Biggest thing killing dive shops?

[Steve_C]

There are parts of the world I boycott......places like North Korea, Cuba, and California are on my list....places with alien values, political systems that I cannot stomach or support, so while I appreciate the invite, thanks but no thanks.

Wow, a friendly discussion of diving and this spews out. Sad.

 

[JD_McCombs]

There are parts of the world I boycott......places like North Korea, Cuba, and California are on my list....places with alien values, political systems that I cannot stomach or support, so while I appreciate the invite, thanks but no thanks.

Although there is undoubtedly great diving in California, I’m unlikely to experience it. Whenever there is an option between spending my money with a California based business or elsewhere, I will always opt for the other place. I’d rather support areas of the country that don’t drive up the cost of everything from my methods of transportation to the lawnmower in my garage.

 

[WantSomeScuba?]

Wow, a friendly discussion of diving and this spews out. Sad.

Seriously. How long was that simmering under the surface that it just kinda slips out right after an exchange about online pricing vs brick-and-mortar?

Putting one's toxic idealogy aside, I had a question as a shop owner that I've seen touched on a number of times:

Does anybody have an LDS that specifically and obviously states that they'll price match with online sites? If so, does that lead to support them more often, or do you ever feel uncomfortable asking.

If your LDS doesn't price match (or you don't know) would you support them more if they did? Have you ever gotten grief over asking?

I know pricing is only one aspect of why people (including myself) shop online, but I'm curious how other shops operate in that regard.

 

[WantSomeScuba?]

Although there is undoubtedly great diving in California, I’m unlikely to experience it. Whenever there is an option between spending my money with a California based business or elsewhere, I will always opt for the other place. I’d rather support areas of the country that don’t drive up the cost of everything from my methods of transportation to the lawnmower in my garage.

How about we all cool it with the political stuff and save that for our families Thanksgiving dinners?

 

[JD_McCombs]

How about we all cool it with the political stuff and save that for our families Thanksgiving dinners?

Shall we ignore the fact that a regions political ideology could influence individual’s spending patterns? Spending directly affects the viability of LDS.

 

[mdb]

Seriously. How long was that simmering under the surface that it just kinda slips out right after an exchange about online pricing vs brick-and-mortar?

Putting one's toxic idealogy aside, I had a question as a shop owner that I've seen touched on a number of times:

Does anybody have an LDS that specifically and obviously states that they'll price match with online sites? If so, does that lead to support them more often, or do you ever feel uncomfortable asking.

If your LDS doesn't price match (or you don't know) would you support them more if they did? Have you ever gotten grief over asking?

I know pricing is only one aspect of why people (including myself) shop online, but I'm curious how other shops operate in that regard.

Nice, reasonable, on topic post.

It is been my experience that any stores who give all the reasons they will not price match frequently lose
the sale to others who will price match.

Several brick & mortar stores have been mentioned in this long and interesting thread. They adapted to the
shopping online reality. They offer same prices online as they do in their store. Frequently even better pricing
can be had when the potential customer calls the store direct.

You cannot fight the dragon. You have to ride it.

 

[WantSomeScuba?]

We definitely price match (and generally price beat), and I'm always very upfront about that, but I was curious from the consumer end, how people feel asking a shop to price match (whether it's a consumer confidence thing, or the culture of the shop) or if anybody has a shop that encourages people to price match, and how they go about letting people know that.

There's some places I go into that I would feel uncomfortable asking them to price match, through no fault of their own, and will go online without ever offering them a chance. At it least for most North Americans, we're kinda taught not to haggle, despite the fact I would much rather people "haggle" (which would just be "this costs X on LeisurePro, can I get it for X here?) than go online because they just don't feel comfortable asking--which is a largely ingrained consumer mentality. At least, it is for me.

We're riding the aforementioned dragon, but I was poking to see if anybody insight from a good or bad experience with shop in this regard, and why.

 

[Wookie]

If a dive shop stocks the item I want, I personally do not ask for price match. I don't because they have spent the money to stock it upfront, are paying interest on that money (or not gaining interest on what it cost to buy it), and went through the trouble to anticipate what to stock that I might want to buy. So I pay the price that is on the sticker.

if I go in for a XXXL wetsuit, I don't expect them to have it in stock. If they do, hallelujah. But they won't. Not the brand I want anyway. So if they have to order it, so will an online retailer. I might ask for price matching, but I'm more likely to buy that online to save the sales tax. Same with the purple Oxycheq wings I like. The only B&M shops that stocks them that I am aware of is ScubaToys and John at NE Scuba. Neither charges me sales tax, so that's where I get them.

If it's a trinket, I'm more likely to just go to Amazon to get it.

 

[KevinNM]

Same with the purple Oxychek wings I like. The only B&M shops that stocks them that I am aware of is ScubaToys and John at NE Scuba.

I remember being at a shop in Hawaii where a group of the staff had old Oxychek bp&w, but they didn’t stock them. Ithey said they didn’t carry them any longer. asked why and the answer was something to effect that if you had ever tried to deal with Oxycheck you wouldn’t have to ask.

 

[Wookie]

I remember being at a shop in Hawaii where a group of the staff had old Oxychek bp&w, but they didn’t stock them. Ithey said they didn’t carry them any longer. asked why and the answer was something to effect that if you had ever tried to deal with Oxycheck you wouldn’t have to ask.

Truth.