RETAILING
Why Every Industry Stakeholder Should Be Concerned When A Retailer Closes by James R. McMullin , Owner/Operator, Instructor Trainer, Signature Scuba, CA
I MAGINE WAKING UP tomorrow and learning that another dive retailer has closed its doors. No air fills, no gas blending, no equipment service, no classrooms. No place for divers to gather, learn, ask questions, or enter the sport. For most of us in the industry, this isn't a hypothetical scenario. We're watching it happen in real time. Across the country, dive retailers are facing increasing pressure from every direction. Rising operating costs, staffing challenges, growing regulatory burdens, direct-to-consumer competition, and shifting purchasing habits are making it harder than ever to operate a successful dive business. Recently, we experienced another example of a challenge that many retailers know all too well. A customer entered our store looking for a mask from a
brand we don't typically stock. One of our team members spent time discussing fit, lens options, skirt materials, comfort, and usability. After trying several masks, he settled on a Hollis M1 and appeared ready to make a purchase. Then he informed us he was only using the store to evaluate his options. His intention was to purchase online from a retailer offering a policy that allows customers to remove the lens coating, dive the mask, and return it afterward if they decide they don't like it. When told we couldn't offer that policy, his response was simple: "That's why I'll buy it online." Most professional dive retailers understand why such policies are unrealistic. Once life-support or personal-use equipment enters the water, it typically cannot be represented or sold as new. The result is that a retailer absorbs the cost of maintaining
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