OP
fnfalman: I did hire a college student and did just what you said. Now that young man is an instructor living in Australia. lol
a view from a dive shop
- Thread starter abyss_scuba
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elan
Contributor
fnfalman
Contributor
Was he hot?
gcarter
Contributor
Heck, I started out as a broke college student working for air, now i'm an instructor. haven't yet gotten to Australia though...
Just had a woman in my store who wanted her paintball tank filled. It was leaking like crazy. I usually get lucky plugging the leaks but this one needed to be replaced. There is no where in Philly selling or servicing paintball gear because the internet drove them away. This is what is happening to the scuba industry. I own the only shop in Philadelphia, a city with 1.5 million people. Half my customers shop online at leisurepro and scuba.com. I have an online store too but you just can't compete with their marketing and manipulation of MAP pricing. When you come into my shop you are getting personalized service from other divers who share your hobby and not some intern behind a computer desk. But keep up the practice of purchasing everything online because it's a few bucks cheaper. Then take the money you saved and purchase yourself a compressor, gear service training, someplace to house the free dive club you operate and pay the monthly speakers, organize local dive boats so they don't go out of business and save a few bucks to ship the product back to the online retailer because no one will accept the warranty from the product you purchased from the gray market. Good luck!
Dave
Owner Scubadelphia.com
Dave
Owner Scubadelphia.com
BUDMANOK
Contributor
I find it interesting that some dive shop owners view their customer base in such a seemingly hostile,negative way. Maybe the market was over saturated with dive shops and this is a free market making corrections.
Here at home we are saturated with convenience stores on every corner the customer determines who stays and who goes. This type of thing happens in every business why should the dive industry be any different?
If there were multiple shops in a given area and now there is only one looks like you won. Good job. I have no ill will toward any business owner but I will buy when and where I choose and let the free market decide who stays or goes and deal with the consequences of that. Business abhors a vacuum and if there is a real need and ability to make money someone will fill that need.
Here at home we are saturated with convenience stores on every corner the customer determines who stays and who goes. This type of thing happens in every business why should the dive industry be any different?
If there were multiple shops in a given area and now there is only one looks like you won. Good job. I have no ill will toward any business owner but I will buy when and where I choose and let the free market decide who stays or goes and deal with the consequences of that. Business abhors a vacuum and if there is a real need and ability to make money someone will fill that need.
I haven't read all the posts, but want to bring up the possibility that your customers may be buying from other shops also. I usually try to spread my business around to all the shops that I like. Normally, I will only buy small items online for convenience, because I live over an hour from all but one shop, and his is in his house. Obviously, certain shops carry different equipment that suits my preferences. So, it may be an incorrect assumption that you are losing most of your business to online stores. I believe the secret is going to be to get to know your customers as thoroughly as possible, and do your best to satisfy their preferences.
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The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
OK, I'm biased, but I heartily disagree with this assessment. Look at the good will abyss_scuba has generated in this thread. The fact is, I didn't know he even existed until he posted this thread. That's not how I spell doom.
The smart LDS will be engaging their students to talk about them through social media. Whether it's facebook or ScubaBoard, that kind of "word of internet" advertising is invaluable. Even negative comments and situations can be used to effectively market a shop and all it costs is a bit of time and a bit of care. For those of you worried about the viability of your LDS, post something positive about them every now and then. That goes for resorts, live-a-board, manufacturers and the like. Think of the good will you will generate when the beleaguered shop owner reads your praise of their shop.
OP
Budmanok: I have no ill will towards my customers, as a matter of fact I usually spend the holidays visiting friends who started as customers and I have no problems with the internet, it is a fact of life. What does bother any shop owner, not just dive shops, is the thread from a diver who was very happy to get free training from his dive shop but was here looking for help making an online purchase. Listen I want you to dive, dive safely and dive often. If that means you need to buy from the internet then so be it. What any brick and mortar shop represents now is service, hopefully convience and help in steering you towards a better purchase. I have sent folks to the internet and to other dive shops when they wanted something I don't have. I just want diver to not think that we are out "to get ya"
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