Supporting your local pro - what should I be buying

[jubilee_links]

With the whole slowdown in the industry I want to help support my local pro shops -

 

Whats the best things to buy that give the most value for the pro shop - new clubs, 2nd hand clubs, balls, clothes - what should I buy from them as opposed to a big retailer?

[Petethreeput]

Generally speaking apparel sells at a keystone. Most equipment margins are much less.

But $30 dollar margin on a $60 shirt is less than 25% of a $1000 set of irons. So there is no correct answer.

[double_d]

Pretty sure balls have the smallest margin and apparel the largest from a percentage standpoint.

[Popeye64]

Just buying what you actually need locally will help. Really tough to say if one item or the other will make a bigger impact.

My local pro was just letting everything go for wholesale so he didn't have to return inventory. He wanted his numbers to stay up. For him, that's what benefitted his shop the most.

Just be up front when you go in and tell him you would like to support his business. Buy what you need. Ask him if he has any deals he would like to move. Old inventory or shirts with a big margin.. just ask.

[cadoipi]

Lessons.

[Medson]

Gift cards?

[davep043]

It seems to me that logo apparel required an up-front investment, and cannot be returned to the manufacturer, so that's where I'd look first.

[Hawkeye77]

I’m sure anything would be appreciated.

Just making it more of a regular practice in general would make the most real impact.

[elwhippy]

In truth...food and soft drinks, basic polos, lessons. Hardware margins are not great and a lone Pro cannot get economies of scale.

[jubilee_links]

Thanks for the replies - I'm in the process of getting a new driver - did lots of fitting and testing with my club pro but have a large amount of credit at another local store from a trade-in event.

Feel bad abut doing work in one place then taking my order elsewhere but if I buy some clothing at my club they would make as much profit as they would from new hardware.

As it would be a custom order from the OEM the margin for the retailer wont be that high anyway (20%???)

 

[ckay]

In one post you talk about supporting the local pro and in the next you talk about using up their time to take that work elsewhere. How convenient.

[jubilee_links]

I did pay for the local fitting work upfront which they would 'refund' if I buy - this cost is about 50% of margin they would make if I purchased with them so they already have that in the bank regardless.

From a bit of reading and the responses on here the dealer 'profit' on new hardware is really quite low - so is it worth worrying over or should I just buy more softgoods over the season as opposed to single hardware purchase with limited profit.

 

[ckay]

Ok sorry didn’t realize you paid for the fitting. Then you should have no second thought on buying elsewhere ?