Buying Gear at your LDS VS internet!!!

[yknot]

The internet has only put price pressure on dealers who carry non-exclusive lines, and made them compete with every other online dealer based solely on price. This in turn puts pressure on the manufacturers to lower their wholesale price and will eventually cause the collapse of many online dealers as well as a number of manufacturers.
Terry

And, to quote you:"There's nothing wrong with this, and is how the global economy functions." Can you possibly imagine that after all of the weak sisters belly up, what's left might actually be better companies, at least from a consumer's standpoint or do we need to keep having to deal with the AMC's of scuba gear? What about the people that can't afford Wegman's? In your view, maybe they shouldn't eat. The more "exclusive LDS's", in terms of attitude and price, have done more to keep people from ever becoming divers than they have to bring the "thousands" you mention in to the fold. I personally don't care where your gear comes from but quit crying that old tired rant about how the internet is going to kill your local dive scene. The major movie studios made the same prediction about neighborhood theaters when video machines and video stores first appeared.

 

[Aquawookie]

This is turning into a really scary thread people.

It would appear from here that divers regard their LDS as a bunch of money grubbing monkeys who don't know their *** from their elbow.

These shops are here to help and serve YOU the DIVERS. If you do not like one shop go to another one, and so on until you are comfortable with your LDS. The LDS is there for you. It is a resource for information, courses, dive budies, BS, whatever you like!

In my experience, most LDS have two levels of staff and depending on who you talk to will determine what service you get. The first level is the guy who dives a bit and works part time. The second level is the full time LDS staff who live to dive and dive to live. These people are passionate about diving and love to talk shop. Talk to them, I think you'll enjoy yourself.

Alot has been said about prices in LDS as compared to online. What no one has yet mentioned is that the prices at the LDS are FIXED by the manufacturers. If you break their pricing agreements you loose your dealership. These prices are NON NEGOTIABLE and you are required to purchase a certain level of product every year, or again you loose your dealership. Most LDS owners bend the ears of the sales reps, and anyone who will listen, trying to get the same pricing flexability as the online outlets recieve, usually to no avail.

Do you really think your LDS WANTS to be more expensive and drive customers to the internet??

Diving has been in the throes of the biggest decline in its history. The industry is reporting a 30% to 50% decline in the number of new divers over the last 2 years and the industry is feeling this. Dive shops and resorts are closing all over the world because they can not stay in business.

Internet sales are up because an internet store can shift more product then a LDS can. The manufacturers are supporting online outlets in the hope of staying in business. And even so, some manufacturers have gone out of business.

The choice is yours. Spend your money where you wish. Just remember, no one has invented a way to fill a scuba cylinder over the internet. Only your LDS can do that.

Dive well, dive often.
Paul.

PS. No, I don't own a LDS, thank God.

 

[ShakaZulu]

MY LDS is having a tent sale in two wks. They are going to sell tanks with a lifetime airfill card. Does this make any sense???? Shouldn't they be using the air fills as a source of income???

 

[Tampabay]

Welcome to the Board!!!Rey

 

[Tampabay]

Thank you for pointing out the truth about LDS having a fix price agreement...You are right about that. I also don't own a dive shop but I was aware of that. Rey

 

[mikswi]

MY LDS is having a tent sale in two wks. They are going to sell tanks with a lifetime airfill card. Does this make any sense???? Shouldn't they be using the air fills as a source of income???

I have seen 2 shops try this in the past. Both went out of business within 6 months of trying it. Another last ditch effort is to have a 2 for 1 cert class. Cert 2 people, only 1 pays. The theory is that they will make it up on the gear sales.

Another is to offer new students 20% off on their complete first set of gear. The hope is that this will generate sales as well as get the $ from the new student before they have a chance to shop around/be educated.

Bottom line? Have reasonable prices and a wonderful attitude. I have paid more for items many times only, because I like the persons attitude and service.

as far as "Shouldn't they be using the air fills as a source of income???" air fills are a requirement to be a dive shop. Absolutely NO dealer,manufacturer or rep will even sit down with you until you have a compressor and its up & running. That being said, Air is usually a near break even proposition. After you figure in the electicity, time, shop space, maint and price of a GOOD compressor, it only a service for customers, to get em in the door.

