Take the humble surf shop. We all love them. We'll all have a look around, a chat with the staff, get local knowledge, surf reports, look at the latest wetsuits/boards/fins/tailpads/leashes/DVDs — and then we go home, do a search, and get a better price online, possibly saving only a few quid at best. And this is where the every-man-for-himself-it's-better-off-in-my-pocket-than-theirs' attitude kind of spoils the party, because local surf shops are a dying breed, and it's because of the internet. It's that simple.
It's true, you probably can get a slightly better deal online, but can you physically try that wetsuit on to see if it fits, or is it slightly loose in the small of your back? Can you hold that 5'10" under your arm and actually feel if the rails are a bit too boxy, sometimes a board just feels wrong, but can you tell by looking at it on a screen? No you can't. And if it's wrong, you've got to send it back.
This might all sound a bit preachy, and if that offends you I'm sorry, but I'm suggesting that we all do our bit and make an effort to support your local surf shop! Because without us they could be on their way out.
Below is a list of local, independent surf shops situated in the main spots in the Yorkshire coastal area. If I've missed any out, apologies, just drop me a line and I'll be happy to add you to the list.
Scarborough
Whitby
Zero Gravity (needs a website?)
Saltburn
Saltburn Surf
when people who work in surfshops give up with the holier than thou attitude and stop charging silly amounts for stuff i might start using them again. until then, tinterweb's the place for me!
ReplyDeleteFair comment LSC. It's just a bit tricky for those with a real tight buy-in budget to compete with the likes of Magic Seaweed etc. It'd be a shame to see the local shops go.
ReplyDelete