Aqualung's war with Online Consumers

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I managed a big retail sporting goods store back in the early 90's. We tried selling scuba gear (TUSA) when we entered the market in Florida. I didn't work well at all. Of course, we didn't carry the complete line but still, sales didn't justify the shelf space and so we cleared out what we had after the first year.
 
in the 70's, we could buy scuba gear out of the sears catalog. I think montgomery wards carried it, too.

Yes, in the 60s and 70s they did. Sears even had some rebranded USD items as J.C. Higgens. My first gear came from Montgomery Wards. I also had a nearby feed and seed store that had a compressor and USD gear. J.C. Pennys also had Nemrod and I recall Voit. K-Mart had Healthways. I am sure what was carried and by whom was a local market thing except for Sears and Montgomery Wards. My first wetsuit was Montgomery Wards brand sharkskin of Rubatex, 1/4 inch thick. N
 
in the 70's, we could buy scuba gear out of the sears catalog. I think montgomery wards carried it, too.

Yes, in the 60s and 70s they did. Sears even had some rebranded USD items as J.C. Higgens. My first gear came from Montgomery Wards. I also had a nearby feed and seed store that had a compressor and USD gear. J.C. Pennys also had Nemrod and I recall Voit. K-Mart had Healthways. I am sure what was carried and by whom was a local market thing except for Sears and Montgomery Wards. My first wetsuit was Montgomery Wards brand sharkskin of Rubatex, 1/4 inch thick. N



so I've got a question.....

If the "major manufacturers" are so against "online sales", they seem to forget that before LDS's were open, that the only place you could buy stuff was "Mail Order".

What's so different with that than "online"?


seems to me like a double standard in the industry.
 
I've had this conversation it seems like a thousand times with the LDS in my area. In my estimation, the LDS spends an enormous amount of money to upkeep and maintain inventory, the square footage to showcase it and the costs of mostly idle employees to sell it. I believe that in the not-too-distant future the LDS will become the service and training station who may form relationships with larger 'box stores' or online depots for their retail gear. The margin on offering dive training, servicing equipment and providing air fills is exponentially better than the overall cost of selling equipment. Now, I think there is absolutely room for retail sale of essentials (o-rings, mask/fin straps, etc) but there are those (LP, scuba.com, etc) who can and are pushing the envelope of the market's pricing scheme and applying price compression at a level where the LDS cannot compete. It's time for the LDS to get out of that business and do what it does best and that's provide the training, fun dives, travel planning and misc. diver services that we all need in order to continue in this sport. Dive shops will get smaller and require fewer full-time employees, the employees that they do keep will likely be more 'on-demand' (instructors only cost money when they're teaching class at a high margin) than full-time retail/sales folks. I don't see this as a bad thing.
 
A customer will always look for the cheapest price. When you give up such things as service and warrenty for saving a few $'s is it really the best deal. You need to find a balance between the two. Aqualung and Scubapro has said if you buy from a greymarket source then they won't provide service or support thru their network of dealers. "Take it back where you bought it and let them service it" is their policy. If the customer knows this from the beginning then he can make up his mind if it's a good deal or not. I have never had a problem with finding service ..... I may have to pay more out-of-pocket expenses over time to keep the equipment working and this is OK with those companies because they did make the sale without having to spend any future $'s to service it on their part.
 
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I worked for Woolco (owned by F. W. Woolworth) and remember selling Healthways scuba equipment in our sporting goods department. You could buy it at the store but had to find a dive shop to fill your tanks because we didn't have a compressor. Today you can walk in to Wal Mart and find U.S. Divers masks, fins and snorkel sets on the counter but that's about it. GANDER MOUNTAIN is a large sporting goods chain that sells scuba equipment. The sales clerk doesn't have any idea about how to use or maintain the equipment and they don't ask for c cards before making any sales. It all just provides that there is always someone willing to sell you the stuff if they can make a profit on it. Remember BERRY, NEW ENGLAND DIVERS and CENTRAL SKIN DIVERS ...... the mailorder giants in the 60's and 70's ...... where are they now ? If they did so good then why aren't they the kings of the internet instead of LP and the rest of the low price outlets. The only way to go is like SCUBATOYS ..... have the brick building selling not only the equipment at competitive prices (both walk-in and internet same low price) but tie it in with service and instruction to round our the business.
 
asking for C cards is an iconic thing of the past.

anyone can buy gear online now days. makes no point to ask for it in a store it seems.....


(yeah I know someone will say "liability" but having or not having a c card will not stop a lawsuit).
 
I can tell you that I had not heard that and we service alot of AL gear. If one was to look at the big picture, you can plainly see that an LDS would make more providing the service and parts over the lifetime of the equipment than the initial outlay in buying the equipment. Sure do not honor the warranty but, do not blood-let the LDSs by dictating what can be serviced and what cannot. I for one will continue to "service on"!
 
When you really look at what you are getting, all scuba eq costs way to much. AL is the king of the cost too much pile.
 
How much does the parts cost on servicing a reg(1st & 2nd stage)? Just curious, so if I have to pay for labor anyway, I would like to know what the parts cost to help me make a decision on whether to buy gray market or not.
 
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https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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