Can Local Dive Shops Survive
What do you consider local in today’s world of the internet and next-day deliveries? Many divers strongly believe that you should support your local dive shop, but does that limit you to the dive shop down the road where you get your air fills? What about a dive shop a few hours away? Should your local dive shop have a strong internet presence, allowing you to order direct from their website? These are questions that I have been pondering, and I’m not sure if there is always a clear answer.
Personally, when I’m looking for new gear, almost every purchase starts with doing my research on the internet. Do I know what I am looking for, such as manufacturer, model, and size? Or do I know what I want but not know which one? Also, who carries this product, how soon do I need it, who has it in stock, and can I afford it?
Let’s say that I want a new pair of fins from XYZ company. Perhaps I already have their fins for use with my wetsuit, but I need one size larger to use with my drysuit. So, my search begins:
The website of Local shop “A” has twenty (20) items listed for sale online, and only one (1) is a fin. I would call the shop to see if they have what I want (even though it’s not on their website) or drive there to see for myself.
Local Shop “B” has thirty-four (34) items listed for sale online but no fins. Like shop “A”, I would have to call the shop to see if they have what I want (even though it’s not on their website) or drive there to see for myself.
On the big city area shop website, I find hundreds of items listed for sale with thirty-one (31) fins alone, not including the colour variations. If I pick a fin, put it in my cart and then go to the check-out, it shows free shipping. I can place my order and wait for it to show up the next day or two.
If I check my “Go-To” dive shop, there are hundreds of items for sale, including twenty-five (25) types of fins, indicating free shipping. I could place my order online and have it show up at home within days.
At this point, it is often late at night or early morning when I’m doing my online research. I can either wait until the next business day to call the local dive shop and then wait for a response OR place the order online with a dive shop that has it on their website and wait for it to arrive.
Most often, if I could not find the information I was looking for from shop “A” or “B”, they may have just lost the sale by default. So I will usually finalize my online research and make the purchase. If it’s something that you need to try on, like a wetsuit, thermals etc., a visit to the store may be best, but if you already know what you need, what size etc., what’s wrong with ordering online, from a reputable dive shop?
Regardless of size, small shop or big shop, in my experience, most of them seem to suffer from communication issues at one time or another.
For example, when I was looking for a new BCD. I had a pretty good idea of which BCD I wanted, so my search began on the manufacturer’s website to locate the closest dealers.
The nearest dealer who carried this BCD just happened to be one of the shops in the big city area. So I made a special trip to visit this dive shop to check out the BCD, tried it on and then paid for a chance to try it out during a pool night.
After trying it in the pool, I decided it was the BCD I wanted. The next business day, I spoke to the dive shop on the phone, then emailed them a copy of the product build sheet right from the manufacturer’s website. Then I waited… I called a few days later with the promise of a return phone call. I stopped in a few weeks later looking for an update, leaving with only promises. After a few days, I called again and waited, then I emailed again and waited. Finally, after of month of this, I didn’t bother to follow up anymore. I called another dive shop some fifty (50) kilometres away that carried the same BCD. The 2nd dive shop got me the price the next day, and I’m sure you can figure out who got the order. Did I feel guilty the next time I went into the 1st dive shop for some gear? Yes, but should I?
Do I support dive shops? Yes, but it may not always be the closest dive shop. Most often, it comes down to who provides the best service. I should not have to wait weeks for a response to my questions, especially when I’m trying to place an order. If you went to a restaurant, but the waiter or waitress never came to give you a menu or take your order, how long would you sit there waiting before you find somewhere else to eat?
Some dive shops fill your tanks while you wait, and others may want you to drop them off and come back. Perhaps they cannot run the compressor during humid weather or do not have the right air mixture banked?
I recently listened to a Podcast that suggested a coffee shop and dive shop all in one. That is something I could get behind. The atmosphere, the stories, it would certainly be something to experience. Imagine getting your tank filled and buying a coffee and pastry while waiting. Imagine how many people are interested in Scuba Diving, but the thought of going into a Scuba Shop is too intimidating. What about those who never really thought of it but became very interested in learning more over a coffee cup?
In my opinion, local dive shops cannot rest on their laurels from awards they received years ago. They need to continually adapt, update and service us as their business depends on it. Today’s consumers have a wealth of information and opportunities available at their fingertips. Therefore, every business needs to continually evolve and find a way to set itself apart from the competition.
