Tewksbury and McCracken both said that everyone working in their shops get to go to shows and demos to test new products. How companies operate is another important factor in deciding what to carry. According to Podolak, a company's credibility and integrity are both important factors as to whether their products will be carried out. Tewksbury said that one of the things that they look for is whether a company has good warrantys or not, and their customer service, as well as how they actually deal with the individual shops. Podolak also said that it's important to talk to other people in the snowboard community, from other shops to just riders altogether, people who know firsthand about a product's quality.
Consumers really have a lot of information to give.
Tewksbury also said that Burton is a leader and innovator in many areas, such as outerwear, board, boots, and binding technology, and customer service. But even though the sport itself is growing, the number of companies making snowboard products is getting smaller. Tewksbury said that many small companies are getting bought out by bigger companies, which is a huge advantage to the industry, because technology and production techniques are being combined. McCracken added that one of the biggest changes from eight years ago is that there are now a lot fewer companies. Although a lot of work goes into deciding what to sell and then getting the right products to the right customers, it is a rewarding job.