DaleC
Contributor
I think the notion that selling gear to new OW divers will help them continue to dive is, for the most part, a false concept.
The main barrier to diving that I have seen is not having a regular buddy or knowledge of the local dive scene. Solve that and you will have diver retention.
The idea that gear ownership creates retention also breaks down when one considers the many divers who only vacation dive in tropical resort destinations. Other than their personal kit and perhaps regs, gear ownership plays little to no role in their motivation to dive.
Locally, divers need to be introduced to the larger community of other divers and plugged into the scene with mentors etc... They need to be shown the local dives and how to do them safely. If an instructor or shop does that they can pretty well be assured that (if the customer actually likes diving) they will continue to do so long after their initial training, whether they buy a bunch of gear right off the bat or not. The big question though, is whether the shop has enough faith that they have created a good relationship with the diver so that the diver will make his/her future purchases there. I suspect most shops do not have that faith for one reason or another.
Their continued diving will spur their gear purchasing, not the other way around.
Shops around here rent fairly good equipment that fits reasonably well and when starting out it is probably cheaper and more convenient to rent anyways. It's only after a diver has developed established buddy relationships and knows the area that they begin to dive so regularily that buying equipment makes more sense. Many shops don't like that idea though because there is a risk they will lose that gaurenteed sale to a trusting new diver.
In fact, a diver who is sold a bunch of expensive gear right off the bat may develop a bit of a resentment towards the shop should they continue to dive and discover that they were taken advantage of in their "uneducated" state of mind and, while they may not admit to being "duped", they will quickly abandon the shop (whom they feel had the shops and not the customers best interests in mind) for internet or other purchasing options. I have heard this exact sentiment expressed more than once and even felt it a bit myself after paying $100 for a 5' HP hose.
This wasn't my experience overall btw as I was somewhat protected from this phenomenon by the fact that I am a blue collar worker and not afflicted by having vast amounts of disposable income at my fingertips. I would hum and haw about each purchase and had to pace my purchases out over a long period of time. I also think my LDS owner treated me very fairly so I'm not down on shops either. I've said before that he talked me out of a lot of unneccisary purchases and did allow me to use gear I was purchasing on layaway.
Had I walked in with a platinum credit card and believed the notion that this is all life support equipment I might have another story to tell.
I work in a somewhat related field (saltwater aquarium installation and maintenance) where a lot of these same issues present themselves. The LDS is replaced by the LFS (local fish shop), customers are often taken advantage of when they are new to the hobby, and opinions are a dime a dozen. Like Thal, I have carved out a living by not selling products but by selling my labour and knowledge. Many people ask me why I don't sell fish or products on my own but I have always enjoyed the impartial perspective that my position allows. I suggest products all the time and will even deliver them but the price they pay is the price I pay.
The main barrier to diving that I have seen is not having a regular buddy or knowledge of the local dive scene. Solve that and you will have diver retention.
The idea that gear ownership creates retention also breaks down when one considers the many divers who only vacation dive in tropical resort destinations. Other than their personal kit and perhaps regs, gear ownership plays little to no role in their motivation to dive.
Locally, divers need to be introduced to the larger community of other divers and plugged into the scene with mentors etc... They need to be shown the local dives and how to do them safely. If an instructor or shop does that they can pretty well be assured that (if the customer actually likes diving) they will continue to do so long after their initial training, whether they buy a bunch of gear right off the bat or not. The big question though, is whether the shop has enough faith that they have created a good relationship with the diver so that the diver will make his/her future purchases there. I suspect most shops do not have that faith for one reason or another.
Their continued diving will spur their gear purchasing, not the other way around.
Shops around here rent fairly good equipment that fits reasonably well and when starting out it is probably cheaper and more convenient to rent anyways. It's only after a diver has developed established buddy relationships and knows the area that they begin to dive so regularily that buying equipment makes more sense. Many shops don't like that idea though because there is a risk they will lose that gaurenteed sale to a trusting new diver.
In fact, a diver who is sold a bunch of expensive gear right off the bat may develop a bit of a resentment towards the shop should they continue to dive and discover that they were taken advantage of in their "uneducated" state of mind and, while they may not admit to being "duped", they will quickly abandon the shop (whom they feel had the shops and not the customers best interests in mind) for internet or other purchasing options. I have heard this exact sentiment expressed more than once and even felt it a bit myself after paying $100 for a 5' HP hose.
This wasn't my experience overall btw as I was somewhat protected from this phenomenon by the fact that I am a blue collar worker and not afflicted by having vast amounts of disposable income at my fingertips. I would hum and haw about each purchase and had to pace my purchases out over a long period of time. I also think my LDS owner treated me very fairly so I'm not down on shops either. I've said before that he talked me out of a lot of unneccisary purchases and did allow me to use gear I was purchasing on layaway.
Had I walked in with a platinum credit card and believed the notion that this is all life support equipment I might have another story to tell.
I work in a somewhat related field (saltwater aquarium installation and maintenance) where a lot of these same issues present themselves. The LDS is replaced by the LFS (local fish shop), customers are often taken advantage of when they are new to the hobby, and opinions are a dime a dozen. Like Thal, I have carved out a living by not selling products but by selling my labour and knowledge. Many people ask me why I don't sell fish or products on my own but I have always enjoyed the impartial perspective that my position allows. I suggest products all the time and will even deliver them but the price they pay is the price I pay.
