Quote:
Originally Posted by kittenshark
As a matter of fact, I handle the equipment rentals for Brisbane Astronomical Society. I've wanted to step down from the role ages ago since I started running the shop but it's a job nobody wants.
For $20 a month you get to rent scope setups that you normally pay thousands and dollars for. It's not something everyone can afford. I know because I was in that position a few years ago. For customers who can't afford it but are dead keen on trying something like an AZ-EQ6, I encourage them to rent first, learn how to use it, and decide before buying to avoid buyer's remorse. Fun fact: I actually never bought a telescope for myself before buying the store because I always had the club scopes with me.
I would love to move away from the storefront and do online-only, but a lot of folks just want to have a physical brick and mortar store to go to and chat to someone. If we go online-only, we are competing internationally and that's really difficult and risky. I'm looking to do something in-between, which is a warehouse in an industrial zone. If it comes to it, we might even have to move out of the country to run the business offshore. But then, without a shopfront, we can't do fun things like bringing in a 20" scope and showing it off, or to have your saturday morning teas in the shop with our longtime customers. Or hold workshops. Or to just let people wander in and enjoy browsing.
The fact that Bintel had to close their Melbourne storefront is sad, and it inconveniences many people. I saw it as a sign that people just don't support their LAS enough. But that said, the economy and business environment changes, and if you don't change you're dead. I've closed a number of stocklines because they're too specialised and it's better for the customer to just import direct and we tell them where to buy. However... if you expect us to keep a storefront open, and demand that we match online-only overseas prices, it's not realistic, and it's annoying.
You see all these "buy Australian" campaigns in many industries... the same applies to LASs.
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I don't know the numbers, but to me as a "layperson" it would seem prudent to explore where there might be some option of affiliating with an astro society beyond what you describe and still have a retail business. The society could provide much of that consultation, rentals etc, and send whoever wants their own gear your way. Not sure whether this model could result in FTE employment for yourself or others though.
I thought most of those campaigns are more like "buy Australian
made", are they not?