Generally the fish in the LFS are well cared for, better fish, more specialized fish, the staff know their stuff and are helpful, you shouldn't try and grind 'em down. Like SimonL said don't be a pain in the ***. If you are shopping for mere price, go to a big box store or order it off the net from god knows where.
If you are buying 15 fish of course you can ask for a bit of a deal, but they are there to make a living, respect it
Generally the fish in the LFS are well cared for, better fish, more specialized fish, the staff know their stuff and are helpful, you shouldn't try and grind 'em down. Like SimonL said don't be a pain in the ***. If you are shopping for mere price, go to a big box store or order it off the net from god knows where.
If you are buying 15 fish of course you can ask for a bit of a deal, but they are there to make a living, respect it
Wished I was wealthy like you and go to an LFS and pay for their mark ups on filters, water conditioners, etc. Some people like to manage money and that is the bottom line for me.
Wished I was wealthy like you and go to an LFS and pay for their mark ups on filters, water conditioners, etc. Some people like to manage money and that is the bottom line for me.
Usually the mom & pop shops turn their hobby into the business & want to do what they like & make a living doing it. Its hard at times to be both because you can get burned out. I always say I'm a hobbyist by blood over 30 years now. I belong to the fish clubs etc. So I see both sides of the fence & understand where each is coming from when buying. I have had some members ask for a deal to buy a case etc. of something & ask if I can match or be close to a online price or mail order because they are not just buying one heater, they are buying 20 + because they have a lot of tanks & would pay a lot at normal retail. Internet I have said is a double edge blade & our worse enemy. But it also has helped at the same time. I learn more as does the customer etc. & sometimes I need to reinvent the wheel & adapt to chage if I want to survive. When you have lot more bills with a business & a family to support its all business. Remember what goes around comes around. In my area they are trying to promote local business more realizing that the money stays here & is used here more then some corporate giant taking it somewhere else.
I realize this more a couple years when I was in Australia. There was no mega stores or Walmarts etc. Lots of small to medium business that all seemed to be doing good. Things were busy it seemed everywhere. My fiances family owned businesses there & were doing pretty well & we talked about business & related to it as in health insurance etc.. I told them I hope a Walmart never sets foot there because it will destroy many businesses & the landscape will change.
If I'm making more money, I spend more money locally on food, entertainment, etc.. So if you work for a local business you know you are supported also by that local fish store & its employees that support the business you work for.
What goes around comes around. Not everyone will change thier buying habits or the way they shop locally but some will support their local shops & inturn the local shops will support you!
For me i will ask for some kind of deal on things like large oddballs or fish that have been there a while or its the last one in the tank etc but if they say no then thats fair enough to me,no harm in asking.
For instance i recently got a 14" ornate and a 10" del at the same time and they were marked up at £50 for the O and £27 for the del,i asked and they said £70,i tried at £65 but they stuck at £70,no more haggling,i just bought the fish at that price.
Also at a different lfs i get on quite well with them and say if i wanted 7 or8 cardinals or small fish i will normally find ive got more when i get them home
To me i dont think its bad to ask for a discount as long as you respect that these people do it for a living and you dont take the xxxx or get all awkward when they dont give you one,you may get something off next time.
Wished I was wealthy like you and go to an LFS and pay for their mark ups on filters, water conditioners, etc. Some people like to manage money and that is the bottom line for me.
Well for clothing, I only buy it on sale or at the outlets, the same thing for food also. Like I probably would buy more stuff if it was on sale or go to a big discount store to buy food.
In short, I try to find the best bargain possible. Like I said, if I had money to burn, I would spend like crazy and wouldn't look at prices like some people do. Wealthy people will go to a mom and pops LFS and spend their money and will not look at prices while middle class folks like me would go and try to manage money.
I only ask for discounts on fish and not dry goods. The worst thing an LFS person can say is no to a discount.
Not all discount or box stores or even Walmart is better priced! They can not sell everything at cost or at a lost leader because they could not stay in business or build multi million dollar buildings.
As example 3 plug adapters at Walmart are $2.50 & a dollar at Money Tree.
There something on I think A&E about Walmart etc. They will price like a vacuum cheaper then others but the next vacuum up will be more so you think you are getting a deal on everything you buy from them.
