Anyone buying on the net is part to blame. At least give Your LDS a chance to earn Your buisness.
huh? Divers Supply has both store fronts and online stores.
Gary, I've heard GREAT things about your shop and charter operation and will likely use you on my next trip to Gulf Shores, but I can't see a valid argument of blaming this internet for this shop closing when they are an internet store.
but I do agree with you that one should at least give your LDS a chance to earn your business. A lot of times they can match pricing or sometimes they even have a better deal.
Real shops have more overhead and often need to jack the prices up to handle paying whatever help they are getting.
I don't agree completely with that.
I would say that Online shops have a much higher overhead. They typically have more staff, more orders, pay larger internet hosting sites, pay larger toll free phone bills, a much larger inventory, etc.
They just move more volume to increase profits and are able to offer lower pricing due to the larger volume.
If brick and mortar shops could move more volume with some method, then I guarantee that most business owners (LDS's) would jump on that.
They typically don't have the massive inventories necessary to get the better prices from the manufacturers either.
however that I do agree with. smaller shops can't get those discounts from the manufacturers without volume ordering.
just a fact of life no matter what product/business you're in, including selling electronics and washer/dryers.
The plus side is that you can get fast service and repairs on any gear(read as you don't have to mail it off and write off days/weeks for maintenance time). Not to mention... you can have your tanks filled onsite.
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that's definately a plus, but my LDS does both. (so can't other LDS's?)
they have online ordering and also maintain a "brick and mortar" store. It's the best of both worlds because we can get internet pricing and also have local customer service, repairs and air fills.
nothing stopping other LDS's from doing that same thing, except the higher investment required to order more inventory, put in toll free lines, create a e-commerce website, etc. That's definately higher overhead.
I hate to see Divers Supply close this shop. I've been by it and its in a great location (in my opinion). But shops are closing for many reasons.
Divers Direct just closed their Orlando and Florida City Store and they are one of the biggest dive retailers out there. These were HUGE Stores. (I have a feeling that if DD hadn't closed their FL City store, that Divers Supply FL City store would have closed instead... rumor has it that it was going to but didn't after DD announced their closing).
I really don't see the dive industry doing a "turn around" in this year. (or next maybe.) so shops that don't have a business model to weather the storm for a couple of years are going to be in trouble.
I don't think this is going to be the last "shop closing" announcement that we see this summer....
but the internet is not to blame....