Being pushed into buying gear - Is this normal?

[ams511]

If the Dive shop the OP was talking about, had the right personalities, and the right policies, his post would never have been made.
There are an awful lot of Dive shops that are struggling to get by, and part of this is how hard the market is to be profitable.

I think you hit the nail square on the head. Many dive shops are focused on "selling" rather than "marketing" because they don't understand the difference.

 

[SubAquatix]

Taxes are based on net income not gross, so most of the items you mentioned are expenses which reduce net income. You also mention expenses from rentals but no revenue. Your increase in inventory will be deducted when sold so it is not an expense but an asset. If this is your family's only source of income I would be surprised if you paid more than $5,000 in taxes. You really should take a course at your local small business administration.

Gross would have been $180000, only the material were listed as cost. There is absolutely no mention of rental income because, in this example, I didn't earn any, but a wise investor would reinvest back some back into his business, thus the purchase. Same with the increase in inventory, it may take 6 months to recoop. Not sure who your accountant is. Ours recommends planning numbers of 27%. I used 30% to keep it simple. Basically, an over simplified version of why most businesses, If they are really lucky only net out about 30% against there expenses.

But then, I'll bet you knew all that and just dropped in at the end of this thread to pick a fight. No time for your stuff.

 

[KevinNM]

:rofl:. I have not heard this one in a while. Where do most people dive? either in dive parks or off boats, these places usually have compressors. Want to shore dive well you could always join a club with one. The problem with dive shops is they are trying to maintain a pre-internet business model in a post-internet world. Maybe the post internet model is no dive shops with independent instructors, online sales, and air fills / tanks provided by a company that does just that and drops them off in your city.

Umm, ship full tanks? That's going to make them loved by some logistics company but I hope you planned ahead. Or FedEx will really, really love you. Overnight plus the HazMat surcharge plus the cylindrical object surcharge for a 41 pound scuba tank....

When I dive locally I'm either practicing at a pool (which seems to have missed the rule that they are supposed to have a 5000 PSI class E compressor for me) or at a site 2.5 hours away. There is a lady there who owns a compressor and rents tanks, all for very reasonable rates. When she is around. She usually is on weekends. You can often call her on weekdays and get her to fill tanks for you. I know people who drove out there and found she was out of town. I'm told that this kind of sucks, but as I bring tanks that I had filled at my dive shop I've never personally experienced this.

 

[Badge353]

The shop I used recommended rental gear and advised to use rental gear from different ships to try our different systems, one so you know how different set ups work. Two so you get to find items you like and those you dint to set up your own gear eventually.

 

[immersions]

Hi W1ngz,
First of all I wish to say that after the push to buy your own gear and shock of the cost to do so, you are still hyped to get your scuba certification. Dive stores survive off of gear sales, not certification fees. And because of this reality, most stores do and will push for divers to own their own gear, above the standard snorkeling package. This has two sides to it. First of all, safety is number one in dive training. Having your own equipment and learning in that equipment makes you very familiar with all its features and benefits. It most likely will fit you better than borrowing or renting. This in turn increases your confidence in the water and makes for a more enjoyable diving experience. On the other hand, if you don't buy gear right away, dont borrow equipment from a friend, but do rent from the store you are taking your training with. The store staff will fit you with whats most appropriate with fit and comfort. The gear they rent should be properly serviced and provide for a good experience to complete your training. Just remember, everytime you want to go diving, you will be renting unfamiliar equipment. So, to answer your question, you don't need to purchase hard goods right away. Just rent the best you can for the time being, but DO, and I repeat, DO..., save or finance to get your own gear. Owning your own gear will save you plenty of money in rental costs, reduce anxiety from using unfamiliar equipment. Watch out buying life support equipment on auction sites. You never know how its been used or serviced and if parts are still available to service the item prior to diving. When the time comes you can afford your own gear, remember you want service, so I recommend to purcahse from a place you can get service, returns and exchanges. Good luck

---------- Post added February 8th, 2015 at 03:20 PM ----------

Badge353, good store and reply to his question

 