Not sure about where you are but, my LDS only charges $4.00 for a fill up to a 100. A 120 will cost you $8.00. Theres "some" money in Nitrox though.

 

[Quarrior]

From what I've seen overall, we have capitalism <spelling> at it's best.

Basically, the internet dealers are waving a giant flashing sign that says "treat your customer's right and sell them gear at a fair price, or we will."

Some brick and mortar companies are reading the sign and paying attention to it. Some are not.

The ones that do not pay attention to it, don't last long. People don't like being treated like a wallet for any company they do business with. They are also smarter about what they are buying thanks to the internet.

This does not only hold true for the LDS, but any retailer.

I can buy any car I want from anywhere in the country or world for that matter as long as it passes import laws, thanks to the internet.

 

[Xanthro]

My local LDS has really good prices on some things, AL 80 tanks are $109 for example. I'd rather shop there, but I won't pay 100% more than I could get it elsewhere. For example, their dive computer selection is pretty small, and they are very expensive.

Xanthro

 

[yknot]

These shops are here to help and serve YOU the DIVERS. If you do not like one shop go to another one, and so on until you are comfortable with your LDS. The LDS is there for you. It is a resource for information, courses, dive budies, BS, whatever you like!

Alot has been said about prices in LDS as compared to online. What no one has yet mentioned is that the prices at the LDS are FIXED by the manufacturers. If you break their pricing agreements you loose your dealership. These prices are NON NEGOTIABLE and you are required to purchase a certain level of product every year, or again you loose your dealership. Most LDS owners bend the ears of the sales reps, and anyone who will listen, trying to get the same pricing flexability as the online outlets recieve, usually to no avail.

Diving has been in the throes of the biggest decline in its history. The industry is reporting a 30% to 50% decline in the number of new divers over the last 2 years and the industry is feeling this. Dive shops and resorts are closing all over the world because they can not stay in business.

Internet sales are up because an internet store can shift more product then a LDS can. The manufacturers are supporting online outlets in the hope of staying in business. And even so, some manufacturers have gone out of business.

The choice is yours. Spend your money where you wish. Just remember, no one has invented a way to fill a scuba cylinder over the internet. Only your LDS can do that.

This is exactly the type of partial info that causes so much confusion.
You are exactly right that LDS's are there to serve their customer. Unfortunatly, many forget this basic fact of retailing and customer service. I've heard them actually complain about customers that come in and look and have the nerve to TOUCH the merchandise or ASK A QUESTION without buying anything.
Fixed pricing as practiced by some scuba manufacturers, along with their current warranty requirements are illegal. These practices violate federal laws enacted to protect consumers. At some point in the near future, these practices will be challanged legally. LDS's have the opportunity now to discount a product and compete dollar for dollar with the internet. Some do and some don't but those that don't are doing it by choice.
Where are you getting your statistics for the state of the dive industry? The only sources I could imagine keeping track of these numbers would be an industry insiders group, like DEMA. Obviously, LDS's aren't going to be able to track internet sales. Also, manufacturers who allow for online sales and would vend to a company like LP aren't likely to brag about those numbers to their LDS customers. We in the US are also in somewhat of an economic decline, not only scuba but all recreational spending. What link can you draw between a decline in new divers and the internet? Do you have a list of manufacturers who have gone out of business or is this just an unsupported statement you are trying to portray as factual?Businesses of all sorts fail everyday. 99.99% of the time it is the business owner's fault.
Bottom line, can you name a single industry or product that hasn't ultimately benefited from competition? If we keep doing what we always do we'll keep getting what we always get.

 

[ryanarcher]

I have seen 2 shops try this in the past. Both went out of business within 6 months of trying it.

This shop has been around for 25 years...so I don't know if they are going to go belly up in 6 months after offering free air if you buy a tank!