Why I have decided to stop shopping for ANYTHING at the LDS

[GreenDiverDown]

Here's my gross over-generalization for the day:

Most folks are just plain cheap...and scuba divers are no exception. Lots of people want to play this sport but very few are willing to pay for quality education, gear, and support.

If you want to buy your gear at places like LP, just know what you're getting and what you're not and have the integrity to not use your LDS as a LP showroom.

 

[twinpop]

being that i run an internet store [(non-scuba) shameless plug - http://www.ceilingfanwholesalers.com] and the fact that we also have 4 retail locations, i think i can give a good answere on this. yes, the internet store is going to be lower cost - i work out of the back of one of our retail stores - very low overhead - cost of electricity and phone lines and my salary - that's it. but in return they are not going to get the more personal treatment that people get in our retail stores. It does take a healthy retail business to keep the internet store alive. remember - we put our lives on this equipment - i would rather pay a little bit higher and know the person than spend 20% less and not know.

Kevin

 

[jeffkruse2000]

... and if you think scuba gear is expensive, wait'll you gotta maintain a compressor ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Some fire stations will fill scuba tanks. You just need to ask. It's another option for some.

 

[novicediver]

Is the beaten horse dead yet? All joking aside, here in the Denver metro area there are many LDS' to choose from within an hour's drive in any given direction. The threat of closing up shop doesn't scare me so that argument won't fly here. As far as service is concerned, I already know what I want and need so the owner isn't providing a service to me. So that leaves air fills, and that problem is solved by the shear number of shops around. I am not an economics major and know nothing about business models, I just want to save money and still dive.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Some fire stations will fill scuba tanks. You just need to ask. It's another option for some.

For some ... but not for the majority. And if it got too popular, public sentiment against providing a private service using public resources would tend to make it rather difficult to sustain.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Is the beaten horse dead yet? All joking aside, here in the Denver metro area there are many LDS' to choose from within an hour's drive in any given direction. The threat of closing up shop doesn't scare me so that argument won't fly here.

No one's threatening anything ... I would simply urge you to think through what it is you're wishing for ... you may get it.

As far as service is concerned, I already know what I want and need so the owner isn't providing a service to me.

My compliments to your OW instructor that he/she could teach you everything you need to know about scuba gear in your OW class.

So that leaves air fills, and that problem is solved by the shear number of shops around. I am not an economics major and know nothing about business models,

Well, simple economics says that all those dive shops won't remain in business by selling you air fills.

I just want to save money and still dive.

We all do ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[serambin]

Local sporting goods stores might be well advised to get in on the action.

Oshman's, The Sports Authority, Dick's, etc... many of them do CO2 fills for paintball behind the hunting counter. It would be a drop in the bucket to many of these big box stores to put a compressor and nitrox stick in the back next to the ski tuning shop or CO2 bank or whatever and charge $5 for air and $14 for nitrox and be done with it.

Put a bulletin board with local instructors' phone numbers right next to it, and maybe have a few sets of rental gear if they want to really get into it.

They don't need to have an entire SCUBA section, and the LDS would suddenly become kinda obsolete.

Hey, I don't know if I want some partime paintball filler doing my tanks :11:

 

[divercooke]

i've only been diving for a month . and have posted 315 times .i'm just saying

 

[captain]

Local sporting goods stores might be well advised to get in on the action.

Oshman's, The Sports Authority, Dick's, etc... many of them do CO2 fills for paintball behind the hunting counter. It would be a drop in the bucket to many of these big box stores to put a compressor and nitrox stick in the back next to the ski tuning shop or CO2 bank or whatever and charge $5 for air and $14 for nitrox and be done with it.

Put a bulletin board with local instructors' phone numbers right next to it, and maybe have a few sets of rental gear if they want to really get into it.

They don't need to have an entire SCUBA section, and the LDS would suddenly become kinda obsolete.

Pants hit the nail on the head with how scuba equiptment sales should be. This is the way it was in the years before the LDS came on the scene. Scuba and air fills was sold by sporting goods stores. You got instruction at the local YMCA. No confict of interest. Back to the future.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

Pants hit the nail on the head with how scuba equiptment sales should be. This is the way it was in the years before the LDS came on the scene. Scuba and air fills was sold by sporting goods stores. You got instruction at the local YMCA. No confict of interest. Back to the future.

I can't think of anything worse.