Handling LDS fee?

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So you don't buy clothing or shoes or coffee or dine at resturants? The dive shop business is the least "net profitable" business.

Restaurants have 50 people working non stop...my LDS has 1 guy who sits behind the counter and surfs the internet.
 
Restaurants have 50 people working non stop...my LDS has 1 guy who sits behind the counter and surfs the internet.

I owned 2 restaurants, managed 2 others. The markup on most food is 600%. The payroll was a fraction of what it costs a dive shop in payroll.

Look, buy or don’t buy from an LDS. I don’t care. But you’re paying 100% markup no matter who you’re buying from on MOST things. Not even close on tanks, computers, scooters, rebreathers, and about a dozen other items, but like I said in the beginning. We are a super successful shop in that we’re the only one around in 45 years. The owner makes $35k per year. I make whatever I teach. The employees make $10/hour and no one is getting rich. If you think you’re getting raped at those income levels, buy a compressor and HOG or Deep 6 gear, and keep moving. And we will too.
 
I owned 2 restaurants, managed 2 others. The markup on most food is 600%. The payroll was a fraction of what it costs a dive shop in payroll.

Look, buy or don’t buy from an LDS. I don’t care. But you’re paying 100% markup no matter who you’re buying from on MOST things. Not even close on tanks, computers, scooters, rebreathers, and about a dozen other items, but like I said in the beginning. We are a super successful shop in that we’re the only one around in 45 years. The owner makes $35k per year. I make whatever I teach. The employees make $10/hour and no one is getting rich. If you think you’re getting raped at those income levels, buy a compressor and HOG or Deep 6 gear, and keep moving. And we will too.

I did not mean to cause waves. I've never been to your shop so please don't take anything I've said as a personal attack. It's not, it's souly based on my very small perception on what I have locally. I doubt that your shop is ran anywhere like some of the ones up here....and not all LDS are bad. I think someone else mentioned it, in today's day and age they will have to innovate or slowly fade away.

I own my own compressor and I own and service my D6 regs. If I lived near your shop, this may not be the case, but it is what it is.
 
I did not mean to cause waves. I've never been to your shop so please don't take anything I've said as a personal attack. It's not, it's souly based on my very small perception on what I have locally. I doubt that your shop is ran anywhere like some of the ones up here....and not all LDS are bad. I think someone else mentioned it, in today's day and age they will have to innovate or slowly fade away.

I own my own compressor and I own and service my D6 regs. If I lived near your shop, this may not be the case, but it is what it is.

I promise I didn’t take offense. It’s hard to get tone from text. I know there are bad shops out there. It’s the reason we get to stay in business. But if no shop stays in business, yours is the only answer. And entry level ain’t cheap. Own your own compressor, service your own gear.

it’s the reason I bought a compressor and booster for my hangar. It was looking like someone was going to buy our shop. And I wanted to be able to supply my needs. The owner has been in very poor health for years and spent most of this month in the hospital. Frankly, I just can’t bear to see a 45 year long legacy from a guy who has been a father to me, go down the tubes, so I’ll likely be buying the shop soon.

At any rate, this is a passion. Unlike most dive shop owners, I have a pretty strong background in business. I hope one day you’ll come and visit. I’ll buy you lunch and you can tell me whatcha think.

I love this community. Except cave divers. Those guys are aholes. Lol
 
Margins are one thing.....

I've told this story before, but will repeat it again here.

I was doing what I could to support a local shop. Bunch of continuing education, and also trips. Nothing pissed me off more than the shop owner expounding on how he was going to go soak in his in-room hot tub after a day of diving. Yeah, we all payed for his luxuries for the trip. That was my last trip with them. And I also shop elsewhere now......

In contrast, I picked up the tab for breakfast, lunch and dinner for my instructor when we ended up traveling to a deep quarry out of town to complete some diving as the Lake wouldn't cooperate.
 
I promise I didn’t take offense. It’s hard to get tone from text. I know there are bad shops out there. It’s the reason we get to stay in business. But if no shop stays in business, yours is the only answer. And entry level ain’t cheap. Own your own compressor, service your own gear.

it’s the reason I bought a compressor and booster for my hangar. It was looking like someone was going to buy our shop. And I wanted to be able to supply my needs. The owner has been in very poor health for years and spent most of this month in the hospital. Frankly, I just can’t bear to see a 45 year long legacy from a guy who has been a father to me, go down the tubes, so I’ll likely be buying the shop soon.

At any rate, this is a passion. Unlike most dive shop owners, I have a pretty strong background in business. I hope one day you’ll come and visit. I’ll buy you lunch and you can tell me whatcha think.

I love this community. Except cave divers. Those guys are aholes. Lol

Would love to come and visit your shop, I'll get in touch the next time we're in FL. No need to cover lunch but we can definitely grab a bite.

I appreciate your passion. You can feel that when you walk in a shop (if they have it). It either feels like a business with snake oils, or they're passionate about diving and it feels like home.
 
Personally I won't shop at my LDS they suck. I drive over an hour away to another state to get better pricing and service.

I support the idea of the lds but when your local shop wants 1200 for ow and everyone else in a 2 hour range wants 300. Or they want 2-3x what other shops want for products and services there is a problem. This isn't even duscussing the online pricing.

Some lds push you to buy gear rather then service it as well. Which with online the way it is service would net them more income long term.

Shopping online is great from a price point but if the lds is full of good people and positive interactions I don't mind paying a little more.
 
1200?!?!?!?! Holy Christ
 
1200?!?!?!?! Holy Christ
IIRC, some time ago, there was a dive shop near Toronto that was advertising what, on first glance was an obscene amount ($2000+) for their OW course. If you read the fine print, however, the course was in the middle of winter and it included airfare and hotel for 4 days in Nassau to do the open water dives.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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