DiveSeekers merging with Scubadelphia, Hillsborough NJ location closing

[Joneill]

Pro Divers in Neptune is still open

Pro Divers NJ

13 HWY 35 South & Boston Rd
Neptune City, NJ 07753

Thx!

 

[doctormike]

+1
There are cultures on this planet where not haggling or not being able to haggle is a serious insult but the USA is not one of them. Here, price it right the first time.

 

[ScubaMarc]

Thx!

No Problem, and i highly recommend them.

 

[mderrick]

he got out of the local dive shop business to focus his efforts on the prosperous internet scuba sales business.

Unfortunately, that's not accurate. As explained in the article, I decided to remake the business for the future, a process described with the current buzzword "digital transformation"
Digital transformation - Wikipedia

This seems to be a version of an often heard whine "Because you sell online, you can't be local."
Is Dive Gear Express a Real Local Dive Shop? | Dive Gear Express®

The corollary is that because online sales volume is larger than in-store, that in-store is somehow deprecated. In fact, while we don't track in-store vs online sales, for my 2017 DEMA Show presentation I was able to find a way to estimate our local in-store business via the "in-store pickup" statistics. There exists no reliable estimate of typical LDS sales volume for comparison, but a widely mentioned value for the average local dive shop sale volume we hear from dive industry sales representatives is substantially less than $500K annually. By that comparison, Dive Gear Express local in-store business is thriving, very successful! Our in-store customers are equally important to us as online customers. And that's the point...

The assumption our dive industry must get past is that unless a retailer has a specific infrastructure that functions a certain way, it can't be a "real" dive shop. The business paradigm of the local dive shop from the 1990's simply will not survive, but zombie dive shops across the US are damaging our sport with their inability to envision something different...

---
Bob: Welcome to Dive4Life, I'm Bob, how can I help you?
J&J: We are thinking about learning to dive, I'm Jill and this is Jack.
Bob: We can certainly make that happen for you, we are a 5-star dive training facility. How did you hear about us?
J&J: Oh, Google that's how we saw your great reviews. We are just looking today, but have a few questions...
Bob: Sure, we do a lot of online marketing so I'm glad to know it's working. I'll do my best to answer all your questions so fire away!
J&J: We were under the impression there was a lot of expensive equipment, but I don't really see any of that here...
Bob: It's true, diving is without-a-doubt an equipment intensive sport. We focus on quality instruction here at Dive4Life and so we don't recommend you purchase equipment right away, if ever, and we don't sell equipment.
J&J: Well how does that work?
Bob: We offer Learn-To-Dive packages that include loan of all the equipment you will need to complete the course, and then you can rent the equipment you need from us. If you find you are an active diver, then it might be more cost effective to purchase. In that case, during the class you will learn everything you need to know to make informed choices when you purchase.
J&J: What if we prefer to start out with our own equipment?
Bob: Absolutely, some people do and let me tell you a little more how you can do that. If you decide you would like to enroll in the class today, I'll ask Susan one of our professional full time instructors to take you back to one of our modern classrooms and start your first class today, right now! As part of your first class, she will give you an overview of what you will learn and also explain the equipment to you. Susan can advise you what to buy and where to buy it, either online or at any of several local sporting goods stores. Or you could wait and just purchase one of our packages that includes the loaner equipment.
J&J: You mean we can start now?
Bob: Yes you can. I'll go get Susan, but while I step away please come over to our Travel Desk. This is Alice, who has a flip book she can use to show some the great places you can go with your new diving skills and give you some ideas for a excellent adventure together...
J&J: How much is this going to cost?
Bob: Prices start as low as $300.... I'll tell you what, you start the class with Susan. At the end of the first class, come back out and we'll discuss the various options to find a package in your budget.
---

I have actually seen this selling method in action and I know it to be extremely effective. Is it a "real" dive shop? Not by the old business model, which says the new approach must be stopped before it destroys diving.

 

[Lobzilla]

Unfortunately, that's not accurate. As explained in the article, I decided to remake the business for the future, a process described with the current buzzword "digital transformation"
Digital transformation - Wikipedia

This seems to be a version of an often heard whine "Because you sell online, you can't be local." with the implication that our local customers are not significant. That's just not correct.
Is Dive Gear Express a Real Local Dive Shop? | Dive Gear Express®

The corollary is that because online sales volume is larger than in-store, that in-store is somehow deprecated. In fact, while we don't track in-store vs online sales, for my 2017 DEMA Show presentation I was able to find a way to estimate our local in-store business via the "in-store pickup" statistics. There exists no reliable estimate of typical LDS sales volume for comparison, but a widely mentioned value for the average local dive shop sale volume we hear from dive industry sales representatives is substantially less than $500K annually. By that comparison, Dive Gear Express local in-store business is thriving, very successful! Our in-store customers are equally important to us as online customers. And that's the point...

