Business must be Booming

[UaVaj]

Now a days. Given the reach of the internet - there are so many choices availble. In this harsh economic. I would hope that: SOME MARGIN would be better than NO MARGIN. I was proven wrong!



Anyway long story short.

I went to Diver Den of Miami (on Kendall St). I was thinking that I need to add about $600 worth of stuff to my arsenal. Stuff I wanted but didn't need. Two set of expensive fins, an expensive mask, and two expensive boots. Expensive as in top of the line stuff.

Talk directly with the owner/manager. Told him I love to do business with him and wanted to keep my business local. However the retail prices he is charging compare to the online prices are just too big of a gap for me to swallow alone. I nicely ask him if he could come down a bit on the retail price. Even 5% or 10% would of made my day. I even told him he didn't have to match the online prices. Just show me some faith that he wanted my business. Show some competitiveness.

He walked me to the item and show me the sticker price. He said there was nothing he could do to earn my business. Next he basically show me the door.



Business must be soooo good that he desn't need my business. Or he just another loser LDS that is about to go under in this harsh economy.

You can decide for yourself. I have already decided.



I came home and place two orders online for all these items. Save $139.

BTW - A Nitrox fill for HP120 is $21 at this LDS. :l:

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Change or go out of buisness. The LDS I bought a lot of stuff at before he retired used to give 10-15% if you bought a few things.

If it is any insight I am trying the same thing you did with Ceramic Smokers (for BBQ) they are not too willing to deal on them either except online. Fortunately I don't have to go back for charcoal fills.

 

[mig_diver]

Go online. 5% is hardly anything and very reasonable to ask for. He could have done something else to show some good faith. Threw in a free hat or shirt. Some air fills. Anything.

Find a new LDS. This guy (IMO) doesn't deserve you business.

 

[shoturtle]

I've only encounter a few good lds. If that shop was not willing to even budge, they are not really even worth your time. Find another shop for your air needs, and enjoy the new stuff you brought online, with the 139 bucks you can get several nitro fills, or quite a bit of air fills for your next set of couple of dives. And maybe the new lds will earn your business by treating as a educated consumer, and not trying to take your for every cent they can.

 

[emttim]

BTW - A Nitrox fill for HP120 is $21 at this LDS. :l:

:11: that right there tells me what kind of LDS that one is. Stay far, far away!!

 

[Noboundaries]

It isn't just dive shops. I deal with businesses all day long and find there are really only two classes of business owners.

Jobbers: All they did was create a job for themselves by opening a business. They are completely clueless that they started failing the day they opened their door. They have very little to no business sense at all. They don't know how to effectively advertise, market their products/services, or even how to swim in the competition pool. They do not grasp the fact that they need to earn and keep their customer's business in good times and bad. They think they deserve the business due to their knowledge, reputation, or location. Many jobbers quickly develop a disrespectful prejudice towards customers, especially saavy shoppers. Jobbers believe "I have what you want and if you want it you have to pay for it." They may fail in less than two years (80% do), or there may be conditions in the market that allow them to survive for years. In the end, their eventual failure will be everyone else's fault but their own.

Pie Eaters: A pie eater is a true business owner. They know how big the business pie is in their area for their products/services. They have both a plan and an advantage that they will aggressively pursue to capture as much of that business pie as they can realistically handle. If they take business away from another jobber/pie eater in the area, their attitude is unsympathetic. Pie eaters look to the future, recognize trends, and adapt to the market. They understand employees work for them, hiring and retaining the best they can afford. They know customers are their lifeblood, and that a transaction isn't a win/lose situation but a satisfactory compromise for both parties. The customer feels they received more value than the actual cost of the product/service and the pie eater knows he has covered his overhead, generated a profit, and earned a large percentage of a customer's future purchase decisions.

It takes me about ten seconds when I walk in a business door to know if I'm dealing with a jobber or a pie eater. UaVaj was dealing with a jobber.

 

[tstormdiver]

Working on a volunteer basis for my LDS, I've been able to see a little of both sides of the coin. The retailer at times has his/her hands tied on the prices charged for products by the manufacturers. They set the retail price with the threat that they will take away the dealership license if the agreement is violated. Now,... that isn't to say that the retailer can't offer a better value in another, related areas. At our shop, those that buy their equipment from us get- 1. a basic check over & testing of all equipment before it goes out the door. 2. get some pool time to test out & acclimate to their new purchase 3. get 50% off labor on their first servicing of their equipment & a few other such perks. While, yes, it isn't the good buy you can get online at times, those little extras do add up in the long run. Down your way, dive shop probably aren't too hard to find & there's plenty of competition, but here in the mid west,.... it's another story. If you are not happy with this LDS there are others. I try to do my best to support the one I belong to because the pickings are pretty slim. I count on my LDS for more than just equipment. I also use them for further education, equipment servicing, air/ nitrox fills, a place to hang out & a general escape from day to day life when I can't dive. There's a lot more to the LDS than just equipment sales.

 

[SlowRain]

Working on a volunteer basis for my LDS, I've been able to see a little of both sides of the coin. The retailer at times has his/her hands tied on the prices charged for products by the manufacturers. They set the retail price with the threat that they will take away the dealership license if the agreement is violated. Now,... that isn't to say that the retailer can't offer a better value in another, related areas. At our shop, those that buy their equipment from us get- 1. a basic check over & testing of all equipment before it goes out the door. 2. get some pool time to test out & acclimate to their new purchase 3. get 50% off labor on their first servicing of their equipment & a few other such perks. While, yes, it isn't the good buy you can get online at times, those little extras do add up in the long run. Down your way, dive shop probably aren't too hard to find & there's plenty of competition, but here in the mid west,.... it's another story. If you are not happy with this LDS there are others. I try to do my best to support the one I belong to because the pickings are pretty slim. I count on my LDS for more than just equipment. I also use them for further education, equipment servicing, air/ nitrox fills, a place to hang out & a general escape from day to day life when I can't dive. There's a lot more to the LDS than just equipment sales.

I would be very surprised to learn that shops have their hands tied in regards to pricing what the OP cited...specifically masks, fins, and boots.

This is not rocket science...if you price yourself to the point of extinction, you have no one to blame but yourself. I was in an LDS last week just looking around and they had the DiveRite deco bottle sling set (some nylon straps, a couple of buckles, and 2 snap bolts, and a hose clamp) priced 50% higher than even DiveRite Express sells them for. Hey, if you can get someone to throw down that kind of money...more power to you. If you can't...then you better start thinking about the long term.

Don't get me wrong, I do buy from an LDS, and even if they are marginally higher than what I could have found it for online...but 21 dollars for EAN fill? Please...give me a break. I don't pay that much for 70% deco mix let alone something probably banked in the OP's part of the country.

 

[vladimir]

The retailer at times has his/her hands tied on the prices charged for products by the manufacturers. They set the retail price with the threat that they will take away the dealership license if the agreement is violated.

I understand that some manufacturers set a minimum advertised price, but this is the first time I've heard of them setting a minimum price. Which manufacturers do this?

 

[diver918]

I took a similar approach when buying some gear at my LDS. I just asked "can you guys throw anything in for the $400 I'm spending at the shop". The owner came out and said he'd give me 10% off of everything, and even gave me a free set of gloves! That is how a LDS should treat their folks. The gloves were not top of the line, or something I really wanted, but it just shows that they're trying to work with you....

I'd find a new LDS...