Why I don't frequent local (or chain) fish stores

[jdhuegel1]

My Fahaka puffer LOVES me. And I imagine everyone on here that has one, or an Mbu will say the same thing. They are friendlier then dogs. And they like it in their glass cages. They like to shred crawdads, and mash clams. If I am sitting in a chair watching mine and someone comes in the room I know it. He goes away until he is sure they aren't going to kill me. He just barely reacts to my wife.

Some fish like their little glass cages. They are safe, well fed and comfortable. My puffer eats the same kinds of things he would eat in the wild. He has a 150 all to himself. What a life.

Fish aren't stupid. Almost all of my fish are exactly the same. Doesn't mean they 'like it' really. Maybe, maybe not. I haven't had any luck talking to them yet.

I have a 4' American Eel that will massacre a hand of anyone but me. He'll let me pick him up, pet him, you name it. He knows I feed him and I'm ok knowing that. My other fish are similar - they hide if it's not me.

 

[SharptoothBass]

Whoa! Get your panties out of a wad. I didn't say anyone lied. I most certainly feel there was a MAJOR exaggeration made. Kansas City has about 1/4 of the population of where you live. The amount of rich people in metro DC is staggering so what you say might be true. Remember, she told me MANY people had tanks OVER 2500 gallons in this small market. I really doubt there are MANY tanks over 2500 gallons where you live either. I don't think you have a good comprehension just how big of an aquarium or pool that is. I have the largest tank of anyone I know, (700 gallons) but that don't mean squat. I don't know any rich people. Just curious, how many 2500 gallon tanks does your store sell a year? FYI: a 18X4X4 ft aquarium holds 2100 gallons. Seen one lately?

Donr wear panties ill leave that to u as far as tanks ive seen more than a few in my time and when i was with the humane society i saw some set ups i couldn't believe outdoor and indoor heated ponds also.

 

[Zoodiver]

I will say just becasuse you don't hear about big tanks doesn't mean they aren't out there. People on here are hobbiests and we get narrow minded thinking only hobbiests have large tanks. There are LOTS of people with money who have tanks built and maintained by outside companies. You just don't see them being posted all over the internet.

 

[Pole]

I just hope this aint another ethics thread...anyways if im buying a common fish or any animal I aint gonna bother and just go to a chain store or LFS and call it a day... but if I want something rarer or something listed on CITES( like my greek tort) I will take a road trip, however I might start using internet soon. I don't give it a second thought, LFS wants business its gotta work for it.

 

[RD.]

Why would I go to my LFS to pay twice as much as I can get it online? I work hard for my money and I could careless about supporting my LFS if they want to rip me off. I'm not just going to waste my money to "support" somebody who's done nothing for me. Sorry, it's a cruel world. If Lfs' want to stay in business, they need to have competitive pricing. I can buy a bag of Massivore online for $23, they want to charge me $40 at my LFS. If they wanted to charge me $30, I'd probably buy it but $40, come on.

While I understand why you purchase this item online, do not confuse a higher retail sticker price with attempting to rip anyone off. It's generally not that simplistic. Online vendors typically have far lower overhead than a brick & mortar store, which allows them to have lower prices. Many of the smaller online vendors sell out of their home, with staff that consists of a family member or two. Their "monthly" bills for staff, stock, power, rent, etc, are but a small fraction of what most LFS spend each & every day just to keep their doors open. The larger online vendors buy in bulk, probably much more than your LFS is purchasing from their local Hikari reps etc, so they are probably getting a much better deal, which allows them to sell at a much lower price.

This is all just business 101, it has nothing to do with your LFS ripping people off. Everyone running a business must make money to survive, how much money needs to be made off of each item can be dependant on a wide number of factors. At the end of the day the LFS selling an item for $40, may be putting less $$ in their pocket on that sale than the vendor online who sells it for $23.


Just thought that I would clear that up.

 

[strollo22]

I understand all of that. My point is that they will run sales where they sell it for $28 dollars a bag a couple of times a year. This shows me that they pay far less than the $40 they want to charge. If you want to stay in business, you need to keep your prices competitive. Maybe they can't come close to the $23 I can purchase it for, but if they can be within $10 of that, I would buy from them. By keeping the price as high as they are, they are only looking to sell less at a higher profit margin instead of selling more at a lower profit margin. I'm sure that if WE can buy bags for $23, they can buy bags for significantly less than that. Just my 2 cents. Either that, or they're not very good at what they do.

 

[Pole]

I understand all of that. My point is that they will run sales where they sell it for $28 dollars a bag a couple of times a year. This shows me that they pay far less than the $40 they want to charge. If you want to stay in business, you need to keep your prices competitive. Maybe they can't come close to the $23 I can purchase it for, but if they can be within $10 of that, I would buy from them. By keeping the price as high as it is, they are only looking to sell less at a higher profit margin instead of selling more at a lower profit margin. I'm sure that if WE can buy bags for $23, they can buy bags for significantly less than that. Just my 2 cents. Either that, or they're not very good at what they do.

its more complicated, all the dead lifestock maintenence and such goes into the price.

 

[strollo22]

its more complicated, all the dead lifestock maintenence and such goes into the price.

And again, that's fine, but that shouldn't be the consumers problem. The consumer shouldn't have to pay for your mistakes or your shippers mistakes.

 

[Pole]

And again, that's fine, but that shouldn't be the consumers problem. The consumer shouldn't have to pay for your mistakes or your shippers mistakes.

and I don't blame u. I also go for the cheapest option.

 

[UnstoppableJayD]

And again, that's fine, but that shouldn't be the consumers problem. The consumer shouldn't have to pay for your mistakes or your shippers mistakes.

I agree that there is a certain breaking point on when it is just crazy to buy at a local level, but you should support where you can.