Local Dive Shops

[7milehi]

I travel often throughout the U.S. and when I have a few hours to spare I like to visit LDS's and look around. I've been noticing over the past few years that many dive shops are stocking less and less regulators, bcd's, and other more expensive items. They will show you a cataloge and say they can order it, but so can I online, which I think is a big part of the problem. I asked my LDS owner yesterday if many people came in to his shop, looked at a reg or bcd he had in stock , asked question then leave and go buy online. He said he thinks it happens fairly often. I didn't ask if thats why he doesn't stock as many regulators and bcd's as he did a few years ago. But IMHO that is why many DS don't stock as much inventory as they use to.

I don't want this thread to go the way of the typical LDS vs. Online Stores. But more how online sales are changing the LDS business . 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.

 

[redacted]

When I go shopping for a new car, I start out online. I find what I want and learn what I can about pricing. I then allocate a day or more to visit dealers and see what we can work out. I like to take a good chunk of the dealer's time. I figure the more he has invested in me as a customer, the more motivated he is to close the deal. I usually start out with my local guy. He will also usually be the last or next-to-last place I visit. If he is the last place, he got the sale. If not, he had the chance. I often do the same thing for other stuff with negotiable prices.

 

[Melicertes]

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.

 

[kjundvr]

I have also noticed this. I think that if you visuit the dive store to ask questions and then buy somwhere else you are an a-hole as 7milehi stated. Also I live in monterey bay area and may of the dive stores down here do not carry many regs/Bc because of the high tourest volume. Rairly are tourest wanting to buy full gear set up down here therefor the shops typicly carry a large selection of the basics (mask snorkle, fins, etc.) to replace that lost by the tourest. Getting back to topic the dive stores which are not in areas that receve high tourest divers are at a great disadvantage when it comes to online sales. There is almost no way that a LDS can compeat with the low overhead of an online store. Getting a deal is a good thing and there is no problem buying online to save a buck but dont save a buck at the expence of a lost sale at the LSD!

 

[Melicertes]

Getting a deal is a good thing and there is no problem buying online to save a buck but dont save a buck at the expence of a lost sale at the LSD!

If the customer insists on buying it online rather than at the LDS, whether he/she did their research online only or went to the LDS to get more information is really irrelevant. It would be a lost sale either way. At least with the customer coming into the LDS, the shop staff have an opportunity to swing the customer to buy from them; if the customer just went online they wouldn't have had this opportunity. Just my thoughts...

 

[kjundvr]

At least with the customer coming into the LDS, the shop staff have an opportunity to swing the customer to buy from them; if the customer just went online they wouldn't have had this opportunity. Just my thoughts...

Good point I did not think of it that way!

 

[thelawgoddess]

I have also noticed this. I think that if you visuit the dive store to ask questions and then buy somwhere else you are an a-hole as 7milehi stated.

i worked in a climbing shop and we dealt with people who would come in and try on boots for two hours and ask all sort of questions and then leave and buy online. it happens. but just because they're in there asking questions doesn't mean they're an a-hole. let's say i went to my lds to drop something off and while i was there i asked some questions about an item he had in the shop and how it compared to a similar item i had used as part of my ow cert through his shop. if i happened to buy it (or a similar differently-branded one) at another lds, would that still make me an a-hole, or am i just an a-hole no matter what because i didn't buy it from them? am i supposed to go into shops but not ask questions about what they carry unless i intend to buy it? :huh: isn't asking questions part of shopping - for anything?

 

[blindref757]

I guess I'm an A-Hole. When I'm in the market to buy a TV, I go to Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and maybe even Circuit City. It's called shopping.

My LDS has a "sticker price" and then there is the "customer price". People who don't have a relationship with the folks at the shop are asked to pay a little more. People who have gone through their training classes, been to their events, supported them with some purchases along the way get a price that is just as competetive as ScubaToys.com.

I love my LDS, and I love ScubaToys.com. They both have a place in the market. It's the 3rd party internet dealers that have given the online business a bad reputation.

 

[NadMat]

I just ordered my new BC from LDS, a Pro QD and the AirSource to go with it. I looked around at LDS's all over town, checking out various models and pricing. Then I went online and checked out online pricing. Went back to LDS with model I wanted and explained I would like to buy local, but could not justify the increased amount they were asking. They were able to work out a great deal for me on the equipment I wanted. Today I put my money down and they ordered equipment. I got a great deal, from an authorized dealer, fully warrantied. I also got to keep my money in the local economy rather than send my money out of state. I will buy some things online, but will give LDS a shot at business first.

Just my 2psi

 

[MikeFerrara]

I don't think that some one who asks questions in a shop and then buys on line is doing anything wrong. Dive shops sell gear but they give away advice as a part of the sales pitch. They are welcome to sell information but after they answer questions the cometition for your business isn't over. There are still the other aspects of the purchase to be addressed.

Lets say a shop convinces me that I just have to have a specific reg. Then we get to talking price and I find out the shop wants $600 for it when I can get it for $275 online. If he is unable to convince me that there is another $325 worth of value there someplace he doesn't get the sale. If it was just the answers to questions that you are willing to pay $325 then please feel free to call me anytime you have questions. For that kind of money I'll get you answers that are not biased because of any brand loyalty on my part.

The number of regs a shop displays is going to be based on several different things, including but maybe not limited to, how many they sell, how many they think they could sell and what the manufacturer demands that they display in order to keep the dealership.

If you can make more money stocking less, then you stock less.