Coin Operated
Senior Member
What about your trade-ins ?
And who would that be?If brick and mortar is better, deal in a brand that prefers brick and mortar.
OK, but are we talking Mom and Pop shops or the Big Box stores like ass Pro, or Academy or REI...?It isn't better for me. I prefer ecommerce 90% of the time on nearly everything. Hanging out with friends, local entertainment, or some other local activity being the exception. And most of my groceries still.
I tried for years and years to support sporting goods and archery pro shops.
But, they don't offer much. If I don't plan ahead and have what I need when something breaks, then maybe I don't hunt or fish for a few days. Not the end of the world. Some are good pro shops and can tune a bow, some suck. I tune my own now. If I was a rookie
Just as with eCommerceI'd have to ship it though.
When I try a store, there's no way they can have exactly what I want they'd have to stock too much, so I usually either feel like I have to waste a little money on a substitute, or I go order online anyway and wasted my time.
If a dealer has to close shop and get a different job, not a big deal. I found a job, they can too.
I do wish there was a model that worked for everyone, a way dealers also could thrive, but maybe there isn't.
Not really. In the 70s & 80s there was no internet, almost no computers, and Sears was the prominent big-box store. You had print advertising, and a distributor/dealer model for getting products out to where customers could access them. Except for reviews in treasure magazines, there was little guidance in choosing a detector so the best thing was to visit a dealer and get some guidance. Even then, you had a handful of dealers who would take an order over the phone and ship you a detector, although the manufacturers frowned on this.The whole purpose of having a dealer or distributor network is so the manufacturer can focus on R&D and Marketing support and continually bring new and innovative products to market.