What would you like in the ultimate dive shop?

[TXDM]

A complete selection of tech gear and a knowledgable staff. I had a dive shop tell me the other day there was no such thing as a 24" high pressure hose. When I say tech gear I don't just mean BP&W, etc. I mean basic stuff like snap bolts, shock cords, cave arrows, etc. Know how to mix nitrox up to 100% O2. Be willing to order items that aren't in stock. A good repair tech for regs, etc. Quick turn around on tank VIPs & hydros, and reg service. Oh, and send me on free dive trips as the trip leader and give me a 40% discount on everything like I get at my LDS now.

 

[Cacia]

oh...the shop would be in my backyard....five minutes from my house. I could watch the boats and divers from my telescope in my BR. Let's see...I would name the boat..CHECKMATE

 

[scubadobadoo]

just a staff that gives me ZERO crap about my internet purchases or other shops in the area.
that's it

Bingo. High pressure sales and negative talk leaves me running for the door everytime. I do however realize that the sales staff has to well SELL gear so enthusiasm is great but not stuff like, "Oh if you buy that from them then you are in for trouble and...blah blah blah." This does nothing for the consumer.

I agree with the local dive activity comment. Especially for those of us in the colder states. This will also get divers like me that already own everything to get envloved in a LDS.

I do also realize that it is hard to staff a dive shop with VERY dive savy people ALL THE TIME because usually people worth hiring cost more money. So, I can forgive a dive shop that has a new staff member that is learning, but I do hate it when they lie or talk out of their back side. I would instruct these folks to simply say, "I'm not sure what the answer is but if you give me a moment I will try and find out."

 

[DawgDiver]

OK,

A "real" dive club. Just a club for divers to get together, mingle, share photos. Maybe a website tied to the store, (a url) for the club and members get club email addresses etc. Mailing lists, setup local dive trips and just charge a small fee to offset any store costs? Free lunches or dinners every now and then for club members.


Just some of my thoughts.

One of the local 4x4 clubs here in my area does exactly that. It is a full service 4x4 shop and retail store, and it also hosts a club with meetings and events and everything. www.peakempire.com I think that's basically a model of what you are talking about. In fact, most of the off road clubs around here have the club thing down pretty good. You could visit most of the websites of all of them and get great ideas for how to organize a real dive club.

 

[Hank49]

What would I like in my Ultimate dive shop? .....A time machine...."OK, I want to go to .....ooohhhh, 1580 and dive the Pacific side of Leyte..I'll need 6 tanks...a speargun....Oh yeah, I need to bring my surfboard too. Come and get me next Wednesday". That....would be awesome.

 

[LSDeep]

beside above mentioned stuff....
classrooms that are comfy and not make you feel like youre in a highschool classroom (like comfy chairs or even couches, nice tables, modern equip like bigscreen or beam, a couple plants in the room....) instead of plastic chairs and bench tables. rental gear that is actually not the cheapo stuff and that you have in the store also for sale (jeez it might get me around to buy it after i tried it). tech gear would be nice, even if you cant afford to stock huge piles, i am happy to wait a couple days if you have to get it in. a decent variety of equipment lines, a wide variety of "little parts" from snaps, to hoses. friendly and knowledgable staff where i have the feeling they really try to figure out what i need and not what my max potential spending would be. training in a wide variety of levels and agencies by excellent instructors. a active club and trips locally, semi local and far away. if they own boats - nice ones, if they work with others on boat use, high standards. a fillstation that can serve every need from air to trimix at all levels. and yes a "self serve" put your card in style station outside would be neat, where i can get my gas (at least standard air and maybe nitrox) after hours (i imagine the creditcard style (buy 500cf) and drive up, open the fillhose box with your card and tank up - filled cf get deducted from your account - c/c (debit card) style ) with hoses that reach in my trunk .

i better stop, before i go overboard LOL.

 

[mfalco]

Okay, a point of view from a woman who never worked on her own cars . . . I like a shop to look like a retail operation, not a garage. Clean, well-lit, painted an attractive color, and without partially disassembled pieces of large equipment blocking the floor space. Cardboard boxes, unless just arrived, belong in some kind of non-public storage space. By the same token, a clean, organized and professional-appearing service area inspired confidence.

Although I understand the tremendous costs involved, it's much more reassuring if a shop keeps a reasonable inventory. If the whole shop has only three dry suits and two BCs in it, it does two things -- leaves me without hands-on data, and makes the shop look shaky in terms of its survival. If you don't have much inventory, try to arrange it so that it looks like more.

I appreciate knowledgeable salespeople and a low-pressure approach (both of the shops I patronize are wonderful that way). It's important for a shop to realize that I may come in and talk about something several times before I actually make a decision and buy it.

I also appreciate a shop where the path I have to take with my tanks from my car to the fill station is as easy as possible -- please, not up stairs, through a door, across the shop, out a door, and down more stairs! And I have to admit that I secretly love having the shop folks help me carry tanks when they can. I can do it, but they're younger than I am

But in the end, it comes down to customer service. If the shop is friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to go out of the way to get me what I want, I'm coming back!

This sounds alot like one of the dive shops near me. The other dive shop is the one I like however. The other one is more like this.



Small, not much inventory other than what they need to have alot of in stock(wetsuits, masks, tanks, weight, etc.) The only bad part.

Friendly staff. The owner himself is working more often than not.

Good instructors.

There are a couple of fish tanks and couches. (divers often will hang out there before diving)

Good fills.

Thay arrange shore dives, dive charters, and have BBQs and such for their customers.

 

[Cacia]

most of you sound pretty lucky to have shops like that.

 

[BIGSAGE136]

most of you sound pretty lucky to have shops like that.

My hat is off to ALL the guys here in SF...They really bust but! Sorry I cant name em all. OK...shout out to www.yachtdiver.com but then what about http://www.oceandivers.com so many...so little deco time.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

... a pool that is 100 ft deep?