West Marine Scuba Shops-Within-Stores - What to you think?

[scubadada]

Some people don't want to drink alone, some people don't want to buy scuba equipment alone.

---------- Post added December 29th, 2014 at 01:38 PM ----------

I am sure I have posted this before, but here it goes again....

LDS's absolutely CAN compete with online retailers....They just don't want to. Most LDS owners are the same old hags that owned the LDS in the 90's, when the internet sales thing was miniscule....They could get away with charging anything they thought up. Then comes the online retailer, who buys in bulk(or drop ships) and gets their merchandise a little cheaper than the LDS does. They sell expecting a 20% return on investment(really low markup) because they CAN....They have no real overhead, and they have high volume sales numbers due to their low prices.

How does an LDS compete? By expanding their business model to include an online storefront....and advertise it. They will be able to extend their great prices that they offer online to their brick and mortar store. They will also be able to have REAL INVENTORY in their B&M store. I don't know about you, but if I want a Light in Motion Sola 2000 and I drop by the LDS to see what they have...If they don't have it, I will order it online and pay less vice waiting 2 weeks for them to order it and then mark it up 150%.

LDS's in general(not all of them), need to remove their heads from their asses and get with the times.

Having a storefront that doesn't look like a crackhouse would be helpful too.

RJP, I think the answer to your BAR vs Store analogy is......boobies.

Very harsh.

I have a great LDS, Dudas Diving Duds in West Chester, PA. I would go in just to talk to the owner, Evelyn Dudas, an incredibly humble, diving legend. They offer all services to make a go of it, equipment sales, gas fills for all, teaching, including a number of contracts, and trips, both US and exotic. It would be a shame if they went out of business, especially due to a bunch of bargain hunters, many without a clue to what they are doing or why.

 

[rick00001967]

RJP, I think the answer to your BAR vs Store analogy is......boobies.

my two favorite quotes so far . hahaha

---------- Post added December 29th, 2014 at 04:44 PM ----------

Marketing is all about getting people to willingly make irrational financial decisions... with a smile on their face.

 

[Kairoos]

I've gone into a West Marine store once and it seemed nice. I didn't talk to any of the people working there though. I'd say it's probably good for scuba so I'm all for it. I think here in Florida there's a good chance that it will expose some people to scuba that might never have stepped into a dive shop. Until I decided to get certified I never even noticed some local dive shops that I drove by occasionally!

I wouldn't go in there expecting an expert diver to sit down and give me advice but I'm sure they'll put competent people on the fill stations just for liability reasons. I probably wouldn't go there for a fill when I have so many LDS to choose from though. I have a feeling that it won't be profitable, but I'd really that to not be the case since it's a fun hobby that could use some more exposure.

 

[redacted]

What other intangible benefits can an LDS provide to customers to warrant paying a higher price?

I guess they could have sold me what I wanted to buy years ago. Used gear (at great prices) and parts. I have found other sources for that also. So, now the occasional fill is nice but I can find gas from a number of sources often near dive sites.

I just don't have much use for them any more. (Bars or LDSs)