the revenues from clothing sales back into the company, so if you buy a t-shirt today you’re helping to fund a pair of boardshorts tomorrow (not literally, but you get the idea). Look for the company to grow considerably in the next couple of years, we’ll definitely be expanding our product line.
Can I buy a gift certificate?
Sure you can. For the time being, we customize every gift certificate in whatever dollar amount you prefer $20 and up. We’ll design a gift certificate just for you. If you’re interested, email us at zack@northwestriders.com.
I’m hungry, but I’m in one of those moods where nothing sounds good. What should I eat?
That’s a good question. If I’m in that position, I always eat a piece of fruit because it’s delicious and wakes up my taste buds. If that doesn’t fill you up, try a piece of buttered toast. That’s kind of a simple and quick snack that doesn’t usually jump out at you, but once you eat a slice you’re like “ wow, toast is pretty good. I never crave toast but I should start eating it more often.” In this situation, it’s not that ‘nothing tastes good,’ it’s more like ‘nothing that I usually like sounds very good.’ This is a wonderful opportunity to ‘eat outside the box’ or get back to basics.
All of the wakeboarders that I know are kooks. Why do you promote wakeboarding?
This is a loaded question and one that could cause a lot of controversy for us since a lot of our customers are wakeboarders. In fact, both of Northwest Riders’ owners got their start in wakeboarding. But it’s a valid question. It’s no secret that a lot of other board sport disciplines (snowboarding in particular) don’t lend much credit or respect to the sport (or hobby as they’d call it) of wakeboarding. We’d like to clear the air and take the opportunity to share our side of the argument:
The sad and unavoidable fact about wakeboarding is that there are a lot of barriers preventing anyone off the street from giving it a try. After you buy a board, life jacket, rope, and handle, there’s always the mildly important question of ‘where do I find a boat to ride behind?’ Boats, especially wakeboard boats, can get real expensive real quick. Most 12 year old kids that want to wakeboard don’t have $65,000 sitting in their piggy bank that they could go pick up a boat with. Plus you need a truck to tow the boat, gas to fill the tank, and a driver willing to pull you. Yes, nearly every barrier to wakeboarding revolves around finances. This fact leads to the next, and perhaps most important, reason that wakeboarding and wakeboarders in particular get a bad rap: a lot of wakeboarders are spoiled rich kids.
Yup, there you have it. We said it. It’s true actually, there are a lot of wakeboarders that are just spoiled rich kids (or spoiled adults). Self-centered. Snobby. Greedy. Ignorant. BUT, that doesn’t mean that all wakeboarders, or even many wakeboarders, are jerks. I like to think that I’m not a jerk. Despite the fact that part of the stigma is based on reality, there are so many down to earth, super nice, friendly wakeboarders. Most wakeboarders snowboard, a lot of them surf, almost all of them skateboard.
Have you every tried wakeboarding? It’s awesome. I have never met a snowboarder, surfer, or skater that tried wakeboarding and didn’t like it. Being out on the lake, sitting in the sun with your friends, swimming, and shredding when the water’s good...it doesn’t get much better. Yes, it’s true that a lot of wakeboarders are goofs, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with the sport of wakeboarding itself. You burn through more fuel driving to the mountains than most wakeboard boats do in a day on the lake. At the end of the day, its all about how much fun you have, and there’s no denying that wakeboarding is super fun. We love and support the sport of wakeboarding and all of the awesome people we’ve met through it. We don’t particularly like (or sponsor) the self-centered riders either.
You guys promote a lot of sports. As owners, do you actually like those sports or are you just trying to make a quick buck by pretending that you do?
Yes, we love all of the sports that we sponsor athletes in. As owners, we both got introduced to board sports thru wakeboarding. We both still wakeboard, wakesurf, and wakeskate as often as we can during the summer. Zack grew up in Eastern Washington where surfing wasn’t very accessible but he’s starting to surf more frequently now that he lives in good old Seattle. He grew up riding a skateboard and took frequent trips to 49 Degrees North and Red Mountain up in Canada to snowboard. Greg’s spent a fair amount of time snowboarding and still heads to the mountains as often as he can during the winter, but he’s definitely more interested in surfing these days. Part of the reason this job is so awesome is because from here on out we’re taking a month every winter to go on surf trips around the world. We’re both pretty impressed with all of the flatland skimboarders around the Northwest, but we’re still in the beginning phase of figuring out that sport without looking like fools.
I am a photographer/ graphic designer. I want to contribute and help your company grow (i.e. volunteer a bit of my time/talent). Do you need any help?
Yes. Yes. And Yes. A lot of the progress we’ve made over the years is because people have liked what we’re trying to do and generously donated their talents to help us grow. We are always in need of photos taken in and around the Northwest, either of people out enjoying the elements, or the beautiful natural landscapes that we’re lucky enough to be surrounded by. We can always use some fresh ideas and talent as we expand and design our product line. Graphic Designers are always welcome to contribute ideas and designs for products and web content.
If you’d like to help, we’d love to sit down and chat with you. We’re always happy to pay you back however we can, whether its through product trades, healthy doses of high fives, or long, gentle embraces. Email us if you’d like to help out.
Why don’t you carry Women’s Clothing?
That’s something that will happen soon. Our company is currently run by a couple of dudes. We tried designing women’s clothing once and it was an abysmal failure. Like most men, we don’t know what women want to wear because we’re not women, nor do we wear women’s clothes. We are definitely in the process of expanding the products in that direction, we just want to be sure that when that time does come we’re producing the highest quality products that women will actually want to wear. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please email us your thoughts. We want to hear what you have to say.
I paid more for shipping than what it actually cost to ship...why is that?
We currently charge all shipping based on a sliding scale. The amount for shipping depends on your order total. The heavier the box is the more you will pay. Generally this is pretty accurate. However, occasionally a higher dollar item that weighs the same as a less expensive item (i.e. a $30 tee vs a $18 tee) will tip the sliding scale to the higher shipping bracket. In addition, being a small company, we don't have a driver from a shipping company stopping by every day to pick up our packages and share with us his latest opinion on last nights leading "reality" show. This means we drive your order ourselves to the post office. The few extra pennies often pay for our time and fuel to do this. In the grand scheme of it all, we don't profit from shipping.
If you are not one who likes to pay shipping...you're in luck! You can always spend $50 or more and we'll pick up the tab and pay your shipping ourselves. Or, check out our 'Dealer' pages to find the nearest shop selling our brand and support two local northwest companies in one shot.
I didn't see an option for a faster shipping method. Can I get my order more quickly?
Yes...in most cases. Again, it is just the two of us currently on staff here at Northwest Riders. If we are not able to get away to drop off packages (we might be out on a lesson, at an event, etc.) then we don't want to be late on a shipment and upset customers. This is why we currently only offer ground shipping on the website.
If you need to get your order expedited, call in and place a phone order and we can give you a better idea on pricing and availability to make it happen. We'll do our best to accomodate your request.
