Why should I support my LDS?

[Ontwreckdiver]

I never pay full price on anything I buy at my LDS. I just bought another BC and they gave it to me for half price. Even if I'm not buying anything, I"m usually in there at least an hour because they like to talk to divers about diving. There's never any pressure to buy the high end item or anything. The instructor I assist is an independent, but they still give me free air fills for the pool and open water check outs. They also have started to sell on the internet. This is why they have been in business for 35 years, when other dives shops in the city come and go.

 

[mongodives]

Deep south, I support the same LDS, LP.

Also why would anyone pay for a VIP, you can do it yourself and get stickers from just about anywhere. (PSI is the only place I know that has a training program for VIP's, what's the likelyhood that your LDS has someone trained by them?) Inspecting Cylinders by William L. High is available at my local library and is what PSI uses to train their inspectors.

Hydro's, how many shops have there own hydro facility as well as a person with a DOT issued hydro stamp? There are Welding supply shops are all over the place and they have tanks that need hydros more often than SCUBA tanks and most likely do their own hydro's or have a deal with a facility that makes it pretty cheap.
Those same welding supply places also have breathing air and for you homebrewers CO2 for your keg systems.

Diver education, the number of Instructors not working for shops out number those that do, if you want to find one just start a post looking for one in your local area.

All the things that local shops provide can be found elsewhere, the shops that don't realize that are the ones that go under, the ones that stick around are the ones that find that niche that isn't being provided elsewhere ie customer service, advice or whatever makes their customer's boat float.

 

[Mike Boswell]

I know this subject has been talked about before and it was those previous posts that set me thinking. A lot of folks here believe that as divers we have some kind of an "ethical obligation" to support our regional LDS. Thanks -

My view is that the LDS exists to support you, not the other way around. A dive shop, like any enterprise, has to have a viable business model which provides goods and services to their customer base and generates a profit for its owners. That business model must include keeping customers happy and supplying them with what they want, and it must adapt to constantly changing business conditions.

Many of us love our LDS and the folks there and the ambiance, and we do our best - within reason - to support them. But if internet sales and cheap foreign imports and big box stores and recessions and Craigslist and government regulations all combine to make a business unsustainable, then it needs to change or die: That is the harsh Darwinian reality of business. In San Diego, several of the weaker dive shops have folded over the last two years, and the remaining shops got the business.

 

[JKPAO]

Deep South Diver, Some great posts. I could not have said it any more clear and you laid out a great buisiness plan model for any serious shops that want to last into the future.

I do support A local dive shop, and there are several within < 5 miles from me.
I have given each a chance to sell me something or service something. The attitude of a couple have managed to loose a cutomer. I recently sent a want to be diver (a cousin) to sign up himself and 24 other marines (all his current millitary buddies)for OW classes. Before the guy had signed up the SHOP owner treated the guy so bad he turned around and left. I think that some (shops) just hope as a new diver, you will take what they give you even if it is BS!

Do you still have that comp?
See you topside! John

 

[scubafanatic]

I bought my compressor new in 1968 for $900 and I am still using it today. Maintenance and filters cost are greatly over stated. I have said it before and will say it again, if I didn't have a compressor I would have given up diving long ago if I had had to put up with the LDS hassle.

It probably would have been more cost effective to buy a compressor instead of the boat and charter.

I haven't "needed" an LDS in over 30 years, and even less so now with the internet.

umm, if you run the calculation per :

Inflation Calculator - Value of a Dollar over Time

prices in 2010 are compared to 1968 prices :

$1.00 in 1968 had about the same buying power as $6.37 in 2010.

Annual inflation over this period was about 4.51%.

....so, just due to inflation, today your $ 900 compressor would cost $ 5733 !

 

[greylion]

I support my LDS but I also buy most of my gear these days from Scuba Toys. I use my LDS for continued training and servicing of my regs which I did buy at my LDS and occasionally go on a trip with them if my schedule allows it?

Maybe it's just me, but I think those of us scuba geeks on scuba board use every avenue possible to buy gear or travel than many divers. I mean we talk about all kinds of equipment from different manufacturers and our LDS doesn't sell all of them, so how would you buy it if you couldn't get it elsewhere? The internet is great for research and shopping, let's face it.

 

[Deep South Divers]

Do you still have that comp?

Yeah, man... Nobody's purchased it yet... I'll see what I can do to get some photos and information up...

 

[RJP]

...Now, the real issue is going to be how to get the Fire Chief to allow you to use his compressor.

That's actually the easy part. Banked 32%, partial-pressure TMx fills, argon, 100% 02 boosted to 3000psi...not so easy to get from the firehouse.

:cool2:

 

[redacted]

Good post folks! But let me clarify certain things.

I was talking about buying gear and travel packages from the LDS because those are the two areas where we the customers are expected to "support" the LDS. I was not talking about supporting the LDS with tank fills because that is not an area where internet is competing. They do not need your support there. The argument for "supporting" the LDS (with gear and travel packages) states that if you buy cheaper gear online then LDS will go under and who will fill your tanks??? Or how empty and lonely would your world be without that salesman's million dollar smile who greets you when you walk in the LDS? Where would the world be without that million dollar smile right??? Holy I never thought about that!!!! Now that we have understood the important of the million dollar smile, lets buy a mask for 85 dollars instead of 25 dollars and don't feel bad about the 60 dollars extra that you put in the pocket of the LDS! He pays taxes so you are being a good citizen. LDS is happy! God is happy! Pope is happy and you should be too because you got that million dollar smile in return for 60 dollars and also got to meet other over-paying customers.

If you could figure out how to sell a mask worth $25 at retail for $65, you would probably be able to smile like this too.

 

[redacted]

I use both online and local retailers. I have no problem supporting a local LDS but only when they can be competitive (and they can if they want to) and if they actually provide the customer service that warrants a slightly higher price.

Example - we spent $6,000 in less than 45 days in a local LDS - 1 item (Oceanic Geo) had a problem. The problem was pretty serious - the computer was telling us we were at elevation 2 when in fact we were near sea level. Only 1 of the 2 we purchased was doing this. I called Oceanic who told me to work with the local shop we bought it at (Yes - they are authorized dealers etc). We went in to the shop - this was within 10 days of the purchase and the computer had NOT been in the water - and the owner of the shop told me we would have to deal with Oceanic and send it to them. The shop had about 40 of these sitting on the shelf and they refused to help us. Again - this was within 10 days of a significant purchase of regulators, computers, wetsuits etc ALL at full MSRP. Needless to say they have yet to see another penny from me - another LDS does see some of our money but so do online retailers. BTW - Oceanic was great and fixed the problem with a replacement and even flashed the other computer to be sure the firmware versions were the same!

Another LDS in our area has recently started on "online" store to compliment their brick and morter location and they are actually very competetive with Scubatoys and LP. This tells me they are paying attention to what I and many other divers want and they will continue to see more and more of my money. They will also still be in business in a few years. Others in the area I fully expect to see "going out of business" sales sometime in the future.

Bottom line - give divers what they want and you will get their business - don't and they will soon find a business that will.

Why have you not posted the name of that shop so they can reap their just rewards? Or at least to do something to protect other divers from such poor treatment.