Anchor Outs Not Welcome?

[cortezsailor]

I operate a marina that is remote, located in Desolation Sound, and seasonal, two things that make it tough. I will tell you about a few misconceptions most boaters have. My best customers are the one in the 25 to 45 ft boat range with or with out kids. They spend the most. They have less storage space on board so they carry less supplies and need to replenish more often. They tend to go out and eat at least once as mom wants a break too. They may purchase less volume of fuel but again because of their smaller tanks they fill more often, they also require less water and less power. The larger boats say over 60 feet come with fully stocked food supplies and fridges therefore shop less. They may pay more for being on the dock , maybe 20$ a day more, but they don't often need fuel as their tanks are larger and last until they can get to the cheapest place to purchase. Their power usage is often 4 to 5 times a boat 20 feet smaller. Once you get over 100 ft, those boaters spend nothing normally except for the moo rage. Use much more power again, can often take hundreds of gallons of water per day, rarely go out to eat as they have chefs aboard or crew. I actually charge boats over 100 ft double the rates per foot to be on they dock. Most of my " challenging customers" come off the larger boats, the stories I could tell! I don't discriminate based on boat size or wether you're anchored out or tied to my dock. That boat anchored out gets the same service and sometimes better....why? Because I want him on the dock, it's the old adage that you will get more bees with honey then vinegar. Some people shouldn't be int eh customer service biz and maybe this guy was one of them. Maybe he operates on the philosophy that his job would be easier if it wasn't for all those pesky customers.

[Jolly Roger]

Cortezsailor explains the business side of marina management very well. Having had a lifetime in sales and marketing, both industrial and the general public I sympathize.
It is impossible to satisfy all the people, all the time, only some of the people some of the time.
On the other hand, in this day of instant forum communication, wow betide any business which does not recognize the potential downside of indifferent service to even one patron.
Witness all the replies to this thread, but how many have not responded, yet made note of it and will give the place a wide berth?

[captain58sailin]

I'm making a note to visit on my way south.

[Stu Jackson]

I agree with Sven's idea of copying this in its entirety.

Henry Ford got it right. Pay the workers enough to buy the damn car!

Consumers are GOOD for business and if the japes at McDonald's and Burger King ever figure this out, we'd be a lot better off.

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Yes, that don't exist either .

But, nonetheless I am in favour of a Statutory Minimum wage - set at a level where an employee does not also require assistance from Govt Benefits, Charity or Family to survive (apologies to Walmart etc)......that's not because it is "fair" but because a) I am against subsidies to business (especially hidden ones) b) because not artificially creating and sustaining mass poverty makes a society more civilised to live in for everyone and c) because having folks who can afford to be consumers makes business sense.

Personally, I feel that if a business cannot afford to pay it's employees a living wage then it is not economic enough to survive - tough titty, welcome to the freemarket .....and if it can afford to but chooses not to, then it / the owners are a parasite on the society it operates in and should be dealt with like all parasites - squashed .

It is possible to run a business with decently paid employees - but only when the rules of the market are not intentionally set to require all businesses to race to the bottom.

A bit of thread drift .

[Blue Crab]

I haven't been there by water in awhile but there is/was a sign on the fuel dock at Portside Marina in Morehead City, NC: "Paying customers are welcome."

I always thought this was odd because MHC has few anchor outs. But I guess it had/has some.

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

I don't recall from your original post where he wouldn't give you a pump out for the state mandated $10 fee but I'm willing to bet that the pump out deal didn't require him to take your trash or provide drinking water. I also doubt there was a friendlyness clause.

I would also be willing to bet the pump out draws in more than enough big fuel thirsty power boats who only want to make one stop that it was well worth dealing with the state funding rules.

The more I read the responses and think about it. I doubt he cares if anchor outs who come thru once a year and buy a 100 gallons of fuel bypass him. They aren't his target market. So while I think it's silly to be antagonistic, I doubt it will have any significant effect on his buisness.

I guess I didn't make my point clear enough. I was suggesting that the pumpout station resulted in a lot more visits by sailboaters not needing much fuel than he would have gotten without the pumpout. If he didn't have the pumpout I would only have visited him for fuel and frankly maybe not even that as I would have bought my fuel from the guy with a pumpout just like I bought fuel from him when I needed it.

The $10 fee certainly does not require him to take my trash and sell me water. That is why I didn't argue with the $5 fee for water and trash that his employee charged me ten days before. I don't know how much he's making from big power boaters, but in all the times I've been in there I've never seen another boat at the fuel dock or waiting to access it while I was on it.

The guy didn't give his name but I would have judged his age to be in his late 60s and he was a bit over 6 feet so it sound like it might be the same guy that Blue Crab is talking about.