Biggest thing killing dive shops?

[Saniflush]

Want their number? If you sign up, I get a couple bucks my bill off each month.

I should have changed that to something more generic like "lawn service"...

Nah, I go the ala-natural route and just let the kids track it out of the yard on their shoes. It's environmentally friendly.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I would call DGE in your area. No, they are no longer brick and mortar, but for those of us who remember their store (beautiful gas supply house), they are still awesome, and the source for about half of my purchases.

Although LeisurePro transitioned smoothly from B&M and catalog to online, I don't shop there. No real reason, I just don't. The first store I remember making the transition well was ScubaToys in Arlington, TX. I don't know what happened to their online presence, they seem to have faded. I still buy my Purple OxyCheq wings from them if they have them. Otherwise it's John from NE Scuba Supply, who also carries all of the obscure OMS valve kits for my ancient doubles.

I used to wholesale to Scubatoys, quite a while ago now. I will openly say that I was never treated so badly as a vendor or disrespected that bad ever!
I think we might have reached a tipping point now with online competition. There are so many online venders now and they are all price cutting and working on such thin margins. It’s possible many have fallen into the rob Peter to pay Paul syndrome.
That is a really bad hole to get into.
They all count on volume to make it up, which will work if you have the volume, but if it slacks off you begin to backslide rapidly. Along with that most offer free shipping on something that’s already heavily discounted and maybe a few freebie trinkets thrown into the box. All this adds up. Maybe the ones operating in states with low property prices and cheap overhead can pull it off, but that’s why you see very little online presence in California, it’s too expensive here and they can’t pull it off.
I’ve payed attention and noticed who rides the top as the best place on the internet to buy stuff. It seems like they are on top for a while then eventually fall off into obscurity and then someone else is the new darling. 15 years ago I only remember a few, but now there seems to be dozens....And keep in mind that this is all in a shrinking marketplace too.
Dolphin is the exception but not the norm in CA. So to say that some of these small mom and pop dive shops in Norcal should sell stuff online doesn’t make much sense.
They need to concentrate on being a local boutique store with excellent personalized service.

 

[mdb]

I used to wholesale to Scubatoys, quite a while ago now. I will openly say that I was never treated so badly as a vendor or disrespected that bad ever!
I think we might have reached a tipping point now with online competition. There are so many online venders now and they are all price cutting and working on such thin margins. It’s possible many have fallen into the rob Peter to pay Paul syndrome.
That is a really bad hole to get into.
They all count on volume to make it up, which will work if you have the volume, but if it slacks off you begin to backslide rapidly. Along with that most offer free shipping on something that’s already heavily discounted and maybe a few freebie trinkets thrown into the box. All this adds up. Maybe the ones operating in states with low property prices and cheap overhead can pull it off, but that’s why you see very little online presence in California, it’s too expensive here and they can’t pull it off.
I’ve payed attention and noticed who rides the top as the best place on the internet to buy stuff. It seems like they are on top for a while then eventually fall off into obscurity and then someone else is the new darling. 15 years ago I only remember a few, but now there seems to be dozens....And keep in mind that this is all in a shrinking marketplace too.
Dolphin is the exception but not the norm in CA. So to say that some of these small mom and pop dive shops in Norcal should sell stuff online doesn’t make much sense.
They need to concentrate on being a local boutique store with excellent personalized service.

Nice post Eric Sedletzky:

Your thread continues.

I do hope it benefits LDS's as well as divers overall. I think it is doing so.

You are certainly right about the "new darling".

The old darling that remains is Leisure Pro.

Leisure Pro has a huge warehouse in NJ, and a dive store in NYC. most items are in stock, they update their website daily.

There are other good dive retailers who have embraced the online sales model along with their Brick and Mortar stores.

Some of them carry little inventory, are regularly backordered etc.

The decline in new divers, the closing of long time dive retailers continues.

Look at the upcoming Beneath The Sea show, less than a month away, hardly a dive distributor/manufacturer in sight. few stores,
The same old same old people as speakers, seminars also the same.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Nice post Eric Sedletzky:

Your thread continues.

I do hope it benefits LDS's as well as divers overall. I think it is doing so.

You are certainly right about the "new darling".

The old darling that remains is Leisure Pro.

Leisure Pro has a huge warehouse in NJ, and a dive store in NYC. most items are in stock, they update their website daily.

There are other good dive retailers who have embraced the online sales model along with their Brick and Mortar stores.

Some of them carry little inventory, are regularly backordered etc.

The decline in new divers, the closing of long time dive retailers continues.

Look at the upcoming Beneath The Sea show, less than a month away, hardly a dive distributor/manufacturer in sight. few stores,
The same old same old people as speakers, seminars also the same.

I’ve never been to a dive show in my life so I would have nothing to contrast it to.

 

[mdb]

I’ve never been to a dive show in my life so I would have nothing to contrast it to.

The fact that you have never been to a dive show is a telling point.

You would rather be diving; that is what it is all about.

I understand 50 foot waves off San Francisco and Marin coming your way.

Hope that calms down .

I'm heading to Mill Valley very soon and hope for some North Coast diving with
my oldest son. Maybe I should be trying to schedule Point Lobos. I will be keeping
an eye on the weather.

 

[muzikbiz22]

The fact that you have never been to a dive show is a telling point.

You would rather be diving; that is what it is all about.

I understand 50 foot waves off San Francisco and Marin coming your way.

Hope that calms down .

I'm heading to Mill Valley very soon and hope for some North Coast diving with
my oldest son. Maybe I should be trying to schedule Point Lobos. I will be keeping
an eye on the weather.

I heard this morning, Mavericks is suppose to be pumpin' !!!

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I heard this morning, Mavericks is suppose to be pumpin' !!!

It’s huge!
I heard 55’ on some waves, the surfers are saying it’s too treacherous right now to even be in the water.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

The fact that you have never been to a dive show is a telling point.

You would rather be diving; that is what it is all about.

I understand 50 foot waves off San Francisco and Marin coming your way.

Hope that calms down .

I'm heading to Mill Valley very soon and hope for some North Coast diving with
my oldest son. Maybe I should be trying to schedule Point Lobos. I will be keeping
an eye on the weather.

I remember when people from my dive shop used to go to DEMA every year, all excited. They haven’t gone in years now. Not worth it they say, nothing really new, just a lot of travel booths and the gear booths are all the same year after year (how many MK 25’s or AL Legends can you look at and re-configured poodle jackets?). They figured it was a total waste of time and money since the reps come to them anyway, so they haven’t been in 15-18 years now.

The Long Beach show might be better because it’s open to the public so maybe one day I’ll make it.

 

[Wookie]

The Long Beach show might be better because it’s open to the public so maybe one day I’ll make it.

Free?

 

[mdb]

Free?

Not free, the same as many other consumer dive shows these days, fewer
distributors/manufacturers. Mostly travel, training and trinkets. You can buy all that
online.

A few retailers trolling for customers with "show specials" that could be had
anytime, anyday.

Better off to just go diving somewhere.