Mark Berger, the CEO of Securitech, remembers an incident that happened about 30 years ago. He had stopped by a hardware store on his way to a locksmith association meeting in Michigan. Playing dumb, Berger asked what the differences were between the deadbolts on the store’s shelves and told the clerk that he wasn’t handy. “No worries,” replied the clerk, telling Berger he could have the stock clerk come by after work to install one for only 10 bucks.
The early world of Do-it-Yourself door hardware and locksmithing was a subtle nudge from the local hardware store. The big-box superstores had yet to explode across the country, so DIY wasn’t a threat to local locksmiths. But after some security vendors saw an opportunity to serve the DIY market, suddenly, the locksmith market had company.
It’s a quandary that has some locksmiths wondering what the effect of a growing DIY universe might have on their future, particularly in the wake of a lingering COVID-19 pandemic that has crippled building starts and slowed retrofits.
Larry Schwalb, a veteran security engineer with Houdini Lock & Safe in Philadelphia, says most locksmiths experience great difficulty competing on DIY items.
“The DIY retailers, such as Lowes, Home Depot and now Amazon, have direct purchase relations with lock manufacturers,” Schwalb says. “Locksmiths are cherry-picked by consumers for knowledge, specialized lock accessories and rare keys. Often, the price quoted on some things from a locksmith supplier is the same if not more than Amazon or a home center. If a locksmith buys the inventory and attempts to mark it up, the customer will catch it and tell them they can and will buy it at a home center. The answer is diversification and charge for what you know.”
Tom Lynch, CRL, the founder of the Society of Professional Locksmiths, says the DIY trend has affected those who haven’t adapted to market changes.
“I have asked several guys about this, and their responses are all the same,” he says. “What they lost in the DIY side, they gained by finally using alternative valued engineered products, reserved keyways, etc. They’re selling service more or baking their labor into the price of the products.”
Wayne Winton, the owner of Tri-County Locksmith Service in Glenwood, Colorado, follows that logic.
“To simplify, I offer flat-rate installed pricing,” he explains. “If the customer supplies the lock, I charge for the service call and a minimum one-hour [of] labor to cover the cost and loss of the sale. I provide no warranty on customer-supplied locks. Rebranding with your company stickers and logo also makes your product look unique and different from pictures on Amazon. Embrace the current times and trends, pivot your business to match them and still profit.”
Berger concludes that locksmiths have to differentiate themselves via a professional image, effective brand marketing and limiting themselves to higher end products to justify their value proposition.
