What can your LDS do to bring in more women divers?

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I am just curious.

It was TSandM who stated in one of her posts that dive-shops should stop looking like "Hardware stores" and add some decor to them., After that post, I went around my area visiting dive shops and there were different layouts.

Shop A - This shops looks like a Verizon store. They have a huge inventory displayed in the most Wallmart manner possible. Sales staff always wears shop t-shirts and every time you walk in there you may see a different sales person.

Shop B - This shop has limited inventory but it has a sitting area with couches. It gives the impression of a "hang-out" place much more than a retail store. Stock in display is limited but they can "order it for you."

Shop C - This shop is set up in an industrial area and the guys sits in front of compressor and tanks. His place looks more like an automobile garage than anything else.

Question: Which of the three places would get your business? What exactly can each of the above shops do to attract more female customers? Finally how important is any of the above to your choice of an LDS. A Jet fin remains a Jet fin when you walk out with it. Your regulator will breath the same no matter where you got it from. Classes would depend more on the person teaching but I am sure I am missing something.

Thanks -

CS

 

[tbone1004]

not a woman, but i'll throw my take

a. new sales people and walmart type inventory doesn't work for me, it's not inviting

b. hang out place is great and what i look for, but if they have to order it, i may as well order from the big shops, get it in probably a shorter amount of time because they have it in inventory vs. waiting for the distributor, likely pay a lower price, and not have to pay sales tax

c. if it is a fill station, that's fine, my favorite shop is set up like this, but they also have tremendous inventory on hand and you go there for fills. it is in cave country, so take that with a grain of salt.

Now, Cave Adventurers is my favorite LDS because of the overall atmosphere, the people, and the fact that they cater to tech divers, BUT they can only do that because of their location. That doesn't work everywhere. My favorite "traditional" dive shop is a shop called Gypsy Divers located in Raleigh NC. This shop is damn near perfect for the recreational diver.
The dive shop has couches for sitting around and talking, and on display the "normal" inventory expected of a Scubapro dive shop. Wetsuits, regs, bc's, and all of the normal stuff. They have a wall of masks for people to try on, and a separate wall in that nook for fins and snorkels. They stock quite a bit of "normal" gear that you would come in for as far as last minute gear. They also have Air Tech Scuba Services in house which handles all of the service for gear. This is a separate company inside of the building, but they service literally everything and that is all that those specific employees do. I have never heard of a bad repair job coming out of there. These guys are legit. What also makes this shop unique is they have a heated pool in the building that you can go and try out new gear, get your equipment that was just serviced wet, and then take a nice shower afterwards. Due to the state of the industry right now, teaching swim lessons through the pool is probably bringing in more money than the dive shop itself, but that's OK, they were smart enough to diversify. This is impractical for most shops to have a heated dive well with lap lanes, but it really does allow these guys to succeed.

 

[muzikbiz22]

My local LDS has a strong mix of male/female employees/instructors, etc. They are also a childrens swim school, and are VERY mom/female friendly. Most of the staff are of a "younger nature". The shop stocks everything from pink fins to Tec rebreathers, and has the staff to support everything in between. The shop is clean, artful, fun and pleasant. There is no "shag carpet with cigarette burns". It's very FAMILY friendly. The shop has an active, social dive club that encourages EVERYONE to participate.

 

[Bratface]

I would go to any of those shops depending on what I needed. I do prefer one that has a friendly, welcoming atmosphere because sometimes you just want a cold drink and to sit while other customers are being waited on. Most of all, if I am needing repair or equipment upgrade, I want someone who is very knowledgable. This didn't happen with my last computer purchase, and although i had read about it online, it had to be ordered and I ended up with a computer that wasn't really what I wanted.

PS: Bratface is a woman who has no interest in pink dive gear.

 

[uncfnp]

Attitude. Just because I am a woman and you may not know me, don"t assume I don't know what I am doing, that you need to talk to my male partner or that I need special decor or pink fins.

A clean orgainzed space is helpful as is a selection of gear that includes sizes for petite females.

 

[kelemvor]

None of those are ideal on their own. How about the professional "attitude" (on part of the owner), appearance (on part of the employees) and I assume large inventory from #1, the welcoming environment in #2. Of course "every time you walk in there you may see a different sales person" can be dropped. I'd like to see the same 6 or 7 people manning (or womaning) my LDS regularly.

Cave Country Dive Shop comes closest to this.. as far as dive shops I've actually visited go.

 

[WrmBluH2O]

Hi CS,

Like Bratface, I am a woman who is not interested in pink gear. Lol.

Which of the three places would get your business?

Whichever LDS my friends had steered me to would be what drove me. Secondarily, a "check" of sorts that Internet-based ratings/reviews/forums such as SB hopefully confirmed that shop to be a good (or at least not a bad) one.

What exactly can each of the above shops do to attract more female customers?

Honestly nothing.

Finally how important is any of the above to your choice of an LDS. A Jet fin remains a Jet fin when you walk out with it. Your regulator will breath the same no matter where you got it from. Classes would depend more on the person teaching but I am sure I am missing something.

I think you may have answered your own question here. For me, I care about who knows the underwater life support (a.k.a., gear) well. Since, as a newbie, I can't judge that for myself, I bring experienced folks with me who (I believe) can.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Good luck Sinbad. I'm sure the men answering for the women have the correct answer.

I like a social atmosphere with the same friendly helpful knowledgeable staff that don't talk down to the customer for any reason. My favorite shop is owned and operated by a woman. I wish the square footage was a bit bigger but that might mean prices would go up. They've got the pool and the change/shower area, a repairs room and do fills. Cool place. Most of the time they have what I want or need in stock but when they don't I'm happy to wait for the order to come in because I want this shop to stay in business. My orders almost always arrive within the week and I then recieve a cheerful phone call to tell me my item has arrived and regular cheerful reminders if I forget to pick up.

I could only like it better if, as I said, if it had more floor space and added many colorful posters of dream dives, etc.

 

[Jax]

Why does a woman walk into a dive shop?
1. She's with her boyfriend / SO who is interested in diving, and she is tagging along and may have mild interest in diving.
2. She's athletically minded and therefore is pursuing this sport with interest.

Does the shop appeal to either of the above? The first may be turned off by some, but generally, the shop won't be the attraction.

So, how does an LDS get more women in? Sponsor Discover Scuba and attract the young folk from high school. Hook 'em young.

Once the gal is out of high school, there won't be much to bring her to a shop.

 

[mselenaous]

@muzikbiz22
What is the name of the shop? Sounds like a place I'd like to visit sometime.