Another Thing that bugs me about dive shops

[psychocabbage]

Of course not!

I used to help out at my local dive store - but I found quickly found out that I have no stomach for champagne and caviar, while the dancing girls used to keep me awake way past my bedtime...


Remember guys - price is everything, and cheaper is always best.




It's funny that over a lifetime of diving people will rack up tens of thousands in airfares, accommodation and food, but some will still complain that that they paid $100 more for a reg from their LDS compared to an internet warehouse.

I agree with almity - I see LDS as places to pop in and have a coffee or beer, chat and arrange dives. They are the nerve centres of any local diving community. Complaining that they dared to make a profit on a sale is being unpatriotic to your local diving community. Rather than whining on the internet about how much you can save on the internet why not go out and dive with them and other dive shops and clubs in the region.


I appreciate that some people love diving so much that they sacrifice their time and salary to run dive shops.


[please note I apologise for my strong language, but I'm ramping up to my 1000th post: which will be, as tradition demands, an unrestrained diatribe against some subject close to my heart]

Do you think we are buying those trips at the highest cost possible? I know that we (Family of 5) have to shop around for a bit and then pull the trigger when the price is right. Dive shops we have dealt with around here do not have trips at any special price. Add to that they dont give any advance notice and you really start to understand they live in a whole other world.

Having a mother that owned a travel agency I have an idea on how it all works and know that if I were to "organize" a trip and get x amount of people on the trip, my trip is free.

Its not hard to organize a trip. Its hard to get a bunch of random people to have that exact date available on their schedules.

I have not met any dive shop owners/operators I would want to spend time diving with. Few have a sense of humor that matches mine so converstations would not be the highlight.

Regarding the post above about being "bothered" about LDS and their prices.. Well, its not so much that I am bothered but that think they are ripping people off. I make it a point to warn everyone I send to my local dive shops to get certified that they buy their equipment online.

I would rather have friends be able to go diving with me and afford trips rather than overpay and get stuck looking at equipment.

 

[fairybasslet]

I had this experience recently. I went with a friend to a party at his LDS. I asked the owner if he had a jon line. I figured I would give him some business since he was nice enough to throw the party. Well, not only did I get a "What do you need that for?" because he didn't carry them, I got a lecture about buying from the internet. When I mentioned that I do buy from my LDS, I got another "What do you need ScubaPro for?" because, guess what, he doesn't carry ScubaPro. So not only am I wrong for wanting a piece of equipment that he didn't carry and which I was going to buy online, buying equipment from my LDS was not good enough either because he didn't carry the brand I prefer. And when I mentioned that I was looking for a bp&w set up, I got another "What do you need that for?" I think a lot of times some owners are their own worst enemies. Do you really think I would go out of my way to patronize this shop if I have to argue with him every time I want to purchase a piece of equipment?

 

[psychocabbage]

I had this experience recently. I went with a friend to a party at his LDS. I asked the owner if he had a jon line. I figured I would give him some business since he was nice enough to throw the party. Well, not only did I get a "What do you need that for?" because he didn't carry them, I got a lecture about buying from the internet. When I mentioned that I do buy from my LDS, I got another "What do you need ScubaPro for?" because, guess what, he doesn't carry ScubaPro. So not only am I wrong for wanting a piece of equipment that he didn't carry and which I was going to buy online, buying equipment from my LDS was not good enough either because he didn't carry the brand I prefer. And when I mentioned that I was looking for a bp&w set up, I got another "What do you need that for?" I think a lot of times some owners are their own worst enemies. Do you really think I would go out of my way to patronize this shop if I have to argue to with him every time I want to purchase a piece of equipment?

One of our last dealings with the shop I got certified at was similar.

I bought my wife a Yellow AL80 tank and had custom stickers made to put her name on it.

She was going to buy me a black AL100 and the shop would not sell it to her. Keep in mind that I had been diving with AL100s in Cozumel frequently and found that my air consumption on a AL100 would match her AL80.. We thought it out and it was the right idea for us. She got lectured on how I needed a steel tank and I should not dive with an AL100 and how its just not as good as a steel tank.. blah blah blah.. Keep in mind that a black 100 was there. New. Sitting.. Waiting to be sold.. Or maybe, the way they seem, they keep it for bait.. To lure you into buying a steel tank at more than 2x the price!

She walked out of there and her mind got set as well. She no longer even talks to them.

I wont ever understand a store owner that has an item in stock would talk a buyer out of it.

 

[fairybasslet]

The whole conversation about the jon line got ridiculous. When I told him I wanted it for doing deep stops and safety stops in rough conditions, he told me I should just let go of the anchor line or up line and do my SS there. Well, d'oh. So I brought up heavy current conditions. He tells me to surface up current of the boat. Uh, what about dive briefings and surfacing where and how the DM tells you? What about low vis conditions? All this discussion about how to avoid using a simple piece of equipment in certain conditions that he didn't see a need for. Having dived NC and the Flower Gardens in rough swells and currents, and seeing other divers using a jon line effectively, I know what I want and why I want it.

