LDS vs. Online - sorry to beat a dead horse

[yknot]

If you feel that, by reviewing products at the LDS and then buying on-line, you are doing a disservice to the LDS then that is a quandry which you and you alone, based upon your personal ethics, can solve.

You will hear arguments from both sides here.

Why would looking at a product and deciding to buy elsewhere be doing anyone a disservice? Haven't you done the most any retailer can realistically hope for simply by coming in and taking a look? If LDS's want to be treated differently then they could operate like a discount retailer. Make sure that the price is clearly marked and is the absolute minimum you will sell for, whether the customer has spent thousands or has never been in your store. Make sure the merchandise is available for me to view or hold, if necessary, without it being an inconvienience to you. Make sure that your policies are clearly visible in the store. Assume that I may have the intelligence to know what I want without your unsolicited advice. You might even want to hire some sales help that could answer a question truthfully and not consider the answer to be conditional on a purchase. It's the retailers' responsibility to provide the correct balance of price and service. This isn't decided by an ethics review board. Sales and profitibility will ultimately decide if your business plan is working. Would you consider that the LDS has done the diver a disservice by luring him into the store and wasting his time with unreasonable pricing? Anyone in the US that says they haven't engaged in comparison shopping is lying. Anyone that thinks that their own job is not subjected to some sort of value equation is delusional.

 

[The Kraken]

You've answered your own question.

 

[JustJoe]

For some reason I feel better after reading these few remarks. I think fdog hit it right on the head for me. If I learn about the product specifically from the LDS, I will give them every opportunity to win my business and will probably even pay a little more for their expertise (if I would have never seen or heard about the product in another manner).

Kracken, I knew you were right from the first post.

Joe

 

[geraldp]

I know, I know, another old battered topic.

Some good points being made here. My LDS told me up front he would meet or beat any "authorized" gear dealer. (In his opinion, Ebay and LeisurePro are not authorized). So I've spent a bundle with him. Every time I've made a big purchase I know I'm getting a break in their regular prices, because I do some negotiation. In turn I've found a great place that I can hang out and discuss diving, meet new dive buddies, etc. He does a lot of little freebie things for me... free nitrox fills, free rentals when my gear is in for repair, extra training tips, that sort of thing. That is customer service! and I reward that by purchasing more stuff from him. I also send him referals.

All that being said, if I need a small item that I know he won't be servicing (safety sausage, weights, dive knife, gear bag, etc.) I won't feel guilty purchasing that online. That kind of stuff usually has a huge markup at dive shops, and sometimes it's not worth the negotiation hassle. What I would never do is go buy something big online (like say a new computer) and then ask my dive shop to help me figure out how to use it.

Anyway, that's my philosophy.

Jerry

 

[redacted]

When I told him that I could get it for half price, he showed me his invoice and he was paying more for the product than the online cost. I asked him if maybe he should buy online as well.

BTW, he didn't apply any pressure about buying from him (that came from me). He actually said I should buy it online. But he is my turn to expert for gear when I need it. And in the long run, I think I would be worse off without his shop here.

Joe

Sounds like a good shop. Tell him you don't mind spending a bit more than online as long as it is reasonable. Once again, the mfgr who is getting his produce exposure thru the little guy LDS is sticking it to that little guy by making his product available to online sources at a discounted price.

 

[SHARKBAIT94]

hey,
as a new diver my self i know the feeling trust me i hate to pay double for a product when it can be found on the in ternet so easy. I found as i search the lds some were more then others but were still 40 to 50% more then the internet stores. Now before any one goes on to try and tell me that with a buisness they have to pay for the lights,staff,rent ect. fine i can agree with that and even understand. The lds around me don't sell a happy medium they only sell the high end gear and when you try and talk to them and explain like in my case that i'm buying two set of gear not just one and they either don't care or say well in that case i'll give you a 5% off well woppdie doo 5% god i should feel so privliaged then you go and talk to some one like larry at scubatoys.com and he sells the same gear with a warrenty for half of what the lds want. Larry is a lds in texas with online sales that reaches out to anyone who is looking for scuba gear. so lets look at some simple buisness math lds + online sales = more money if you look at any buisness if you stand still and do not move along with the buisness world i.e the internet you will cease to make money. The correct response would be not to yell at some one who buys online but to talk to lds and say hey if you don't move to internet sales you are going to go under. Any one who yells at some else who shops online instead of the lds think about what your saying support only the lds and not the other local buisness? That not very fair is it? and like no one has ever bought anything online? we all do it. Online scuba sales just seems to hit a raw nerve with old school divers. The biggest problem i have with people who preach lds only is HEY ITS MY MONEY I'LL SHOP AND SPEND IT WHERE I WANT. I work damn hard for my money don't tell me where and how to spend it. Oh and to the question of where will i get my tank filled look around places that fill hospital air fill scuba tanks too sooooooooooooooooooo any other questions? So don't feel bad or guilty if you buy online. i did till i found Larry at scubatoys.com.

 

[yknot]

Once again, the mfgr who is getting his produce exposure thru the little guy LDS is sticking it to that little guy by making his product available to online sources at a discounted price.

That manufacturer is also saying that they feel their product can be marketed and sold with out the aid of a high mark-up retailer like a LDS. The little guy also chooses to have it stuck to him in this case- he's under no obligation to carry a product available, at a discount, online. One LDS near me sell Bonine for about $8 a box. I think it's half that price at the drug store. Is Bonine sticking it to the LDS in this case? How about for the $10 2oz bottle of dry suit powder?

 

[RDP]

hey,
as a new diver my self i know the feeling trust me i hate to pay double for a product...So don't feel bad or guilty if you buy online. i did till i found Larry at scubatoys.com.

Yeah, what he said.

I bet nearly every LDS owner has shopped at a WalMart. What's the difference?

 

[seabat]

JustJoe,

I dont think you got "ripped off". You knew you could buy cheaper online, you asked the LDS if they could match the price, they went as far as providing you proof why they could not match and even suggested that you buy online. I believe you have a good LDS to support your scuba activities.

If you asked "Is this the best price for this knife" when you first saw it and they said "yes, we have the cheapest price anywhere" and you bought the knife, you would have been "ripped off" because they lied.

The way I see it, you're justification for paying a higher price is that you have a good relationship with the LDS, they were upfront with you when discussing the price, and you have another bit of proof that they are worthy of you business. I would feel pretty good knowing that my money went to someone that I knew was worthy.