King Kong Matt
Contributor
Genesis once bubbled...
with one local shop.
Basically, for me, "the talk" is something like this, and has come after a particularly stupid act on their part;
"Keep giving me a hard time and all you do is cost yourself more sales. You've made a lot of money off me. I can be pushed far enough to buy my own compressor, and might anyway even if its not a matter of spite, but if you DO get me upset you can bet I'll be buying it sooner rather than later, and WILL go out of my way not to spend money here.
Your choice. Either you can have a customer for some things, or you can have a customer for nothing. I won't bother even asking about pricing on things that you tell me are price-controlled, because I know you can't compete. That is a choice you made, and its one you have to live with - at least with this customer.
Until and unless you can compete, there's no reason to argue with you about those items. I will buy them online or from private parties. If your policies change, please do let me know, so that I can give you a fair shot at the business. If I ask you for a price on something, make it your best shot, because I don't believe in haggling - I will already know what I'm willing to pay, and what I can get it for elsewhere - including online.
You get one shot per purchase. If you have to order it, or if you can't compete on the total package, then you're no different than the Leisurepros and the DiveInns from my perspective. You offer no convenience advantage and you definitely don't offer me a price savings. Since that's all you have to sell when the product is the same, you've got a problem in those situations.
I'm not in your store to make sure you exist tomorrow, because I don't need you. In fact, you need me and others like me - and I'm fully aware of it. I shop here becuase I like to. The day I stop enjoying it is the day you'll see the back of my head for the last time. It really is that simple; we can either be friendly and there's something in it for you as well as me, or not - I won't suffer in either event."
So far, its been ok. Some shops don't like that point of view, and that's ok. They need my money - I don't need them for anything. Anything they want to sell me I can buy elsewhere, or put together what I need to procure it for myself. I dive often enough that even the "big stuff" - like a compressor - isn't beyond the economic analysis working out ok for me over a couple of years.
I'm exactly the kind of customer that these shops should take great care in not running off. A guy who comes in pretty regularly during the "low season", and who's name is a significant percentage of the total signatures in the Nitrox fill log book for the last two months, isn't a guy you want to decide that he doesn't like you all that much.
But heh - its their choice.
And mine.
Genesis,
You seriously need to get some more fiber into your diet. That and a daily glass of prune juice and I promise you'll feel better...
P.S. - for those of us w/ a complete lack of sense of humor (you know who you are), the above is NOT meant to be construed as real medical advice.