 

[ReefHound]

My LDS is The Scuba Connection in Hillsborough, NJ. I truly believe they are in business to make money like everyone else, but from what I have seen they are going to make money with repeat customers, great service, great prices and most of all knowledgable and friendly staff. Here is a link if anyone is interested as they also have an online shop. Learn To Dive Today

So if they actively sell online, doesn't that make them one of the evil online retailers? What exactly is the difference between them and ScubaToys?

I checked some of your prices and you seem to have done a fair job although you somehow found your shop's best deals. For example, the boots you listed are indeed $12 less than LP but all the other boots are higher or more comparably priced as LP. Also, those boots may "list" as $47.95 at LP but are on sale for $24.95. You excluded sale prices and discounts (i.e. 10% Scubaboard discount at ST) for your comparison but I don't think it's fair to do so. Sale prices and discounts are real and result in actual savings, and places like LP run such sales often. At any given time they usually have a handful of products in every category on sale.

I can see your point that if a person must have a specific product at a specific time they cannot know if it will be on sale, but on the other hand people who can be a bit more flexible in what they must have and when they must have it can pick off the sales and put together a nice kit at quite significant savings. This is especially applicable to experienced divers who don't "need" anything but can always use a deal. For example, my 5mm boots are getting ragged. I can squeeze another year or two out of them but rather than waiting until they split open and I have to run into the shop with a blank check, I can keep my eyes open for an exceptional deal. In fact, those $24.95 boots are tempting.

I'm not saying you did the wrong thing or said anything that was factually incorrect, just pointing out another perspective.

Added: I'm also curious how your LDS can sell ScubaPro regulators online (http://www.diveseekers.com/Primary_Regulators_s/40.htm) and be authorized dealers? Not even ScubaToys could get away with that.

 

[fairybasslet]

So if they actively sell online, doesn't that make them one of the evil online retailers? What exactly is the difference between them and ScubaToys?

I had this same exact conversation with said LDS owner regarding Divers Direct. I thought with six or so stores, DD would be considered a dive shop.

 

[redacted]

Added: I'm also curious how your LDS can sell ScubaPro regulators online (Primary_Regulators) and be authorized dealers? Not even ScubaToys could get away with that.

Perhaps he is thumbing his nose at Scubapro!!!

Or perhaps it just looks like he is selling violating the dealer agreement. His prices are MSRP minus 10% which is IAW the agreement. And as you run thru checkout, you come upon this:

In Store Pickup...Saves you time and $$
DIVESeekers.com has made shopping more convienient for local divers with the ability to shop at home and pick up their order at our store when it's ready!

If you are from out of State or visiting from another country and you would like to shop at home and pick up your items at our store, please put our store address for the "ship to address":

I stopped when it got to CC info and it still had not told me I was not going to receive a SP product from UPS. So maybe:mooner:

 

[vtxkev]

I do not know anything about ScubaPro and they way they conduct business but it seems that you can not sell anything online and have them warranty it. With that said it appears like awap said diveseekers will not ship the Scubapro items, but make you pick them up in store. Then there is no violation of any kind. Fact of it is from what I can see is everything they sell in their store they sell online for OUR conveinence of being able to shop from our home and then stopping by to pick it up when in the area. So they are not really considered an online store, but I know from my little time spent on these forums that statement is asking for a heated debate and thats not what I am looking for.

 

[tomboyy]

I had this experience recently. I went with a friend to a party at his LDS. I asked the owner if he had a jon line. I figured I would give him some business since he was nice enough to throw the party. Well, not only did I get a "What do you need that for?" because he didn't carry them, I got a lecture about buying from the internet. When I mentioned that I do buy from my LDS, I got another "What do you need ScubaPro for?" because, guess what, he doesn't carry ScubaPro. So not only am I wrong for wanting a piece of equipment that he didn't carry and which I was going to buy online, buying equipment from my LDS was not good enough either because he didn't carry the brand I prefer. And when I mentioned that I was looking for a bp&w set up, I got another "What do you need that for?" I think a lot of times some owners are their own worst enemies. Do you really think I would go out of my way to patronize this shop if I have to argue with him every time I want to purchase a piece of equipment?

This is so funny.. sort of

My LDS did the same thing to me.. when I went in to ask about buying something, he would ask why do you want that? What I finally learned was that he was a bad salesman ! He could also be alittle blunt. As I got to know him better, I would say I want this because (insert answer here)

My wife went in there last week looking for a present, she asked him if I would like any of the cameras he had in a certain price range... he says no don't even bother .. "Tom wouldn't like it .. you'd have to aleast get this and this and this and thats outta your price range" He was so right, and it cost him a sale. I like my LDS more and more every year.

 

[White Knight]

Most local dive shops are micro businesses trying to operate on a shoestring budget and they are all starving to death. There lies the problem. None of them can afford to carry any serious amount of inventory and the vendors they work with (especially the ones that don't “officially” sell over the internet) are also pains in the rectums to the LDS by having rules not allowing the LDS to price competitively or to allow them to periodically clear their inventory. The business model is being reinvented as we speak. Be prepared to drive a lot further for air fills or to purchase your own compressor. The small family owned LDS is dying. My guess is there will be the internet Leisure Pro's of the world and mega SCUBA centers in heavily populated areas. Everything else dies.