Originally posted by noblepa Remember Gateway computers? They tried this approach with their Gateway stores. It didn't work. In their case, the store was just a showroom, where customers could try the different models and options. The computer was then ordered and shipped direct to the customer's home/office.
Their problem was that they DID charge shipping, so the customer had the worst of both worlds; you still had to wait like a mail-order purchase, but you had to pay local sales tax. Worse, because Gateway now had a "nexus" in the state, even those who went directly to the Gateway website or placed a phone order, still had to pay local sales tax (at least, that's how it worked in Ohio).
Even if Pentax did not charge shipping, this business model would take some getting used to. Still, it might work.
B&M stores can and do carry nearly full-line Pentax - Creve Couer Camera does in St. Louis. Look what's featured on the upper left
Creve Couer Camera (In Stock Now)
Gateway had already been upstaged by Michael Dell's superior supply chain management by the time they tried the stores. The Waite brothers also had differing visions; one bought out the other, but the associated debt finally crushed Gateway. They truly couldn't afford to absorb the shipping cost.
My first three desktop PC's were Gateways. I recall paying an extra $40 for a 40Mb hard drive in place of the standard 20Mb, and something extra for a full Meg of RAM.
The showroom business model might work, but Pentax's problem is it neither consumer nor pro. Not enough volume to create a self-sustaining marketing engine; not enough accessories and support to attract the true professional market.
Hoya would need to invest buckets of money to build the brand and production capacity for a full line of lenses and bodies, and someone else would need to invest buckets of money in technology (sensor, shutter, AF) to really compete with Canon, Nikon and Sony.
Better to stay a quirky, innovative, low-volume, high-margin brand, build loyalty, and gradually gain market share,
ala Subaru.
Everybody ignores Subaru except Subaru drivers.