What do you wish your LFS had told you?

Live aquaria gives good baseline info. I usually do an hour of forum research to see if fish are REALLY reef safe lol. Alot of reef safe fish will eat coral.

I can't believe you are running a successful pet store in such a small area! Congrats! I live in a town with 120,000 people and people who drive 2-3 hours one way to get saltwater stuff and there is only 1 successful saltwater retailer. Its dumb lol.

 

Wow I go to the store and this thread is living on without me! LOL thanks for the idea som3 reef3r I hadn't thought of placement level on the card sheet!

and as to honest lfs... I've been suprised when I get shocked looks at the store from customers that can't believe I gave them the bad and the ugly about the pet they were thinking of getting and not just the good. Honesty shouldn't be the exception so why is it????

Thanks again for the post!
GreyBeard

 

Being very careful to think of everything a new purchase might have a problem with can be a challenge but making it a practice to ask a customer to name everything that lives in thier tank has been my policy with FW fish... in SW it gets to be a long list sometimes LOL but again.... encouraging research on 3Reef would help as well as asking what is in the tank.

Good point Nubz and thanks for the post!
GreyBeard

 

are these two fish guides accurate? I have had so many books that I've found problems with not being accurate it boggles the mind! I'm not the type to be ok with passing bad info because it was in a book at my store and saying 'well that is what the book says' as why I was giving bad info.

But if these two are solid I'd have copys at the counter for anyone to check things in.

As to the netbook, I'd love to but as I have a very small low volume store in the middle of no where and overhead is the death of little stores like mine, I don't have internet at the store yet. The day I do my notebook will be there for research on the spot for sure!

Thanks for the post!
GreyBeard

 

This is one problem I had thought of actually... as to price shopping me in my own store... on my own computer... it wouldn't really work as I don't offer to match anyones price. My price is my price. Sounds rough maybe but realise that my prices are usually on par with liveaquaria or better, I sell 200 gallon IO box for $45.95 and Coralife needle wheel super skimmer 65gallon for 120, just as an example. I think my prices are as fair as I could make them and anyone that can get a better price I congratulate them with all sincerity on a good find and ask what I can do from there.

Kids wouldn't be allowed to 'surf' as they can't buy anything alive without an adult anyway.

And as small as my store is I'm right there always so it's not a big issue in my case/ in this little store.

If I grow to a bigger store with actual employees (dreaming? LOL) it would be a bit more of an issue.

Thanks for the thoughts and post Inwall!

GreyBeard

 

LOL I send people to the hardware store in town for clamp lights all the time because they have them that meet the needs for reptile lights and sell them for what I can buy them for!

I'm making the pvc overflows I found on a thread here on 3 reef for a couple of my tanks and I'm thinking of drawing up a plan, buying the parts in bulk boxes and packaging the parts already cut to lenth for different size tanks at very reasonable price.

I LOVE DIY! LOL

Thanks for the post!
GreyBeard

 

It hasn't been easy that's for sure. Anyone wants my secret to surviving and growing through the first two years in the pet business? LOL I'd have to start a new thread I think.

Mainly treat people with respect like your grandpa told ya to.
(Sir and Maam and mean it, never say something that isn't true. Just that simple)
Then, do every legal and sane thing you can to keep your overhead down.
Finally, don't grab every live thing you dont' know how to really take care of to the point you can teach someone else to take care of it.
Overview: Take care of the people like your family and they will keep coming back = sucess.

Sometimes I wish I had a bigger customer base to draw from and could thereby have all the big store stuff. But I love living next to the Cleavers! LOL

Thanks for the post!
GreyBeard

 

Most people have the Internet on their phones now-a-days. There will always be abusers of every situation, but one should remember to cater to the honest a little.

 

Amen!
don't let the 5% wreck everything

 

That's exactly what I mean. Find some cheap containers and buy the elements in BULK and repackage with printed labels from your own printer and make good gross profit. You can tell customers its what you use on your own system and so on. May irritate your reps but tuff love right? You can get EVERYTHING in bulk from feric oxide, to carbon, CA, Mg, kH etc.

Bulkreef supply is one place that is safe.

You can use some swimming pool grade stuff, but that may be risky. I know LFS who do though, not for me though.

I tottally agree on the Scott W. Michael has GREAT reference books. I espically like the 101 Best xxxxxx books. Honest info with real tank size and feeding, difficulty and all. Best fish books I have EVER read.