Transa

O.K., as an outdoor freak and gear junkie, I have to go in almost every reasonable outdoor shop I can. In the U.S. the biggie is obviously REI. In Germany, it’s Globetrotter and it seems that Transa is more or less the Globetrotter of Switzerland. Is that a good thing? I think so.
One thing that I’ve found very frustrating about living in Europe is the lack of selection. Most shops of any ilk (sport or otherwise) seem to sell only European brands or the «popular» brands from elsewhere. The beauty of the bigger shops is that they can actually give you that selection and Transa doesn’t disappoint.
Another thing that I have previously found is that it’s often very difficult to get anyone to help you in the smaller shops… somehow, the bigger stores (especially in Switzerland) have figured out that service is a huge factor. Even if I don’t need or want help it’s nice to at least be acknowledged in case you do want to ask a question. In the 2 – 3 times I’ve been in Transa and their outlet store, there’s always someone nearby to ask questions or give advice.
Transa doesn’t have everything I want and I’d be surprised if they did but they sure do fill in a lot of large holes in the market from what I can tell. Hopefully, they’ll convince some of the other shops to step up their service and selection a bit. As far as prices go, they’re really not much different than the competition but if you want to see and experience a really nice store, check ‘em out. Now, if only they were open on Sunday (they are attached to HBf after all)!

A wonderful store, especially for climbing gear.
I recently picked up bouldering and decided that it’s time to get pair of shoes on my own. A pair, that actually fits, preferably.
On Sarah H’s recommendation, I went to Transa, located in the — still new — Europaallee right next to Zurich’s main train station. I have to admit that I didn’t look around a lot, but headed straight to the climbing section.
I approached one of the sales clerks in the area of the climbing equipment and told him that I was looking for a decent rookie climbing shoe. Advantage #1: The people working in the various sections of this store actually know what they’re talking about because they’re mostly active in that specific sport. The guy explaining me my options for shoes is a seasoned climber and it shows: I felt taken seriously, despite my complete lack of experience. He didn’t go for the best sale, but took my wishes and priorities into consideration. Obviously I can’t say if everyone working at Transa does as good a job as this guy, but this was truly a shining example for decent customer service.
Now the wonderful thing about the climbing section of this store is advantage #2: It features a 7 meter climbing wall to test out your potential new gear. After I picked out three models that I’d feel comfortable in, I was free to give them a vertical «test drive». Especially for climbing equipment, this is essential: One of the models that was perfectly comfortable when walking, would have killed my feet within 20 minutes on the wall. Seriously, take the time to do this. Your feet, and consequentially, your wallet will thank you for it.
Prices are a bit steep, but not untypically for outdoor equipment. Service was friendly and very knowledgeable. All in all I can’t do anything but give Transa the full score of five stars here.