7milehi:
IMO those that go to a LDS to look and ask questions about an item knowing they will buy online later are cheap a-holes. I have no problem with online buying as long as you do your research online and have the online store sales staff answer your questions, not wasting your LDS's time.
I agree with you about the fact that online buying options are directly affecting LDS sales. It stands to reason, online shops are direct competitors to LDS', and what makes them even more competitive to stay in business is that they have much less overheads to cover to maintain their presence than your average LDS. Just think of how much money needs to be hauled out of the bank account to put that demo BCD or reg on the LDS shelf as opposed to having a simple picture of the same thing posted on the web site.
IMHO I do not agree with you on the cheap
bit. Sure if it were my business I'd see online shopping as a serious threat to the patronage of my customers but no healthy competition has ever hurt anyone - it forces LDS' to pick up their sox and give better service. I'm not saying all LDS' are sharks but I do know some that overcharge rediculously on their stock. If budget is a concern for a diver, why should they not consider the option of buying online but still make very sure that what they are expecting UPS to deliver is actually what they want in real life? I have yet to see a LDS shop assistant that is so busy that a customer asking him/her a question is wasting their time so significantly that the LDS will suffer from the 2 minutes spent to educate a potential customer. Besides, the LDS has an opportunity to prove to the customer right there and then why they would be a better choice than online anyways - online shops can disappear overnight and leave the customer without the after sales support they had hoped for; buying from online shops usually means having to phone someone or e-mail someone for assistance with enything rather than walking into the LDS and asking a "real person" with whom they can build a relationship. A local LDS may also not be guaranteed to still be there tomorrow morning when you want to take your reg in for a service, but it has a lot better chance of being there than an online shop because there's a whole lot more capital investment in it to simply just close shop and disappear.
If you look at your local gas stations isn't it just amazing how one can charge $3.05 per gallon on this side of the street and the one directly across the street charges $3.28? What makes the more expensive one survive despite the higher costs? Well, perhaps people tend to be loyal to their brand of fuel, or maybe the service is quicker there than across the street, or maybe the counter assistant in the shop is more friendly...you name the reasons you wish, the fact remains they both survive.
In the end I think it's a some you win, some you lose kind of situation. If the LDS wants to retain customers by providing good service, they will have plenty of divers supporting them despite slightly higher prices if they know that their LDS is there to support them and to assist them in person with whatever problems they may have; I think it's fairly safe to say that online shops fall short of this customer service and will always continue to do so.