[redacted]

Hi W1ngz,
First of all I wish to say that after the push to buy your own gear and shock of the cost to do so, you are still hyped to get your scuba certification. Dive stores survive off of gear sales, not certification fees. And because of this reality, most stores do and will push for divers to own their own gear, above the standard snorkeling package. This has two sides to it. First of all, safety is number one in dive training. Having your own equipment and learning in that equipment makes you very familiar with all its features and benefits. It most likely will fit you better than borrowing or renting. This in turn increases your confidence in the water and makes for a more enjoyable diving experience. On the other hand, if you don't buy gear right away, dont borrow equipment from a friend, but do rent from the store you are taking your training with. The store staff will fit you with whats most appropriate with fit and comfort. The gear they rent should be properly serviced and provide for a good experience to complete your training. Just remember, everytime you want to go diving, you will be renting unfamiliar equipment. So, to answer your question, you don't need to purchase hard goods right away. Just rent the best you can for the time being, but DO, and I repeat, DO..., save or finance to get your own gear. Owning your own gear will save you plenty of money in rental costs, reduce anxiety from using unfamiliar equipment. Watch out buying life support equipment on auction sites. You never know how its been used or serviced and if parts are still available to service the item prior to diving. When the time comes you can afford your own gear, remember you want service, so I recommend to purcahse from a place you can get service, returns and exchanges. Good luck

---------- Post added February 8th, 2015 at 03:20 PM ----------

Badge353, good store and reply to his question

I can not understand why you would say that other than to steer business toward an LDS. While there may be a few exceptions, most shops use entry level gear for training and rental, and service may well be spotty at best. Very few provide HO regulators or anything other than a poodle jacket. When I lend gear to a friend, they get a high performance regulator and a BP/W, and it works.

Buying used gear does have a certain risk. But the savings are usually in the 75% plus range. Yes, service is an important consideration. Some shops do a crappy job and it is not easy to separate the good from the bad.

 

[blueorbdiving]

It IS NOT OK to bully folks into buying gear they can not afford, and it is NOT OK to force "dive shop loyalty" onto folks. The fact is, you have the right to obtain education, dive partners, and equipment from any soured YOU feel comfy with. This is a pet peeve of mine, and it is my mission to help folks see that they can buy and sell used gear, and dive it safely. Don't buy in to the marketing of the dive industry!


"Be the sea"

 

[DivemasterDennis]

While I am a big fan of everyone having their own dive, gear, it is rare that any reputable dive center would require it. It is not surprising that business that sell things are actively engaged in trying to sell them. My shop sell a lot of gear to new divers and to experienced divers, but not on the kind of hard sell basis the op presents. We do stress the value of having your own mask and snorkel, but even that is not required. Our focus with students in on training, not sales. Every new diver we certify is a new lifetime customer for the sales staff. First things first.
DivemasterDennis

 

[WildcatChris]

Mask, fins, snorkel and maybe boots are good purchases. Any reputable shop will have good enough gear to fit you in something comfortable. There aren't that many sizes of bcd and while rental regulators don't tend to be high performance they are perfectly adequate for learning. I've heard people disagree, and I'm sure there are people here who might do the same, but diving is not for everyone. It's ridiculous for a shop to attempt to force people into buying thousands of dollars of equipment before completing training.

In my own personal experience the owner of one of our local dive shops tells people he "won't" sell them anything until they've completed the class and they're certified. If someone was persistent he would, but a happy new student who turns into a repeat customer is more valuable than a one-time student you forced into buying their own gear.

 

[W1ngz]

Distinctions between marketing and sales aside, I went to the store in question. The sales staff ignored me, but one of the instructors who was busy moving equipment from storage to their training room stopped to talk to me long enough to find out I was already reasonably well informed in regards to the training programs, and wasn't there to make it rain with a pocket full of hundred dollar bills. I was left alone to browse their showroom, where almost nothing at all has a price tag on it.

I've moved on. These guys aren't even on my list of sources for researching equipment and pricing anymore.