Downfall of the LFS?

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gomezladdams;4323754; said:
This is nothing new.Mid 80s to early 90s the rise of the big corporate "big box" stores started wiping out the small businesses.Lumberyards,hardware stores small dept stores corner drug stores and even the lfs have been in a steady decline ever since.
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I disagree...there are still plenty of people out there (me included) that would HIGHLY prefer a specialty shop over a big box generic Petsmart/Petco - ESPECIALLY when it comes to fish. I can't even count how many times I was in Petsmart to pickup crickets for my daughter's green anole and saw a beautiful fish for a cheap price. So against all sanity, I buy it, put him in the tank and the next day he and everything else in there has ICK or is already dead! Not to say that can't happen at a LFS also, but big box stores are consistently bad - hence the "2 week, free replacement" policies! What's worse is that hasn't prevented me from buying at Petsmart, just means I quarantine for 2-3 weeks first.

The problem is that the LFS's have to find a way to stay competitive or offer some additional benefit to their customers beyond "well, we don't sell crap fish like big boxers do"...it's basic business sense. Further, they have to stay competitive on their supplies - because this is the PRIMARY reason people go to the store...to get more supplies. In most cases I would guess that getting a new fish is an impulse buy, not the main reason for coming there.

On top of all that, many LFS's that I've been to feel more like the corner pub than a specialty shop. How many times have you gone in to one and the owner's best buddy is at the register for 5 minutes chatting before the owner even acknowledges you're there! In line! Wanting to give them money, but they're too busy to take it!
 
Disagree how?its something that happened.
25 years ago there were lfs everywhere,even within blocks of each other.
Now its rare to see one opening and common to hear about another good one gone.Same for the mom and pop lumberyard etc etc...
Its not about what a few high end hobbyists "would like to see".Its about a fundamental change in the business model.
 
OmniTranz;4323779; said:
I disagree...there are still plenty of people out there (me included) that would HIGHLY prefer a specialty shop over a big box generic Petsmart/Petco - ESPECIALLY when it comes to fish. I can't even count how many times I was in Petsmart to pickup crickets for my daughter's green anole and saw a beautiful fish for a cheap price. So against all sanity, I buy it, put him in the tank and the next day he and everything else in there has ICK or is already dead! Not to say that can't happen at a LFS also, but big box stores are consistently bad - hence the "2 week, free replacement" policies! What's worse is that hasn't prevented me from buying at Petsmart, just means I quarantine for 2-3 weeks first.

The problem is that the LFS's have to find a way to stay competitive or offer some additional benefit to their customers beyond "well, we don't sell crap fish like big boxers do"...it's basic business sense. Further, they have to stay competitive on their supplies - because this is the PRIMARY reason people go to the store...to get more supplies. In most cases I would guess that getting a new fish is an impulse buy, not the main reason for coming there.

On top of all that, many LFS's that I've been to feel more like the corner pub than a specialty shop. How many times have you gone in to one and the owner's best buddy is at the register for 5 minutes chatting before the owner even acknowledges you're there! In line! Wanting to give them money, but they're too busy to take it!
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:iagree: primary reason i go to LFS is supplies and see if they have anything uncommon/rare.... which they never do. always the same junk in a different tank. :(
 
Yea but youd be surprised at how little a few high end fishkeepers matter to the survival of the small lfs.Its about the constant flow of the people buying those average fish that keeps those places alive.
My fish live for years,need no medication and I buy food in bulk,like alot of folks on these forums.We arent the ones driving the business end of the hobby.
 
^Thats why we used to call certain fish bread and butter stuff at the store I used to work at.
 
If a LFS imported some rarer stuff, I wouldn't mind paying a bit extra. By rare I mean hard to find at your average chain store, doesn't exactly need to be worth a fortune. If they had stuff like juvi new world fcichlids(rotkiels, notatus, h.carpintis 'escondido', non hybrid midas) I wouldn't mind paying $10 for a 1" fish. But if you have $1.66 corydoras aeneus or $0.77 otocinclus at a chain vs $3 each for the same fish at a LFS...well I'm poor lol
 
Three biggest issues I believe LFS face that produce less than favorable outcomes are..


  • Owner bias – with customer real-time focus trends coming in a distance second. Its easy done without even realizing when its your own money in the business)

  • Lack of knowledgeable staff or consistent pressures from above to sell regardless.

  • Owners lack the wisdom to orchestrate effective workbench & incentive programs which seed future margins.

It’s not the entire picture by any stretch; however these are potential main triggers.


Overheads universally are high regardless, its how business owners run & capitalize the business to begin with that dictate success. Once the business is turning over with better management of the above points, then focus can turn to specialization.

However on that exact note, besides doing it yourself, LFS are like the front line for wholesale distributors, I lose little sleep asking the owners directly to bring me in anything the world has to offer and at a reasonable price. If communication & margin calculations are not within acceptable timeframes, it gives a glimpse of how the internal running of the business operate.

 
That is why I am thankful the place I love has been around 30 years :)

they just bought a second location an equal distance from my house
 
I'm proud to say that I work in a tiny shop that has a sharp focus on fish. We have to compete with Walmart and Meijer for fish and we really have to scrape by on fish prices, but we WILL NOT sell sick fish, or fish to people who have no idea what they're doing. I've watched the owner turn customers away because they don't have a large enough tank to get a pretty Jack Dempsey or Oscar. He also has a good interest in oddball fish, and has kept arowana, red snook, pacu, royal knife, clown knife, electric blue Jack Dempseys, short body flowerhorns, Fahaka puffers, peacock bass, too many cichlids to list, as well as saltwater fish. We also have a 600 gallon pond in the shop where a red tail cat resides. I don't think I could work there if we didn't work so hard to keep customers informed and educated.
 
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