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

[BabyDuck]

hey, that was me!

yeah, the tshirts are bad, bad, bad. talking down to me is reeeealllly bad. i've been tech diving a good while now. i'd dare say most (non-north-florida) shops don't teach the diving i do, so singsonging to me about try dives or learning so i can keep my bf company…not good. i totally cop to loving pink, but agree that well-fitting is more important. though i'm not sure that's a shop's fault, but the manufacturer's. we went quarry diving week before last, and the last inch or so of gloves didn't have any fingers in them. made, you know, finding inflaters and stuff tough to do.

 

[Storker]

it was a thread in the larger community where a woman posted something that got me thinking. She basically complained about a selection of dive shirts where the decorative theme could be summed up as 'skulls and tit.s,' I believe it was.

You don't have to have two X chromosomes to think that's tasteless. Even some of us with a Y chromosome don't see the charm in those kinds of themes.

 

[drrich2]

True, but evidently they sell to some people. Thinking over this thread, I wonder if we have a good handle on the larger question, what makes anybody go to the LDS, or would increase foot traffic? Then maybe it'd be easier to see how to tailor a more appealing message to the female segment.

I get the impression from women's answers on this thread that gear, particularly exposure protection, where fit matters is a big draw. I tend to think of the 'pillars' of a LDS as gear, courses and group dive trips (e.g.: dive tourism to Bonaire, Cozumel, etc...). Tank fills aren't all that profitable, but serve to get people in the door. If the LDS happens to have a quarry, as the one in my area does (Pennyroyal Blue Springs Resort, in Hopkinsville, KY), that's a really big draw. If a dive club meets at the LDS, that could help.

To the women responding on the thread; do you go to your LDS for much of anything besides gear (mainly referring to wetsuits, BCDs & regulators, including servicing for such), once you've got OW & maybe AOW behind you?

Let's say you've got OW, AOW, Nitrox, a BCD, reg., fins & a computer plus a wet or dry suit. Other than periodic regulator servicing, do they see you?

Richard.

 

[WetPup]

Nope.

I don't even take my regs in for servicing there anymore after some incredibly poor experiences. I have a friend do it for me for a carton of beer and the cost of parts

They have an organised dive club too, but it's more or less the same group of douchebags who work in the shop who go on all the day/weekend/overseas trips, so it's not something I bother with anymore.

Honestly, I gave my LDS a chance, and they basically destroyed any ongoing relationship that could have eventuated.

That being said, my old LDS (before I moved interstate) was fantastic. While they didn't necessarily stock a particularly good range of gear for women, the staff were great, they had awesome customer service, they weren't obnoxious, and their dive club was actually well organised and fun.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Sometimes if I'm in the neighborhood, I pop in to say hi and admire gear I might want. I usually check out the notions board to see if there's any connectors, etc. that appeal that day. If it's quiet, I get a few minutes with the woman that owns the place and I genuinely like her, so that's always fun, dive talk, travel talk, where's so and so these days kind of talk. Always too soon for me other folks show up and it's time for me to leave. Frankly, it'd be great if the shop had a coffee nook. Heehee

 

[Scuba Christine]

I drop in on my favorite shop whenever I'm in the area. I like the place and usually "need" something when I'm there. The staff and the owner are all good to talk with and I enjoy being able to shop and learn. It's a bit of a drive, so I don't get there too often. I'm looking forward to taking my gear in for service next month.

I dive with a local club, have an incredible local instructor, and travel with the club in the US. I like to make my own travel arrangements for vacations further afield. I may do a trip with the shop in the future, but there is nothing in my plans at the moment.

 

[Reku]

The shop who gets most of my business here is the one that understands how small I am. I don't expect every LDS to carry XXXS or size 4 (Aus) gear because they're simply not going to sell it...other than to the tiny (pardon the pun) percentage of women divers who are as small as I am. They don't carry smallest size either..they order me in 3 choices in different sizes and do this in a one week turnaround between Xmas and new year because they know I'm going away. Asking me where I'm going and remembering where I've been and a quick chat about the last trip makes me know they at least remember me. I don't want couches, I don't have time to lounge around, it's a business, I don't see that. I'm any different nor do I want any other treatment or decor because I'm a certain gender.

Leave it to you to just get right to the point lol. Nicely worded.

 

[urbaneve71]

from a woman's POV i want to walk into my LDS and see more gear that is for women. I dont care if you are male or female running the joint. I just want them to know what they are talking about, know the gear inside and out and offer more items for women. I have been in a few of the shops around here and that is what I see lacking in almost all of them except for one and that is the only one I will go to now.

As far as making it more attractive on the outside... that can be tricky. I have no suggestions for that. Nor will I put my 2 cents in about it either. Basically when I walk in and have a question, I want a firm, well laid out answer. I also was to see a fair amount of inventory to choose from.

 

[morecowbells]

It really doesn't matter if the LDS is located in a strip mall or industrial part of town. Echoing the other poster's sentiment, I want to be talked to like a skilled diver, not a reluctant participant. I want an actual dressing room, not a curtain next to the air compressor, but an actual dressing room with a door/curtain, a chair and a place for me to hang my purse. When my husband and I married several years ago, we were broke. It is our corny tradition to not spend over $25 on each other for our anniversary to remind us how hard things were. A few years ago on our anniversary, my husband got me a new underwater noise maker, spray painted it pink and adorned it with gaudy bling. I absolutely love it. That was my birth and passion of buying pink fins and accessories. I even had a hot pink swim cap until looking at a photo I realized that I looked like a d!ckhead( yes literally!). Since then I changed things around. Funny thing is, I am not a girlie girl, but I am with my dive attire. I enjoy looking at and occasional purchasing colorful head scarves and T-shirts.

In addition to the dressing rooms, I would love to see more masks available for women to try out. I have a small face and trust me, nothing is more aggravating than dealing with an ill fitted mask. I would also appreciate other diversions( if my husband is shopping)and supplies for surface intervals, such as swim shorts, sarongs, wraps, and even boat shoes. I know this is something one can get at Target, but when not in season, it can be hard to find.

I am fortunate that my LDS does not have a dive jock mentality. It has an equal mix of male and female employees. The occasional happy hour with footage of recent vacations is also a plus. Approachable and non-condescending group of employees.

 

[tridacna]

New diver breakdown over the past six months in our store is 47% female. We have female Instructors, DMs and salespeople. We currently have more female DM candidates than male ones. Layout of our store is targeted to both sexes; compressor is hidden in basement; Gear displayed for both sexes. Lots of pink. Our aim is to make the shop friendly to all kinds of divers. Seems to work for us.