Maybe I keep my expectations low so that things like this don't bother me too much... there are other, more important things, to stress over. this is a hobby, and is supposed to be (somewhat) relaxing...
Anyways, my take on some of the comments here. Not trying to start a flame war or offend anyone, just want to lend some perspective.
Also, remember, these are retail locations. They have to pay rent, utilities, insurance, employees, and a bunch of other overhead. Prices will reflect this. Some are also greedier than others, and add a bigger mark-up.
Oh, and no, I don't work at a LFS, don't own one, don't have any ties to one.
What is your biggest pet peeve about your local fish store? What pisses you off the most at your fish store?
For me personally it's a number of things, primarily the following:
1.) When they get in the fish that you want, it is often VERY VERY SMALL and not the size you need it to be plus it is expensive. The flagtail is a good example, been waiting one for a while and then when they get them in, they are 1.5''-2'' and way too small, it's feeders at that size. I was so frustrated and disappointed because I have been waiting flagtails for a while. When they told me that they had flagtails in stock, I was excited because I could get a trio of them, but boy when I got there it was really upsetting, it's never a good thing to leave the fish store upset and disappointed.
from my understanding, small fish are easier/cheaper to ship, easier to sell, easier to care for, easier to keep "on the shelf" for longer periods of time. Plus you don't have to dedicate an entire tank to one specimen. Ever notice how the LFS will always have that same bunch of huge oscars, silver arowanas, etc? The general population does not want to buy a huge fish. they want to grow it out (or they have no idea how big it gets, but "its cute i want it!!!")
2.) When I pick out a specific fish in the aquarium that I want, that's the one I want. Don't give up even if the fish hides under the rock or is hard to catch. Had an employee throw a ***** fit because I refused to accept a redhook silverdollar who wasn't up to my par and refused to catch another one and went to the back. Manager/Owner came back and caught the one I wanted in 1 min, man he is a good fish catcher. He gave me the redhook the guy caught for free so it's a win win. But, YOU ARE PAID by the MINUTE to be catching people fish so you should respect the customers.
Let's be honest. Nobody is paid by the minute. Chances are the employee is making minimum, and couldn't be arsed. No excuse, but consider the audience.
3.) When doing trade ins, most of the time, you will not get more than $30... the most common credit are 5, 10, 15, or 20 dollars depending on the fish species and size. but yet they'll turn around and sell it for more than double the credit they gave you, although sometimes, I can understand. Pacu,ID Sharks, and other monster fish are hard to take in and since it says trade ins welcome, they can't turn them away because if they do most likely the owner will write bad review on social media. But luckily, the big fish they get do sell quickly.
I'd assume LFS lose money on trade-ins, most of the time. Again, see point #1. Countless trade in fish will sit at the store, eat up an entire tank, eat food, and eventually just die. Sure, they marked up your $20 oscar to $60. Does that mean anyone's going to buy it? Don't expect to make money on trade-ins, unless it's a super rare and in demand fish.
4.) INCONSISENT PRICING....
for example, how does a wide bar black bar silver dollar go for $70 while a thin black bar goes for $20
These are the only things that make me frustrated from time to time, but other than that I love all the fish stores in my area. This goes for all the shops in my area not just 1 specific one.
wide bar != thin bar. different sp, different price...
1) expensive hardware
Eg: a 3ft made in china led light costs about $100-150 in LFS, i get the same from China website for $50 all in
a 4 outlet air pump costs $60 in LFS, i get mine for less than $20 include shipping
If you all can buy from china.... you all gonna have a wheel of a time
Try returning that China led that you ordered from China, when it breaks down after 3 weeks. Bet you'll have better luck returning it at the LFS.
I just hate the fact that most of them won't let me catch my own fish. I hate the fact that they chase the Fish down and it's all sorts of chaos in the tank. Much easier when you go in slow and they have no idea what's going on
Imagine what would happen to the LFS if you had your hands in there, and the fish bit you. Or you got cut on an ornament/rock. Or you fell off the ladder. Or you had gunk on your hands, and it poisoned half of their system.