Here's what I never understood about "support your local dive shop"
I understand that when I buy online, greymarket, etc., some prices are lower than the lds can meet. After all, he has overhead they don't, and some manufacturers won't allow him to sell for less. But the markup is sometimes outrageous. Like I read in another post, I bought a mask for $75 that I later found online for $25. That's quite a markup.
But I have a finite amount of money I can spend on gear. I have an invinitely long list of gear I want. So I pare it down to what I really need to do what I want to do. I simply can't afford to buy it all at the LDS's prices. So should I forgo the other equipment I need and pay the inflated prices?
The guy at my LDS (well, there are at least three around here, but his is closest) even gets mad if you buy tech gear (that he doesn't sell) elsewhere or buy used.
Meanwhile, I buy lots of little stuff there, I get fills there, and I've taken two classes there (Rescue and DM). I take my gear there for service, O2 cleaning, etc. I know the markup on service is super high, but I'll not complain about that. It's service.
I would be happy to buy my equipment there at a price that's somewhat higher than what I could get online... but I just can't pay $300 for tanks I get get elsewhere for $180 or $300 for a manifold I can get elsewhere for $200.
It's not my responsibility to keep the LDS in business. It's the owner's responsibility. I should not have to cultivate a relationship with him - he should do it with me. Want my return business? Talk to me and find out if I'm serious. Find out how much of a gear-head I am. If you think I'll be a good customer, may you should try to get me to stick around.
Last thing: My friend and I blindly found a shop in S. Florida when we planned a trip down there. Turned out the shop was fantastic. The people were great - friendly, helpful, fun to be around. Our third day there, he flipped us a discount on the boat trip - maybe knocked $5 or $10 off the price for each of us. Now, that's not a lot of money. But do you think we're willing to even consider going to another shop down there? He's kept us as customers. We've been back several times, took two classes (each), bought a wetsuit, other assorted gear.
The point is, I'm willing to pay extra for what I get from the LDS (even if it's not local to me), but I'd like *something* in return. And not just a hassle.