The assumption our dive industry must get past is that unless a retailer has a specific infrastructure that functions a certain way, it can't be a "real" dive shop. The business paradigm of the local dive shop from the 1990's simply will not survive, but local dive shops across the US are working hard to damage the future of our sport by refusing to envision something different...
---
Bob: Welcome to Dive4Life, I'm Bob, how can I help you?
J&J: We are thinking about learning to dive, I'm Jill and this is Jack.
Bob: We can certainly make that happen for you, we are a 5-star dive training facility. How did you hear about us?
J&J: Oh, Google that's how we saw your great reviews. We are just looking today, but have a few questions...
Bob: Sure, we do a lot of online marketing so I'm glad to know it's working. I'll do my best to answer all your questions so fire away!
J&J: We were under the impression there was a lot of expensive equipment, but I don't really see any of that here...
Bob: It's true, diving is without-a-doubt an equipment intensive sport. We focus on quality instruction here at Dive4Life and so we don't recommend you purchase equipment right away, if ever, and we don't sell equipment.
J&J: Well how does that work?
Bob: We offer Learn-To-Dive packages that include loan of all the equipment you will need to complete the course, and then you can rent the equipment you need from us. If you find you are an active diver, then it might be more cost effective to purchase. In that case, during the class you will learn everything you need to know to make informed choices when you purchase.
J&J: What if we prefer to start out with our own equipment?
Bob: Absolutely, some people do and let me tell you a little more how you can do that. If you decide you would like to enroll in the class today, I'll ask Susan one of our professional full time instructors to take you back to one of our modern classrooms and start your first class today, right now! As part of your first class, she will give you an overview of what you will learn and also explain the equipment to you. Susan can advise you what to buy and where to buy it, either online or at any of several local sporting goods stores. Or you could wait and just purchase one of our packages that includes the loaner equipment.
J&J: You mean we can start now?
Bob: Yes you can. I'll go get Susan, but while I step away please come over to our Travel Desk. This is Alice, who has a flip book she can use to show some the great places you can go with your new diving skills and give you some ideas for a excellent adventure together...
J&J: How much is this going to cost?
Bob: Prices start as low as $300.... I'll tell you what, you start the class with Susan. At the end of the first class, come back out and we'll discuss the various options to find a package in your budget.
---

I have actually seen this selling method in action and I know it to be extremely effective. Is it a "real" dive shop? Not by the old business model, which says the new approach must be stopped before it destroys diving.

Here is the real brick and mortar plus a lot of concrete implementation of your fictitious Dive4Life example. I dove there 7 years ago and apparently they have no problem staying afloat in an internet economy.

 

[Dogbowl]

Clever! Dishonest and terrible advice, any qualified diver knows they're better off with their own gear with which they're familiar, and they aren't wearing a badly fitting leaking mask and a wetsuit that countless divers have pissed in and they're not stuck with a strange computer that they have no clue as to all it's features which could have previous stored nitrogen data from another diver who used it yesterday, and the rental costs almost always eclipse the purchase + maintenance costs but hey you've got to make a living any way you can.

It's like selling software as a "subscription" rather than one time purchase. It's deceptive, it's greedy, it gives the purchaser nothing new but it does result in a steady stream of income for the unscrupulous seller.

Subscription-based everything is the present and the future. Get used to it.

 

[Joneill]

Clever! Dishonest and terrible advice, any qualified diver knows they're better off with their own gear with which they're familiar and the rental costs almost always eclipse the purchase + maintenance costs but hey you've got to make a living any way you can.

It's like selling software as a "subscription" rather than one time purchase. It's deceptive, it's greedy, it gives the purchaser nothing new but it does result in a steady stream of income for the unscrupulous seller.

I bought all of my own equipment but I completely disagree with you. Not everyone wants to own their own equipment - in fact, I'd bet many recreational vacation divers likely don't.

I have a friend who dives once or twice a year with a group of his college buddies. He is not interested in lugging his own equipment on vacation (as many people are not, esp. with baggage fees these days). He just wants to have a small carry-on and he rents everything he needs for the several days of diving he does. He could care less if he is spending more in the long haul as he does not want to be bothered with the transport, care/maintenance and repair that comes along with having your own equipment. The friends he does these dive trips with all feel the same way.

 

[Wookie]

Clever! Dishonest and terrible advice, any qualified diver knows they're better off with their own gear with which they're familiar, and they aren't wearing a badly fitting leaking mask and a wetsuit that countless divers have pissed in and they're not stuck with a strange computer that they have no clue as to all it's features which could have previous stored nitrogen data from another diver who used it yesterday, and the rental costs almost always eclipse the purchase + maintenance costs but hey you've got to make a living any way you can.

It's like selling software as a "subscription" rather than one time purchase. It's deceptive, it's greedy, it gives the purchaser nothing new but it does result in a steady stream of income for the unscrupulous seller.

Perhaps you might invest in a dive shop and show us how it's done??? I hear that Diveseekers may be available. If you don't like Jersey, most every store I know of is for sale.

 

[lowviz]

...//... and previously pissed in wetsuits because they aren't willing to push another piece of luggage around an airport and are perfectly ok with paying more for the luxury of doing so. Whether that's "better" is up for serious debate.

Debate is good. One sooner or later comes to realize that other people hold equally valid points of view. (Disclaimer, I own all my own primo dive stuff and service it too.)

I heard the same argument when I used to skydive. Sorry, no. I did not want my own equipment. Just put in a nickel and have a thrill.

Is that bad?

 

[Joneill]

Debate is good. One sooner or later comes to realize that other people hold equally valid points of view. (Disclaimer, I own all my own primo dive stuff and service it too.)

I heard the same argument when I used to skydive. Sorry, no. I did not want my own equipment. Just put in a nickel and have a thrill.

Is that bad?

Not at all!